How to Rest (8)
How to Rest (8)
Inside Koozaka's headquarters, the Vice Chairman's office.
[Understood. Then I shall cancel the 'clinic consultation' scheduled next.]
"Alright, thanks."
Ending the short conversation with his personal secretary, Kozaka William closed his vision interface.
Soon the hologram screen floating above his work desk disappeared.
As silence filled the room, Kozaka William pressed the bridge of his nose.
He had been attending trauma clinic consultations roughly once a week every year.
He had made the decision because he felt it was time to lengthen that interval.
The position of Vice Chairman was one where even the trivial fact of attending trauma counseling could negatively affect the company's stock price.
It was something he had considered before, but Kozaka William felt he could finally put the thought into action.
The decisive reason was the seclusion of Koozaka's Chairman, which had been the 'cause' of the clinic consultations.
Of course, the Chairman had been one step back from running the company for some time, but this time the situation was a little different.
Kozaka Nobukuro had ceased all external activities after that day's incident.
It was the result he had dreamed of.
But for some reason, Kozaka William couldn't shake an uneasy feeling.
'...What the hell are you scheming, Nobukuro?'
Kozaka William continued his thoughts.
Just then.
Kozaka William noticed a notification flashing in the corner of his vision.
It was a call to his personal communication number.
Only a few people knew that number, including his closest aides and family. So Kozaka William checked the caller without hesitation.
And at that moment, he froze.
"......"
The caller was a certain 'Mage.'
Kozaka William contacted his secretary before answering the call, an almost instinctive move.
[What is it?]
"...I need to reschedule the canceled appointment."
[......?]
There was no time to explain right now.
Kozaka William let out a light sigh.
It felt like his stomach suddenly hurt from stress.
28. A Method of Rest (8)
Koozaka's headquarters looked much the same as the last time I had come.
The nearby amusement park was still full of life, and protesters were still fervently rallying in front of the headquarters building.
Although there had been a 'small accident' where lightning struck the roof of the headquarters building because of my 'little mistake,' there was no sign of it at all on the sky shield or the Koozaka headquarters building.
The person who came to greet us as we slipped into the building with our faces hidden was a woman I had never seen before.
She had absolutely no presence; I thought she'd materialized out of thin air.
"Pleased to meet you. I am 'Hato B,' serving as Secretary to Kozaka William."
...How could a person's name be 'B'?
It was a rare name even in a cyberpunk world where common sense was a bit off. Was Hato a Japanese-style surname?
Maybe my reaction had been too obvious.
The woman who introduced herself as Kozaka William's secretary added the following.
"It's my real name."
"......"
It was a name that made me want to see the parents' faces, unless it had been changed.
Concealing that sentiment, I asked 'B' without showing any sign.
"...Um, the Vice Chairman?"
"William-nim is currently away due to a 'sudden' appointment."
Hmm.
Well, it was natural for someone like a Mega Corp Vice Chairman to be busy with both official and personal matters. In fact, even the Chairman would often come only in the evenings, switching to a prosthetic body.
And it would have been strange for the Vice Chairman to come greet a mere penniless mercenary like me.
Actually, when I first saw Kozaka William at the party, he had a very sharp, intellectual, and elite aura.
If only I hadn't later seen him rolling around in the sewers together with me, or getting nagged by his wife (who looked like a Little One), the image of William I had might still be alive.
To lighten the mood, I spoke to the secretary.
"I guess that's to be expected from Koozaka's Vice Chairman. He seems very busy."
"......"
But the secretary's reaction was slightly unusual.
Her eyes seemed to say that the 'sudden appointment' had come up because of me.
But of course, that couldn't be. I simply dismissed it as my imagination.
The secretary bowed deeply to us.
"It is difficult to discuss internal company schedules in detail. I apologize."
"No, that's only natural."
Seeing her extremely polite demeanor, I waved my hand, dissuading her from apologizing further.
As soon as she heard my answer, the secretary straightened her back again.
"Then this way, please."
I moved to follow the secretary's retreating figure.
But then, Eve silently approached and grabbed my shoulder.
"Why?"
"The human 'Kozaka William' is currently in a trauma clinic, having a consultation with a psychiatrist licensed by NCMLE."
How did she find that out?
She seemed to be trying to explain what I was curious about.
...Anyway.
A psychiatrist consultation, huh.
In fact, every citizen living in Neon City probably carries around a mental illness like a self-defense tool.
Even I had almost been diagnosed with depression during a consultation with a psychiatrist in the past.
I cautiously suspect that if it hadn't been for magic (bribery), my socialization score would be scraping rock bottom right now.
It didn't feel like someone else's problem.
Moreover, as the Vice Chairman of Koozaka, the company boasting the second-highest market capitalization, I guessed he had more than twice the worries of others.
What was the source of the Vice Chairman's stress?
I had no way of knowing right away.
But I decided that if something happened to the Vice Chairman later, I would help.
We continued to follow the secretary.
The secretary stopped at the Vice Chairman's residence we had seen last time, a place where the entire floor had been decorated like a Japanese-style house.
A blue light hovered in the sky, and the faint scent of flowers and grass wafted from somewhere.
The sound of a shishi-odoshi going 'Tung' could also be heard.
"Kozaka Kohaku-nim is also not present at the moment. So Kozaka William-nim conveyed that you should rest comfortably without any inconvenience."
It was a luxury beyond my imagination.
I scratched my head and replied.
"Aren't we imposing too much? Just a regular employee dormitory would be fine."
"......"
For reference, the secretary's current look seemed to say, 'Did you come here knowing that?'
But I dismissed it as my imagination again.
Because the secretary immediately bowed with a disciplined posture.
"Please call for me at any time if you need something. If you press the hologram panel on the wall, there is a call bell."
"Ah, thank you for your consideration."
"Please rest comfortably before you leave."
Just as when she had appeared, the secretary vanished in an instant.
"......"
Before long, a peaceful atmosphere settled in.
The sound of birds chirping softly came from somewhere over the mansion's roof, and the gentle breeze felt like a child's skin being caressed.
I trudged toward the daecheongmaru.
I settled my weary body, exhausted from my escape (running away from home), onto the daecheongmaru to calm myself.
In that moment, I had a gut feeling.
That I had finally regained 'peace.'
* * *
But it was rare for things in the world to go as expected.
Once the fact that Lee Si-woon and Eve had been in Redwood was discovered,
the vast 'workforce' of Monolith was enough to track the traces they left behind.
No matter how brilliant an artificial intelligence Eve was, traces on the net were bound to remain.
The fact that offense is overwhelmingly more advantageous than defense in hacking was also a reason.
They obtained eyewitness accounts, identified the vehicle, recovered data from erased surveillance cameras, (illegally) hacked the vehicle's black box data, and tracked their movements again.
It was also the result of the collective grudge of Monolith's one million employees, enraged by 'forced overtime.'
Monolith's Chief of Staff, Justin Borg, who succeeded in finally pinpointing the 'target's' current location, briefly pondered what to do with this information.
But the deliberation was brief.
After all, the decision was made by the Chairman, and he and his subordinates only had to follow that decision.
Shortly after.
The Chairman's female form appeared beyond the hologram screen.
"Chairman-nim, we have located the target's current position."
[Hmm, they haven't discovered that we've succeeded in tracking them yet, have they?]
"That's correct."
[Got it. Just send the location to me for now, and be careful not to get caught like last time. Don't make the mistake of dispatching a tactical team again.]
"Yes, Chairman-nim. However......"
How should I explain this?
Justin Borg, who had been trailing off, continued his report with difficulty.
"...According to our investigation, the target's current location appears to be 'Koozaka Corporation's headquarters.'"
That 'Koozaka.'
No matter how much Monolith, to which Justin Borg was loyal, was the number one corporation in the world, they could not ignore Koozaka right below them.
"...What should we do? Should we dispatch a tactical team now?"
[......]
A slight frown crossed the Chairman's holographic expression.
The Chairman sorted through the possibilities one by one.
'......Koozaka? I heard that everything was settled after that old man apologized last time. Could it be a kidnapping? ...No, not zero. Then...?'
The possibility that he went to Koozaka headquarters just to rest was low.
The Chairman behind the hologram screen quickly wrapped up the thought.
[I'll call again in one minute.]
The thought didn't take long.
After ending the call, the Chairman immediately dialed 'Lee Si-woon's' number and called.
Whether he was safe or not.
He had to confirm that first.
* * *
I agonized dozens of times whether to answer this sudden call or not.
In the end, I answered.
Because it was a call from 'Chairman-nim,' I couldn't ignore it.
I wasn't sure why.
The Chairman's flustered form appeared beyond the hologram screen.
What on earth─.
[...You're at Koozaka headquarters right now, aren't you? Do I not need to send a tactical team?]
"...What?"
Was this a new method of threat?
I know where you are right now.
So come back home while I'm still asking nicely.
Or I'll send a tactical team.
I roughly interpreted it that way.
......
...Haah.
In the end, it seemed I couldn't escape fate.
Since my location here had also been discovered, I had few options left.
I'm exhausted...
With a feeling of emptiness, I begged for mercy.
"Alright. If you give me a day, no, 12 hours, no, just 6 hours, I'll return within that time."
[?]
Still, please let me rest for 6 hours.