Harem Online: My Party Is Full of Beautiful Celebrities

"What role would I have?" Martin asked once he had finally regained his composure.

Only then did he notice something unusual. When Cassandra first revealed herself, one hand had started to rise before he caught the half-salute and awkwardly lowered it again. After that initial reflex, however, he hadn’t remained locked in the rigid posture he usually adopted around her.

Alexandra and Katherine had loosened their holds while Cassandra spoke, leaving him enough room to stand on his own without feeling like an employee awaiting judgment.

Maybe having so many celebrities clinging to him had changed something. Perhaps it was the realization that they were genuinely interested in him, enough that a normie like him could imagine pursuing them without immediately dismissing the idea as impossible.

Whatever the reason, his confidence had grown. He wasn’t about to transform into some arrogant young master, but the awkwardness that usually held him back no longer felt quite as strong.

Elisebeth noticed before anyone else. Her eyes lit up as she clasped her hands beneath her chin, looking like an excited fan watching her favorite idol take the stage. The pride on her face was so obvious that it bordered on embarrassing.

Rias glanced at her, then at Martin, and sighed through her nose.

"No comment," she muttered before crouching beside Annie, who was still sprawled on the ground after her latest emotional knockout.

She hooked an arm beneath Annie’s shoulders and helped her sit up.

Cassandra’s younger sister looked completely overwhelmed. Her cheeks remained flushed, her gaze kept darting between the beautiful women surrounding Martin, and each new revelation seemed to hit her harder than the last.

This little red apple had suffered enough emotional knockouts for one day. With Cassandra about to answer Martin, Annie probably should have covered her ears in advance.

"You’ll be the vice leader," Cassandra said. "You’ll also receive shares in the company I established for Night Espresso."

The group fell quiet enough for Martin to wonder whether he had heard her correctly.

"The company?"

"For tax and legal purposes, I created a separate company before formally establishing Night Espresso in the game," Cassandra explained. "I never intended for the guild to remain a casual gathering of players."

Her answer carried the same calm certainty she used whenever she discussed business. Night Espresso existed in a virtual world, but Cassandra had always planned to turn it into a competitive organization capable of supporting its members outside the game.

Eventually, its most valuable players would be able to treat the game as their profession.

"Night Espresso isn’t ready to place its members on salaries yet," she continued. "Our territory is valuable, but we haven’t utilized its resources and income systems properly. Contracts, taxes, and other legal obligations must also be handled first."

Even so, Cassandra had already laid the groundwork. Once the guild began producing stable revenue, she intended to offer employment contracts to the members who contributed the most.

Martin had been at the top of that list from the beginning.

He had proven himself reliable, worked harder than anyone expected, and protected the guild without hesitation. Somehow, he also kept finding himself at the center of events much larger than himself. Cassandra now had even more reason to secure his place in Night Espresso.

"Why me?" Martin asked.

The answer felt obvious in some ways, but hearing Cassandra say it still mattered.

"I know I’ve helped the guild, but shares and vice leadership are a lot."

Cassandra met his eyes without hesitation.

"You earned the trust of people other players would dismiss as NPCs. You found opportunities our scouts overlooked, strengthened the academy’s opinion of Night Espresso, and repeatedly placed yourself between danger and the people beside you."

Her gaze briefly passed over the women gathered around him before returning to his face.

"More importantly, people gather around you and remain there. Skilled players can be recruited. Loyalty cannot be manufactured."

Martin had no answer ready for that.

The contract she intended to offer him wasn’t one of the standard agreements she would eventually prepare for the guild’s strongest members. This one had been written specifically for Martin.

He would own shares in the company behind Night Espresso, serve as its vice leader, and earn far more than anyone hired under the standard contracts.

Formally, Cassandra would remain above him as the guild leader. In practice, however, her earlier words had made the meaning clear.

She wanted him leading beside her.

For years, Martin had measured his life in client calls, overdue sleep, and the number of days he could survive before his next paycheck. A day off felt like a luxury, and a real vacation had sounded ridiculous until Cassandra arranged one with a few phone calls.

Now she was offering him more than another break from work. If Night Espresso succeeded, he could leave that life behind entirely and build something that belonged partly to him.

Part of him wanted to accept immediately, before anyone could change their mind. He forced himself to breathe instead of blurting out an answer and making himself look desperate.

The money and authority were difficult enough to process, but the trust behind the offer affected Martin even more. Cassandra had also admitted that she wanted to remove the wall between them and grow closer to him.

Martin swallowed as his fingers curled slightly.

She trusts me that much... Cassandra Selfmore actually chose me...

The thought carried more weight than the promise of money ever could. Cassandra wasn’t careless, and she didn’t hand out authority because of temporary affection. Every decision she made had a purpose.

Yet she had chosen him to stand beside her.

For the first time in years, Martin could see a path leading somewhere other than another office, another pile of client messages, and another evening spent too tired to live.

The possibility scared him almost as much as it excited him.

His hand twitched.

The old reflex returned before he could stop it.

For once, the future didn’t look like a longer, crueler version of the present.