episode_0095

“So, anything to say?”

The VIP room floor of Rossmore Classic Vultures.

In a massive room, accessible only to the most elite individuals, three naked people knelt, watching one person nervously.

“No… Yes… Well… I have nothing to say…”

Their crime was having sex so loudly that the room shook with patients who had just woken up and were still recovering.

John Doe had been dripping with hot sweat moments ago, but thanks to Luna, who was now radiating a chilling killing intent before him, he could keenly appreciate the temperature difference of the cold sweat now beading on him.

Surely, the seduction had started with Yuki and Kana… but such excuses wouldn’t work.

Still, he felt awkward, scratching his head, wondering if he had truly gone too far without any consideration.

Luna’s gaze swept over John disapprovingly.

The truth was, ‘mistreating patients’ was just an excuse; she was simply upset… that was closer to the reality, but John felt he was at fault too, and Luna had no intention of revealing the truth, so it would remain a petty, hidden truth that wouldn’t be exposed.

“So, do you two have anything to say?”

“Huh? Well…”

Slightly. Feeling just a slight twinge of conscience, Luna shifted her gaze, fixing a burning stare on the two fox sisters this time.

Though a secret deal had been made at John’s house, essentially, these two were love rivals who liked John, just like Luna.

Moreover, they constantly seduced John and engaged in relations, effectively progressing much further with him.

Yet, John had no intention of letting them go, and vice versa…

Look at them. Even with Luna glaring right in front of them, they were feigning indifference, their flushed faces gleaming with eyes dripping with honey.

They now looked at him entirely as husband material; it was impossible to imagine how long they would have kept intertwining their bodies if there hadn’t been an intruder.

At the sight of these audacious rivals, Luna chewed on her lip, thinking.

‘Right! I need to establish order!’

If separating them completely was impossible, she had to at least stand above them!

Luna clenched her fists, vowing to normalize this relationship right now.

“Phew… John. Kathleen-nim called. Go to the CEO’s office.”

“Huh. Suddenly?”

This was a political struggle. A war to claim someone!

And such battles typically occur beneath the surface, so the parties involved don’t even realize they’re happening.

Since there was a perfect excuse to separate John, Luna decided to make excellent use of it.

“Yes. She asked you to come right away.”

The summoned John muttered, “Do I have to go alone? Nothing bad happened, did it?” as he quickly washed his sweat-soaked, sticky body, dressed, and left the room.

Luna, who had seen John off with a wide smile, wiggling her fingers, turned back. She then showed that smiling-yet-not-quite-smiling expression to the fox sisters who were rummaging through their clothes.

“As John’s close companions, I was thinking we could have a nice, deep conversation amongst ourselves. The timing is good for everyone, isn’t it? After all, there’s nothing else to do here, right?”

“U-uh?! Uhm..! I just remembered something urgent?!”

“I’m tired right now, maybe later…”

With sharp, animalistic instincts, Yuki and Kana sensed that something unpleasant was about to unfold. They tried to avoid Luna’s incredibly burdensome gaze, but Luna was blocking the exit…

*Whirr- Clunk.*

With a soft cylinder sound, the door locked, isolating the room from the outside.

In other words, the two foxes were trapped in the same room as the tiger.

“Hehe… Just a moment ago, you were shouting for more, despite barely having come out of the recovery room… Weren’t you overflowing with energy?”

Luna’s grasp closed around the planetarium, which had been changing the room’s ambiance.

*Crumple-crunch.*

And the planetarium became something else.

“Gasp! No urgent business!”

“I-I feel completely refreshed, like I just woke up.”

At the sight of the twin sisters clinging to each other, trembling, Luna’s smile deepened further.

“That’s good to hear.”

The interview began.

* * *

The uppermost floor of the skyscraper.

A place where even those in the Upper City, who could see the Lower City below by simply looking up, had to crane their necks painfully to glimpse past the obscured ceiling.

The rain that had fallen from the sky the day before created a mist, distinguishing the Upper City from the upper levels of the skyscraper, which might be more aptly called a giant tower.

Heaven beyond Heaven.

Truly, the masters of the megacorps, standing above the heavens.

Rossmore, one of them, looked down at the hazy, misty view below through the full-length window, breathing on the glass to create a foggy patch.

“Congratulations on your inauguration, Chairman Kathleen Rossmore.”

“I never expected someone of your heavy footsteps to visit this place in person.”

“Haha! No matter how imposing the reputation of the head office, how could I ever look down on a megacorp?”

There was a guest in Kathleen’s CEO room.

His belly, protruding like a mountain, and plump face seemed poorly maintained for someone in the upper echelons who frequently underwent cosmetic procedures, yet somehow his spherical physique felt comforting.

“Mmm. These donuts are truly delicious. The chef’s skill is excellent!”

He shoved a deeply sugar-coated, sweet donut into his mouth, then hooked another from the box onto his finger and brought it to his lips. Despite his comical physique, he was an undeniable presence.

For the epaulets on his arm bore the name AYAKASHI, along with a logo representing three red eyes.

Dustin Miller Emilton.

His true identity was Ayakashi’s enforcer, the Executor.

Kathleen was wary of the sudden visit from Ayakashi’s envoy but could do nothing.

The lower levels of the head office, obscured by the mist, were filled with Ayakashi’s special forces and Chrome Ninjas accompanying the Executor, waiting.

In truth, even without them, Kathleen couldn’t have ignored the Executor Dustin’s demands or ordered him to leave.

‘The only megacorps that can stand against Ayakashi are… Xenocorp and Huanglong.’

She had once worked as Ayakashi’s chief researcher, and now, as the head of a megacorp, it might sound ridiculous to call Ayakashi a megacorp, but it was on a different level from ‘ordinary’ megacorps.

‘To have to attach the adjective ‘ordinary’ to a megacorp.’

It sounded ridiculous even to herself, but what could she do when that was the reality?

“So, why did your company request an audience with our guest?”

“Mmm. Mmm. Well, about that…”

Kathleen stared straight at Dustin, who was ravenously devouring donuts in front of a megacorp chairman.

The reason she had asked Luna earlier to tell John to come to the CEO’s office was because of this person… no, because of Ayakashi.

Ayakashi was calling for John Doe.

They specifically wanted to meet him.

“Chairman Kathleen Rossmore, I don’t believe you are unaware.”

Executor Dustin’s voice dropped an octave.

He rose from his seat, grabbing his belt and pulling up his trousers, then patted his belly, as if expressing his satisfaction with the dessert. He then walked slowly around the office, his boots clacking on the floor.

“John Doe. That fellow with the ridiculous name is using your company’s prototype, isn’t he? A useless item made to endure side effects that no ‘human’ could withstand, mind you.”

“That…”

“Chairman Rossmore. You know, don’t you? About his ‘specialness’.”

“…”

Kathleen had no choice but to close her mouth.

He was certainly special.

Eclipse Point was like a demonic realm where over a dozen special individuals emerged in a single generation, but their specialness only challenged human limits; it didn’t completely defy human specifications without special modifications.

“My master has said that this is the specialness that Ayakashi should possess.”

“…Are you saying you intend to take him?”

“I merely received the order to bring him. I do not know my master’s true intentions. More accurately, he said that specialness is ‘Ayakashi’s’.”

Ayakashi’s.

The nuance was as if John had stolen something belonging to Ayakashi.

She desperately hoped it wasn’t true, but if it was, then his inhuman toughness and audaciousness made sense.

If he had undergone body modifications made with Ayakashi’s technology, then…

“…You will unconditionally take our honored guest to Ayakashi, won’t you?”

“Haha. Mutual consent is what’s important, isn’t it?”

As if the intimidation from moments ago had been false, Executor Dustin returned to his normal voice, letting out a hearty laugh.

He spoke of ‘mutual consent’ in a way that wouldn’t even be taken as a joke by a megacorp.

Executor Dustin returned to his seat, picked up the last donut from the box, and opened his mouth.

“Of course, I would appreciate it if you understood that a certain amount of force might be used to confirm consent. Haha!”

“…”

As expected.

Kathleen closed her eyes as the elevator doors opened, signaling its arrival at the CEO room.