Chapter 27
5 AM.
The Bar closed its doors.
A Customer sprawled drunk on a table, a Troublemaker who locked himself in the Restroom for some reason and stubbornly refused to come out, a drunkard who drank like a maniac, claiming it still wasn't enough as if he couldn't get drunk...
Only after dragging all those people out the door and kicking them out could I find peace.
The interior of the Bar was quiet, half the lights turned off. Only a faint Neon Light illuminated the surroundings.
The Jukebox had also been turned off the moment business ended, so a somewhat lonely atmosphere lingered.
It might have felt even more so because just a few hours ago, it was bustling, filled with all sorts of extraordinary humans.
The Bartenders had also long since left. They just did the basic cleanup and immediately got off work.
Because the cleanup was the job of the On-site Manager, the Odd-jobber—me. Even though I had tidied up here and there during business hours, the dishes were piled up.
Yaaawn-
Letting out a long yawn, I dipped the plates and glasses into water mixed with Synthetic Detergent and pulled them out. I wiped the sudsy dishes a few times with a Microfiber Cloth and put them away.
A repetitive action I was so skilled at I could do it with my eyes closed.
Because the water bills in Dusk City were so murderous, when washing dishes, it was mostly the case to use a dishcloth rather than rinsing them with water.
Though it was more often used to just wipe dishes coming out of the washer rather than dipping them in detergent water and wiping them like this.
As I absentmindedly moved my hands, such a question suddenly occurred to me.
Don't we use a washer? I know most places use an Ultrasonic Device.
He spent money on all sorts of things like a Virtual Ping-Pong Table, an arcade game machine, and an Air Purification Facility, yet it was baffling that there was no Dishwasher, something that was used perfectly well even in the 21st century.
Was this also something that happened due to the Dragon President's mistake, like the free airwave broadcast...
Thinking that, I yawned again.
Since I usually wasn't awake until this hour, I was very sleepy.
This would be my basic Lifestyle Pattern from now on, though. I'd have to get used to it quickly.
It was when I was wiping away the slight moisture gathered at the corners of my eyes along with the last remaining glass.
Chzzzzzz─
Something came creeping out from the dreary darkness on one side of the Bar's Corridor.
Amidst the sound of dripping water drops, from the gap in the thickly laid shadows, that thing with a bizarre shape that didn't look human at all suddenly popped out.
Grab.
It pounced on me and placed its two arms over my shoulders. And then, yank!
At the hand gesture firmly kneading my stiff shoulders, I screamed without realizing it.
“Aaaagh!”
[Your shoulders are really tense, Nakamura-kun. I'll have to massage them a bit. I may not look it, but I'm a Massage Master. It's time to show off the Technique I learned from a Traditional Thai Massage Master... Just stay still.]
Saying so, the Assailant firmly grabbed my neck and shoulder area and bent them. Without any time to say anything or resist, my body was bent backward ninety degrees.
My sleepiness completely vanished.
At the pain that made my mind go blank, I unconsciously fell to my knees and kept twisting my shoulders to pull my body out.
But it didn't work at all. Rather, at the sharp jab to my lumbar spine, my body stood right back up on its own.
My slouched back arched backward like a bow, and a shriek burst from my mouth.
[Very good, loud voice. Hold on just a little longer. Relax your body, too. That's right, that's right...]
The force grabbing and pressing down on my shoulders was so strong that it felt like a Mass of Iron was holding onto me.
Without realizing it, I stood on my tiptoes, lifting my body higher and higher as I writhed in pain.
[All done!]
And then, as he let go with a release, my body collapsed with a thud. A tough Metal Hand patted the back of me, who was kneeling and lying face down.
[Such a crybaby for a guy. I didn't even massage you properly, it was just a taste. Hayaku (hurry up) and get up! We have to get off work.]
It was already decided who the culprit that roughly violated my body was.
Who else but one person would use that baseless Otaku City Language?
I looked back with resentful eyes.
“…President.”
[I told you to call me Boss.]
“You haven't gotten off work yet.”
[Of course. This is my shop. Even if I leave the cleanup to Nakamura-kun, closing and locking the doors is something I'll do.]
So he says. I thought I saw him leave with the Bartenders earlier, so when did he come back?
As I awkwardly stood up, rubbing my tingling shoulders and back, the Dragon President snorted and smacked my back once again.
[You should be thankful. Do you know how many people are dying to get a massage from me? You can't even get that with money.
It might hurt a bit now, but just wait a little. Your body will feel light enough to fly, won't it? Your fatigue will be relieved, and it'll be Kimochi Ii (Feels Good).]
“Yes, yes. I'm sure it will.”
[This guy's tone is insolent. Did you catch it from Tony in the meantime? I told him to teach you well, but he only taught you weird things.]
Sasha Dragon grumbled as he spoke.
[They say there's no one to trust in this world... Whatever. You're done with the dishes, right? You have nothing else to do now?]
“Yes. I've finished everything.”
[Then wait just a bit. Let's close the doors and get off work together. Stay right there! If you abandon me and run away first, you're dead!]
After suddenly laying down such a threat to me, he went right back toward the Corridor to pack his things.
I just stared blankly at that sight.
Damn it, I should have finished the dishes quickly and just bolted.
Getting off work together with my Superior out of nowhere.
My expression rotted away.
As I let out a sigh while stiffly frozen, he shouted from the Corridor as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
[Manage your expression a bit! Aren't you showing your dislike too openly? I'm getting hurt!]
Damn it, I really need to practice my poker face or something.
* * *
Clunk─
As he pulled down and closed the Reinforced Chrome Shutter from the Ceiling in front of the Main Entrance, the Bar was completely sealed.
Looking sturdy at a glance, it seemed there was absolutely no need to worry about a thief or Robber.
When the Dragon President tapped it with his Armor Gauntlet to check, a Red Light flashed and it rang out with a whirring sound.
[Good, no problems. Let's go now, then.]
“The security is incredibly thorough.”
I said with a puzzled expression.
Was it set up to prevent thieves? But is there any reason for a thief to break in?
In an era where Virtual Currency was widely used, the era of Physical Currency had set.
Of course, not all transactions were made solely with Virtual Currency, and there was something similar to Physical Currency.
In Dusk City, the City Dollar Chip is used as a means of physical transaction to avoid Cyberware Contamination, amount tracking, hacking, and the like.
A small storage disk in the form of a chip equipped with a Connection Port, allowing one to withdraw Virtual Currency anytime, anywhere as long as they have cyberware.
However, such chips were mostly utilized for secretive or careful transactions; there was little use for them in a neighborhood Bar like this.
It seemed there were occasionally Customers who paid or gave tips with chips, but that didn't mean much either since they transmit the amount to the Electronic Register immediately anyway.
Because of that, there was no reason for a thief to break in.
All of the shop's income was stored entirely as Virtual Currency in a Cyber Vault, so would there be any reason for an Infiltration to rob a Physical Safe?
It was also the reason why Cyber Thieves and Robbers ran rampant rather than Physical Thieves.
Because robbing the vaults and banks of cyberspace was far more lucrative than the money of the Physical World.
Hacker wasn't the most popular profession for nothing. Being a Cyberpunk City, fields dealing with cybernetics were bound to be promising.
Anyway, that was why it was strange.
No matter how bad the public order in this neighborhood was, there shouldn't be any thieves, so why had he set up the Bar Security Facilities so intensely?
It would be several times more helpful to just install a Net Firewall with that money instead.
[Ah, this. I did install a pretty good one. Cost quite a bit of money. Is it because of the Bar's name? There's nothing special inside, but maybe they think there's a Dragon's Treasure or something, because there were way too many of those bastards sneaking in at night, making a mess, and running away.]
“Aha.”
[Anyway, those ill-mannered Sprawlfield bastards. Even if I let everything else slide, I can't stand them touching my Limited Edition Figures. Do you know how hard it was to get those? After thoroughly and ruthlessly punishing every single one of those bastards who laid a hand on them, I just went ahead and installed a reinforced shutter so they wouldn't even dare think about it again.]
So, in the end, they were Security Devices installed to protect his Limited Edition Figures?
Now that I knew the process, how should I put it... it looked incredibly pathetic.
Truly fitting for the Otaku Dragon.
As I followed behind his pointlessly proud self and came out of the building, the darkness had settled very thickly.
Given the time right now, it wasn't the middle of the night but dawn, yet had the sun still not risen?
If not for the broken neon signs shining faintly in their shattered state, I wouldn't have been able to see ahead.
It was like this because it was an Outskirt Alley far away from the city center. I took a step while looking at the flashlight beam coming from my Watch Device.
“It's really dark.”
[It's always like this around here. It's even worse if you cross over to the Sprawlfield District. It has a Dark Zone feel, you could say. Dakara (That's why) I'm walking you home like this right now.]
“What do you mean, that's why you're walking me home?”
As I frowned at the incomprehensible words, the Dragon President wagged his finger and said.
[Then did you think I just held onto my Subordinate Employee and asked to get off work together to chat because I had nothing to do? Of course, it's partly because it's lonely going hitori (alone)... But the alleyways in this area are really dangerous. Especially at dawn like right now.]
“Ah...”
[Especially these days, there are so many Scavengers who kill people and just pluck out their modifications. What if I sent our Nakamura-kun alone and he was found as a cold corpse the next day? I have to go with you at least. Even though it's annoying.]