Pheromone Monster
The woman frowned. Deciding to ignore me entirely, she fixed her attention on the TV screen. Fortunately, she didn't seem to understand Korean. If she'd known what "Jaji Boji" meant, she would have been staring at me with pure contempt.
I casually slid the cocktail toward her. She didn't so much as glance at it. Feeling awkward, I looked around, then sat down beside her. She still didn't react.
Is the news that interesting? Or is she a die-hard supporter of Jaji Boji… wait—Juji Boshi?
I shifted my gaze to the TV. If she was a passionate supporter of the president, I could just pretend to support him too while I hit on her.
Juji Boshi stared straight into the camera. His face was full of confidence. He was the President of the United States, after all—it'd be stranger if he didn't look confident.
"China has broken our trust! They violated international law and show not a shred of remorse! We must bring the hammer down on China! Effective immediately, I will impose tariffs on seven hundred and eighty categories of goods entering from China! And this is only the beginning! China! You thought you could look down on America! America is the greatest nation on Earth!"
Juji Boshi roared.
I widened my eyes and let out a murmur of admiration.
"Wow."
A guy this unhinged becoming President of the United States… America might be an even wilder country than I'd thought.
Juji Boshi wasn't done.
"Japan! Our Department of Defense has identified a serious security threat within the U.S.–Japan alliance! Japan will pay the price! I am doubling their defense cost-sharing contribution!"
The bar went dead quiet, as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over the whole place. The bartender and every single customer turned to stare at the TV. Most of them looked horrified.
"What the hell did Boshi just say?"
"There were rumors he wanted to dominate East Asia… but this is straight-up insane, right?"
"I love it! This is how America should be!"
And still Juji Boshi kept going.
"Korea has far too many hunters packed into that tiny scrap of land! I will bring Korea's hunters to America! America will be safer from those goddamn monsters and dungeons!"
Well, Korea did have a lot of hunters. I took a leisurely sip of my beer.
"Rocket Man! Listen carefully! Your clumsy provocations will not work! I have no need for a dangerous, precarious peace! For the sake of peace in Northeast Asia, I will not hesitate to go to war! Rocket Man! Stay locked away in your little kingdom, just as you always have!"
"……."
Even my easygoing expression turned serious.
Juji Boshi wasn't just a little unhinged. The man looked like his brain had completely short-circuited. He went on to talk about taxes and workers' wages.
"Starting next year, I will cut taxes by zero-point-five percent and raise the minimum wage by five percent! I will implement policies prepared for the American people!"
Having dumped out everything he wanted to say, Juji Boshi turned and vanished from the screen.
Voices erupted all over the previously silent bar.
"What the hell is wrong with that lunatic?!"
"He's just talking big, right?!"
"Who the hell elected that idiot?"
"You did, you idiot."
I just sipped my drink.
He's the president you people elected. Grit your teeth and endure it.
The words rose all the way to the tip of my tongue, but I held them back. Drawing aggro never ends well. Right now, I needed to focus on the sexy blonde beauty sitting next to me.
"Haha. America really is an amazing country."
"…You're not American, are you."
The sexy blonde sighed as she answered. She picked up the beer in front of her and chugged it down.
"Just because I'm in America, do I have to be American?"
"Well… no. What country are you from?"
"I'm American."
"……."
The sexy blonde shot me a sharp look with her blue eyes. I smiled and held out the Sex on the Beach to her. She hesitated for a moment, then finally took the cocktail.
"Let me introduce myself again. I'm Kyle. And you?"
"…Sophia Mayvers."
"Sophia. Hmm. Nice name."
"I'll enjoy the cocktail. In exchange, leave me alone. Nothing good comes from getting involved with me."
"Sounds like you've got some circumstances. I'll help you."
"…You sure throw around words you can't take responsibility for. Is that how you hit on women?"
"I tend to take responsibility for the things I say. And I don't hit on just any woman. I'll be honest. Sophia—I like you."
"Your real goal is my body, isn't it?"
"A sweet dream for one night… sometimes that's even better. …Do you have a husband, by any chance?"
"I did, until about six months ago. I had a kid, too. Lost custody, though…. I'm not as attractive a woman as you think. I'm in my mid-thirties, and my personality is a nightmare."
I widened my eyes.
Mid-thirties?
I couldn't believe it. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. And it wasn't heavy makeup, either.
…Naturally baby-faced, then. And a divorcée on top of that… mmm. That's hot.
Sophia downed the cocktail in one shot. Her face flushed slightly. Her eyes flicked sideways, becoming aware of me. Her gaze had softened compared to before. The pheromone perfume was starting to take effect.
"Don't you ever just want to forget everything? Forget it all and enjoy tonight."
"Ha. You're so blatant it's almost refreshing. The fact that you don't know who I am… you must be from somewhere else, huh?"
"First time in this bar."
"…You have a smartphone, right?"
"Latest model. Want to see?"
"Go online and search my name."
"Are you a celebrity?"
"……."
No answer.
With a pounding heart, I searched her name online.
Sophia Mayvers.
She wasn't a celebrity—she was a journalist. And not just any journalist: the one who had exposed President Juji Boshi's corruption. Of course, that was back when Boshi was still a senator from Virginia, before he became president. I skimmed through the articles.
"A righteous journalist, I see."
"…Are you mocking me?"
"No. I respect you. I know how hard it is to write articles like that. But is it true that Juji Boshi took money from a cult and covered for them?"
"I only pursue the truth. But people couldn't accept the truth as truth. You don't believe it either, do you?"
"I believe it. On top of that, he took bribes from corporations… and when his cousin got arrested for a traffic accident, he used his influence to get him out."
"There are plenty more scandals that never made it public."
"With this much dirt on him, how did he become president?"
"The fact that you're even asking that proves you're not American."
"Mm. Yeah. Sorry for lying."
"Doesn't matter. Do you know about the China incident last time?"
"The massive dungeon break that hit China? Who doesn't know about that."
"It's under control now, but it was extremely dangerous. If China had collapsed, the entire global economy would have been shaken."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"At the time, America didn't help China. Lawmakers led by Boshi fiercely opposed any aid. And American public opinion was on their side."
"Hmm. China's image isn't great, sure. So he gained popularity by taking a hard line against China."
"He also managed his public image extremely well. Well enough that the articles I wrote had zero impact. That part is a little strange, though…. Haah. Anyway—now you understand why you shouldn't get involved with me, right?"
"What's the problem with that?"
"…Boshi is watching me. He's surveilling me so I can't do anything. A friend of mine lost their job because of me. My parents' company suddenly started to collapse. And I… lost my family."
"Haha. Sounds like something out of a movie. Want another Sex on the Beach?"
"…Does this sound like a joke to you?"
Sophia's voice changed. It was the voice of someone holding something back as it rose in her throat. She glared at someone, and my eyes followed her gaze. The bartender wiping a wine glass looked up. He set a beer down in front of me.
"…Master. I never ordered a beer."
"A gift from me to the customer."
The bartender leaned forward. Looking down at me, he let his presence show. The oppressive mana pouring from his body swept through the surroundings.
…C-Class, huh.
It wasn't just the bartender. I could feel eyes on me from all over. Judging by the sensation, none of them were at the bartender's level—just a bunch of F- to E-Class nobodies.
"Consider this a warning. If you want to live a long life, you'd better learn to mind your own business. You seem especially stupid, so I'll say it one more time. Stop acting like a dog in heat, drink your piss-water Chinese beer, and get the hell out of here."
"……."
When I kept my mouth shut, the bartender smiled faintly and withdrew his presence. He jerked his chin toward the beer, telling me to drink up.
I grabbed the beer glass and smashed it straight into the bartender's head.
Crash!
The glass shattered, and yellow beer soaked the bartender's head.
Before he could draw up his mana, I seized the back of his skull and slammed his face into the bar.
Thunderbolt
Crackle-crackle-CRACKLE!
Thousands of blue-white currents erupted from my right hand, enveloping the bartender in a surge of electricity. Stopping his heart wasn't enough. I decided to cook his brain. I kept going until his brain was fried past well-done, melting into slime.
"Shit! It's Michael! Variable in play! Requesting backup! The bartender went down in an instant! Target is at least A-Class electrokinesis! We need support!"
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
"Shoot! Even an A-Class dies if they take a special round! Open fire!"
A curtain of electromagnetic force unfurled, catching every metal round mid-flight.
The metal bullets fired at me froze the instant they touched the electromagnetic barrier. I flicked my hand. The rounds spun a full one-eighty and flew back the way they came.
"Aaaaaaagh!"
The men holding guns screamed. I'd originally planned to kill them outright, but since it was my first time using the technique, the power was weaker than expected. Just as I was about to close in and finish them off, Sophia grabbed my arm.
"Stop! We have to run—now!"
I hesitated for a second, then decided to follow her lead.
"Where to?"
"Out the back!"
Sophia took off running. I followed close behind, spreading my sensory field in every direction. No threats registered.
Before going out the back door, she pulled a car key from a coat hanging on the wall. Outside, she sprinted toward a black sedan. She took the wheel and I dropped into the passenger seat. She turned the ignition and floored the accelerator. Unexpectedly bold and fiery woman.
"You're from Blue Cad, aren't you? Even so, that was way too rough."
"Blue Cad? What's that?"
"…You're not from Blue Cad?"
"Nope."
"……"