The Reason for Coming (3)
The Reason for Coming (3)
Catherine muttered to herself in front of the mirror.
"...Hmm, should I pack this too?"
As she said that, she shoved the clothes she was holding into a bag. Beside her, three or four bags already lay around, bulging at the seams.
The room was in complete disarray, so much so that any passerby would mistake it for a burglary.
Catherine looked around.
Bags packed, necessities packed.
"This should be enough, right?"
She said, placing her hands on her hips.
Of course, if things went according to her plan,
there would be no need to pack like this.
It was just in case.
There was no harm in being thoroughly prepared.
"Good."
She'd clean up later.
It was about time to head back to the 'house.'
Leaving those two alone again, who knew what might happen.
Catherine hefted the large bags onto her shoulders one by one.
The straps of the bags groaned under the strain. Just that sound alone told you how much she had packed.
Just as Catherine was about to open the front door and move to the place where she would be staying,
her movement stopped for a moment.
Something she had forgotten came to mind.
"Right."
Thud, she put the bags down.
After scratching her head briefly, Catherine walked over to the small built-in wardrobe, an optional extra in the room.
The inside of the wardrobe was similar to the rest of the room.
Because she had packed her clothes in a hurry, it wasn't tidy—it was a mess.
Catherine took out the only thing
that was hanging neatly—the one 'outfit.'
"......."
She moved her steps again and approached the mirror.
She held the maid outfit up to her shoulders, an exquisitely designed combination of white and black.
She just checked how it looked.
She didn't know why, but the outfit Catherine had bought had certain parts designed much shorter than the one the AI streamer she'd seen was wearing.
Especially the skirt.
'What kind of clothes....'
It was an outfit that instinctively made her blush.
Catherine thought coldly.
'...Is this really right?'
She thought and thought again, more than she had ever agonized over anything recently.
As she looked at herself holding the embarrassing maid outfit against her shoulders, she also felt a strong sense of shame.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped Catherine without her realizing it.
After watching him for over ten years,
the hidden tastes of a friend she thought she knew inside out were shocking even to her.
But the situation left her no choice.
She was already in a position of conceding.
She wasn't foolish enough to be picky about methods or means just because she was embarrassed.
Catherine slowly turned her body, examining her reflection in the mirror.
"......But still, isn't this a bit much?"
...If I'm not careful, my panties will be completely visible.
If you mention the Shooting Star of the mercenary world,
to rookie mercenaries, she's practically a legend.
How did she end up agonizing over something like this?
While Catherine stood there, agonizing over it in front of the mirror,
the intercom buzzed with a default, unpersonalized ringtone.
Catherine's ears perked up toward the front door.
From outside, a familiar male voice, the voice of Lee Si-woon, could be heard.
[Catherine! Are you in there?]
Catherine called out urgently.
"Yeah! I'm coming out!"
Catherine, who was about to hurry to the front door,
paused for a moment and looked down at the maid outfit in her hands.
"......."
Without anyone knowing, Catherine secretly packed the maid outfit into her bag.
...There'll be a use for it if I pack it.
Rationalizing it to herself like that, Catherine gave a solitary nod.
17. The Reason for the Visit (3)
Koozaka's amusement park, 'Pit Mac Land,' was incredibly lively in the daytime.
Last time I came, it was late evening so I hadn't noticed, but now the sky was dyed a brilliant blue.
"Huh."
It seemed to use a mechanism similar to that in Royale Vegas—
holographic sky using the city shield.
But the difference was that while the night sky of Royale Vegas always maintained 'night,' the sky here was always 'blue.'
I'd thought only moneyed places like Royale Vegas could pull that off, but come to think of it, in terms of capital alone, Koozaka was no less formidable.
The result of all those credits poured in:
aside from the Pit Mac holograms flying around in the sky, it was a peaceful scene that didn't even look like a cyberpunk world setting.
And maybe because of that,
there were enormous crowds.
Families and couples thronged everywhere.
Amidst all that, though,
"...They're wearing maid outfits? Is there some event going on?"
"Mom, what's that?"
"Oh my, honey. Don't stare."
we were clearly out of place.
Behind us followed a grim-faced man in a black suit—Koozaka's SP (Security Police).
A man (me) hiding his entire body with mask, gloves, and coat as if afflicted with some illness.
And two stunning beauties so arresting that ten out of ten passersby would turn to gawk, one of whom was even wearing a maid outfit.
It was a combination that inevitably drew every eye.
"......."
Why did they have to build the corporate headquarters in a place like this, forcing us to endure such public exposure?
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't understand.
And it was originally in the Middle Layer, of all places.
Koozaka William had told me
that he'd opposed the headquarters relocation.
Despite the vice chairman's opposition,
only one person came to mind who could move the headquarters on a whim.
...He truly is a madman.
Smile Zone.
Or rather, I should call him 'Pit Mac' here.
What on earth was that guy's goal?
I still had no idea.
Was he really just curious about the super AI, 'Eve'?
Come to think of it, the attack at the garbage landfill wasn't even his handiwork.
Sure, he manipulated events so we'd mistake Koozaka William for him, but it barely qualified as a trap.
The ninja squad that actually attacked us was the doing of Koozaka Koichiro, the brother-in-law of Koozaka William.
He'd even warned us in advance that a ninja squad had reached the surface!
What the hell was he thinking?
What did he plan to do next?
I had absolutely no clue.
So I was planning to ask Koozaka William about that when we met this time.
We have to resolve this quickly—
Just as I thought that,
I felt something placed on my head.
"?"
I turned around.
Catherine and Eve stood there arm in arm, looking at me.
"See, I told you it would suit him."
"Affirmative."
When did you two get so chummy?
My bewilderment at their sudden friendliness was short-lived; something even more bewildering presented itself.
Just like couples who wear headbands at amusement parks,
Eve had cat ear headbands perched on her head,
Catherine had dog ears.
The sight held my gaze captive.
...Wait.
That meant—
I reached up and checked what kind of headband had been placed on my head.
I guess I should be thankful?
It wasn't animal ears.
Two round balls like alien antennae swayed with the motion.
.......
"We haven't taken a picture yet, so put it back on!"
What?
I immediately held out my hand to refuse.
"Photos are a hassle."
I said, attempting to give back the headband.
But the two just stared at me silently.
What?
"".......""
"No, what's up with you two?"
Their reaction made me feel like the weird one.
I looked around for help, especially from the SP guiding us.
But it was strange.
Maybe because he was from Koozaka, he'd vanished like a ninja before I knew it.
As I swiveled my head around looking for the SP, Catherine approached me, still arm-in-arm with Eve, and said.
"We said we'd play for a bit first, told him to go on ahead to the headquarters building."
So saying, Catherine snatched the alien headband from my hand and put it back on my head.
For the record, I still had my hood pulled up, so the overall look was extremely bizarre.
Hmm.
If I couldn't ask the SP for help, I'd have to find another way.
I turned to Eve, silently pleading.
If it was Eve—who had always granted my wishes until now—she would understand the meaning in my eyes.
But in reality,
Eve wasn't looking at me.
I followed her gaze.
At that moment, a loud rush of wind sounded.
""Whoaaaa!!!""
Along the massive rails,
a lightning-fast roller coaster roared past.
It was so fast and forceful
the wind blew my hood off, and the headband went flying, but thanks to the incredible dynamic vision of the childhood friend beside me, the headband settled right back on my head.
I noticed Eve's vacant stare and said,
"Absolutely not."
Catherine answered for me.
"Why? Doesn't it look fun?"
What are you talking about....
I don't have a hobby of paying to suffer.
Eve, having withdrawn her gaze from the now-distant roller coaster, looked back at me.
"......."
What, what now.
I tried to ignore that look with a whatever attitude.
But when Catherine joined in with the same stare,
I realized I was cornered.
In the end, as always,
I gave in first.
"...Fine, a little fun before we go in won't hurt."
"Great!"
"Thank you."
Come to think of it, it should be fine.
Hadn't I just gone skydiving without a parachute recently?
Compared to that, this was nothing.
Of course,
that confidence began to waver after I saw the warning sign posted in front of the roller coaster.
【Warning! The World's Highest Roller Coaster】
【Those who have undergone heart implant surgery cannot ride, and we are not responsible for any problems】
"......."
Hmm.
Should I bolt?
But I couldn't break free from the two dragging me along.
In the end, we didn't enter the headquarters building until several hours later, after we'd played to our hearts' content.
* * *
Koozaka William asked, taking in my half-dead state.
"......Were you attacked on the way? Being late is one thing, but your condition is—."
"......."
I didn't have the energy to answer.
I just gave a slow nod.
I feel like I'm going to die of exhaustion.