Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed – Chapter 27

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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I’m currently sitting inside a car.

I thought it before getting in, too, but perhaps because it looked expensive, the comfortable ride was top-notch.

If only the situation weren’t like this, my mind would be as comfortable as the ride.

“Is the seat comfortable, Mr. Shiun?”

Smith, sitting in the driver’s seat, spoke to me.
His gaze, glancing at me from the side, reflected in the rearview mirror.

Judging by the atmosphere alone, it looked like we were just on a peaceful drive.

“……Well, yes. It’s comfortable. Very.”

And if the bulky guys weren’t sitting on either side of me, it would be even more comfortable.

Comfortable my ass…

I muttered to myself.

Indeed.

My current position was no different from being completely isolated.

Perhaps because everyone in the car except me was somewhat bulked up,

I couldn’t physically expand my shoulders.

I was literally wedged in.

With a chuckle, Smith continued.

“I apologize that this isn’t an aerial vehicle.”

“It’s fine.”

Aerial vehicle or not,

It was just my posture that was uncomfortable.

I added silently.

“We’ll be arriving soon. Please bear with the discomfort for a little longer.”

With that, Smith focused on driving again.

These days, any car would have an autonomous driving system, but he was holding the steering wheel, driving manually.

It was a typical Smith move, meticulous about rules and principles.

By the way, it felt like we hadn’t been driving long, but he said we were arriving soon.

He must be speeding. I didn’t know the speed limit here, but he was definitely driving faster than the other cars passing by.

I turned my gaze to the car’s rearview mirror.

“…….”

Something felt strange.

I looked around the car I was in.

Several black sedans, identical in design, were following us in a line.

They weren’t just visible in the rearview mirror. They were beside us, in front of us, even diagonally.

It looked as though they were forming a military encirclement around the car I was in.

Having confirmed that, I cautiously spoke.

“……Excuse me, Mr. Smith.”

“Yes, Mr. Shiun.”

Focused on driving, Smith replied without looking back.

“……By any chance, how many people came with you?”

“Hahaha.”

Smith laughed as if he’d heard something funny.

But his laughter sounded somewhat mechanical.

“We can’t just go and pick up Mr. Shiun without proper precautions.”

So, how many?

A brief silence fell.

Perhaps feeling awkward, Smith spoke again after a moment.

“Just about two teams.”

Two teams.

[Based on nearby signals, I estimate a deployment of four teams.]

Hmm.

It was suffocating just hearing that.

No, I was physically suffocating because of the bulky guys next to me.

“I-I’m a little stuffy. Could I open the window?”

No answer.

Instead, Smith pressed a button next to the steering wheel with his index finger.

A monotonous voice echoed from the car.

《Activating air circulation system.》

[It seems Orc ‘Smith’ has no intention of opening the window, I assess.]

I thought so.

Then Smith said,

“Hahaha, just in case.”

“Huh?”

Just in case what?

What am I supposed to do?

Despite hearing my puzzled reply, Smith continued to laugh mechanically, focusing on driving.

Don’t tell me.

Did he think I was going to jump out the window and run away?

“…….”

That was a better idea than I thought.

With a protective spell, I wouldn’t get seriously injured even if I jumped out of a moving car.

Should I break the window and
Run away now?

Just as I was thinking that,

“We’ve arrived, Mr. Shiun. Please get out.”

I must have been contemplating for too long.

We were already in front of No Answer.

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It was still too early for people to be drinking, close to lunchtime, but

No Answer was still crowded.

I remember mentioning this once before.

I described this place as having the atmosphere of a club, a bar, or a high-end lounge.

It wasn’t just a club or a bar, so it was natural for it to be crowded even during the day.

The first floor had a club-like atmosphere and was filled with rookie mercenaries.

The second floor resembled a high-end bar, frequented by experienced mercenaries.

And the third floor, where I had just arrived, was where

The de facto ruler of No Answer, the idol and pinnacle of all fixers in Neon City, resided.

Rookie mercenaries usually didn’t even know of her existence; she was a figure shrouded in rumors.

“Water, or cola?”

“……Cola, please.”

“Alright, then rum and coke it is.”

Since when did cola contain alcohol?

I had no idea.

She, the Boss of No Answer, Natasha, smiled at me.

Her captivating smile was striking.

While she briefly left to get the cola, or rum and coke, I took a deep breath.

Perhaps because of her beautiful appearance,
Or perhaps because of her high status in Neon City,

She was a bit overwhelming for me.

When I was with other colleagues during missions, it was less burdensome, but like this, in a one-on-one meeting, I felt more self-conscious.

Natasha placed a glass filled with cola in front of me.

Fortunately, it was pure P-brand cola, without any alcohol.

Despite being the Boss of No Answer, she was also quite playful.

For some reason, she was even more playful with me.

I took a sip of the cola.

I wondered why she had suddenly called me, but

Since I’d been sandwiched between those hulks on the way here, my throat was parched.

Natasha sat on the sofa opposite me, habitually crossing her legs.

Her luxurious black hair cascaded around her neck.

A small golden hairpin was tucked into her neatly braided hair.

Unlike usual, Natasha was wearing a cheongsam.

Her azure eyes pierced through me.

It was truly intimidating.

Natasha broke the silence.

“Smith told me you promised to visit at least once.”

“…Ah, about that. I’ve been a bit busy lately.”

It was because of the backlog of new games.

Definitely not my fault.

“Hmm, and it wasn’t just playing games at home?”

How did she know?

[A suspicion anyone could have, I believe.]

Is that so?

Anyway, she knew me too well.

I took another sip of cola.

When there was nothing appropriate to say, not saying anything at all was also a good strategy.

The problem was,

Because I didn’t answer, Natasha also fell silent.

In the end, to change the atmosphere,

I had no choice but to come up with another question.

“…So, um, why did you call me?”

“You seem very eager to get this over with and go back.”

“……That’s not it.”

It wasn’t ‘not it’; it was exactly it.

I wanted to go back.

As an introvert, this atmosphere was too much for me.

She unfolded the fan she was holding.

An LED-illuminated dragon design and hologram appeared elegantly on the surface.

Natasha naturally hid her mouth behind the fan.

Her gaze, visible above it, was sharp.

“…….”

If I used magic to blast a hole in the ceiling and summon lightning, could I escape from here?

I secretly entertained the thought.

It was then that Natasha stood up.

She slowly walked towards me.

Since there were only two of us in the room, Natasha and me, there was no one to stop her.

Like a frog before a snake, I froze, watching Natasha approach.

I felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down my neck.

I didn’t know what I had done wrong, but the atmosphere called for me to kneel and apologize.

Natasha approached, her mouth still hidden behind the fan.

She slowly extended her hand.

Natasha’s fingertips brushed against my eyes, where my dark circles resided.

The pressure I was feeling doubled.

“Maya, was it? That girl you told me about a long time ago.”

I flinched at the unexpected name.

I wondered why Maya’s name was suddenly brought up.

And how did Natasha know about Maya now?

Did she hear about her through the bioware specialist I entrusted Maya to?

The sudden mention of her name left me speechless.

“That’s a curious look. You know I know almost everything in this business.”

Her fingers continued to move.

They traced my eyes, my mask, and stopped under my chin before returning.

“You’re always busy, aren’t you?”

…I was indeed busy, but

Something felt off.

It was a different tone from when she mentioned me playing games earlier.

Since I had nothing to say,

I just sat quietly again.

“Well, that’s that. But that’s not why I called you today.”

“Did something happen?”

Or was there an urgent mission?

No, if that were the case, she would’ve called my other colleagues as well, not just me.

So, she hadn’t kidnapped me just to see my face?

This was a twist.

Natasha took a step back.

There was a luxurious-looking table between the sofas we were sitting on.

Walking to the table, Natasha pressed a button on its surface.

With a beam of light, a large holographic image was projected into the air.

A 3D rendering of a smiling emoticon.

The only difference from a normal emoticon was that it had red veins drawn on its yellow forehead.

It looked like it was depicting a smiling yet angry face.

“Do you know who this is?”

“A smiling emoticon?”

“Hee hee, no.”

Did smiling emoticons have names now?

I couldn’t understand cyberpunk sensibilities.

“This is a new ‘virtual terrorist’.”

“?”

“The name is Smile John.”

This was beyond my imagination.

What even was a virtual terrorist?

Someone who commits acts of terror in the NetSpace?

Or someone who maintained a virtual appearance like Pete Mac or virtual streamers, but committed real-life terrorism?

Either way, I couldn’t understand.

I didn’t remember seeing anything like this when I played the game this world was based on.

But,

“……Why are you bringing up such a crazy person?”

“Ah, I see you don’t know yet.”

Natasha sat back down on the sofa.

Her deep azure gaze fixed on me.

“This terrorist is targeting you.”

“……Huh?”

Why me?

Caught off guard,

My jaw dropped.

I had no interest in being obsessed over by a terrorist.

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