Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

James William.

No, he shouted, “Kojaka William.” His voice was filled with nervousness.

“Why can’t I get to the chairman position?!”

“That’s—.”

He cut off the female secretary’s reply.

There were F-words sprinkled between the words.

“It’s just a mascot character for marketing, so why! Even if that’s the real reason, it’s not an insurmountable barrier!”

The secretary quietly bowed her head without responding.

She was an employee rumored to be from the “Ninja Unit,” known only for her loyalty to the Kojaka family.

“I got married because you said kinship was important, and I showed you results because you wanted performance.”

After tossing around the items on his desk, he lamented in a more subdued voice.

“How does it make sense that I can’t change the chairmanship when there’s a majority consent from the board? Answer me!”

The secretary kept her head down and replied in her usual calm tone.

“Please be mindful of your words. The Chairman is watching.”

Kojaka William sneered.

“The chairman? What does that mascot character have to do with anything?”

“And this, sir, is a gift from the Chairman.”

The secretary took out a small case from her coat.

Inside the case was a luxurious design watch.

Looking at the watch seemed to reignite his anger.

Kojaka William slapped the watch case the secretary was holding away with a nervous gesture.

The watch and case were thrown onto the floor.

“Shut your mouth; I’ll start working to eliminate that damn chairman character from tomorrow!”

And then.

It was after Kojaka William said that.

All the electronic devices around him began to flicker.

Monitors mounted on the desk and walls turned on, revealing the “Mouse Character” against a red background.

The famous mascot of Kojaka Corp.

It was the character known as “Mr. Pete Mack.”

It was also the “Chairman” that Kojaka William had incessantly complained about.

Caught off guard by the sudden change in atmosphere, Kojaka William stopped what he was doing.

This was his personal room.

It had nothing to do with Kojaka Corp.

In other words, it was a situation that could only mean the security had been compromised.

The secretary picked up the fallen watch.

She handed the watch back to Kojaka William.

“It would be best if you accepted it, sir.”

“…….”

He could have asserted his pride here, but ultimately, he accepted the watch the secretary extended to him.

“And as I said before, the Chairman is watching. Please be careful with your words.”

With that, the secretary, still keeping her head bowed, walked out of the room.

Yet, even after she left.

Kojaka’s mascot character, Pete Mack, continued to watch Kojaka William from within the monitor.

“……You, or rather, what is your identity?”

He asked, unable to put the watch down, staring at the monitor.

It might just be his feeling, but he thought this character was listening to his actions and words.

As if to affirm his suspicion.

The character on the screen spoke.

【Me? I’m definitely a children’s friend! It’s ‘Mr. Pete Mack’!】

“Is now really the time to be asking that—?”

【But, you see, my real name is different.】

The voice, tone, speech, even small changes in pitch—all transformed.

【Well, I guess we didn’t meet during the introduction.】

The character spoke from beyond the monitor.

【I am—.】

I swallowed hard.

The situation was evolving far stranger than I had anticipated.

The vice president of the mega-corp, Kojaka William, asked with a trembling voice.

“…Chairman Nobukuro, what on earth is going on?”

【Oh, it’s because it’s Smile John right now. Call me ‘John’ cutely!】

“Enough with the jokes. Did you also attack the airship I was on?”

【No, that was your brother-in-law, uh… Kojaka Koichiro, who did that. I guess he was eyeing your vice presidency?】

“……I see.”

Kojaka William fell silent for a moment, contemplating the answers from Smile John, Pete Mack, and Nobukuro.

As he collected his thoughts, I quietly took a step back.

I wasn’t planning to run away.

Though Smile John had appeared, I needed to confirm the most pressing issue.

I cautiously placed my hand on the ground.

Gathering Mana, I cast a spell.

It was magic to detect heat sources around me.

It was also the spell I wanted to use when I went to find Maya recently, though Andrea had broken the door before I could.

The purpose was to scout the area.

Normally, I could have asked Eve to check it out, but it would be hard to get Eve’s help in the underground village, the “sewage,” where there were no surveillance cameras or map data.

I focused my mind and scanned my surroundings.

I could feel both large and small heat sources through the palm of my hand on the ground.

After a moment, I lifted my hand from the floor.

Hmm.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem that Kojaka’s Ninja Unit was going to attack us right away.

That meant I had some leeway.

I tucked away the thought of escaping and instead watched the hologram of Smile John floating over the watch held by Kojaka William.

I didn’t need to ask questions myself; their conversation offered enough information.

…But.

I muttered quietly.

“Nobukuro.”

Since Smile John had appeared, the voice modulation function was unnecessary, so I had turned it off beforehand.

Nobukuro, as in “Kojaka Nobukuro,” that name sounded familiar.

Eve responded to my muttering.

[It was the name mentioned by the Monolith CEO at the Quantum Nexus party, just so you know.]

Oh.

[Confirming leftover information in the database, it was also said to be the founder of Kojaka.]

He was definitely someone who could be in the chairmanship position.

…But such a figure.

Would go around acting crazy as a mascot character or wearing a smiling emoticon?

Anyone who didn’t know might think it was a joke.

I was just as confused.

Seemingly having organized his thoughts, Kojaka William looked at the hologram hovering over the watch and spoke up.

“…So what exactly is this situation? And why did you suddenly appear?”

That was a reasonable question from his perspective.

When I asked him about ‘Smile John’ before, he had no idea who that was.

It was natural not to understand the current situation.

【Well… as I said earlier.】

The hologram casually replied.

【Honestly, it doesn’t involve you at all. It’s just that I cast a fishing line, so to speak.】

He continued speaking, and every time he did, the voice and tone of Smile John changed.

In minor ways, the timbre shifted, and in significant ways, even the gender changed.

The fact that Pete Mack’s voice was mixed in can’t have been noticed only by me.

【Haha! This level of data transformation is quite simple for me!】

Kojaka William still didn’t seem to understand the situation and murmured.

“So, what does that mean—?”

【To put it simply, you’re just the bait caught on my fishing pole, and I’m not after you.】

Is it just my feeling?

It seemed like the hologram of Smile John turned to look at me.

But maybe my thoughts were correct.

【Shun! The lightning was a bit shocking! Of course, it’s fine for me, but my subordinates were a bit disappointed. But, things like that happen, right? Haha!】

“……So what’s your business?”

【Casual speech, warning count 2. By the way, this is based on the three-out rule combined with the casual speech I heard on the highway. You might know my name, but I’m not much older than you! Haha!】

…Then break the concept or something.

I almost blurted that out, but I held myself back with strong patience.

Now that it was clear he was the CEO of the mega-corp, it would be foolish to oppose him outright.

So I asked him with basic politeness.

“What is it?”

It wasn’t that difficult to speak formally.

【Hahaha! Let me get straight to the point then.】

The small hologram of Smile John spun around.

Hearing the story, it seemed like there was a separate moving entity behind it.

I couldn’t help but wonder how it expressed such strange movements.

The hologram spoke nonchalantly.

【There’s no plan or trap involved, either.】

“……?”

【Well, if there’s a reason, it’s just that I was curious about how far Eve can act and move, just like I mentioned before. I couldn’t just charge in and get struck by lightning again, so you could say it’s a large-scale experiment.】

I had heard similar things when I first met Smile John before.

He had expressed curiosity about the super artificial intelligence, Eve.

【Although, it’s true that I thought it might be fun, haha!】

…Hmm.

Instinctively, I felt that the latter reason was the main one.

Well, one shouldn’t expect reason from a madman.

【Anyway, that’s it. The reason I spread the information that I’d appear at the corporate party and produced Smile John’s voice data in William’s voice.】

During this,

Kojaka William, who had silently been listening to our conversation, briefly asked Smile John.

“……Why did you do that?”

【Just because.】

“…….”

…He was not someone who should be treated in such a manner.

Leaving Kojaka William, who had been instantly floored, behind.

Smile John’s hologram morphed into Kojaka’s mascot character, “Mr. Pete Mack.”

As a result, the voice also changed to the pitchy voice I often heard from commercials.

【It’s true that I personally attended the party, but it’s a bit disappointing that you didn’t notice this part!】

The mouse character shrugged nonchalantly.

His speaking manner had altered as well.

【Even as a super AI, I guess my data mining isn’t enough! So, make an effort!】

In my personal opinion,

I just wanted to punch him once.

【Anyway, so—.】

At that moment, the hologram flickered.

Pete Mack’s voice also became faint, of course.

Realizing his own state, Pete Mack continued speaking in a casual tone.

【Ah, looks like the battery is running low from the hologram. I’ll take my leave now! By the way, the Ninja Unit on the ground is not my doing—.】

With those last words, the hologram turned off.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

The three of us: myself, Catherine, and Kojaka William.

All went silent.

…I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

I struggled to suppress a sigh that was about to escape.

And apparently, having somewhat grasped the situation, Kojaka William cautiously asked me.

“……For now.”

I listened intently.

“It seems you are not part of the ‘Cyber Force.'”

…That was the narrative.

Had I heard what the crazy hologram had said, I could estimate some of it.

No matter how brazen I was, it was futile to keep lying at this point.

After all, I had turned off voice modulation earlier.

“…Right.”

“So then, what is your identity?”

…Hmm.

How should I explain this?

Originally, my purpose was kidnapping, but in the end, I had saved the vice president as a passing mercenary?

I showed him my palm.

It was a gesture for him to wait a moment.

I turned to Catherine, who had been leaning against the wall, and approached her.

“We should discuss how to explain this.”

…However.

Catherine seemed more concerned about something else than this issue.

With a somewhat irritated tone, she glared at me.

“…Who is that ‘Eve’ that Smile John mentioned? No matter how I look at it, it sounds like a female name.”

“…….”

Oh.

---