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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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The closer I walked to the heart of Pete MacLand, the more the atmosphere began to shift. Compared to the outskirts, teeming with tourists and rides, this area felt different.
Finally, arriving in front of the headquarters building, the scene that unfolded could no longer be described as an “amusement park.”
“Ko-zaka, repent!”
“Repent! Repent!”
…Hmm.
Drone cameras, reflecting light, buzzed in the air. People shouted using small megaphones or voice-amplifying implants.
It was a bizarre and unusual sight, completely at odds with the image of an amusement park. Yet, in a way, it was also a perfectly normal sight here.
NCB24 even had a segment dedicated to covering Ko-zaka’s wrongdoings.
I won’t elaborate. Suffice it to say, Ko-zaka’s malicious acts were notorious in this city.
I glanced around. Some people held metal picket signs; others projected large holographic messages.
Their commonality? They were all united in their condemnation of Ko-zaka.
“Give me back my stocks, you bastards!!”
Someone’s cry of anguish echoed through the air.
Hmm. Should I join them and hold a picket sign?
If Eve hadn’t supported me with a portion of her streaming income, I might have been protesting alongside them. Or, even if not that, I would’ve been scrambling for any kind of job just to survive.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“…….”
Catherine spoke, and Eve took my hand.
As they led me away, I felt a faint pang of guilt.
With Smile John’s true identity revealed as Ko-zaka’s deranged mascot character, and considering Pete Mac’s hostile business practices, I couldn’t claim to be completely innocent.
That’s just how I felt.
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“That’s right,” Ko-zaka William nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, in response to my question.
“Most of our recent profitable activities were ordered by the chairman, who came down in secret. For example, the ‘Rainbow Flavored Cola’ that we created to target our competitor’s cola.”
“…….”
So it was true.
I couldn’t comprehend what lengths they had gone to just to harm me. It made no sense.
Ko-zaka William lifted an antique teacup and took a sip of green tea.
I cautiously followed suit. I generally didn’t prefer most teas besides coffee.
…But what was this? Gold flakes in the tea?
Apparently, this one cup cost more than my monthly food budget. Having heard that, I decided to drink it without complaint.
Catherine, who seemed disinclined to drink the tea, spoke with a subtly disgruntled tone.
“It’s chaotic outside, but in here, it’s so peaceful. Must be nice for you higher-ups.”
True to her character, she spoke her mind even in the presence of a MegaCorp Vice Chairman, and the chairman of another MegaCorp (Monolith), no less.
Normally, I would have pretended to chide her for her unfiltered remarks, but today, I agreed with Catherine and remained silent.
She was right.
Unlike the ongoing protests outside, the atmosphere here was eerily peaceful.
Just then, a tong resonated through the air – the sound of a bamboo water feature commonly seen in Japanese culture. A shishi-odoshi. The bamboo tube, filled with water, tipped over and struck a rock, then tilted back up.
It might sound unbelievable, but the inside of the building felt more like the outside than the actual outside.
A Japanese garden stretched out before us, and a traditional Japanese house stood behind us.
Sitting on the wide veranda, leisurely sipping tea, the protests outside felt like a distant dream.
A holographic image of a wall flickered on the glass windows, and a blue sky flowed slowly across the ceiling, looking incredibly real.
The ceiling was so high; if someone were knocked unconscious and brought here, they could easily mistake it for the outdoors.
Ko-zaka William responded nonchalantly to Catherine’s comment.
“It’s my wife’s preference.”
He seemed completely unconcerned, despite being aware of the protests raging outside.
The image of him from the landfill and the sewers was gone. He looked every bit the MegaCorp Vice Chairman, just like when I first saw him at the party.
“You didn’t look so composed when you had your arm bent by that Orc.”
“Ahem.”
Ko-zaka William cleared his throat politely. It seemed my inner thoughts had slipped out.
I quietly sipped my (expensive) tea, subtly conveying my apology.
Meanwhile, Eve, who had been looking around, walked back towards us.
“I don’t see any surveillance, like cameras,” she reported. “And I can’t find any trace of Smile John in its current form.”
So she had been looking for that. I just thought she was curious about the surroundings…
Tong.
Eve’s gaze shifted towards the shishi-odoshi, the source of the sound, then returned to us.
…Maybe she was just curious.
In any case, it seemed she had been subconsciously worried about Smile John monitoring her.
Ko-zaka William took a short breath. He put down his teacup and gestured towards the interior of the Japanese house.
From the shadows within, a female employee, resembling a ninja, emerged carrying a large metal case.
Without a word, she placed the case between me and Ko-zaka William, then vanished back into the shadows as quickly as she had appeared.
To clarify, “vanished” meant she literally disappeared. Optical camouflage.
However, no one seemed surprised by her appearance, suggesting that everyone here was aware of her presence.
The woes of an unknowing mage…
Regardless, Ko-zaka William pressed a button on the case resting on the veranda. White smoke seeped out from the gaps. The case slowly opened, even though no one had touched it.
Inside was an outfit strikingly similar in design to the one I was wearing.
As we examined the contents, Ko-zaka William began to explain.
“First, it’s equipped with all the standard protective features, like stab and bullet resistance.”
He seemed well-prepared, his explanation flowing smoothly.
“We’ve maximized functionality using materials like carbon nanotubes, Kevlar, and muscle fibers.”
The explanation continued. Heat resistance, insulation, enhanced athletic performance via nano-robots activating muscle fibers…
Despite all the features, he added one last point.
“We’ve paid particular attention to making it stain and odor resistant.”
“Ah.”
I had been hoping to ask him for another one if this one got dirty, since he had so readily provided this one.
What a shame.
Honestly, when I mentioned it in the sewers, it was half a joke. But I was grateful that he had actually prepared a new outfit for me.
The female employee reappeared from the shadows, this time carrying two more identical cases.
“These are for the other two, and I’ll make sure to send your other colleague’s separately, so don’t worry.”
MegaCorp was indeed MegaCorp. Thorough in their provisions.
Wait.
But if they were going to send them separately anyway, couldn’t they have just sent ours separately too?
That’s what I thought.
As if reading my mind, Ko-zaka William clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.
“Now, let’s get down to business.”
As expected. Come to think of it, the SP had said, “There’s something else we need to discuss,” when he first invited us.
Of course, we should have discussed it the previous night when we first arrived…
Ko-zaka William glanced cautiously at Eve as he spoke. It seemed that her act of shutting down the lights of the city, including the headquarters, had been perceived as a threat, even by the MegaCorp Vice Chairman.
Honestly, I had been surprised too. It was an undeniably powerful display.
Ko-zaka William cleared his throat.
“First, about our common ‘enemy,’ Pete Mac… or Smile John, as you call him. It’s best to explain that first.”
He stood up on the veranda, which irritated me immensely because he didn’t take his shoes off.
If this were my house, I would have slapped him.
Seriously, in a Japanese-style house, you’re supposed to take your shoes off before entering. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but even so, the Confucian scholar within me couldn’t condone such behavior.
I removed my shoes and stepped onto the veranda. Catherine and Eve, accustomed to taking off their shoes at our place, followed suit.
Preoccupied with something else, Ko-zaka William continued, seemingly oblivious to our actions.
“I apologize in advance that I can’t use electronic devices for the explanation. Since this is inside the headquarters, ‘he’ could appear at any moment.”
He adjusted his tie and smoothed back his slicked-back hair, even though there was no mirror.
“So, I’ve found someone to help me explain.”
He was clearly talking to us, yet it also sounded like he was talking to himself.
Staring intently into the interior of the house, Ko-zaka William turned and finally looked at us.
“Let’s move, then.”
“Alright.”
I nodded and gestured to Catherine and Eve.
We followed him through the wooden house, so out of place in this cyberpunk world.
…A wooden building in this world. What a sight to behold.
Perhaps because I had adapted to this crazy world over more than ten years, the creaking of the old floorboards beneath my feet sounded strangely unfamiliar.
‘…Who is he so preoccupied with?’ I wondered as I followed Ko-zaka William.
Who would be explaining about ‘Pete Mac,’ ‘Smile John,’ and ‘Ko-zaka Nobukiro?
Ko-zaka William paused briefly and sighed, then carefully slid open a paper screen door.
Sitting demurely in the center of a spacious room was a young “girl.”
She looked incredibly young, but despite her age, her every movement exuded an indescribable air of grace.
…….
It wasn’t exactly grace, but she reminded me of someone.
Yes, like that crazy old man… ‘Bill.’
She didn’t look her age.
Breaking the silence, Ko-zaka William introduced the girl.
“This is my wife, Ko-zaka Kohaku.”
“…….”
Even for a MegaCorp Vice Chairman, this was… a bit much.
I gave him a look of utter disbelief.
Before I could say anything, however, Ko-zaka Kohaku spoke first.
“……I told you to take your shoes off, didn’t I?”
“Ah.”
I thought I heard the whimper of a henpecked husband.
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