Revenge, Alliances, and the Auction
After stopping by a nearby store to buy a simple shirt, jeans, and underwear, I returned to the hotel. There, Aris and Nae Fitzgerald greeted me completely naked.
“I’ve been moving my body nonstop since yesterday, so I’m starving, hehe.”
Aris rubbed her perfectly toned stomach with not an ounce of fat on it and took the clothes I’d bought her. Nae Fitzgerald also accepted her outfit and began getting dressed. Since their sizes were nearly identical except for their breasts, shopping for them had been easy.
“Oh my, it fits perfectly? How does Ryuta know his aunt’s body measurements so intimately?”
“Mom, stop it. I told him, okay?”
I quickly shut down Nae Fitzgerald, who was trying to tease me with a deliberately sexy expression, and we left the hotel. We headed straight to the brunch restaurant I had reserved and ordered a mountain of food. Having burned an insane amount of calories since dawn, all four of us were ravenous and ended up ordering nearly ten servings between us.
“So where exactly is Francois’s hideout?”
I asked Nae Fitzgerald while taking a bite of my eggs Benedict. Considering everything she’d stolen so far, the collection had to be enormous. I had no idea how big it was, but a phantom thief’s hideout was bound to be a massive building.
“I’ll take you there myself, so don’t be so impatient.”
Nae Fitzgerald wiped the hollandaise sauce from the corner of my mouth with her finger, then sensually licked it off as she answered. Aris frowned at the sight, but with her mouth stuffed full of bagel, she could only glare.
After finishing our meal, we each climbed into the vehicles and motorcycles we’d arrived on and headed to one of New York’s countless skyscrapers.
It was the New York branch building of Légion, a prestigious French luxury brand that produced clothing, shoes, and bags—an eighty-story supertall tower.
As it turned out, the president of this company was none other than Nae Fitzgerald. The reason her frequent business trips and phantom thief activities never raised suspicion with the rest of the family was precisely because of this title. Since the headquarters was in Europe, she could use business trips as an excuse as often as she wanted.
“There’s a branch in Japan too, right?”
“Obviously? Our company isn’t that small.”
I hadn’t asked in that sense. I was only asking because I suspected Aris might have stashed items at the Japanese branch as well.
Since it was such an incredibly tall eighty-story building, Légion wasn’t the only tenant. Many other companies occupied the lower floors. From the seventieth floor upward, however, it was a restricted area accessible only to Nae Fitzgerald and those she permitted.
Aris and Nae Fitzgerald casually operated the president-only elevator located in a corner of the parking garage.
It was an elevator that required a password, fingerprint, and iris scan just to activate. They temporarily registered both me and Mimata Chieri with the management AI installed inside. Apparently we couldn’t ride it otherwise.
If we rode together without any registration, the AI would determine that Nae Fitzgerald was being coerced and immediately alert the PMC she had under contract. Pretty hardcore.
Without stopping once, we ascended to the seventieth floor. After getting off the elevator, we had to undergo a full-body scan (they said it was because someone could theoretically obtain just the iris and fingerprint data and come up), and only then were we allowed to proceed.
“What happens if someone really does what you just described—cuts off your iris and thumb and comes up here?”
“Twenty gun barrels would be aimed at them from angles impossible to dodge. If they get flagged during this scan or make any sudden movements in the elevator, they’ll be fired on simultaneously.”
Hmm. Since they were machines, there was no killing intent, so I hadn’t even noticed the guns were pointed at us. Once Nae Fitzgerald finished her scan and stepped out of the elevator, we followed.
As soon as all of us had exited, a robot wearing a maid outfit approached. It was a four-armed metal robot with only the clothing of a maid.
“Master, are these guests?”
“Yes. I brought them to show around, so don’t shoot them.”
“Understood. Have a pleasant time.”
The maid robot disappeared, and we began slowly touring the seventieth floor. In truth, the floor was packed with sniper rifles positioned to eliminate visitors, so there wasn’t much to see. Most of the space consisted of warehouses for the parts used by the maid robots, ammunition depots for the firearms, and storage for detergents and cleaning supplies needed to maintain the treasures.
“It’s rare to see artificial intelligence robots. You actually use them?”
“Given my line of work, robots are far more trustworthy than humans. And since everything here is extremely valuable, it requires meticulous management.”
That made sense. With the bounty on Phantom Thief Francois being so enormous, trusting people would be difficult. Plus, with so many expensive artifacts that needed constant care, having an AI manage them was definitely better.
“Shall we head up to the seventy-first floor?”
From the seventieth floor onward, movement was done via escalator rather than elevator. According to Nae Fitzgerald, there was a button that let you choose whether to go up or down before riding, which allowed them to install only one escalator line per floor and avoid wasting space.
Indeed, starting from the seventy-first floor, the atmosphere was completely different. Works by various artists were on display, and historical documents were preserved inside vacuum-sealed glass tubes.
Since I had little interest in art or historical artifacts, I headed to the floor displaying accessories and weapons, hoping to find something with good options.
After looking around the early sections, I did find a few weapons with options, but most seemed to prioritize artistic value. Nothing really caught my eye as something I’d want to take.
Huh? There’s a collection of Japanese swords. As expected, most were valuable because famous figures from antiquity had used them. Only one seemed usable as proper equipment. But that single one was quite the jackpot.
A weapon that flowed in from another dimension. It was the beloved sword of Li Qingyun, a legendary master of the True Empire. When infused with lightning qi, the blade itself transforms into lightning.
The countless feats and karma accumulated alongside its former owner grant the user special power.
● Lightning Affinity +
● Additional damage against dark, blood, and chaos attributes
● Traces of swordsmanship are hidden within.
What the hell? Even if I expected something useful, I’d only thought up to the epic grade. I never imagined a legendary item… Since it was a lightning-attribute weapon, Alexandra, who was currently training hard, would probably love it.
As I examined it closely, Nae Fitzgerald came up behind me and whispered into my ear.
“Do you want it?”
“Yes, I really like it.”
When I said I wanted it, Nae Fitzgerald tilted her head while looking at the Blue Sky Thunderclap standing inside the long glass tube. It was probably because the weapon had no notable history, era, or known maker.
“This is something Aris picked out… Aris, come here!”
Aris had been explaining various items to Mimata Chieri, but she came running the moment her mother called.
“Mom, what is it?”
When Nae Fitzgerald pointed at the Blue Sky Thunderclap, Aris nodded.
“I probably got this because I thought it would help Ryuta.”
How did she know it would help me? I was a little curious, but she must have something like a precognitive ability regarding items, similar to Sawayanagi Azuma. I had no intention of prying. I could just check it later with the glasses from the ruins.
“Still, if I’m giving away such a precious sword, I should receive something in return, shouldn’t I?”
What kind of compensation did she want? Of course I couldn’t just take a legendary-grade weapon for free, so I had been planning to give her something as thanks anyway.
“What would you like?”
“Something like a necklace or ring, just like you gave Aris.”
I had given Aris the gift because of its options, but women tended to attach a lot of meaning to rings and necklaces. It seemed Nae Fitzgerald wanted something from me too. Was it like proof that she had become my woman?
“Understood. I’ll get you something nice.”
The only place left in New York to obtain items was the underground auction house, so I’d just have to find something there. Or maybe I could look in LA.
“Then I’ll give it to you in advance♥ You have to give me one, okay?”
Nae Fitzgerald entered a password on a touchpad-like device among the exhibits and registered her fingerprint. The glass tube surrounding the Blue Sky Thunderclap began to open.
Taking items out of these glass tubes was quite the complicated process. Nae Fitzgerald carefully grasped the Blue Sky Thunderclap and handed it to me. Since it was a blade, would I have to send it through the underground auction again…?
“Taking it back to Japan will be a hassle.”
“Oh, then shall I deliver it for you?”
Nae Fitzgerald smiled brightly and asked, clearly delighted at the excuse it would give her to see me in Japan. Sending it through the auction was possible, but since Alexandra, who could actually use this sword properly, was still undergoing training with Seryutai, it was fine to wait a little longer.
“Then I’ll exchange it for the gift I prepare next time.”
“Oh my! How romantic, Ryuta♥”
I had said it without much thought, but seeing how deeply moved Nae Fitzgerald became, I realized this woman got emotional incredibly easily toward someone she had fallen for.
I handed the Blue Sky Thunderclap back to Nae Fitzgerald and continued looking at the exhibits up to the seventy-seventh floor. There were one or two items I liked, but I’d ask for those next time. They weren’t things I needed immediately, and it felt a bit greedy to ask for more after already receiving a legendary item.
“The seventy-eighth floor is like the operation room Phantom Thief Francois uses. The seventy-ninth floor holds equipment, and the eightieth floor is a rest area.”
Ah, I see. So not all ten floors were exhibition halls. Even the seven floors from the seventy-first to seventy-seventh contained an incredible number of items. If you included the main Légion headquarters in Europe and the Japanese branch, the total value would be beyond imagination.
“Well, the tour is over. I’m planning to attend the underground auction tomorrow at dawn. What about you two, Aris and Nae?”
“We drop by the underground auction from time to time. When we’re short on exhibition space, we occasionally put some of our items up for auction.”
In the game, there were times when items known to have been stolen by Phantom Thief Francois would circulate. So they came from the underground auction.
“Then let’s head back to the mansion, rest, and come out again at dawn. Aren’t you tired?”
Nae Fitzgerald still hadn’t experienced me fully, so she seemed worried about my stamina after I had shaken my hips all night long.
“Not at all. I could go a few more rounds with you right now if you want?”
“Oh my♥ Then shall we head to the eightieth floor?”
As expected of a married woman, she didn’t back down at all from my dirty joke. Watching this, Aris puffed out her cheeks and spoke up.
“Mom! The bed on the eightieth floor is narrow, so if we’re going to do it together, a hotel would be much better!”
Ah, so that’s what she meant? I thought she was telling me to stop groping her mother.
It had been a while since Alec was mentioned.
I’m making them while changing the model lol