A Monodrama for Carolyn August - Chapter 87

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 87.
Caroline had never entertained such a thought before.
It was probably because Aiden had never shown it openly on stage. It was likely just something he’d thought to himself while playing Will.
So would Will, in his Character Personality state, carry a bucket list like this—a dream of becoming a bartender running a cocktail bar?
“In any case, today I’d like to teach you some simple Cocktail Making techniques. We have most of the ingredients here. The selection rivals any proper bar.”
Aiden strode purposefully toward a cabinet set deep within the room. When he opened both doors, glass bottles packed the shelves without a single gap.
Colorful liquids in different hues and shapes.
“Do you have a favorite cocktail?”
“Hmm……”
Caroline thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“I’ve never tried a cocktail before. I’ve never even been to a bar, and—oh!”
The memory suddenly struck her, and Caroline slapped her knee.
She had tried a cocktail exactly once—a few days ago, when Aiden in his Will personality had made one for her while she was pretending to be Jane.
That cocktail from the story, Corpse Reviver No. 2.
“I have tasted one before. It was tart and fragrant…… You know, the one Will gives to Jane in <Incidents on Campbell’s Cruise>.”
“Ah, Corpse Reviver No. 2, you mean.”
“That’s right.”
“It’s not difficult. First, I’ll chill the Coupe Glass.”
Aiden picked up a glass with a short stem and a wide, rounded bowl at the top, and set it near the cabinet to cool.
“But where did you taste it? You said you’ve never been to a bar.”
Caroline found herself at a loss for words.
‘I’ve never been to a bar, and I was on a Mission for him at his Mansion, and he—how am I supposed to tell you that you made it for me?’
“……I don’t remember clearly. But it was really delicious.”
“First, let’s pick up the Shaker in front of you and fill it with plenty of ice.”
Aiden sat lightly on the table and gestured toward the objects, pointing them out to Caroline. She picked up ice tongs and dropped several pieces of ice into the Shaker.
“Now, grab that hourglass-shaped thing with small cups on both sides. That’s called a Jigger. The larger side holds forty-five milliliters, but we only need twenty-two point five. I’m about to set these down in front of you—pour each one to about half capacity into the Shaker.”
Caroline watched as Aiden placed bottles one by one that he’d been carrying in his arms.
Dry Gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc, and Lemon.
“I’m not sure what ‘about half’ means exactly.”
Caroline glanced at him for help, and Aiden moved behind her. He then placed his hands over hers and began pouring Cointreau into the Jigger.
A pleasant fragrance emanated from him—a subtle blend of cool water and citrus notes.
The proximity of Aiden caused her body to tense automatically, but in that moment, Caroline inexplicably found herself remembering Aiden at three in the morning. The memory of having collapsed onto the bed oddly nestled against him.
‘Why am I thinking of that now?’
“This amount should be just right.”
And by then, Aiden had already shown her an example. Caroline, taking that as reference, poured the remaining liquids in the correct proportions. Including the two point five milliliters of Lychee Syrup he’d added.
To the drink she’d completed, Aiden tapped in Absinthe twice. Then he thrust the Shaker into Caroline’s hands.
“Now shake it vigorously. Shake it as if all your worries will fly away.”
Caroline did as he said. Shaking it at a steady pace so her arm wouldn’t tire, she watched him quietly.
The man before her seemed to stand on an ambiguous boundary between Will and Aiden. As if Aiden too had taken an interest in cocktails, the cheerful Will she remembered, brimming with vitality in this moment, came to mind.
So she asked him on impulse.
“……Why did you think Will would want to be a bartender rather than a clown?”
Aiden, perched on the edge of the table, raised an eyebrow at her question. It was a reaction typical of Will as a performer. Caroline’s eyes widened in doubt.
“Actually, I never thought the work of a clown and a bartender were all that different. You have to create something and make the other person laugh. You also have to receive their emotions. Especially Will as a performer—isn’t he an emotional laborer?”
“That’s true.”
“I don’t think Will dislikes clown work, but I was certain he’d want to escape from it—work his parents had been doing since before him. Anything done for so long against one’s own will becomes unbearable.”
Clink-clink.
Caroline stopped shaking and stared intently at Aiden’s face. For a moment, contempt flickered across his features.
Work done for so long against one’s own will.
It seemed like that was also a reflection on the acting she herself had done.
“……So let me rephrase the question. If you weren’t an actor, what else would you want to do? What do you want to do?”
“……”
Aiden’s eyebrows twitched again as he gazed into the distance. Lost in thought, he swung his feet back and forth like a child.
That was a characteristic of the clown Will. Caroline’s eyes narrowed against the persistent sense of déjà vu.
“I’ve never really thought about quitting the acting profession and doing something else from the start.”
Aiden took the Shaker from Caroline’s hands and began shaking it himself.
“But I’d like to do work where I can hide my face. Heavy makeup as a clown would be fine. Or a gardener who doesn’t meet people, only touches plants. Or a bartender who listens to people’s stories. I never had the chance to hear many others’ tales.”
“That’s not very definite, is it?”
“It seems I’d like to try anything other than being an actor. If I hadn’t had to live as a dedicated performer, what choices would have been available to me? That’s what I’m curious about.”
Aiden stopped shaking and poured the drink cleanly through a strainer into the glass he’d retrieved from the refrigerator. Then came the next step—grating Lemon to make the Zest.
Aiden twisted some of the smooth yellow Zest in his hands, while the rest he simply laid atop the drink.
The moment Aiden lifted the finished drink to show Caroline, she let out a bitter laugh.
“Just do everything, Aiden.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Try everything. It’s fine if you experience different professions one day at a time, like anyone else. Think of the days ahead as reclaiming all those hours you poured into acting. Live them that way.”
Don’t die.
Caroline said this, then bit her lip hard. Why did his choices always lead to death? Why hadn’t he thought of enjoying the life he’d lost in some other way?
Mental illness was just one affliction among many. It could be managed with consistent treatment. He only acted out his roles—he’d never harmed anyone inside the Mansion, had he?
“……I understand.”
Hearing her words, Aiden’s expression shifted for a moment as if he hadn’t expected this, then he smiled gently.
He set the finished cocktail before her. The fragrant lemon aroma caught her nose, and the unease that had been gnawing at Caroline’s heart eased. She took the glass and drank deeply.
Aiden spoke in a voice tinged with amusement.
“Will would probably be happy to hear that. It sounds like something encouraging him to keep living, the way you put it.”
Caroline understood what Aiden meant. On the Cruise, Will had killed everyone he hated, then tried to throw himself into the sea, ready to abandon life. He wouldn’t have known that Jane had confessed falsely in his place after he killed his final target.
“He’s not going to die anyway. He’ll work as a bartender and live well with Jane, won’t he?”
Caroline spoke with a hint of petulance.
What did Will matter? He was just a character anyway. She’d said it only because she wanted Aiden’s health and happiness.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
“What?”
Caroline’s eyes widened at his words denying the romantic ending. What did he mean?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————