Eira

The party was to be held at an estate on the western side of the city, and it happened that the clothing shop was on the western side as well. Still, with the poor traffic, it still took the trio nearly half an hour to reach the destination. As they traveled, West had his phone out for the latter portion of the trip and was repeatedly sending messages.

"Man, Eira says that he's still on his way. That guy better show up on time, we're only a few minutes out, and the party should already be starting right now!"

It turned out that the actual listed time was 4:00 pm, but West wanted to show up fashionably late, at 5:00. No one would mind this, it wasn't like a common part with close friends. Instead, this was a place to network and meet other people in related businesses. There would be people coming and going throughout the night.

West's concern mainly stemmed from wanting to arrive at the same time as his date. If he had to wait around alone for a time before Eira arrived, he might lose some face before his rivals.

Luckily for the fellow Villainous, from the messages Eira was sending, it seemed that they would be arriving at roughly the same time. Furthermore, the cosplayer seemed supremely confident in his costume this time, and even joked that he might accidentally seduce both West and his rivals.

"Elric, what should I be doing at the party? I know it's a good chance to socialize and meet other performers, and also to find potential future work, but who should I try to talk to?"

Elric shrugged. He had attended a few parties with his parents when he was younger, but it was always his father who handled most of their networking stuff. He had yet to ask his pops what he should do.

"I guess just go around, be friendly, and chat with people. Any connections we make here will be good for us since we don't really have anyone yet."

After a slight pause, Elric continued speaking.

"But please still be careful, and be wary of people. No drinking random stuff anyone gives you, and don't get into a stranger's car. If someone does offer you something here… hm."

If Ember was to just turn down a drink offered by a potential connection, she could easily offend them.

"Just drink a little bit, then find a chance to dump it after you move on to talking to someone else. This way you won't get drunk, and you won't need to worry about getting drugged by someone. I'll also be by your side most of the time, so there shouldn't be too much to worry about."

West nodded along with Elric's words, but didn't add anything to the conversation. This would also be his first time attending a party like this without his father's guidance.

Ember's face still looked a bit fearful as she thought about the impending party.

"A- Alright. Please take care of me."

Their limo pulled up outside of a fancy mansion, and when they stepped out, the air seemed to change. There was a line of cars, both in front of and behind their limo, and all of them looked to be extremely expensive. Standing around the entrance were well-clothed butlers, some of them moving to help people departing from their cars, and others checking to make sure everyone entering had been invited.

"I don't see Eira yet, but since he won't have an invitation, I guess we should wait outside for him."

Just as West was speaking, Elric felt a hand on his shoulder, and he jumped in fright.

"Hmm~? This guy is a bit of a hotty~!"

All three members of the group turned to see a stunning young woman, her mouth curled in a mischievous smile. The girl's voice had a strange attraction, and it almost felt like she was whispering seductively into Elric's ear, despite her speaking at a regular volume.

The young woman looked Ember up and down, an appreciative look on her face.

"Hmm? Your girlfriend here is quite beautiful… Tell me, which of us do you think is better?"

The young woman took a step back, then twirled around, her icy-blue dress sparkling as it spun. Her curves couldn't quite match up against Ember, but everything else was an even competition.

Before Elric had a chance to respond, Ember stepped in front of him.

"Hello! I think you look really pretty... Can you please leave him to me, though?"

Perhaps something about West's 'catch 'em all' attitude and the conversation at the start of their trip had made Ember uneasy, and she looked worried at the advance of another girl.

When she saw the concerned expression on Ember's face, the stranger laughed lightly.

"Hm that's fine, I don't think your boyfriend here needs to give an answer. How about I ask for the butler's opinion, instead?"

The stranger turned to West, and the boy's face darkened as he processed her words.

"I'm actually the guest who invited this couple here, not their butler."

"Really? But you look so… butlery."

Something clicked in Elric's mind as he heard the girl's words, and he looked at her dress once again. His gaze focused on her chest area, and he grinned.

Wrapping an arm around West's shoulders, Elric pulled him away for a moment.

"Bro, she's pretty hot, right?"

After a slight pause, West nodded.

"Yea, but she's kinda rude."

Elric waved his hand, dismissing West's words.

"She's probably nicer once you get to know her. You agree with me, though, that she's definitely a 10, right?"

Ember had leaned in to listen to what Elric was saying, and she now had an angry frown on her face.

"Look, I'll help wingman you with her. Just go up and ask her out, I'll handle the rest!"

West still looked a bit hesitant, but he nodded his head.

"Alright."

After taking a moment to readjust his hair, West walked back over to where the girl was standing.

"Young miss, might I ask for your company at this ball? Your beauty has astounded me to the point that I've entirely forgotten about my previous partner."

The girl blushed a bit, then reached out her hands to hold West's own hand.

"T- thank you! Do you really mean it?"

West was surprised by her change in demeanor but attributed it to what Elric had said previously. This girl was probably actually great once one got to know her!

West raised the girl's hand to his lips, then gave it a small kiss.

"M'lady, please allow me to esco-... NO!"

Something clicked in West's mind, and he quickly released the girl's hand, then stumbled backward.

"SecretlyKind, how could you?! How could you conspire with him?!"

The girl chuckled, her voice sounding oddly lower.

"Hello there, WhaleoftheWest. It seems you are quite unfaithful, even to your brothers."

Behind West, Elric couldn't keep his own laughter in. He had already realized who the unknown girl was after seeing her icy blue dress, which perfectly matched the blue threads on West's own suit.

Putting his hands on his hips, Eira went back into character and made a pouty expression.

"Hmph, I've been cheated on with myself! Even before you met me, you were already willing to run off with some random girl, instead of spending time with your buddy!"

West shivered as he heard Eira's words. His girl voice was too good. It wasn't just a female-sounding voice. It was an impossibly seductive one, to the point that every time he spoke, West felt something moving within himself.

"Please stop! It's freaky knowing that you're a guy!"

Eira walked forward until he was nearly touching West, then leaned forward to whisper into the young man's ear. His seductive voice tickled West's ear lobe.

"Shh, you shouldn't be saying that when I'm undercover, right? And besides… you never know. What if I'm actually a girl? It's impossible to know just from a conversation online. What do I look like to you in person?"

Eira took a step back, a devious smile on her face.