Story Reader / Festival Event Story / The Destined Surprise / Story
Hey, Commandant!
You hear Vera's cheerful greeting while strolling in the park. With a sudden change in mood, you start debating if you want to answer her greeting or pretend you never heard anything. Right then, something hits you as off.
Did I just hear something?
Before you know what's happened, Vera is already in your face.
Hey, Commandant, it's your birthday today, and I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and a wonderful day.
Unmistakably, Vera is wishing you a happy birthday like a gentle, polite lady.
I pinched my face... and it hurt. It dawns on you that you're not dreaming.
When Vera sees you pinch your own face, her eyes turn crescent. Moments later, unable to hold herself back anymore, she bursts into laughter.
Oh, what was that all about... Oh my God, that's just hilarious.
Now, this is the Vera you know.
You'd much rather see her like this, recalling the chill down your spine you felt just now when she was being all gentle and polite.
Well, you've got to be me seeing you do what you did just now... to know how silly you looked just now.
I was just bored since I had no missions to go to today, then it hit me that it was your birthday today, so I decided to do something fun.
So here I am.
Yeah, I was bored, and that's exactly what I told you just now. Been bored out of my mind lately.
Which is why I thought I'd take advantage of this day.
...Hmm? So there's more to it?!
Don't thank me just yet.
A birthday only comes once a year. Just saying "Happy Birthday" isn't gonna cut it, no?
Follow me.
I got you something very interesting as a birthday gift.
You can't help but wonder what exactly she meant by that...
Vera seems to know what you're thinking. She comes to your side and, with a smile, grabs you by the wrist...
The two of you are physically very close now—so much so that one wouldn't be blamed for thinking that the two of you share an intimate relationship... What really is happening, however, is that Vera is twisting your joint in such a way that any struggle would cause immense pain.
Don't be shy.
The two of you arrive at a bench in the park. On the bench is a white metal box with a logo that... seems like Star of Life's logo?
Vera sits on the bench and opens the metal box. Inside is a liquid that looks like alcohol and all kinds of long, thin metal tools. She takes a few out, feels them in her hand, and nods in satisfaction.
Did you think there was something wrong with your ears when I first greeted you?
Well, mystery solved, then.
Vera pats her leg.
Come lie down over here and let me clean your ears.
Looking at the mysterious smile on Vera's face and all the metallic objects in her hand... you can't seem to decide if you feel safe.
Despite my fear of the cold, gleaming metal objects, you know that you don't really have a choice... At this point, she's just going to drag you over anyway if you say no.
So you decide to sit to her right, lean down, and expose your right ear upward to her.
C'mon, why are you feeling so nervous? We're pretty close to the Star of Life. You should trust them even if you don't trust me.
As a regular there, you should know that they could fix you up without leaving a trace even if I stabbed this thing into your brain through your ear.
Let me know if you think I'm going too hard or too soft. Well, not like I'm going to listen anyway.
Your body tenses up instinctively the moment you feel cold metal entering your ear. With the subtle sounds and light tickles, however, comes a weird sense of comfort.
The human ear has a lot of nerve endings. Cleaning the ears stimulates them, causing a bodily response that feels pleasant and relaxing—so much so that people even treated this as a form of entertainment during the Golden Age.
Comfortable as it is, you just can't stop yourself from feeling edgy and can't enjoy the moment. The issue, you figure, is not so much the technique as it is the person doing the job...
Heh...
You feel like you're dealing with sugar-coated gunpowder. No matter how delicious it looks on the outside, you never know if it's going to blow up in your mouth.
(How did she come up with this idea...?)
Do you want to know why I'm doing this?
(Can she read minds...?)
Mostly just so I get to see that face you have now. You look like you can't decide if you want to relax or keep your guard up, which is hilarious.
And also just so you can hear what I need to say to you now.
Don't you think birthdays are interesting?
I mean, we share most of our special days with people. Think about the day you graduated from F.O.S. or the day you first met the Gray Ravens.
But a birthday is just unique to the person born on that day, the one and only day that's truly yours since birth.
Vera's voice suddenly draws close to your ear. She most likely has leaned down and is now whispering straight into your ear.
So here is what I want you to know.
I find your birthday interesting, and I'll make it mine sooner or later.
Before you can even process those words, Vera straightens up and pulls you up from her lap.
And remember to put up a fight when that happens. A prey is only worth hunting when it puts up a fight.
It's only then that you realize that your ear has been cleaned.
Your ear seems to still be ringing with what she just said... but what bothers you more now is your sore neck, having grown tense and stiff from feeling nervous this entire time...
That was rough...
Cleaning her metal objects, Vera looks at you as you stand up and stretch yourself.
Hey, I'm not done with your other ear yet.
I was warming up just now. Here begins the real fun.
