The Acquisition of Seryu
“We’ll split the three hundred million yen acquisition fee equally among our ten members.”
Sawayanagi Azuma declared as she signed the documents. Three hundred million yen divided by ten came out to thirty million yen per person, and everyone reacted as if they were touching that kind of money for the first time, letting out delighted “Ooh!” exclamations.
“Even though I’m the president, we’ve always run it together. Everyone worked without ever receiving proper pay…”
Listening to Sawayanagi Azuma’s explanation, I learned that even after finishing combat missions, once they paid off debts and covered repairs, only about twenty to thirty thousand yen remained for each person.
So even if they ran three missions a month, they were only taking home nine hundred thousand yen? That was impressive. Were they enduring it because they were still young and didn’t understand how the world worked, or because they believed things would improve once the debt was cleared? Since I wasn’t the one living it, I couldn’t say for sure.
“Then we’ll need to revise the salary system as well. Would you prefer to keep the current method of getting paid per completed mission? Or switch to a monthly salary?”
Mimata Chieri asked. Since the shares were in her name, it made sense for her to raise the question. Truthfully, I hadn’t given the salary structure any thought at all.
“There’s also a hybrid option. Base monthly salary plus additional pay for every mission.”
The ten of them decided to vote on the salary system. Since they were already splitting three hundred million yen, there was no need to rush the decision.
“Now that the acquisition contract has been signed, please take care of the debt as well.”
Sawayanagi Azuma handed over the debt documents with an earnest, almost desperate expression. She probably hadn’t given much thought to the acquisition itself; clearing the debt was clearly the far more urgent matter for her. Honestly, I didn’t particularly care if this shabby office or warehouse disappeared. I had always planned to move into a proper building. Still, until we purchased or constructed a new one, we would need this place, so the debt had to be settled. Besides, remaining in debt to Black Tech left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Then I just need to wire the money to the account listed here.”
Mimata Chieri, who had taken the documents from me and read through them, spoke up. She said she would handle it right away, took the papers, and stepped aside to make a phone call. It looked like she was contacting the bank. Since the ownership of the debt had changed hands, she was making absolutely certain everything was confirmed.
“It’s been completely processed. Seryu Military Company is now free of debt.”
“Waaah~!!”
The six pairs of eyes that had been watching our every move burst into cheers the moment they heard the debt was gone. Debt really does tighten its grip on the human heart. From what I understood, it had been inherited from the previous generation and had tormented Seryu for nearly six years, so their celebration was completely understandable.
“Now let me introduce you to the rest of our Seryu comrades. This is our vice president, Sawayanagi Shinya.”
“Thank you, Investor! I’m Sawayanagi Shinya.”
Sawayanagi Shinya was an ordinary-looking man. From my memories, he was an outstanding net diver and specialist in planting and defusing bombs. He was one of the four members without superpowers, but his exceptional skills had earned him the vice president position.
“This is Sawayanagi Tobe. He serves as our assault captain.”
“I will definitely repay the favor of clearing our debt, like a man should.”
Sawayanagi Tobe was a massive man who looked nearly two meters tall, built like a sumo wrestler with a sports haircut. In my memories he possessed the Steel Skin ability that turned his flesh into literal steel. That was why he had been used as both tank and assaulter in the game, and it seemed he filled the same assault captain role here.
“This adorable girl is Sawayanagi Seari.”
“Hello!”
A ridiculously cute girl who appeared to be about sixteen waved her hand in greeting. So this was Sawayanagi Seari. In the early game I had thought her wind manipulation was rather mediocre—useful for tracking but not much else—yet in reality she possessed the greatest latent potential in all of Seryu Military Company.
It was because she had a fairy body, just as Yukiko possessed a succubus body and I had a cambion one. In the later stages her potential would explode, letting her single-handedly wipe out an entire company. Still, because playable characters became overwhelmingly strong if raised properly to the end, few players actually invested in her. The fact that she operated on a hired contract also made her difficult to use.
Well, since I didn’t have to control her directly here, she would probably grow nicely on her own.
“These two are sisters. This is the older sister, Kiyona Hori, and this is the younger sister, Kiyona Mari.”
They were two similar-looking beautiful girls in gothic lolita outfits, but the older sister had a full chest and no superpowers while the younger sister was flat-chested and possessed pyrokinesis. On the net, people called Mari the girl who had traded her chest for powers. Indeed, the older sister’s superior physical stats and natural talent for driving meant she excelled at piloting anything from cars to aircraft. Kiyona Mari, on the other hand, could generate flames and sow chaos with her pyrokinesis. Despite their similar faces, their roles were completely different, so they rarely operated together in the game.
“Hey, Azuma-chan! Why are you introducing us as a pair like that?”
“Yeah, yeah! Even if we’re sisters, we’re not a set meal~!”
“See? These are the kind of girls they are.”
““Azuma-chan!””
The three of them were putting on a full comedy routine. The four members who had not yet returned from their missions would be introduced later, so the introductions were complete.
“Since we’ve become family like this, dinner tonight is on me!”
They clearly hadn’t been able to eat what they wanted because of the debt and had been pinching every penny. Raising their favorability with some truly delicious food was the right move.
“Our president is rich, so let’s go somewhere expensive and amazing! Everyone, please recommend a place.”
Mimata Chieri was calling me president instead of junior in front of the others. At her suggestion, everyone began a very serious discussion. It turned into a showdown between the meat faction and the sushi faction. When President Sawayanagi Azuma cast her vote for sushi, they made a reservation at what was supposedly the most expensive sushi restaurant in Fussa.
I had thought that since Fussa wasn’t Tokyo the prices couldn’t be that bad, but the menu was shockingly expensive. When I asked Sawayanagi Azuma about it, she explained that with so many PMCs in the area, completing a mission brought in a large sum at once. Because the work literally risked their lives, many people spent money extravagantly, which had naturally led to the development of high-end restaurants and nightlife culture.
So that was the reason. We headed straight to a sushi restaurant named Fussa First Sushi. I ordered one assorted platter per person and told them to keep ordering any additional sushi they wanted.
“It’s so good!”
The quality was high enough to impress even Mimata Chieri, a dedicated gourmet. After we had eaten our fill of sushi with the Seryu Military Company members, we moved on to an izakaya for a simple second round of drinks. It was their usual spot, and the atmosphere was far more down-to-earth than the sushi restaurant.
Still, as their longtime favorite, the food was genuinely delicious. The way the Seryu members watched contentedly as I enjoyed the side dishes was quite funny. It reminded me of locals watching a foreigner savor their country’s traditional cuisine with genuine appreciation.
Seari, who looked young, was actually twenty-three, so she could drink without issue. However, she was a lightweight; midway through the evening I noticed her slumped over the table, fast asleep.
The cheerful gathering continued until the night grew late and it was time to part ways. When we stepped outside and gathered in front of the shop, one person was missing. The president, Sawayanagi Azuma, was nowhere to be seen. Where had the president gone?
“Where is Azuma-san?”
Since everyone except the Kiyona Hori and Mari sisters shared the Sawayanagi surname, we had decided to address them by first name plus “-san.” I asked while looking for her.
Sawayanagi Seari, who had fallen asleep midway and been carried piggyback by Sawayanagi Tobe, woke up, mumbled something, then suddenly shouted at us.
“I asked the wind… Azuma-chan has been taken by five people! If I hadn’t fallen asleep I could have noticed right away…!”
At Sawayanagi Seari’s tearful words, everyone’s faces turned pale as the alcohol seemed to evaporate from their systems instantly. A sudden kidnapping…! And if they had taken her the moment Seari fell asleep, it was very likely that the kidnappers knew this group well.
“Stop crying for now. Do you know which direction they went?”
At my question, Sawayanagi Seari raised her hand and pointed.
“What’s in that direction?”
“That way… is Black Tech’s secret laboratory.”
When I asked Vice President Sawayanagi Shinya, he shuddered as though he didn’t even want to think about it. Was the secret lab really that dangerous a place?
“First, let’s return to the warehouse, gear up, and then go rescue her.”
I spoke in a firm, decisive voice to the Seryu members who had all received a severe mental shock from the words “secret laboratory.” Hearing me, they snapped back to their senses and ran toward the warehouse.
“Do you have equipment, senior?”
“It’s in the car I drove here.”
I didn’t particularly need gear, but I figured I should at least wear a helmet. As I stood in the empty lot in front of the warehouse holding one, the fully equipped Seryu members gathered one by one. Once Mimata Chieri arrived wearing tech wear as well, I spoke up.
It felt a little strange for me to take charge like a leader, but everyone was still in shock, so I had no choice.
“Let’s move!”
We climbed into an old transport vehicle driven by Kiyona Hori and headed for Black Tech’s secret laboratory.
