kscans

Chapter 350 - The Boss, the Hero, and the Normal Person

Now then. The director of 'Yotsuya Development,' the company that brought the world's only virtual reality to life, surely has no time to spare.

Which meant his personal appearance at this meeting couldn't possibly be for the courteous reason of meeting my manager.

In truth, that was more of a side objective, something along the lines of, 'Since I'm making time anyway, I might as well greet the Shijo girl.'

After some friendly conversation to establish a baseline of trust, we enjoyed some tea expertly prepared by his prized maid, and then the meeting with her was brought to a simple close.

So, what was the main event?

That, of course, was to have a 'talk' with me—or more accurately, with us.

Driven by the director's aide, Chitose-san, the setting changed from the 'office' to the 'headquarters'—a massive building that stood out even in the heart of the city, a place I had visited once before to order [Arcadia].

"Well then, please call if you need anything."

"Ah, thank you."

With no time to think, I was led along, invited not to the top of the giant tower, but to an upper floor reached after a long ride in a spacious elevator. We entered what was not a president's office, but a director's office.

The subordinate bowed and exited after seeing his boss take a seat on one side of a large sofa-and-table set. The director gave a wave of thanks in return.

And then...

"Hello."

"Hey there."

Sitting across from him, next to me, was Ashe, who had arrived earlier and was relaxing as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Mr. Togo's extremely busy schedule had finally cleared, allowing for the long-awaited, real meeting. In other words, the long-overdue reveal of the 'company secrets' was about to begin.

"Well then, shall we begin?"

To put it another way...

"Yes, let's."

Following her session with Chitose Kazuharu—this was the invincible princess's Interrogation Time, Part 2.

"First, I would like to make a disclaimer."

It was Mr. Togo who spoke first.

"As you have likely surmised from my title of 'Director'... I am not the ultimate authority when it comes to 'Yotsuya Development'—or more accurately, when it comes to [Arcadia]."

That was quite a shocking statement to start with.

However, something of that level had been the subject of wild speculation all over the world ever since [Arcadia] was first announced.

Even I, who had only looked into it lightly after some time had passed, wasn't surprised enough to think, You've got to be kidding me. Ashe, beside me, also showed no reaction.

"Therefore, there are several matters that I am not permitted to speak of. I must ask for your understanding on that point."

"Understood."

"Of course."

As someone who volunteered to support us, and as our 'client,' he has a tendency to treat us with respect—or rather, as if we are his superiors.

I had no way of knowing what the princess next to me thought of it, but for me, it was incredibly humbling. Still, his sincerity was almost overwhelming.

His request, delivered with a sincere bow, was one we couldn't refuse. Honestly, I wished he would raise his head as soon as possible, because it was giving me a stomachache.

"Thank you. Now then, I will answer what I can."

Though he was cloaked in a solemn atmosphere, Mr. Togo's expression as he smiled calmly was a gentle one. And despite having said the other day, 'Even I get nervous dealing with gods,' Ashe wore her usual placid expression.

I'm the only one here with a normal person's mentality. I'll just keep quiet until they ask me something.

"...Well then, first—"

After a moment of thought, Ashe, prompted to speak, began to lay out her questions one by one.

If Yotsuya Togo is the 'Director,' then who is this 'pinnacle' he speaks of?

Despite being on the development and management side, what is their purpose or intention in hiring us to 'clear the game' and supporting us in that goal?

And why, based on his phrasing so far, does it seem as though Yotsuya Development has absolutely no control over [Arcadia]—

And so on. The doubts she had been holding back were unleashed like a torrent... but just as you'd expect from her, or rather, just like her, her questions weren't random. They were neatly categorized.

In other words—

"I see... ah, just as you surmised, those are all questions I cannot answer."

"Is that so."

And that was that.

As a starting point, she likely wanted to gauge Yotsuya's critical line. Ashe accepted the lack of an answer with simple resignation.

As for me, who had timidly resigned myself to the role of listener, there was nothing unexpected about this—which is why his next words took me by surprise.

"However, I am permitted to give... partial answers. Not complete answers, but some."

But even then, the princess's expression didn't waver...

No way. Did she deliberately choose and fire off questions she guessed he could partially answer, rather than ones he couldn't?

Ah, nope, that's it. I can't keep up with this. I'm officially going to make myself invisible.

"That being said, this is still a proper 'company secret'—though in truth, 'Yotsuya Development' isn't really a company... well, in any case, it is still a 'grave secret.'"

As he spoke, Mr. Togo rose and walked over to what looked like a president's desk... and then opened a tall, rectangular object installed on the wall beside it.

And what he took out was a single bottle—wait, are you serious? Is that some kind of cooler?

It looked like it was made of wood, and I'd just assumed it was a coat locker or something....

"This will take a while. Let's do away with the formalities, shall we?"

He then retrieved glasses and other things from a nearby shelf, prepared some snacks—and while I and Iris stared dumbfounded, Mr. Togo, having filled the large table with refreshments, smiled a friendly smile as if to set an example.

And that friendly smile and those words—

"Since you'll be hearing what comes next... you'll officially become 'one of us,' after all."

If only they had truly been as casual as they seemed.