Garbage Dump (3)
Garbage Dump (3)
James William.
No—the man who had changed his name to 'Kozaka William'—shouted, his voice brimming with irritation.
'Why the hell! Can't I take the Chairman position!'
'That is─.'
He cut off his female secretary's answer.
F-words punctuated his outburst.
'It's just a marketing mascot character anyway, so why the hell! Even if that's the real reason, that's no reason not to change it!'
The secretary silently bowed her head without answering.
She was an employee from the 'ninja squad' known to be loyal only to the Koozaka family.
'They said blood relations were important, so I got married. They said they wanted results, so I showed them results.'
Only after sweeping the items off his desk did he lament in a much calmer voice.
'Does it make sense that the Chairman position can't be changed even with majority board approval? You answer me!'
The secretary did not raise her bowed head.
She answered in her usual relaxed tone.
'Please be careful with your remarks. Chairman-nim is watching.'
Kozaka William scoffed.
'Chairman? What the hell is that damn mascot character?'
'And this is an item delivered by Chairman-nim.'
The secretary took a small case from her inner pocket.
Inside the case was a luxurious-looking watch.
Perhaps the sight of the watch angered him again.
With an irritable flick of his hand, Kozaka William knocked away the watch case the secretary was holding.
The watch and case clattered straight to the floor.
'Cut the bullshit. I'm going to start moving tomorrow to get rid of that damn Chairman character.'
And then.
It was after Kozaka William said that.
All the electronics around him flickered.
The monitors on the desk and walls flickered on, and beyond those screens appeared a 'mouse character' against a red background.
Koozaka Corp's famous mascot.
It was the character called 'Mr. Pit Mac.'
He was also the 'Chairman' that Kozaka William had been complaining about so bitterly.
At the sudden shift in atmosphere, Kozaka William froze.
This was his own living quarters.
It had no connection to Koozaka Enterprise.
In other words, it was a situation that could only be seen as a security breach by some means.
The secretary picked up the fallen watch.
She handed the watch to Kozaka William once more.
'Still, it would be best if you accepted it.'
'.......'
He could have asserted his pride here.
In the end, he accepted the watch the secretary held out.
'And as I said earlier, Chairman-nim is watching. Please be careful with your remarks.'
Soon, the secretary, still bowing, walked out of the room.
But even after that.
Pit Mac, Koozaka's mascot character, was still staring at Kozaka William through the monitor.
'......You—no, what is your identity?'
Unable to even set down the watch he was holding, he questioned the monitor.
It might have been his imagination, but.
He felt that this character was not only watching his actions but also listening to his words.
As if confirming his suspicion.
The character inside the screen spoke.
【Me? Well, of course, I'm the children's friend! 'Mr. Pit Mac'!】
'That's not what I'm asking─.'
【But, I actually have a different real name.】
The voice, tone, manner of speaking, down to the slightest pitch.
Everything contained within it changed.
【Right, we didn't get to see each other at the formal family meeting.】
He spoke from beyond the monitor.
【I am─.】
13. The Garbage Landfill (3)
I gulped.
Because the situation was unfolding more strangely than I had expected.
Kozaka William, the undisputed vice-chairman of a mega corp, asked in a trembling voice.
"...Nobukuro Chairman-nim, what on earth is this?"
【Nah, right now I'm Smile Zone. Call me 'John' with lots of charm!】
"Stop joking around. Was the attack on my airship your doing, too?"
【No, that was done by your brother-in-law, uh... Koozaka Koichiro. I suppose the vice-chairman position tempted him?】
"......I see."
At Smile Zone's answer—who was simultaneously Pit Mac and Nobukuro—Kozaka William fell silent for a moment.
He seemed to be organizing his thoughts.
Watching this, I quietly took a step back.
I wasn't thinking of running away.
Because Smile Zone had appeared.
The first thing I needed to check came to mind.
I carefully placed my hand on the floor.
I gathered mana and cast a spell.
It was magic to detect heat sources in the vicinity.
It was also the magic I had tried to use at the entrance when I went to find Maya recently.
Though Andrea ended up breaking down the door so I couldn't use it, anyway.
My purpose was to scout the surroundings.
Normally, I could have asked Eve to check, but.
It was difficult to get Eve's help in the underground village, the 'sewer,' which had no surveillance cameras or internal map data.
I focused my mind for a moment and examined the area.
Various large and small heat sources were sensed through my palm pressed against the floor.
I removed my hand from the floor shortly after.
Hmm.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like Koozaka's ninja squad would attack us right away.
So I had some breathing room.
I put aside the thought of running away immediately.
I watched Kozaka William and the Smile Zone hologram floating above the watch he wore.
Because merely listening to their conversation, without needing to ask, provided ample information.
......But.
I muttered quietly.
"Nobukuro, huh."
Since Smile Zone had appeared, the voice modulation function was no longer necessary, so I had already turned it off.
If it's Nobukuro, does that make the full name 'Koozaka Nobukuro'?
It was definitely a name I'd heard somewhere.
Eve answered my muttered words.
[I inform you that it is the name spoken by the Monolith Corporation Chairman at the party 'Quantum Nexus.']
Oh.
[Checking remaining information in the database, it was also said he is the founder of Koozaka.]
He was truly a figure worthy of the Chairman position.
...But that kind of person.
Was going around doing crazy things while wearing a mascot character and a smiling emoticon mask?
If someone didn't know, they'd take it as a joke.
I couldn't understand either.
It seemed he had finished organizing his thoughts.
Kozaka William looked at the hologram floating above the watch and spoke.
"......So what exactly is this situation? And why did you suddenly appear?"
From his position, it was a valid question.
When I asked about 'Smile Zone' earlier, he reacted as if he'd never heard the name.
So it was only natural he didn't understand the situation.
【Well... like I said.】
The hologram answered nonchalantly.
【Honestly, it has nothing to do with you. You could say I just threw out a fishing line.】
He continued speaking, but.
Every time, Smile Zone's voice and pitch shifted.
In small ways, the tone changed; in bigger ways, even the gender shifted.
I wasn't the only one who noticed that Pit Mac's voice was mixed in.
【Haha! For me, well, this level of data conversion is simple.】
Kozaka William, still not understanding the situation, let out a groan.
"So what does that─."
【Simply put, you're just the bait on the fishing rod, not the fish I'm after.】
Was it my imagination?
The Smile Zone hologram rising from the watch seemed to look at me.
But it seemed my guess was right.
【Shun-nim! That lightning was quite zingy! I was fine, of course, but my subordinates were a bit disappointed. Well, isn't that something that can happen in life? Haha!】
"......So what's your business?"
【That's casual speech, warning count 2. For reference, I'm tallying it under a three-strike system, including the casual speech I heard on the elevated highway. Well, if you've heard my name, you'd know, but we're not just a year or two apart in age, right? Haha!】
......Then at least stay in character.
I almost let those words slip out, but.
I held back with strong patience.
Now that his identity as the chairman of a mega corp had been revealed.
Blindly antagonizing him was a bad move.
I asked with the bare minimum of courtesy.
"What is it?"
Since speaking formally wasn't difficult.
【Hahaha! Then, getting to the point.】
The small Smile Zone hologram spun around, binggeureureu.
Just from listening, it seemed like there was a living, moving body behind this hologram.
I wondered how such strange movements could be conveyed.
The hologram spoke as if it were nothing.
【It's not some kind of planned trap, nor is there any other scheme.】
"......?"
【Well, if there's a reason, it's just that I was curious, as I said before, about how far Eve can act and move. I didn't want to just show up unannounced and get struck by lightning again, so you could say I conducted a large-scale experiment.】
When I first met Smile Zone before.
I had heard that kind of talk.
He had said he had become curious about the super AI, Eve.
【Of course, I also did it because I thought it'd be a lot of fun, hahaha!】
...Hmm.
My intuition told me.
The latter reason was probably the biggest.
Yeah, you shouldn't expect reason from a madman.
【Well, that's why. I spread the information about appearing at the corporate party and created Smile Zone's voice data using William's voice.】
Meanwhile.
Kozaka William, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, asked Smile Zone a short question.
"......Why did you do that?"
【Just because.】
"......."
...He wasn't someone who'd normally be treated like that anywhere.
Leaving behind the instantly deflated Kozaka William.
The Smile Zone hologram changed into Koozaka's mascot character, 'Mr. Pit Mac.'
Accordingly, the speaking voice also changed into the artificial, mixed voice often heard on billboards.
【I did go to the party myself; it's a shame you didn't notice that part!】
The mouse character shrugged its shoulders slyly.
Its manner of speaking had also changed.
【Even for a super AI, your data mining is still lacking, I guess! Work harder!】
Personally.
I really wanted to hit him just once.
【Anyway, so─.】
Just then, the hologram's form wavered.
Along with it, Pit Mac's voice naturally blurred as well.
Pit Mac, recognizing his state, continued speaking in a nonchalant tone.
【Ah, the battery seems to be running low because of the hologram. Then I'll be off! For the record, the ninja squad on the surface wasn't sent by me─.】
With those words, the hologram turned off.
"......."
"......."
"......."
Me, Catherine, Kozaka William.
All three of us maintained silence.
...I couldn't grasp the situation.
I tried to suppress the sigh that threatened to escape.
And Kozaka William, who seemed to have somewhat grasped the situation, carefully asked me.
"......For now."
I listened.
"You people don't seem to be 'Cyber Force'."
......That was the cover story.
If he'd heard what the crazy hologram said, it was something he could figure out.
No matter how shameless I was, it was unreasonable to keep lying here.
Anyway, I had already turned off the voice modulation.
"...That's right."
"Then what is your identity?"
......Hmm.
How should I explain this.
My original goal was kidnapping, but in the end, I'm just a passing mercenary who saved the vice-chairman?
I showed him my palm.
It was a gesture asking him to wait.
I turned around and approached Catherine, who was standing, leaning against a wall.
I was thinking of discussing this issue with her.
"Hey, how should we explain this?"
...However.
Catherine, rather than this issue at hand.
It seemed something else was bothering her more.
Catherine glared at me, her tone somewhat irritable.
"...That thing Smile Zone mentioned, 'Eve', who is she? No matter how I hear it, it sounds like a woman's name."
"......."
Ah.