Chapter 351 - A Name the World Doesn't Know
"Let's start with the core of it, shall we?"
—in a roundabout way, he made sure to add, before beginning his story.
"First, as you suspect, we do not have the authority to interfere with the virtual world inside [Arcadia]. That is why, despite our titles as management and developers, we had to request an 'outside party' to achieve the 'game clear.'"
"…"
I remained silent next to Arshe, who wordlessly prompted him to continue, but from the very beginning, I had no idea what he was talking about…
From Mr. Togo's words, it was certain he had a superior, the 'pinnacle.' And it was easy to guess that their authority was on a level far beyond his own—
Setting aside why they wanted the game cleared, the mystery was how they were even able to take action to do so.
If the person above him was in such an absolute position of power, I couldn't understand why they would allow Mr. Togo and his team to act so freely, even if they only restricted access to certain information.
'Some things are permitted' meant the act of requesting outside help to clear the game was, in itself, allowed.
Allowed, but restricted. Permitted, but not permitted.
Was their stance something like, 'I won't help, but feel free to do as you please'? I simply couldn't grasp the intentions of this 'pinnacle' figure, who was likely the de facto ruler.
If they were against the goal of clearing the game, which seemed likely given the restrictions, then…
Then why not just stop them? If they held total authority over [Arcadia], it should be a simple matter.
"You must have many questions, but unfortunately, I can't say much about 'those above.' If I break the contract, it could be my neck."
"You don't have to push yourself."
Mr. Togo smiled gently at Arshe's words, but what he was saying was not gentle in the slightest.
Contract, my neck… The power gap and one-sided authority just became all the more palpable.
"However… the gag order is only on who they are. I can share other information. For example, well—"
He swirled the grape juice—not wine—in his glass with a cool, if unnecessarily dramatic, flair.
Then, with a grin like a mischievous boy rebelling against his parents, Mr. Togo spoke.
"The virtual world is currently being run by a single person."
"—…"
"…That's enough. About that matter, I won't ask any more."
I was already silent, but the roundabout yet massive info-dump left me utterly speechless from the bottom of my heart. Arshe, for her part, forgot her polite speech and stepped in for my useless self to put a stop to it.
That old man just casually dropped a completely incomprehensible and ridiculously dangerous bombshell—
"That, indirectly, can serve as an 'answer.' An answer to the 'why' you all hold."
"Wait, stop… Are you really okay saying this?"
He's still going—I instinctively tried to stop him, but judging by his face, he was apparently 'okay.' I couldn't figure out where the line was… If that was considered safe, what kind of nuclear bomb would be considered out of bounds?
"For better or worse, That One is indifferent to us. As long as we don't explicitly break the promise, they won't bother to reprimand us—though I'm sure they're watching us closely right this very moment."
…
"…Uh, so… Arshe?"
"…Yeah."
"Should we go home?"
"…I'll try a little longer."
Right, you'll try… Well, it's probably too late for us anyway…
In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Of course."
Taking over for Arshe, who was likely organizing her thoughts and planning her next move, I raised my hand. Mr. Togo nodded in return, looking satisfied to have successfully added to his 'family.'
"I've always thought [Arcadia]'s technology was generally insane, but could it be—or rather, as I suspected, are the developers also… like that?"
In response to my question—implying they might be of the same ilk as the 'one person' currently running the virtual world—he closed his eyes once, then—
He nodded, before shaking his head.
Yes and No. What that meant was…
"The 'one' who controls that world now is both an operator and a developer—however, there are two developers of [Arcadia]."
In other words, one was that. The other was not.
As I stared at him with an indescribable expression, torn between wanting and not wanting to know the answer, Representative Yotsuya's mouth opened.
"The other's name is Yotsuya Tsukihito."
What he uttered was a name that, as far as I knew, was unknown to the world.
"He is my son… and Sora's twin brother."
That was, without a doubt, one piece of a secret from which there was no turning back.
"Um… if I may?"
"Of course."
"Is that safe to say?"
"Ah, of course it is."
I see… I really, really, really, really, really can't figure out where the line is…
This is all foreshadowing. It's okay for it to be '???' for now. To be blunt, it's okay even if you forget all of it (outrageous statement).