25. The Casino on the 56th Basement Floor
The casino lurked on the 56th basement floor of the station, a suffocating space with poor ventilation.
It felt as if the heat and humidity of Tropical Night City had been condensed and deliberately trapped, creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The overwhelming heat and moisture seemed to press in, as if the space itself carried a tangible pressure.
Like Black Spot Department Store, it was overflowing with people.
But unlike the department store's bustle, this place resembled a vast ranch.
Spotted cows dotted the landscape, leisurely grazing on vibrant green grass, exuding a pastoral openness.
Yet, within this idyllic setting, a frenzy akin to a rock festival unfolded.
Guests were engrossed in headbanging, their movements so intense it seemed their heads might detach from their bodies.
Despite this, everyone remained unfazed, hinting at the exceptional durability and performance of the humanoid robots gathered here.
It became clear that entry to this casino required more than just "foreign status" or "plans to travel abroad." There was an unspoken performance test—a toughness to withstand this near-self-destructive headbanging and a certain masochistic spirit.
I usually prefer minimal body movement, but to earn money, I had no choice. A fragment of old memory stirred, reminding me that labor often demands such compromises. I warmed up my neck's actuators, checking battery levels and operational leeway.
Prepared, I tilted my head down and up.
Though I knew it was a simple repetitive motion, executing it felt a thousand times harder than my software could comprehend.
Glancing sideways, I saw Jinri already headbanging.
Her model's sturdiness shone through.
Having driven a taxi through countless accidents, her body was clearly high-performance. Her vigorous headbanging blended seamlessly into the casino's chaotic atmosphere.
In this vast ranch-like venue, with no windows or clocks, only a dazzling summer sky stretching above, her movements stood out strikingly.
A question surfaced.
Why a blue sky?
Why does a sun exist here?
But I quickly realized it was a fake sky, an artificial brightness.
That unnaturalness sparked discomfort, and combined with the intensity of headbanging, it triggered strong dizziness. Yet, shaking my head even harder dispelled the error-like sensation in an instant.
As I continued headbanging, my thoughts beyond the motion began to shut down. The blaring rock music echoed through the venue, and unless equipped with multiple CPUs, processing multiple sounds simultaneously was nearly impossible.
It felt like being thrown into a battlefield where bombs detonated endlessly.
Eventually, I found a stage to my liking.
A young band was performing refreshing soft rock.
The vocalist was a girl, with the rest of the instrumentalists being boys. Amid the flashy stages with cutting-edge amps, high-performance effectors, and elaborate setups, this band opted for simplicity.
Their volume was modest, exuding a carefree attitude of "only come if you truly want to hear music."
The unpretentious passion, reminiscent of an entrepreneurial spirit, drew me in, and I chose this stage.
I sent this thought as data to Jinri, who—perhaps dizzy from intense headbanging or drawn to the refreshing vibe—immediately returned an agreement signal.
We held hands, aiming for the band's stage.
But, absorbed in headbanging, walking was nearly impossible.
Then, something happened among the dense crowd.
Fortunately, our standout headbanging, combined with the impeccable quality of our high-end uniforms, had caught the audience's attention. The synergy of their brilliance propelled us into the spotlight within a localized cluster of spectators.
The crowd lifted our bodies, carrying us like rock stars crowd-surfing.
Gliding over the sea of spectators like spiders on a web, we were gradually transported toward the band's stage.
All the while, we kept headbanging to the rock music's beat, further electrifying the atmosphere.
Landing safely at the front row, we finally learned the band's name.
Jinri and I said it in unison:
"Saikoro."