Party, Quantum Nexus (4)
Party, Quantum Nexus (4)
Koozaka Corporation (コオザカ 社).
It owned countless subsidiaries and was notorious for its octopus-like reach, expanding into any business that turned a profit.
It was also a military-industrial megacorporation with the second-highest market capitalization.
The Chairman's name was Mr. Pit Mac.
As I'd mentioned before, he resembled a certain mouse character that reminded me of a copyright-sensitive company from my past life.
He had effectively become a mascot, famous as the most well-known figure in this cyberpunk world.
If you asked what kind of vibe it gave off, it was like the Chairman of Nint○ndo being Super Ma○io.
Therefore, nearly everyone considered Koozaka's de facto Chairman to be the Vice Chairman, Kozaka William.
And that was only natural.
Well, anyway, that wasn't what mattered right now.
It was still just a matter of probability.
A probability just slightly higher than the others.
But if, by some remote chance, his true hidden identity really was the terrorist targeting me and Eve...
It was hard to imagine a worse situation.
The middle-aged man with neatly slicked-back hair, Kozaka William, spoke to us.
"It is the Chairman of Monolith. It has been a very long time."
[Probability that he is 'Smile Zone' has increased to 67%.]
"I merely stopped by on my way... I had no idea the Chairman would be here as well."
[...Further increased to 73%.]
"Is this a new employee? Pleased to meet you. I am Kozaka William."
[......79%]
So, what I was saying was—could you stop going up already.
I screamed silently.
11. Party, Quantum Nexus (4)
If his hidden identity really was Smile Zone, it would explain a great deal of the misfortunes that had befallen me so far.
Not the terrorist attacks or Maya's prison escape.
Because those weren't the only misfortunes that had happened to me.
"...So I didn't go broke because I was bad at stocks."
I found myself muttering under my breath.
"Hmm, what did you say?"
"I said it was an honor to meet you."
Fortunately, Kozaka William didn't seem to have heard me.
I naturally accepted his offered handshake.
[It is possible that the real 'Koozaka' was targeting the human 'Lee Si-woon,' but I also assess that it is true that you were bad at stocks.]
I was coping, okay.
Shut up.
I looked directly at Kozaka William before me.
Whether he was Smile Zone or not was still an open question.
The probability was merely high — it wasn't certain.
For one thing, his expression as he looked at me revealed no emotion whatsoever.
Not suspicion, not hostility, not a trace of any of it.
It was purely the face of someone looking at 'an employee the Monolith Chairman had brought along.'
Not particularly interested, but not completely ignoring me either.
Just that.
Once the formal greeting ended, Kozaka William left to join a group of others.
It really only looked as though he had come to greet the Monolith Chairman.
Only then did I exhale the breath I'd been holding.
I'd been tense without realizing it.
I let out a deep sigh, a habit that had become more frequent lately.
Slowly, I drew in breath.
Soon I felt my heart settle a little.
The Chairman, having observed my state, spoke.
"That guy?"
"...Pardon?"
"Smile Zone."
......I hadn't even said a single word yet.
And she'd already caught on and was asking.
"Well, the probability is indeed the highest."
"Hmm... data manipulation isn't impossible, so keep that in mind as you think it over."
She had a point.
After all, this was a world where you could easily synthesize a voice with a deep-voice program as long as you had the data.
But even so, the fact that he was currently the most likely suspect didn't change.
The Chairman jabbed at the air a few times.
It looked like she was touching her vision interface.
"Kozaka William, 79 years old. A corporate elite who rose at hyper-speed through the ranks, boasting outstanding competence despite his young age."
"......Young age?"
"Apparently he didn't originally carry the Koozaka family name. His original surname was Robert. He secretly married Cozaka Kohaku, the daughter of Koozaka's founder Cozaka Nobukuro, and thus the present Kozaka William was born."
She said 'secretly' while rattling off information nonstop.
Well, I supposed the Chairman of a megacorp would naturally have all sorts of intel at her fingertips.
Hearing that explanation only tangled my thoughts further.
Was he really Smile Zone?
If he was Smile Zone, what was my next move?
Assassination?
Honestly, the probability of success was close to 0%.
The fact that I'd seen his face up close at all was already miraculous.
It was only because a series of coincidences had aligned at a special occasion like this that I'd been able to see his face.
If this weren't the case, he was the kind of figure you'd struggle to get within 100 meters of.
And carrying out an assassination without revealing my identity required numerous conditions.
That, too, was something close to impossible.
No matter how much Eve helped me with hacking, traces would eventually be left behind as time passed.
And if I got caught?
I would have to go to another city or hide in the slum-infested underground layer.
And that would be a life hard to sustain for long.
Then, what I could do was—.
"Hey, shall we step outside for some fresh air?"
"Huh?"
I stopped thinking and looked at the Chairman.
Unlike me, who probably had a complicated expression, the Chairman stood there looking at me with her usual leisurely expression.
She uncrossed her arms and clasped her hands behind her back.
She looked up at me.
"You looked like you were deep in thought. Want to come this way?"
Without waiting for my answer, the Chairman began to walk.
A few gazes followed us, but no one directly pursued us.
At the end of the banquet hall, a large balcony came into view.
Fortunately, no one was on the balcony.
Outside, the sun was already setting.
Beneath the red glow, the vast panorama of Neon City shone dazzlingly.
Because the upper layer was situated at a higher elevation than the other districts, even the tall buildings of the middle layer seemed low.
"The view from the upper layer really is something, isn't it?"
"......It is."
A cool breeze brushed past my nose.
Clean air filled my lungs.
The crisp upper-layer air, unhindered by a mask, seeped in pleasantly.
The throbbing headache had already subsided.
"Feeling a little better?"
The Chairman's bright purple roll-hair fluttered in the wind.
"...Yes, thank you for your concern."
"Heh heh."
The Chairman gave a short laugh at my thanks.
Every single action was filled with composure and elegance.
I could see why the news often called her 'the Sovereign.'
Though right now, I thought a nickname like 'Queen' might suit her better than 'Sovereign.'
"So, what do you plan to do if he really is Smile Zone?"
"......Well, I'll have to think about it a bit more."
It wasn't something to rush into.
Nothing was certain yet, and even if it were, the actions I could take were limited.
Hm.
If Smile Zone's true identity really was the vice chairman of the second-ranked megacorp, Koozaka...
Honestly, at that level, changing my identity and hiding—or running away—seemed like the wisest option.
At any rate, it wasn't something to decide right now.
"If you need help, tell me anytime. I'll help with what I can, just like I did with this. Or should I start buying up some Koozaka stock?"
"......Haha, I'm fine."
The problem was, even her jokes didn't sound like jokes.
Still, she was probably sincere in offering help. The issue was I felt too burdened to accept it freely.
If I leaned on her too much, the chief of staff's glares would only get scarier.
Anyway.
I decided to think positively.
After all, Smile Zone's identity might only be the vice chairman of a megacorp.
He wasn't the Chairman.
I nodded to myself.
It didn't look like anyone else would be coming to the banquet hall now.
Maybe it was time to get ready to head back.
Frankly, there was no way someone would make an entrance later than the Monolith Chairman or the vice chairman of Koozaka.
"Thank you for making time for me."
"...Going back already?"
"I've accomplished my original objective. And it doesn't seem like anyone else will be coming."
By now, being out was consuming far too much of my mental energy.
It was the kind that would recover if I just lay in bed under the covers and spent some time in net space.
She must have picked up on it from my demeanor, because normally she would have insisted I stay for dinner.
The Chairman nodded with a slightly sulky expression, which was memorable.
The way her speech and mannerisms changed depending on her body was fascinating.
"Then I suppose I'll head out as well."
"Ah, Chairman-nim, you're welcome to stay longer—."
I cut myself off mid-sentence.
It was because the Chairman was staring fixedly at me after hearing my words.
Had I made a slip of the tongue?
It was a little frightening.
At last, the Chairman let out a small laugh, 'pfft.'
"Well, we might as well talk about life on the way back. There aren't many people I can chat comfortably with, you see."
"...Ah."
She was saying that even the Chairman had her own share of troubles.
"Then let's go together."
"I'll count on you for the escort."
Escort, she says.
And so we left the balcony and walked toward the banquet hall.
As we were leaving, Koozaka's mascot Chairman, 'Mr. Pit Mac,' appeared on a screen broadcast, startling everyone.
Still, did a Chairman really just appear via broadcast at an event like this?
I had no idea who was inside the costume, but they must be working hard.
The Chairman and I exited and boarded an unmanned vehicle.
Why she hadn't called for an aerial vehicle was a question, but it wasn't something I could press the Chairman-nim about.
And it definitely wasn't because of the large number of armed guard vehicles following us with guns that I couldn't press the issue.
Anyway, because of that, the return trip took quite a long time.
My suggestion that she could drop me off midway was lightly dismissed.
I saw the Chairman-nim off as she turned back in front of my house.
"Hoo."
I stretched lightly.
Now then.
It was time to genuinely find out whether 'Smile Zone's' identity truly was 'the vice chairman of Koozaka.'
* * *
"Let's kidnap him."
[I agree with the human 'Catherine's' opinion.]
What was I supposed to do with these golden children.
My head started hurting again.