Chapter 162

I believe this world truly needs a protagonist.

It’s not just that; it’s somewhat of an extreme expression, but I wish there was a bullet shield to deal with these unique individuals on my behalf.

Honestly, if there was a way to specify it, I would have found a way to analyze their tendencies or prepare to guide the direction of the story by now.

Right now, I have no clues whatsoever and can only wait patiently for the prologue to begin.

Well, anyway, I could introduce Helena, with whom I will eventually act, to Show in advance, couldn’t I? Even if the world allows it, I cannot allow it!

My grandfather has said that there are too many rude individuals in the mercenary industry, and I often receive complaints about them, so I couldn’t drop such a huge bombshell into her narrow human relationships.

And while I know that we will meet someday in terms of the plot, I believe this disgusting pervert should be isolated from everyone until then.

Even though she has a somewhat obsessive and cruel side, to be praised as a somewhat normal person by Neo Haven standards is quite ironic.

“If my promise was insufficient to gain your trust, I’ll swear again, this time under the influence of this confession drug….”

“Um…!? Were we not on our way to investigate President Kasane?”

I stopped Show, who was suddenly trying to pull out a syringe from the storage.

It was truly remarkable that, on the way to carry out our mission, he had the spontaneous thought of inserting something like that into himself just to prove his sincerity.

It seems I had judged him as a rational person based on the late-game criteria. If not, then he would be an impossibly huge figure even to attempt a rehabilitation with my common sense or capacity.

…Surely, he wouldn’t prioritize my reaction over the success of the operation?

I want to believe this is all part of some mercenary art of manipulating people. Like a performance containing the meaning of ‘I value you this much, so be loyal without looking elsewhere.’

“…….”

Feeling a chill down my neck, I rubbed it with my sleeve.

As the soft fabric soothed my skin, the goosebumps that had risen gradually calmed down and retreated.

Among all my misconceptions and misunderstandings, the worst is an over-inflated self-awareness; interpreting everything wrong as stemming from me is a delusion. Let’s not forget that.

Moreover, the immediate priority is safely completing the annoying task at hand.

Given Show’s attitude, at least I can put aside the worries that he might engage in harmful actions towards us… right?

Vroom….

The smoothly gliding limousine came to a slow stop.

During the ride, I lost track for a moment after receiving shocking transmission from my superior, but my communication implant diligently performed its duties.

The venue for the party is the residence of Kasane Amagi, located in the resort and rehabilitation activities area, a bit away from the central medical area where Enema’s headquarters is situated.

Well, from the planning stage, it was weighted much more toward ‘rehabilitation’ rather than ‘respite,’ so in reality, it’s lined with luxurious homes or event villas of the upper class of the capital.

Since it’s a supplementary facility included in the medical area, I understand she chose this as an event location thinking she would be safe from external threats.

However… for this occasion, a shameful family squabble was set to unfold, making it almost a handshake.

As soon as the door swung open, I carefully disembarked while holding the hand extended by my bodyguard.

Other than that, the outfit severely restricted leg movement, so I had no feelings of resistance when receiving an escort. Especially since the seating in the limousine was deeply sunk.

“How did it go? Was everything resolved…?”

“I merely followed advice. Ultimately, it resulted in taking advantage of her generosity.”

‘Wait a second, you jerk…!’

Upon hearing Kai-jun, who was attending to Show on the opposite side, my head spun.

No wonder the kid was being strangely aggressive! Confirming there was someone encouraging him made it all add up.

Are you really going to repay the grace of coming here to ask for help as an enemy? I’ll see you later…!

“……!?”

Suddenly feeling an inexplicable chill, I saw the shivering guy urging the accompanying vehicles to secure the surroundings without any gaps.

At this point, pretending to act diligently is useless. I won’t forget this grudge.

“Huf….”

I took a deep breath and looked up.

The lights that were lit up as if to boast about tonight’s grand social gathering, along with the red carpet laid from the entrance to the inside and the extravagant three-dimensional hologram decorations, were quite impressive.

Since it wasn’t a place needing to attract customers, there were no blatantly eye-catching icons.

However, images like flowers, wine glasses, shoes… and a twisted pair of butterflies were weaving in the air, vaguely hinting at what treats awaited visitors inside.

Hmm, if I had purely come here for enjoyment, I might have been curious.

We’ve arrived late as self-doubtful intruders, and it seemed that most guests had already entered since there wasn’t a shadow of anyone else around the first-floor entrance apart from the staff in charge of guidance.

However, the sounds of voices and laughter from the terrace balcony above were gradually signaling that the social gathering was underway…

“…Let’s move. Dragging this out won’t do any good.”

“I understand.”

I held back the staff, who were flustered by the unexpected visit of a high-ranking official, with just a glance.

With a skilled natural demeanor, Show placed his hand on my shoulder, which was busy taking in the venue, and led the party.

“No….”

Of course, once again exposed to unwanted skinship without consent, I was about to protest weakly… but I just swallowed my words.

Ha, right. It’s nothing to complain about for not placing his hand on my waist. It means I should be discerning, yet also put on a plausible appearance.

I’ll endure. Didn’t a wise person once explain that all jobs that people do for money are tasks they don’t want to do, which is why they pay someone to do them?

…The problem is that I’m working for no pay today!

To deny the pitiful reality, I straightened my back and looked ahead. Although a bright smile would be excessive, I wore a neutral expression on my face to avoid showing any dislikes.

Since my bags were being carried by the staff anyway, I clasped my hands softly and carefully moved my feet to keep pace with him.

In any case, my role to fulfill is quite simple.

I just need to circulate as the shy partner of the executive director to leave a decent impression and, at the right moment, slip away with my escort to invade the residence of Kasane Amagi that is here.

The task of clearing the path up to that point was assigned to the tracking personnel, and while it was a bit amusing to delegate the most crucial hacking part entirely to someone’s personal skills… it’s alright.

Confidence has grown a little after going through several actual battles.

It may feel like those suspicious ads I saw in my past life claiming “Even non-majors can become developers with just a bit of study!” but if my work aligns with my skills, I have no complaints.

In a way, it might be a great opportunity to test Enema’s security level ahead of the escape plan to unfold later…? Good. Thinking that way has eased my tension a bit.

“Hmm? What’s that…?”

“My, my. Even President Kasane. If you’ve invited such a rare guest to the event, you should have warned me in advance.”

“Well… if I recall, certain executive directors at Enema have been handling quite ‘dissimilar affairs’ compared to ordinary executives.”

“…The last record of an official meeting between President Kasane and Director Edamatsu was over a year and three months ago. The likelihood of an unexpected dispute occurring is about 38.79%, making it very probable.”

“…Internal recordings of the meeting are a breach of etiquette; I’ll leave a written record focused on texts as much as possible.”

“How strange. I thought she wouldn’t bring in a new guest without any show of sincerity and in a way that goes against proper relationships and etiquette.”

“…No way.”

“…….”

And despite trying hard to ease my tension,

As I stepped into the social gathering hall after ascending the staircase, I felt the gaze of the room directed towards us, specifically towards Show, even without any separate announcement.

Naturally, the interest I received, equally mixed with curiosity and intrigue, was being thrust upon me in real-time.

I even caught a glimpse of murmurs among groups that seemed almost certainly associated with Exatech or Haylong, conspiring amongst themselves.

‘Ah, please. Don’t do that.’

Now, let’s think about it.

A person who usually doesn’t even show their face in such settings, especially someone who has been creating connections to profit at Enema, has appeared at this social gathering.

Then the question arises.

For those who have something to flaunt—whether it be assets or status, significant enough to receive a separate invitation to such an event—what would be the appropriate action for individuals who have come to expand their network even with all the hassle?

“Ahem…! Director Amagi, this is our first meeting! I work at TMG (Trinity Media Group)….”

My inner wish that they not pull the trigger on their impending doom was in vain as a courageous fool, believing opportunities should be seized, presented their business card with a cheerful smile.

With him as the spark, our group could do nothing but be mercilessly surrounded by the crowd.

…Someone save me.