Chapter 229
As if the single shaker I was holding wasn’t enough, he brought another one, added the mix, and gripped one shaker tightly in each hand.
Wait, dual-wielding shakers?
He firmly pressed the stainless tin and mixing glass of the Boston Shaker - optimized for making cocktails quickly - together with a thud, thud, then held the joints with a hand on each and slowly shook them.
After warming up his body slightly like that, he smiled widely through his Dragon Helmet as if he had gotten the feel for it and spoke.
[Now… Hajimete miyouka (Shall we begin)?]
Using his ever-consistent Signature Dobon-eo as a start, Dragon President made a clack! sound with his mouth.
[Music - cue!]
Saying that, he gazed intently at Tony and sent some kind of signal. Whatever it was, Tony let out a deep sigh with an expression that showed he really didn’t want to do it, then handed the ice glass he was making over to me.
“Hold onto this for a second. Hah, seriously…”
Then he moved to one side of the bar table and pressed a button. The Under Bar below, where the storage cabinet definitely used to be, flipped over with a whirring sound, and a mixer flashing in five colors along with two players with wheels attached rose up.
…Isn’t that DJing equipment?
Since when did our bar have all that?
Thinking about it carefully, I remembered the repair done after the bar burned down due to the Luddite Gang’s terrorism.
I thought the bar had become much longer and wider than before, but when I asked, Dragon President only vaguely mentioned that he had added a few special features.
So this was that special feature.
There was no way anyone other than the Dragon President would have the crazy idea to install DJ equipment in a bar table.
Anyway, he’s a rich person. If he has the money to spend on useless modifications like that, he should just consider it a donation and give it to me!
When Tony pressed the play button, a lively electronic retro beat echoed through the entire bar.
The speakers weren’t visible, but it seemed he had even installed speakers all over.
Dragon President started shaking the cocktails with both hands to the beat. It wasn’t that fast at first, but it gradually sped up as he stirred them up, down, and side to side.
Chakachakachakachakachakachaka -
Had about seven seconds passed like that? Dragon President set the shakers down, lightly flicked his thumb to pop off the mixing glass acting as a lid, and shouted.
[Glasses!]
At those words, I hurriedly held out two McMillan head-shape ice glasses, and with a performance-filled stance, he poured the instantly crafted frozen strawberry margarita from high above, splash, splash, splash.
“Two McMillan cocktails are complete! Take them away!”
In my eyes, this alone was a sufficiently excellent performance, and the customers also seemed satisfied with the flashy shaking.
But what kind of person was Dragon President? He was someone with different standards from others. He still wasn’t satisfied.
[It’s still lacking! Hayaku! Faster!]
At the roar of the speed-crazed Dragon, Tony shook his head and activated the player on the other side as well.
Two different types of Synth Music beats overlapped, making the beat even more intense.
[This is it!]
The excited Dragon President grabbed the shakers Sey had filled with both hands again and started shaking them wildly.
Even though he seemed to be stirring them frantically to the beat, there was strangely a sense of discipline to it. With movements like swinging nunchucks, he raised his shoulders and gradually increased the speed.
Chakachakachakachakachakachaka -
This time it only took five seconds. He popped the lids open roughly, poured the drinks into the glasses, and immediately started shaking again!
[Next!]
As if everything up until now had just been a warm-up, the shaking got faster and faster. It was to the point where I wondered if he had motors attached to his arms.
[Osoi! The beat is a bit slow!]
At Dragon President’s provocation, Tony touched the mixer this time to adjust the tempo even faster. Only then, as if the speed finally matched, did Dragon President shake and shake the shakers to the point where they were invisible, crafting cocktails.
It was a strongman show akin to a divine skill, producing a whopping two cocktails in just three seconds.
Shaking wasn’t just about shaking blindly fast, but amazingly, the cocktails Dragon President made were perfectly balanced in taste, completely separate from that ignorant speed, as if there were a secret to his shaking method.
Later on, the speed of making the cocktail mix or ice glasses simply couldn’t keep up with Dragon President’s shaking, so while mixing drinks, he would separate the shaker lids and bodies mid-air, transfer cocktails from one shaker to another, and twist his body to make the liquor arc like a fountain as it poured into the glasses…
He showed off all sorts of unimaginable, extraordinary techniques and performances while looking completely at ease. If at first I watched with a learning mindset, wondering, “How is he doing that?”, as time went on, it just felt like another, unapproachable level - a Skill/Art from Another World.
It was only a few minutes ago that I thought I was confident in my shaking, but I already regretted that hasty past thought.
Compared to that God-possessed Technique, the shaking I did was no different from kindergarten pretend play. The world of cocktails truly had no end.
And finally.
[Owarida (It’s over).]
Dragon President shouted that and tossed the shakers into the air, and Sey and I popped out from both sides to catch and organize them. At the stunt reminiscent of a circus, all the customers stood up and applauded.
Let’s briefly ignore the otaku-like dialogue that made me forget my admiration.
My god, all those orders were completely handled in just ten minutes after Dragon President was deployed.
It was so hard to believe that I looked around to see if there were any more customers coming in, but the bar was already full, and the McMillan Supporters running around in red T-shirts on the street outside the window were all holding a McMillan Cocktail made at our bar.
He had truly digested that entire volume.
Suddenly, I felt somewhat wronged.
“Wait, you left this kind of skill alone and let only us roll around to death all this time? If we had worked together from the start, we would have finished ages ago.”
When I grumbled and complained, Dragon President struck various cringeworthy poses as fan service for the enthusiastic customers and spoke as if it were absurd.
[Uh-huh? This is totally a case of saving someone from drowning only to be asked for their belongings. Look here, I’m the President and you’re the employee! What do you think is the reason I hired you guys to use as employees?]
“…What is it?”
[Tōzen (Of course) I use employees so I don’t have to work! I hired you guys so I wouldn’t have to work. So, if I work to help you, what kind of role reversal is that?]
I was left speechless by Dragon President’s confident shout.
Does that even make… sense?
Surprisingly, it was plausible logic.
“S-still, on a day like today, you could help out a bit…”
[That’s why, since you guys seemed to be having such a hard time, I finally had a good heart and helped you out, punk! What are you dissatisfied with?]
…He’s right?
It felt somewhat uncomfortable, but everything coming out of his mouth was so right that I couldn’t refute it.
As I tilted my head and scratched it, Dragon President crossed his arms and spoke.
[And if I step in every time things get a little tough, would your skills improve? Just look at you, Aaron. Maybe it’s because you rolled so hard today, but your shaking skill has improved beyond recognition, hasn’t it? It’s a world of difference from when I first saw you.]
Feeling that Dragon President was detestable only lasted a moment; as they say, praise makes even whales dance, and after hearing the compliment that my skills had improved, I forgot about the hardship and the corners of my mouth crept up.
Seeing me shrug my shoulders, Tony looked at me from the side, thinking, “That… that simple bastard…”, but I ignored him lightly.
[Judging by your Growth Rate, I might have to slowly start preparing…]
“Preparing?”
[Nandemoniiya (It’s nothing.) More importantly, it’s about time.]
As I checked my Cyberwatch at Dragon President’s words, it really was.
The time was already approaching 20:00.
The ending of the orders was partly because we worked hard and held out well, but more than anything, it was largely because the time was ripe.
Now was the time to sit down, or stand up abruptly, and focus on concentration rather than ordering drinks.
D.D. McMillan’s Third pledge was just ahead of its fresh live announcement.
Right on time, the voice of the news host was heard from the hologram channel.
[Thank you for waiting, everyone. The current time is 19:55. Candidate McMillan, who is driving a sensational storm through Dusk City, promised three hopes - two of which have already been revealed, causing massive ripples in their own different ways, right? - and now the last remaining third! The Third pledge is just about to be announced.
Just look at the crowd gathered at Nikola Square where the podium is prepared. Isn’t it truly staggering? It looks to be easily tens of thousands of people. All these people are eagerly waiting for Candidate McMillan’s secret weapon to be revealed. Perhaps today this very spot will become the watershed that decides the outcome of the Dusk Mayor election.]
The voices of people chattering noisily, each offering different deductions about what the Third pledge might be, were heard.
Since it’s the last one, it will be something incredible just as he guaranteed; if it’s McMillan, he’ll slap regulations on those bastards all those corporations; no matter if it’s McMillan, that’s going too far…
“What do you think?”
I asked the Dragon President.