kscans

Chapter 183 - Interlude: The Gears Don't Stop

Side: None

Tokyo, Kasumigaseki, Central Government Building.

The building, which houses the Dungeon Agency on one of its floors, was as bustling as ever, with people from various professions rushing about.

But recently, the area around it had become even more frantic.

The 'Tokyo Incident' had left approximately 300,000 people dead or missing. Many lives were lost, and the search for the missing was still ongoing.

And the damage was not limited to human casualties.

"Hey! Coming through, make way!"

"What? No can do! Take a detour!"

"We're short on materials over here, what's the deal!"

"They say there's a surplus of steel beams on the west side. Maybe they were sent there."

"Aaaall right! Aaaall right!"

"It's hot... Hey, don't forget to stay hydrated!"

Roads, buildings, water pipes, and other infrastructure. The things necessary to keep the city running had been thoroughly destroyed.

Tokyo is Japan's largest city. Its restoration was a matter of urgency, and it was only natural that requests were sent out to multiple companies.

However, even with large companies taking the lead, on a project of this scale, it was inevitable that coordination would suffer. Missing paperwork and communication breakdowns were occurring all over the place.

It seemed as though this would cause the construction schedule to be delayed—or so one might have thought.

"Mana recovered! I'm heading back to level the ground!"

"Senpai, the psychometry results are in! The location of the ruptured water pipe is—"

"Heave-ho...! Where should I take this steel beam?"

"Uoooooh! I am a human air conditioner!!"

"I'll send you an image via telepathy, please work according to that."

Awakened Persons who had worked in civil engineering companies were playing a major role.

In regular companies, Awakened are often alienated by their colleagues due to their powers, leading to a high turnover rate. Of course, there are places where it works out, and some companies even actively hire the Awakened.

But most companies didn't know what to do with them. While it would be more efficient to hire them, many companies passed on them due to the feelings of their other employees.

Furthermore, employment support centers like Hello Work often recommended 'adventurer' as a career path for the Awakened, and there weren't many openings for them in ordinary companies.

Amidst all this, civil engineering companies had been eagerly hiring Awakened Persons.

If their level was high enough, they could become human heavy machinery, and depending on their skills, they could dramatically improve work efficiency.

The companies that had hired many Awakened were the ones that were most active in the post-stampede reconstruction. Naturally, other companies followed suit, and now civil engineering has become the number one employment destination for the Awakened by a large margin.

Incidentally, the ones most pleased by this trend were the Dungeon Agency. Post-stampede cleanup was part of their duties, and if the Awakened found employment, it would also reduce skill-related crimes.

Recently, they have even started cooperating with various companies to support them in working as part-time adventurers.

But I digress. The reconstruction was progressing at an overwhelming speed compared to before the 'Day of Awakening,' rather than being delayed.

However, there were some who were even more active than the civil engineering companies.

"The 'Club' is coming through! Make way for them."

"Whoa, that's a crazy number of golems, as always... Why are they raccoons?"

"Excuse me. We're about to start transmuting, so please move to the side."

"Huh? Eh, such a wide area!?"

"...If I asked them directly, I wonder if they'd give me an eroi... I mean, a golem."

The Alchemy Enthusiasts Club and the Walkers, who were supporting them.

A suspicious group, completely covered in black hoods and robes during the hot August weather. As you got closer, you could hear the 'Voooh...' of a fan's rotation. The members of the club were performing alchemy one after another, shortening the work time.

Moreover, their golems, which had physical abilities on par with average Awakened, lumbered around carrying materials, allowing them to smoothly transport goods to places inaccessible to trucks.

While the club was an extremely helpful presence, they generally didn't talk to others. The non-Awakened members of the Walkers were often called upon to act as intermediaries.

This clan, which could be called a de facto guild, had a higher percentage of non-Awakened compared to other clans. This was partly due to the policy of their representative, Yamashita, which was 'harmony between the Awakened and non-Awakened,' but also simply because being Awakened or not didn't matter for administrative work.

Since the 'Day of Awakening,' it wasn't just the Awakened who had lost their jobs or had difficulty finding employment due to dungeon-related reasons. In fact, there were probably more non-Awakened in that position.

The Walkers had become a safety net for such people.

The Awakened members of the Walkers were mostly cooperating in the search for the missing. In particular, most of the headquarters personnel were out, and the founding members were also participating in the activities.

For these reasons, the reconstruction was proceeding very smoothly. Despite the busy atmosphere, the site was full of life.

Conversely, inside the Central Government Building...

*

"I've summarized the proposed amendments to the Dungeon Law. Please review them."

"I've spoken to the Metropolitan Police Department about the excessive media coverage of the B-Rank Candidates."

"Regarding the giant's dungeon, it seems the store construction is finally complete. General Marui of the GSDF is apparently heading there for an on-site inspection."

The officials were holding a meeting with dead eyes.

It couldn't be helped. Pulling three or four all-nighters in a row was the norm. Most of them had lost count of the days since they had last gone home.

At the head of them all was Director Akasaka. Though people were saying, 'Is this guy going to die from overwork soon?', the intensity in his eyes had only increased as he checked the documents in his hand.

"Good work. I'll review it later. It looks mostly fine, so I'll just make some minor adjustments here."

"With Saejima-kun gone, coordinating with the police might be a bit of a hassle. I have a colleague from my time who holds a high-ranking position at the MPD. He's a sarcastic guy, but I'll reach out to him as well."

"General Marui is... understood. I will also make the 'necessary' arrangements."

As his subordinates worried—'Is this guy Awakened?', 'He's not drinking some crazy magic potion, right?', 'Whoa, his pupils are dilated'—he too was holding on by a thread.

Everyone was desperate. As the meeting progressed, Director Akasaka's expression soured slightly.

"Also, I want to share this information with everyone. China and Russia will soon officially announce that they believe Japan should be placed under UN administration. It's unlikely to pass at the UN, but there should be some significant movements. I want everyone to be on alert."

"Ugh, seriously?"

At the director's words, a male employee holding a tablet gave a wry smile.

"If I remember correctly, the United States is clearly opposed to this, right?"

"That's right. The United Kingdom is passively opposed. France is neutral."

"However, even if the other permanent members of the Security Council oppose it, China and Russia are likely to move on their own."

"I agree. What kind of demands do they have?"

"I've sent a summary to everyone's terminals. They probably don't expect all of them to be met, but..."

"...Ugh. They're dead set on building a military base in Japan."

"And look at this, they're trying to seize a port too."

"Are they trying to loot a burning house, at a time like this...?!"

"They want us to submit a list of all Awakened to the UN and for Japan to force them to participate in international dungeon clearing..."

"They probably don't expect all of this to pass. Making unreasonable demands at the start is a basic negotiation tactic."

"Director, what are the higher-ups saying?"

Director Akasaka gave a small nod to his subordinates, who were all expressing their dissatisfaction and anxiety.

"Yes. Even the ministers are showing their disapproval. However, it seems those with many 'friends' on the other side have already started to make their move."

"...We might not be able to refuse this on our own."

"Our country has been greatly aided by support from neighboring countries. Until we repay that, it's going to be very difficult."

"It'll be tough until we can at least establish food production using dungeons and skills."

"The fact that we're getting complaints from China through diplomatic channels about Japanese Awakened teaming up with the mafia and disrupting public order is also a problem."

"The issue in the Middle East has also been brought up. Besides that, the friction with Awakened who have gone abroad is also being seen as a problem. Annoyingly, there are parts of it that we can't deny."

"Investigating the facts is a top priority. For now, the United States is acting as our shield, but we can't rely on that forever."

"That country is pretty shady in its own right. That Awakening support center, for example."

"That's just how diplomacy is. It's normal to prioritize your own country's interests."

"...That's all from me. Everyone, back to work."

"Yes, sir!"

As a cleaning lady collected a trash bag full of empty cup noodle containers and coffee cups, they started moving again.

Their eyes were still dead, but that was not an unusual sight in the government building these days. The lights stayed on late into the night in every ministry.

Director Akasaka passed by the cleaning lady, returned to his desk, and sat down. Pretending to take out his smartphone from his pocket, he checked the piece of paper that had just been passed to him.

"...Hmm."

As if nothing had happened, he drank the lukewarm coffee that was on his desk.

Then, while putting the lid on the empty container, he placed the piece of paper with the message inside it.

"Excuse me, could you throw this away too?"

"Yes, of course. Oh, I'll separate the plastic lid here."

"I appreciate that. I'll take you up on your offer."

"Not at all. Keep up the good work, for the sake of this country."

"I will. I will do my utmost. So that your cooperation is not in vain."

After exchanging business smiles, the director thought to himself as he headed back to his desk.

The cards are all dealt. Now, it's just a matter of how to play them.

Shaking his head to clear the fuzziness from lack of sleep, Director Akasaka let out a small sigh.

"...I won't be able to do this unless I rest somewhere first."

"Director, you have a call from the chairman of the Enthusiasts Club."

"Understood. I'll take it immediately."

For now, he'd have to apologize to his returned subordinate and his collaborator, but he'd have to put them to work right away.

With that resolve, he picked up the receiver.

*

At sea. Near the 'Minotaur's Labyrinth.'

A JMSDF patrol ship was sailing there. On the bridge stood a man with a shaved head and a generally round build.

"Well now, sorry about this. I know I shouldn't be asking for your help."

"Not at all. We help each other in times of need. It was you who helped us first."

"Indeed. We will repay the debt of you rescuing us when we were on the verge of being shipwrecked during our long-distance swim."

"Rescuing people in distress at sea is a matter of course, especially if they're our own countrymen. You don't have to be so formal. Well, if that's the case, I won't hesitate to rely on you."

"Leave it to us."

The two men, one in a fundoshi and the other in a Stars and Stripes boomerang brief, nodded powerfully at Vice Admiral Kadokura, who smiled with his round eyes narrowed.

It was pure coincidence that they, B-Rank Candidates, were here. The vice admiral rubbed his shaved head, wondering if this was good luck or bad.

Glancing at them, another B-Rank Candidate, one who was here by design and not coincidence, chuckled nihilistically. It was Sakuraba Sakurako, a woman in a white tuxedo who had been sent here by Director Akasaka immediately upon her return to the country.

"Good grief. I came aboard expecting a card game, as one does with sailors... To find a man of your rank, who I wouldn't expect to see in the field, what kind of trouble awaits us?"

"About that. It seems the 'Panda Country' has caught wind of this dungeon. They might be paying us a secret visit."

Vice Admiral Kadokura said it casually, but the expressions of the other crew members were tense.

Everyone was breaking out in a cold sweat at the thought that they might be heading into actual combat.

"The army has had it rough lately, and we've lost a lot of men and money too. This was the only ship we could move immediately, politically speaking. And I came along in case there was a need for a discussion between higher-ups."

"In that case, is our job to be your bodyguards?"

"That's part of it. But it's more a matter of—"

"Contact on the radar!"

A sharp voice echoed through the bridge, and Vice Admiral Kadokura quietly handed a pair of binoculars with a blue cloth attached to Sakuraba.

She took them without a word and peered in the direction the crew indicated.

"Oh my."

In the distance, through her binoculars, she saw a single ship heading toward them.

There was no flag or anything to indicate its affiliation. Instead, a flag that asserted the 'other party's intentions' more clearly than anything else fluttered in the wind.

"A sailing ship flying a pirate flag. They have quite a sense of romance, don't they?"

Accompanied by a thick fog that made it difficult to see even a few meters ahead, the galleon was approaching the JMSDF patrol ship head-on.

Its appearance seemed to say, 'We don't care if you shoot. In fact, please do.' Vice Admiral Kadokura, who was also looking through his binoculars, gave a small shrug.

"It may look like that, but I want you to follow standard procedure for the initial response, Captain."

"Yes, of course."

They hailed the approaching galleon by radio and speaker to stop, but of course, it didn't decelerate. In fact, it even began to accelerate by 'pushing its sails with mana.'

Vice Admiral Kadokura touched the collar of his life jacket as if adjusting the collar of a suit.

"Alright, my apologies, civilians. Would you be so kind as to handle this as peacefully as possible?"

"That depends on them. But yes, let's at least respond with a smile."

"Let us clash with all our might. Rest assured, I will not kill unless ordered."

"Indeed. Upon this Stars and Stripes, I shall deliver the hammer of justice."

The three of them nodded, deployed their Arcane Gear, and left the bridge.

The battle that would not be recorded in history, the battle that Vice Admiral Kadokura would later tell General Marui had 'decided the fate of Japan, and of the world on the other side'—was about to begin.

What they would accomplish, and what they would lose. That, no one yet knew.