Chapter 76
[ID Recognition in Progress...]
[Recognized. Employee Code DC117095, Aaron Nakamura. Welcome.]
Beyond the massive revolving entrance, I passed through the narrow gap of a vast Ticket Gate that looked three times the size of the Kabuki monorail Platform.
How did I end up here again?
I walked blankly, pulling my unmoving legs along.
Looking up, I saw an endless procession of elevators stretching high into the distance, and transparent glass floors.
A disgustingly large number of salarymen were performing their duties in their respective honeycombs.
They were all wearing pitch-black uniforms according to the Dress Code, making them look more like ants than bees.
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, I shrank back and looked down at my outfit.
...I was in everyday clothes. It was a neat and tidy everyday outfit, but it wasn't a suit.
I felt like I was the only one out of place and standing out. I couldn't even lift my head.
It couldn't be helped, since my Bar Uniform—even the spare—had been completely torn to shreds by the events of the day before yesterday and yesterday.
As I followed the rails on the floor, a Guidance Drone popped out of thin air and flashed a blue light in front of me.
[Welcome to the Pinnacle of East Monica, Gintoki Tower, Regular Employee DC117095.]
“Uh, nice to meet you too.”
DC117095 was my Employee Code at Isiho corporation, which I could never get used to no matter how many times I heard it.
This code varied depending on Rank, and in my case, since I was a Regular Employee...
When interpreted literally, it meant I was the 117,095th Regular Employee to join Under Isiho in Dusk City.
Even taking into account that I had joined relatively recently, half a year ago at most, it meant that Isiho employed well over 110,000, nearly 120,000 employees in Dusk City Alone.
It was a truly jaw-dropping number.
Was this the level required to qualify as a Megacorp? The scale was on a whole different level.
If Isiho, 4th in Corporate Overall Ranking, was at this level, it was terrifying to imagine what the 1st place Valentine and 2nd place Militia would be like.
[DC117095 has an Interview Schedule with a VIP on the top floor.]
The Guidance Drone notified me as I was lost in thought. I gulped at the dry announcement.
In Gintoki Tower, which was practically the Symbol of Isiho, there was only one VIP on the top floor.
The Iron Blood Chairman.
That person wanted to see me.
I already knew. That was the whole reason I had somehow dragged my Aching Body all the way here in the first place.
A Chairman's Summons was truly something else. I felt like I couldn't move a single Step, but once the Chairman's Order came down, I found myself moving my body even if it meant using every last ounce of my strength.
I knew this, but even so, with reality looming right in front of me, I couldn't help feeling my body tighten with tension.
...When was the last time I saw the Chairman? Even during my Workplace Change, I only received a notification.
There was that one time I was called in as the Head Chef at the restaurant for doing a good job, made some food, and heard a single word of Praise.
Back then, I literally heard just one word and was immediately kicked out, so I didn't even remember it well.
What still remained in my memory was, of course, when I Recklessly barged in, knelt down, and begged for a job. I really thought I was going to die then.
They say everything becomes a memory once it passes, and when looked back on now, it feels fresh, like something from a very long time ago.
Right, compared to when I first set foot in Gintoki Tower and went up to the top floor surrounded by corporate soldiers, this was nothing.
Suddenly, a certain level of confidence welled up inside me. Maybe I had become numb to it after crossing the Boundary Between Life and Death so many times.
“Alright, let's go.”
Taking a Deep Breath, I followed the rails as the Guidance Drone led the way.
Stepping into the cylindrical Transparent Elevator, I shot upwards with a light sense of floating.
Despite it being a High-Speed Elevator moving at nearly 30 meters per second, there was no feeling of my body leaning, nor was there any loud noise.
The Reinforced Glass reflected the Tower Scenery and, beyond it, the exquisite night view of East Monica as we smoothly ascended along the Loop Tunnel.
The wave of company employees was fixed like black surfaces over pure white spaces resembling a Factory's Production Line, and beyond that, the exotic Neon Buildings shimmered in a crimson glow.
Watching the floor numbers gradually rise, I spoke.
“...I don't think I rode such a nice elevator last time.”
[There was an instruction to Escort you as quickly as possible. Therefore, you have temporarily acquired the Elevator Authority of a High-Ranking Position for today only.]
Ah, geez, that startled me.
Look at it answering right back when I was just talking to myself.
As expected of a cutting-edge corporation, the Guidance Drone's AI Level was amazing. It was the company I belonged to, but it was still admirable.
While I was thinking that, the floor indicator was steadily Climbing.
89, 92, 96, 103, 109...
And the 110th Floor.
This was the place known as the top floor of Gintoki Tower.
In reality, there was one more hidden floor above it, the 111th Floor, but that was how it was known to The Public.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened, announcing our arrival.
A line that was red and white, yet simultaneously blue and dark, cut across the window, as if it stood at the Boundary Between Sky and Space.
The starlight that couldn't be found anywhere on the Ground was beautifully embroidered here, embedded in the heavens.
It was the Right to See the Stars, something only the Top One Percent of beings could enjoy.
It is nothing new, but in Dusk City, Even Starlight is an Object of Monopoly.
[We have arrived.]
As I stepped out of the Transparent Elevator, the Guidance Drone went back down along with the lift.
The doors closed just like that, leaving me Alone.
Of course, strictly speaking, I wasn't entirely Alone.
“...”
As I stood there awkwardly, the wall with a Geometric Pattern that had seemed completely empty began to split open like a door.
My vision brightened drastically, revealing attendants standing in perfect rows and columns.
Standing at their forefront was a man with a Cold Impression, wearing a Classic Suit without a single wrinkle and Gold-rimmed Glasses.
“Chief Secretary.”
His name was Kei Jenkinson.
He was a High-Ranking Official holding the Position of Chief Secretary at Isiho corporation.
Going strictly by title, he was at the General Director Level, which wasn't considered that high of a Position among the numerous executives.
But in the end, what mattered was the work he did.
His duty was assisting the Isiho Chairman.
That Alone was the end of the story.
He was the Iron Blood Chairman's Closest Aide.
Most of the Chairman's instructions were delivered through this man, and the reports I wrote couldn't reach the Chairman without passing through him either.
With this duty Alone, despite being the Chief Secretary, he held the authority of a Managing Director or Vice President within the Group.
In short, he was a fucking incredible Yangban, though he was nothing compared to the person I was about to meet.
“It's been a while, Aaron Nakamura.”
And we were acquainted enough to exchange greetings like this.
He was also the one who told me it was the Chairman's instruction when I received my Workplace Change notification a while ago.
Since I was an Employee personally selected by the Chairman—even though I had gone to see the Chairman myself—, we had met and talked a few times, even if not frequently.
“Follow me.”
Chief Secretary Jenkinson said that and led the Attendants toward the Vast Room inside the opened wall.
We walked briskly, passing through several passageways.
The surroundings were entirely filled with Japanese-style wave patterns and cherry blossom patterns, making it look like a radiant Reception Room.
It was filled with real, living potted plants and bonsai, not fake ones, creating a fresh atmosphere.
I found myself timidly looking around at the Interior Design that changed every time I came.
I think it had the appearance of an elegant Japanese Garden the last time I was here. Do they do Remodeling every few months or something?
In the center of the luxurious Reception Room that made me wonder if Neo Tokyo's Imperial Palace looked like this, the Chief Secretary stood straight, turned his body, and looked right at me.
“Do you know why you were called?”
“I heard the Chairman summoned me.”
“Yes. It seems she wants to hear in detail about the incident that occurred this time at Dragon's Lair, particularly regarding the Schneider Family, Ned Ludd, and what you did.”
“...!”
I had suspected it, but they really did know.
I had expected it.
Of course I expected it, being summoned like this the very day after the incident occurred.
Even so, hearing it directly with my own ears was astonishing. Was this a Megacorp's Information Gathering Ability? It was something that happened just yesterday.
Of course, I had to take into account that East Monica was a district practically no different from Isiho's Territory, and that the Chairman had profound enough interest in what happened at Dragon's Lair to dispatch me there.
Cold sweat broke out. While my head thought, “Of course they would,” my heart felt a chill.
This city really had the Megacorp's Eyes and Ears planted everywhere.
“I assume you remember the Etiquette for addressing the Chairman.”
“Of course.”
Just before my last audience, I had spent the whole day memorizing dozens of Points to Note.
They were still engraved in my head as if branded there.
Yet despite all that, I hadn't been able to utter a single word or even properly lift my eyes before returning.
At my confident reply, Chief Secretary Jenkinson stroked his chin and said.
“You'll have to be even more careful this time. Giving a Presentation in front of the Chairman is an incredibly difficult task. And...”
And?
Wondering if he was hesitating to say something important, I found myself listening closely, tensely.
“You say you remember the Etiquette, yet what is with that outfit?”
“...”
He said that while looking my everyday clothes up and down.
With the surrounding attendants and even the Chief Secretary all dressed in neat black suits, it couldn't be helped that I was being compared.
“...Well, there were Unavoidable Circumstances.”
“I trust you don't plan on uttering such excuses in front of the Chairman.”
Damn it.
Look at him, his way of speaking was getting more and more similar, as expected of the Iron Blood Chairman's Closest Aide.
It was an absolute incision with a single word. He stabbed right into my lungs with just one sentence.
“Haa, we don't have time, so let's move on. Go into the Dressing Room and change. We have to be on time.”
“Yes, understood.”
A brief silence flowed before the Chief Secretary spoke while rubbing his forehead.
The wall he pointed to opened, revealing the Dressing Room.
I walked quickly into the Dressing Room and rummaged through the clothes before pausing.
Could this be...
“Chief Secretary. I'm just asking just in case.”
“What are you curious about?”
“I'm supposed to wear a Western Suit, right?”
“Ah, I didn't explain that to you.”
When I poked my head out and asked, a voice even drier than a robot reciting lines came from Outside.
“Change into a Chef's Uniform. It must have been a while for you.”
Even knowing that questioning a Superior's words was a bad habit, I couldn't hold back.
When I asked why, the Answer came back as if it were obvious.
“The Chairman mentioned she wanted to taste your food for the first time in a while. She said she would listen to your story while having Dinner.”
Aha, I see.
I nodded, but soon froze in place.
My food?