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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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James William. No, he shouted, his voice full of irritation, the one who changed his name to ‘Ko-ozaka William’.
“Why! Why can’t I take the position of Chairman?!”
“That’s because-”
He cut off the female secretary’s reply. F-words filled the gaps between his words.
“It’s just a mascot character for marketing anyway, why! Even if that’s the real reason, there’s no reason why it can’t be changed!”
The secretary bowed her head silently without replying. She was an employee from the ‘Ninja Squad,’ known for their loyalty solely to the Ko-ozaka family.
“I even got married because they said family ties were important, and I showed them results because they wanted performance.”
He spilled the objects on his desk, then sighed, his voice calmer.
“It doesn’t make sense that I can’t change the Chairman position even with the consent of the majority of the board! Answer me!”
The secretary, without raising her bowed head, answered in her usual leisurely tone.
“Please be careful with your words. The Chairman is watching.”
Ko-ozaka William scoffed.
“Chairman? That mascot character is nothing.”
“And this, the Chairman has given this to you.”
The secretary took a small case out of her pocket.
Inside the case was a single luxuriously designed watch.
Perhaps angered by the sight of the watch, Ko-ozaka William swatted away the watch case the secretary was holding with an irritated gesture.
The watch and case, flung haphazardly, fell to the floor.
“Cut the crap. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to make moves to get rid of that damn Chairman character.”
And it was after Ko-ozaka William said those words.
All the electronic devices around them flickered. The monitors on the desk and walls turned on, and a ‘mouse character’ against a red background appeared on the screens.
Ko-ozaka Corp’s famous mascot. The character called ‘Mr. Pete Mac’.
He was also the ‘Chairman’ Ko-ozaka William had been complaining so much about.
With the sudden change in atmosphere, Ko-ozaka William stopped what he was doing.
This was his living quarters, with no connection to Ko-ozaka Corp.
In other words, this situation could only be seen as a security breach of some kind.
The secretary picked up the fallen watch.
She offered the watch to Ko-ozaka William once again.
“It would be best if you accepted it.”
“…”
He could have asserted his pride here, but in the end, he accepted the watch from the secretary.
“And as I said before, the Chairman is watching. Please be careful with your words.”
The secretary bowed her head and walked out of the room.
But even after she left, Pete Mac, the mascot character of Ko-ozaka, continued to watch Ko-ozaka William from the monitor.
“…Who, no, what are you?”
He asked the monitor, still holding the watch.
It might have been his imagination, but he felt that this character was not only watching his actions but also listening to his words.
As if to prove his hunch correct, the character on the screen spoke.
【Me? Of course, I’m the children’s friend! ‘Mr. Pete Mac’!】
“That’s not what I’m-.”
【But, actually, I have another name.】
The voice, tone, manner of speaking, even the subtle inflections…everything changed.
【Yes, we didn’t get to meet at the formal introduction.】
He said from beyond the monitor.
【I am-】
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I gulped. The situation was unfolding more strangely than I had anticipated.
Ko-ozaka William, the undisputed Vice President of a Megacorp, asked in a trembling voice,
“…Chairman Nobukiro, what is the meaning of this?”
【Oh, I’m Smile John now. Please call me ‘John’ affectionately!】
“Stop playing games. Was the attack on the airship I was on also your doing?”
【No, that was done by your brother-in-law, uh… Ko-ozaka Koichiro. I guess he wanted the Vice President position, right?】
“…Such…”
Ko-ozaka William fell silent for a moment at the answer from Smile John, Pete Mac, Nobukiro.
He seemed to be collecting his thoughts.
Watching him, I quietly took a step back.
I wasn’t trying to run away.
Since Smile John had appeared, something I needed to check first came to mind.
I carefully placed my hand on the floor, gathered mana, and cast a spell.
It was a spell to detect heat sources in the surrounding area. It was the same spell I’d intended to use at the entrance when I went to find Maya recently. Andrea broke down the door before I could use it, though.
My purpose was to scan the surroundings. Normally, I could have asked Eve to do this, but it was difficult to receive Eve’s help in the underground village, the ‘sewer’, where there were no surveillance cameras or internal map data.
I briefly concentrated and examined the surroundings. Large and small heat sources could be felt through the palm of my hand on the floor.
After a while, I removed my hand from the floor.
Hmm.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Ko-ozaka’s Ninja Squad was about to attack us right now.
Then I had some leeway.
I abandoned the idea of running away immediately and watched Ko-ozaka William and the Smile John hologram projected above the watch he wore.
Even without asking questions first, the conversation between them provided enough information.
…However, I muttered softly,
“Nobukiro.”
Since Smile John had appeared, I had turned off the voice modulator as it was no longer necessary.
If it was Nobukiro, was his full name ‘Ko-ozaka Nobukiro’?
It was a name I’d definitely heard somewhere before.
Eve responded to my murmur.
[That’s the name Chairman Monolith mentioned at the ‘Quantum Nexus’ party, I inform you.]
Oh.
[Checking remaining information in the database, he also mentioned him as the founder of Ko-ozaka Corp.]
He was indeed someone who would likely hold the position of Chairman.
…But that kind of person…
Doing crazy things while disguised as a mascot character or a smiling emoticon?
Anyone who didn’t know would have thought it was a joke. I didn’t understand it either.
As if he had finished organizing his thoughts, Ko-ozaka William looked at the hologram floating above the watch and opened his mouth.
“…So what exactly is going on? And why did you suddenly appear?”
It was a reasonable question from his perspective. When I had asked him about ‘Smile John’ earlier, he had reacted as if he’d never heard the name.
It was natural that he wouldn’t understand the current situation.
【Well…, as I said before.】
The hologram answered casually.
【Honestly, it has nothing to do with you. It was just casting a fishing line, so to speak.】
He continued,
But each time Smile John spoke, his voice, intonation, and everything changed.
In small parts, the timbre changed, and in larger parts, even the gender changed. It wouldn’t have been just me who noticed Pete Mac’s voice mixed in there.
【Haha! Well, data transformation like this is easy for me.】
Ko-ozaka William, still not understanding the situation, groaned.
“So what does that-.”
【Simply put, you were just bait on the hook, and you’re not the fish I was aiming for.】
Was it my imagination? It felt like the Smile John hologram emanating from the watch was looking at me.
But it seemed my thought was right.
【Shun! The lightning was a bit shocking! Of course, I was fine, but my subordinates were a little disappointed. Well, things happen, haha!】
“…So what do you want?”
【Informal speech, warning number 2. For your information, this is based on the three-strikes rule, including the informal speech I heard on the overpass. Well, as you might have guessed from hearing my name, we’re not just a year or two apart in age, are we? Haha!】
…Then at least drop the act.
I almost said those words, but I held back with strong patience.
Now that his identity as the Chairman of a Megacorp had been revealed, outright hostility towards him was a bad move.
I asked with basic courtesy,
“What is it?”
It wasn’t that hard to speak formally.
【Hahaha! Well, to get straight to the point.】
The small Smile John hologram spun around.
Judging by his words, it seemed like he had a separate, living body somewhere, but I wondered how he could express such strange movements.
The hologram continued speaking casually.
【It’s not some planned trap or any other trick.】
“…?”
【Well, if I had to give a reason, it’s just that I was curious about how far Eve could act and move, like I said before. Since I didn’t want to just visit and get struck by lightning again like last time, I conducted a large-scale experiment, so to speak.】
I had heard something similar when I first met Smile John. He had said he was curious about the super AI, Eve.
【Of course, I also did it because it seemed like it would be fun, hahaha!】
…Hmm.
Intuitively, I felt the latter reason was the most likely.
Well, you shouldn’t expect reason from a crazy person.
【So, that’s why. The reason I spread the information about appearing at the corporate party and created Smile John’s voice data using William’s voice.】
Just then, Ko-ozaka William, who had been silently listening to our conversation, briefly questioned Smile John.
“…Why did you do that?”
【Just because.】
“…”
…He wasn’t someone who would usually be treated like that.
Leaving behind Ko-ozaka William, who had been swiftly shot down, the Smile John hologram transformed into Ko-ozaka’s mascot character, ‘Mr. Pete Mac’.
Accordingly, his voice also changed to the falsetto-laced voice often heard in commercials.
【I really did go to the party, but it’s a bit disappointing you didn’t notice!】
The mouse character shrugged nonchalantly. His manner of speaking had also changed.
【Even a super AI seems to lack data mining skills! Keep trying!】
Personally, I really wanted to punch him just once.
【Anyway, so-】
At that moment, the hologram flickered. Pete Mac’s voice naturally became blurred as well.
Realizing his own state, Pete Mac continued speaking in a nonchalant tone.
【Oh, it seems the battery is running low because of the hologram. Then I’ll be going! By the way, the Ninja Squad on the ground wasn’t sent by me-】
With those words, the hologram turned off.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Me, Catherine, and Ko-ozaka William. All three of us remained silent.
…I don’t understand what’s going on. I tried to suppress the sigh that was about to escape.
Then, Ko-ozaka William, seeming to have grasped the situation to some extent, cautiously asked me,
“…For now,”
I listened attentively.
“It seems you aren’t ‘Cyber Force’.”
…That was the story, wasn’t it? If he had heard what the crazy hologram said, it was something he could have guessed.
Even with my shamelessness, it was impossible to continue the lie any further. I had turned off the voice modulator anyway.
“…That’s right.”
“Then who are you?”
…Hmm. How should I explain this? Originally, the goal was kidnapping, but in the end, we were mercenaries who just happened to save the Vice President?
I showed him my palm. A gesture to wait a moment.
I turned around and approached Catherine, who was leaning against the wall.
I intended to discuss this matter with her.
“Hey, how should we explain this?”
…But.
Catherine seemed more concerned about something else than this problem.
She glared at me with a somewhat irritated tone.
“…Who is that ‘Eve’ that Smile John mentioned? It sounds like a woman’s name no matter how I hear it.”
“…”
Ah.
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