Chapter 156

Our… cough, no matter how you look at it, even though we’ve named ourselves temporary allies, aren’t these words a bit too harsh…?

Anyway, the dramatic pact I made with Kajun isn’t anything special.

I, Anastasia Valentine, will gather circumstantial evidence proving that the attack on the Delta Laboratory was conducted by Heylong’s special forces, and if necessary, I will testify with all sincerity.

Honestly, I’m just an ignorant scoundrel when it comes to politics or work, so I was worried that the war, which should only just begin in the original story, might start too early because of my reckless actions.

However, this seems to stop at internal political struggles, most likely due to one of Enema Corporation’s key figures, Dr. Makarovitch, digging his own grave. Luckily.

Anyway, my part is short and clear. No matter how things turn out, it’s only to the extent of helping him once.

On the other hand, Kajun has to cover up so that I don’t face any additional pressure or harm… He also has to make the source of the information seem plausible… Though it’s absolutely not my concern, as the sinister mastermind, he must establish and use plans for it to be worthwhile.

…In reality, even though I say that, since his side is selling whatever information they can, didn’t I sell it too cheaply? I slightly regret it.

Honestly, even though they volunteered to disappear—retire—completely and without any risk of discovery or repercussions after the job, shouldn’t I have asked for a bit more?

“Here, we’ve brought Researcher Anastasia, sir.”

“…Thank you for the hard work. But since this situation is serious, I’ll let it slide this time. However, please avoid leaving this place unmanned, appointing someone of lower rank as your substitute. We might offend our guest.”

“…”

The secretary, Kakubari, kept nitpicking, to which Kajun kept bowing his head. One might expect him to argue that it was necessary for the task or part of the job requirements, but he accepted the reprimand as if it were justified.

I understand intellectually. His superior is there, and there are things that bother him, so it’s better to let things slide peacefully than to argue. That’s probably how he thought, right?

…However, reason and feelings are separate matters.

I’m extremely disappointed. You, Mister K…!!

Why are you still just a mid-level manager? If you are the great villain of the future, shouldn’t you already be showing us your greatness by merely gesturing and having your employees disciplined?

How can you possibly keep your promises this way? Huh?!!

“…”

“…Hmph!”

Turning away from the secretary and brushing past me, the guy gave a glance implying, “Take care,” to which I responded by blowing a dismissive raspberry, meaning, “Don’t worry.”

Truly… I don’t like this joint front partner.

I had hoped to use someone as naive as him to my advantage, but with this lack of authority, I worry whether he can even keep his promises. You better do well… considering the huge investment I’ve made! …Please.

Anyway, whatever I might grind my teeth over internally as he leaves.

Mr. Kakubari, who received the handover, seems eager to resolve this headache as quickly as possible, and is about to pass me on to the ultimate decision-maker.

“Haa… Just go inside. And… tsk, though I can guess why, Edamatsu-sama seems to overly favor you, so please don’t try to gain personal profit from that!”

“…Yes.”

I acknowledged it first.

It felt like I was pretending to be an ordinary recruited hacker, and it was painfully obvious he was suspicious of my secret infiltration. On the other hand, it also seemed like he was upset that I had deceived him personally.

Whether it was Kajun or not, I also didn’t want to linger long in talking with someone higher up, so I nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Still, what personal profit? Just hearing this warning when the situation could trigger major butterfly effects and cause neck pain just imagining it makes me think the world is awfully stingy.

…Wait a second, gain? I suddenly remember, didn’t I forget the most important settlement? Seriously. Is this going to be taken care of after the one-on-one meeting? It’s correct, right? I’ll have to return to the boarding house without it if I don’t!

“…Come in already.”

“Ah.”

No matter how desperately I begged, there was no clear answer.

Life is so stingy. Even in large corporations, they cut all non-essential expenses ruthlessly.

Doing the job that an employee is supposed to do! Hey, then you should at least pay me! Where is my salary account linked to?

Click.

The door that opened shut mercilessly behind me. And wow, there right in front of me stood the youngest son of the prestigious Amagi family.

For someone called Enema’s punk and a mad dog, he has a very elegant appearance. He looks like a nobleman that should be called a young lord, which draws your eyes.

His perfectly worn suit, neatly combed hair, and pale skin…

Especially his double and triple rippling irises… though the colors and atmosphere are completely different.

No, it’s not that I suddenly dislike seeing a handsome man; rather, his holographic irises, actively used during customization, reminded me of the Enema root clearance special feature.

You tend to forget what you unlocked early on after too many repetitions of the game.

“Grm… Yes, uh… Hello, Manager…”

“…Nice to meet you, Researcher. Although, we’re not complete strangers.”

“…”

Regardless. The intense sense of loss from not being paid, the subordinate position, and the atmosphere of Enema’s main base pressing down on me made it difficult to avoid Edamatsu’s sharp criticism and I could only awkwardly smile.

Why are you doing this to me? Please.

If I were asked to point out the greatest difficulty in living in this future world with bizarre technology and structure, I could confidently say it’s this.

In the 21st century, if someone you barely know suggests having a meal, it’s either just for networking or they have a simple favor to ask. But here…

You have to worry first about what sinister plan they might have before coming here.

So, can’t we just drop the formalities and talk casually? What kind of scent is this scary hunting dog sniffing out from me before a poor grunt collapses from cardiovascular issues?

Would they revive someone who faints within 10 seconds and sit them back down?

“…”

As if reading my mind, Edamatsu suddenly stood up from his seat and approached me.

Though I was startled by his action, aiming to suppress the initiative, what caught my attention the most was his expression filled with amusement.

Isn’t this… strange? This guy wasn’t supposed to be this emotionally expressive, or close in distance.

Cold and indifferent, based on deep-rooted complexes and distrust of humans. It wasn’t until the protagonist group struggled for a while that he showed any interest, right?

“Please sit. You must have worked tirelessly for Enema. Could you tell me a bit about what you’ve experienced?”

First, his tone was calm.

But his forward movement resembled blind passion. His requests were… detailed inquiries about survival.

Well, it’s better like this. Since the doubts I receive can be honestly explained, it means no problems will arise.

“Uh… Originally, including me, most of the facility personnel thought they were finally being disciplined by headquarters for violating internal regulations, right…?”

Let’s use this time to organize my memories. I spoke out the things I figured out after great effort.

Just from the doctor’s notes alone, there were confirmed irregularities: missed regular reports, embezzlement, fraudulent accounting, working hour violations, exclusion of unfair business practices… Honestly, it must’ve been on everyone’s mind that finally, the inevitable had arrived.

Even I had naively misunderstood until recently that Enema was trying to punish those involved!

Taking advantage of that, Heylong probably thought this was the only chance to seize the research results and acted accordingly.

What remains are the tragically innocent people who died, an awake Enema, a fruitless large-scale operation by Heylong, and myself, the experimental subject who managed to escape thanks to that.

Though it was ridiculous to be thankful for such a horrific tragedy, it occurred to me again how miraculous it was that I managed to safely arrive here.

“And then… I wandered around, receiving help from various places, following connections…”

I hastily cut my sentence when I almost slipped and said ‘unexpectedly and unwillingly’ entered.

Regardless of the truth, I am now a researcher who willingly risked my life for Enema.

Once you set a concept, you must stick to it. Don’t spoil the act halfway.

“Because I couldn’t ignore the massive damage Enema Corporation has suffered! I’ve come here determined to speak the truth…”

“…”

After a short silence.

“Hmm… Well, that’s enough. We don’t have to confine our conversation to today.”

‘…Shit.’

For some reason, while the word ‘connection’ had almost convinced him, his stance suddenly cooled down after my overly patriotic declaration. I glared at Edamatsu, who had switched his reluctant-to-believe attitude.

This guy… Is the ‘dog’ in his nickname really accurate? His instincts are razor-sharp.

Even with my best efforts to appear innocent, has he detected something I didn’t say? If I had realized this, I should have settled things directly with him instead of through that useless Kajun.

Anyway, the flow of questioning about who I am or was has significantly diminished.

It’s not completely dismissed, but both of us silently agreed that pursuing it further here would yield no mutual benefit.

Tension eased. My vigilance naturally relaxed.

Why? Because Edamatsu is different from Kajun. This twisted young master’s hatred is limited to relatives who have scarred him deeply and obstacles inhibiting his path forward.

If I have committed no sin that requires him to act and it doesn’t concern him personally, he’s not someone who unjustly bestows disadvantages.

Is calling him a fair judge too much flattery…? Maybe that’s why Kajun chose him as a shield and someone worthy of respect. A villain confident in their ability to succeed in any circumstances might do that.

…But why is there no simple dismissal now that the talk is over?

Since moving without permission from a superior doesn’t seem right, I stayed put, but the host showed no signs of dismissing me, possibly deep in thought.

Damn, now I have to wait despite being disappointed.

I slowly scanned the room, comparing it with the cutscenes I saw in the game.

If I ever need to sneak in or revisit later, I wanted to carefully examine what is where, but as I started observing, the character of that rogue became transparent.

Even though the executive office feels practically real, the book-covered walls and pictures brought to mind an old study, and the scattered documents, liquor bottles, and packing materials revealed a hunger that couldn’t be satisfied despite excessive consumption.

…While someone is unfairly deducting my rightful wages, making me anxious, why is a nail file lodged in that stationery case? Does he rigorously manage himself?

“Eh… That can’t possibly, just be sitting there like that!!”

I was startled, my calves twitching.

My eyes aimlessly roamed and got stuck on an unimaginable quest item.

An old music box, which can only be returned to its owner, Edamatsu, and used nowhere else.

Boldly enough, it leaked out when a thief, hiding during Enema Corporation’s internal factional struggles, stole it… Forget it, all this is irrelevant talk.

What’s important is that it’s intact for now.

And the urgent task is to dodge Edamatsu, who seems to have closed the deal…!

“You. Do you know what this is?!”

“!! What, uh, it’s that music box, right?! And if you mishandle it and break it, what am I supposed to do?! It’s not my fault!”

Ten, hey, idiot. If you stutter like that, how will he fall for it?! You’ve lost your reason!!

No matter how I scream mentally, nothing changes.

The problem was being so close that I could count each other’s eyelashes, even individual hairs.

He pushes in without any regard for touching, and what good does it do if I try to stay calm and keep my seat while he gets this close?

Pffftt.

Wait a second, calm down. Let’s try to resolve this with dialogue… but his arms pressing on the couch by both sides of my head wouldn’t move. Instead, the pressure only increased.

‘Really, if you don’t leave any options, I can’t help it, you monster…!’

How well can I adjust the output to just knock out consciousness?

Without enough practical data, I couldn’t guarantee it, but I reached the conclusion that electric heat might be the only way to calm this crazy person. So, I defiantly raised my head.

“Now, at last, together…”

A face-off with someone’s inner voice.

The eyes are often called the window to the soul.

People praise it as an irreplaceable channel of inner images that cannot be truly hidden by deceit or camouflage. I… partially agree.

Here, among people who can read heartbeats and those who regulate their bodies to deceive such readings…

Right in front of me now.

The guy sheds tears like he’s shouldering sorrowful, unjust, and tragic fates alone, making it hard for me to deny them since I might not be ruthless enough.

Hey, what do you know about misfortune? Here’s a guy who just got kidnapped to another world for loving games and giving them his all, and has been reborn multiple times because of it.

“Haaah…”

I wanted to mock him, but I couldn’t.

I am a despicable human.

I am someone who, as a vulnerable and uncertain tomorrow’s weakling, thinks anything usable should be used. Even knowing that aiding a future main villain is wrong, I sold out what I could for immediate safety.

It’s clear that Edamatsu has completely misinterpreted the situation.

If this were actively used, I might be able to stay hidden until the end and wait for the right moment, leading to a peaceful life.

…But.

Didn’t I mention this before? He’s one of the approachable Enema characters with affection points, but I showed no particular feelings for him as I have a general sexual orientation.

It’s a lie. A blatant lie.

If I were someone who could treat another as an object, as mere data, after frantically interacting with them for tens of thousands of hours of playtime, I wouldn’t have endured the life of a shut-in just to see the true ending.

Moreover, it’s impossible to separate him from the emotions built during those times.

I know.

Even if this world isn’t as kind as to give everyone a blessed path…

I know he was born under a star capable of true happiness after countless choices, despite the occasional sorrow revealed in his eyes and momentary despair.

But am I, someone listed so confidently as a heroine but with their gender identity a jumble inside, fit to grab the hand that seeks help?

…And why ask now. I didn’t question when I helped Helena, who hit the ground with frustration. Even if my time together with her was comparatively much longer, I am not the kind of person who discriminates to that degree.

And as someone who knows even the most backstories, I shouldn’t do this, should I?

So… this is absolutely not an expression or permission directed toward love.

It’s more akin to sympathetic support sent to a character from a story I once loved passionately.

Having convinced myself of this, I quietly extended my arm and gently wiped the tearful eyes of Edamatsu with the tip of my finger.

Guy, you’re alright. Man, at least you have clear goals, unlike me. When you meet radiant people in the future, these wounds will heal gradually, so just endure…

…and persevere…

…

Then why does he grab my hand with this earnest attitude, as if this is all he needs?

Hey.

Hey, you creepy monster.

…