Chapter 86
To be honest, I had no idea what I was looking at when I saw the published battle royale bracket. I mean, I barely knew any of the names. There were several that sounded foreign, but I had never heard of them before. Who are these people?
In the end, the opening ceremony had truly disbanded in that instant and Momiji quickly dragged me out of the venue. Some people tried to talk to me, but Momiji was pulling me by the arm. Sorry, strangers. So, having exited the venue, we decided to kill some time by checking out the exhibits. Of course, we already had a destination in mind.
「The matches are on the third day, right? Then first up, life-size Apollyon!!」
「I knew you were going to say that. Well, we have enough time for that, so let’s go. The Third Exhibition Hall is right over there.」
Just as Momiji said, the hall was literally a stone’s throw away. It was a rectangular makeshift building. I felt embarrassed as my cosplay continued to draw endless stares. However, the crowd seemed smaller than I expected. When I asked about it, I got a reasonable answer.
「They’re limiting the number of people allowed inside.」
Looking closely, I noticed that all the attendees wore wristbands displaying time limits. It’s a system I’ve seen at events before, used to control the number of people inside the venue by restricting the length of their stay. Wait, what about us? I looked at my right hand and saw a silver band pinned to my sleeve. Apparently, it was for VIPs and didn’t seem to have a time limit.
As Reina, myself, Momiji, and Kana entered the hall, several large silhouettes caught our attention amidst the crowd. There stood familiar mechanical giants, waiting for their pilots. Their red mono-eyes glowed dully, and artificial muscles were exposed. Each joint was secured with thick fixators, and the sockets for attaching equipment were covered. The 4-meter tall giants stood in their skeletal form, prior to being armed.
The venue was evidently makeshift and extremely basic, with the barely maintained carpet contrasting the exposed flooring. But that was understandable, considering the group of 12 mass-produced Apollyons before our eyes.
『One of the strengths of the mass-produced Apollyon is its ease of manufacturing. Existing parts from vehicles, heavy machinery, and prosthetics can be used as is. That’s why, just 2 months after Mr. Orange made the production method public, they can already be mass-produced like this. Currently, Kōmitsu Solutions owns 32 other mass-produced Apollyons besides these.』
「Are you serious…?」
It was no joke. Those were undoubtedly the same mass-produced Apollyons that I had personally modified before. The panel simply read 「Mass-Produced Apollyon」 and stated that the trademark was pending registration. The speakers at the mass-produced Apollyon booth began eloquently explaining the machines’ features. I listened in a daze.
『Another key feature of this product is its equipment swapping system. Arms can easily connect to everything from excavators to cargo beds. These also comply with multiple standards to be compatible with existing heavy machinery and such, greatly reducing operating costs.』
I knew it all. It was information I was already familiar with, and it seemed that the collaboration between 「HAO」 and reality was indeed genuine. …Was it really? I felt like all the premises were misaligned. I vaguely remembered the news about RE Corp being involved in a lawsuit, but wouldn’t something like that conversely lower the product quality or lead to revoked approvals? It wasn’t just bad luck or a misreading. For example, what if it was a conspiracy between Kōmitsu Solutions and Hereafter Corporation? No, but seriously, if they intentionally leaked it, wouldn’t they definitely lose the lawsuit?
My mind started spinning again. Seeing my confused state, Kana grinned, Reina simply tilted her head, and Momiji had a complicated expression.
「Isn’t this like a real-life giant robot from your dreams?」
「Yeah, it is, but I’m starting to wonder why it’s so exactly like the game. I mean, normally when robot anime gets commercialized, it’s plastic models or figures, but this is clearly aimed at businesses, don’t you think?」
「Um, but Kanji, you’d buy it if it went on sale, right?」
「Without a doubt. I’d even look for a house just for this.」
When I declared that, Momiji looked a bit taken aback, like she was thinking, 「Of course you would.」 But there probably aren’t many people who don’t share my enthusiasm. The lingering sense of incongruity, the unresolved mystery. It’s like I misplaced the first piece of the puzzle, so no matter what, I keep ending up with the wrong complete picture.
What tore through that was not the three people in front of me, but a voice from behind.
「Excuse me, are you Mr. Orange?」
「Yes, that’s me. And you are?」
「My name is Sato, and I’m in charge of managing this hall today. We can offer you priority access to a pilot experience as pre-match practice. What do you say?」
Standing there was a large man in a suit, wearing sunglasses, with a shaved head, and a sash that read 「Patrolling Venue.」 His deep voice startled me for a moment, but then I realized that for security, this kind of appearance was actually more reassuring. Incidentally, the other three women didn’t even flinch. Are their hearts made of metal or something?
And of course, my answer was already decided… 「What luck to meet you so soon.」 My thoughts completely froze. For the second time. Following Kana, this was the person I had first met in 「HAO」 and then encountered here. We must have a connection. With a slender build and long blue hair, it was hard to tell if he was a man or a woman. He grinned at me.
「Nice to meet you. I’m Teo. Though judging by your expression, we’ve already met, haven’t we?」
His flippant yet resolute voice left me dumbfounded. What exactly was 「HAO」? Just a simulation or something else? While my mind was in turmoil, my mouth kept idling, trying to fill the silent void.
「Uh, there was someone similar, but…」
「Hey, hey, I already know, so there’s no need to play dumb.」
「Orange, let’s go.」
Fortunately, my continued cosplay concealed my expression, which was the only saving grace. Teo simply stated the answer. The first piece of the puzzle was misplaced. The very notion that my premise, the idea that the game was actually something else, could be a far-fetched fantasy was itself the beginning of the misalignment in my thoughts.
「’HAO’ is connected to the real future. So, have you been enjoying yourself?」
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