Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed – Chapter 28

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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A holographic screen appeared in the air.

The interior of a bleak, dark room with the lights off.

Judging by the angle of the screen, it seemed to be footage from a surveillance camera.

People wearing masks, concealing their faces, entered the holographic screen from outside the frame.

They were all dressed in identical black outfits.

They placed some kind of special device in the center of the room. A hologram projector.

After a few manipulations, a loud sound erupted, and a yellow, circular hologram appeared above the machine.

Pa-ba-bam!!

【Greetings, everyone! Nice to meet you! I’m your helper, Smile John!】

A mechanical male voice.

A laughing emoticon bounced around like a launched ball.

Looking closely at the screen,

Besides the masked figures, several other people were standing in the corners of the room.

A few familiar faces were visible.

The criminals who had escaped from Pelicanus.

Perhaps this was before their escape,
as the restraints binding them were still in place.

【The reason I’m helping you escape is…, well, there isn’t one! I’m just letting you go! Hahaha!】

The sound of clapping, like something from a comedy show, followed his words.

【Also, even though you came to Neon City, the city of dreams, you couldn’t enjoy anything because you were trapped in Pelicanus! Now, this is where you laugh.】

Smile John laughed loudly, as if performing a one-man show.

The room remained silent.

No one, including his subordinates, laughed at Smile John’s words.

【Aw…, the mood is a bit stiff. But I’m fine! It’s okay!】

The circular hologram moved towards the escaped prisoners.

He stared intently at each one of them.

【You’re Chrome Psycho! Try not to get caught this time!】

【You’re a terrorist! Let’s be friends, since we’re in the same line of work!】

【You’re a bomber? What a unique profession! I like it.】

He left a comment for each of the escapees.

The action seemed meaningless.

Finally, Smile John reached the person at the very end.

The woman I had met recently.

Maya.

【Oh, I know you’re looking for a certain mage. I happen to know their location! I’ll let you know later. Haha!】

With Maya being the last, Smile John returned to the center of the room.

Meanwhile, one of the male escapees shouted at Smile John.

“Why the fuck do you talk like that?”

【Hahaha. It’s a habit. Besides, it’s good to live life with a smile, right?】

The emoticon spun around a few times.

And when the spinning stopped, several red veins were prominently drawn on Smile John’s forehead.

【And why are you speaking informally to me? That’s irritating.】

Immediately after, Smile John’s subordinates shot the man who had spoken informally.

Static appeared on the holographic screen.

The red blood flowing from the corner of the screen, on the floor, spoke volumes about the man’s condition.

【There was a slight incident! But I’m still okay! Nothing’s changed! You can all go out and do whatever you want!】

With those words, Smile John’s hologram disappeared into the air.

【Thank you! This has been Smile John!】

Soon, the screen went dark.

……Hmm.

After a brief thought, I scratched my head.

“So this crazy bastard is targeting me?”

“That’s right.”

This was a real problem.

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“As you saw, this is surveillance camera footage from Pelicanus.”

I nodded.

I confirmed it through the screen.

I saw the face of the Chrome Psycho, whom I’d met on the street when I went to buy the data module, as well as the faces of other escaped convicts and Maya.

Judging by the video alone, it was clear that Smile John had helped them escape.

I also remembered Maya saying that the person who helped them escape had told her my location.

“I cross-checked with other captured escapees, and it’s clear that this terrorist, Smile John, helped them break out.”

I tilted my head slightly.

“But isn’t it a bit premature to assume this terrorist is targeting me based on this alone?”

“I thought so too, at first.”

If she said “at first”…

It seems there’s something else.

I focused on Natasha’s words.

“Did you know you recently had a bounty placed on you?”

“Of course I did.”

“……What? You knew? You could’ve told me.”

Natasha’s gaze sharpened.

I instinctively shrunk back under her piercing glare, sharp as a knife.

A trap, all of a sudden…

I wasn’t sure what I’d done wrong, but
it felt like I needed to make an excuse.

“…Well, by the time I found out, Catherine had already taken care of it.”

Considering the timing and circumstantial evidence, it was 100% certain.

I answered that way.

“……Hmm, I suppose that’s possible.”

Her gaze softened slightly.

Good.

I managed to get through it somehow.

Natasha continued where she left off.

“While a separate organization placed the bounty, it was Smile John who commissioned them to do it.”

So it connects like this.

I kept nodding at her words.

“Recently, he’s been providing support to a group called Eco Warriors.”

“Eco, what?”

“Eco Warriors.”

What kind of group was that?

I felt like I’d heard of them somewhere.

As I pondered, Eve informed me.

[Eco Warriors are the orc terrorists ‘human Shiun’ encountered at the cafe recently, I inform.]

“Ah.”

I remembered.

It was those guys from back then.

The ones who got orc’d by Catherine.

“……But isn’t that just a coincidence?”

I had entered that cafe purely by chance.

“After interrogating the surviving orc from that incident, it’s a strong possibility.”

Hmmmmm.

Is that so? I don’t know.

Anyway, to summarize:

This terrorist, Smile John, was disrupting my peaceful daily life.

It was certainly strange.

Lately, I’d been experiencing nothing but bad luck.

It’s a fact that I’m unlucky, but lately, even I thought it was too much.

Which means…

“Is Catherine moving next door to us also because of that? To help me if something happens?”

“……Catherine moved next door?”

Ah.

This one seems to be a no.

Hmm…

“So, my failed stock investments were all part of Smile John’s scheme?”

“Your investments failed too?”

[I can assure you that is absolutely not the case.]

This one also seems to be a no.

Eve, Eve…

As a personal opinion, I wish she’d lift the ban on stocks.

Anyway, then for real, this is the last one.

“Isn’t it possible that Bill, my neighbor on the same floor, harassing me with his condescending behavior is all part of Smile John’s plan? It’s too suspicious.”

“……I don’t think that’s it.”

[…….]

Well, even I thought it was crazy talk.

I tried to regain my confused senses.

After slapping my cheeks a few times, my scattered thoughts, lost due to the baffling situation, returned.

“Do, do you know why this Smile John is targeting me?”

“I don’t know yet. Smile John himself is a virtual terrorist who appeared recently, so there isn’t much information on him.”

If he’s a virtual terrorist, he should be terrorizing netspace, as his name suggests.

I wondered why he was coming to the city and doing this to me.

Why is he targeting me?

Based on Natasha’s explanation so far, there was sufficient circumstantial evidence that he was targeting me.

There must be a reason.

“…….”

I had no idea who it could be.

It’s also because I’ve accumulated a lot of karma in this world. I lived as a mercenary, so it was unavoidable.

Even if there are grudges I’m unaware of,
it wouldn’t be strange at all.

“I’ll let you know if any related requests or information come in, so just wait a bit.”

“Oh, thank you, Boss.”

As expected.

It was good to have many capable people around, as it reduced my workload.

I sometimes feel a sense of self-deprecation because of this…, but still, I have to accept help when it’s offered.

But the atmosphere was strange.

Even after receiving my heartfelt thanks,
Natasha just stared at me silently without saying a word.

…Did I make a mistake?

I didn’t say anything strange.

After a silence, Natasha spoke.

“Isn’t ‘Boss’ too formal between us?”

“Huh?”

What do you mean, Boss?

Our relationship is purely professional.

But I couldn’t say what I was thinking.

Natasha continued.

“I’m giving you this information, I asked the Tech Master to give you implants that are less burdensome on your body, and all that.”

…….

Half of it I’m grateful for, half of it I’m not.

Honestly, the implants…

The pain I felt during the cyberware checkup still haunts my dreams.

Well, it’s true that I’m grateful.

“…Just call me by my name.”

“……Huh?”

“Call me Natasha.”

At that moment, the ‘Confucian Scholar’ within me rose with a giant body.

‘Stop!!!’

Why again?

‘How dare you disrespectfully call an elder by their name without permission!! As you know from playing games, do you even know how old the person in front of you i─.’

I banished his shadow, which was continuing its lengthy lecture, to the depths of my mind.

To survive in this cold city, there are things you have to endure.

I thought this was one of those times.

“Th, um, well… Thank you, Natasha.”

“Good.”

She was still covering her mouth with a fan, but I could easily tell she was smiling.

Natasha’s mood seemed much better.

“If you feel it might be dangerous for a while, you can stay here.”

“I think I’ll be fine. As I said earlier, Catherine lives next door.”

Honestly, with Catherine living next door,
what do I have to be afraid of?

…….

Catherine was a bit scary.

“……Really? Anyway, good.”

Natasha rose from her seat.

She moved somewhere else for a moment.

When she returned, she was holding a bottle of white rum with a fancy label.

Looks like the cola is really getting mixed with alcohol.

Natasha asked me as I sat still.

“You can at least keep me company, right?”

“……I can drink.”

It wasn’t difficult to have a simple drink.

I thought, watching the rum and coke mix.

But unlike my expectations, what we had wasn’t a simple drink.

…….

We drank a lot.

I couldn’t refuse when Natasha poured.

Was I drinking the alcohol, or was the alcohol drinking me?

I drank more than my limit for the first time in a while.

“Ugh.”

I felt like I was going to throw up.

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【Hello!】

If I had known I’d run into Smile John on my way home, I would have drank a little less.

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