kscans

Chapter 483 - Interlude: Event Results and a New Event

In the penthouse of Camelot, the high-class hotel in the Royal Capital Anhemudal, the executives of AFO had gathered. The "Cat War" event had concluded, and they were here to report on the results.

The meeting would begin once Diite arrived, but a strange atmosphere already hung in the room.

Everyone present roughly understood the situation. Surya, who was there as a representative of the Sagittarius Foundation, was slumped face-down on the table.

It was about Surya's infamous dark history. About a month had passed since it was exposed, but the wound had yet to heal.

No one else particularly cared, but these things are about how the person involved feels. She was tormented by regret, wondering why she had done such a thing. The members here were all of a certain age, so they understood that feeling all too well. They all decided, besides Surya, not to offer any clumsy words of comfort and to leave it to Diite.

Into this delicate atmosphere, Diite teleported into the room.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I was compiling the data, and it turned out to be quite interesting... Is Surya-kun still down in the dumps?"

Hearing those oblivious words, Surya slowly lifted her upper body. She wasn't angry, but she looked at Diite with reproachful eyes.

"I don't think it's right to turn my dark history into something like that!"

"Dark history...? Ah, I've seen the video, but I don't think it's anything to be ashamed of. Besides, at Ginny-kun's request, Maris-kun was doing something similar with you, so isn't it fine?"

"Th-that time I had been drinking, and it was only women around! And Maris's sense of shame when it comes to animals has already been 'service terminated,' so don't lump me in with her!"

"Even if it will never happen, I would prefer you not use terms like 'service terminated' in reference to a subscription-based game. In any case, only acquaintances know that that setting is your dark history, Surya-kun. And I doubt Parfait-kun and the others would go around spreading it, would they?"

"That's true, but... still, why did you add a setting where the monsters on Cat Island are weakened by cat ears and the 'nyan' sentence ender! I'm more angry about that than my past being exposed!"

"Well, I thought it was amusing. Of course, I came up with a proper setting for it. The idea is that the cat ears and the speech pattern make the monsters think you're a resident of the Nyanko Kingdom. As a result, they become confused about whether it's okay to fight you and are weakened. How about that?"

"I didn't want to hear the setting... Oh, fine! But you did create a setting and an AI based on my dark history and my movements, and I wasn't defeated, so you'd better make the funding for Sagittarius a massive amount!"

"Ah, about that matter..."

Diite said, looking towards Ney. Ney nodded and smiled a little wryly at Surya.

"Of course, we will provide funding to Sagittarius as promised. Also, since we will be using an AI that learned from Surya's avatar and actions, we plan to make monthly payments. We will discuss the details with a representative from Sagittarius later, so please look forward to it."

"...Ooh, monthly!"

"Furthermore, we've received an offer of funding from Hyper Toy Maker. I was asked to clear it with you beforehand. Would that be alright?"

"Eh? That's fine, but from Mikan-chan's company? Why?"

"Well, it's something of an apology from Ginny. I hear Ginny pushed for it quite strongly. It seems there have been talks of wanting to create Sagittarius-related, animal-related toys for some time, so I believe the funding is for that. So, it would be helpful if you could first make an inquiry."

"Ah, I see... Understood, I'll pass it on."

"Yes, yes, this is all thanks to Surya-kun's sacrifice, I mean, contribution. That's wonderful."

"...Did you just say sacrifice?"

Diite shook her head with a smile, but Surya pressed on, "You did, didn't you!?"

While everyone watched this exchange with exasperation, Ney, thinking it wouldn't end anytime soon, interjected.

"That is all from our side. Could you tell us how things are on Sagittarius's end?"

Surya stopped interrogating Diite and, with a serious expression, cleared her throat. "Right, I will now report," she said, distributing the materials she had prepared. She then looked at everyone around the circular table.

"Thankfully, the number of visitors to Colony 'Zoo' has increased. It seems that after this event, more customers wanted to see real cats. In conjunction with that, creating an area where visitors can interact with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and capybaras was also effective. The number of visitors has doubled on weekdays and tripled to quadrupled on weekends. Thanks to this, our research funds are flourishing."

Surya continued, explaining that the AFO event had brought other significant benefits. Non-students were now attending her zoology lectures, and many of them were fully booked.

"Though it means I have more lectures to give, which is a lot of work!"

"You seem happy about it, though?"

"Well, that's... It would be more helpful if Maris were here, though."

At those words, everyone in the room looked at Jolt.

Maris was currently in a hazardous zone on Earth. Her purpose was environmental investigation and the protection of animals in overly dangerous areas. Of course, she wasn't alone. She had guards, and guards on Earth were generally under the jurisdiction of the Leo Foundation. Jolt was no longer affiliated with the Leo Foundation, now belonging to the Libra Foundation, but he still served as a point of contact.

Jolt smiled a little wryly and spoke.

"I've heard reports from Maris-san's guards. They say they can barely keep up with her stamina, which rivals that of a guard. The female guards apparently all say the same thing, 'Maris-san is something else.'"

"Keeping up with Maris... yes, I can understand how many different meanings are packed into that one phrase."

"In exchange, the investigation of the hazardous zone is progressing well, and I hear Leo finds the information very valuable. It also seems they've been able to protect many animals, and she's scheduled to return soon. Maris-san herself feels she could keep going, but it's difficult to travel around with animals, so returning is the priority."

Hearing that, Surya began to bubble with joy. It seemed she was happier about the animals being protected than about Maris's return.

After that, reports and questions about the event continued for about an hour, and they concluded that it was a success overall.

They took a short break, after which the conversation shifted to the next event.

Ney, as the chairperson, led the discussion.

"Now, for the next event, the main venue will be the Spirit Country."

As she said that, Lunaria stood up happily.

"Yes, the next event will feature my trusted confidante, Rosalie-chan..."

"I'll take it from here!"

This time, Parsha stood up, cutting off Lunaria's words.

In terms of the Foundations' power structure, Lunaria held the position of Foundation Overseer, placing her far above Parsha. But Lunaria sat down with a slightly dejected expression, being comforted by Xenobia next to her.

Parsha was related to the Pisces Foundation, but she was neither the head nor a candidate for succession. Still, she held considerable sway within AFO. This was due to her investment amount and contributions to AFO, and it was a well-known fact that Parsha's contributions were higher than any other member's.

That was why she could interrupt Lunaria, but as if that didn't matter, Parsha began to speak excitedly.

"Regarding the annual event, the 'Spirit Festival,' just as Lunaria-san was about to say, it will be an event involving Rosalie-san and her group!"

The Spirit Festival was a regular event in AFO, one hosted by the players rather than the staff.

The host was Alvie, the leader of the major clan "Kiss of Death," and it was mainly an event for making merry with singing and dancing.

However, most of the members here didn't understand why Rosalie was involved. Rosalie was the president of the major fashion brand "Black Rose" and a direct subordinate of Lunaria.

But some people caught on to the connection. Rauxal of the clan "Imperial" spoke up.

"Could it be that the fashion system you mentioned before is complete? And you're going to announce it at the Spirit Festival event?"

Diite smiled and nodded, while Parsha snapped her fingers at Rauxal as if to say, "That's correct." And Lunaria nodded with a smug look on her face.

"I see... Does that mean Virgo will be involved too?"

At Rauxal's words, this time everyone frowned slightly.

Virgo was the foundation represented by the sign of the maiden, and its main businesses were fashion and entertainment. Because of this, there had been a time when they fought with Ney and the others over the companies founded by people who had been on the spaceship "Aphrodite."

In particular, the actor agency "Dragon Soul" run by Ash and the others, the fashion company "Black Rose" founded by Rosalie and her group, and the orchestra "Brunhilde" were all claimed by the Virgo Foundation as under their jurisdiction.

Due to the power balance between the Foundations, in the end, Dragon Soul and Brunhilde became affiliated with the Virgo Foundation, while only Black Rose was settled as a company directly under Lunaria's control.

And now, an event to unveil the new fashion system. If they held this, it was obvious Virgo would be involved. After all, they were seeking cooperation not just from Rosalie's company but also from fashion-related companies affiliated with Virgo.

Ney took a deep breath and looked around at everyone.

"We have already spoken with Virgo this time. To begin with, Alvie's talent agency is affiliated with Virgo, so their cooperation is essential to make the event a success. Moreover, as promised, Virgo has not made any unreasonable demands on the various companies. On the contrary, I hear they have been treating them exceptionally well. In that case, we should work for our mutual benefit. I admit I made a bit of a face due to their previous heavy-handedness, but I don't think there will be a problem."

Parsha also nodded at those words.

"It seems they are properly managing and using the musical instruments from Colony 'Museum' that we have lent them, so I don't think there's any need to worry... However, it is frustrating! The manga! The manga is the one thing I wanted...!"

"Parsha, calm down. Pisces's main focus is the preservation of culture, isn't it? Besides, you did win the publishing rights for Shirokuro, so that should be enough."

"That may be true... no, to begin with, those two are directly under my command. It is true that they are putting a lot of effort into distribution and promotion, so it's not bad, but... no, however, but... grrr."

After waiting about five minutes for Parsha to calm down, Ney looked at everyone once more.

"And so, I ask for everyone's cooperation to make the next event a success as well. Now, that concludes the reports. Is there anything else?"

At that, Ronios, who had been silent until now, raised her hand.

"I heard from Wilnel that Parfait-kun finally learned about Hayato-kun and the others. What happened after that?"

"Ah, there was that matter."

Everyone's gaze gathered on Diite. Diite took a sip of coffee before smiling.

"Yes, Hayato-kun, Esha-kun, Parfait-kun, and I had a talk. Well, to get to the point, Parfait-kun learned most of the circumstances. I had actually told her various things when she was much younger, but it seems she had forgotten."

"That was when she was too young to understand much, right? Was she not shocked?"

Diite shook her head at Ney's question.

"Not so much shocked, but she was quite surprised that Esha-kun was a person from about 120 years ago."

"I can imagine... But is she really okay? I would be shocked."

"Hayato-kun was worried about that too, but she was fine. After all, Natsu-kun's and Chris-kun's parents are also from 120 years ago, so Esha-kun isn't the only special case. It seems there was very little shock."

"I see. There are many such people around Parfait, or rather, around Hayato, so it doesn't seem to be a particular problem."

"That's right. And when Natsu-kun learned about her parents, she was rather excited. Her Dark Side aura was at full power. Seeing that, Parfait-kun might have thought it wasn't something to worry about."

"As expected of my disciple. To not be surprised by her birth but to turn it into a source of strength...! Indeed, she should not be a doctor, but walk a path untrodden with me...!"

"Parsha-kun, please calm down once more. So, there are no particular problems. She seems to have somehow understood why Hayato-kun is treated as a savior. Though Hayato-kun himself denied it quite strongly. And as for Parfait-kun..."

Diite began to talk happily about Parfait. It was a common understanding among the members here that once this started, it was hard to stop her.

The members, who had somewhat anticipated this, decided to take a coffee break and lend their ears to Diite's story.