Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

As I walked towards the heart of “Pete Mc Land,” the atmosphere began to change, especially compared to the outer areas bustling with tourists and rides.

Finally, I arrived in front of the headquarters building.

What unfolded before me couldn’t even be called an “amusement park” anymore.

“Kojaka, reflect on yourself!”

“Reflect! Reflect!”

…Hmm.

Drones were buzzing through the air, reflecting light, while crowds of people were shouting using small loudspeakers and voice amplifying implants.

It was a sight that didn’t match an amusement park at all.

It was definitely a unique and bizarre scene, but on the other hand, it was also a shockingly normal situation.

Moreover, there was even a segment on “NCB24” that specialized in broadcasting about this part, “Kojaka.”

I won’t go into too much detail.

Kojaka’s malicious acts were well-known in this city.

I casually looked around.

Some were holding metal placards, and many were projecting holograms and shouting in large groups.

The common point among all these diverse people was that they were all cursing “Kojaka” in unison.

“Return my stocks, you bastards!!”

Someone’s shout laden with anger echoed.

Hmm.

Should I go over there and hold a placard too?

If Eve hadn’t supported me financially with some of her streaming earnings, I might have been protesting alongside them.

If not for that, I would likely be handling various kinds of jobs just to get by.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“…….”

Catherine spoke, and Eve took my hand.

As I was being led by them, I felt a shallow sense of guilt.

In light of the current situation where the identity of Smile John had been revealed as the insane mascot character of Kojaka, I couldn’t say I had no responsibility regarding the antagonistic business actions of Smile John and Pete Mc.

It was just how I felt.

—

17. The Reason for Coming (4)

“That’s right.”

In response to my question, Kojaka William nodded as if it were obvious.

“Most of the profit activities conducted recently were all orders that came down secretly from the chairman. For instance, the ‘Rainbow-Flavored Cola’ created to target the competitor’s cola.”

“…….”

So this was real.

What on earth were they doing just to harm me? Even when I thought about it coldly, I couldn’t understand at all.

Kojaka William lifted an ornate teacup and took a sip of green tea.

I cautiously followed suit and took a sip of tea.

I personally preferred most teas over coffee, but…

What had they mixed into this tea?

I had heard that this one cup cost more than my monthly food expenses. Upon hearing that, I decided to drink it without any complaints.

Catherine, who seemed not at all inclined to drink, spoke in a strangely dissatisfied tone.

“Outside is a mess, but here, is it because only the high-ranking folks are around? It’s so peaceful.”

Even in front of the vice president of Megacorp.

She displayed her usual boldness, not holding back even in front of the chairman of another megacorp (Monolith).

If it were any other time, I would have pretended to chide her for her unabashed comments, but today, I quietly agreed with Catherine, keeping silent.

It was true.

Unlike the continuing protests outside, the scenery here felt so peaceful it was almost disconcerting.

At that moment, a thunk reverberated.

It was the sound of a bamboo decoration often seen in Japanese culture. Was it shishi odoshi? The bamboo tube tipped once filled with water before striking the ground again.

You might not believe this if I told you, but the interior of the building felt more outside than the actual outside.

Ahead was a wide Japanese garden, and behind it was a traditional Japanese house.

As I sat on a broad tatami mat, leisurely drinking tea, the protests I had seen outside felt like a distant lie.

On the glass window, a hologram appeared that looked just like a real wall, and above, a blue sky flowed slowly as if it were ‘real’.

How high was the ceiling?

If someone were to knock someone out and take them away, they might really mistake it for the outside world.

Kojaka William responded to Catherine’s comment nonchalantly.

“It’s my wife’s preference.”

Despite knowing that people outside were protesting, he seemed completely unconcerned.

The sights I had seen at the landfill and sewage were nowhere to be found.

He looked just like the real “vice president of Megacorp” as I first saw him at the party venue.

“It didn’t look that way when you had your arm twisted by the Orc.”

“Ahem.”

Kojaka William politely cleared his throat.

Ah, it seems my innermost thoughts slipped out without me realizing.

I silently sipped my (expensive) tea.

I expressed that I regretted speaking without directly saying I made a mistake.

In the meantime, Eve, who had been looking around, approached us.

“Eve, what is it?” I asked.

“There are no surveillance elements like cameras in sight. And currently, I cannot find any traces of ‘Smile John’.”

So she was looking for such things.

I thought she was just fascinated and looking around…

Thunk.

Eve’s gaze moved toward the bamboo decoration that had made the sound, then returned.

…Maybe she genuinely was just curious.

Anyway.

Whether she realized it or not, she seemed to be thinking that Smile John might be watching her.

Kojaka William took a short breath.

He set down the teacup he was holding and gestured toward the interior of the Japanese-style mansion.

Then, from the shadows within the mansion, a ninja-like female employee appeared, carrying a large metallic bag.

The female employee silently set the bag down between me and Kojaka William.

And just like her appearance, she swiftly vanished back into the shadows.

Just to clarify, the expression “vanished” meant she physically disappeared.

It was optical camouflage.

But since no one seemed surprised by her appearance, it was clear everyone here knew of her existence.

The sorrow of a clueless wizard is…

In any case, Kojaka William pressed a button on the bag placed on the tatami mat.

A puff of white smoke flowed out from the bag’s gap.

Even without anyone opening it, the bag slowly began to open.

Inside the bag was ‘clothing’ that had a design strikingly similar to what I was currently wearing.

Seeing that we had checked the contents of the bag, Kojaka William continued explaining.

“First, it comes equipped with basic specifications like stab-proof and bulletproof technology.”

As if it had been prepared in advance, his explanation was seamless.

“Using materials like carbon nanotubes or Kevlar, we maximized functionality.”

And then a barrage of explanations continued.

Things like heat resistance and insulating performance…

The augmentation of physical capabilities through muscle fiber activation by nanobots…

Various explanations kept coming, but.

Did he mean to imply there wouldn’t be a second set? At the end, Kojaka William added:

“Especially, I paid attention to ensure it doesn’t get stained by smells or contaminants.”

“Oh.”

Now that he so readily prepared clothes for me like this.

I was quite disappointed at the thought of having to ask again next time if it got dirty.

Honestly, when I said that half jokingly back in the sewage, I was grateful he had actually prepared real clothes.

The female employee emerged from the shadows again. In her hands were two bags identical to the one she had brought out earlier.

“These are for the other two, and I’ll separately prepare those for the colleagues who couldn’t make it today, so don’t worry.”

Megacorp, truly.

When they prepare, they do it right.

No.

But if they’re fine sending separately, wouldn’t it have been better to send us individual ones too?

I thought so.

As if reading my thoughts, Kojaka William clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Now let’s get to the point.”

After all.

Thinking back, when SP initially came to invite us, he had said, “There’s something else we need to discuss.”

Of course, ideally, we should have talked about it back when we visited this place last night, but—

Kojaka William, as he spoke, carefully glanced at Eve.

That act of hers where she had turned off all the lights of the headquarters, including parts of the city, must have been viewed as threatening even to the vice president of Megacorp.

Honestly, it surprised me too.

It was a situation where I had no choice but to lose my grip on reality.

Kojaka William cleared his throat briefly.

“First, about the ‘common enemy’ we talked about, Pete Mc… For you, it would be Smile John. It would be right to explain about him first.”

Then he stood up from his seat.

He stood over the tatami mat, and his action of not taking off his shoes felt really irritating.

If this were my house, I’d have slapped him across the face immediately.

What’s up with that? In a Japanese-style house, taking off your shoes should be a given.

There’s a saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but no matter what, my inner Confucian scholar wouldn’t allow such behavior.

I took off my shoes and stepped onto the tatami mat.

Catherine and Eve, who were used to entering homes without shoes, followed suit.

Kojaka William, seemingly distracted elsewhere, continued speaking without noticing us.

“I apologize for not being able to explain using electronic devices, but since we are inside the headquarters, it wouldn’t be strange if ‘that’ showed up at any moment.”

He adjusted his tie and, although there was no mirror, he tidily groomed the hair he had pushed back.

“So, I was looking for someone to help explain.”

He was clearly addressing us, yet it also felt like he was speaking to himself in a different way.

Kojaka William, staring intently at the interior of the mansion, finally turned his gaze upwards. Only then did he look at us.

“Now, let’s move.”

“Sure.”

I nodded and gestured towards Catherine and Eve.

We walked behind him, traversing the inside of the wooden mansion, which was completely out of place in the cyberpunk world.

…A wooden building in this world.

It felt like something you’d only see once in a blue moon.

After more than ten years, had I already adapted to this crazy world?

With each step I took, an old floorboard creaked underfoot—a sound that was strangely unfamiliar.

‘…Who on earth is so out of it?’

I thought, following behind Kojaka William.

‘Pete Mc’, ‘Smile John’, ‘Kojaka Nobukuro’.

Who would be the one explaining all this?

Kojaka William paused for a moment, letting out a short sigh.

He then cautiously opened a sliding door made of shoji paper.

In the center of the spacious room sat a young ‘girl’ with a dignified posture.

She looked incredibly young, yet every movement oozed an indescribable grace for her age.

…

While she had grace, the sensation felt oddly familiar.

Right.

Like the crazy old man… ‘Bill.’

She didn’t look the age she appeared.

Breaking the quiet silence, Kojaka William was the first to speak, introducing the girl.

“This is my wife, Kojaka Kohaku.”

“……”

No matter how you slice it, even if he was the vice president of Megacorp, this was a bit…

I shot him a trashy glare.

But before I could even say anything, the girl called Kojaka Kohaku was quicker to speak.

“……I told you to take off your shoes, didn’t I?”

“Oh.”

I felt like I could hear the death throes of a son-in-law.

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