Ch.21Chapter 4. Restraint (6)

Jieun left the office looking extremely exhausted.

James, who had been quietly watching her leave, quickly sat down and picked up the telephone.

Though called a telephone, it looked quite different from Earth devices. If Jieun had seen it, she would have thought it “looked like something only a villain would use.”

It also had a somewhat retro feel. It was entirely black with wires sticking out in various places. The top had protrusions that resembled devil’s horns. It gave the impression of an electric shock device from the media with a 90s phone screen and buttons attached to it.

James calmly pressed several buttons in sequence, then placed it on the desk.

A moment later, an image appeared.

Light radiated from the device’s screen, creating a three-dimensional holographic figure.

Technically, it was what would be called a “hologram.”

However, the three-dimensional aspect wasn’t particularly meaningful since the figure displayed was quite blurry.

Rather, it was used because of how the device operated.

Like a radio, it connected directly without any relay using a specific signal. That was the device’s true value.

“Chairman, did you see?” James asked.

His tone suggested that the other party had been listening to the entire previous conversation.

[Of course.]

The “Chairman” answered. Their voice was also distorted, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

[A new possibility.]

“That’s right,” James said, his lips twitching. His expression suggested he was holding back laughter that might burst out at any moment.

“Until now, the emotion of ‘despair’ has been less efficient than ‘hope.’ Though it was a possibility that could be easily created anywhere.”

Noir Corporation had focused on the latter.

And that was the reason they had been able to persuade governments around the world.

When economic indicators are poor, when people feel inequality, when they can barely make ends meet, when war breaks out, when they hear news about serious environmental pollution—

There are many ways to make people despair.

Rather, these methods were too common, and to some extent had become chronic, so the efficiency of each wasn’t very high. But conversely, even when the world’s situation flows toward the worst, energy doesn’t run out. Rather, efficiency increases, which is what they focused on.

And those who are economically affluent enough to avoid all those situations can enjoy wealth from that energy of despair. It doesn’t matter if they themselves don’t contribute at all to generating that energy. You can sell air but not wind, you can sell water but not waves. They increase their money by reselling products made through the surplus energy that abounds in the world.

Noir Corporation’s plan was to export the excess of that energy outside the universe.

The reason they didn’t choose hope was based on very simple logic. Market economy. Digging up an oil well that gushes abundantly is more economically beneficial than selling well-processed jewels.

So—

“This case is beyond our predictions. It’s evidence that certain humans can extract efficiency from the circuit to the extreme. To the point where the circuit burns out. Perhaps it could extract efficiency similar to that of ‘hope.'”

[However, the results differ from our research so far?]

Despair is easy to create.

But that doesn’t mean it can be created simply by swinging fists. That’s why Noir Corporation went to the trouble of enticing governments.

Those who despair must not give up.

Because giving up is the final destination of despair. Just like an oil well that has been completely drained, no energy can be extracted from humans who have lost their will to live and given up everything.

“Identifying the nature of that efficiency will likely become our research task.”

[Don’t break her by tormenting her too much.]

“Of course.”

[…Whether it’s despair or hope, it’s ultimately just a matter of direction. In that respect, the Federation’s research might be correct.]

“We’ll find out by interrogating the researchers. Though we can’t be too harsh.”

[Try to persuade them well.]

“Leave it to me.”

After hearing James’s response, the “Chairman” ended the communication.

James turned and looked down.

It was late, and though it was still a weekday, there were quite a few people walking on the street. They might be having a drink after work since there were many workplaces nearby, or they might be tourists on vacation.

If all these humans could develop efficiency like hers, how much profit could they make?

James leaned against the window with his hand, gazing down for a long time.

*

That day, I went to the night clinic for a check-up and then returned to the orphanage.

The orphanage teacher seemed to have a lot to say when she saw me, but after seeing my expression, she seemed to hold back.

After apologizing, I headed straight for the shower.

I didn’t feel like washing, but I had just been running around until a little while ago. Thinking I couldn’t skip washing entirely, I just took a quick shower. I only thoroughly washed my face, hands, and feet.

I hadn’t eaten dinner properly, but I brushed my teeth and trudged to my room.

The bedding was already laid out. As I expected, Jihye was already lying under her blanket.

I silently got into my own bedding and lay down.

“…”

I closed my eyes and remained still for a moment. It seemed like it would be difficult to fall asleep easily.

Perhaps due to the excitement from fighting, my body was extremely tired, but I couldn’t fall asleep.

“…Is it hard?”

As I was lying with my eyes closed, Jihye asked.

She wouldn’t know what I was doing. Maybe she even thought I was actually dating someone.

Did it look like I had come in after a fight today?

“…Honestly, a bit.”

I found myself answering with a sigh before I realized it.

Jihye, who had been lying with her back to me, turned to face me. As always, I was lying on my back, looking at the ceiling.

“I don’t really know what you’re doing,” Jihye said.

“But don’t you think you’re trying too hard?”

“You think so?”

“Well… yeah.”

She definitely thinks it’s about dating.

She opened and closed her mouth as if wanting to say more, then lay on her back looking at the ceiling like me.

It was the ceiling we had always seen over the years.

In this world, Jihye and I had been together since I was found in a baby box. There was a reason why we both had the surname Jeong and similar names.

Though she was a character outside the story, she was why I couldn’t think of this world as merely being inside a novel.

“Am I meddling unnecessarily?”

Jihye asked cautiously, perhaps finding the ensuing silence a bit uncomfortable.

“No. I think it’s reasonable for you to say that.”

Because you don’t know.

And I have no intention of telling you.

What would Jihye say?

Hayun might immediately try to persuade me to stop, but somehow I feel like Jihye might be a bit different.

Would she still take my side even if she knew she had become involved because of me?

*

When I came to my senses after thinking about that, it was morning.

I must have fallen asleep at some point.

Perhaps the excitement had dissipated because our casual conversation in my half-asleep state was so normal, so much like any other day.

“Hey, hey.”

As I lay there, unable to properly open my eyes despite the sunlight, Jihye poked my side with her foot.

“Get up. Aren’t you going to eat breakfast?”

“I’m not eating…”

“And then you’re going to be weak all day again?”

You’re a high school student, but you sound just like a mom.

In the end, I couldn’t withstand Jihye’s attack and got up.

Breakfast was bean sprout soup that didn’t even taste good.

…I wonder when the next performance bonus will come in.

Then breakfast and other meals might taste better.

I thought about that as I poured rice mixed with soup down my throat.

*

The kid who had been bullying me didn’t show up today either.

But I felt quite at ease. I knew that neither that kid nor the person who claimed to be their mother would bother me anymore.

Actually, my body ached here and there, probably because I had overdone it yesterday. It seems that while wounds can be healed, muscle strain can’t be helped.

“Jieun.”

“Eek?!”

I couldn’t help but cry out when Hayun approached me from the side and linked arms with me.

Hayun, who had been touching my body, was startled and withdrew her hand.

Ah.

She wasn’t usually the type to initiate contact, but after our outing last time, she often approached me like this. Maybe she thought we had gotten closer.

But I was so startled that Hayun seemed unsure whether to touch me again or not.

“No, no, it’s fine,” I quickly shook my head and said.

“I just slept wrong yesterday. I think I have a bit of muscle pain.”

“It’s not my fault, right?”

“Of course not.”

When I said that, Hayun seemed relieved and moved closer to me.

She didn’t link arms, but she sat close with her arm lightly touching mine.

“Want a bite?”

When I offered the bread in my hand toward Hayun, she shook her head, then said,

“Yes.”

And took a small bite of my bread.

“It doesn’t taste very good, right?”

It was one of the worst breads from the school store. It was called a sandwich, but it only had a small amount of peanut sauce in the middle, and the outside was just dry, cheap white bread.

But despite my comment, Hayun shook her head.

“…Are you having a hard time?”

I asked cautiously.

Hayun’s expression darkened a bit.

Yesterday, I hadn’t seen Hayun. The magical girls who confronted me were Iris and Rose until the end.

Were there problems in multiple locations? Or was she simply late to deploy due to personal reasons?

“No, nothing.”

Hayun said with a smile at the corner of her mouth.

That meant she wouldn’t tell me.

“…”

She couldn’t tell me.

That the magical girls had failed yesterday.

It wasn’t mentioned in the news today at all.

Even Noir Corporation’s subsidiary site, which always inflated even the smallest successes into articles, said nothing.

Perhaps it was quiet because they had succeeded.

It was a bit chilling.

Hayun rested her face lightly on my shoulder.

“…Does this hurt too?”

“No.”

Honestly, it did ache a bit, but I pretended it was fine.

…After all, I was also hiding something from Hayun.

Hayun kept her eyes closed with her head resting on my shoulder for a while.

In the end, I left the bread unfinished.

Leaving bread that I bought with my own money because I had no appetite wasn’t something I would normally do.

*

A week later.

I was called to headquarters again.

Sometimes I think that if they consider me such an important person, it would be nice if they came to pick me up or meet me, but then I realize this is probably for the best.

No matter how those people approach me, it would only reveal their identity, so what can I do?

Sighing deeply, I just hoped it wouldn’t be another operation this time.

…And I also hoped it wouldn’t involve standing in some auditorium and clapping like last time.

Fortunately, today I was called directly to James’s office again.

“I called you to discuss the equipment you returned last time.”

James got straight to the point. There was anticipation in his voice. Was he that excited about this equipment?

“You’re not asking me to pay for the equipment—”

“Of course not. What do you take our company for?”

James looked serious.

Well.

A company that calls people in at any time regardless of weekends, sends them out on operations that could break their limbs without properly explaining the mission, and while I don’t mind because my conditions are generous, most combatants are employed as day laborers without regular employment.

Of course, I couldn’t say such things in front of an executive, so I just kept my mouth shut.

“Rather, look at this.”

James pointed to the sofa.

Since he was an executive after all, I waited for James to sit first, then slowly sat down across from him.

I was already quite wary after having shouted at the back of James’s head when he was seated last time.

James pushed something like a carrier toward me, just like last time.

However, this one was larger than before.

“This is a special custom-made item.”

I didn’t open it right away, looking at the carrier with a somewhat suspicious gaze.

“From the moment we scouted you, I knew you would be this successful.”

For a success, my pocket hadn’t grown any fatter, but since the orphanage’s pocket was about to grow, I held back from making any snide remarks.

“Your performance over the past three years has been quite excellent, but your achievements over the past few weeks cannot be fully expressed with the word ‘brilliant.’ I commend your courage, Ms. Jeong Jieun.”

He bowed his head toward me, so I quickly bowed back.

This is a bit uncomfortable. Regardless of what the contents are, on the outside he appears to be a foreign man well into his forties.

“So, we want to provide you with equipment worthy of that courage.”

“Is that why you said it’s custom-made?”

“That’s right.”

“In just a week?”

“…”

James slightly averted his gaze.

So it already existed.

But even so, that’s not completely a lie.

Even if this is a prototype, the “circuit for stronger energy charging” itself was likely already under development. It was probably a project that was shelved because there wasn’t a suitable person to use it.

Well, even in tokusatsu shows, villains often pull out several upgraded pieces of equipment in just a week, so it’s not entirely strange if you think about it that way.

“Let’s open it.”

James said, glossing over the explanation.

I silently reached for the case.

As soon as my hand touched it, there was a beeping sound from the case. I noticed that the sound was the same as the warning sound inside the helmet, and I was impressed by this company’s spirit of economy.

What I took out was—a black outfit.

It was still a tight-fitting outfit.

However—

“By making the top and bottom into a single piece, we’ve increased the efficiency of energy flow. There are no gaps, so more residual energy remains. Usually, that would be a disadvantage.”

Does that mean they can’t utilize it all even if there’s a maximum?

The outfit I was looking at was a jumpsuit.

It was a jumpsuit that fit the body a bit better, but it looked somewhat baggy. How should I put it, it’s hard to say which is more unfashionable compared to what I wore before.

And on top of that, there was an additional outfit like an aviation jumper. This looked similar to the leather jacket I wore last time, so it didn’t seem to be a big issue.

At least thanks to the uniform black color, it doesn’t look completely strange.

“The circuit has also been upgraded. The charging capacity is twice that of last time. At least this time, it won’t explode first if it goes out of control.”

“…”

For a moment, I wondered if I could definitely use this.

Honestly, I wasn’t very confident.

Even that 100% was barely achieved because the conditions were right, and I hadn’t expected an overflow from there.

Could I achieve proper efficiency wearing this suit?

“And this helmet.”

James said.

“Would you like to try it on?”

I obediently put on the helmet. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to leave until I heard all the explanations anyway.

0 percent.

That figure was expected since I hadn’t installed the circuit.

However.

“The helmet works by itself even without installing the circuit.”

James said with a broad smile.

The results of analyzing James’s face appeared on my helmet visor.

Species: Presumed Earth human. Age: Mid-40s presumed. Gender: Male presumed.

Everything is just “presumed.”

Maybe if I see a real Earth human, it would just say Earth human? But I’m not sure if that would be useful.

The missions I usually take aren’t about finding people.

“It incorporates cutting-edge technology that allows you to clearly understand the opponent’s status. From analyzing the footage from your previous helmet, I saw you attacked the enemy’s weapon to create a weakness. This will be useful for such strategies.”

That just happened by chance. It wasn’t so much that I aimed for it, but rather that Iris blocked the attack with her weapon because she was in a hurry. It probably won’t work next time.

“The most important point is that even without energy in the circuit, if the user has sufficient aptitude, it can operate independently without a circuit using the user’s energy.”

“Ah.”

I see.

Indeed, the previous helmet couldn’t be used separately.

It could be useful… depending on how it’s used.

The problem was whether I would ever use just this without the suit in everyday life. It’s not like I’m going to advertise being a combatant to others.

Iris even recognized me just from the scratch on the helmet.

…No, conversely, it might be useful if I need to quickly cover my face. That is, if I have the helmet with me.

“What do you think? You can also wear twice the battery.”

“That’s good.”

I nodded.

At my words, James nodded with satisfaction and said,

“Soon, there will be an opportunity to test the equipment. I hope you’ll perform excellently with that equipment then. If your performance becomes even better than now, naturally, our conditions for helping you will also improve.”

“…”

“…Besides the suit, other rewards are prepared. We want to double the frequency of donations. What do you think?”

“That sounds good.”

Only after hearing that did I repeat the same words once more.

Yes, a company equipment upgrade isn’t really a “reward” no matter how you think about it, is it?