Chapter 41
The only impression left in my mouth was a single thought.
It's sweet. Insanely sweet!
I had only swallowed once, but it felt like a tube had been plugged directly into my brain to transmit the sugar.
"What is this?"
I drank it thinking it was water, but I was completely fooled. When I asked with a frown, Sey answered calmly.
"A liquid mixture made by mixing water with hydrous crystalline glucose, amino acid mixture, taurine, vitamins, various artificial sweeteners, and so on."
"...So, you mean it's a Glucose Drink?"
"Yeah."
No wonder it tasted similar to the Glucose Candy I used to eat often while preparing for the college entrance exam during my high school days.
If you concentrated that distinct sweetness several times over, it would taste exactly like this.
"Isn't this expensive, then? Why give this to me?"
"The Boss ordered a lot of it a while ago, and there are a few bags left. You looked like you needed the sugar right now."
Just like Dragon President, who can never suppress his curiosity, All sorts of things are floating around the Bar.
Anyway, I must have looked tired enough for her to hand me a Glucose Drink. And I actually was tired.
For me, it was a very much appreciated consideration.
Glucose is the brain's Essential Energy Source, after all. It should help restore my depleted Mental Resources.
And it definitely seemed to be working. I had only taken one sip, but I already felt my mind snapping wide awake.
After thanking Sey once again, I downed the last remaining bit of the drink.
As I savored the intense sweetness that felt like it was staining my soul with sin, my mind cleared up as if I had just been reborn. It was an excessively effective Glucose Drink.
When I placed the empty cup on the Acrylic Table, Sey took it away to clean up. It felt a bit awkward, like I was being nursed on a sickbed.
Figuring it was about time I got up, I cautiously raised my upper body and sat up. Frowning at the aching muscle pain, I asked.
"Um... what happened with today's incident?"
I was only asking in the heat of the moment, but it was actually the most important issue.
Since I had collapsed after getting into a fistfight with customers in the middle of my shift, I couldn't help but wonder what happened after I lost consciousness.
...I was also walking on eggshells in many ways. Even I thought I had caused a major incident this time.
Whether she knew my anxious feelings or not, Sey simply recited what had happened as if reading from a history book.
"The Boss kicked out Man Hunter and the Bratva gang members. We moved you to the Rest Area after you collapsed... and then it was pretty much the same as usual. Except that there were a lot of Mercenaries."
It seemed my disappearance hadn't caused any disruptions to the service.
Then again, it seemed Sey and Tony had been doing just fine on their own even without me.
It hadn't even been a few days since I started working, so there was no way my absence would leave a noticeable void so soon.
While I felt relieved, it was also bittersweet to realize that my role at the Bar wasn't that significant yet.
I know. It was a ridiculously arrogant thought. Especially when just today, I had passed out and failed to properly perform even the small role I did have.
With a sigh, I bowed my head to Sey and apologized.
"I'm sorry for carelessly causing an accident right in the middle of a busy time..."
Even if there were no issues with the service without me, a mistake was a mistake.
It meant that what needed to be done by me had been passed onto Sey and Tony.
Putting everything else aside, there was no way cutting off a Customer's damn hand would have a positive impact on the Bar.
Hmm, the more I think about it, the bleaker it gets. If I were Dragon President, I would have fired myself and then some.
The Fallen Angel incident last time ended up being just a a strong performance in front of the customers, but
this time, there was an armed conflict that was clearly difficult to clean up, and regardless of the underlying circumstances, it was a fact that I had attacked the Bar's customer first.
Even if I got fired like this, I'd have nothing to say.
It wasn't long ago that I was talking big about how he'd be itching to accept me as a Full-time Employee in a month, and I've already ruined it.
If I get kicked out like this, what should I report to the Chairman? Tomorrow is the Regular Reporting Day; do I have to write that I got fired on my very first report?
Watching me already imagining a terrible future, Sey tilted her head.
"An accident?"
"Yes. Fighting with Customers, causing a disturbance, and being a nuisance. As the Manager, I essentially violated the Bar Regulations."
"That doesn't matter. It's our Bar Policy that Regulation Interpretation is left to Employee Discretion. If there's a Customer picking a fight, you can fight the customer if you're confident you can win."
...Even if Regulation Interpretation is left to Employee Discretion, I felt that it was an overly autonomous interpretation.
Feeling like it was somewhat out of line with the common sense I knew, I asked carefully.
"Then me cutting off Alexge... no, that Ronin Customer's hand wasn't an accident either?"
"Yeah. One prosthetic arm isn't a bad price to pay for picking a fight and touching someone else's body without permission. Besides, you said it yourself, didn't you? That it was according to the regulations."
"I did?"
When did I? I was bewildered, but then I froze at a memory that suddenly surfaced.
'I told you Weapon Carry-in isn't allowed. According to the regulations, I will hold onto this. Understood, Customer?'
...I think I might have said something similar.
But that was complete bullshit.
My head had been hurting so much that I wasn't in my right mind.
If I were in my right mind, why would I spout such ridiculous nonsense about cutting off a hand because a weapon was hidden inside the prosthetic?
Sey spoke to me as I made a subtle expression.
"Looks like you remembered. It wasn't exactly the most persuasive argument... but it doesn't matter, because you beat Man Hunter.
Passing off a severed hand as the Victor's Spoils is just the Ronin's Worldview. All the other Customers were watching and found it highly entertaining."
Why would they enjoy watching something like that? There really is nothing but crazy people among Ronins.
And setting aside the extreme logic that it's okay to cut off a hand because I won, could that even be considered winning?
It was entirely thanks to Alexgey being overly careless towards me, who looked weak—and actually was weak.
It was an event that occurred due to a combination of various instances of luck, opportunities, and the Special Cyberware I possessed.
Because of that, once my tricks ran out, I couldn't do anything and was completely thrashed by Man Hunter's Subordinate Ronins.
It was strictly a case of a cornered rat biting a cat, nothing more.
Even if I cut off the cat's front paw, the fact remained that I was the rat, and Man Hunter was the cat.
Though I wasn't an ordinary rat, I was a Lab-bred Psychic Rat with a Microchip embedded in my head.
"Then, was Man Hunter just kicked out like that? Won't he come looking for me again?"
I couldn't help but worry about his retaliation.
It wasn't like his prosthetic arm was the Infinity Gauntlet; cutting it off wouldn't make his existing strength disappear.
Likewise, his personality wouldn't suddenly change to become nice.
Given Man Hunter's wicked nature, he must harbor a considerable grudge against me for destroying his prosthetic arm worth tens of millions of City Dollars and humiliating him. If we ever crossed paths again, I'd be a dead man.
He probably wouldn't let his guard down anymore, either. I couldn't expect luck like today's to happen twice.
...It would be a disaster if he hid and ambushed me on my commute, or found out my address and came to my condominium.
Just imagining it made my mouth go completely dry.
Thinking about it again, I realized I had really acted without a plan.
Then again, I couldn't just endlessly tolerate him trying to touch my ass. Should I have just stopped at avoiding him?
"He won't come back. The Boss stepped up to clean up the mess."
Unlike my mountain of worries, Sey's answer was simple and clear. It was even assertive, as if stating an already established fact or law.
"He won't be able to show his face around here for a while, and he'll probably have to quit his Ronin Life too. You won't need to worry about Man Hunter at all."
I doubted whether there was clear evidence for that, but having her state it so firmly gave me some peace of mind.
Seeing as she said Dragon President stepped up, it seemed he had done something more than simply kicking them out.
...Even if he is Dragon President, he wouldn't have recklessly stormed into the Red Mafia, the Bratva Gang. Surely not.
Recalling how he had helped me in various ways up to then made me feel indebted to him. I felt uncomfortable, as if I had caused him a lot of trouble.
As if reading my mind, Sey parted her lips.
"The Boss told me to pass on that you don't need to feel sorry or thankful. He said touching his subordinate employee is the same as touching him, so he's just doing what's natural... And."
"And?"
"He said he's disappointed in you."
At those words, my heart felt like it plummeted. What was coming had finally arrived.
Right. Hoping it would just be brushed off as nothing was the mindset of a thief.
Whether it was an accident or not, however the regulations were interpreted, an employee kicking out customers and failing to work properly during working hours was an unacceptable act for a president.
Given that this was a Cyberpunk Dystopia World that ran solely on the logic of Capitalism, it was even more so.
Even if Dragon President was only my Employer and not the one paying my salary... in the end, I had failed to show my worth equivalent to the money I received and the investment made in me.
Even if I had ten mouths, I'd have nothing to say.
To me, who was ready to humbly accept a Termination Notice, Sey spoke.
"He told me to tell you that landing a hit on Man Hunter was good, but getting grabbed by the collar and lynched by the Red Mafia right after was disappointing."
"...What?"
"And also... as an Employee of Dragon's Lair, you should be able to easily handle a One-on-Five Fight, but seeing you pass out after barely holding on shows a Lack of Stamina, so he said you absolutely need to make time to Exercise."
As I looked bewildered, wondering if I had heard correctly, Sey drove the wedge in.
"And he said there won't be any bonuses for a while, because he has to repair the floor tile you ground up with the chainsaw."
"And?"
"That's it. If you have more questions, ask him yourself when you come to work tomorrow. The boss will probably finish cleaning up and arrive before opening."
So... does that mean I'm not fired?