Chapter 289 : An Unavoidable Encounter
Chapter 289: An Unavoidable Encounter
The boy wanted to become strong.
If only he had possessed overwhelming strength, none of that would have happened.
He could have protected not only himself but also those precious to him from anyone who wished them harm.
The boy wanted a beautiful face.
Not the miserable face with one side caved in from being beaten by his master, but a handsome, beautiful appearance like the celebrities he saw on television.
If that had been the case, people who knew nothing of his circumstances wouldn't have whispered behind his back whenever they looked at him.
The boy needed money.
It was common sense that money was necessary to survive.
He had witnessed countless times how even those who had reached out to help him with sincere goodwill had fallen into becoming devils over nothing more than "money."
He realized that depending on whether a person had money or not, they could become as kind or as wicked as circumstances allowed.
He needed all of those things.
And...
The boy wanted to become &!#$!@.
“Ahhh....”
With a quiet sigh, Airi slowly opened her eyes.
The light streaming through the window passed through the curtains, softly illuminating the room.
A gentle breeze carrying the scent of fresh grass pleasantly brushed against her face, lightly swaying her bangs.
“Where... am I...?”
At least she could tell this wasn't her room.
She was briefly flustered by the unfamiliar surroundings, but the familiar scent filling the room quickly gave her the answer.
Ah... this was the Chairman's room.
She hadn't been taken somewhere strange.
The moment she realized that, tears streamed down her face.
As though a dam that had been holding them back for a very long time had finally burst, an uncontrollable torrent of tears poured from her eyes.
She didn't even know why she was crying.
She only knew she felt unbearably sad.
Within the nameless boy wandering through her mind and the image of the burned island village...
She simply covered her face with both hands, helplessly receiving the tears that refused to stop.
It was roughly thirty minutes later when her tears finally ceased.
Only after the mysterious images gradually faded from her mind did her emotions finally begin to settle.
“Phew....”
Only then did she get out of bed and slowly look around the room.
A king-sized bed was covered in a messy white blanket.
The evidence of where she'd slept.
Feeling oddly embarrassed, she neatly straightened the blanket and pillow.
However, there was nothing she could do about the pillowcase that had become completely soaked.
She hadn't been aware of it, but she'd probably continued crying even while asleep.
After making the bed, she drew the curtains open.
A view she'd never once seen in her entire life spread before her eyes.
“Wow....”
Lush green fields and forests stretched endlessly into the distance.
Had there ever been a place like this in New Valhalla City?
Could it be some kind of projected scenery?
Thinking that, she threw the window open.
A refreshing scent of fresh grass immediately filled her nose.
It was all real.
Only then did Airi realize that this was Elysium—the floating city built exclusively for the top 1%...
No.
The top 0.1% of the city.
She was captivated by the breathtaking scenery for only a moment before the bedroom door quietly slid open and a household robot entered.
[Miss Airi Alicebell.]
“Hm?”
[Master is waiting for you. Please finish preparing yourself and come to the dining room. The guest shower room is over there.]
“Ah, sorry. I'll get ready right away.”
Airi hurried to the shower room the robot pointed out and quickly finished washing.
Afterward, she changed clothes in the attached dressing room, checked herself in the mirror several times, and cautiously stepped out into the living room.
“Wow...!”
She'd already guessed as much after seeing the size and condition of the guest room, but...
The mansion truly was enormous.
Its spaciousness went without saying, but the clean monochrome interior design was especially striking.
'So the Chairman likes this kind of style.'
His office at the Academy had felt much the same.
Rather than flashy luxury, he preferred something neat and simple.
Even the black suits he wore every day probably reflected that preference.
Following the robot's guidance into the dining room, she found Aaron sitting in a black chair with his long legs crossed, reading a holographic electronic newspaper.
“Welcome.”
“G-Good morning.”
Aaron merely gave a slight nod at Airi's greeting before returning his attention to the newspaper.
Judging by his empty plate, he'd already finished eating.
As Airi took her seat, the robot busily rolled back and forth from the kitchen, serving the meal that had already been prepared.
Freshly toasted bread.
Eggs.
Salad.
Fresh fruit juice.
Milk.
Sausages.
Looking at the dishes being set before her, Airi murmured,
“This is a little unexpected.”
“...What is?”
“It isn't all that different from what we get at the dorm cafeteria. I thought someone like you would eat something much fancier for breakfast.”
“Something fancy?”
“Hmm... like 100% Wagyu steak?”
“The fact that your definition of 'fancy food equals steak' is a remarkably commoner's way of thinking. Who eats steak first thing in the morning?”
“W-With edible gold flakes on top.”
“Gold has no flavor whatsoever. Edible gold is little more than the indulgence of nouveau riche.”
“Tch....”
Airi puffed out her cheeks at Aaron's remark.
However, the fragrant aroma of the food quickly lifted her mood, and she picked up her knife and fork.
As she quietly began eating, this time Aaron spoke first.
“You don't seem to have a hangover.”
“Now that you mention it... you're right? Maybe it's because the alcohol was really good. Honestly, I was prepared to be completely unable to get out of bed today... but I guess I'm stronger with alcohol than I thought.”
“......”
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”
“...It's nothing.”
“Then why are you making that face!?”
“It's better if you don't remember. But let me give you one piece of advice—you shouldn't drink more than one bottle of whiskey.”
“Then what exactly happened!?”
Just how completely wasted had she become for Aaron to bring her to his mansion instead of taking her back to the Academy?
'I... I can't really remember, but I feel like I did a lot of embarrassing things....'
As Airi groaned inwardly while desperately trying to recall her memories, Aaron smoothly changed the subject.
“You showed no signs of waking up, so I postponed your return to the Academy. As long as you return before six this evening, there won't be any issues.”
“Uh... what time is it now?”
“Ten in the morning.”
“So this isn't breakfast... it's brunch.... I'll eat this and head straight back.”
“No. There's no need.”
“This being the case, let's stop by somewhere today.”
“Where?”
“The Everhart couple's house.”
“......!”
“That's quite the reaction.”
Aaron looked at Airi before murmuring indifferently,
“If you're not ready yet....”
“No... I'm okay.”
For a brief moment, it felt as though a massive stone had dropped into her stomach.
Fortunately...
The tears no longer came.
Humans were creatures of adaptation.
It was about time she got used to it.
She couldn't continue suffering over the same matter forever.
“I think it's time I went.”
After finishing their meal, Airi climbed into the Flying Passenger Car with Aaron.
As the vehicle slowly lifted into the air, the panoramic view of Elysium unfolded before her.
“I never imagined I'd ever get to visit Elysium in my lifetime.”
“It's not exactly an easy place to enter.”
This was a world with flying cars.
Even so, Elysium, located high within the stratosphere, wasn't somewhere people could freely enter.
The entire city was protected by a transparent energy barrier that shielded it from countless external threats.
Maintaining that barrier alone cost billions of Credits every single year.
But thanks to that...
No matter what the atmosphere outside was like, Elysium maintained a mild and pleasant climate 365 days a year.
For that reason, genuine trees and grass—things rarely seen on the surface—grew abundantly throughout Elysium.
In any case, traveling between Elysium and New Valhalla City required using a dedicated elevator.
Though it was called an elevator, from the outside it resembled a gigantic pillar reaching into the heavens.
[Identity confirmed. Mr. Aaron Stingray. Miss Airi Alicebell. You may proceed.]
The entrance to the vertical elevator was guarded by heavily armed androids.
Only after passing their identity inspection was the car carrying the two allowed inside.
“S-So we're heading down now? I'm kind of nervous.”
“Haven't you already ridden it once?”
“Well, I was asleep on the way up.”
“......”
“W-Why are you looking at me like that...? What's with that expression...?”
“...It's nothing.”
“No, seriously! What did I do!?”
“...It's better if you don't remember.”
“Ugh... I'm definitely going to remember!”
Biting her lip, Airi desperately searched her memories.
Meanwhile, the car locked itself onto the dedicated track before beginning its rapid descent through the tunnel.
Vooooooooom—!
She had no idea what kind of technology it used, but despite descending, she hardly felt like she was falling.
There was only the slightest sensation of weightlessness.
It wasn't unpleasant in the slightest, and there was barely any noise.
Instead...
The ride was so comfortable that Airi found herself able to concentrate entirely on her thoughts.
Before long...
She remembered.
The image of the island.
The image of the boy.
The same images that had made her cry that morning.
“Huh...?”
She'd never actually witnessed them herself.
Yet they felt unnervingly vivid.
Soon afterward, those images gradually faded away, replaced by the memory of last night's bar... and Aaron's face.
She saw herself, completely drunk and half asleep.
She saw Aaron quietly sipping alcohol by himself as he honestly poured out everything he had kept inside.
As her memories steadily returned, Airi's eyes widened in shock as she turned toward Aaron.
“C-Chairman... this might've just been a dream I had, but... c-could it be....”
Thunk!
Just before Airi could finish speaking, the vehicle came to a stop.
They had arrived at the terminal in New Valhalla City's A Sector.
And at that very moment—
Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank!
Without warning, soldiers clad in Powered Armor began surrounding the vehicle carrying the two of them.
Before Airi could even understand what was happening, she instinctively activated her modules and prepared to leap out of the car—
“Stop.”
Aaron stopped her.
Airi looked at him in confusion, unable to understand his intentions.
Then she noticed the Stingray emblem displayed on the soldiers' Powered Armor.
“What in the world is this...?!”
“Don't worry. This was inevitable.”
“Huh?”
Aaron slowly lowered the driver's side window.
Several people wearing suits and sunglasses stepped through the ranks of soldiers before respectfully bowing toward Aaron.
“Greetings, Chairman Aaron Stingray.”
“...Was this Kalia's doing?”
“Yes. President Kalia wishes to meet with you. We understand this is discourteous, but we've been unable to contact you, so we had no choice but to resort to this....”
Before the man could even finish speaking, Aaron coldly interrupted with a single sentence.
“Get lost.”