Chapter 136: 136
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The day had come for the party. It was going to be held in quite a large-scale banquet hall in China this time. If you wanted to be the host country, you'd have to bid for it like when they did so for hosting the Olympics.
To attend the party itself, you'd need an invitation or you would have to get a ticket. Both were limited in number so auctions existed for that as well.
It made it clear why anyone would want to host the party.
As for our group with a mission, they were riding in a classy black limousine to the venue. While they could have just teleported straight to the venue, plans had changed after Lucille and Aries had gotten in touch with him.
Cole had explained his plan with them and they said it would be a perfect opportunity to start gradually make〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉known to the public.
Normally, they were like that secret agency that had ties to the government but Lucille said that needed to change. They would have to do so sooner or later, so they might as well have Cole do it and tag their PR Heads with him.
So, instead of disguising himself, he would be appearing as one of〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉's representatives. Felicia would act as an idol to the populace to plant a good image of Mechanicas inside the people's minds.
But in the meantime, Cole was still annoyed that they couldn't just teleport straight to the place. It would be a lot faster, more practical, and generally easier for them
The reasoning that Rory had given him was:
"We need reporters to flash as many photos of you as they want. People like handsome men. They also like beautiful women. And lastly, they love adorable children whose voice doesn't irritate the fuck out of them."
"...Are you sure the last one isn't just you?"
"It is definitely not just me."
.
.
.
The car ride was mostly silent. Cole sent a glance Felicia's way who was being unusually silent. While she was able to control her voice from squealing out, Cole could still see her reflection in the car's window. She was grinning from ear to ear like an excited child.
He could practically read her thoughts with how obvious she was being. Then as if realizing his gaze, she looked to Cole and started to ask a question.
"Hey, Cole."
"What is it?"
"How did they come up with the name 'Serigan Party' anyway?"
"Oh, that? They had first thought it meant 'blah blah' because the dude who came up with the word was able to fake and bullshit his way through the entire time he was making his pitch."
"Really? Who told you?"
"Well, it's possible and Mikhail did last night."
"I'm a bit surprised about how not a single one of you four got a headache."
"It was pretty surprising to see you guys be totally fine the next morning."
Gemi and Mini were talking about how they had watched Mikhail, Igor, Cole and Felicia have a very intense card game match while constantly drinking bottles of liquor. They were slightly saddened by the fact that they weren't playing a certain game with a reverse card.
If so, the two of them would probably still be laughing at the memory.
"I think it was more surprising to see you two completely fine. I heard blood-curdling screams from time to time coming from your guys' direction."
"Oh... that...?"
"Oh, that was just Gemi screaming at a flying cockroach."
Gemi's face quickly winced and turned into a grimace at the memory. Felicia was wondering where the cockroach could have come from. She took her cleaning duties very seriously after all.
"You know, with your reactions back at the mall, I thought you two would be a bit more cautious around us."
"Meh, not really."
"I mean, does it really matter?"
"Besides, you are also a person who has come here from a different world."
"Even if that different world might be right around the corner."
Although the twins had said it in a light tone, Cole's face had still darkened slightly. It wasn't clearly visible due to it being dark but the air around him had become moody.
"Hey, don't bring out such a sad atmosphere. You'll scare away clients instead of attracting them."
"I'm letting out the sadness so I won't accidentally leak it out later."
"Oh, I guess that's possible."
Felicia said as she leaned back and nodded to the possibility.
"Feli, you know that we just said was utter nonsense, right?"
"Cia, you have a better brain than that, right?"
"You two... What exactly is your image of me?"
"Unfortunately, they don't have the time to answer that. We're here already."
Cole interrupted them as the limo came to a stop. Everyone started to prepare to get out and Cole nudged the little pile that was sleeping on him.
"Okay, Eva. It's time to wake up and activate the crowd's maternal and paternal instincts."
It stirred and the figure beneath it removed the blanket covering it and cha-jan~! It was Eva, not like it could really be anyone else. She woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Mmm... Are we here already?"
"Yes, and sorry to have to make you do this."
Cole had suggested to Lucille and Aries that he should bring Eva alone. It would show to the people attending that Mechanicas have families, and small, vulnerable children. While he would admit that the move was a bit manipulative, he needed a good reason to bring her along.
He could have left her with Val like the few times he had done so in the past, but he didn't want to have to keep on doing that. Cole felt it like he was pushing his responsibility onto other people and he genuinely wanted to be able to spend time with her.
"It's better than being in the house alone."
"...Sorry."
"Eh? Why? And after all, if I'm a good girl, I get a lot of sweets right?"
She put on a cheeky grin, showing all of her white teeth. It made Cole want to smile as well. Felicia chimed in and found the need to remind her that eating too much sugar was bad.
"You don't want to turn into one of the trees back at home, do you?"
Felicia said such with a pretty convincing tone and expression. She looked like an evil witch for a second. Eva fervently shook her head which caused Felicia to laugh quite a bit.
"Feli, you have some talent in acting! Should we focus on that part or go with the usual 'Music transcends worlds?"
Gemi said with stars in her eyes. She could practically see Felicia's road to success. Even though she had actually thought of the idea because she was drunk, she internally praised herself for being such a genius. Mini let his sister be and just waited until it was there turn to come out/
"Why did you agree to this again?"
"...I actually do not know."
He let out a sigh and sent a glare the twins' way. Mini just felt like he was being unjustly accused when he didn't even do anything.
"We're here not only as〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉's envoys but of the entire〈Neutral Zone〉. Not as the upper executives of your entertainment agency."
Cole said with a serious expression and a grave tone. He didn't care if Gemi was merely trying to lighten the mood for the moment, it didn't change the fact that they were now on an important mission.
The twins' faces changed. But it wasn't in sudden realization, it was more out of being reminded of their task at hand.
"We know that already."
"We aren't going to ruin this nice life over our own incompetence."
Their aura had changed and all of their previous playfulness. Cole could see a bit of their past selves. The maturity from having to deal with circumstances far above their age and clear-cut decisiveness that was hiding behind their eyes.
That was all the time they had for chit-chat, it was time to make the first-ever public appearance of〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉to the public. If they messed this up, it might severely affect the〈Neutral Zone〉's reputation.
While the chance was small, it was a definite possibility. They couldn't risk something like that. And finally, it was their turn to walk on the prepped red carpet.
The party had truly started...
Now.
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The day had come for the party. It was going to be held in quite a large-scale banquet hall in China this time. If you wanted to be the host country, you'd have to bid for it like when they did so for hosting the Olympics.
To attend the party itself, you'd need an invitation or you would have to get a ticket. Both were limited in number so auctions existed for that as well.
It made it clear why anyone would want to host the party.
As for our group with a mission, they were riding in a classy black limousine to the venue. While they could have just teleported straight to the venue, plans had changed after Lucille and Aries had gotten in touch with him.
Cole had explained his plan with them and they said it would be a perfect opportunity to start gradually make〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉known to the public.
Normally, they were like that secret agency that had ties to the government but Lucille said that needed to change. They would have to do so sooner or later, so they might as well have Cole do it and tag their PR Heads with him.
So, instead of disguising himself, he would be appearing as one of〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉's representatives. Felicia would act as an idol to the populace to plant a good image of Mechanicas inside the people's minds.
But in the meantime, Cole was still annoyed that they couldn't just teleport straight to the place. It would be a lot faster, more practical, and generally easier for them
The reasoning that Rory had given him was:
"We need reporters to flash as many photos of you as they want. People like handsome men. They also like beautiful women. And lastly, they love adorable children whose voice doesn't irritate the fuck out of them."
"...Are you sure the last one isn't just you?"
"It is definitely not just me."
.
.
.
The car ride was mostly silent. Cole sent a glance Felicia's way who was being unusually silent. While she was able to control her voice from squealing out, Cole could still see her reflection in the car's window. She was grinning from ear to ear like an excited child.
He could practically read her thoughts with how obvious she was being. Then as if realizing his gaze, she looked to Cole and started to ask a question.
"Hey, Cole."
"What is it?"
"How did they come up with the name 'Serigan Party' anyway?"
"Oh, that? They had first thought it meant 'blah blah' because the dude who came up with the word was able to fake and bullshit his way through the entire time he was making his pitch."
"Really? Who told you?"
"Well, it's possible and Mikhail did last night."
"I'm a bit surprised about how not a single one of you four got a headache."
"It was pretty surprising to see you guys be totally fine the next morning."
Gemi and Mini were talking about how they had watched Mikhail, Igor, Cole and Felicia have a very intense card game match while constantly drinking bottles of liquor. They were slightly saddened by the fact that they weren't playing a certain game with a reverse card.
If so, the two of them would probably still be laughing at the memory.
"I think it was more surprising to see you two completely fine. I heard blood-curdling screams from time to time coming from your guys' direction."
"Oh... that...?"
"Oh, that was just Gemi screaming at a flying cockroach."
Gemi's face quickly winced and turned into a grimace at the memory. Felicia was wondering where the cockroach could have come from. She took her cleaning duties very seriously after all.
"You know, with your reactions back at the mall, I thought you two would be a bit more cautious around us."
"Meh, not really."
"I mean, does it really matter?"
"Besides, you are also a person who has come here from a different world."
"Even if that different world might be right around the corner."
Although the twins had said it in a light tone, Cole's face had still darkened slightly. It wasn't clearly visible due to it being dark but the air around him had become moody.
"Hey, don't bring out such a sad atmosphere. You'll scare away clients instead of attracting them."
"I'm letting out the sadness so I won't accidentally leak it out later."
"Oh, I guess that's possible."
Felicia said as she leaned back and nodded to the possibility.
"Feli, you know that we just said was utter nonsense, right?"
"Cia, you have a better brain than that, right?"
"You two... What exactly is your image of me?"
"Unfortunately, they don't have the time to answer that. We're here already."
Cole interrupted them as the limo came to a stop. Everyone started to prepare to get out and Cole nudged the little pile that was sleeping on him.
"Okay, Eva. It's time to wake up and activate the crowd's maternal and paternal instincts."
It stirred and the figure beneath it removed the blanket covering it and cha-jan~! It was Eva, not like it could really be anyone else. She woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Mmm... Are we here already?"
"Yes, and sorry to have to make you do this."
Cole had suggested to Lucille and Aries that he should bring Eva alone. It would show to the people attending that Mechanicas have families, and small, vulnerable children. While he would admit that the move was a bit manipulative, he needed a good reason to bring her along.
He could have left her with Val like the few times he had done so in the past, but he didn't want to have to keep on doing that. Cole felt it like he was pushing his responsibility onto other people and he genuinely wanted to be able to spend time with her.
"It's better than being in the house alone."
"...Sorry."
"Eh? Why? And after all, if I'm a good girl, I get a lot of sweets right?"
She put on a cheeky grin, showing all of her white teeth. It made Cole want to smile as well. Felicia chimed in and found the need to remind her that eating too much sugar was bad.
"You don't want to turn into one of the trees back at home, do you?"
Felicia said such with a pretty convincing tone and expression. She looked like an evil witch for a second. Eva fervently shook her head which caused Felicia to laugh quite a bit.
"Feli, you have some talent in acting! Should we focus on that part or go with the usual 'Music transcends worlds?"
Gemi said with stars in her eyes. She could practically see Felicia's road to success. Even though she had actually thought of the idea because she was drunk, she internally praised herself for being such a genius. Mini let his sister be and just waited until it was there turn to come out/
"Why did you agree to this again?"
"...I actually do not know."
He let out a sigh and sent a glare the twins' way. Mini just felt like he was being unjustly accused when he didn't even do anything.
"We're here not only as〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉's envoys but of the entire〈Neutral Zone〉. Not as the upper executives of your entertainment agency."
Cole said with a serious expression and a grave tone. He didn't care if Gemi was merely trying to lighten the mood for the moment, it didn't change the fact that they were now on an important mission.
The twins' faces changed. But it wasn't in sudden realization, it was more out of being reminded of their task at hand.
"We know that already."
"We aren't going to ruin this nice life over our own incompetence."
Their aura had changed and all of their previous playfulness. Cole could see a bit of their past selves. The maturity from having to deal with circumstances far above their age and clear-cut decisiveness that was hiding behind their eyes.
That was all the time they had for chit-chat, it was time to make the first-ever public appearance of〈S.T.E.L.L.A〉to the public. If they messed this up, it might severely affect the〈Neutral Zone〉's reputation.
While the chance was small, it was a definite possibility. They couldn't risk something like that. And finally, it was their turn to walk on the prepped red carpet.
The party had truly started...
Now.
The day had come for the party. It was going to be held in quite a large-scale banquet hall in China this time. If you wanted to be the host country, you'd have to bid for it like when they did so for hosting the Olympics.To attend the party itself, you'd need an invitation or you would have to get a ticket. Both were limited in number so auctions existed for that as well. It made it clear why anyone would want to host the party.As for our group with a mission, they were riding in a classy black limousine to the venue. While they could have just teleported straight to the venue, plans had changed after Lucille and Aries had gotten in touch with him.Cole had explained his plan with them and they said it would be a perfect opportunity to start gradually makeS.T.E.L.L.Aknown to the public. Normally, they were like that secret agency that had ties to the government but Lucille said that needed to change. They would have to do so sooner or later, so they might as well have Cole do it and tag their PR Heads with him.So, instead of disguising himself, he would be appearing as one ofS.T.E.L.L.A's representatives. Felicia would act as an idol to the populace to plant a good image of Mechanicas inside the people's minds.But in the meantime, Cole was still annoyed that they couldn't just teleport straight to the place. It would be a lot faster, more practical, and generally easier for themThe reasoning that Rory had given him was:"We need reporters to flash as many photos of you as they want. People like handsome men. They also like beautiful women. And lastly, they love adorable children whose voice doesn't irritate the fuck out of them.""...Are you sure the last one isn't just you?""It is definitely not just me."...The car ride was mostly silent. Cole sent a glance Felicia's way who was being unusually silent. While she was able to control her voice from squealing out, Cole could still see her reflection in the car's window. She was grinning from ear to ear like an excited child. He could practically read her thoughts with how obvious she was being. Then as if realizing his gaze, she looked to Cole and started to ask a question."Hey, Cole." "What is it?""How did they come up with the name 'Serigan Party' anyway?""Oh, that? They had first thought it meant 'blah blah' because the dude who came up with the word was able to fake and bullshit his way through the entire time he was making his pitch.""Really? Who told you?""Well, it's possible and Mikhail did last night.""I'm a bit surprised about how not a single one of you four got a headache.""It was pretty surprising to see you guys be totally fine the next morning."Gemi and Mini were talking about how they had watched Mikhail, Igor, Cole and Felicia have a very intense card game match while constantly drinking bottles of liquor. They were slightly saddened by the fact that they weren't playing a certain game with a reverse card.If so, the two of them would probably still be laughing at the memory."I think it was more surprising to see you two completely fine. I heard blood-curdling screams from time to time coming from your guys' direction.""Oh... that...?""Oh, that was just Gemi screaming at a flying cockroach." Gemi's face quickly winced and turned into a grimace at the memory. Felicia was wondering where the cockroach could have come from. She took her cleaning duties very seriously after all. "You know, with your reactions back at the mall, I thought you two would be a bit more cautious around us.""Meh, not really.""I mean, does it really matter?""Besides, you are also a person who has come here from a different world.""Even if that different world might be right around the corner."Although the twins had said it in a light tone, Cole's face had still darkened slightly. It wasn't clearly visible due to it being dark but the air around him had become moody."Hey, don't bring out such a sad atmosphere. You'll scare away clients instead of attracting them.""I'm letting out the sadness so I won't accidentally leak it out later.""Oh, I guess that's possible."Felicia said as she leaned back and nodded to the possibility. "Feli, you know that we just said was utter nonsense, right?""Cia, you have a better brain than that, right?""You two... What exactly is your image of me?""Unfortunately, they don't have the time to answer that. We're here already."Cole interrupted them as the limo came to a stop. Everyone started to prepare to get out and Cole nudged the little pile that was sleeping on him."Okay, Eva. It's time to wake up and activate the crowd's maternal and paternal instincts." It stirred and the figure beneath it removed the blanket covering it and cha-jan~! It was Eva, not like it could really be anyone else. She woke up and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Mmm... Are we here already?""Yes, and sorry to have to make you do this."Cole had suggested to Lucille and Aries that he should bring Eva alone. It would show to the people attending that Mechanicas have families, and small, vulnerable children. While he would admit that the move was a bit manipulative, he needed a good reason to bring her along.He could have left her with Val like the few times he had done so in the past, but he didn't want to have to keep on doing that. Cole felt it like he was pushing his responsibility onto other people and he genuinely wanted to be able to spend time with her."It's better than being in the house alone.""...Sorry.""Eh? Why? And after all, if I'm a good girl, I get a lot of sweets right?"She put on a cheeky grin, showing all of her white teeth. It made Cole want to smile as well. Felicia chimed in and found the need to remind her that eating too much sugar was bad."You don't want to turn into one of the trees back at home, do you?"Felicia said such with a pretty convincing tone and expression. She looked like an evil witch for a second. Eva fervently shook her head which caused Felicia to laugh quite a bit."Feli, you have some talent in acting! Should we focus on that part or go with the usual 'Music transcends worlds?"Gemi said with stars in her eyes. She could practically see Felicia's road to success. Even though she had actually thought of the idea because she was drunk, she internally praised herself for being such a genius. Mini let his sister be and just waited until it was there turn to come out/"Why did you agree to this again?""...I actually do not know."He let out a sigh and sent a glare the twins' way. Mini just felt like he was being unjustly accused when he didn't even do anything."We're here not only asS.T.E.L.L.A's envoys but of the entireNeutral Zone. Not as the upper executives of your entertainment agency."Cole said with a serious expression and a grave tone. He didn't care if Gemi was merely trying to lighten the mood for the moment, it didn't change the fact that they were now on an important mission.The twins' faces changed. But it wasn't in sudden realization, it was more out of being reminded of their task at hand."We know that already.""We aren't going to ruin this nice life over our own incompetence."Their aura had changed and all of their previous playfulness. Cole could see a bit of their past selves. The maturity from having to deal with circumstances far above their age and clear-cut decisiveness that was hiding behind their eyes. That was all the time they had for chit-chat, it was time to make the first-ever public appearance ofS.T.E.L.L.Ato the public. If they messed this up, it might severely affect theNeutral Zone's reputation.While the chance was small, it was a definite possibility. They couldn't risk something like that. And finally, it was their turn to walk on the prepped red carpet.The party had truly started...Now.
