Chapter 24
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With City Care Service, for just 245 City Dollars a month, you won't have to worry about the consequences!]
When I returned after cooling my head a bit, an Interstitial Ad was playing on the Hologram Channel.
Everyone drinking and watching the display board turned their head and cursed.
The Old Man, who had been earnestly discussing Political Talk with a Young Man young enough to be his Grandson, shouted, his face flushed.
“Hey, Bartender, how often do these ads come on?! I’m just trying to watch the news, but there are more than ten Interstitial Ads! I’m exhausted just counting how many ads pop up.
City Care Service, my ass! Tell them to care for my eyes, which are rotting from watching these Low-Quality Ads! Even if those bastards at the Broadcast Station are taking Corporate Bribes, this is too much!”
“Sir, I’m not the Broadcast Station President, so why are you yelling at me? I’m just playing what’s being broadcast, that’s all.”
The Old Man snapped at Tony, who shrugged his shoulders as if to say he Felt Unfair/Wronged.
The Young Man, with an awkward expression, held the Old Man back from behind.
“Don’t make me laugh! You’re playing the Public Channel, aren’t you? I caught you. That damn Free Broadcast with propaganda popping up every five minutes... Argh! Let go! I have to say my piece!
In this day and age, everyone uses Paid Channels. Who uses public airwaves? The ad time is longer than the broadcast itself! I’d rather watch a Pornographic Film than this crap— *muffled sounds*!”
“Sir, please maintain some dignity. We’ll be leaving now. My friend here has had too much to drink. Thank you for the drinks.”
The Young Man covered the mouth of the Old Man, who was completely drunk and acting out, and dragged him outside.
He politely bowed, left a tip with a City Dollar Chip on the table, and then left.
With the Customer who had been loudly filling the air with sound gone, the bar's interior became much quieter.
I thought they were a grandfather and grandson, but it seemed they were friends despite their significant age difference.
Typical of open-minded Dusk City. A generation gap of several decades is nothing when it comes to making friends.
After that storm passed, Tony let out a sigh of relief and said,
“Phew, we almost got caught. That Old Man is sharp. How did he know we were using public airwaves?”
“...You were really using the Public Channel?”
Perhaps I needed to re-evaluate that Hot-tempered Old Man.
I thought he was a Troublemaker, but it turned out he was a saint.
If it were me, I'd also get furious just watching the Public Channel.
Even in my own home, Kabuki Condominium, where I pay rent, if I don't buy a separate Paid Broadcast Package, I only get cheap public airwaves, so I know exactly how that feels.
Money is Omnipotent in Dusk City. The more money you spend, the higher the Quality of Culture you can enjoy.
Conversely, if you don't spend money, you can only enjoy terribly Low-Quality Media.
Dusk Public's Free Broadcast was exactly like that.
A Choppy Screen that made you wonder if this was really a 22nd century broadcast, Rerun Programs showing things you'd already seen, and ads pouring out like crazy.
Surprisingly and strangely, the picture quality only became clear and the interruptions decreased when an ad played. It was practically a Corporate Advertising Channel.
If you stared blankly, you'd feel like you were being brainwashed by Dusk's corporations without even realizing it.
Unless you were an Impoverished Citizen tightening your belt, a Normal Person wouldn't watch Free Broadcast channels.
Yet, it was surprising that Dragon's Lair was playing such a cheap channel, especially since it had invested so much in other facilities.
Seeing my wry expression as I watched from the side, Tony awkwardly scratched his head.
“Ah, Nakamura-san. You must be back from your break. It’s not usually like this, but this month the Boss forgot the Subscription Fee Payment, so the membership was canceled. All the Paid Channel Broadcasts are blocked, and we get an earful from Customers every time.”
Ah. Now I understand.
Strangely, even though I had only met him today, the image of Dragon President forgetting something and making a mistake was vividly clear in my mind.
It was an image that suited him perfectly. He seemed incredibly clumsy.
“Today’s the 21st, so there are about 10 days left until next month. They say we can only re-register then. Ugh, I don’t know how we’ll last until then.
Anyway, Nakamura-san, if Customers Complain about it, just use the Boss's Excuse. Everyone will understand without saying much. He causes so many problems...”
Just how often did he cause trouble for customers to accept it without a word?
He was truly an extraordinary person. The most peculiar superior I had ever served.
I nodded and was about to go back to work.
“Oh, and also, I saw your Fallen Angel Serving earlier. The Performance was absolutely killer. Was that an application of the Chefs' Flipping Skill? Seeing you shine on your first day, you clearly have outstanding talent in this area too.”
At his words, my face burned.
Chefs' Flipping Skill, my ass. It would have been absolutely impossible without my Mental Switch.
It wasn't skill, but a trick, and strictly speaking, it wasn't even Proper Serving.
It was an outlet for my frustration against a Customer, a power struggle... that's what it was.
At least it was a visible success, so that was a relief.
Even thinking about it again, it wasn't something I should have done on my very first day of work. Now that my head had cooled, I was needlessly worried again.
*What if that Crazy Detective holds a grudge because of my Aggressive Serving? What if he really throws a bomb at my home or the bar?*
Perhaps my complicated feelings showed on my face.
Tony, taking advantage of a moment when there were no customers nearby, leaned his weight on the table with his arms crossed and said,
“You did well. You really put that Greasy Old Man in his place. It’s obvious. He deliberately made a Difficult Order and kept provoking you with his Strange Way of Speaking. It was fiery and good to watch. You definitely have guts.”
His prediction was so accurate it made me wonder if he had been watching me work from afar the whole time.
It seemed I wasn't the only one who had experienced that person's infuriating demeanor.
Anyway, you can't fool the eyes of a professional bartender.
He immediately recognized that I had put emotion into my Serving. Of course, he would have known, given how loudly I made the sound.
“His actions are disagreeable and infuriating, but he’s not inherently a bad person you can’t deal with. He just hasn’t fixed his Habit of Testing Others...
Once you start getting swayed by him, it never ends, so it was good that you Asserted Dominance and cut him off. He probably won’t pull any more Nuisances to verify Nakamura-san’s Skill Verification.”
“...”
“Well, if you didn’t have the skill, it would be a different story, but you clearly showed it. You didn’t Recklessly fight with the Customer by Breaking Glasses, but rather perfectly served while mixing in a Gesture of Protest, so there’s no problem.
Even Sey and I were surprised, so how much more so for that gentleman? His attitude has probably changed quite a bit by now. He’s the type to make a quick Change of Stance.”
At his words, I raised my head and looked towards the Hall, and indeed, there was the Fat Detective, demurely sipping his cocktail, looking much calmer than before.
He must have finished his Fallen Angel already, as he was holding a new glass.
In his other hand, he had Fried Crickets, which I didn't know he had ordered. *No wonder he's getting fat.*
“Anyway, I saw him looking for Nakamura-san earlier. Why don’t you go have a chat?”
“A chat?”
*Hmm... I don’t really want to talk to him again.*
*He’s a tiring type, and I just went off on him by slamming the table so hard in front of him, so it would probably be awkward to face him.*
*And I’m a little scared. What if he stabs me, thinking, “How dare you treat me like that?”*
*My mind is already exhausted, and my Mental Switch won't turn on again. In this state, I can't even avoid him.*
Perhaps my reluctance was clearly visible on my face, as Tony patted my back and said,
“Don’t worry too much, he won’t harm you. You might get tired and annoyed during the conversation, but other than that, it should be fine. It’s an experience, after all.”
*Isn't "tired and annoyed" already not fine?*
I wanted to ask him that, but Tony spoke irresponsibly and went back to his own work.
As for me, well, I had nothing to do.
While I was on my break, the two bartenders had already handled all the tasks. They both worked too well.
I looked around at the newly arrived customers, but all their glasses were full, and no one seemed to need anything.
I had returned at a truly idle moment. I felt bad, as if I had pushed my work onto others.
*Should I do the dishes or something... sigh.*
I glanced around and happened to make eye contact with Detective Sir, who was looking my way.
I couldn't pretend not to see him; I had made Eye Contact too directly, so there was nothing for it.
If he was looking for me, I had to go. With a sigh, I moved my feet.
Just approaching the table, I felt a somewhat damp atmosphere.
The Self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes was grinning, his face shadowed, as he watched me. *It's like a scene from a Horror Movie. Damn scary.*
*Was he trying to give me a moment that would become a nightmare?*
*One Troublemaker wasn't enough; now even the Hologram Channel was tormenting me.*
On the Display, an unfinished ad was still playing.
And it was the scariest ad I could imagine.
[Militia Private Security Service. The best choice for your safety. Wherever you are, whatever threat you face, we will protect you. We will save you. We will eliminate your danger. Trust only the Elite Agents of the Militia, selected from the very best.]
To my ears, it sounded like, *“We will find you wherever you are and eliminate you. We’ve sent our Elite Agents to catch you.”*
Of course, the probability of that actually happening was low, but it was a chilling phrase nonetheless. Personally, I really disliked it.
“Quite a spine-chilling ad, isn’t it, Watson?”
As if he had read my mind, he spoke to me from beside me.