Chapter 16
An android? Because the twists and turns I'd experienced among the Rubber Vending Machines were still vividly imprinted in my mind, my first thought was whether this bartender, Tony, was also a Ladam.
However, upon careful consideration, that didn't seem to be the case.
Hadn't Dragon President just said it was ambiguous to call that purely his own skill?
If he were an android, even if he used a Mechanical Arm, that would still be his own skill. What else could it be, if he were born that way?
In that case, Tony's mechanically smooth and precise hand movement wasn't something he was born with, but rather the result of body modification.
There was only one conclusion.
“A prosthetic arm... it seems? It was so natural that I didn't even notice.”
The Dragon Helmet rattled up and down.
It wasn't particularly surprising. This was Dusk City in 2107 AD, a world where Body Modification like prosthetic arms, legs, or eyes was treated as a matter of individuality or fashion.
However, what was remarkable was how difficult it was to tell it was a prosthetic arm from the outside; its movements were seamlessly natural, and the Artificial Skin at the joint was so clean.
If he hadn't performed that unique Stir Movement, and if Dragon President hadn't given me a hint, I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all.
It seemed like a rather expensive piece of cyberware for a bartender at an outskirt bar to use just for making cocktails.
Anyway, it seemed there wasn't a single ordinary person among the employees here.
Whoosh-
Perhaps he no longer intended to hide his prosthetic arm. After gracefully finishing his stir with fingers and wrists moving in an extraordinary trajectory, Tony skewered a black cherry onto a toothpick-shaped stainless steel pin and dropped a shriveled orange peel beside it.
“Oaxaca-style Old Fashioned, complete.”
Thus, the cocktail was complete. A translucent, pale orange liquid gently swayed with ice in the glass.
An Old Fashioned, huh? That's not for me; it's for that Dragon Yangban over there. The glass shape itself was completely different from what I saw on the menu. After skillfully delivering the drink to the Otaku Dragon, Tony pulled out a new glass from under the table and spoke.
“Yes, it's a prosthetic arm. I had an unavoidable accident when I was young, and my arm ended up like this.”
Ah, so it wasn't just for individuality or fashion after all. Just as I was about to nod, thinking *So that's the story*," Dragon President poured the drink into the large Dragon Snout of his helmet and shouted.
[Bullshit! Is that your routine today? Last time you said your arm got caught in a conveyor belt while working at a robot factory in Neo Detroit!]
“Oh, come on. I could have worked at a factory when I was young, couldn't I?”
[Oh, really. If I hadn't seen you spin that elaborate epic to the female customers a few months ago about losing your arm in a gang war, it might have been somewhat convincing. Huh?]
“...A factory accident could have happened because of a gang war, couldn't it?”
[That's enough, you punk!]
The Dragon Head roared and threw the stainless steel pin that was resting on the glass. The black cherry had already been eaten, leaving no trace.
And Tony, with astonishing reflexes, snatched the pin flying towards him and put it back in its place.
His expression was nonchalant, as if this were an everyday occurrence.
Come to think of it, he caught that with his prosthetic arm too. Maybe it wasn't reflexes, but just the prosthetic arm's automatic defense mechanism.
[See? You can't just believe that *Usotsuki* (liar) bastard. More than half of what comes out of his mouth is a lie!]
“How about we focus on the fact that the other half is true?”
[From where I stand, that prosthetic arm of his is clearly just for show. It is for picking up women. That's just how those Italian guys are.]
Sasha Dragon said this and once again poured the cocktail into the helmet's mouth-hole.
*...Does the alcohol even go into his mouth when he drinks like that? Is he holding a straw connected to the Dragon Snout in his mouth?*
“Seriously, is it even fair to criticize someone for using a prosthetic arm in the 22nd century? What kind of era is this, anyway?”
At Dragon's continued reprimands, this time Tony emptied a pale yellow liquid pack into a tall glass with ice, and, pouring a seemingly fluorescent green drink over it, he spoke.
“In an era where virtual idols and Android-Ever Idols dominate the entertainment industry, and the red-light district is overrun with Lover Bots, If my prosthetic arm isn't real skill, then the virtual idol you like so much, Boss—who was it again, Stella-chan?—wouldn't be a real idol either, would she?”
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent.
I swallowed unconsciously.
Gulp.
In that tense moment, the silence ended.
In a deep, serious voice, Dragon Manager spoke, his bulbous eyes glowing intensely.
[Hey, *sokomade da* (that's enough). Don't you dare touch my idol. I was wrong. I won't insult your prosthetic arm again.]
“Okay, it's a promise.”
[And as I always say, it's not Stella, it's Hanako-chan. Stella is an idol from a different company, with a completely different concept!]
As if that were the fuse, the Otaku Dragon began passionately explaining how his favorite virtual idol differed from other idols.
Tony ignored him, as if accustomed to it, and I... pretended not to notice.
*Although I do like 2D characters, virtual idols still seem to be in a realm I can't quite accept.*
He spoke with such a serious tone that I got tense, thinking there might be a real problem, but I was just needlessly worrying. *I felt somewhat tricked.*
Listening with one ear and letting it out the other to his passionate speech about virtual idols, I continued to watch the cocktail being made.
As he dropped purple berry-scented crystals into the refreshing pale green mixture, carbonation dramatically swelled within it. Once the bubbling purple foam, which threatened to overflow, subsided, the tall glass was filled with a captivating magenta drink.
And it wasn't just an ordinary magenta; it was a color that glowed erratically, like a neon sign. *Did he add discharge pigment? The colors really pop in a strange way.*
Now, all that was left was to place a lemon slice on top.
“A variation of Tokyo Iced Tea, which is itself a variation of Long Island Iced Tea... Dusk Iced Tea is complete.”
A variation of a variation, how cool.
It was truly a magnificent cocktail, no exaggeration. A light that seemed to be an exquisite blend of cranberry and blueberry shimmered around the Stainless Steel Straw Tony had inserted.
I understood why it was called Dusk Iced Tea. Its hue perfectly resembled the city's skyline, where smog, building lights, and the setting sun merged.
Perhaps because it mimicked the appearance of a city with severe air pollution, its intense and stimulating appearance made it seem potentially harmful to the human body, but *oh well, it's probably fine*. *They say junk food tastes better anyway, so as long as it tastes good, isn't that all that matters?*
I poked the lemon slice with the straw, which was perched atop the boisterously rising carbonation bubbles that reached my face, and asked.
“This isn't a real lemon, is it?”
Because I had a past in cooking, these kinds of things naturally caught my attention.
Tony nodded.
“It's an artificial lemon, made to look very similar, since real lemons are impossible to get. It's packed with flavorings, so it'll give a somewhat similar impression. However, I don't recommend eating it. It's incredibly sour.”
Just as I thought. The black cherry and orange peel in the drink served to Dragon President earlier were probably similar imitation products.
By the way, even for an artificial lemon, it looked quite similar. It seems they sell these kinds of things nowadays.
Out of curiosity, I bit off a small piece from the edge and tasted it.
The taste... I forced myself to swallow, resisting the urge to spit it out immediately. It looked similar, but the taste was completely off.
One thing was for sure: it wasn't the taste of lemon I knew. It was disgustingly sour, and above all, the texture was terribly chewy. It felt like chewing on rind, not pulp.
When I looked up with a grimace, Tony was grinning. His sly expression seemed to say, *'I told you so.'*
With the thought of quickly soothing my shocked tongue, I put the straw to my lips. I drank the Dusk Iced Tea.
My first impression was that, surprisingly, it tasted similar to a bokbunja drink. However, it was slightly less sweet, cool, tangy, with a hint of bitterness, and an added effervescent freshness.
It was like drinking a carbonated beverage mixed with bokbunja-flavored alcohol popping candy. It was a strange way to describe the taste, but it was the absolute truth.
To put it more simply, it was delicious. It suited my taste. It was a flavor befitting a beginner-friendly difficulty, the kind of sweet and refreshing mixed drink one typically imagines when thinking of a cocktail.
But it didn't stop there; a powerful kick came from behind. The Mouthfeel, unlike its smooth taste, was closer to a tingling sensation.
After I took a few sips, the granules on the verge of dissolving, the carbon dioxide in the bubbling bokbunja candy burst in my mouth, delivering an almost stinging, refreshingly cool mouthfeel. A slight chew released a sweet, popping burst that was incredibly appealing.
These few carbonation crystals remaining in the liquid had a significant impact on the texture. It was, with a slight exaggeration, far more refreshing than any beer or cola I had ever drunk.
It enveloped my tongue with a stimulating flavor, which had been shocked by the double blow of the Green Tea Cola I drank before entering the Bar and the artificial lemon I just tasted. It was stimulating in a good way, almost making me forget my previous bad experiences.
If I drank this in the middle of a hot summer, it would be absolutely killer. It was a bit of a shame that the weather was still chilly. Another slight disappointment was that there was a faint, medicinal syrup-like taste characteristic of artificial additives, but that was something I could generously overlook.
Considering it probably only contained about 1-2 percent cultured fruit extract, it was astonishing that it tasted this good.
While the advancement of Science and Technology certainly played a part, Tony's Technique must have contributed significantly as well.
I'd heard it wasn't easy to mix alcohol with synthetic ingredients so seamlessly, and for me, who dislikes alcohol and is subtly picky about taste, to be this satisfied was remarkable. The unique bitter taste that could have been overpowering and the popping carbonation texture actually seemed to balance it out. It was surprising how little bitterness from the alcohol I felt.
It couldn't have been easy to create such an exquisite ratio.
According to the Otaku Dragon, Tony was only good at Stirring, and everything else was mediocre, but in my opinion, he was a top-notch bartender in other aspects too. Even the Dusk Iced Tea I was currently drinking was a cocktail made without using that swirling Stirring Technique, wasn't it?
Why is there such a skilled bartender in this remote place?
My satisfaction must have been evident on my face. Tony grinned and said.
“Oh, it seems the cocktail I made is somewhat to the taste of a five-star hotel chef. See that, Boss? This is the kind of person I am. Let's renegotiate my salary, shall we?”
As I gave a thumbs-up and put the straw back in my mouth, Dragon, who had finally finished his lecture on virtual idols, interrupted the conversation.
Hey, The Long Tea type is cheating. You're just using pre-proportioned products. All you did was add luminous Midori (melon liqueur) and berry juice carbonation crystals.
Then, while I was busily savoring the refreshing cocktail, sipping it loudly, he spoke to me.
Oh, and you might not want to drink that too quickly.