Estimated reading time: 7–9 minutes
Chapter 44
「Sorry, I should have met with you beforehand. I would have lent you around 600,000 if you asked.」
「But wouldn’t that leave you with zero cash?」
「Yeah, probably. But once we can go outside, there are plenty of stable ways to make money. And if worse comes to worst, we can always try our luck in the arena.」
I successfully rendezvoused with Nakamoto at our agreed upon meeting spot.
His avatar also closely resembles his real appearance. With his hair parted neatly and wearing a stiff suit, his aura is doubled. Though it’s obvious his suit conceals firearms.
Behind him, Urairo Aika stands looking displeased. Her avatar is also realistic, flaunting a cute white dress. Of course, it’s only dress-like with metal armor and weapon belts incorporated throughout, but she doesn’t seem to be utilizing them.
Meeting these two, his first words are an apology, followed by a question.
「Your player name is Orange, right?」
Nakamoto asks, seeming perplexed. Indeed, my name is infamous within 「HAO」. In a bad way, of course. I haven’t properly checked the forums since then so I’m not certain of the truth, but I must be getting heavily bashed. As the player who monopolized the event.
Many are surely laughing at me too, but there’s more jealousy and resentment than anything else. For a while, incomprehensible foreign language comments were appearing on videos about me.
Well, that’s right, I confirm. He makes a troubled face. I wonder what he’s worrying about, but when I ask, he gives an utterly trivial response.
「So that’s why your taste in masks is so bad.」
「This is starter gear! And why are you connecting it with ‘so’?」
「Don’t famous people stereotypically have bad hobbies?」
「That’s prejudiced!」
「By the way, the ark interior and arena are oxygenated, so you don’t need a mask.」
Well, he doesn’t seem to care about that. I’m curious why Urairo Aika stiffened up behind him, but misinterpreting my gaze, Nakamoto gives a completely different answer. Apparently, Urairo Aika suddenly insisted on playing so he had no choice but to bring her along. Furthermore, he lent her around 2 million for it, exemplifying the strength of a veteran who’s survived this crappy game.
By the way, making these loans through the terminal puts them in a special state. Specifically, you can see the borrower’s total cash holdings and collect repayment freely at any time. So in a sense there’s no risk of getting swindled. I could confidently take the ever-stoic upperclassman’s hand when he said it’s fine to lend it. So my remaining balance is now +1 million.
「How do you make money?」
「I keep going all-in on myself. If I lose, there’s a login restriction anyway, so I just recklessly go for it. Repeating that turned it into a huge sum. Apparently they thought a player like me would lose from lack of experience. Even though the people here are just weaklings who ran away from the 2055 battle.」
「Ah, so that’s why the odds kept increasing. By the way, why are you so strong?」
「Aren’t you strong too as an Apollyon user? You defeated that Strain after all.」
「Well, I don’t think I’m weak, but in that last battle, it was nearly totaled…」
「Totaled? …I see, so it was weak because it’s still the old version. In that case, this is a good opportunity. Let’s strengthen your equipment.」
「The tutorial has begun.」
「Normally I’d ask the official service for this.」
Saying that, he starts walking down the unchanged path from earlier. After a while, a large plaza appears before us. Countless Apollyons and powered suits are enshrined there, being dismantled. People busily walk around the perimeter as the constantly arriving storage units resound with noise.
Yes, it’s like a giant workshop space. Some areas seem to have shared tools that people are arguing over to secure a spot, looking quite hectic.
「This is the joint maintenance facility I use often too. It’s mainly used by the guys in charge of outside operations. Here, purchased parts arrive immediately. For example, from that door there.」
「You’re right, a powered suit arm just came out… So if we do repairs here, parts will arrive whenever we want, making it easier?」
「Exactly. After all, this is about the only place with this many parts and assembly equipment. Look, one lane for Apollyons is open. Alright, let’s use that.」
Following Nakamoto’s suggestion, we head to the designated spot. The towering metal cage for securing Apollyon frames is still empty. When he instructs me to buy parts first, I operate my terminal. A bunch of incomprehensible displays pop up, confusing me. I ask about one of them.
「What’s this NMM for Apollyons?」
「It’s a boost system using negative mass materials. That’s an F-type, a flight model. It needs to load negative mass to make it lightweight, so the equipment is lacking and it’s weak in melee, but it has the best mobility. The J-type in the bottom right is a jump type. It forcibly reacts argon in the air by detaching some negative mass to create a high-mass solid foothold. It has the best balance of simplicity and mobility.」
「Negative mass materials aren’t just used for making things lighter?」
「That’s old version talk. Let’s continue. And then there’s the N-type that doesn’t utilize NMM. It’s cheaper since it uses less negative mass, but the performance is far inferior. These three main types are further classified by long-range, close-range, mid-range, and theme. For example, mine would be called a hammer N close-range type.」
「Sounds like ordering something. But I see, so you chose N-type because… I get it. N-type has the biggest advantage for choosing close combat.」
「Yeah, it converts weight into power. J-type works too but it lacks equipment expandability and becomes a one-trick pony. But with N-type, you can have a gun while still managing long-range.」
Thinking I see, I look through the part types. New parts are expensive… wait, there are 0 yen parts!? Brand new, maintained and guaranteed parts for 0 yen – suspicious! But they’re reliably made by Kōmitsu Solutions.
In other words, Momiji’s sponsorship from before is still ongoing. Amid other parts costing hundreds of thousands to millions of yen, the sight of numerous 0 yen parts lined up is spectacular. Nakamoto also widens his eyes and peers at the screen.
「Don’t tell me you already have a sponsor?」
「Sponsor?」
「Yeah. Like, I have a contract with RE Corp, so I can buy their parts 20% off. The catch is I have to put their logo on. …But I’ve never heard of 0 yen. How much do they like you?」
Well, it’s hard to say the president is also a player. Incidentally, that president apparently has surgery today so she’s off. She told me not to worry too much since it’s an outpatient procedure, but a get-well visit is probably still needed.
Well, with this, we have a lot more budget leeway. As I cheerfully turn back to the screen to choose equipment, I feel a tap on my shoulder.
「What is it, Naka-…!?」
There stands a girl. A beastkin girl with white hair and animal ears. She gives off a quiet aura, but the issue is her appearance.
A skin-tight suit. Not a formal suit, but an outfit that clings to every curve like something a spy would wear. And that look isn’t even what surprises me. With moist eyes, she says:
「It’s been a while, Father. I’ve been waiting for you.」
…What?
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link