Chapter 83
May 26th. Nearly a week has flown by since the operation to seize the fusion-type parts. By the way, although my dignity was preserved, Kana has been lowering her head and suppressing laughter every time she sees my face for a while. She says it’s because she dislikes it.
On such a day, I was dashing down the street that had become half-heartedly humid. There was no time to worry about the eyes of the people around me; the only thing to blame was the bed that wouldn’t let me go. Yeah, I just almost overslept. I managed to make it to the station at 8:05, the meeting time.
Three people were already at the station. Momiji, the only black-haired one, was dressed in a navy blue suit for some reason, and as usual, her hands and feet were covered. It should be correct to say that she was made to wear it, but for her, it was a rare reversal. Averting my eyes from her hips and chest, which were strangely emphasized despite the almost complete lack of exposure, I turned my gaze to the parent and child(?) pair next to her.
Reina, on the other hand, was 100% the same as always. Jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and a hat. Kana was wearing a thin dress with a windbreaker over it, and had a hood with ear-like decorations pulled over her head. Even with such a meek outfit, I know what you did, using an infinite combo shamelessly against me in Super Mecha Battle 2 the other day!
『The train bound for Kita-Senri will be arriving shortly.』
「You made it just in time, Kanji.」
「Good morning. You’re drenched in sweat from running, here, wipe it off with this.」
「Thanks. Oh, Kana’s here too.」
「Father, please take care of me for the next three days.」
I lightly wiped my face with the handkerchief Momiji held out. It seems I sweated more than I thought, and the handkerchief absorbed quite a lot of sweat. I thought I’d have to wash it before returning it, but Momiji suddenly reached out her hand towards me, then after a little thought, lowered it.
「Yeah, I’ll wash it and return it to you next time. Since it’s a special occasion, why don’t the two of us go out for a meal then?」
「In that case, I’d like you to take me along too. I want meat.」
「I wasn’t inviting you, Reina. I know a ridiculously delicious restaurant that only two people can go to.」
「A female battle, huh? As a spectator, it’s the best.」
「Enough of that, and Kana, don’t use expressions like ‘female battle’.」
I lightly hit the heads of the two who suddenly got fired up and was the first to enter the station. This shows they’re quite close. Momiji’s default is to call the opposite sex of the same age by their last name, and the same sex by their first name. However, it’s very rare for her to drop the -kun or -san honorific. For the opposite sex, the only one she’d drop it for is probably her boyfriend, and for the same sex, dropping it is a sign of trust.
Everyone dragged their carry-on bags and headed to the platform. Then we boarded the sparsely populated train and caught our breath. The purpose of this trip, the 「HAO」 offline event and New Technology Exhibition, was surprisingly a long 2-night, 3-day event. It’s fine for recent major e-sports tournaments, but it’s strange to have this length for a game that doesn’t even guarantee proper gameplay.
The most likely reason is probably related to RE Corp. According to rumors, there will be a life-size exhibition of Apollyon, which I’m very curious about. Very. Very. I was disappointed a few years ago when I tried out a life-size robot that could only move forward and backward in a sluggish manner, but I wonder how impressive it will be this time. My heart is already dancing with anticipation.
There’s also the possibility of new information being announced, such as the lifting of login restrictions, implementation of a tutorial, abolition of insta-kills for first-timers, and so on. I mean, there are too many flaws. Why did the devs release it in this state…?
Perhaps because it’s such an event, there were so many applicants that the selection process was based on a lottery system, and the 3rd temporary hall was limited to authorized personnel only, which is an extremely unusual situation. So, using Momiji’s VIP ticket, we’ll charge into the interior! That’s our action schedule for today.
We scanned our devices at the gate, entered the platform, and boarded the train that would depart in a few minutes. Without anyone saying anything, we sat in the order of Momiji, me, Reina, and Kana, and I was the only one catching my breath after running. Kana leaned forward, felt around my buttocks, and pinched something with her slender fingers before sitting back. Then there was a snapping sound. What was that, I wondered, as Reina, slouching next to me, rested her head on top of her carry-on bag and asked Momiji.
「Was there a need to come by train? Like using a car for security.」
「It’s the opposite. If we carelessly use a car and the people tailing us cause trouble, it’ll be a problem. If we’re going to be seen anyway, we might as well go openly. ‘SOD’ won’t be able to move until the third day.」
「Tailing?」
「It’s only natural, since the daughter of the company’s president herself is coming despite the presence of their business rival RE Corp.」
Kana ended the conversation with an evasive, assertive tone. Recently, I feel like I’ve become a little better at noticing the nuances in such words. Or rather, it’s like I’ve gone back to how I was before the entrance exams. However, I didn’t feel the need to dig into it meaninglessly, so I decided to go along with Kana’s change of topic.
「Speaking of which, RE Corp is coming too, right? Do you know what they’ll be exhibiting?」
「That’s for you to look forward to when we get there. But if I had to say, I think it will greatly exceed your expectations, Kanji. No, it might be just as you imagine.」
「If there’s no NMM, it might be below expectations.」
「From the way you’re saying it, does that mean it can move at a level close to the game!? Even without NMM, if it’s Ver1.06, that performance was more than enough! How complete is it? A complete model is nice, but I also like the feeling of a prototype where you can see the skeleton…!」
「「「Ugh…」」」
The moment I spoke passionately, I felt like the emotional distance between me and everyone there widened. Their eyes were filled with exasperation, and in Momiji’s eyes, there was also something that could be called affection. More accurately, it was the look of watching a child getting excited in front of a toy store. I got too carried away on the train, so I restrained my expression and quietly sat back after leaning forward.
『The train doors are closing. Please be careful of the doors.』
At the same time, an announcement echoed. I looked outside the window of the moving train. A scenery that hasn’t changed in 20 years… or so it seems. In fact, when comparing old photos with the current scenery, it would be difficult to distinguish which is which aside from the resolution. It’s more efficient to use existing things rather than creating new ones, and it’s certainly good for the environment, but on the other hand, it’s also true that there’s a large gap between cutting-edge technology and the lives of ordinary people. Technologically, it’s easy to create linear motor cars, but due to the cost of building new ones, the project is still stuck in the planning stage. Considering this background, it might not be surprising if there’s an actual functioning Apollyon.
I sat on an aging chair and looked around the interior. With the increase in online jobs, the concept of commuting has become quite distant. Of course, it’s a different story for people working in factories and such, but those people usually live nearby, so they rarely take the train. As a result, there were only about 12 people sitting in the seats besides us.
No one looked suspicious. But there was a sense of discomfort. Each individual was fine, but when they were all together, there was a strange eeriness that made my body shiver. Seeing this, Kana stood up and aligned her eye level with mine. Then, while speaking in a gentle voice as if to soothe me, she firmly stepped on my foot. There was a snapping sound. …Doesn’t the sound seem off?
「Father, please be at ease. There are many strange people due to the New Technology Exhibition.」
Strange? What do you mean by strange? And the person diagonally across from us left while being super scared. What did you do? I looked down at Kana’s feet. There were small fragments scattered there, and I could barely see a circuit board peeking out, but Kana quickly collected them. When I looked at Kana’s face, a smile that didn’t allow questions spread across it. No, that’s not an expression an elementary school kid should be making.
Isn’t this kind of ominous? Especially you, Kana.
Wiretap
One of the most miniaturized machines. In some industries, it seems that ultra-small stealth wiretaps in the shape of caterpillars are being developed, and it’s reported that they move on their own and stick to the target. By the way, various methods for detecting wiretaps have also been developed, and the recorded data may be a bluffing conversation based on the assumption that it’s being listened to. If the wiretap is discovered, that probability increases further.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link