Luxuria

To summarise Lillia’s explanation: the Fosters run the East Meryka Trading Company, which is a relatively mundane shipping company, at least on the public-facing side. Those ‘in the know’ would know of the Fosters as ‘black ice’ smugglers. The Fosters peddle the drug mainly to the rich at an extreme cost. Of course, in an era with mostly widespread drug decriminalisation, there is a very good reason that black ice is still so heavily prosecuted: it is incredibly dangerous, and not in the sense that it will harm the user (though of course, it can).

“Ellie, do you understand why we need to stay away from him now?”

“That doesn’t explain why he’s here without an invite.”

“To be frank, I would rather not know.”

That raised the second problem with the Fosters. They had a track record of silencing people who asked too many questions. Of course, while assassination is extremely difficult, the Fosters apparently had the connections to crush anyone they want to socially and financially. The fact that even a relatively large family like the Bellons were this wary was telling enough. Regardless….

“Sure. I’m your partner here, Lily. I won’t dispute it if that’s what you want to do.”

“I appreciate it, Ellie.”

Lillia gave me a genuine smile. I tried to smile back… only to be met with a burst of laughter from Lillia, and a pat on the back.

“Keep at it, Tin Man. You’ll get there one day.”

“… Lucy said it was fine.”

“Lucy isn’t the paragon of vivid expression-making herself, y’know?”

While we continued to talk like that for a while, at last, people began to pour into the Cube. Glancing at Lillia for confirmation, she winked at me. So, for the second time, we entered the party venue. After glancing around the venue to confirm Darren’s location, I turned to Lillia.

“You know, Lily, I was wondering something.”

“Yeah?”

“Shouldn’t the organisers have shown up already?”

“… Good question. I haven’t seen James anywhere.”

I put aside my more alarmist thoughts on that front for a moment, knowing that there really wasn’t much we could do regardless. Even so, I at least want to know where Lillia’s grandmo-

“Lillia!”

A very recognisable smiling blonde haired, amber-eyed woman walked up behind us. Of course, it was Ella Bellon… exactly as she had looked in the photograph I had seen. Lillia returned Ella’s smile.

“It’s been a while, Grandmother.”

Personally, I was more baffled by Ella’s appearance than interested in her showing up. She didn’t even look like she had passed thirty, which was quite odd even with anti-aging technology. Her actual age should have exceeded one hundred years. Is she a vampire? No, I suppose this is a side effect of the genetic engineering… probably. I subconsciously made a note to bring a cross if I were to ever meet her again. While I was thinking that, Ella began to scan me.

“So, you’re the partner Lillia brought, hm? Interesting.”

“My name is Elysia. Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

Ella gave a soft chuckle. I guess I know where Lillia got that laugh of hers from.

“Just call me, Ella, if you would.”

“If that’s what you wish, Ella.”

I received a charming smile in return. However, I decided that there was no point beating around the bush.

“What exactly is this party? Why did you send us here despite… that man? Aren’t you putting the Bellons at risk?”

Lillia gave me a bit of a wronged look, but I could only shrug in turn. We needed to know this either way. Even if she didn’t want to tell us, I couldn’t see any harm in asking. Ella, however, simply continued to smile, giving a fairly mysterious response.

“It’s quite obvious, isn’t it?”

I scratched my chin and ran through possibilities in my head, and Lillia was clearly doing the same. Ella was clearly quite amused by the sight. Nonetheless, we were interrupted by a sudden loud voice through hidden speakers. Darren Foster was standing at the head of the room, speaking.

“Welcome, honoured guests. Tonight, we will be celebrating the 31st anniversary of the founding of my good friends in the Buchanan Design Company. Please come up here, James!”

Oh, Ella is right. This really is obvious. But… how did she and Lillia’s father know this would happen? Regardless… I’m not sure this is something Lillia will be able to solve.

A wiry copper-haired man – James – walked up next to Darren and began to ramble about something so vapid and meaningless that even I have difficulty recalling it. Given that people around us were beginning to whisper to each other, I took that as a sign that I could warn Lillia.

“Lillia, you-”

Before I could finish, I felt an iron grip on my shoulder. Ella was behind me, giving a gentle smile… at least, that’s what it would have seemed like if you weren’t there to experience the frightening glint in her eyes. I sighed. Unfortunately, my contract was to the Bellon Corporation rather than Lillia personally, so I had no choice but to defer to Ella on this. Sorry, Lillia. It looks like she wants you to figure this out on your own. Lillia, who was looking at Ella and me with narrowed eyes, eventually turned her head back to the front.

After the speech, Lillia and I began to mingle with the guests. Apparently, there would be dinner served later on, at about eight o’clock. That left Lillia with the task of connecting with the various partygoers until then. Of course, that was easier said than done. We approached a group of three men holding champagne glasses, loudly discussing something about their stocks in a company named ‘Gamestart’. Lillia confidently walked up to them, while I followed her, inspecting the men’s faces and thinking back to the guest list. Relatively speaking, they’re all small-time traders. Why is Lillia approaching them?

“Good evening, how are you three doing?”

The man gave Lillia scanning looks that would make anyone uncomfortable. I felt my brow furrowing a little, but I erased that quickly. One of the men responded.

“Lillia Bellon, right? And you…?”

They were asking about me, so I responded.

“I am Elysia, her cousin.”

The man who had questioned me nodded, satisfied. Lillia took the opportunity to raise the topic she had approached them for.

“You three work for Myers Investing, correct?”

Myers? As in Adam’s family firm? Interesting.

“Well… yes, we do.”

“Do you know where Adam is? I thought he was on the guest list.”

I had the same thought, though it wasn’t high priority enough for me to actively bring it up.

“I heard Adam was busy with some kind of training. By the way-”

“I see. Thank you.”

With that unusually curt conversation for her standards, Lillia departed while mumbling something about traders all being gross. And so, we approached our first real targets.

===

Currently, in a well-fitted training room, Adam Myers was in a singlet and gym shorts as he repeatedly struck a punching bag. Considering his perspiration, it was clear that he had been exercising for a while. His secretary, Troy, was looking on with a mixed expression.

“Adam, do you really need to do this now? You’ve already taken on that work at the Fusion Policy Council, so your insistence on adding this to your schedule is only going to lose you time. Besides, you are also skipping out on a party which was quite important to Miss Bellon. I hear that the East Meryka Trading Company-”

Adam paused and raised his hand to interrupt Troy, then gave a faint smile.

“Lily will be fine. Besides having that freak with her, I wouldn’t doubt her ability to handle the East Meryka issue on its own.”

“… I don’t follow.”

Adam looked Troy in the eye.

“Besides all of her other positive qualities, Lily is one of the few people who I know of who could confidently claim to be the best in the world at something.”

“What do you mean?”

“The woman’s basically a mind reader! She has an absurd intuition for reading other people. Neither Mark nor I could ever hope to match her in that. In fact, that’s a large part of why Mark handed off the company heir position to her.”

Troy paused in thought for a moment.

“What about that Elysia, the woman she took with her? You’ve also been talking recently about how abnormal she is.”

Adam ruffled his hair in thought.

“It’s hard to say in terms of what they could do in theory, but I am entirely certain that Ellie won’t be able to match up to Lillia any time soon.”

“Why is that?”

“Because Lily learned directly from the best in business.”

At that, Adam returned to hitting the bag, and immediately put a hole in it. Both men sighed simultaneously.