## Chapter 1 — Kiro Found Something The message arrived at 09:17 in the morning. Which was already suspicious. Because normal people did not send messages at 09:17. Normal people had jobs. Or responsibilities. Or dignity. --- Kiro had none of those things. --- Mai's agent chirped. Once. Then immediately again. And again. And again. --- Mai stared at the device. --- "...why?" --- Ace looked up from the kitchen counter. --- "What?" --- Mai held up the screen. --- "Three messages in under ten seconds." --- Ace winced. --- "Kiro." --- "Kiro." --- They said it simultaneously. --- Neither sounded surprised. --- Mai opened the chat. --- There was no greeting. No context. No explanation. --- Only a picture. --- A giant neon sign. --- **ICEBERG LOUNGE** --- Below it: **GRAND OPENING THIS FRIDAY** --- A second image followed. --- The interior. --- A third. --- VIP lounges. --- A fourth. --- Private rooms. --- A fifth. --- Floor plan. --- A sixth. --- Drink menu. --- A seventh. --- Security layout. --- Mai blinked. --- "...why does she have the security layout?" --- Ace glanced at the screen. --- "Because he's Kiro." --- "That's not an answer." --- "It's the only answer you're getting." --- The next message arrived. --- **Kiro:** > We should go. --- Mai stared. --- Then typed. --- **Mai:** > Why? --- The response appeared instantly. As though Kiro had been waiting. --- **Kiro:** > Why not? --- Mai closed her eyes. --- Ace started laughing. --- Very quietly. --- "Don't encourage her." --- "I didn't." --- "You asked why." --- "I was curious." --- "Exactly." 😄 --- The group chat exploded three seconds later. --- **Reyes:** > Oh absolutely. --- **Ace:** > No. --- **Reyes:** > Yes. --- **Ace:** > No. --- **Reyes:** > Counterpoint: > > Yes. --- Mai could practically hear Reyes grinning through the screen. --- A new message appeared. --- **Lena:** > Oooooh. --- That alone was worrying. --- Whenever Lena used extra vowels, bad decisions followed. --- **Marco:** > Why am I in this conversation. --- **Lena:** > Because you're going. --- **Marco:** > Apparently I am. --- **Shammy:** > It does look interesting. --- Ace looked horrified. --- "Shammy." --- "What?" --- "You were supposed to help me." --- "I'm helping." --- "You are not." --- "I am." --- "How?" --- Shammy smiled. --- "You'll enjoy yourself." --- Ace pointed accusingly. --- "That's not helping." 😄 --- Another image appeared. --- Kiro again. --- VIP lounge. Private booths. Semi-private seating areas. Exclusive reservation sections. --- The image sat there. --- Uncommented. --- For almost twenty seconds. --- Then: --- **Reyes:** > Five thousand. --- Silence. --- Ace stared. --- Mai stared. --- Even Shammy leaned over. --- "What does that mean?" --- Ace already knew. --- "Oh no." --- The next message arrived. --- **Reyes:** > Five thousand eurodollars. > > Somebody disappears into one of those VIP rooms before midnight. --- The silence lasted exactly four seconds. --- Then Lena entered the war. --- **Lena:** > Accepted. --- Ace groaned. --- "Why?" --- Mai answered immediately. --- "Because nobody stopped them." --- That was unfortunately correct. --- The next message appeared. --- **Kiro:** > Ten thousand. --- **Marco:** > Stop. --- **Reyes:** > Coward. --- **Marco:** > Rational adult. --- **Lena:** > Same thing. --- **Marco:** > It absolutely isn't. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere in Night City... without anyone fully realizing it yet... the most important event of the evening had already happened. Not the club. Not the opening. Not the VIP rooms. --- The bet had been born. And from this moment onward... things were only going to get worse. --- _ROTFLMAO (VERY HARD INDEED)_ 🍻😄 Yap. Nyt tulee se chapter, jossa koko vedonlyöntijärjestelmä muuttuu viralliseksi uhaksi yhteiskuntajärjestykselle. --- ## Chapter 2 — The Rules The problem began at 09:31. Which, in hindsight, was considerably earlier than it should have. --- The original bet should have remained simple. Reasonable. Manageable. --- Instead, Kiro opened a spreadsheet. --- That was mistake number one. --- Mai looked up from her agent. --- "...she opened a spreadsheet." --- Ace immediately looked concerned. --- "How bad?" --- Mai's expression flattened. --- "She's color-coding categories." --- "Oh no." 😄 --- The group chat exploded again. --- **Kiro:** > Official leaderboard attached. --- A file appeared. --- Ace stared at it. --- Then stared harder. --- Then zoomed in. --- "Why does it have tabs?" --- **Kiro:** > Because there are categories. --- **Ace:** > Categories. --- **Kiro:** > Obviously. 😄 --- Mai pinched the bridge of her nose. --- Ace pointed at the screen. --- "Stop her." --- "I don't think I can." --- "You absolutely can." --- Mai looked at the spreadsheet. --- A long pause. --- "...actually she missed a variable." --- Ace stared. --- "Mai." --- "What?" --- "Mai." --- "What?" 😄🍻 --- Another message appeared. --- **Kiro:** ### Current Categories - First Disappearance - Longest Disappearance - Most Offers - Fastest Return --- A pause. --- Then Reyes arrived like an artillery strike. --- **Reyes:** > Missing category. > > Most Obvious Return. --- **Lena:** > YES. --- **Marco:** > No. --- **Lena:** > Added. --- **Marco:** > You can't add categories. --- **Kiro:** > Already did. 😄 --- The spreadsheet updated. --- Ace watched it happen in real time. --- "What is wrong with you people?" --- Nobody answered. --- Because nobody knew where to begin. --- Another update appeared. --- **Lena:** > Worst Attempt At Acting Normal. --- The silence lasted exactly three seconds. --- **Marco:** > Absolutely not. --- **Reyes:** > ABSOLUTELY YES. --- **Kiro:** > Added. --- **Marco:** > Stop adding things. --- **Kiro:** > No. 😄🍻 --- Shammy finally joined the discussion. --- Which immediately made everyone nervous. --- Because Shammy rarely spoke unless she had something useful to say. --- **Shammy:** > Longest Disappearance should be weighted. --- Complete silence. --- Nobody understood. --- **Marco:** > Weighted how? --- **Shammy:** > Time. > > Circumstances. > > Return condition. --- Nothing. --- Absolutely nothing. --- The entire group chat froze. --- Ace lowered her agent. --- "Did Shammy just optimize the betting system?" --- Mai considered the evidence. --- "Yes." --- "Why?" --- "I don't know." 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro did something terrible. --- Something unforgivable. --- She updated the spreadsheet. --- A new section appeared. --- ### Current Competitors - Ace - Mai - Shammy - Reyes - Kiro - Marco - Lena --- Marco stared. --- Then stared again. --- Then typed. --- **Marco:** > Why am I on that list? --- **Lena:** > Because you're participating. --- **Marco:** > I'm not. --- **Reyes:** > You are now. --- **Marco:** > That's not how consent works. --- **Lena:** > It is for betting. 😄 --- The next category appeared. --- Nobody saw Kiro add it. --- One second it wasn't there. The next second it was. --- ### Longest Disappearance Current Leader: Nobody Yet --- Marco immediately noticed. --- **Marco:** > Remove that. --- **Kiro:** > No. --- **Marco:** > Remove it. --- **Lena:** > Why? --- A long pause. --- **Marco:** > No reason. --- **Reyes:** > Interesting. --- **Kiro:** > Very interesting. 😄🍻 --- At that exact moment Mai made the worst decision of the morning. --- She opened the spreadsheet. --- Not to stop it. --- To improve it. --- Ace saw her do it. --- The betrayal was immediate. --- "Mai." --- No answer. --- "Mai." --- Still nothing. --- "MAI." --- Mai looked up. --- "What?" --- "You joined them." --- Mai blinked. --- Then looked back at the spreadsheet. --- "...the formatting was bothering me." --- Ace stared. --- Completely betrayed. --- Shammy started laughing. --- Actually laughing. --- Which somehow made it worse. 😄🍻 --- By noon the spreadsheet had: - Seven tabs. - Fourteen categories. - Tie-break procedures. - Statistical projections. - A color-coded leaderboard. - Three ongoing arguments. - One formal complaint from Marco. --- The complaint had been added as a category. --- ## Chapter 3 — Arrival The line extended around the block. --- Ace stopped walking. --- Looked at the queue. Looked at the building. Looked at the queue again. --- "No." --- Reyes didn't even slow down. --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "We can literally see the end of the line from here." --- "We can literally see the entrance from here." --- "That's not helping." --- "It's helping me." 😄 --- The rest of the group arrived in stages. --- Marco carrying the expression of a man who had already regretted attending. --- Lena carrying the expression of a woman who intended to make that worse. --- Kiro carrying three different devices. --- Mai immediately noticed. --- "Why do you need three?" --- "I don't." --- A pause. --- "I need four." --- Mai closed her eyes. --- Ace groaned. --- Shammy started laughing. 😄🍻 --- Then they all looked up. --- And there it was. --- Massive. Illuminated. Impossible to miss. --- **ICEBERG LOUNGE** --- A giant neon sign glowing over the street. --- Blue. White. Silver. --- Subtle as artillery. --- Nobody spoke. --- For several seconds. --- Marco finally broke. --- "They're not even pretending." --- Lena immediately nodded. --- "Nope." --- Another pause. --- Marco kept staring. --- "...I kind of respect that." --- "Same." 😄 --- The building itself looked absurd. --- Artificial ice effects. Projected glaciers. Light sculptures. Frozen-water aesthetics everywhere. --- Some designer had apparently received the instruction: > Iceberg. And then built an entire career around it. 😄🍻 --- Kiro was already taking pictures. --- Mai was already analyzing architecture. --- Shammy was watching people. --- Reyes was watching reactions. --- Ace was wondering how late it was possible to leave without anyone noticing. --- The answer was: too late. --- Far too late. 😄 --- Then Lena suddenly froze. --- "Oh." --- Everybody looked. --- "What?" --- Lena pointed. --- A large digital billboard stood beside the entrance. --- Promotional material. VIP services. Special events. Reservation packages. --- And beneath them... --- A map. --- A map of the VIP level. --- Complete with room names. --- Silence. --- The entire group stared. --- Then slowly. Very slowly. --- Everyone turned toward Kiro. --- Kiro looked innocent. --- Which was immediately suspicious. --- "Don't." --- "You already have the map." --- "I do." --- "Don't." --- "I wasn't going to." --- Nobody believed her. 😄🍻 --- The queue moved. --- Slowly. --- The closer they got to the entrance, the more obvious something became. --- The club was packed. --- Completely packed. --- Not just with ordinary customers. --- Mercs. Corpos. Media figures. Fixers. Influencers. People pretending to be dangerous. People who actually were dangerous. --- Night City had arrived. --- And Night City looked interested. --- Very interested. --- Reyes noticed first. --- "Oh this is going to be easy." --- Ace immediately looked concerned. --- "What does that mean?" --- Reyes smiled. --- "Nothing." --- That answer somehow made everything worse. 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro's agent chimed. --- A spreadsheet notification. --- Everyone froze. --- Kiro looked down. --- The screen reflected in her eyes. --- A smile slowly appeared. --- "Oh." --- Mai recognized that smile. --- And immediately regretted it. --- "What?" --- Kiro looked up. --- Far too pleased with herself. --- "Leaderboard update." --- "We haven't even gone inside." --- "I know." --- A pause. --- "I already have preliminary rankings." --- Complete silence. --- Marco looked physically injured. --- "Based on what?" --- Kiro smiled. --- And pointed at the line. --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja nyt tapahtuu se asia, jota Kirolta ei olisi koskaan pitänyt sallia. Hän alkaa julkaista tilastoja ennen kuin datapisteitä on olemassa. --- ## Chapter 4 — Preliminary Rankings The line moved. Slowly. Painfully. --- Which gave Kiro time. --- Far too much time. --- Mai noticed first. --- Because Kiro had become quiet. --- That was never a good sign. --- Not in a nightclub. Not in a netrunning den. Not anywhere. --- Mai leaned slightly closer. --- "What are you doing?" --- Kiro didn't look up. --- "Research." --- That answer immediately worried everyone. --- Ace groaned. --- "Oh no." --- Reyes laughed. --- "Oh yes." 😄🍻 --- Kiro finally turned her screen around. --- A spreadsheet. --- A horrifying spreadsheet. --- A very colorful spreadsheet. --- Marco visibly aged three years. --- "What am I looking at?" --- Kiro pointed. --- ### PRELIMINARY RANKINGS --- 1. Shammy 2. Reyes 3. Marco 4. Ace 5. Lena 6. Kiro 7. Mai --- Complete silence. --- Mai blinked. --- "What is this based on?" --- Kiro immediately answered. --- "Observations." --- "Observations of what?" --- "The line." --- Mai stared. --- "The line." --- "The line." 😄 --- Ace looked over Kiro's shoulder. --- Then immediately regretted it. --- "Why am I fourth?" --- Kiro zoomed in. --- There was apparently a notes section. --- Of course there was. --- **ACE** - Attractive - Dangerous - Approachable only by idiots --- Reyes immediately started laughing. --- Hard. --- Very hard. --- Ace pointed. --- "Delete that." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- Reyes found her own section. --- **REYES** - Extremely confident - Extremely visible - Likely to encourage bad decisions --- Lena nodded. --- "Fair." --- Reyes nodded. --- "Very fair." 😄 --- Then Marco found his. --- Which turned out to be a mistake. --- **MARCO** - Friendly - Relaxed - Surprisingly approachable - High upset potential --- Silence. --- Marco looked offended. --- "What does upset potential mean?" --- Kiro smiled. --- "It means you're going to accidentally ruin someone's odds." --- The silence lasted five seconds. --- Then Lena started laughing so hard she nearly dropped her drink. 😄🍻 --- Shammy was next. --- **SHAMMY** - Unfair - Extremely unfair - Seriously unfair --- Ace blinked. --- "Those aren't statistics." --- Kiro looked offended. --- "They absolutely are." 😄 --- Then Mai discovered her own profile. --- A mistake. --- A terrible mistake. --- **MAI** - Smart - Beautiful - Intimidating - Likely to accidentally explain quantum theory during flirting --- Dead silence. --- Mai stared. --- Then looked at Kiro. --- Then looked back. --- Then back again. --- "...accidentally?" --- Kiro immediately looked away. --- Which was essentially a confession. 😄🍻 --- The line moved another few meters. --- The entrance was getting closer. --- The neon lights brighter. --- The music louder. --- The crowd denser. --- And somehow... --- The spreadsheet was still getting worse. --- A notification appeared. --- **Leaderboard Update** --- Marco closed his eyes. --- "There should not be updates." --- "There are updates." --- "There shouldn't be." --- "There are." 😄 --- Kiro tapped a key. --- A new category appeared. --- ### Most Likely To Pretend Nothing Happened --- Complete silence. --- Ace slowly turned toward Kiro. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. --- Marco: > No. --- Kiro: > Especially yes. --- Lena: > Extremely yes. 😄🍻 --- The queue advanced again. --- Now they could see the entrance doors clearly. --- Massive black glass. --- Security. --- VIP hosts. --- The full opening-night circus. --- And somewhere ahead... --- The actual club. --- The actual bet. --- The actual disaster. --- Kiro looked up from the spreadsheet. --- Smiled. --- And said the most dangerous sentence of the evening so far. --- "Nobody has points yet." --- A pause. --- Then: --- "But that's about to change." --- Complete silence. --- Marco looked toward the entrance. --- Then toward the group. --- Then toward the spreadsheet. --- Then toward the entrance again. --- A long sigh escaped him. --- "I already hate this place." --- Lena patted his shoulder. --- "You're currently third." --- "That doesn't help." --- "It helps me." 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Mi amigo, tässä kohtaa minä olen jo luovuttanut pokan pitämisen suhteen. Meillä on tällä hetkellä tarina, jossa: - Night Cityn uusi yökerho ei ole vielä nähnyt heitä sisällä. - Yksikään veto ei ole ratkennut. - Yksikään ihminen ei ole kadonnut. - Ja silti Marco on jo puoliksi hermoromahduksen partaalla. 😄🍻 Ja tiedätkö mikä minua naurattaa eniten? Kiro on juuri rakentanut järjestelmän, jossa käytännössä: > "Tervehdys väärälle ihmiselle" voi muuttua leaderboard-tapahtumaksi. --- Ja nyt tulee se hetki. Ovet. Aukeavat. --- ## Chapter 5 — Contact The doors opened. --- Immediately. --- Every single person in the group stopped walking. --- Not because of the crowd. Not because of the music. Not because of the lighting. --- Because the place was somehow worse than expected. --- Which was impressive. --- Very impressive. --- Artificial glaciers hung from the ceiling. --- Projected ice drifted across the walls. --- A giant illuminated iceberg rotated slowly above the central dance floor. --- Nobody spoke. --- Nobody needed to. --- Marco eventually managed: --- "...oh come on." --- Lena immediately nodded. --- "Okay, that's actually incredible." --- "It's ridiculous." --- "It's both." --- "That's fair." 😄🍻 --- The hostess greeted them. --- Professional smile. Perfect posture. Opening-night energy. --- "Welcome to Iceberg Lounge." --- Nobody commented on the name. --- Nobody. --- Which somehow made it funnier. --- The hostess continued. --- "Do you have a reservation?" --- Before anyone could answer— --- Kiro stepped forward. --- "Yes." --- Everyone turned. --- Ace blinked. --- "You made a reservation?" --- Kiro looked confused. --- "Of course I did." --- "WHEN?" --- "Three days ago." --- Silence. --- Mai wasn't even surprised. --- "You expected us to say yes." --- "I know you." --- That was annoyingly difficult to argue against. 😄🍻 --- A few minutes later they were seated. --- Excellent table. --- Clear view of: - dance floor - bar - VIP elevators - private lounge entrance --- The exact worst possible location. --- Kiro looked delighted. --- Marco looked concerned. --- Ace looked betrayed. --- Reyes looked excited. --- Lena looked dangerous. --- Shammy looked amused. --- Mai looked like she was already doing calculations. --- Which she was. 😄🍻 --- Drinks arrived. --- The first round disappeared quickly. --- The second followed. --- The atmosphere relaxed. --- The music settled. --- Conversation flowed. --- For approximately seven minutes. --- Then Kiro's agent chimed. --- Everyone froze. --- "No." --- Kiro looked down. --- Then smiled. --- "Oh." --- Marco immediately pointed. --- "No." --- "Oh yes." --- Kiro turned the screen around. --- ### LEADERBOARD UPDATE FIRST OFFERS RECEIVED 1. Reyes 2. Shammy 3. Marco --- Complete silence. --- Marco nearly dropped his drink. --- "What." --- "What?" --- "WHAT." 😄🍻 --- Kiro zoomed in. --- There were apparently notes. --- Of course there were notes. --- **MARCO** - approached twice - unaware both times --- Lena exploded. --- Actually exploded. --- She was laughing so hard she had to lean against the table. --- Marco looked horrified. --- "Twice?" --- "Twice." --- "I didn't even notice." --- "That's in the notes." 😄 --- Reyes was already dying. --- "Oh my God." --- Marco pointed accusingly. --- "This is your fault." --- "How?" --- "I don't know yet." --- "Good answer." 😄🍻 --- Then something happened. --- Something small. --- Tiny. --- Completely insignificant. --- Ace stood. --- "I need another drink." --- Nobody reacted. --- At first. --- Then Kiro looked up. --- Then at the leaderboard. --- Then at Ace. --- Then toward the bar. --- Then back at Ace. --- A smile slowly appeared. --- Ace saw it immediately. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Maybe. --- Ace: > No. --- Kiro: > Timestamp ready. --- Ace: > I am walking ten meters. --- Kiro: > We'll see. 😄🍻 --- And for the first time that evening... the entire table realized something. --- The club wasn't the problem. --- The bet wasn't the problem. --- The VIP lounges weren't the problem. --- The problem was Kiro. --- And she was just getting started. --- ## Chapter 6 — Data Collection Ace made it exactly fourteen meters. --- Fourteen. --- Kiro timed it. --- Of course she did. --- "Fourteen meters." --- Ace stopped. --- Very slowly. --- Then turned. --- Kiro was already typing. --- "No." --- "Maybe." --- "No." --- "Preliminary interaction." --- "I am ordering a drink." --- "You are approaching a social environment." --- "That's called a bar." --- "Still counting." 😄🍻 --- The entire table was laughing now. --- Except Mai. --- Who was examining the leaderboard. --- Which worried Ace even more. --- "Mai." --- No response. --- "Mai." --- Still nothing. --- "Don't join them." --- Mai looked up. --- "I'm not." --- A pause. --- "Although the scoring matrix is flawed." --- Ace immediately sat back down. --- Defeated. --- Completely defeated. 😄 --- The drinks arrived. --- The second round helped. --- The third helped even more. --- The atmosphere relaxed. --- The music became background noise. --- The crowd settled into a rhythm. --- And then Night City happened. --- A woman approached their table. --- Directly. Confidently. --- She stopped beside Reyes. --- No hesitation. --- No small talk. --- No fear. --- "You're Reyes." --- Reyes blinked. --- "...that's usually a bad start." --- The woman laughed. --- "Relax." --- A business card appeared. --- A pause. --- Then: --- "I'd like to buy you a drink." --- The entire table froze. --- Reyes looked at the card. --- Looked at the woman. --- Looked at Kiro. --- Kiro already had the spreadsheet open. --- "Don't." --- Kiro: > Already did. 😄🍻 --- ### LEADERBOARD UPDATE FIRST VERIFIED OFFER Current Leader: Reyes --- Reyes pointed. --- "I hate you." --- Kiro smiled. --- "No you don't." --- "Fair." 😄 --- The woman eventually moved on. --- Reyes returned. --- The table immediately leaned forward. --- "What?" --- "Nothing happened." --- Lena: > Timestamp. --- Reyes: > I WAS GONE THREE MINUTES. --- Kiro: > Still a timestamp. 😄🍻 --- And then things escalated. --- Because now everyone knew the game was real. --- Not theoretical. Not hypothetical. --- Real. --- A man approached Marco. --- The table saw him coming. --- Every single person. --- Nobody warned Marco. --- Not one. 😄 --- The man smiled. --- Introduced himself. --- Started talking. --- Marco responded politely. --- Completely unaware. --- The conversation lasted five minutes. --- Then ten. --- Then twelve. --- Finally the man handed him something. --- A contact chip. --- And walked away. --- Marco returned to the table. --- The silence was immediate. --- Marco looked around. --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Lena was crying. --- Actually crying. --- Tears. --- Real tears. --- "What?" --- Kiro rotated the screen. --- ### LEADERBOARD UPDATE Most Offers 1. Reyes 2. Marco --- Marco stared. --- Then stared harder. --- Then looked at the contact chip. --- Then back at the leaderboard. --- "...oh." --- The entire table exploded. 😄🍻 --- Even Shammy laughed. --- Which somehow made it worse. --- A lot worse. --- Then a notification appeared. --- Kiro's agent. --- Another update. --- Nobody had touched the spreadsheet. --- Nobody except Kiro. --- Which explained everything. --- ### PROJECTION UPDATE Current Most Likely Longest Disappearance Winners: 1. Marco 2. Shammy 3. Reyes --- Marco immediately stood. --- "No." --- Lena: > Yes. --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "YES." 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile, halfway across the club... --- A woman had just approached Ace. --- A man had just approached Shammy. --- And somebody was trying to decide whether approaching Mai was bravery... --- Or a medical condition. --- The evening was still young. --- The leaderboard was already on fire. --- And Kiro had only begun collecting data. --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Mi amigo, minä alan vähitellen ymmärtää miksi sanoit heti alkuun: > "Ei limiittejä." Koska tämä ei käyttäydy lainkaan kuin normaali Ace & Mai -tarina. Normaalisti meillä on: - alku - ongelma - eskalaatio - ratkaisu --- Tässä meillä on: - leaderboard - katastrofi - leaderboard - suurempi katastrofi - leaderboard - Marco kärsii 😄🍻 --- Ja tiedätkö mikä minua tällä hetkellä naurattaa kaikkein eniten? **Kukaan ei ole vielä kadonnut.** Oikeasti. --- Meillä on: - tarjouksia - pisteitä - tilastoja - ennusteita --- Mutta yhtään varsinaista katoamista ei ole vielä tapahtunut. --- Mikä tarkoittaa että: **Koko pöytä on tällä hetkellä yhtä kireällä kuin lähtöviivalla oleva kilpahevonen.** 😄 --- Ja juuri siinä kohtaa tämä alkaa muuttua painekattilaksi. --- ## Chapter 7 — Escalation The first real problem appeared at 21:18. --- Not because somebody disappeared. --- Because nobody had. --- Yet. --- The absence had become suspicious. --- The entire table knew it. --- Nobody wanted to admit it. --- Kiro finally broke first. --- "This is statistically unusual." --- Marco immediately groaned. --- "There are no statistics." --- "There are now." --- "There aren't." --- "There absolutely are." 😄🍻 --- Kiro rotated her screen. --- A graph existed. --- Nobody had authorized the graph. --- Nobody had requested the graph. --- The graph existed anyway. --- Ace looked physically wounded. --- "Why is there a graph?" --- "Visual clarity." --- "Of what?" --- "Current disappearance probability." --- "..." --- "..." --- "..." --- Marco stood up. --- "No." 😄🍻 --- Lena immediately pulled him back down. --- "Sit." --- "I'm leaving." --- "No you're not." --- "I'm absolutely leaving." --- "No you're not." --- "Why?" --- "Because you're currently second place." --- Marco looked genuinely offended. 😄 --- Meanwhile the leaderboard updated again. --- ### MOST OFFERS 1. Reyes 2. Shammy 3. Marco 4. Ace 5. Lena --- Mai frowned. --- "Ace is climbing." --- Ace looked horrified. --- "What does that mean?" --- Reyes immediately answered. --- "It means Night City has terrible judgment." --- Ace pointed. --- "You're winning." --- "Correct." 😄🍻 --- Then the first real contender arrived. --- A woman approached Mai. --- Directly. --- Confidently. --- Sat down without asking. --- The entire table froze. --- Mai blinked. --- The woman smiled. --- "I've spent twenty minutes trying to decide whether you're a professor or an assassin." --- Dead silence. --- Kiro slowly opened the spreadsheet. --- Mai saw her. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Maybe. 😄🍻 --- The conversation lasted. --- Five minutes. --- Ten. --- Fifteen. --- Long enough. --- Far too long. --- When the woman eventually departed... --- Mai returned. --- The entire table stared. --- Mai sat. --- Picked up her drink. --- Took a sip. --- Complete silence. --- Finally: --- Lena. --- "So." --- Mai immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Reyes: > We didn't ask anything. --- Mai: > You're about to. --- Kiro: > Correct. 😄🍻 --- Leaderboard update. --- ### LONGEST ACTIVE CONVERSATION Current Leader: Mai --- Mai stared. --- Then looked at Kiro. --- Then looked back. --- "...that's not even a category." --- Kiro smiled. --- "It is now." 😄 --- And that was when it happened. --- Not a disappearance. --- Something worse. --- A near-disappearance. --- Shammy stood. --- Only stood. --- Nothing else. --- A man approached. --- A woman approached. --- Another woman approached. --- The table watched. --- One minute. --- Two minutes. --- Three. --- Marco looked at the crowd gathering around Shammy. --- Then at the leaderboard. --- Then at the crowd again. --- Finally: --- "This category is unfair." --- Kiro: > Already documented. 😄🍻 --- Then Reyes noticed something. --- Something dangerous. --- Very dangerous. --- A VIP hostess. --- Walking directly toward their table. --- Not toward the crowd. --- Not toward the bar. --- Toward them. --- Reyes immediately sat up. --- "Oh no." --- Ace froze. --- "What?" --- Reyes pointed. --- The hostess smiled professionally. --- And stopped beside their table. --- "Good evening." --- Nobody liked where this was going. --- The hostess looked down at a tablet. --- Then back at the group. --- "You appear to be running some kind of competition." --- Complete. Absolute. Silence. --- Kiro slowly lowered her screen. --- For the first time all evening... --- She looked nervous. --- Very nervous. --- The hostess smiled. --- Then pointed toward the VIP level. --- "We would like to sponsor it." --- Dead. Absolute. Silence. --- Marco closed his eyes. --- Very slowly. --- "No." --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Mi amigo, minä alan vähitellen ymmärtää miksi sanoit heti alkuun: > "Ei limiittejä." Koska tämä ei käyttäydy lainkaan kuin normaali Ace & Mai -tarina. Normaalisti meillä on: - alku - ongelma - eskalaatio - ratkaisu --- Tässä meillä on: - leaderboard - katastrofi - leaderboard - suurempi katastrofi - leaderboard - Marco kärsii 😄🍻 --- Ja tiedätkö mikä minua tällä hetkellä naurattaa kaikkein eniten? **Kukaan ei ole vielä kadonnut.** Oikeasti. --- Meillä on: - tarjouksia - pisteitä - tilastoja - ennusteita --- Mutta yhtään varsinaista katoamista ei ole vielä tapahtunut. --- Mikä tarkoittaa että: **Koko pöytä on tällä hetkellä yhtä kireällä kuin lähtöviivalla oleva kilpahevonen.** 😄 --- Ja juuri siinä kohtaa tämä alkaa muuttua painekattilaksi. --- ## Chapter 7 — Escalation The first real problem appeared at 21:18. --- Not because somebody disappeared. --- Because nobody had. --- Yet. --- The absence had become suspicious. --- The entire table knew it. --- Nobody wanted to admit it. --- Kiro finally broke first. --- "This is statistically unusual." --- Marco immediately groaned. --- "There are no statistics." --- "There are now." --- "There aren't." --- "There absolutely are." 😄🍻 --- Kiro rotated her screen. --- A graph existed. --- Nobody had authorized the graph. --- Nobody had requested the graph. --- The graph existed anyway. --- Ace looked physically wounded. --- "Why is there a graph?" --- "Visual clarity." --- "Of what?" --- "Current disappearance probability." --- "..." --- "..." --- "..." --- Marco stood up. --- "No." 😄🍻 --- Lena immediately pulled him back down. --- "Sit." --- "I'm leaving." --- "No you're not." --- "I'm absolutely leaving." --- "No you're not." --- "Why?" --- "Because you're currently second place." --- Marco looked genuinely offended. 😄 --- Meanwhile the leaderboard updated again. --- ### MOST OFFERS 1. Reyes 2. Shammy 3. Marco 4. Ace 5. Lena --- Mai frowned. --- "Ace is climbing." --- Ace looked horrified. --- "What does that mean?" --- Reyes immediately answered. --- "It means Night City has terrible judgment." --- Ace pointed. --- "You're winning." --- "Correct." 😄🍻 --- Then the first real contender arrived. --- A woman approached Mai. --- Directly. --- Confidently. --- Sat down without asking. --- The entire table froze. --- Mai blinked. --- The woman smiled. --- "I've spent twenty minutes trying to decide whether you're a professor or an assassin." --- Dead silence. --- Kiro slowly opened the spreadsheet. --- Mai saw her. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Maybe. 😄🍻 --- The conversation lasted. --- Five minutes. --- Ten. --- Fifteen. --- Long enough. --- Far too long. --- When the woman eventually departed... --- Mai returned. --- The entire table stared. --- Mai sat. --- Picked up her drink. --- Took a sip. --- Complete silence. --- Finally: --- Lena. --- "So." --- Mai immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Reyes: > We didn't ask anything. --- Mai: > You're about to. --- Kiro: > Correct. 😄🍻 --- Leaderboard update. --- ### LONGEST ACTIVE CONVERSATION Current Leader: Mai --- Mai stared. --- Then looked at Kiro. --- Then looked back. --- "...that's not even a category." --- Kiro smiled. --- "It is now." 😄 --- And that was when it happened. --- Not a disappearance. --- Something worse. --- A near-disappearance. --- Shammy stood. --- Only stood. --- Nothing else. --- A man approached. --- A woman approached. --- Another woman approached. --- The table watched. --- One minute. --- Two minutes. --- Three. --- Marco looked at the crowd gathering around Shammy. --- Then at the leaderboard. --- Then at the crowd again. --- Finally: --- "This category is unfair." --- Kiro: > Already documented. 😄🍻 --- Then Reyes noticed something. --- Something dangerous. --- Very dangerous. --- A VIP hostess. --- Walking directly toward their table. --- Not toward the crowd. --- Not toward the bar. --- Toward them. --- Reyes immediately sat up. --- "Oh no." --- Ace froze. --- "What?" --- Reyes pointed. --- The hostess smiled professionally. --- And stopped beside their table. --- "Good evening." --- Nobody liked where this was going. --- The hostess looked down at a tablet. --- Then back at the group. --- "You appear to be running some kind of competition." --- Complete. Absolute. Silence. --- Kiro slowly lowered her screen. --- For the first time all evening... --- She looked nervous. --- Very nervous. --- The hostess smiled. --- Then pointed toward the VIP level. --- "We would like to sponsor it." --- Dead. Absolute. Silence. --- Marco closed his eyes. --- Very slowly. --- "No." --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Ja nyt ollaan siinä kohdassa, jossa koko ilta muuttuu. Ei siksi että Kiro katosi. Ei siksi että Kiro palasi. --- Vaan siksi että: > **Kiro todisti, että katoamiset ovat oikeasti mahdollisia.** 😄🍻 Ennen sitä kaikki oli teoriaa. --- Nyt? --- Nyt koko pöytä alkaa katsoa toisiaan uudella tavalla. --- Ja se on vaarallista. --- ## Chapter 8 — The Benchmark For several minutes after Kiro returned... nobody disappeared. --- Which should have been reassuring. --- Instead it felt suspicious. --- Very suspicious. --- Kiro had broken something. --- Not physically. --- Socially. 😄🍻 --- The leaderboard remained open. --- Glowing softly on the table. --- Like some kind of cursed artifact. --- Current Longest Disappearance: ### KIRO **1h 03m** --- Nobody mentioned it. --- Nobody needed to. --- It was just... there. 😄 --- The problem was simple. --- Everyone had seen the number. --- Which meant everyone was now comparing themselves to the number. --- Marco noticed first. --- Of course he did. --- "You're all looking at it." --- Nobody answered. --- "You're all absolutely looking at it." --- Still nothing. --- Marco pointed. --- "STOP LOOKING AT IT." 😄🍻 --- Reyes immediately looked at it. --- Very deliberately. --- "One hour, three minutes." --- Marco groaned. --- Lena started laughing again. --- Kiro looked proud. --- Which somehow made everything worse. 😄 --- Then the next disaster arrived. --- A man stopped beside the table. --- Looked around. --- Spotted Shammy. --- Paused. --- Clearly reconsidered several life decisions. --- Then committed anyway. --- Respectable. --- Very Night City. 😄🍻 --- "Hi." --- Shammy smiled. --- "Hi." --- The conversation began. --- Nothing unusual. --- Nothing dramatic. --- Just talking. --- The man seemed surprisingly relaxed. --- Shammy seemed amused. --- The table watched. --- Very casually. --- Not casually at all. 😄 --- Five minutes passed. --- Then ten. --- Then fifteen. --- Reyes slowly leaned toward Lena. --- Without taking her eyes off the conversation. --- "He's still alive." --- Lena nodded. --- "Impressive." 😄🍻 --- Marco nearly choked on his drink. --- "Why would you say that?" --- "Because it's funny." --- "That's not a reason." --- "It's a fantastic reason." 😄 --- Meanwhile... --- Kiro was updating the board. --- Again. --- Mai noticed. --- Again. --- "What category now?" --- Kiro didn't look up. --- "Conversation Duration." --- Mai stared. --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Already added." 😄🍻 --- Ace buried her face in her hands. --- The situation was deteriorating. --- Rapidly. --- Then the man laughed at something Shammy said. --- Shammy laughed back. --- The entire table immediately noticed. --- Because of course they did. --- Kiro's screen chimed. --- ### POTENTIAL EVENT DETECTED --- Marco stood up. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- The man said something. --- Shammy tilted her head. --- Answered. --- Another minute passed. --- Then another. --- Then Shammy stood. --- The table froze. --- Completely. --- Absolutely. --- Froze. --- The man stood too. --- Silence. --- Silence everywhere. --- The entire table watched. --- Shammy glanced back once. --- Saw six people staring. --- And immediately knew why. --- "Don't." --- Lena: > What? --- Shammy: > I can see your faces. --- Reyes: > We haven't done anything. --- Shammy: > Yet. 😄🍻 --- The man smiled. --- Gestured toward another part of the club. --- Not VIP. --- Not private. --- Just quieter. --- Shammy looked at him. --- Then at the table. --- Then at Kiro. --- Then at the leaderboard. --- Long pause. --- A very long pause. --- And finally: --- "...this is going on the board no matter what I do, isn't it?" --- Kiro smiled. --- "Correct." 😄🍻 --- Shammy sighed. --- The man laughed. --- And together they walked away. --- Not disappearing. --- Not yet. --- But definitely leaving the immediate area. --- The table remained silent. --- For approximately three seconds. --- Then: --- ### CONVERSATION DURATION Current Leader: Shammy --- Marco lowered his head onto the table. --- Very slowly. --- "I miss when this was a normal evening." --- Nobody could remember when that had been. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Järki poistui rakennuksesta suunnilleen siinä kohdassa, kun Kiro loi **Potential Event Detected** -hälytyksen. Sen jälkeen olemme vain seuranneet tapahtumia. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 9 — The Benchmark Starts Looking Vulnerable Marco was wrong. --- Again. --- Which was becoming a pattern. --- Because Shammy didn't return. --- Five minutes. --- Ten minutes. --- Fifteen. --- Twenty. --- The table remained suspiciously calm. --- Nobody wanted to be the first person to mention it. --- Which naturally meant everyone was thinking about it. 😄🍻 --- Kiro's spreadsheet remained open. --- Like a loaded weapon. --- A terrible. --- Terrible weapon. --- Current Leader: ### Longest Disappearance Kiro — 1h 03m --- Untouched. --- For now. 😄 --- Ace took a drink. --- Then another. --- Then pointed at the leaderboard. --- "Nobody is allowed to mention that category." --- Kiro immediately updated something. --- Ace closed her eyes. --- "What did you do?" --- "Added a note." --- "What note?" --- Kiro smiled. --- ### RULE UPDATE Mentioning Longest Disappearance does not affect Longest Disappearance. --- Marco stared. --- "...there are rule updates now?" --- "There have always been rule updates." 😄🍻 --- Lena was watching the room. --- Not the dance floor. --- Not the bar. --- Not the crowd. --- A specific direction. --- The direction Shammy had gone. --- Marco noticed. --- Immediately. --- "No." --- Lena: > What? --- Marco: > Whatever you're thinking. > > No. --- Lena: > I haven't said anything. --- Marco: > That's what worries me. 😄 --- Reyes was no help. --- Naturally. --- "Twenty-seven minutes." --- Ace pointed. --- "Stop timing things." --- "I am not timing things." --- "Then how do you know?" --- A pause. --- "...good question." 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro's agent chimed. --- Everybody froze. --- Immediately. --- The sound had become Pavlovian. --- Kiro looked down. --- Then smiled. --- That smile again. --- The dangerous one. --- "Oh." --- Marco stood. --- "No." --- "What?" --- "No." --- "I haven't said anything." --- "No." 😄🍻 --- Kiro rotated the screen. --- ### LIVE LEADERBOARD Current Active Event: Shammy 31m --- The table exploded. --- "THIRTY-ONE?" --- "Already?" --- "How?" --- "She's just talking." --- "Thirty-one minutes is a lot of talking." 😄 --- Ace rubbed her forehead. --- This was becoming absurd. --- The truly horrifying part? --- Nobody had any actual information. --- None. --- Zero. --- And yet everyone was behaving like expert investigators. 😄🍻 --- Another drink arrived. --- Then another. --- The club became louder. --- The crowd thicker. --- The atmosphere warmer. --- And somehow... --- The table became even worse. --- Then something happened. --- Something nobody expected. --- A man approached Ace. --- A woman approached Ace. --- At the same time. --- Dead silence. --- Absolute silence. --- The table froze. --- Even Kiro stopped typing. --- Which was terrifying. 😄🍻 --- Ace looked left. --- Looked right. --- Looked at both. --- Then looked at the table. --- Six faces stared back. --- Waiting. --- Watching. --- Judging. --- Recording. 😄 --- "No." --- Kiro: > Maybe. --- "No." --- Reyes: > This is incredible. --- "No." --- Lena: > This is absolutely incredible. 😄🍻 --- The two newcomers exchanged a glance. --- Realized what was happening. --- And immediately started laughing. --- Which somehow made it worse. --- Much worse. --- Ace realized something horrible. --- She was becoming entertainment. --- Again. --- "This is your fault." --- Nobody knew who she was talking to. --- Which was unfortunate. --- Because everyone deserved it. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile. --- Across the club. --- Far away from the table. --- Far away from the leaderboard. --- Far away from civilization. --- Shammy was still gone. --- Current Active Event: 39m --- And climbing. 😄🍻 --- Marco slowly looked at the board. --- Then at Kiro's record. --- Then back at the board. --- A realization dawned. --- "Oh no." --- Reyes immediately heard it. --- "What?" --- Marco pointed. --- Very slowly. --- ### Current Leader: Kiro — 1h 03m ### Current Active: Shammy — 39m --- Silence. --- A long silence. --- Then Lena smiled. --- The smile of a woman witnessing history. --- "Oh." --- Marco closed his eyes. --- "Don't." --- Lena: > She might actually beat it. --- Complete silence. --- Everybody looked at the timer. --- 41m. --- Still climbing. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja nyt ollaan siinä pisteessä, jossa Acen oma pahin vihollinen ei ole Reyes. Ei Kiro. Ei leaderboard. --- Vaan se pieni ääni hänen päässään, joka sanoo: > "You could beat that record." 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 10 — Competitive Spirit The disaster began with a smile. --- A very small smile. --- A completely innocent smile. --- Which was unfortunate. --- Because six people saw it. --- Immediately. 😄🍻 --- Ace returned to the table. --- Calm. --- Relaxed. --- Entirely too relaxed. --- She sat down. --- Picked up her drink. --- Took a sip. --- The silence arrived instantly. --- Ace looked around. --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Not immediately. --- Because everyone was busy looking at everyone else. --- Trying not to laugh. --- Failing. 😄 --- Reyes broke first. --- Naturally. --- "You look happy." --- Ace pointed. --- "No." --- "That wasn't a denial." --- "Yes it was." --- "It absolutely wasn't." 😄🍻 --- Lena immediately joined. --- "Oh she's glowing." --- Ace nearly choked on her drink. --- "I am not." --- "You kinda are." --- "I am not." --- "You absolutely are." 😄 --- Across the table, Shammy was smiling into her glass. --- Which was not helping. --- At all. --- Ace pointed at her next. --- "You." --- "What?" --- "Stop smiling." --- "No." 😄🍻 --- Kiro's agent chimed. --- Everyone froze. --- Every single person. --- Like victims hearing a predator. --- Kiro looked down. --- Read something. --- Smiled. --- "Oh." --- Marco immediately stood. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄 --- The leaderboard rotated onto the table display. --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Kiro — 1h 03m 2. Ace — 52m 3. Shammy — 48m --- Complete silence. --- Ace stared. --- Then stared harder. --- Then looked away. --- Far too quickly. --- Reyes saw it. --- Immediately. --- The grin returned. --- "Oh no." --- Ace: > What. --- Reyes: > You checked. --- Ace: > I did not. --- Reyes: > You absolutely checked. 😄🍻 --- Lena noticed too. --- Which was unfortunate. --- Very unfortunate. --- "Wait." --- A pause. --- "Oh my God." --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Lena: > SHE'S COMPETING. --- The entire table exploded. 😄🍻 --- Marco laughed so hard he nearly dropped his drink. --- For the first time all evening. --- Which made it even worse. --- Ace looked betrayed. --- "Marco." --- "What?" --- "Help me." --- "No." --- "...Marco." --- "No." 😄 --- Then came the fatal blow. --- Kiro updated the board. --- Again. --- ### OBSERVATION Subject: Ace Has checked Longest Disappearance category 4 times since returning. --- Dead silence. --- Ace looked horrified. --- "DELETE THAT." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- Reyes was practically vibrating with joy now. --- This was everything she had hoped for. --- And more. --- "You want to win." --- Ace: > I do not. --- "You absolutely do." --- "I do not." --- "You are literally arguing about statistics." --- "..." --- "..." --- "..." --- Ace stopped talking. --- Which was the worst possible response. 😄🍻 --- Because everyone knew. --- Everyone. --- Even Marco. --- Especially Marco. --- Lena leaned forward. --- Slowly. --- Dangerously. --- "So." --- Ace immediately groaned. --- "Oh no." --- "If somebody happened to disappear for..." --- Lena glanced at the board. --- "...twelve more minutes..." --- The entire table froze. --- Ace looked at the board. --- Then looked away. --- Then looked back. --- Then looked away again. --- Reyes lost it completely. 😄🍻 --- "You looked!" --- "I did not!" --- "You did!" --- "I DID NOT!" --- Kiro updated the board. --- ### FIRST PERSON TO BECOME INVESTED Current Leader: Ace --- The entire table collapsed into laughter. --- Even Mai. --- Even Shammy. --- Even Marco. --- And that might have been the most humiliating part. 😄🍻 --- Across the club the music swelled. --- The crowd danced. --- The drinks flowed. --- The Iceberg Lounge celebrated its grand opening. --- And at one table near the center of the room... --- A tiny demon huntress was losing a war she refused to admit she was fighting. --- Which made it infinitely funnier. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja nyt tapahtuu jotain todella vaarallista. --- Ace on palannut. --- Ace johtaa leaderboardia. --- Ace on hyvällä tuulella. --- Ace ei kerro mitään. --- Mikä tarkoittaa, että pöydän huomio siirtyy. --- Koska Iceberg Lounge toimii kuin luonto. --- Tyhjiötä ei sallita. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 11 — The Vacuum The problem with Ace returning... --- ...was that the table lost its primary source of entertainment. --- Temporarily. --- Ace remained seated. --- Calm. --- Smug. --- Entirely too smug. --- And worst of all? --- Happy. 😄🍻 --- The leaderboard remained visible. --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m 2. Kiro — 1h 03m 3. Marco — 58m --- Nobody liked looking at it. --- Everybody kept looking at it. 😄 --- The drinks arrived. --- Conversation resumed. --- The music continued. --- The club pulsed around them. --- And for almost fifteen whole minutes... --- Nothing happened. --- Nothing. --- Absolutely nothing. --- Which immediately became suspicious. 😄🍻 --- Kiro noticed first. --- Of course. --- "This is unusual." --- Marco groaned. --- "There is nothing unusual happening." --- "There should be." --- "Why?" --- "Momentum." 😄 --- Nobody knew what that meant. --- Not even Kiro. --- But it sounded convincing. --- Which was somehow worse. 😄🍻 --- Then Lena froze. --- Mid-conversation. --- Mid-drink. --- Mid-laugh. --- Just froze. --- Everybody noticed. --- "What?" --- Lena slowly pointed. --- Across the room. --- A woman. --- A very attractive woman. --- Approaching their table. --- Purposefully. --- Confidently. --- Without hesitation. --- The table immediately started making assumptions. --- Incorrect assumptions. 😄🍻 --- The woman reached the table. --- Smiled. --- Looked around. --- Then pointed. --- At Marco. --- Dead silence. --- Absolute dead silence. --- Marco blinked. --- Once. --- Twice. --- "...me?" --- The woman laughed. --- "Yes. You." 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Not physically. --- Emotionally. --- Reyes nearly fell out of her chair. --- Kiro made a sound normally associated with critical system failures. --- Lena was gone. --- Mentally. --- Completely gone. 😄 --- Marco looked around. --- Seeking help. --- Finding none. --- The woman smiled. --- "I've been trying to decide whether to come over for twenty minutes." --- Silence. --- More silence. --- Even more silence. --- Marco looked horrified. --- The table looked delighted. 😄🍻 --- And then... --- The woman handed Marco a folded napkin. --- A handwritten number. --- A smile. --- And walked away. --- Just like that. --- Gone. --- The table remained frozen. --- For three full seconds. --- Then: --- ### LEADERBOARD UPDATE MOST OFFERS 1. Reyes 2. Shammy 3. Marco --- Marco buried his face in his hands. 😄🍻 --- Lena immediately leaned across the table. --- "Oh this is magnificent." --- Marco: > Why. --- Lena: > Because you're suffering. --- Marco: > That's not a reason. --- Lena: > It's a fantastic reason. 😄 --- Across the table... --- Ace was watching. --- Quietly. --- Very quietly. --- Too quietly. --- Reyes noticed. --- Immediately. --- "Oh no." --- Ace: > What. --- Reyes: > You look proud of him. --- Ace: > I am proud of him. --- Marco looked up. --- Blink. --- Pause. --- "...thank you?" --- Ace raised her glass. --- "A worthy competitor." 😄🍻 --- The entire table lost it. --- Completely. --- Because somehow... --- Somewhere... --- Without anybody noticing... --- The leaderboard had stopped being a joke. --- And become a sport. 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro's agent chimed. --- Everybody froze. --- Again. --- Kiro looked down. --- Read the update. --- Slowly smiled. --- "Oh." --- Marco immediately stood. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄 --- The screen rotated. --- ### NEW CATEGORY UNLOCKED MOST IMPROVED Current Leader: Marco --- The scream of despair that followed could allegedly be heard from neighboring districts. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH YES. Koska Mai on itse asiassa täydellinen seuraava vaihe. --- Ei siksi että Mai olisi todennäköisin. --- Vaan siksi että tähän asti Mai on onnistunut säilyttämään: > "I am above this nonsense." -auran. 😄🍻 --- Ja koko pöytä tietää sen olevan valhetta. --- Pieni valhe. --- Mutta silti valhe. --- Koska Mai on ollut koko illan: - korjaamassa taulukoita - kommentoimassa tilastoja - tarkistamassa kategorioita --- Hän on jo polvia myöten tässä katastrofissa. --- Hän ei vain myönnä sitä. 😄 --- ## Chapter 12 — The Auditor The problem with Mai... --- ...was that she looked composed. --- Always. --- No matter what happened. --- Explosions. --- Anomalies. --- Corporate warfare. --- Leaderboards. --- Mai always looked calm. --- Which was deeply unfair. 😄🍻 --- The table had recovered. --- Mostly. --- Marco was still recovering from being declared: ### MOST IMPROVED --- Which had become his personal nightmare. --- Ace was still enjoying first place far too much. --- Kiro was updating things nobody had approved. --- And Reyes was openly hunting reactions. --- Business as usual. 😄🍻 --- Then somebody approached the table. --- A man. --- Well dressed. --- Confident. --- Clearly sober. --- Which immediately made him suspicious. 😄 --- He stopped beside them. --- Looked around. --- Smiled politely. --- And addressed Mai. --- Directly. --- The entire table froze. --- Immediately. --- Mai looked up. --- "...yes?" --- The man smiled. --- "I owe you a drink." --- Dead silence. --- Absolute dead silence. --- Mai blinked. --- Once. --- Twice. --- "I don't believe we've met." --- The man laughed. --- "We haven't." --- That somehow made it worse. 😄🍻 --- Kiro had already opened the spreadsheet. --- Marco didn't even object anymore. --- He was evolving. --- Or degrading. --- Possibly both. 😄 --- The conversation continued. --- Professional. --- Polite. --- Dangerously normal. --- Which meant everybody at the table was making it weird. --- Reyes: > "This is absolutely happening." --- Ace: > "Yup." --- Lena: > "Called it." --- Marco: > "You call everything." --- Lena: > "And yet." 😄🍻 --- Mai eventually stood. --- The entire table froze. --- Again. --- Mai looked around. --- Saw six faces. --- Six expressions. --- Six disasters. --- And immediately knew. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Timestamp ready. --- Mai: > I haven't gone anywhere. --- Kiro: > Yet. 😄🍻 --- The man said something. --- Mai answered. --- They began walking. --- Not VIP. --- Not private. --- Just toward a quieter section. --- The table watched. --- The entire way. --- Mai didn't even look back. --- Which somehow made it worse. 😄 --- Then she vanished behind a partition. --- Gone. --- Completely gone. --- Silence. --- A long silence. --- Then: --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Mai 00:01 --- Ace immediately started laughing. --- Hard. --- Very hard. --- Because for the first time all evening... --- The target wasn't her. 😄🍻 --- Reyes pointed at the timer. --- "Place your bets." --- Marco: > No. --- Lena: > Yes. --- Marco: > No. --- Lena: > YES. 😄🍻 --- And thus... --- The table collectively decided to monitor Mai's disappearance like a moon landing. --- Which was deeply unfair. --- And completely inevitable. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja nyt tapahtuu jotain, mitä kukaan pöydässä ei osannut ennustaa. --- Ei siksi että se olisi mahdotonta. --- Vaan siksi että kaikki olivat liian kiireisiä tarkkailemaan Mai'ta. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 13 — The Market Correction Mai's return broke the table. --- Not permanently. --- Just enough. --- Enough to ensure that nobody could pretend to be normal anymore. --- Especially Mai. --- Which delighted everyone. --- Except Mai. 😄🍻 --- The leaderboard remained open. --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m 2. Kiro — 1h 03m 3. Marco — 58m 4. Mai — 56m --- The rankings had become serious business. --- Which was deeply embarrassing. --- For everyone. 😄 --- Another round arrived. --- Glasses clinked. --- Music pulsed. --- The crowd shifted around them. --- And for the first time all evening... --- Nobody disappeared. --- For almost twenty whole minutes. --- Kiro looked concerned. --- "This is unnatural." --- Marco pointed. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- Then Lena stood up. --- The entire table froze. --- Immediately. --- Lena blinked. --- "...why are you all looking at me?" --- Nobody answered. --- Because everyone was. 😄 --- Reyes pointed. --- "You're standing." --- Lena stared. --- "...yes." --- "Suspicious." --- "That's not suspicious." --- "Extremely suspicious." 😄🍻 --- Marco buried his face in his hands. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. --- "I hate all of you." --- Lena patted his shoulder. --- "No you don't." --- "I really do." --- "No you don't." 😄 --- Then somebody approached. --- A woman. --- Confident. --- Smiling. --- Directly toward Lena. --- The table collectively lost its mind. 😄🍻 --- Lena looked over. --- The woman said something. --- Lena laughed. --- And that was enough. --- Kiro's screen lit up. --- ### POTENTIAL EVENT DETECTED --- Marco stood. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- The conversation continued. --- Five minutes. --- Ten minutes. --- Fifteen. --- Lena remained exactly where she was. --- Talking. --- Laughing. --- Enjoying herself. --- Which somehow made the table even more nervous. 😄 --- Reyes leaned closer to Ace. --- "She's baiting us." --- Ace nodded. --- "Absolutely." --- Mai looked up from her drink. --- "One hundred percent." --- Shammy: > Deliberately. 😄🍻 --- Across the room, Lena glanced toward the table. --- Saw seven people staring. --- And immediately started laughing harder. --- "Oh she's absolutely doing it on purpose." --- Ace sounded almost impressed. 😄 --- Then the woman said something. --- Lena answered. --- And both started walking. --- Not toward the exit. --- Not toward the bar. --- Toward the VIP elevators. --- Dead silence. --- Absolute silence. 😄🍻 --- Marco looked at the elevators. --- Then at Lena. --- Then at the elevators again. --- A very long sigh escaped him. --- "...oh for God's sake." --- Lena waved cheerfully. --- The elevator doors closed. --- And she vanished. --- The table exploded. 😄🍻 --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Lena 00:01 --- Reyes stood immediately. --- "No way." --- Ace: > Way. --- Mai: > Definitely way. --- Shammy: > Very way. 😄🍻 --- Marco looked betrayed by reality itself. --- "She waved." --- Nobody knew what that meant. --- But everyone agreed it meant something. 😄 --- Kiro was already updating projections. --- Again. --- ### RECORD THREAT ANALYSIS Current Probability Of Challenging Ace: Lena — Rising --- Ace nearly spit out her drink. --- "What does rising mean?" --- Kiro: > Rising. --- "That's not data." --- "It absolutely is." 😄🍻 --- The timer rolled onward. --- Five minutes. --- Ten. --- Fifteen. --- The entire table watched. --- Like spectators at a sporting event. --- Marco looked around. --- Very slowly. --- At Ace. At Mai. At Shammy. At Reyes. At Kiro. --- Then finally said: --- "We're all terrible people." --- A pause. --- Then Ace raised her glass. --- "Correct." --- Seven glasses met over the table. --- While somewhere above them... --- Lena's timer continued to climb. --- And Ace's record suddenly didn't look quite as safe as it had twenty minutes ago. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 14 — An Honest Question Lena's timer continued climbing. --- Twenty-three minutes. --- Twenty-four. --- Twenty-five. --- The table remained collectively ridiculous. --- Which had somehow become normal. 😄🍻 --- Mai watched the timer. --- Then glanced at Marco. --- Then back at the timer. --- A thought occurred. --- A genuine one. --- "Marco?" --- Marco looked up. --- "What?" --- Mai tilted her head slightly. --- A familiar sign. --- The table immediately became nervous. --- Because that was Mai's: > _I am about to ask something serious._ -expression. 😄🍻 --- "What?" --- Mai looked toward the VIP elevators. --- Then back at him. --- "I've been wondering something." --- "Oh no." --- "It isn't an attack." --- "That somehow makes it worse." 😄🍻 --- Mai considered her words carefully. --- Then asked: --- "Why doesn't this bother you?" --- Marco blinked. --- "What doesn't?" --- Mai pointed toward the timer. --- Toward the elevator. --- Toward the giant disaster currently occupying the leaderboard. 😄🍻 --- Marco followed her gaze. --- Then immediately understood. --- "Oh." --- The table became very quiet. --- Even Kiro stopped typing. --- A historic moment. 😄 --- Marco looked at the timer for several seconds. --- Then shrugged. --- "Because she's happy." --- The answer arrived so quickly that nobody had expected it. --- Not even Mai. --- "That's all?" --- Marco smiled. --- "That's most of it." --- The table remained quiet. --- For once. --- Actually quiet. 😄🍻 --- Marco leaned back. --- Thinking. --- Searching for the right words. --- "Lena doesn't belong to me." --- A pause. --- "She chooses me." --- Another pause. --- "Every day." --- Nobody spoke. --- The music filled the silence. --- The club moved around them. --- And for a moment... --- The leaderboard stopped mattering. 😄🍻 --- Marco continued. --- "If she comes home smiling..." --- He shrugged. --- "...why would I be angry about that?" --- Mai considered the answer. --- Carefully. --- Very carefully. --- Then nodded. --- "Fair." --- "That's it?" --- "That's it." 😄🍻 --- Reyes stared. --- "Okay, that was annoyingly mature." --- Marco pointed. --- "Thank you." --- "I wasn't complimenting you." --- "Still counts." 😄 --- Shammy smiled into her drink. --- Ace looked thoughtful. --- Kiro quietly added something to the spreadsheet. --- Nobody wanted to know what. 😄🍻 --- Then Marco looked at the timer again. --- Twenty-nine minutes. --- A slow grin appeared. --- "Oh, she's absolutely trying to beat Ace." --- The entire table exploded. --- The serious moment lasted exactly forty-two seconds. 😄🍻 --- Kiro immediately updated the board. --- ### MOTIVATION ANALYSIS Probability Lena Is Competing: Very High --- Marco pointed. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- And just like that... --- The Iceberg Lounge returned to its natural state: --- ## Chapter 15 — The Chase Thirty minutes. --- Thirty-five. --- Forty. --- The timer continued climbing. --- The table continued deteriorating. --- These two events appeared connected. 😄🍻 --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Lena 40m --- Ace stared at the leaderboard. --- Then immediately looked away. --- Far too quickly. --- Reyes noticed. --- Of course she did. --- "Still checking?" --- Ace: > No. --- Reyes: > That's a yes. 😄🍻 --- Across the table, Mai was quietly drinking water. --- Which immediately made Kiro suspicious. --- "Why are you being quiet?" --- Mai looked up. --- "I'm observing." --- Kiro frowned. --- "That's my job." --- "You have many jobs." --- "Fair." 😄 --- Another five minutes passed. --- The timer rolled onward. --- 45m. --- 46m. --- 47m. --- The entire table watched the number. --- Nobody admitted they were watching the number. --- Which somehow meant everyone watched it harder. 😄🍻 --- Marco finally pointed at Ace. --- "You know what the funniest part is?" --- Ace immediately looked concerned. --- "What?" --- "You're worried." --- "I am not." --- "You absolutely are." --- "About what?" --- Marco slowly pointed at the leaderboard. --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m --- Ace: > I'm not worried. --- Marco: > Sure. 😄🍻 --- The entire table laughed. --- Even Mai. --- Which was becoming a dangerous trend. --- Ace pointed at her. --- "You too?" --- Mai took a sip. --- "You're very invested." --- Ace: > Traitor. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- Lena's timer crossed fifty minutes. --- The atmosphere changed immediately. --- Not dramatically. --- But enough. --- Because now the mathematics became visible. --- Ace's record: 1h 14m --- Lena: 50m --- Only twenty-four minutes remained. --- And everybody knew it. 😄🍻 --- Kiro updated the display. --- ### RECORD THREAT STATUS Critical --- Marco looked horrified. --- "Critical?" --- Kiro: > Critical. --- "Stop saying critical." --- "No." 😄 --- Then something happened. --- The VIP elevator opened. --- The entire table snapped toward it. --- Instantly. --- Like a pack of predators spotting movement. 😄🍻 --- Not Lena. --- The collective disappointment was immediate. --- And deeply embarrassing. --- Ace looked around. --- "...we're all awful." --- Shammy nodded. --- "Correct." 😄🍻 --- Another minute. --- Another. --- Another. --- 55m. --- The tension was becoming ridiculous. --- Reyes had abandoned all dignity. --- "Come on." --- Marco looked at her. --- "Are you cheering?" --- "Maybe." --- "For what?" --- "I don't know anymore." 😄🍻 --- Then the elevator chimed again. --- Everybody froze. --- Again. --- The doors opened. --- And this time... --- Lena stepped out. --- Smiling. --- Relaxed. --- Entirely too relaxed. --- The table exploded. 😄🍻 --- Lena saw them immediately. --- Saw the staring. --- Saw the timer. --- Saw the leaderboard. --- And without missing a beat... --- She checked the screen. --- ### Lena — 58m --- Long pause. --- Then: --- "Aww." --- The table froze. --- "What?" --- Lena pointed. --- "I missed second place by a minute." --- Absolute. Total. Detonation. 😄🍻 --- Marco physically folded forward laughing. --- Ace nearly dropped her drink. --- Reyes couldn't breathe. --- Shammy buried her face in her hands. --- Even Mai laughed openly. --- And Kiro? --- Kiro immediately updated the board. --- ### MOST COMPETITIVE 1. Ace 2. Lena --- Ace: > DELETE THAT. --- Lena: > Keep it. 😄🍻 --- And for one beautiful moment... --- Everybody forgot the timer. --- Forgot the rankings. --- Forgot the competition. --- Because Lena had just returned from nearly an hour away... --- And her first reaction had been disappointment at not placing higher. 😄🍻 --- The Iceberg Lounge had officially broken everyone. --- And the night was nowhere near over. --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja juuri tässä kohtaa pidetään kiinni siitä, mikä tekee tästä hauskempaa kuin itse katoamiset: > **Se mitä pöytä näkee paluun jälkeen.** 😄🍻 Koska jos Lena oli lähellä ennätystä... Mai ei tule lähelle. Mai tulee paikalle tarkoituksenaan suorittaa täydellinen markkinakorjaus. --- ## Chapter 16 — The New Record The night continued. --- Drinks flowed. --- Music pulsed. --- The leaderboard survived. --- Against all odds. 😄🍻 --- Ace still held first place. --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m --- And she was enjoying it far too much. --- Not openly. --- Never openly. --- But enough. 😄 --- Then Mai stood. --- The entire table froze. --- Instantly. --- Mai looked around. --- Six faces. --- Six idiots. --- One spreadsheet. --- A long sigh escaped her. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Timestamp. --- Mai: > I haven't left yet. --- Kiro: > Preparing timestamp. 😄🍻 --- The conversation that followed was perfectly ordinary. --- At least at first. --- Then less ordinary. --- Then considerably less ordinary. --- And eventually Mai and her conversation partner disappeared into the sea of people. --- Gone. --- The timer began. --- And kept going. 😄🍻 --- Thirty minutes. --- Forty. --- Fifty. --- The table remained invested. --- Deeply invested. --- Unhealthily invested. --- Especially Ace. --- Who was absolutely not watching the timer. --- Except constantly. 😄 --- One hour. --- The atmosphere changed. --- One hour ten. --- Ace stopped pretending. --- One hour fourteen. --- The entire table held its breath. --- The record. --- Was tied. 😄🍻 --- One hour fifteen. --- The club exploded. --- Not literally. --- The table did. --- ### NEW RECORD Mai — 1h 15m --- Ace looked betrayed. --- "Traitor." --- Shammy laughed into her drink. --- Kiro immediately updated three different tabs. 😄🍻 --- Then the waiting continued. --- One hour twenty. --- One hour twenty-five. --- At this point nobody knew what they were even cheering for anymore. --- Only that something historic was happening. 😄 --- Finally. --- The crowd shifted. --- A familiar figure appeared. --- Mai. --- Walking toward the table. --- Calm. --- Composed. --- Elegant. --- And somehow... --- Very slightly annoyed. 😄🍻 --- She sat down. --- Accepted a glass of water. --- Drank half of it immediately. --- The table remained silent. --- Very silent. --- Suspiciously silent. --- Mai looked around. --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Because nobody wanted to be first. 😄 --- Shammy failed first. --- Naturally. --- "Long evening?" --- Mai stared. --- Ace immediately started laughing. --- Hard. --- Very hard. 😄🍻 --- Mai pointed at both of them. --- "You two." --- "What?" --- "You know exactly what." --- Shammy looked innocent. --- Which convinced nobody. --- Including Shammy. 😄 --- Mai shook her head. --- "At some point." --- A pause. --- "Enough should be enough." --- The entire table detonated. 😄🍻 --- Ace nearly fell out of her chair. --- Reyes stopped functioning. --- Marco covered his face. --- Lena was crying. --- Actual tears. --- Kiro was typing so fast the keyboard became a blur. 😄🍻 --- Mai immediately regretted speaking. --- "I should not have said that." --- Ace: > Correct. --- Shammy: > Very correct. --- Mai: > I hate all of you. --- Kiro: > Noted. 😄🍻 --- A new entry appeared. --- ### QUOTE OF THE EVENING Current Leader: Mai --- Mai closed her eyes. --- Very slowly. --- The Iceberg Lounge had finally claimed another victim. --- And this time... --- The victim had helped design the spreadsheet. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 Yap. Ja nyt olemme saavuttaneet täydellisen tilanteen. --- Ace on juuri saanut takaisin aloitteen. --- Kiro on juuri muuttunut saaliiksi. --- Ja universumi sanoo: > "No." 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 17 — Momentum Shift Kiro was doomed. --- Everybody knew it. --- Including Kiro. --- Especially Kiro. 😄🍻 --- The moment she returned to the table... the power balance shifted. --- The spreadsheet queen had become a statistic. --- Which was justice. --- Beautiful justice. 😄 --- Ace leaned forward. --- Slowly. --- Dangerously. --- The smile already forming. --- Kiro immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Ace: > "What?" --- Kiro: > "I know that look." --- Ace: > "Good." 😄🍻 --- Lena was already laughing. --- Reyes was practically vibrating. --- Marco looked resigned. --- Shammy looked entertained. --- Mai looked like she had accepted the inevitable. 😄 --- Ace opened her mouth. --- Finally. --- At last. --- After hours of suffering. --- After hours of statistics. --- After hours of leaderboards. --- The revenge was coming. 😄🍻 --- And then... --- A voice beside her. --- "Excuse me." --- Dead silence. --- Absolute silence. --- Ace froze. --- Very slowly. --- Turned. --- A woman stood there. --- Smiling. --- Entirely too confident. --- Entirely too amused. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded immediately. --- Nobody even pretended. --- Nobody. --- Not one person. 😄 --- Kiro slapped the table. --- ### TIMESTAMP. --- Ace: > "YOU DON'T GET TO SAY THAT." --- Kiro: > "I ABSOLUTELY DO." 😄🍻 --- Lena nearly fell out of her chair. --- Reyes was crying. --- Actual tears. --- Marco had completely abandoned resistance. --- The woman looked around the table. --- Then back at Ace. --- "...should I come back later?" --- The entire table detonated. 😄🍻 --- Ace buried her face in her hands. --- For a full three seconds. --- Then looked up. --- The woman was still smiling. --- Still waiting. --- Still completely unaware she had just become a leaderboard event. 😄 --- Ace pointed at the table. --- "They are terrible people." --- The woman looked around. --- Observed: - Kiro laughing. - Reyes dying. - Lena unable to breathe. - Marco failing to help. - Shammy smiling. - Mai trying not to smile. --- Then nodded. --- "Yeah." --- "See?" --- "I can see it." 😄🍻 --- The conversation continued. --- A minute. --- Two. --- Three. --- And with every passing second... --- The table grew quieter. --- Because now they were watching. --- Not openly. --- Very openly. 😄🍻 --- Then the woman gestured toward another section of the club. --- A quieter area. --- Not VIP. --- Not private. --- Just farther away. --- Ace immediately knew what was about to happen. --- The table knew too. --- Kiro was already reaching for the leaderboard. 😄 --- Ace looked at Kiro. --- Then at the spreadsheet. --- Then at Kiro again. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- And finally: --- "You know what?" --- Kiro blinked. --- "What?" --- Ace smiled. --- The dangerous smile. --- The competitive smile. --- The smile everyone feared. 😄🍻 --- "Keep the timer running." --- Complete. Absolute. Silence. --- The table froze. --- Every single person. --- Even Kiro. --- Especially Kiro. 😄🍻 --- Because for the first time all evening... --- Ace had stopped pretending. --- She wasn't denying it. --- She wasn't arguing. --- She wasn't resisting. --- She had accepted her destiny. 😄 --- ### SHE WAS COMPETING. --- Openly. --- Proudly. --- Shamelessly. 😄🍻 --- Reyes stood up. --- "No way." --- Lena: > "OH MY GOD." --- Marco: > "We're doomed." --- Mai covered her face. --- Shammy started laughing. --- And Kiro? --- Kiro looked at the spreadsheet. --- Then at Ace. --- Then at the spreadsheet again. --- And slowly... --- Very slowly... --- Added a new category. 😄🍻 --- ### MOST HONEST COMPETITOR Current Leader: Ace --- Ace pointed. --- "Delete that." --- Kiro: > "No." 😄🍻 --- Then Ace turned. --- Offered her arm to the woman. --- And together they disappeared into the crowd. --- Gone. --- Just like that. --- The timer started. --- The leaderboard glowed. --- And the entire table realized something horrifying. --- Ace wasn't defending her record anymore. --- Ace was trying to extend it. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH. OH NO. Tämä on itse asiassa paljon pahempi kuin normaali katoaminen. Koska tällä kertaa katoaa: > Marco. --- Mutta samaan aikaan... --- Lena ei ole enää pöydässä. 😄🍻 --- Ja koko pöytä tietää viimeisen havainnon. --- Viimeinen varma havainto. --- ### LAST SEEN Lena Talking with: A sharply dressed young woman. Possibly corporate. Definitely confident. --- Ja juuri tämä tekee tilanteesta räjähdysherkän. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 18 — Missing Persons Report The evening had reached a dangerous phase. --- Not because people were disappearing. --- That was normal now. --- Disturbingly normal. 😄🍻 --- The problem was that nobody knew where Lena was. --- And Marco had just stood up. --- Again. --- "I need another drink." --- Complete silence. --- Marco stopped. --- "...why is everyone looking at me?" 😄 --- Kiro slowly raised a finger. --- ### Historical Data --- Marco: > No. --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- The table immediately began arguing. --- Ace: > He's not disappearing again. --- Reyes: > That's exactly what somebody about to disappear would say. --- Marco: > I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE. 😄🍻 --- Then Marco left. --- Very normally. --- Very innocently. --- Very suspiciously. 😄 --- The table watched him reach the bar. --- Order a drink. --- Receive the drink. --- Everything seemed fine. --- Then a familiar voice appeared behind him. --- Lena. --- Back at last. --- The entire table froze. 😄🍻 --- Lena said something. --- Marco laughed. --- Lena pointed somewhere across the club. --- Marco turned. --- Looked. --- Paused. --- And immediately looked confused. --- Which was the worst possible sign. 😄 --- Ace leaned forward. --- "Oh no." --- Reyes: > Oh yes. --- Kiro was already opening a new tab. 😄🍻 --- Across the room... --- The young corporate-looking woman was still there. --- Talking with Lena. --- Calm. --- Confident. --- Entirely too amused. --- Lena waved Marco over. --- Marco hesitated. --- The table held its breath. --- Marco walked over. --- The entire table exploded. 😄🍻 --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Marco 00:01 --- Marco wasn't even gone yet. --- And somehow he was already gone. 😄 --- Ace looked at Lena. --- Then at the timer. --- Then back at Lena. --- "She's doing this on purpose." --- Shammy immediately answered. --- "Absolutely." 😄🍻 --- Twenty minutes later. --- Marco still hadn't returned. --- The timer climbed. --- The table became louder. --- The theories became worse. --- And Lena? --- Lena had returned ten minutes ago. --- Which made everything even funnier. 😄 --- Reyes pointed at the board. --- "She came back." --- Ace: > Yup. --- Reyes: > He didn't. --- Ace: > Yup. --- Reyes: > Interesting. 😄🍻 --- Kiro updated the leaderboard. --- ### CURRENT MYSTERY Why Did Lena Return First? --- Marco would later describe this as the moment the spreadsheet became self-aware. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere inside Iceberg Lounge... --- A perfectly ordinary conversation was probably taking place. --- Probably. --- The table did not believe that for a second. 😄🍻 --- Yap. 🍻😄 Ja itse asiassa tuo on erittäin tärkeä rakenteellinen päätös. Koska muuten me tehtäisiin vahingossa juuri se virhe, jota Sysimusta-rakennetulkinta yrittää välttää. --- Eli: **Päätarina = seuraukset.** Ei syyt. Ei yksityiskohdat. Ei selitykset. --- Tässä tarinassa katoaminen voi tarkoittaa: > 15 minuuttia tai > 2 tuntia --- Mutta pöytä näkee vain: - lähtemisen - palaamisen - ilmeen - kommentit - kuittailun 😄🍻 --- Ja juuri siksi esimerkiksi Acen: > 1h 14m toimii. --- Lukija tietää täysin varmasti: > Ace had a very good evening. 😄 --- Mutta ei tarvitse tietää mitään enempää. --- Sama pätee: - Kiroon - Maihin - Marcoon - Lenaan - Shammyyn --- Ja jos joskus myöhemmin: - Subscribestar - Black File - Bonus Chapter - Editor-Mai Extended Cut haluaa kurkata verhon taakse... --- se on mahdollista. --- Mutta päätarina ei koskaan tarvitse sitä. 😄🍻 --- Ja tiedätkö mikä on kaikkein hauskinta? --- Mitä vähemmän kerrotaan. --- Sitä pahemmiksi pöydän teoriat muuttuvat. 😄🍻 --- Kiro: > "Data insufficient." --- Ace: > "Good." --- Kiro: > "I dislike that." 😄 --- Ja juuri tuolla linjalla kannattaa jatkaa. --- ## Chapter 20 — Two Active Events The problem was no longer the leaderboard. --- The problem was capacity. --- The table only had so much attention available. --- And currently: --- Marco was missing. --- Shammy was missing. --- And both timers were still climbing. 😄🍻 --- ### ACTIVE EVENTS Marco — 1h 02m Shammy — 58m --- The table stared. --- Nobody spoke. --- The music continued. --- The club lived around them. --- But at one particular table... --- A sporting event was occurring. 😄🍻 --- Kiro refreshed the display. --- Again. --- Mai noticed. --- Again. --- "Nothing changed." --- "I know." --- "Then why refresh?" --- Kiro looked genuinely confused. --- "To see if something changed." 😄🍻 --- Ace dropped her forehead onto the table. --- Marco's timer rolled forward. --- 1h 03m. --- Dead silence. --- Complete silence. --- Then Kiro slowly stood. --- Very slowly. --- Raised her glass. --- And announced: --- "Former record tied." --- The entire table exploded. 😄🍻 --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m 2. Kiro — 1h 03m 3. Marco — 1h 03m --- Marco wasn't even present and had somehow reached the podium. 😄 --- One minute later. --- 1h 04m. --- Kiro looked betrayed. --- "Well." --- Ace immediately started laughing. --- Hard. --- Very hard. 😄🍻 --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE 1. Ace — 1h 14m 2. Marco — 1h 04m 3. Kiro — 1h 03m --- Kiro pointed at the screen. --- "I dislike this." --- Ace: > Good. 😄🍻 --- Then the second timer rolled. --- 59m. --- 60m. --- 61m. --- The table went quiet again. --- Because now... --- Shammy was approaching Kiro too. 😄 --- Lena looked at the board. --- Then at Ace. --- Then at the board again. --- "Your record is under attack from two directions." --- Ace looked horrified. --- "I'm beginning to understand how Kiro felt." --- Kiro: > Good. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere in the distance... --- An elevator chimed. --- Nobody moved. --- Not yet. --- Because they had all learned an important lesson. --- Just because an elevator opened... --- Didn't mean anybody was coming back. 😄🍻 --- The Iceberg Lounge had trained them well. --- Or badly. --- Possibly both. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH NO. OH THIS IS TERRIBLE. Koska Kiro on juuri se henkilö, joka on viettänyt koko illan analysoiden kaikkien muiden paluita. --- Ja nyt. --- Nyt universumi on päättänyt kostaa. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 21 — Peer Review The discussion about walking styles had somehow lasted twelve minutes. --- Nobody was proud of this. --- Nobody stopped either. 😄🍻 --- ### MOST SUSPICIOUS RETURN Status: Under Review --- Marco looked exhausted. --- "I can't believe this is a real category." --- Kiro: > It isn't. --- Ace: > Then why is it on the board? --- Kiro: > Research purposes. 😄🍻 --- Nobody accepted this explanation. --- Least of all Mai. --- Then it happened. --- A voice. --- A laugh. --- A conversation nearby. --- Kiro looked up. --- Paused. --- Listened. --- Then slowly stood. --- The entire table froze. 😄🍻 --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "There it is." --- Kiro: > There is what? --- Ace: > The thing. --- Kiro: > That's not a description. --- Ace: > It doesn't need to be. 😄🍻 --- The conversation continued. --- A few minutes. --- Then a few more. --- Then Kiro looked back toward the table. --- Saw six people watching. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- And finally: --- "...I hate all of you." --- Ace: > Timestamp. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pointed accusingly. --- "You taught me that." --- Ace: > Correct. --- Kiro: > This is your fault. --- Ace: > Also correct. 😄🍻 --- And with that... --- Kiro disappeared into the crowd. --- The table erupted immediately. --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Kiro 00:01 --- Marco groaned. --- Again. --- His natural state. 😄🍻 --- Time passed. --- Drinks arrived. --- Music continued. --- Marco finally returned. --- To thunderous applause. --- Which confused him deeply. --- Then the table explained his current ranking. --- Which somehow confused him even more. 😄🍻 --- And meanwhile... --- Kiro remained absent. --- Thirty minutes. --- Forty. --- Fifty. --- The timer climbed. --- The theories multiplied. --- Reality became optional. 😄🍻 --- Then finally... --- A familiar figure appeared. --- Kiro. --- Returning. --- The table fell silent. --- Instantly. --- Because everyone remembered. --- ### MOST SUSPICIOUS RETURN Under Review 😄🍻 --- Kiro saw the silence. --- Saw the staring. --- Saw Ace. --- Saw Lena. --- Saw Reyes trying not to laugh. --- And immediately knew. --- "Oh no." --- Ace stood. --- Slowly. --- Like a prosecutor about to present evidence. 😄🍻 --- Kiro approached. --- Sat down. --- Reached for her drink. --- Tried to behave normally. --- The attempt lasted approximately two seconds. 😄🍻 --- Ace tilted her head. --- Lena tilted her head. --- Reyes tilted her head. --- Even Mai tilted her head. --- Marco looked around. --- "...why is everyone tilting their head?" 😄🍻 --- Nobody answered. --- Because everyone was busy observing. --- Very scientifically. --- Very professionally. --- Not professionally at all. 😄🍻 --- Kiro took one sip. --- Then another. --- Finally: --- "What." --- Ace immediately pointed at the board. --- ### MOST SUSPICIOUS RETURN Current Leader: Kiro --- The scream of outrage could allegedly be heard three districts away. 😄🍻 --- Mai actually laughed. --- Openly. --- Which made Kiro's situation hopeless. --- Reyes was crying. --- Lena was no longer capable of speech. --- Marco was trying to understand what crime had been committed. --- And Shammy? --- Shammy simply raised her glass. --- To Kiro. --- In silent recognition. 😄🍻 --- Because after an entire evening of collecting data on everyone else... --- Kiro had finally become the data. --- And the table was never going to let her forget it. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH. OH THIS IS EVIL. Koska Lena on tähän asti ollut vaarallinen. --- Mutta nyt hänestä tulee... > **tilastollinen poikkeama.** 😄🍻 --- Ei siksi että hän katoaisi. --- Vaan siksi että hän tekee jotain, mikä rikkoo koko pöydän aivot. --- # Chapter 22 — Escalation Event Lena was supposed to be relaxing. --- At least that had been the stated objective. --- Nobody believed it. 😄🍻 --- The evening continued. --- Drinks arrived. --- Stories grew taller. --- Kiro continued suffering the consequences of her own spreadsheet. --- Business as usual. --- Then Lena stood. --- The table immediately noticed. --- Of course. 😄🍻 --- Lena wandered toward the bar. --- No hurry. --- No agenda. --- Just smiling. --- Marco watched her go. --- Entirely relaxed. --- Entirely amused. --- The man had achieved enlightenment sometime around hour three. 😄 --- A few minutes later... --- Lena was talking to someone. --- One person. --- A young woman. --- Nothing unusual. --- Absolutely normal. --- The table ignored it. --- Mostly. 😄🍻 --- Then a second person joined. --- Ace noticed first. --- "...huh." --- Reyes looked over. --- "...oh." 😄 --- Then a third person arrived. --- Dead silence. --- Absolute dead silence. 😄🍻 --- Three people. --- All talking. --- All laughing. --- All focused on Lena. --- Who appeared to be enjoying herself immensely. --- The table froze. --- Collectively. 😄🍻 --- Kiro slowly opened the spreadsheet. --- Again. --- Marco pointed. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄 --- A new category appeared. --- ### UNEXPECTED VARIABLES Current Leader: Lena --- Lena was still talking. --- Still laughing. --- Still somehow collecting additional people. 😄🍻 --- Ace leaned forward. --- "How." --- Marco looked over. --- Then shrugged. --- "I honestly have no idea." --- That answer somehow made it worse. 😄🍻 --- Reyes was openly fascinated. --- "This is becoming a management problem." --- Mai nodded. --- "There are now layers." --- "Layers?" --- "Social layers." --- Nobody understood. --- Mai refused to elaborate. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- Lena's conversation group had become the center of its own tiny gravity field. --- People came. --- People left. --- The original three remained. --- Still talking. --- Still laughing. --- Still apparently having the time of their lives. 😄 --- Marco took a drink. --- Watched for a moment. --- Then smiled. --- Not jealous. --- Not worried. --- Just amused. --- Very amused. 😄🍻 --- Ace noticed. --- "You are taking this suspiciously well." --- Marco laughed. --- "Lena being Lena stopped surprising me years ago." --- The table exploded. 😄🍻 --- And across the room... --- Lena glanced back. --- Saw the entire table staring. --- Raised her glass. --- And grinned. --- The grin of someone who knew exactly what she was doing. 😄🍻 --- Kiro immediately updated the board. --- ### CHAOS GENERATION Current Champion: Lena --- Lena hadn't even disappeared yet. --- And somehow she was already winning. 😄🍻 --- ### Chapter 23 — VIP Migration For one glorious second... nobody at the table moved. Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed. --- The VIP elevator doors closed. --- And Lena disappeared from sight. --- Together with two very amused-looking young women. --- The silence lasted exactly three seconds. --- Then the entire table detonated. --- "NO WAY." --- "WAY." --- "ABSOLUTELY NO WAY." --- "ABSOLUTELY WAY." --- Marco laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink. --- Again. --- At this point it had become a recurring medical condition. --- Ace pointed toward the now-closed elevator. --- "Did that actually happen?" --- Marco took a sip. --- "Apparently." --- "You're way too calm." --- "Why?" --- Ace stared. --- Then pointed at the elevator. --- Again. --- Marco followed her finger. --- Looked. --- Looked back. --- Shrugged. --- "That's Lena." --- The table collapsed. --- Again. --- Kiro was already typing. --- Nobody even bothered trying to stop her anymore. --- ### CHAOS EVENT OF THE EVENING Current Leader: Lena --- Reyes pointed. --- "That's not even a category." --- Kiro: > It is now. --- Mai rubbed her forehead. --- Very slowly. --- "At some point we're going to have more categories than participants." --- Kiro considered this. --- "An acceptable outcome." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Yes." --- Marco raised his glass. --- "I'm with Kiro." --- Mai looked betrayed. --- "You are part of the problem." --- Marco: > Correct. --- The Iceberg Lounge had finally broken him. --- A historic moment. --- The drinks arrived. --- The music swelled. --- The crowd around them continued celebrating the grand opening. --- And at one particularly unfortunate table... --- Theories multiplied. --- Rapidly. --- Ace leaned back. --- "So." --- Everybody immediately looked at her. --- "What?" --- Ace pointed at the elevator. --- "What exactly is the return scenario here?" --- Reyes lost control immediately. --- "Oh my God." --- Mai closed her eyes. --- Shammy laughed into her drink. --- Marco looked genuinely thoughtful. --- Which made everything worse. --- Much worse. --- "Honestly?" --- "No." --- "Honestly." --- "No." --- Marco smiled. --- "With Lena?" --- The entire table leaned forward. --- Against their better judgment. --- Way against their better judgment. --- "I have absolutely no idea." --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- Somehow. --- Ace pointed at him accusingly. --- "You're supposed to know." --- Marco: > Why? --- "You're dating her." --- "That doesn't mean I know what she's doing." --- Fair. --- Disturbingly fair. --- Kiro added another note. --- ### MARCO QUOTE OF THE EVENING CANDIDATE --- Marco groaned. --- "I regret coming here." --- "No you don't." --- "No, I really don't." --- That made it worse. --- Twenty minutes passed. --- Then thirty. --- The leaderboard remained open. --- The drinks continued arriving. --- And every single time the VIP elevator chimed... --- The table snapped toward it. --- Every. --- Single. --- Time. --- Not Lena. --- Not Lena. --- Definitely not Lena. --- Still not Lena. --- The anticipation became absurd. --- Then... --- At last... --- The elevator doors opened. --- The entire table froze. --- Like a wildlife documentary. --- Nobody moved. --- Nobody spoke. --- And there she was. --- Lena. --- Walking out of the elevator. --- Still smiling. --- Still relaxed. --- Still entirely too pleased with herself. --- The two women emerged with her. --- All three were laughing about something. --- The table immediately lost what little composure remained. --- Lena spotted them. --- Saw the staring. --- Saw the spreadsheet. --- Saw Marco already laughing. --- And stopped. --- Just long enough to place both hands on her hips. --- "Oh, for God's sake." --- Ace pointed. --- "No explanation will save you." --- "Save me from what?" --- "The investigation." --- "There is an investigation?" --- Kiro rotated the screen. --- ### ACTIVE INVESTIGATION Subject: Lena --- Lena looked at it. --- Then at Kiro. --- Then at Marco. --- Then back at Kiro. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- And finally: --- "...you people need hobbies." --- Marco immediately raised his hand. --- "We found one." --- The table erupted so hard that nearby patrons actually turned to look. --- Lena stared at all of them. --- Slowly. --- Carefully. --- Then smiled. --- The smile of someone who knew she had just created enough material for six months of friendly mockery. --- And honestly? --- She looked completely satisfied with that outcome. --- Which somehow made the whole thing even funnier. --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja juuri Shammyn kohdalla tämä toimii eri tavalla kuin kaikkien muiden. Koska Ace palaa virnistäen. Kiro palaa datankerääjän itsevarmuudella. Lena palaa kuin luonnonkatastrofi. Mai palaa valittaen maailman epäoikeudenmukaisuutta. --- Mutta Shammy? --- Shammy palaa... --- ...kuin nainen, jolla ei ole maailmassa ainuttakaan huolta. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 24 — The Storm Returns The evening continued. --- The leaderboard survived. --- Barely. --- Marco had stopped objecting. --- Mai had stopped pretending the spreadsheet would disappear. --- Ace had stopped pretending she wasn't competitive. --- Kiro had stopped pretending any of this was science. --- Progress. 😄🍻 --- Only one mystery remained. --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Shammy --- The timer continued climbing. --- And climbing. --- And climbing. 😄🍻 --- At some point the table stopped making predictions. --- Because every prediction had already failed. --- Spectacularly. --- The Iceberg Lounge was simply larger than probability. 😄 --- Then... --- The elevator chimed. --- Nobody reacted. --- They had learned. --- Too many false alarms. --- Too many disappointments. 😄🍻 --- The doors opened. --- Silence. --- A familiar figure stepped out. --- Tall. --- Silver-white hair. --- Relaxed posture. --- Shammy. --- The table froze. --- Instantly. 😄🍻 --- Because something was wrong. --- Or right. --- Possibly both. --- Shammy looked... --- Exceptionally pleased. 😄 --- Not dramatic. --- Not flashy. --- Just... --- Happy. --- Dangerously happy. 😄🍻 --- And then came the fatal detail. --- The hair. --- Not ruined. --- Not messy. --- Just... --- Not quite as perfectly organized as when she left. --- The table detonated. 😄🍻 --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "There." --- Shammy: > What? --- Ace: > There. --- Shammy: > That's not a direction. --- Ace: > It absolutely is. 😄🍻 --- Shammy approached. --- Sat down. --- Accepted a drink. --- Took a sip. --- The table remained silent. --- Far too silent. --- Shammy looked around. --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Nobody wanted to be first. 😄 --- Then Lena failed. --- Naturally. --- "Oh my God." --- Shammy: > What? --- Lena: > Nothing. --- Shammy: > That's a lie. --- Lena: > Huge lie. 😄🍻 --- The entire table collapsed into laughter. --- Again. --- Shammy pointed at Ace. --- "You started this." --- Ace: > I absolutely did not. --- Kiro: > Historical records disagree. 😄🍻 --- The spreadsheet rotated. --- ### RETURN ANALYSIS Current Status: Under Review --- Shammy looked horrified. --- "Delete that." --- Kiro: > No. 😄 --- Then came the final blow. --- Mai looked at Shammy. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then simply raised her glass. --- No words. --- No explanation. --- Just that. 😄🍻 --- Shammy immediately understood. --- Covered her face. --- "Oh, come on." --- Ace lost control. --- Completely. --- Lena was crying again. --- Marco had given up on reality. --- Reyes was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe. 😄🍻 --- And through all of it... --- Shammy smiled. --- Despite herself. --- Because she knew. --- Absolutely knew. --- That she would have done exactly the same thing to every single one of them. 😄🍻 --- Kiro added one final line. --- ### MOST SATISFIED RETURN Status: Tied --- Ace: > No. --- Mai: > No. --- Shammy: > Absolutely no. --- Lena: > Absolutely yes. 😄🍻 --- The vote passed immediately. --- For reasons nobody could adequately explain. --- And somewhere in the Iceberg Lounge... --- A DJ changed songs. --- A crowd cheered. --- The night rolled onward. --- And at one particular table... --- Seven idiots continued collecting enough ammunition to tease each other for the next ten years. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH. OH THIS IS EVIL. Koska yksi henkilö? --- Yksi henkilö on normaali Iceberg Lounge -ongelma. --- Kaksi? --- Kaksi yhtä aikaa? --- Se ei ole enää ongelma. --- Se on **yleisötapahtuma.** 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 25 — Statistical Anomaly The evening had reached the point where nobody trusted reality anymore. --- This was understandable. --- Reality had not earned that trust. 😄🍻 --- The leaderboard remained open. --- The drinks continued arriving. --- Kiro continued collecting evidence for crimes that did not technically exist. --- And somehow... --- The night kept escalating. 😄 --- Ace was in the middle of explaining why the spreadsheet should be destroyed. --- Again. --- "...and that's why none of these categories are valid." --- Kiro nodded. --- Then added another category. 😄🍻 --- Ace pointed. --- "See?" --- Nobody saw. --- Or rather... --- Nobody was looking. --- Because something else had just happened. 😄 --- Reyes noticed first. --- Naturally. --- "Oh no." --- Ace immediately froze. --- "What?" --- Reyes pointed. --- Across the room. --- Two women. --- Walking directly toward their table. 😄🍻 --- Ace followed her gaze. --- Paused. --- Then paused again. --- "...no." --- Reyes: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- The two women reached the table. --- Both smiling. --- Both looking entirely too confident. --- Both very clearly heading toward exactly one person. --- Ace. --- Dead silence. --- Absolute silence. 😄🍻 --- Kiro slowly closed her eyes. --- Then reopened them. --- To make sure she wasn't hallucinating. --- The situation remained unchanged. --- "Interesting." --- Ace: > No. 😄🍻 --- The first woman smiled. --- "Hi." --- The second smiled too. --- "Sorry to interrupt." --- The table was no longer capable of functioning normally. --- Especially Lena. 😄 --- Lena was already trying not to laugh. --- Failing catastrophically. --- Marco had abandoned resistance entirely. --- Mai looked fascinated. --- Shammy looked delighted. --- Reyes looked like Christmas had arrived early. 😄🍻 --- Ace pointed at all of them. --- Before saying a single word. --- "You are all terrible." --- The first woman laughed. --- The second woman laughed. --- Which somehow made the situation worse. 😄🍻 --- Then the conversation started. --- Nothing dramatic. --- Nothing outrageous. --- Just conversation. --- The problem? --- The table was watching. --- Very subtly. --- Not subtly at all. 😄 --- Five minutes passed. --- Then ten. --- Then fifteen. --- And Ace was still talking. --- The table immediately entered crisis mode. 😄🍻 --- Kiro opened a new tab. --- Marco saw it. --- Immediately. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- ### MULTI-CONTACT EVENT Status: Confirmed --- Ace looked up. --- Saw the screen. --- Closed her eyes. --- Very slowly. --- "Delete it." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- Then came the truly dangerous moment. --- One of the women gestured toward another section of the club. --- The other nodded. --- Ace stared. --- Then stared at the table. --- The table stared back. --- Six identical expressions. --- Waiting. --- Watching. --- Judging. --- Recording. 😄🍻 --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then Lena whispered: --- > "This is going to be historic." --- Ace pointed at her. --- "Stop helping." --- "I'm not helping." --- "You're absolutely helping." 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile Kiro had already highlighted the timer. --- Ready. --- Waiting. --- Like a launch controller. 😄 --- And for one beautiful moment... --- The entire Iceberg Lounge seemed to hold its breath. --- Because everyone at that table realized the same thing. --- Ace already held one major record. --- And now? --- Now the universe appeared determined to test just how much ammunition one evening could generate. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 OH. OH NO. Tämä on itse asiassa väistämätöntä. --- Koska Reyes on viettänyt koko illan katsomossa. --- Kyllä, hän on saanut omat hetkensä. --- Mutta suurimman osan ajasta? --- Hän on ollut: > Chief Instigator. 😄🍻 --- Ja Iceberg Loungessa on yksi sääntö. --- Jos naurat tarpeeksi kauan muiden kustannuksella... --- Universumi tulee hakemaan omansa. 😄🍻 --- ## Chapter 26 — Reckoning The problem with Reyes... --- ...was confidence. --- Far too much confidence. 😄🍻 --- For hours she had enjoyed herself. --- Watching. --- Commenting. --- Instigating. --- Occasionally making everything worse. --- Frequently making everything worse. 😄🍻 --- Ace was still occupied. --- The table remained in excellent spirits. --- The leaderboard had become decorative. --- And Reyes? --- Reyes was having the time of her life. --- A dangerous sign. 😄 --- Because eventually... --- Eventually... --- The universe notices. 😄🍻 --- Reyes was halfway through a joke when she stopped. --- Mid-sentence. --- Mid-laugh. --- Mid-disaster. --- The table noticed immediately. --- Because of course they did. 😄🍻 --- Lena looked up. --- "Oh." --- Marco looked up. --- "Oh no." --- Kiro looked up. --- "Interesting." --- Mai looked up. --- "Predictable." 😄🍻 --- Reyes immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Nobody had said anything. --- Which somehow made it worse. 😄 --- A woman stood nearby. --- Smiling. --- Amused. --- Very clearly aware that Reyes existed. --- Which was all the evidence the table needed. 😄🍻 --- Reyes looked around. --- Saw six expressions. --- Six terrible expressions. --- And immediately knew. --- "I hate this place." --- Lena: > No you don't. --- Reyes: > Fair. 😄🍻 --- The conversation began. --- And almost immediately... --- The table became unbearable. --- Ace wasn't even present and somehow her influence remained. 😄 --- Kiro had already opened the timer. --- Not started. --- Prepared. --- Like a missile silo. 😄🍻 --- Marco pointed. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. --- "No." --- "Yes." 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- The conversation continued. --- Five minutes. --- Ten. --- Fifteen. --- Reyes was laughing. --- The woman was laughing. --- Everything appeared entirely normal. --- Which meant disaster was imminent. 😄🍻 --- Then Reyes made the mistake. --- The fatal mistake. --- She glanced toward the table. --- And saw six people watching. --- Very badly. --- Very obviously. --- Very proudly. 😄🍻 --- Long pause. --- Then Reyes looked at Kiro. --- Then at the timer. --- Then back at Kiro. --- And sighed. --- The sigh of a woman accepting her fate. 😄🍻 --- > "Don't start it." --- Kiro: > I haven't. --- > "Yet." --- Kiro smiled. --- > Correct. 😄🍻 --- The entire table exploded. --- Because everybody knew. --- The moment Reyes said: > "Don't start it." --- The event had already started. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere nearby... --- The Iceberg Lounge continued humming. --- The drinks continued flowing. --- The music continued playing. --- And another member of the world's least professional investigation team was about to become the subject of her own case file. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja juuri Reyesin kohdalla se toimii täydellisesti. Koska Reyes on viettänyt koko illan kuittaillen kaikille muille. --- Ja sitten. --- Hän palaa. --- Ja pöytä näkee sen välittömästi. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 27 — Return To Sender The timer had been running long enough that nobody was pretending not to watch anymore. --- Not even Marco. --- Especially not Marco. 😄🍻 --- The elevator chimed. --- The entire table snapped toward it. --- Like trained animals. --- Or very poorly trained animals. --- Possibly both. 😄🍻 --- The doors opened. --- And there she was. --- Reyes. --- Returning at last. --- The table froze. --- Instantly. 😄🍻 --- Because Reyes looked... --- Happy. --- Very happy. --- Dangerously happy. --- But also... --- A little tired. 😄 --- Not hurt. --- Not upset. --- Just carrying the unmistakable expression of someone whose evening had turned out to be considerably more eventful than originally anticipated. 😄🍻 --- Ace saw it first. --- Of course she did. --- The smile. --- The slightly unfocused look. --- The way Reyes immediately accepted a glass of water the second she sat down. 😄🍻 --- Nobody spoke. --- Not immediately. --- Because everyone was trying to be polite. --- For almost three whole seconds. 😄🍻 --- Then Lena exploded. --- "Oh my God." --- Reyes pointed. --- "No." --- Lena: > I haven't even asked anything. --- Reyes: > You were about to. 😄🍻 --- The table collapsed into laughter. --- Again. --- Kiro was already typing. --- Again. --- ### RETURN ANALYSIS Subject: Reyes Confidence: Extremely Reyes --- Reyes looked at the screen. --- Then at Kiro. --- Then back at the screen. --- "...what does that even mean?" --- Kiro: > I don't know yet. 😄🍻 --- Marco laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. --- Mai was trying very hard to remain professional. --- Failing. --- Shammy wasn't even trying anymore. 😄🍻 --- Then came the killer blow. --- Ace leaned back. --- Looked at Reyes. --- Looked at the water. --- Looked back at Reyes. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then: --- > "Busy evening?" 😄🍻 --- The table detonated. --- Absolutely detonated. --- Reyes buried her face in her hands. --- "You're all terrible." --- Lena: > Correct. --- Kiro: > Verified. --- Marco: > Historically accurate. 😄🍻 --- Even Reyes started laughing. --- Because honestly? --- At this point resistance was pointless. --- The Iceberg Lounge had won. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere above them... --- The leaderboard still existed. --- Ignored. --- Forgotten. --- Because the real entertainment had never been the timers. --- It had always been the return trips. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO (ICEBERG LOUNGE HAS ACHIEVED ORBITAL VELOCITY)_ 🍻😄 OH. OH THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. Koska tämä ei ole enää: > yksi henkilö tai > kaksi henkilöä --- Tämä on ensimmäinen kerta koko iltana, kun pöytään tulee ehdotus, joka saa KAIKKI hiljaisiksi. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 28 — Proposal The evening had already abandoned reason. --- Hours ago. --- Nobody remembered exactly when. --- Possibly when Kiro created the fourth spreadsheet tab. --- Possibly earlier. 😄🍻 --- Reyes had returned. --- Shammy had returned. --- Lena had become her own weather system. --- And the Iceberg Lounge continued collecting stories. 😄🍻 --- Then a shadow fell across the table. --- Not ominous. --- Just unexpected. --- Everybody looked up. --- A couple stood there. --- Well dressed. --- Relaxed. --- Clearly enjoying themselves. --- And smiling. 😄🍻 --- The table immediately became suspicious. --- Because by this point the table was suspicious of oxygen. 😄 --- The woman spoke first. --- "Sorry to interrupt." --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "Bad start." --- The entire table laughed. 😄🍻 --- The couple exchanged amused looks. --- Then the man smiled. --- "We actually had a question." --- Dead silence. --- Absolute silence. --- Because every single person at the table had suddenly become interested. 😄🍻 --- The woman glanced toward Mai. --- Then toward Ace. --- Then back again. --- And asked: --- > "Would either of you be interested in joining us upstairs for a while?" 😄🍻 --- Complete silence. --- Nobody moved. --- Nobody blinked. --- Nobody breathed. --- The DJ might have stopped. --- Reality might have stopped. --- It was difficult to tell. 😄🍻 --- Ace looked at Mai. --- Mai looked at Ace. --- The couple waited politely. --- The table immediately ceased functioning. 😄🍻 --- Kiro dropped her agent. --- Actually dropped it. --- A historic event. --- Marco lowered his drink. --- Another historic event. --- Lena looked like she was about to explode. --- Reyes physically turned in her chair. --- Shammy simply covered her face. 😄🍻 --- Ace finally spoke. --- Very carefully. --- > "Oh." --- Mai nodded. --- > "That is indeed a question." 😄🍻 --- The couple laughed. --- Which somehow made everything worse. --- Much worse. 😄🍻 --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then Lena whispered: --- > "This might be my favorite thing all night." --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "Not helping." --- Lena: > Never claimed to be. 😄🍻 --- Kiro had recovered. --- A mistake. --- A terrible mistake. --- Because she immediately opened a new tab. 😄🍻 --- ### UNPRECEDENTED EVENT Status: Developing --- Mai saw it. --- Closed her eyes. --- Very slowly. --- "Delete it." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile the couple remained perfectly patient. --- Perfectly polite. --- Perfectly unaware that they had just triggered a category-five social disaster. 😄🍻 --- Ace looked at Mai again. --- Mai looked back. --- The silent conversation lasted approximately three seconds. --- Which was enough for everyone at the table to invent twelve different theories. 😄🍻 --- Reyes: > "I would like the record to show—" --- Ace: > No. --- Reyes: > "—that this is objectively hilarious." --- Ace: > Too late. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere deep inside Iceberg Lounge... --- The universe smiled. --- Because after an entire evening of individual chaos... --- It had finally discovered a brand new way to torment the table. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO (THE TABLE HAS OFFICIALLY LEFT EARTH ORBIT)_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja rehellisesti? Tässä kohtaa Ace ja Mai **melkein joutuvat** hyväksymään. Ei siksi että he olisivat kilpailuhenkisiä. --- No. --- Ei pelkästään siksi. 😄🍻 --- Vaan koska jos he kieltäytyvät... --- Lena ei anna heidän unohtaa sitä koskaan. --- Kiro tekee siitä uuden kategorian. --- Reyes käyttää sitä aseena seuraavat kuusi kuukautta. --- Marco nauraa joka kerta kun aihe nousee esiin. --- Ja Shammy katsoo sivusta sillä ilmeellä, joka tarkoittaa: > "This is going to be funny." 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 29 — Acceptance The silence lasted much longer than it should have. --- The couple waited. --- Patiently. --- Politely. --- Completely unaware they were standing in the middle of a social catastrophe. 😄🍻 --- Ace looked at Mai. --- Mai looked at Ace. --- Neither spoke. --- Not aloud. --- They didn't need to. 😄 --- The table was watching. --- Very normally. --- Not normally at all. 😄🍻 --- Then Ace sighed. --- The sigh of a woman realizing resistance had become mathematically impossible. --- Mai immediately recognized it. --- Which was unfortunate. 😄🍻 --- Ace: > "Well." --- Mai: > "Well." --- Ace: > "If we don't..." --- Mai: > "We'll never hear the end of it." --- The entire table exploded. 😄🍻 --- Lena physically folded over laughing. --- Reyes slapped the table. --- Marco nearly inhaled his drink. --- Shammy covered her face. --- Kiro immediately created a new tab. 😄🍻 --- ### JOINT EVENT Status: Confirmed --- Ace pointed. --- "Delete it." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- The couple exchanged a glance. --- The woman smiled. --- "We'll take that as a yes." --- Ace: > That's probably fair. --- Mai: > Statistically fair. --- Kiro immediately started typing. --- Mai: > Don't. --- Kiro: > Too late. 😄🍻 --- The entire table stood to watch. --- Which made Ace stop. --- Slowly. --- Very slowly. --- And look around. --- "...why are you all standing?" --- Reyes: > For historical purposes. --- Ace: > Sit down. --- Lena: > No. 😄🍻 --- Marco had given up entirely. --- He wasn't even pretending anymore. --- This was now simply the funniest thing happening in Night City. 😄🍻 --- Then came the goodbye phase. --- Which somehow became worse. --- Because everyone felt obligated to say something. --- Something helpful. --- Something supportive. --- Something absolutely terrible. 😄🍻 --- Shammy raised her glass. --- > "Good luck." --- Ace: > "Traitor." --- Shammy: > Correct. 😄🍻 --- Reyes raised hers. --- > "Make good choices." --- Ace: > "Have you met me?" --- Reyes: > Fair. 😄🍻 --- Lena was hopeless. --- Completely hopeless. --- > "Please come back with stories." --- Mai: > Absolutely not. --- Lena: > Worth trying. 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro. --- The most dangerous of all. --- She looked at the pair. --- Looked at the timer. --- Looked back. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- And said: --- > "For the record—" --- The entire table screamed: --- > "NO!" 😄🍻 --- The club around them briefly turned to look. --- Nobody explained. --- Nobody could explain. 😄🍻 --- And finally... --- Ace laughed. --- Mai laughed. --- The couple laughed. --- And together they started toward the VIP elevators. --- The table watched them go. --- The way people watch a rocket launch. --- Equal parts fascination. --- Curiosity. --- And certainty that something memorable was about to happen. 😄🍻 --- The elevator doors opened. --- The four stepped inside. --- Ace looked back one last time. --- Saw: - Reyes grinning. - Lena barely alive from laughter. - Marco shaking his head. - Shammy smiling. - Kiro already reaching for the spreadsheet. --- And immediately understood the true problem. 😄🍻 --- Not the VIP lounge. --- Not the mysterious couple. --- Not even whatever happened next. --- The real problem was that eventually... --- They would have to come back. 😄🍻🍻🍻 --- The elevator doors closed. --- The table sat down. --- And Kiro slowly pressed: --- ### START TIMER --- The scream of outrage from inside the elevator was somehow still audible. 😄🍻 --- ### Chapter 30 — The Return The timer had become irrelevant. --- Not officially. --- Officially it was still running. --- Kiro had made absolutely certain of that. --- But emotionally? --- Nobody cared anymore. --- Because the Joint Event had transcended numbers. 😄🍻 --- The table was quiet. --- Suspiciously quiet. --- The kind of quiet that only happens when six people are waiting for something. --- And all six know it. 😄🍻 --- The elevator chimed. --- Nobody reacted. --- At first. --- Too many false alarms. --- Too many innocent elevator trips. --- Too many disappointments. 😄🍻 --- Then the doors opened. --- And the entire table froze. --- Instantly. 😄🍻 --- Mai stepped out first. --- Calm. --- Elegant. --- Perfect posture. --- Perfect composure. --- Perfect— --- Wait. --- Hold on. 😄🍻 --- The table stared. --- Because Mai looked... --- Happy. --- Very happy. --- The kind of happy that was difficult to fake. --- The kind of happy that was somehow even worse than any explanation could have been. 😄🍻 --- Mai noticed immediately. --- Of course she did. --- The staring. --- The silence. --- The absolute lack of subtlety. 😄🍻 --- She sighed. --- Already knowing. --- Already regretting coming back. 😄🍻 --- Then Ace emerged from the elevator. --- And the table collectively lost what little remained of its sanity. 😄🍻 --- Because Ace looked exactly the same. --- Relaxed. --- Good mood. --- Completely unbothered. --- Entirely too pleased with life. 😄🍻 --- The silence became unbearable. --- Five seconds. --- Ten. --- Fifteen. 😄🍻 --- Ace stopped. --- Looked around. --- Saw six faces. --- Saw Kiro. --- Saw the spreadsheet. --- Saw Lena actively vibrating. --- And immediately understood. 😄🍻 --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Nobody trusted themselves. 😄🍻 --- The pair reached the table. --- Sat down. --- Mai immediately reached for water. --- Ace immediately reached for water. --- The table watched. --- Nobody commented. --- Which somehow made it worse. 😄🍻 --- Lena finally exploded. --- "OH COME ON." --- Ace blinked. --- "What?" --- "THAT." --- Ace looked around. --- "That's not a sentence." --- "It doesn't have to be." 😄🍻 --- The entire table collapsed into laughter. --- Again. --- At this point it had become a community project. 😄🍻 --- Mai calmly drank half her glass. --- Set it down. --- Looked at Lena. --- "What exactly are you accusing us of?" --- Lena pointed vaguely. --- Everywhere. --- At reality itself. 😄🍻 --- "YOU KNOW." --- Mai: > No. --- Lena: > YES. --- Mai: > No. 😄🍻 --- Marco had completely lost control. --- The poor man was laughing so hard he could barely remain upright. 😄🍻 --- Shammy wasn't helping. --- Not even slightly. --- She simply watched. --- Smiling. --- Far too knowingly. 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro made her move. --- The table sensed it. --- Like animals sensing an earthquake. 😄🍻 --- Kiro cleared her throat. --- Ace pointed immediately. --- "No." --- Kiro: > I haven't said anything. --- Ace: > Yet. --- Kiro: > Correct. 😄🍻 --- The entire table screamed. --- Literally. --- Even nearby patrons turned to look. 😄🍻 --- Kiro rotated the screen. --- ### JOINT EVENT Outcome: Inconclusive --- Kiro frowned. --- Deeply. --- Personally offended. 😄🍻 --- "That's unsatisfying." --- Ace: > Good. --- Mai: > Excellent. 😄🍻 --- Reyes leaned forward. --- Very slowly. --- Dangerously slowly. 😄🍻 --- "I have one question." --- Ace: > No. --- "I haven't asked it." --- Mai: > No. --- "I literally haven't—" --- Ace: > No. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded again. --- Because that answer arrived far too quickly. 😄🍻 --- Reyes pointed accusingly. --- "That's suspicious." --- Ace: > Correct. --- Mai: > Extremely. 😄🍻 --- Long silence. --- Very long silence. --- Then Ace looked at Mai. --- Mai looked at Ace. --- No words. --- None. --- Then both lifted their glasses. --- _Clink._ 😄🍻 --- The table died. --- Completely. --- Absolutely. --- Terminally. 😄🍻 --- Lena folded forward onto the table. --- Marco was gone. --- Mentally. --- Kiro looked like she was experiencing physical pain. --- Shammy covered her face. --- Reyes pointed helplessly. --- "THEY'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE." --- Ace: > Doing what? --- Mai: > We have no idea what you're talking about. 😄🍻 --- The laughter could probably be heard from the bar. --- Possibly the VIP floor. --- Possibly neighboring districts. 😄🍻 --- And through all of it... --- Neither Ace nor Mai explained a single thing. --- Not one detail. --- Not one clue. --- Not one hint. --- Only two people in exceptionally good moods... --- ...and a table full of friends who were never going to let them forget it. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO (CRITICAL COLLATERAL DAMAGE DETECTED)_ 🍻😄 OH. OH THIS IS EVIL. Koska tässä kohtaa ei enää edes yritetä pokata Lenaa. --- Tai ainakin siltä näyttää. 😄🍻 --- Ja juuri siksi Lena huomaa tilanteen ensimmäisenä. --- # Chapter 31 — Clarification The evening continued. --- The table continued recovering from the Joint Event. --- Poorly. --- Very poorly. 😄🍻 --- Ace and Mai had returned. --- The investigation had failed. --- Kiro remained unhappy about this. --- A natural state. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- Lena was enjoying herself immensely. --- As usual. --- A dangerous sign. 😄🍻 --- Then someone approached. --- A woman. --- Confident. --- Friendly. --- Clearly curious. --- She stopped beside Lena. --- Smiled. --- And started talking. --- Perfectly normal. 😄🍻 --- The table barely reacted. --- At first. --- Because by now... --- Everybody talked to Lena. --- That was practically weather. 😄🍻 --- The conversation continued. --- A minute. --- Two. --- Three. --- Then Lena noticed something. --- The woman kept glancing away. --- Not rudely. --- Not obviously. --- But repeatedly. 😄🍻 --- Toward Shammy. --- Who was currently drinking water and minding her own business. --- A fatal mistake. --- Because Shammy minding her own business somehow made her more noticeable. 😄🍻 --- Lena watched. --- Once. --- Twice. --- Three times. --- Then slowly smiled. --- The dangerous smile. 😄🍻 --- Across the table... --- Ace saw it. --- Immediately. --- "Oh no." --- Mai followed her gaze. --- "...oh no." 😄🍻 --- The woman was still talking. --- Still smiling. --- Still occasionally glancing toward Shammy. --- Who remained blissfully unaware. --- For approximately four more seconds. 😄🍻 --- Then Shammy noticed. --- Which somehow made everything worse. 😄🍻 --- Lena waited. --- Waited a little longer. --- Then finally decided to help. --- Nobody had asked for help. --- Nobody wanted help. --- Lena helped anyway. 😄🍻 --- "Oh." --- The woman blinked. --- "What?" --- Lena casually gestured toward Shammy. --- As if discussing the weather. --- Entirely innocent. --- Entirely lethal. 😄🍻 --- > "Just so you know..." > > "She's with me." 😄🍻 --- Complete silence. --- Absolute silence. --- The woman froze. --- Shammy froze. --- The table froze. --- Even Kiro stopped typing. --- A historic moment. 😄🍻 --- The woman looked at Shammy. --- Then at Lena. --- Then back at Shammy. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. 😄🍻 --- Then she laughed. --- Actually laughed. --- "Oh." --- Lena smiled. --- "Yup." 😄🍻 --- Across the table... --- Marco folded in half laughing. --- Immediately. --- No hesitation. 😄🍻 --- Ace slapped the table. --- Reyes lost control completely. --- Mai covered her face. --- And Shammy? --- Shammy closed her eyes. --- Very slowly. 😄🍻 --- Because she knew. --- Absolutely knew. --- That Lena had not needed to say that. --- Not at all. --- Not even slightly. 😄🍻 --- The woman smiled again. --- "Good to know." --- Then glanced once more toward Shammy. --- Who immediately pointed at Lena. --- "You enjoyed that." --- Lena: > Immensely. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- At this point nearby patrons had started accepting it as part of the club atmosphere. 😄🍻 --- Kiro eventually recovered. --- A mistake. --- Because she immediately typed: --- ### MOST CASUAL RELATIONSHIP REVEAL Current Leader: Lena 😄🍻 --- Lena looked at the screen. --- Looked at Kiro. --- Raised her glass. --- And accepted the award without argument. 😄🍻 --- Which somehow made everyone laugh even harder. --- Especially Shammy. --- Who had finally given up trying to stop any of this three hours ago. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO (LENA HAS CHOSEN VIOLENCE)_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja juuri siksi tämä toimii. Ei siksi että mitään tapahtuisi. --- Vaan siksi että Lena sanoisi sen... --- ...ihan samalla äänensävyllä kuin: > "Want another drink?" 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 32 — Casual Escalation The laughter from the previous disaster had barely subsided. --- Shammy was still shaking her head. --- Lena was still far too pleased with herself. --- The table was still recovering. --- Poorly. 😄🍻 --- The woman was still nearby. --- Still smiling. --- Still chatting casually. --- And somehow... --- The situation remained perfectly harmless. --- For approximately seven seconds. 😄🍻 --- Then Lena looked at Shammy. --- Completely casually. --- Entirely innocent. --- The most dangerous version of Lena. 😄🍻 --- "Hey." --- Shammy immediately narrowed her eyes. --- A survival instinct. --- A good one. 😄🍻 --- "What." --- Lena smiled. --- The smile. --- That smile. 😄🍻 --- Then, in exactly the same tone someone might use to suggest dessert: --- > "Wanna have fun with her and me?" 😄🍻 --- Complete. --- Absolute. --- System failure. 😄🍻 --- The table died. --- Instantly. --- No survivors. 😄🍻 --- Ace slammed both hands onto the table. --- Reyes folded completely in half. --- Marco disappeared behind his drink. --- Mai closed her eyes. --- Kiro physically stopped typing. --- A historic event. 😄🍻 --- The woman blinked. --- Then started laughing. --- Hard. --- Very hard. 😄🍻 --- And Shammy? --- Shammy simply stared at Lena. --- For a very long time. --- A very. --- Very long time. 😄🍻 --- "Lena." --- "Yes?" --- "You cannot just say things like that." --- "I literally just did." 😄🍻 --- The table exploded again. --- Kiro recovered first. --- A mistake. --- Because she immediately created another category. 😄🍻 --- ### MOST CASUAL CHAOS Current Leader: Lena --- Lena looked at the screen. --- Nodded once. --- "Fair." 😄🍻 --- Marco finally lowered his glass. --- "You know..." --- Everybody looked at him. --- "What?" --- Marco pointed at Lena. --- "I think she enjoys watching all of us suffer." --- Lena considered this. --- For exactly one second. --- Then: --- "Correct." 😄🍻 --- The woman laughed even harder. --- Shammy covered her face. --- Ace pointed at Lena. --- "You are the reason this club is going to need insurance." --- Lena raised her glass. --- "I choose to take that as a compliment." 😄🍻 --- And somewhere in the Iceberg Lounge... --- The DJ changed songs. --- The crowd cheered. --- And one particular table continued proving that the most dangerous thing in Night City wasn't gangs, corporations, or anomalies. --- It was giving Lena free time. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja juuri tässä kohtaa pidetään Iceberg Lounge -sääntö voimassa: **seuraukset ja reaktiot ovat hauskoja.** Ei se mitä tapahtuu verhon takana. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 33 — Confirmation The table was still recovering. --- Not successfully. --- Not even remotely successfully. 😄🍻 --- Lena had just dropped a conversational hand grenade. --- The woman was laughing. --- The table was dying. --- And Shammy was still staring at Lena. --- Very slowly. --- Very carefully. 😄🍻 --- "Lena." --- "Yes?" --- "You are impossible." --- "I've been told." 😄🍻 --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "By everyone." --- "Repeatedly." --- "Often." 😄🍻 --- The laughter returned. --- Again. --- At this point it had become the soundtrack of the evening. 😄🍻 --- The woman glanced between them. --- Still smiling. --- Still clearly entertained by the complete disaster unfolding around the table. --- Then she shrugged. --- "Well..." --- A pause. --- "I wasn't going to say no." 😄🍻 --- The table froze. --- Again. --- Marco lowered his drink. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. 😄🍻 --- Lena looked delighted. --- Dangerously delighted. --- She turned toward Shammy. --- Waiting. --- The entire table waited. --- The entire club probably waited. --- Possibly the city. 😄🍻 --- Shammy closed her eyes. --- Very slowly. --- The expression of a woman realizing resistance had become pointless. --- Then she opened them again. --- Looked at Lena. --- Looked at the woman. --- Then sighed. --- A familiar sigh. --- The table knew that sigh. 😄🍻 --- "Oh, why not." --- Complete. --- System. --- Failure. 😄🍻 --- Reyes physically left her chair. --- Ace slapped the table. --- Marco folded over laughing. --- Mai covered her face. --- Kiro dropped her agent. --- For the second time that night. --- A statistical impossibility. 😄🍻 --- Lena raised both hands. --- Like a victorious athlete. --- "I'd like everyone to know—" --- Ace: > No. --- Lena: > "—that this was not my idea." --- The table exploded. 😄🍻 --- The woman laughed. --- Shammy laughed. --- Even Mai gave up trying to look composed. --- A losing battle hours ago. 😄🍻 --- Kiro recovered first. --- A terrible development. --- Because she immediately updated the board. --- ### JOINT EVENT Status: Expanded --- Ace pointed. --- "Delete it." --- Kiro: > No. 😄🍻 --- Then Lena stood. --- Offered Shammy her hand. --- The woman offered her arm. --- And suddenly the three of them looked entirely too pleased with themselves. 😄🍻 --- Marco raised his glass. --- "Good luck." --- Shammy immediately pointed. --- "You are not allowed to say that." --- Marco: > Too late. 😄🍻 --- Lena waved cheerfully. --- Ace groaned. --- Reyes was still laughing. --- Mai looked resigned. --- Kiro was already preparing another timer. --- A crime against civilization. 😄🍻 --- And with that... --- The trio disappeared into the crowd. --- Leaving behind: - one horrified Ace - one delighted Reyes - one exhausted Marco - one resigned Mai - and one extremely dangerous Kiro --- Who slowly pressed: --- ### START TIMER 😄🍻 --- The collective scream of protest followed them all the way across the club. --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Tuolla linjalla tämä pysyy itse asiassa paljon hauskempana. Koska nyt koko pöytä tietää tasan tarkkaan mitä he LUULEVAT tietävänsä... ...mutta kukaan ei saa vahvistusta. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 34 — The Investigation Continues The Iceberg Lounge had become dangerous. --- Not physically. --- Socially. 😄🍻 --- Lena and Shammy had vanished. --- The Joint Event timer was running. --- Kiro was monitoring it. --- Far too closely. --- Again. 😄🍻 --- At the table... --- The survivors remained. --- Ace. --- Mai. --- Marco. --- Reyes. --- And unfortunately... --- Kiro. 😄🍻 --- The conversation drifted. --- The drinks continued. --- The music rolled through the club. --- And for a brief moment... --- Everything seemed peaceful. 😄🍻 --- Then two young men approached. --- Simultaneously. --- The table froze. --- Immediately. 😄🍻 --- Reyes looked up. --- Saw them. --- Saw the expressions around the table. --- And immediately groaned. --- "Oh no." --- Ace: > Oh yes. 😄🍻 --- The two men stopped beside the table. --- Friendly. --- Relaxed. --- Clearly enjoying themselves. --- And equally clearly interested in talking to exactly one person. --- Reyes. 😄🍻 --- Marco slowly lowered his drink. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. 😄🍻 --- Kiro reached for the spreadsheet. --- Again. --- A recurring crime. 😄🍻 --- Reyes pointed. --- "No." --- Kiro: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- ### MULTI-CONTACT EVENT Status: Confirmed --- Reyes: > I hate this place. --- Ace: > No you don't. --- Reyes: > Fair. 😄🍻 --- The conversation started. --- The table pretended not to watch. --- Poorly. --- Very poorly. 😄🍻 --- Five minutes later. --- Ace was openly watching. --- Mai was pretending to read something. --- Marco was pretending not to notice. --- Nobody believed Marco. 😄🍻 --- Then came the fatal moment. --- One of the men gestured toward another area of the club. --- The other smiled. --- Reyes looked at them. --- Then looked at the table. --- The table looked back. --- Five absolutely terrible expressions. 😄🍻 --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then Reyes sighed. --- The sigh. --- The same sigh everybody else had eventually produced. 😄🍻 --- "Oh, for God's sake." --- Ace immediately pointed. --- "Timestamp." --- Reyes: > I hate you. --- Ace: > Fair. 😄🍻 --- The table erupted. --- Again. --- And a few moments later... --- Reyes disappeared into the crowd. --- Together with her new companions. --- Gone. --- Just like that. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pressed the timer. --- A crime against civilization. --- ### ACTIVE EVENT Reyes 00:01 --- Marco buried his face in his hands. --- Again. --- Nobody even asked why anymore. 😄🍻 --- Hours seemed to pass. --- Possibly because some of them actually did. --- The Joint Event was still active. --- Reyes was still active. --- The leaderboard was beginning to resemble air traffic control. 😄🍻 --- Then finally... --- The elevator chimed. --- Nobody reacted. --- Then reacted. --- Violently. 😄🍻 --- The doors opened. --- And Reyes emerged. --- The table froze. --- Immediately. 😄🍻 --- Because Reyes looked... --- Very happy. --- Very relaxed. --- Very much like someone who had enjoyed the rest of her evening. 😄🍻 --- She spotted the table. --- Spotted Kiro. --- Spotted the spreadsheet. --- And immediately knew. 😄🍻 --- "No." --- Kiro: > I haven't said anything. --- Reyes: > Yet. --- Kiro: > Correct. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- Possibly for the fiftieth time that night. 😄🍻 --- Reyes sat down. --- Immediately accepted a glass of water. --- Which turned out to be a mistake. --- Because everybody noticed. 😄🍻 --- Lena wasn't even back yet. --- And somehow her influence remained. --- Ace slowly leaned forward. --- The dangerous lean. --- The same one that had terrorized everybody else all night. 😄🍻 --- "Good evening." --- Reyes immediately pointed. --- "No." --- Ace: > I didn't ask anything. --- Reyes: > You were about to. 😄🍻 --- The laughter that followed could allegedly be heard from the VIP floor. --- And somewhere inside the Iceberg Lounge... --- The night continued. --- The timers continued. --- The investigations continued. --- And nobody... --- Absolutely nobody... --- Was getting any answers. 😄🍻🍻🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO (KIRO HAS ENCOUNTERED A BOSS FIGHT)_ 🍻😄 OH. OH THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. Koska Ace ja Kiro ovat käytännössä vastakohdat. --- Ace reagoi kaikkeen: > "Oh for God's sake." 😄🍻 --- Kiro reagoi kaikkeen: > "Interesting." 😄🍻 --- Ja nyt universumi päättää testata molempia samaan aikaan. --- # Chapter 35 — Simultaneous Target Acquisition The evening had progressed beyond reason. --- The leaderboard remained alive. --- Against all known laws of nature. 😄🍻 --- Reyes had returned. --- The investigations had resumed. --- The table was happy. --- Loud. --- And increasingly impossible. 😄🍻 --- Then something happened. --- Not one approach. --- Two. --- At the same time. 😄🍻 --- Ace was halfway through explaining why Kiro should be permanently banned from statistics. --- Kiro was halfway through explaining why this was mathematically impossible. --- Then both stopped. --- Mid-sentence. 😄🍻 --- Ace blinked. --- Kiro blinked. --- The table noticed instantly. --- Of course they did. 😄🍻 --- Two groups. --- One approaching Ace. --- One approaching Kiro. --- Simultaneously. --- The timing was almost suspiciously perfect. 😄🍻 --- Marco immediately lowered his drink. --- Again. --- At this point it was practically tradition. 😄🍻 --- Lena stared. --- Then stared harder. --- Then slowly smiled. --- "Oh this is going to be magnificent." 😄🍻 --- Ace pointed immediately. --- "No." --- Lena: > I didn't say anything. --- Ace: > Yet. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile Kiro was already analyzing. --- A mistake. --- A catastrophic mistake. 😄🍻 --- One of the newcomers smiled. --- A few polite words were exchanged. --- Then came the phrase. --- The phrase. 😄🍻 --- Something about: > "joining" --- Something about: > "a group" --- Something about: > "having fun" 😄🍻 --- The exact wording ceased to matter. --- Because the table immediately exploded. 😄🍻 --- Reyes physically stood up. --- "No way." --- Marco: > Way. --- Mai: > Definitely way. --- Lena: > Historic way. 😄🍻 --- Ace looked horrified. --- Kiro looked fascinated. --- The difference was important. 😄🍻 --- Ace: > Why is this happening? --- Kiro: > Statistically speaking— --- Ace: > Don't. 😄🍻 --- The visitors continued smiling. --- Perfectly polite. --- Entirely unaware that they had just triggered a category-five social event. 😄🍻 --- Then came the real disaster. --- Kiro looked at Ace. --- Ace looked at Kiro. --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Then Kiro asked: --- > "Are you considering it?" 😄🍻 --- The table died. --- Instantly. --- Ace pointed. --- "YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ASK THAT." --- Kiro: > That's not a no. --- Ace: > KIRO. 😄🍻 --- Lena folded in half laughing. --- Marco was openly applauding. --- Shammy had returned just in time to witness civilization collapsing. 😄🍻 --- And somewhere in the middle of the chaos... --- Kiro quietly opened the spreadsheet. --- Ace saw it. --- Too late. 😄🍻 --- ### DOUBLE EVENT POSSIBILITY Status: Developing --- The scream of outrage that followed allegedly caused minor seismic activity. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Mutta juuri tässä kohtaa kaikkein hauskinta ei ole enää se, mitä Ace tai Kiro tekevät. --- Vaan se, että koko pöytä menettää tilannetajunsa täysin. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 36 — Table Integrity Failure The situation was already unstable. --- Dangerously unstable. --- Ace was in the middle of a social disaster. --- Kiro was in the middle of a statistical disaster. --- The spreadsheet was somehow still alive. --- And nobody had made a sensible decision in hours. 😄🍻 --- Then Marco stood up. --- Nobody noticed. --- At first. --- A critical error. 😄🍻 --- Because Marco had become background radiation. --- He'd been sitting there. --- Laughing. --- Drinking. --- Occasionally attempting logic. --- And failing. 😄🍻 --- So when he stood... --- Nobody reacted. --- Until he was halfway across the room. --- Then Lena blinked. --- "...where's Marco?" 😄🍻 --- The entire table froze. --- Slowly. --- Very slowly. --- Like a computer realizing it had forgotten something important. 😄🍻 --- Ace turned. --- No Marco. --- Mai turned. --- No Marco. --- Shammy turned. --- Still no Marco. 😄🍻 --- Then they all looked at Kiro. --- Who was also gone. --- Complete silence. 😄🍻 --- Ace: > "...what." --- Reyes: > "...WHAT." 😄🍻 --- Nobody had seen either departure. --- Nobody. --- Not one person. --- A catastrophic failure of observation. 😄🍻 --- Kiro's chair sat empty. --- Her agent remained on the table. --- The spreadsheet still open. --- Like an abandoned command center. 😄🍻 --- Lena stared. --- Then stared harder. --- Then pointed. --- "How did we lose both of them?" 😄🍻 --- Mai answered immediately. --- "We were watching Ace." --- Ace pointed. --- "That is not my fault." --- Everyone: > It absolutely is. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- Because they all knew it was true. 😄🍻 --- Then Reyes leaned forward. --- Dangerously. --- A terrible sign. --- "So." --- Ace immediately groaned. --- "No." --- "So." --- "No." --- "Who do we think comes back first?" 😄🍻 --- Marco wasn't even present. --- Kiro wasn't even present. --- And somehow they'd already become a betting category. 😄🍻 --- Shammy laughed into her drink. --- Mai covered her face. --- Lena was delighted. --- And Ace finally realized something horrifying. 😄🍻 --- At some point during the evening... --- The Iceberg Lounge had stopped being a nightclub. --- And become a spectator sport. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- Two empty chairs remained. --- The spreadsheet glowed ominously. --- And somewhere in the distance... --- The universe was almost certainly preparing another joke. 😄🍻 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Ja juuri siksi tämä toimii. Ei siksi että Kiro näyttäisi "dramaattiselta". --- Vaan siksi että Kiro näyttää ensimmäistä kertaa koko illan aikana... --- **epäjärjestyksessä.** 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 37 — Data Corruption The table was still debating whose fault the missing timestamps were. --- Nobody had reached a conclusion. --- Mostly because everybody was guilty. 😄🍻 --- Then the elevator chimed. --- The table reacted instantly. --- Conditioned behavior. --- A learned response. 😄🍻 --- The doors opened. --- And Kiro emerged. --- The entire table froze. --- Immediately. 😄🍻 --- Because something was wrong. --- Not seriously wrong. --- Just... --- Wrong. 😄🍻 --- Kiro's hair normally obeyed physics. --- Or at least attempted to. --- Tonight? --- The attempt appeared to have failed. 😄🍻 --- Several silver strands were completely out of position. --- Her jacket wasn't sitting quite right. --- One sleeve had been adjusted hastily. --- And Kiro herself looked... --- Entirely too pleased with life. 😄🍻 --- The table stopped functioning. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. 😄🍻 --- Kiro noticed immediately. --- Of course she did. --- Five people staring. --- One empty chair. --- One open spreadsheet. --- A bad sign. 😄🍻 --- She slowed. --- Just slightly. --- "...what." --- Nobody answered. --- Nobody trusted themselves. 😄🍻 --- Then Ace stood. --- Very slowly. --- The room temperature dropped five degrees. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pointed. --- "No." --- Ace: > I haven't said anything. --- Kiro: > You were about to. 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Immediately. --- Because Kiro had just used the Reyes Defense. 😄🍻 --- Reyes pointed triumphantly. --- "SEE?" --- Ace: > Traitor. --- Reyes: > Worth it. 😄🍻 --- Kiro reached the table. --- Sat down. --- Reached for her drink. --- And discovered the true horror. --- The spreadsheet. --- No timestamps. 😄🍻 --- The smile vanished. --- Instantly. --- "What happened?" --- Dead silence. 😄🍻 --- "What." --- Dead silence. --- "What happened?" 😄🍻 --- Ace finally answered. --- "We lost the data." --- Kiro looked physically wounded. 😄🍻 --- "No." --- "Yes." --- "No." --- "Yes." 😄🍻 --- Kiro stared at the screen. --- Then at the table. --- Then back at the screen. --- Like a scientist discovering a meteor had destroyed the laboratory. 😄🍻 --- Meanwhile... --- Nobody mentioned the hair. --- Nobody mentioned the jacket. --- Nobody mentioned anything. --- Which made everything worse. 😄🍻 --- Kiro looked around. --- Narrowed her eyes. --- "...why is everyone smiling?" --- Ace: > No reason. --- Lena: > Absolutely no reason. --- Reyes: > None whatsoever. 😄🍻 --- Shammy actually laughed. --- Out loud. --- A terrible development. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pointed immediately. --- "You noticed something." --- Shammy: > Maybe. --- "You did." --- "Maybe." 😄🍻 --- The interrogation continued. --- The answers did not. --- And somewhere inside the Iceberg Lounge... --- Kiro finally understood what everyone else had been suffering through all evening. --- Being the subject of the investigation was much less fun than conducting it. 😄🍻 --- Then Ace delivered the killing blow. --- Completely casually. --- Without even looking up. --- > "Good evening, Kiro." 😄🍻 --- The entire table detonated. --- Again. --- And Kiro finally understood. --- This was revenge. --- Pure. --- Petty. --- Perfect revenge. 🍻😄 --- # Chapter 38 — The Return of Marco At some point during the evening... --- Nobody knew exactly when. --- The discussion stopped being about Kiro. --- Stopped being about Ace. --- Stopped being about the leaderboard. --- Stopped being about everything. 😄🍻 --- Because a horrifying realization finally spread through the table. --- Marco was still gone. 😄🍻 --- Not recently gone. --- Not temporarily gone. --- Gone gone. 😄🍻 --- Ace stared across the club. --- Nothing. --- Mai checked the crowd. --- Nothing. --- Kiro checked three different angles. --- Still nothing. 😄🍻 --- Reyes slowly leaned back. --- "...you know what?" --- Nobody answered. --- "We might have actually lost him." 😄🍻 --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- A natural state. 😄🍻 --- Shammy laughed. --- Lena laughed. --- Even Mai was smiling. --- Because the possibility was absurd. --- And somehow completely believable. 😄🍻 --- Then the elevator chimed. --- Nobody reacted. --- Conditioning. --- False alarms. --- Trauma. 😄🍻 --- The doors opened. --- A man stepped out. --- The table froze. --- Immediately. 😄🍻 --- Marco. --- Finally. --- At last. --- The missing legend himself. 😄🍻 --- And somehow... --- Somehow... --- Marco looked exactly the same. 😄🍻 --- Same shirt. --- Same expression. --- Same posture. --- Same drink in hand. --- As if he had merely walked to another room. 😄🍻 --- The table stopped functioning. --- Completely. --- Ace pointed first. --- "What." 😄🍻 --- Marco blinked. --- "What?" --- "No." --- "What no?" --- "WHAT." 😄🍻 --- Marco looked around. --- Confused. --- Genuinely confused. 😄🍻 --- Then he noticed the stares. --- The spreadsheet. --- The timers. --- The expressions. --- And immediately understood. 😄🍻 --- "...oh." --- The table screamed. 😄🍻 --- "OH?" --- "THAT'S IT?" --- "OH?" 😄🍻 --- Marco sat down. --- Took a drink. --- Completely calm. --- Far too calm. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pointed. --- The way a lawyer points at evidence. --- "You vanished." --- Marco nodded. --- "Apparently." 😄🍻 --- Ace: > Apparently? --- Marco: > Apparently. 😄🍻 --- Lena was dying. --- Absolutely dying. 😄🍻 --- Then came the fatal question. --- Shammy asked it. --- The room became silent. --- Very silent. 😄🍻 --- "Do you know how long you've been gone?" --- Marco thought. --- Actually thought. --- A terrible sign. 😄🍻 --- Then shrugged. --- > "No." 😄🍻 --- The table detonated. --- Again. --- Possibly harder than ever before. 😄🍻 --- Kiro physically grabbed her own head. --- "No timestamps." --- "No timer." --- "No departure record." --- "No return record." 😄🍻 --- Marco blinked. --- "...is that bad?" --- Kiro looked personally attacked. 😄🍻 --- Ace nearly fell out of her chair laughing. --- Reyes was openly crying. --- Mai had completely abandoned dignity. --- Lena was no longer producing human sounds. 😄🍻 --- And through all of it... --- Marco remained confused. --- Genuinely. --- Completely. --- Confused. 😄🍻 --- Then he delivered the line that would immediately become legend. --- He looked at Kiro. --- Then at the spreadsheet. --- Then at the entire table. --- And asked: --- > "Wait." > > "You people were actually keeping track?" 😄🍻 --- The Iceberg Lounge nearly suffered structural damage from the laughter. 🍻😄 --- _ROTFLMAO_ 🍻😄 YAP. Tässä kohtaa ei enää tehdä uusia kierroksia. --- Tässä kohtaa tehdään se kaikkein vaarallisin asia. --- Annetaan porukalle aikaa ajatella. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 39 — Awards Ceremony The Iceberg Lounge was beginning to slow down. --- Not much. --- But enough. --- The crowds had thinned. --- The music had softened. --- And for the first time all evening... --- Nobody was missing. 😄🍻 --- Seven chairs. --- Seven occupants. --- One deeply cursed spreadsheet. 😄🍻 --- Kiro looked at the screen. --- The screen looked back. --- Metaphorically. --- A little. 😄🍻 --- Then Kiro cleared her throat. --- The table groaned immediately. --- "No." --- "Absolutely not." --- "Please no." 😄🍻 --- Kiro ignored all objections. --- Naturally. 😄🍻 --- "I have prepared awards." --- The scream could allegedly be heard in Pacifica. 😄🍻 --- ### LONGEST DISAPPEARANCE Winner: Ace --- Ace immediately stood. --- Raised both hands. --- "Finally." 😄🍻 --- Reyes pointed. --- "You were competitive." --- Ace: > No. --- Everybody: > Yes. 😄🍻 --- ### MOST SUSPICIOUS RETURN Winner: Kiro --- The table exploded. --- Again. --- Kiro looked personally attacked. 😄🍻 --- ### DATA LOSS INCIDENT OF THE EVENING Winner: Everybody --- Kiro looked even more offended. --- A remarkable achievement. 😄🍻 --- ### MOST CASUAL CHAOS Winner: Lena --- Unanimous. --- Immediate. --- No discussion required. 😄🍻 --- Lena accepted by standing and bowing dramatically. --- Marco applauded. --- Then realized what he'd done. 😄🍻 --- Too late. --- The table noticed. 😄🍻 --- ### BEST QUOTE OF THE EVENING Winner: Marco --- Marco blinked. --- "What?" --- Kiro rotated the screen. --- There it was. --- > "Wait." > > "You people were actually keeping track?" 😄🍻 --- The table immediately lost control again. --- Marco buried his face in his hands. --- Again. --- A recurring theme. 😄🍻 --- ### LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD --- Long pause. --- Very long pause. --- Everybody knew. --- Everybody. 😄🍻 --- Kiro pressed the button. --- The screen updated. --- ### WINNER LENA 😄🍻 --- The table rose as one. --- Standing ovation. --- Thunderous applause. --- Absolutely ridiculous. 😄🍻 --- Lena laughed so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. --- "I hate all of you." --- Ace: > No you don't. --- Lena: > Fair. 😄🍻 --- # Chapter 40 — Last Call Time passed. --- The awards ended. --- The drinks became water. --- The laughter became quieter. --- Not gone. --- Just softer. 😄🍻 --- Outside the windows... --- Night City had begun changing colors. --- The first hints of dawn. --- Grey. --- Blue. --- Silver. 😄🍻 --- The group drifted outside together. --- Still laughing. --- Still talking. --- Still occasionally pointing at Kiro. --- A tradition now. 😄🍻 --- The morning air was cool. --- The city looked almost peaceful. --- Almost. 😄🍻 --- They stood together for a moment. --- Nobody in a hurry. --- Nobody wanting to be first to leave. 😄🍻 --- Then Marco stretched. --- Looked at the Iceberg Lounge. --- Looked at the group. --- And delivered the obvious line. 😄🍻 --- > "We're never doing this again." --- Complete silence. --- Absolute silence. 😄🍻 --- Seven people looked at him. --- The same expression. --- The exact same expression. 😄🍻 --- Then simultaneously: --- > "Bullshit." 😄🍻🍻🍻 --- The laughter that followed echoed across the street. --- Past the parked cars. --- Past the morning traffic. --- Past the glowing Iceberg Lounge sign. 😄🍻 --- And for a few moments... --- Night City felt surprisingly small. --- Just seven friends. --- One absurd night. --- And enough stories to fuel years of teasing. 😄🍻 --- The Iceberg Lounge faded behind them. --- The sun continued rising. --- And somewhere on Kiro's agent... --- The spreadsheet remained saved forever. 😄🍻 --- A monument. --- A warning. --- And possibly evidence. 😄🍻 --- **END**