028#
The cold, snowy floor creaked under Andy's footsteps as he explored the brothel's peculiar isolation area. Surprisingly, the cells were not typical latticed structures; they were like small concrete huts covered in snow, a striking contrast to the cells above.
Absorbed in the uniqueness of the weather, Andy heard a voice in the distance. "Hey, buddy, if you wander too long, you'll freeze to death," the owner of the voice warned. Turning to his left, Andy encountered an extremely tall man with long, straight pink hair. "Come here, you can stay in my cell to warm up," the man offered.
Feeling the cold seep into his bones, Andy didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. He approached the man, who stood by the fire made of wooden branches in his cell. As he got closer, he noticed that he was quite handsome, with flamboyant red eyes. "Thank you for the hospitality," Andy thanked, wrapping himself in the warm embrace of the fire.
"You're welcome," the man said, continuing with a friendly smile. "What's your name?" Andy, somewhat suspiciously, replied, "My name is Andy." Upon hearing that name, the man's expression changed to one of surprise and expressionlessness, as if he already knew who Andy was. Andy noticed this change in the face of the man, whom he had nicknamed "Pink-haired:." However, the man returned to his friendly smile and said, "Nice to meet you, Andy."
Sensing Andy's suspicion at his change in expression, the man spoke up. "I was surprised to hear that name - you're the newcomer, aren't you? And you're already at the top of the Popularity Rankings," he said, seemingly impressed.
Despite the man's friendly attitude, Andy was still wary. He examined the man's cell more closely, which was well equipped and pleasantly warm thanks to the wood fire. He also noticed a few boxes with bottles of wine. When the man caught Andy's gaze over the wine bottles, he offered, "Would you like a drink?"
"No, no, no. I was just having a look around; besides, I don't like the wine in this world," Andy replied.
But the man persisted and said, "Come on, man, in this area it's better to drink. Your body will warm up if you have a little alcohol."
The man picked up a bottle of red wine, opened it and started drinking. Then, with a smile, he handed the bottle to Andy. "Come on, you're not going to refuse a drink from the man who helped you," he insisted.
Andy knew he couldn't refuse any longer, so he relented and said, "Okay, just one sip." He took the bottle from the man and began to drink. The taste of this wine was incredible; it reminded him of the wine he drank in another world, and it was better compared to last time. The first sip turned into a second, then a third, and so on, until the two had finished all the bottles in the box. As they shared the wine, they also shared some small talk, making the previous tension disappear.
The small flames from the campfire lit up the small cell where Andy and the pink-haired guy lay on the floor, laughing and babbling drunkenly about whether butts are better than breasts. Andy, looking up at the ceiling, let out an infectious laugh. "I was a successful businessman in a telecommunications company, but I ended up dying and came to this world, and then here by being kidnapped by a group of men. They brought me to this place and I ended up becoming the number one male prostitute here. Amazing, isn't it?"
Laughing, the man looked at Andy with narrowed eyes. "Hahaha, what a pathetic story, my friend. I thought I had a crazy life, but yours? It's unbelievable."
Still both laughing, Andy passed him the bottle of wine. "Well, now it's your turn, what's your story?"
The man took the bottle and let out a sigh, his eyes reflecting a mixture of nostalgia and resignation. "I was sold by this brothel when I was 11 years old. They took care of me until I came of age at 18. Now I'm 35 and here I am, sharing absurd stories with you on this snowy ground. Life's a bitch, isn't it?"
"35? You look like you're 20!" exclaimed Andy, impressed by the man's youthful appearance despite his difficult past.
The flame of the bonfire suddenly went out, plunging the cell into darkness. "Well, looks like the party's over. You were right, I'm hot now," Andy said, surprisingly drunk and unable to stand. "I'm sleepy, can I stay here and sleep?".
"Sure, there are two sleeping bags," the man replied.
"Thank you, you are very kind. I was wary of you at first, but now I like you," Andy said, closing his eyes, drunk and half asleep.
"You know what? I like you too, but you don't seem confrontational at all. So why did you end up in the Isolation Zone?" the man asked.
Andy, eyes closed, replied, "Well, I came here voluntarily."
"Ah, tell me more," said the man.
Before Andy could speak, he fell asleep. The man got up from the floor and his face turned completely cold as he realized that Andy was completely drunk, just as he had planned. He pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and crept closer.
"Mmm," Andy wasn't asleep after all, but his eyes were closed. "W-what's your name? I forgot to ask," Andy asked, half asleep.
The pink-haired man smiled and replied, "My name is... hahaha." Tightening his grip on the knife, he continued in a relaxed tone, "My name is Luxter Stones."
Andy, unable to hear the name of the man who had taken him in, remained oblivious to the change in Luxter's expression. The latter looked at him, thinking that this individual had stolen the coveted top spot in the popularity rankings. Andy, oblivious to Luxter's machinations, lay deeply drunk with his eyes closed.
Just as Luxter was about to stab Andy, Andy uttered a few words as if speaking in his sleep, revealing why he was in the Zone: "I'm here because we planned to escape by digging a tunnel right here."
The revelation, which Luxter heard, hung in the air. Andy's unfinished words were lost in the silence as Luxter reconsidered his plans instead of continuing his attack. With careful gestures, Luxter lifted Andy from the floor, who was still sleeping, and carried him away, temporarily changing his true intentions.