But at That Moment (3)
But at That Moment (3)
When people encounter something unexpected, they react in all sorts of ways.
Some stand frozen, mouths hanging open like fish. Others wonder if they're dreaming and give their cheek a light pat.
As for my future self, I fell into both categories.
'...You are.'
I simply could not pull myself together in the face of an unforeseen situation.
14. Then, at That Moment (3)
Inside the sewers.
Catherine, who had returned belatedly, wore a surprised expression upon discovering Drex and Andrea.
It was an expression only possible because she was someone who had lived a long time with me in the sewers.
She would fully grasp how difficult it really was to find us in this vast underground space.
Because of that, Catherine reacted exactly as I had a moment before.
Not quite enough to let her mouth hang open in shock, but about half delighted and half surprised.
After that, Catherine spoke about the ninja she had been chasing.
She said that, just as I expected, the ninja had been fleeing to transmit information to the surface.
I gave a light nod, then explained the current situation to Drex and Andrea.
That this person—the Vice Chairman—was not Smile Zone,
that the true identity of Smile Zone was the Chairman of Koozaka Corporation, and,
as a bonus, we were currently being chased by the ninja corps, and that this was the doing of a figure named Koozaka Koichiro, who was the Vice Chairman's brother-in-law.
"So there was a separate person acting inside the Chairman character?"
This was Andrea's reply.
"The whole thing really got twisted in a ridiculous way, huh."
That was Drex's remark upon hearing from me that the kidnappers had seized the airship even before we had.
I continued explaining to Drex, who was smiling in disbelief.
"Anyway, that's how we ended up agreeing to escort Vice Chairman-nim to his destination."
"So what's the pay?"
Drex replied, showing his gold tooth.
"We haven't settled the exact details yet, but as a starting point, Smile Zone... we'd likely discuss something along the lines of dealing with Koozaka's Chairman."
As I said that, I directed my gaze to Kozaka William.
Following my lead, Drex's eyes also moved to Kozaka William.
Kozaka William answered, straightening the mask he had been wearing back properly onto his face.
"...That's right, since we are now pretty much in the same boat."
It was only natural for the Vice Chairman, who had been used as bait by the Chairman, to be enraged at the Chairman in turn.
A reliable smile played at the corners of Drex's mouth.
Drex walked over to the Vice Chairman and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder.
However, because Drex's build was so large,
the Vice Chairman's one shoulder dipped asymmetrically under that weight.
Drex's voice was heard.
"So then, shall we have a detailed talk about the contract?"
Whenever we took on a request, this was always the part Drex handled.
Adjusting the finer details, organizing the compensation.
Eventually, I tuned Drex out.
I figured he would take care of it well.
Anyway, escaping the sewers was the most urgent priority right now.
...Then, at that moment.
From the opposite side, a shadow in the form of something not human—a huge monster—cast its shape.
"...!"
I tried to shout and alert the surroundings.
If I hadn't immediately noticed that the identity of the monster shadow was an already dead corpse, I would have screamed just like the old days.
There in that spot was a lizard of a size that could easily swallow one adult person whole. The unusual point was that it appeared to have eight or more legs.
Andrea opened her mouth as if it were nothing.
"Ah, this is the thing I mentioned earlier."
And with that, she walked past the lizard corpse as if it were nothing.
.......
I awkwardly scratched my head.
Swallowing my embarrassment, I moved my steps forward.
And a short while later.
This time, the shape of a giant robot completely blocking the sewer's water channel came into view.
Since I had nearly screamed upon seeing the monster corpse earlier, this time I calmly observed the fallen robot.
Along with a crackling, tzzzt sound, a short circuit reaction appeared on the robot's outer surface.
There was no movement whatsoever.
Only the intermittent bursts of electricity indicated that the power was still on.
From behind, Drex's voice was heard as he walked with his arm around the Vice Chairman's shoulder.
"Oh, this is that cleaning robot I mentioned earlier. The signal didn't reach here, so I hacked it by connecting directly to its circuits."
The numerous sharp gears extending beneath the robot left a deep impression.
.......
Just what kind of fight did you get into on the way here?
The claim that they had dealt with every single strange thing they saw while coming to find us seemed to be true.
* * *
Catherine stomped her foot down with full force. The extended kick outright smashed the thick iron grate of the sewer.
The entire frame of the iron grate that flew far off went tumbling haphazardly onto the sandy ground.
"Hoo, finally out."
As a memento, I took a deep, deep breath.
Inhaling the city air, which was—comparatively—clearer than the sewers' interior, I felt alive.
The neon signs of the city had been hidden from view outside the garbage landfill, blocked by concrete bulkheads.
They shimmered, however faintly, over the buildings.
Fortunately, from that point on, we were able to infiltrate the city's interior without any major problems.
We had also prevented the ninja from transmitting the information, and it was thanks to Drex and Andrea having cleaned up the monsters on the path in advance.
A notification indicating that the signal was connected appeared on one side of my vision interface.
[Detecting restoration of signal, currently in the vicinity of the Lower Layer 'Cloud Park,' I inform you.]
Cloud Park, it said.
.......
Did I just say the air was clear a moment ago?
I would retract that statement immediately.
The thick factory smog of the city already felt as though it was stinging the tip of my nose.
Cloud Park.
The largest factory zone in Neon City.
I hadn't noticed because it had gotten dark, but seeing the sky covered in gray clouds, it seemed correct.
...Is it a relief that it's at least a place without many people wandering around?
I looked around at the other people who had walked out with me.
They all seemed to have noticed that the signal was connected, each busily doing their own thing.
Drex appeared to be reporting to Natasha via his radio,
and Catherine and Andrea were blankly checking their messages while saying things like 'I want to wash up.'
I turned my steps and approached Kozaka William.
He too, as soon as he came out of the sewers, was busily engaged in a call.
"Yeah, okay. Uh. An assassination, correct, yes. ...Koozaka Koichiro."
Listening to the content, it was presumed he was calling a subordinate.
I wasn't certain because it wasn't a hologram call, but I thought it was probably the case.
I quietly stood by and waited until Kozaka William's call was over.
Perhaps he had taken notice of my presence.
Kozaka William said one final thing and ended the call.
"Mm, I'll ask you to look into exactly what went over and to what extent."
I spoke to Kozaka William, who had ended the call.
"Then, Vice Chairman-nim."
"Mm."
"Would it be fine to escort you to the headquarters, as we first discussed?"
"...I'd appreciate it. I don't know which employees I can trust right now, you see."
Well, it wasn't a difficult task.
I nodded my head.
[Moving to the headquarters, I have confirmed.]
Though what Eve said did bother me,
I let it go in one ear and out the other.
She was probably going to investigate or gather information in advance, I assumed.
I continued speaking while dusting off the dirt from my body.
"Should I head to the Center Plaza in the Middle Layer?"
Since it was the headquarters building of Mega Corp,
I naturally expected it to be at the Center Plaza.
However, Kozaka William slowly shook his head at my words.
"...No, the corporate headquarters building moved some time ago."
"Ah, then where should I escort you to?"
For some reason I couldn't understand,
he couldn't immediately answer my words.
.......
After hearing his answer, I asked back.
"Why is the headquarters building there?"
"...I was opposed to it."
This was something I truly could not understand.
* * *
The second-ranked corporation in this world, Mega Corp.
Koozaka Corporation's headquarters—I didn't know the exact reason, but—
it was said to be situated grandly right in the center of an amusement park operated by the Koozaka Company.
Even if it was called the headquarters, of course,
regional headquarters existed for each city across the globe, so it wasn't a particularly strange thing.
Since it was a corporation that had a mascot character as its Chairman, other people also seemed to have viewed it as just characteristic eccentric behavior.
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered seeing an advertisement for an amusement park operated by Koozaka while riding the monorail in the old days.
Anyway, it didn't register as understandable within my realm of common sense.
"...As I said earlier, I was opposed to it."
Had he read the sharp look in my eyes?
Kozaka William made an excuse with an abashed expression. That appearance did not look like the Vice Chairman of Mega Corp.
We had gotten out of the self-driving taxi
and were in the midst of walking far inside, past the amusement park's entrance.
I had considered waiting for the vehicle Natasha was sending, but the desire to resolve the matter quickly was stronger.
But there was one strange point.
Even considering that it was a weekday, there wasn't a single person to be seen around—unbefitting of an amusement park operated by Mega Corp.
There were not even any employees.
Upon searching the news through Eve about that part:
[Checking NCB24 news, 《Currently, at the amusement park operated by Koozaka, 'Pit Mac Land,' an accident with an as yet undisclosed cause has occurred. With all guests having been evacuated, experts are determining what kind of accident─.》, I provide.]
.......
Well, it was something that could happen, but
naturally, an ominous premonition came with it.
But anyway,
the fact that we had to take the Vice Chairman to the headquarters building did not change.
Preparing for a potential fight, we cut across the center of the soundless amusement park.
Then, at that moment.
The sound of someone clapping was heard.
It was a man wearing an outfit whose dazzling luster was obtrusive, as if boasting of his great wealth.
A rainbow-dyed cockscomb hairstyle robbed our gazes.
...That's a truly no-joke fashion.
I intuitively sensed that this was no ordinary lunatic. I slowly opened my mouth to ask.
"Who are yo—"
"Koozaka Koichiro...! It really was you!"
But cutting off my words, Kozaka William shouted in an aggrieved tone.
...Haah.
As expected, ominous premonitions are never wrong.
Indeed, if they had cleared out the amusement park guests in this situation, it was virtually a 99.9% probability.
The man called Koozaka Koichiro spoke, striking a grandiose gesture.
"Hahaha! You somehow managed to come back alive!"
It was a tone of voice that was somewhat grating.
Koozaka Koichiro.
If I recalled the explanation from earlier, he was Kozaka William's brother-in-law, so...
That meant he was the son of Koozaka's Chairman, Smile Zone.
...Then it figured that their manner of speech was similar.
"Did you covet my position that much!"
Kozaka William shouted that, but
what I needed to worry about right now wasn't the content of such a conversation.
"...Eve, hey."
[I am standing by.]
"How many are around us?"
After a brief moment, Eve spoke.
[Confirming '49' biometric signals within a 50-meter radius nearby, the same signals as the entities named 'ninja' encountered in the sewers, I inform.]
As expected.
There was no way he had come alone.
Koozaka Koichiro...
He's a real fucking lunatic.
It was a thing easier said than done.
As far as I was concerned, it was incomprehensible that he had cleared out all the guests during peak weekday hours, sent the employees home, and then waited for us.
What if we hadn't come today?
What if we had gone somewhere else?
...Is it wrong to try to understand a lunatic's thinking?
Indeed, it was.
I got the feeling that if he was the child of that crazy Smile Zone, it might just be possible.
I swallowed dryly.
The situation was genuinely serious—a major problem.
No matter how much we were top of the line in the mercenary industry,
and even if Catherine was the protagonist of the game this world was based on,
in the end, the possible and the impossible are always set in stone.
Our limits were clear.
...Should we just run away?
Or should we still try fighting?
The conversation between Koozaka's Vice Chairman and brother-in-law grew increasingly heated.
Simultaneously, the ninjas Eve had detected started to reveal themselves from all over.
Mm.
It really did seem like I needed to start by dropping a lightning bolt first.
Though gathering mana required time,
it was just as I was thinking that.
...Then, at that moment.
Something fell from the sky.
I briefly turned my eyes to look up at the sky.
A delivery drone of a familiar design had arrived overhead, unnoticed by anyone.
I didn't know what had fallen, but
the weight must have been considerable, as a Kwang! sound was heard from the center.
...What's this?
I examined whatever had fallen.
There, having performed a hero landing in a crater in the ground,
was a 'person.'
"...?"
It was simultaneous with that person's landing.
All the surrounding ninjas collapsed.
Electricity sparked, and their limbs broke on their own.
It was a signal of hacking that anyone could recognize.
Drex, who had always worn a smiling expression, muttered with a frown.
"...Hacking? That's preposterous. Something of that level is computationally impossible."
The Vice Chairman and his brother-in-law, who had gone quiet before anyone knew it, also stared blankly at that person.
.......
But for some reason,
that person's—exactly that woman's—attire entered my eyes very distinctly.
...I've seen those clothes somewhere quite often.
The unique outfit looked just like a maid uniform.
As for where I saw it... I think I saw it in the streaming videos of Eve that I had watched—
Mm.
Mmm.
"...You are."
Before I could even open my mouth to say anything,
she—
'Eve'—rose to her feet.
[Having arrived now, I inform.]
"Having arrived now, I say."
.......
No matter how much I had even predicted 'ninjas,' this was something I could never have anticipated at all.
Eve had appeared!