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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Ko-ozaka Corporation.
Famous for its octopus-like expansion into any profitable venture, it boasts numerous subsidiaries.
It’s also a mega-corp, a military-industrial complex boasting the second-largest market capitalization.
The chairman’s name is Mr. Pete Mac.
As I mentioned before, he resembles a certain mouse character from my previous life, reminiscent of a certain copyright-sensitive company.
He’s effectively become a mascot character and is renowned as the most well-known character in this cyberpunk world.
If you’re wondering what it’s like, imagine the president of Ninte○do being Super Ma○io.
Therefore, almost everyone considers the vice-chairman, Ko-ozaka William, to be the actual head of Ko-ozaka.
It’s only natural.
Well, anyway, that’s not important right now.
It was still just a possibility.
Just one with a slightly higher probability than others.
But if, by any chance, his hidden identity truly was the terrorist targeting Eve and me…
It would be hard to find a worse situation.
Ko-ozaka William, a middle-aged man with neatly slicked-back hair, spoke to us.
“Chairman of Monolith, it’s been a long time.”
[The probability of being ‘Smile John’ has increased to 67%.]
“I just stopped by on my way… I didn’t expect you to be here as well.”
[…Further increased to 73%.]
“Is this a new employee? It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Ko-ozaka William.”
[…79%]
Seriously.
Stop going up already.
I screamed silently.
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If his hidden identity was indeed Smile John, it would explain many of the misfortunes that had befallen me.
I wasn’t talking about the terrorist attacks or Maya’s escape from prison.
The misfortunes that happened to me weren’t just those.
“…So it wasn’t because I’m bad at stocks that I went bankrupt.”
I muttered unconsciously in a low voice.
“Hmm, what did you say?”
“I said it’s an honor to meet you.”
Fortunately, it seemed Ko-ozaka William didn’t hear my mumbling.
I naturally accepted his extended hand for a handshake.
[It is true that ‘Ko-ozaka’ may have targeted human ‘Shiun’, but it is also true that you are bad at stocks, I judge.]
Be quiet. I’m trying to stay positive here.
I looked directly at Ko-ozaka William.
Whether his identity was Smile John was still a question.
The probability was high, but it wasn’t certain.
At least, his expression as he looked at me held no particular emotion.
There was no suspicion, no hostility, nothing like that.
It was simply the face of someone looking at an ’employee brought by the Monolith chairman.’
Not particularly interested.
But not completely dismissive either.
Just that much.
After the formal greetings ended, Ko-ozaka William left for another group of people.
It really seemed like he had only come to greet the Monolith chairman.
Only then did I let out the breath I had been holding.
I must have been unconsciously tense.
I let out a deep sigh, a habit I’d developed lately.
I slowly caught my breath.
Soon, I felt my heart calm down a little.
The chairman, noticing my state, said,
“Is that him?”
“…Huh?”
“Smile John.”
…I hadn’t said anything yet.
But she seemed to have already noticed and asked.
“Well, he has the highest probability.”
“Hmm… Data manipulation isn’t impossible. Keep that in mind.”
She was right.
It was a world where voices could be easily synthesized with deepfake technology if you had the data.
But even so, the fact that he currently had the highest probability didn’t change.
The chairman gestured a few times in the air.
It looked like she was manipulating a visual interface.
“Ko-ozaka William, 79 years old. A corporate elite who rose through the ranks at an incredible speed, boasting exceptional skills even at a young age.”
“…Young age?”
“He didn’t originally have the Ko-ozaka surname. His original surname was Robert, but he secretly married Ko-ozaka Nobukiro’s daughter, Ko-ozaka Kohaku, which led to the birth of the current Ko-ozaka William.”
She rattled off information while calling it a secret.
Well, I suppose all sorts of news would reach the chairman of a mega-corp.
Hearing the explanation made my head even more complicated.
Was he really Smile John?
If he was Smile John, what should I do next?
Assassinate him?
Honestly, the chance of success was close to 0%.
Even seeing his face up close now was a miracle.
It was only possible because of a chance encounter in this special setting.
Otherwise, he was someone I couldn’t even get within 100 meters of.
Also, assassinating him without revealing my identity would require several conditions.
This, too, was close to impossible.
Even if Eve helped me with hacking, the more time passed, the more traces would be left.
And if I were caught?
I would have to change my identity and hide, or escape to the slum-ridden underground levels.
And even that wouldn’t be sustainable for long.
Then, what I could do was—.
“Hey, should we go get some fresh air outside?”
“Huh?”
I stopped thinking and looked at the chairman.
Unlike me, with my complicated expression, the chairman was looking at me with her usual relaxed look.
She had untied her arms and placed them behind her back.
She looked up at me.
“You seem lost in thought. Want to come this way?”
Without waiting for my reply, the chairman started walking.
Several gazes followed us, but no one actually followed us.
As we walked to the end of the banquet hall, a large balcony appeared.
Fortunately, there was no one on the balcony.
The sun was already setting outside.
Beneath the red sunset, the cityscape of the giant neon city shone dazzlingly.
Since the upper levels were relatively high compared to other areas, the skyscrapers in the middle levels seemed low.
“The view from the upper levels is certainly nice, isn’t it?”
“…It is.”
A cool breeze brushed past my nose.
Clean air filled my lungs. The cool, fresh upper-level air, breathed in without a mask, was pleasantly invigorating.
My throbbing headache had subsided.
“Feeling a bit better?”
The chairman’s bright purple roll hair fluttered in the wind.
“…Yes, thank you for your concern.”
“Hee hee.”
The chairman chuckled at my thanks.
Every action she took was filled with composure and dignity. I could understand why she was called ‘The Emperor’ in the news.
Of course, right now, I thought the nickname ‘Empress’ would suit her better.
“So, what are you going to do if he really is Smile John?”
“…Well, I need to think about it a bit more.”
It wasn’t something to rush.
Nothing was certain yet, and even if it were, my options were limited.
Hmm.
If Smile John’s identity really was…
The vice chairman of the second-ranked mega-corp…
Honestly, at that point, changing my identity and hiding or running away seemed like the wisest choice.
In any case, it wasn’t a decision to be made now.
“If you need help, tell me anytime. I’ll help you with whatever I can, like this time. Or should I start collecting some Ko-ozaka stock?”
“…Haha, it’s okay.”
The problem was that even her jokes didn’t sound like jokes.
She was probably serious about offering help. The problem was that I felt too burdened to ask her readily.
If I bothered her too much, the Chief Secretary’s glare would become increasingly terrifying.
Anyway, I decided to think positively.
At least Smile John’s identity might be the vice chairman of a mega-corp.
He wasn’t the chairman, right?
I nodded to myself.
It didn’t seem like anyone else would be coming to the banquet hall now.
I should start getting ready to leave.
Honestly, there was no way anyone would appear later than the Monolith chairman or Ko-ozaka’s vice chairman.
“Thank you for taking the time for me.”
“…Are you leaving already?”
“I’ve achieved my initial objective. And I don’t think anyone else will come.”
The mental strain of going out was starting to take its toll.
It was the kind of mental fatigue that could be recovered by lying in bed, covered with a blanket, and browsing the netspace.
Did she notice my condition?
Normally, she would have suggested having dinner together before leaving.
The chairman’s sullen expression as she nodded was striking.
Her changing speech and behavior depending on her body were fascinating.
“Then I should go too.”
“Oh, you can stay longer, Chairman—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
The chairman was staring intently at me.
Did I say something wrong?
It was a little scary.
Eventually, the chairman chuckled.
“Well, it would be nice to chat about life on the way back. I don’t have many people I can talk to comfortably.”
“…Ah.”
So even the chairman had her own struggles.
“Then let’s go together.”
“I’ll leave the escorting to you.”
What escorting?
With that, we left the balcony and walked back to the banquet hall.
On our way out, Ko-ozaka’s mascot chairman, ‘Mr. Pete Mac,’ appeared on a screen, surprising everyone.
I guess even as a mascot, he still made broadcast appearances at events like this.
I didn’t know who was playing the character inside, but I thought they must have a tough job.
The chairman and I went outside and boarded a driverless vehicle.
I wondered why she hadn’t called an air vehicle, but I couldn’t exactly question the chairman about it.
It definitely wasn’t because of the numerous escort vehicles, armed with guns, following us that I didn’t ask.
Anyway, it took quite a while to get back because of that.
My suggestion that she could drop me off along the way was easily dismissed.
I saw the chairman off in front of my house.
“Phew.”
I stretched lightly.
Now then.
It was time to find out if ‘Smile John’s’ true identity was ‘Ko-ozaka’s vice chairman.’
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“Let’s kidnap him.”
[I agree with human ‘Catherine’s’ opinion.]
What should I do with these precious children?
My head started to hurt again.
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