Isekai Summoning

One week after the global panic had erupted, it was six o'clock at UFJ Bank.

The bank employees began filing in looking like zombies.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now...? Nasdaq dropped another five percent yesterday. Does that even make sense?"

A man clutching coffee in one hand and a report in the other lamented. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

"Don't even start. Our team leader got straight-up fired. Who could've guessed that contract the Korean brought in would turn out like this? He was already a known investor among those in the know, but now we really have to admit it."

The man with glasses beside him gazed up at the sky as if recalling someone.

The coffee-holding man angrily gulped his drink in successive sips.

"Ha! Just what was that Korean banking on when he brought that contract?!"

The Korean.

They were all talking about one single Korean man.

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be stuck here as mere employees..."

The glasses-wearing man contemplated the gap between himself and that Korean. Realizing the reality, he let out a hollow smile.

"By the way, how much did that K guy end up making?"

The messy-haired man finished his coffee, tossed the empty cup into the trash, and fluttered the report.

At the messy-haired man's words, the glasses guy looked up at the sky.

"Who knows..."

The man currently rising as the hottest potato of all.

He was strolling leisurely down the street, eyes on his phone.

At that very moment, from the Shibuya intersection he was passing, the same news kept blaring out nonstop.

On the electronic billboards of Shibuya, stories of the man who had made a fortune kept playing without pause.

The protagonist of the news already knew that fact full well.

Which was why he had gotten involved.

Ordinary people could know only one thing.

The nationality of the man who had triumphed against the world was Korean.

No one on the streets of Shibuya could possibly imagine that the person the billboards kept talking about was right there beside them.

"Oh, this new release is pretty fun."

A clean-cut face with black hair. Slightly brownish eyes. A physique with proportions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that would make passersby turn their heads at least once. Contrasting with that, messy hair and a beard that looked like it hadn't been shaved in days.

At a glance, he looked like a model in his twenties who hadn't bothered with maintenance.

He walked the street ordinarily, eyes on his phone. His inner self, however, was anything but ordinary.

"Hmm... They're making some decent anime here. Should I acquire it?"

Kim Sunghyun, thirty-eight years old. After entering Seoul National University as the top student, he had dropped out.

Having returned from military service as a sophomore, Sunghyun realized his investment sense and immediately submitted his withdrawal form.

He had become the hot topic of the school. But as with all news, Sunghyun was soon forgotten by everyone.

Most of them had no idea what Sunghyun was doing now, or where he was living.

"Ah~ What should I do next? It'll take a while for the market to settle down. Should I give it a shot? Virtual reality games."

Sounds fun.

Sunghyun thought about what lay ahead.

How could he live a more interesting life?

He hadn't grown tired of investing yet.

But he needed some new stimulation.

"Hmm... Virtual reality games, huh... What tech do I need? Super AI is a must, and a quantum computer to serve as the game's core, and..."

While Sunghyun was thinking of changing the world, on the opposite side of the street one of the world's chronic diseases was unfolding.

Bullying, ostracism, ijime—all different words used with similar meanings.

"Hey, walk properly... People are staring. Act friendly, act friendly. Smile."

A group of boys in school uniforms had their arms around a boy's shoulders.

Three boys total. One boy being dragged along. And one girl following in secret.

Sunghyun spotted it and immediately raised his phone.

"Ha... Still stuff like this going on?"

Sunghyun scratched his head. There was no real need for him to intervene.

No one was getting seriously hurt. Just kids bullying each other, right?

But looking at them, Sunghyun curled up the corners of his mouth.

"That looks fun, doesn't it?"

Sunghyun put on the sunglasses from his pocket.

"Isn't this what money's for? I've made my fortune. Time to do a little good deed."

That was what he said, but Sunghyun absolutely hated it when the strong bullied those weaker than themselves.

So he could never just let something like this slide.

Sunghyun called his secretary on the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, Secretary. It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing major, but could you take a look at the screen for a moment?"

Sunghyun switched straight to a video call and showed the scene before him to his secretary.

In truth, the secretary knew. There was no way this man would wait.

"Ah, that'll be too late. I'll head over first, so just call the people. Alright then."

Sunghyun smiled.

Something fun happened first thing in the morning.

Click—

"Shall we go."

Sunghyun whistled as he moved his feet toward where the students had headed.

Slap! Slap!

A blue-haired boy struck Hayato's cheek with his palm.

It sounded like hitting water.

Hayato just grinned weakly at the blue-haired boy.

"Natsume... Can't you stop now? We have to go to school soon..."

The boys beside him pointed and mocked at Hayato's words.

"Hahaha! Natsume! This guy says he wants to go to school!"

The gang behind Natsume pointed at Hayato and snickered.

Natsume paused his hand at Hayato's words, but only for a moment. He grabbed Hayato's hair again and yanked it up.

"Hey Hayato.... If you spout more nonsense one more time, I might really kill you..."

Just as Natsume raised his hand again.

Grab!

A girl seized Natsume's hand.

At the girl's appearance, Hayato's pupils shook.

"Sasaki?"

"S-Stop it!"

The girl named Sasaki shouted at Natsume.

"Sasaki...? Why are you here?"

Perhaps because of the unexpected person's appearance. The weak smile on Hayato's face had long since vanished.

Natsume exhaled heavily.

"Ha! Both this guy and that bitch. Do you think I'm a joke?"

Thud!

"Get lost."

Natsume shoved the girl hard with his arm.

The girl slammed into the wall and let out a groan.

"Ack!"

As Sasaki was pushed away, Natsume's eyes wavered.

The gang behind Natsume saw that and snickered.

"That's what you get for sticking your nose in, heh heh."

Watching that, Hayato clenched his teeth hard.

I can't take it anymore.

Just as Hayato grabbed Natsume's wrist and shook it off, footsteps echoed from the alley entrance.

Thud— Thud—

"Alright, alright, students. That's enough."

It was Sunghyun.

Sunghyun clapped his hands as he approached Natsume's group.

What Sunghyun first saw when he entered the alley was Natsume.

The sight of Natsume yanking Hayato up by the hair.

Sunghyun immediately recorded the situation with his camera.

Then, before intervening, he sent the video to his secretary.

This video has probably already been sent to the police and lawyers heading this way.

Sunghyun casually shrugged his shoulders.

"Geez. Are all kids these days like this?"

"Who the hell are you, mister? Just keep walking your own way."

Natsume growled with his face half-tilted.

"Ha! A little brat talking back when an adult is speaking? No manners. End it now while this mister is asking nicely."

Sunghyun had no intention of ending Natsume like this already.

But first, this situation needed to end.

Sunghyun looked at the girl collapsed on the ground.

From afar I didn't notice, but it's worse than I thought.

Blood was flowing from her forehead, which must have scraped against the wall.

"So who the hell are you, mister?!"

Natsume swung a fist at Sunghyun's face for ignoring him.

"Huh? Look at this kid?"

Sunghyun took one step to the side. Immediately he slipped his leg between Natsume's spread legs.

Thud!

Natsume, who had stepped, lost his balance and fell.

The gang beside him immediately charged at Sunghyun.

Sunghyun dodged their attacks nimbly and smacked each of their heads once with the phone he was holding.

"Ha.... I was trying not to lay hands on little kids, but kids these days really have no manners. No manners, huh?"

Sunghyun pressed down hard on the fallen Natsume's ankle with his shoe.

"Gyaaah!"

Natsume screamed in pain as if his ankle was breaking.

Sunghyun pointed at the injured Sasaki.

"Ha! You hurt others like that but can't take your own pain?"

Sunghyun played the video on his phone and showed it to Natsume.

Seeing the video, Natsume waved his hands. Trying to snatch the phone.

But that wasn't going to happen.

"N-No!"

"Looking like you want to live your life properly? What's not allowed, you bastard."

Sunghyun entrusted the female student to Hayato.

"This friend, you can take her to the hospital properly, right?"

Sunghyun pulled out ten thousand yen from his wallet and handed it over as he spoke.

"Y-Yes!"

"Damn it! Damn it! What the hell! What is this?!"

Unable to contain his rage, Natsume pounded the ground with his fists repeatedly.

"Look at that sorry state. Pathetic."

Sunghyun sneered at Natsume.

At that moment, a large number of footsteps approached from somewhere.

Thud thud thud thud—

"CEO!"

Along with the footsteps came the familiar voices of men.

Oh? Those guys are here?

Sunghyun's legal team. Three police officers, and one middle-aged man in casual clothes.

The man in casual clothes was unexpected.

"I'm from the Tokyo Police Department. Detective Narita."

The detective showed his badge as he spoke.

A detective? I thought he was just some neighborhood old man who tagged along while the cops were running.

Sunghyun looked at the detective with such rude thoughts.

"Ah, yes. I'm fine, so please send that friend to the hospital quickly."

Sunghyun pointed at Hayato and the female ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠student. Looking over, the police officers were already supporting them.

The man who introduced himself as Detective Narita suddenly extended his hand to Sunghyun.

"CEO Kim Sunghyun, it's an honor to meet you. I was deeply impressed by this investment."

Detective Narita said with shining eyes to Sunghyun.

What? He knows me?

Sunghyun said nonchalantly.

"You know me? I'm not a celebrity or anything."

"Well, the department I handle is the financial side. I couldn't help but know. They talk about you so much over there."

That wasn't all.

"Haha. This report was also ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a direct case from your company, CEO. And since you were involved, I forced my way here. Whoa~! Kids these days are really scary, though."

The detective alternated looking at the video playing on the phone and Natsume writhing on the ground.

"Yes, right? Do I need to appear at the police station as well?"

"Ah! No. The video you filmed is too clear, and it would be too regrettable to take up your time on a case like this, CEO. You can leave this case to us and go on your way."

At the detective's assurance, Sunghyun smiled and turned around.

"Alright then. I'll leave it to you."

Sunghyun turned his feet to head out of the alley.

At that moment.

Centered on Hayato, an enormous geometric pattern appeared.

Simultaneously.

Suddenly a young man's voice rang in Hayato's ears.

But this voice wasn't only audible to Hayato.

Sunghyun heard it too.

"Wh-What the hell!"

Sunghyun started running, wondering if it was a terrorist attack.

But the light was too strong to know the direction.

Then the legal team's voices rang out.

"CEO!"

Four men in suits ran toward Sunghyun through the light.

Even before the situation occurred, their gazes had always been on Sunghyun.

So the moment it happened, they could dash to him.

But just before they reached Sunghyun, the mass of light grew even stronger.

Light so intense it was impossible to advance any further.

Shit! What the hell is this! A bomb?!

Sunghyun tried to understand the situation, but there was nothing he could figure out.

"Damn it!"

With one final scream whose owner was unknown, everyone vanished without a trace.

Later, this incident would be called this.