kscans

Chapter 793 - Interlude

"—...Well, I'm feeling pretty good, I guess."

Nine in the morning the next day, after a slow, leisurely wake-up.

I certainly hadn't done anything as reckless as staying up all night gazing at the moon with my master on the eve of a major raid. As a result of being a good boy and resting my body, my condition upon waking was decent.

In other words, pretty much business as usual. I wasn't feeling particularly nervous, despite the big event being literally right around the corner. I'd say I was in pretty good shape.

It was only natural. Even during the [White Throne] raid, I was excited for a [Colored Monster] conquest, but I don't remember being very nervous. Even if the footage is broadcast to the world, that's after it's all over, so I don't have to be directly conscious of being watched.

In that case, it's just another game conquest.

"...Alright. Time to get fired up!"

With my spirit and expectations in order, I would face this with all I had and enjoy it. That's all there was to it.

◇◆◇◆◇

Sometime after bidding farewell to my bed, as I was leisurely enjoying a late, light breakfast, the doorbell rang, calling for me.

Wondering who it could be, I opened the front door to find—

"Good morning."

"Morning. What's up?"

Standing there was our chef in a suit... or rather, the impeccably dressed working man, Chitose Kazuharu, the Representative Assistant of Yotsuya Development, all by himself.

"What's up? It's a word of encouragement from the client to our conductor."

"Ah, well, thanks..."

He looked at me, probably seeing my relaxed state, and then,

"Really, Kasuga-kun, when it comes to 'games,' you're as reliable as they come."

He said, and then laughed with great amusement. ...Is he implying I'm not reliable in real life? You're right, I'll do my best to improve.

"Well, you know. This time, it's less about 'We're definitely going to beat it' and more about 'We're definitely going to find a thread of a strategy,' so there's that too."

"That being said, I can at least hope for a happy accident, can't I?"

"Of course. We're hoping for a 'happy accident' ourselves."

"Excellent—then, I will be sure to watch."

His words were likely meant literally. His impeccably tailored suit... meaning he was heading out now, to his actual workplace, the Yotsuya headquarters.

As an observer, he would be watching us (the players) from the outside.

"...Uh, well. If I happen to die a pathetic, accidental death, please have a good laugh."

"I wouldn't be able to laugh if that actually happened, but I can laugh at that kind of insurance policy."

And so, after I made a half-joking remark,

"You've never once betrayed anyone's expectations on the main stage, have you?"

With those words, which as always carried a subtle weight, Kazu-san颯爽と去っていった.

"...Seriously, everyone just keeps piling on the expectations."

It gets me motivated. It really does, but in a lot of ways, it's too much.

Look at me now. I was feeling nice and relaxed, but now a useless tension has started to creep in. What am I supposed to do about this—well, that aside.

"...What should I do for lunch?"

My biggest concern at the moment was, without a doubt, lunchtime without the chef.

—And so, another person leaves the carefree young man's side.

"...If this succeeds, then more than half."

His smile from seconds ago vanished, replaced by a serious expression as he pondered something complex. As someone who knew things that only a handful of people in the world knew, his mind was burdened with a great deal.

"Now then—I wonder how much longer this 'game' will last."

His whisper to the outside world was, as yet, unheard by anyone.