Chapter 102
If I had to pick just one person among the Members of Dragon's Lair whose true Identity I was most curious about,
I would probably choose Head Bartender Sey.
Of course, Dragon President was hiding more. That side had its face, voice, gender... almost everything shrouded in a veil.
But in the President's case, it was so heavily concealed that it felt daunting to even try digging into it.
Besides, the information casually tossed out from time to time—whether it was about being a legendary Ronin, the Corpo War, or contributing to the establishment of Dusk, whatever they did in the past...
The scale was so massive that, despite their friendly attitude, there was a part of me that hesitated to pry for information.
If right from the start you suddenly handed a student who was just starting to study a workbook filled with the killer questions of the highest difficulty, would they feel a sense of challenge?
Of course not. They would only think, “This is out of my league...” It would be that kind of feeling.
Then again, it was precisely because they were such a difficult person to figure out that the Iron Blood Chairman had personally entrusted me with this mission.
In that regard, the one I was more curious about was Sey.
The Mysterious Bartender of Dragon's Lair.
From what I had observed over the past few days... aside from her bizarre taste buds that enjoyed drinking Green Tea Cola, she was a practically perfect person.
Visible were Dark Blue Hair that faintly held a purple hue under the pale incandescent lights, a small face, and Distorted Gray Eyes.
Her striking appearance, which didn't even seem like it could have been created by Science and Technology, was one thing.
Her Bartending Skill, the most important virtue of a Bartender, was top-tier without a doubt.
A Bartending Skill on the level of a top-tier luxury hotel Bartender, certified by that picky Classic Cocktail Enthusiast, Dragon President, and the Troublemaker Detective was evident.
She possessed a fantastic mixing ability that made even Cheap Synthetic Liquor taste like a cocktail mixed with real base spirits.
Was it because of that Drink Mixing Skill?
Even though she clearly didn't seem to converse much with the customers, nor did she entertain their eyes with flashy Fire shows or provocative exposure, she boasted significantly higher sales than Assistant Bartender Tony.
It went without saying that the satisfaction of the customers she served was top-notch in most cases.
She was an incredible person just from this Alone, but it didn't stop there.
She was someone presumed to Possess High-Output body acceleration cyberware.
She is a possessor of Overwhelming Force capable of single-handedly steamrolling your average Ronin or gangs.
I had already had my life saved twice with Sey's help.
Head Bartender Sey was that kind of person.
Someone with a Cold, sharp appearance and a Blunt personality, but who also quietly took care of people a lot.
She also had a lot to hide, but it didn't feel as daunting as it did with Dragon President.
You know, aren't there people like that?
Dragon President was the type who was easy to Approach and friendly, but took a long time to reveal their true inner thoughts or secrets.
Sey, on the other hand, was hard to Approach and hard to get close to, but gave off the feeling that once you did get close, she would share everything without hesitation.
Just looking at what I've summarized so far, doesn't it seem like I know quite a lot of information about Sey?
It didn't even end here. There was more.
“born September 2082, she likes sesame sticks, will snap your arm if you carelessly touch her body, and heads home in a similar direction as me...”
And she had met me in the past.
“It would be better for you to keep forgetting like that. Don”t go out of your way to try and remember.'
The words Sey had said came to mind.
Human psychology dictates that you want to do something even more when told not to.
I wanted to recover what I had forgotten.
And perhaps, this final game could be the clue to recalling those memories.
That was why I held my breath and concentrated on every single word coming out of Sey's mouth.
"Should I?"
Sey tapped the table with her fingernail while resting her chin on her hand, as if thinking about what truth she should Confess.
"I can't really think of anything. Is there anything you're curious about regarding me?"
She added a remark just as Tony excitedly tried to open his mouth.
"Not you, Tony. You already know enough. I'm asking our Newcomer... Nakamura."
Dejected.
Turning her gaze away from Tony, who was sulking and burying himself in the sofa, Sey looked at me with her dark gray eyes.
If she asked what I was curious about, the Answer was obviously just one thing.
Just as I reflexively tried to open my mouth, a smooth voice suddenly cut off my thoughts.
"I think I know what you're curious about, but I can't tell you that."
Tch.
So she really wasn't going to Tell me that, huh. I was going to ask how we had met in the past.
"I'll tell you something else instead. This is regarding what happened last time and why I couldn't help you earlier. You'll probably find this Interesting too."
"Ah..."
A groan escaped me without my realizing it at Sey's words.
That was definitely a question I had.
Why hadn't Sey stepped forward on the day of the Luddite gang's Attack?
Honestly, I was a bit hurt.
It would be one thing if she didn't have the ability, but that wasn't it either.
Sey was clearly a powerhouse with the skill to clean up that situation.
You could tell just by seeing how she had Taken out the Bratva gang members in the Blink of an eye during the Man Hunter Incident.
With a high-output body acceleration Implant—which I remembered could only be obtained upon reaching the final level in the game—she would have had plenty of chance of winning even in a Head-on Confrontation with Ned Ludd,
Even if she couldn't face Ned Ludd directly due to issues like endurance or lack of energy, she could have provided other help, like clearing out the Luddite minions.
She only watched from afar, and at the moment of the final Showdown, she completely disappeared from the spot, showing nothing but an Incomprehensible bystander's attitude.
A person who was the Head Bartender and had worked at the shop for years didn't Step forward even when the bar was being destroyed and customers were dying.
Even I, the Newcomer On-site Manager, a weak, bare body without any Body Modification, acted Crazy and stepped up to the front to fight those terrorist bastards.
Now I was just a little hurt, but at the time, I had resented her quite a lot.
What was even more Incomprehensible was that after not stepping forward continuously, she suddenly appeared and saved me at the very end when Ned Ludd's sword caused an Explosion and I was about to be engulfed in flames.
What kind of inconsistent attitude was this?
If she was going to Utilize her abilities anyway, it would have been much better if she had used them earlier.
"If I had stepped forward earlier, there wouldn't have been any damage to the bar, and none of the customers would have ended up dying."
Gasp.
My eyes widened as she spoke as if she had read my inner thoughts.
Seeing me like that, Sey let out a small chuckle and said:
"Your thoughts show all over your face, Nakamura."
It was something I had already heard multiple times.
I really needed to practice my poker face, my facial expression Management Technique.
Looking at my face, which had stiffened like I'd chewed on SHIT, Sey continued speaking.
"To Finish what I was saying, it would have been good if I had stepped forward quickly, but... I couldn't. There were too many watching eyes."
She couldn't because there were too many watching eyes.
Conversely, it meant she couldn't afford to be caught.
It seemed she definitely had some kind of backstory, as one could tell just by the fact that a mere bar Bartender possessed a high-output Implant that couldn't even be bought with money.
Even though it was clearly something serious at a glance, Sey spoke nonchalantly, as if bringing up someone else's story.
"Like the boss said, the floating population in the vicinity rapidly increased because of Dead Cell... and the number of people watching grew too. Not to mention the number of Ronin and gangs that entered the bar. When there are a lot of watching eyes, it becomes easier to get caught. I couldn't Step forward Recklessly."
So was that why we were having our team Dinner in a Dining Hall so empty that flies were buzzing around?
That is, it was to avoid watching eyes.
"..."
Goosebumps rose at the sudden thought—the evening, night, and early morning hours, when people gathered the most.
Not a single person had entered the 24-hour Unmanned Restaurant Tommy Jones yet.
Not even one. It was obviously a bizarre occurrence.
No matter how mediocre the food at Tommy Jones was, it was cheap and the portions were large, so it would Make Sense for at least one person to come fill his or her stomach.
Come to think of it, at some point, the Guidance robot at the entrance had gone quiet, and the Surveillance cameras in every corner had their heads bowed and lights turned off.
As if providing a place where we could talk quietly amongst ourselves without Outside Interference...
There was such an obvious artificial intervention.
Looking to the side, Tony was leaning back and whistling. He was smiling with his eyes narrowed to thin slits.
Gulp, I swallowed dry saliva and adjusted my Stance.
My drunkenness completely faded as Sey's husky voice pierced into my ears.
"Let's just say the reason I have to worry about watching eyes is because there are people looking for me, chasing me, and trying to capture me."
This was a bit puzzling.
She seemed quite free for someone in the Position of a chased fugitive.
She wasn't hiding her true appearance like Dragon President, and wasn't she working as a Bartender, exposing her face and voice entirely to the General public?
Furthermore, the subject was none other than Sey.
A person with such a striking appearance that you wouldn't be able to forget her once you saw her, to the point where it was baffling that I couldn't recall the memory of meeting her.
If there really were people chasing her like she said, there was no way they wouldn't have found her by now.
As if answering my question, Sey immediately continued speaking.
"Of course, as you can see, I'm not in a Position where I'm living in seclusion because of it. Those people also know where I am and what I'm doing. Hiding from them is close to impossible in the first place..."
If it was an Organization or Group that was nearly impossible to hide from,
was she dealing with a Megacorp specialized in information and Surveillance Technology, or perhaps the Dusk Watch, who were called the Net Administrators?
"Yet the reason I can be this free right now is because I made some kind of contract with them. According to the contract, they can't take me away yet. Not yet, at least."
What did this mean now?
My mind became even more complicated.