episode_0033

A private room located on the upper floor of the game center.

…Or rather, it was a messy space that seemed to be used more for friends to drink and pass out in. I was introduced to it and managed to squeeze through the narrow, hard-to-step-on gaps, finally settling onto the sofa.

“I never imagined such a famous mercenary team would accept our request.”

“It happens. Let’s talk business instead.”

The black fox-girl seemed aware that this was an embarrassing state of affairs to show, as she slightly averted her gaze and offered an excuse. But rather than focusing on the minor flaws of a client who’s paying money, wouldn’t it be more productive to discuss future matters?

‘A famous mercenary team, huh…’

I knew that Raleigh, Blake, and Jay Q were all top-notch experts in their respective roles, but I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the mercenary industry, so I wasn’t sure how famous they truly were. If the former director of EPSB entrusts them with a job, they must have some recognition. Even if the team Luna created is famous, I’m just a rookie who’s only been here for about two months, so their renown probably has nothing to do with me.

“First, let me introduce Kurokitsune Kana, who leads K.I.T.S.U.N.E.”

“That’s a direct name.”

Anyway, K.I.T.S.U.N.E is a romanization of the Japanese word for fox. No wonder the game center below, this chaotic private room, and the people and objects here had so many fox parts—it seemed to be an organization with a fox-lover concept. Compared to other gangs obsessed with cool-sounding names for superficial reasons, they seemed rather cute.

“John Doe, a member of Rune’s Bar, who has agreed to take on the escort mission.”

“Is that an alias?”

“It’s my real name.”

“Who uses that as their real name?”

“…Few people can pronounce my original name correctly, so I changed it to something similar.”

Prying into painful matters. To be honest, I thought Kurokitsune’s naming sense was on par with someone whose identity was unknown, but as a true citizen and civilized person who doesn’t mock people’s names, I didn’t commit such rudeness by saying it aloud.

*The door burst open.* And then, someone entered the messy private room. The white fox-girl I had bumped into just before entering the game center lightly bounced over, carrying a synthetic plastic bag full of chuhai cans, and gave Kurokitsune a big hug.

The two were so alike, as if confirming they were indeed twins.

“I’m here~! Huh? It’s the person I saw earlier.”

“You’re heavy, get off.”

With a large, soft, slowly wagging tail, the white fox-girl, who looked exactly like Kurokitsune, waved at me with alluring eyes slightly unfocused from the alcohol. As I returned her greeting, the white fox-girl, with a flushed, tipsy face, shoved her way onto the seat next to Kurokitsune and claimed it.

“…You said you just met. To introduce her, she’s my sister, and we run K.I.T.S.U.N.E together.”

“Time for introductions? I’m Shirokitsune Yuki~”

“You’re twins, but your surnames are different.”

Coincidentally, those surnames also mean ‘white fox’ and ‘black fox’.

“We have different original surnames. Of course, these are still our real names.”

“I see.”

To even change their names for a concept. How serious were they? With our introductions complete, Shirokitsune, Kurokitsune, and I decided to discuss business.

“You’ve read the request form, so you know the contents of the request, right?”

“I know them, but I have a few questions.”

The request was to safely protect them during their transactions, as Japan Town was chaotic due to the sudden shifts in power, making it dangerous.

“Gangsters don’t put in requests like this. They’re guys who want to show off their own power, not entrust their lives to outside forces.” Ultimately, gangsters are tough individuals. They’re people walking on extremely unstable thin ice, where being underestimated and attacked daily is routine. No matter how much Eclipse Point is a gangsters’ paradise, this fundamental nature hasn’t changed.

“Everyone, come in.”

Kurokitsune clapped twice, as if to show something, and the door opened, and a throng of what looked like K.I.T.S.U.N.E members poured in. As if trying to look important, they stood in a line behind Kurokitsune, hands behind their backs, chins raised, arrogantly looking down at me. Each of them had an instant pistol conspicuously tucked into their waistbands or chest areas, as if proclaiming, “I’m a gang member.” It was quite amusing. There were about five or six of them, but they were closer to delinquents who couldn’t even be called proper gang members, the kind you’d commonly see walking the streets. I thought it would probably be more trustworthy to just randomly pick someone from Hellstream and bring them along than rely on these guys.

‘Based on my combat data so far, calculate what the outcome would be if I were to engage these guys right now.’

[Calculation results: The simulation ended with Jwabudong subduing all individuals in 17.63 seconds.]

‘All six at once, and 18 seconds?’

I immediately had Ayakashi run a combat simulation, but they were just fox enthusiasts, nothing particularly special about them. At that level, even the salaryman me might have been able to beat one of them.

“Hmm…”

“Don’t get angry. Just give me your honest assessment. How do they look?”

Kurokitsune turned her head, jutted out her chin, and gestured to the guys standing behind her. And to my eyes, having dealt with many others until now…

“Child’s play?”

It was exactly on the level of child’s play.

“You son of a…!”

One of them seemed provoked, reaching for his waistband, but I didn’t even feel the need to react and simply opened a chuhai can that Shirokitsune had bought.

“I haven’t been a mercenary for very long, but… I don’t recall ever dealing with guys weaker than you.” Neo Shinsengumi, the Losboard Gang Alliance, Openface, even the old man of urban legend. It seems I’ve met an unusual number of big names, but to be able to strut around with their heads held high, they should at least be at that level, shouldn’t they? Kurokitsune nodded her head at my words, then calmed down the slit-eyed guy whose face was flushed red and whose eyes I couldn’t even tell if they were open, and sent him outside.

“As you said, K.I.T.S.U.N.E is introduced as an organization, but it’s really just a gathering of friends and acquaintances, more like a club than a gang.”

“It’s exactly the stage before a gang is formed.”

“We’re weak because we’ve never even fought before. That’s why we put in this request.”

Indeed, if I were to escort such guys, instead of worrying about enemy bullets, I’d have to worry about friendly fire piercing my skull.

“I can tell that much without looking closely. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything important enough to warrant daily payment of expensive credits for protection, though.” Actually, you never know. Even I, a mere mercenary, have something that could deal a significant blow to leading megacorps like Ayakashi and Xenotech.

“Hehe~ That’s…”

“Yuki, don’t say it. Just… let’s just say we have our reasons.”

“Alright.”

Kurokitsune drew a line, stopping Shirokitsune, who had opened her mouth as if to blurt everything out to me with a tipsy, nasal hum. Indeed, as an outsider, this was correct, even if I had accepted the request.

“Anyway, you know that Japan Town is chaotic, so the explanation will be easy. One of Japan Town’s major powers, the Neo Shinsengumi, suddenly lost their director and suffered significant power loss. Thanks to that, Japan Town’s power structure has become chaotic, and smaller organizations that were suppressed beneath them are now running wild.” Hearing that, I remembered what happened in Nexus Block and lightly stroked my Smash Grenade. No one would recognize this, right?

“And I, too, want to use this period as an opportunity to elevate K.I.T.S.U.N.E into a real organization.”

“As a mercenary taking jobs from you, I probably shouldn’t say this, but… gangs aren’t cool. They’re guys who make a habit of getting their hands dirty.”

“I know… We just have a dream.”

A dream, huh. I simply nodded indifferently and moved on. That’s a problem they’ll have to deal with themselves in the future.

“What we’re asking for is a sure guarantee of our safety.”

“What’s the scope of protection?”

“K.I.T.S.U.N.E.”

“I refuse.”

Kurokitsune’s eyes widened in apparent dismay at my firm refusal. Unlike her sharp, upward-slanted eyes that seemed to project strength, Kurokitsune, who was naive, perhaps because she was merely an aspiring gang member, soon shrunk back slightly, as if deflated.

“Protecting the client is within a mercenary’s capability, but protecting the client’s bodyguards as well is impossible. I may not be a veteran yet, but I’m not stupid enough to accept a job that’s guaranteed to fail.” As far as I knew, an escort mission was just going to the transaction site, looking tough, and standing with my hands behind my back. Of course, unforeseen circumstances might arise, leading to some shooting and getting shot, but showing me those idiots and asking me to guarantee the organization’s safety—doesn’t that mean you want to use me as a combatant, not a bodyguard?

“Ah… I know. We’ve been rejected by mercenaries several times already.” Mercenaries value money more than their own lives, but they view money sprayed with pesticide, which guarantees death if consumed, as worth less than scattered bolts and nuts on the street.

“Then you’d understand if I just flipped you off and stormed out, right?”

“…”

Kurokitsune bowed her head low, like a student being scolded by a teacher. I came because I needed the money, but aren’t they too naive? Perhaps all street organizations are like this, but maybe it’s because all the ones I’ve personally seen were guys who wielded some power in their respective administrative districts.

“So, who are you going to be doing business with? You’re not seriously saying you’re going to deal with a huge gang like Hellstream, are you?”

“Of course, we have no intention of getting involved with such a large organization. We’re not even capable of offering anything that would appeal to such an organization.” Kurokitsune raised her head again, and a spark ignited in her red eyes, as if this was her last chance to persuade me.

“Our opponents are small-scale gangs who, like us, see the current situation as an opportunity. Since they’re rookies anyway, they’ll take a submissive stance just knowing that a mercenary from the famous Rune’s Bar is with us.”

‘I don’t think I’m included in that fame…’

Just as Kurokitsune was trying to borrow Rune’s Bar’s influence, I, a rookie, was also merely borrowing Rune’s Bar’s renown.

“Even so, the strength of the organizations will still be pretty similar, won’t it? I’m not invincible, so it seems like there’ll be a fight.”

“…Then?”

“It means it’s not worth the cost.”

Kurokitsune, who often displayed a clumsy demeanor, as if giving away that she was still just an aspiring gang member, unlike her sharp, upward-slanted eyes. When I curled my fingers into a circle as if to flick her forehead, the fox ears perched atop her head drooped downwards.

“Hah, 2,000 credits a day is actually straining us…”

A gang (literally) trembling because they can’t afford to hire a single mercenary. At this point, I felt so sorry for them that tears almost blurred my vision.

‘But it would be heartless to just leave after Luna went to the trouble of giving me this job, wouldn’t it?’

[This AI’s judgment criteria prioritize Jwabudong’s will.]

Meaning, it’s ultimately up to me.

“Alright. I’ll do it. However, if a battle breaks out, there’ll be an extra charge.”

“…Really?”

“Unless some truly extraordinary monster appears, I’m confident I can get out of it. At this level, well… it should be fine.” Kurokitsune’s face brightened, her previous gloom nowhere to be seen.

“Yay~ Thank you~ Shall we go eat udon then? I know a really good shop~”

Shirokitsune, who had been snuggling, using Kurokitsune’s lap as a pillow, as if uninterested in the negotiation, immediately led Kurokitsune and me away, as if she’d been waiting. Udon? Isn’t that just a tasteless, bland, imitation noodle lump?

***

*Slurp.* The sensation of the thick udon noodles, made from synthetic wheat rather than gluten, sliding past my lips and being sucked into my mouth was surprisingly addictive. And the umami of the broth, steeped from fish and seaweed, and the soy sauce clung delightfully to my tongue. Among the eateries in the Lower City, most of which served creative dishes that merely mimicked shapes, this udon shop was rare in its apparent effort to achieve an authentic taste. My expectation was pleasantly mistaken.

“It’s delicious?”

“Hehe~ We wouldn’t have known about it if we hadn’t known the manager since we were kids~” The white fox-girl, who had dragged the two of us to the udon shop while we were talking about being hungry, diligently ate her special udon with lots of added fried tofu, blowing on it to cool it down. Kurokitsune also seemed to like fried tofu, adding a few more pieces, though not as many as the white fox-girl. The sight of the two similar people diligently devouring noodles and fried tofu wasn’t bad to see. Perhaps they would have been more successful as streamers rather than gangsters.