Chapter 93
Naturally,
the miracle that Coca-Cola's Champion defeated the Pepsi Evil Dragon with that single blow, causing the Coca-Cola Company's grace-filled Black Water to spring forth and moisten the earth, did not happen.
There was only the sad result that the Dragon President dazedly blinked his Bright Yellow electronic eyeball a few times, and I, who had thrown the Uppercut, ended up jumping around in pain with a red, swollen fist.
I must have been Crazy.
No matter how drunk I was, I was Crazy To Strike my Workplace Superior's Metal Jaw with my bare fist without a glove.
Thanks to that, it became a Strange Situation where the Dragon President, who got hit, was actually worrying about me, the one who hit him.
[...Daijoubu (Are you okay)? You're not hurt too badly, right?]
Ah, I'm Dying of Embarrassment.
As I pressed the ice pack that the Dragon President had gotten from the Restaurant Counter against the back of my hand to soothe the swelling, shame washed over me in an instant.
Coca-Cola's Enemy, my foot! It seems I really Lost My Mind for a moment.
Logically, just because the Dragon President participated in the Third Corpo War on PepsiCo's side, branding him as the culprit who ruined Coca-Cola made absolutely no sense.
Unless it was an Extreme Case where he single-handedly carried out the Assassination of a Key Figure in the Coca-Cola Company's Management, completely cut off its funding, or defeated the Support Troops of its partner companies...
[...]
“President?”
When I briefly explained the reason for my sudden outburst, apologized, and called out to him, the Dragon President was fidgeting with his hands and feet with a very Embarrassed Expression for some reason.
The sight of him whistling—something he never usually did—and staring out the window looked incredibly Suspicious.
...Hey, no way.
Even if the Dragon President was Once a Formidable Ronin, does that even Make Sense?
Trying hard to ignore the Ominous Premonition creeping up, I Sincerely Apologized once again for letting my emotions flare up and committing insubordination.
It was only because the Dragon President had a good personality that he was letting it slide like this; if it were any other company or Workplace, it would have been unimaginable.
Normally, I would have had To Kneel or Dogeza and beg for forgiveness.
[No. I should be the one saying Gomen ne (Sorry)... If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done that back then...]
“Excuse me?”
[Chi, Chigau (No). It's nothing, so don't mind it. Ahem.]
...Right now, for some reason, it is a Situation of Being Watched by the Dragon President instead.
Exactly. Why was he watching me?
I slapped my cheeks and forcibly stopped the Strange Delusional Circuit from spinning up again.
Let's stop with the weird imaginations. There's no way that's true.
[I'm just glad that Nakamura-kun and I have gotten close enough to exchange jokes like this. Yep. Absolutely.]
Trying not to think too deeply about the Dragon President's suspiciously stuttering tone, I forced myself to change the subject.
“Come to think of it, didn't you say you'd Tell me about the bar when we met in person?”
[Uh, yeah. I did. Right. I completely forgot. What was I going to say about the bar... Ah. Sou (Right).]
The Dragon President rambled on for a while as if he were malfunctioning, and only after about ten seconds in that state did he spit it out, as if he finally remembered what to say.
[Where was I. Did I mention that the bar went into Repair?]
“No. Though I roughly expected it.”
[I see. So it's Closed Down for a while. It's been so noisy lately, and there are a lot of Broken Parts, so I decided to fix them neatly. We're doing some Remodeling while we're at it.]
“...And that finishes In Three Days?”
Isn't that basically work that should be calculated in months, with repairs and Remodeling?
It felt like it should take three months, but it was finished In a Flash in just three days.
I was pretty sure it was the day before yesterday, yesterday, and today. Taking just three days off in total, we were supposed to be back at work tomorrow.
Wondering if my memory was wrong, I asked, and the Dragon President crossed his arms and said, 'Hmph.'
[I spent some money. I commissioned Mitsibichi Construction, and, as expected (Yappari), with a Large corporation the speed was different. Once we matched the Design Estimate, construction robots swarmed in an instant and Fixed It Up Quickly. The original facilities were pretty sturdy, so there weren't many Broken Parts anyway.]
“Oh...”
Mitsibichi was a famous Japanese-Origin Large corporation.
*At the same time, it was a Zaibatsu proudly listing its name in the ranks of megacorps.*
I knew them to have a strong image of being “Expensive but Worth the Money” with their Premium Services in industries like taxis, aviation, and banking.
It seemed to be the same in Construction and Architecture.
It was at a level where finishing Repair and Remodeling work In Three Days was possible just by paying a lot of money.
Just how much did he pay to shorten the Construction Period that much?
Hundreds of thousands of City Dollars? Or millions?
Either way, the Dragon President was definitely not ordinary.
I knew he was rich from the time he spent money on all sorts of miscellaneous things like Loofah Cake, but it was surprising to think he was So Generous.
Waaaah—Clap, Clap, Clap, clap—
As Tony and I Clapped exaggeratedly and praised his Boldness, Sasha Dragon laughed heartily and shouted.
[You don't need to hype me up that much. Only a little of my own money went into it anyway; most of it is insurance money.]
“Insurance money?”
[Yeah. I didn't take it out myself, but Warawa had placed a Headquarters Damage Insurance Service on the entire Franchise Branch. Among them, a Terrorism Insurance Product was included.
Thanks to that, I made a lump sum. Since it wasn't money I earned anyway, I just dumped it all into the construction costs.]
I was speechless. A gang Terrorism Damage Insurance Product actually existed?
I guess it's fitting for a Cyberpunk World. It always Exceeds Expectations.
[Nazenara (Because)... I am an Evil Boss, and I Can't Stand to See You Rest Comfortably! During a peak season like now with many customers coming in, we Can't Close the Shop for Long. Go Work and Earn Money!]
At the Dragon President's Playful Shout, Tony and I Booed With Thumbs Down.
[Sou, sou (Yeah, yeah). I'm used to Envy and Jealousy. Curse me all you want. Even so, the fact that I'm your President won't change.]
“This can't be! We need Workers' Solidarity Against Capitalists. We have Nothing to Lose but our chains, and we have The Entire World to win...!”
[So what else was left to talk about?]
While I ignored Tony rolling his eyes back and shouting a dangerous Communist Remark next to me, the Dragon President asked.
...Well, there was no one else around, just us, so we probably wouldn't get arrested for shouting the Communist Manifesto a bit.
I briefly looked around to see if there was anyone Outside the window before opening my mouth.
“Um, also. I'm asking because I Lost Consciousness that day.”
[Ah, right. Said I Fainted.]
“What Happened After I Collapsed that day? There was definitely a Big Explosion, but When I Came To, I Was Lying in Bed.”
I wondered what had happened in the meantime. It was also strange that I had No Particular Injuries on the surface of my body other than calluses and blisters.
[That is...]
The Dragon President opened his mouth to say something but Flinched.
At his hesitant Demeanor, Sey, who was next to Dragon, swallowed the Pizza Slice she had in her mouth and spoke.
“It's Fine. He already knows, so you can just say it.”
[Really? How did he know?]
“When she saved him last time during the Man Hunter Incident, he Guessed It by seeing the Color of the Afterimage.”
[...Does that even Make Sense? Anyway, since he knows, it'll be easier to explain.]
*Inside the Helmet, the Dragon President spoke while drinking the contents of the giant beer mug placed in front of me.*
[I only heard about it since I arrived late, but they said Sey Pulled You Out of the Explosion. Just like last time, she's practically your Savior. She's not someone who often helps others, but she Must Have Liked You, Nakamura.]
Huh.
Honestly, I wasn't that surprised.
It was obvious, but it was a Possibility I Had in Mind.
I saw the Plasma Heat Ray burst and explode right before my eyes, the flames swallowing everything.
Even that Devilishly Strong Ned Ludd Couldn't Even Struggle and Turned to Ashes, so I, who had fainted and collapsed, Couldn't Have Survived on My Own in front of that.
It was certain that Some Element Intervened to have me Saved from the Explosion.
And there were two Possible Candidates.
First, the Microchip in My Head displayed another Extraordinary Ability and Protected Me from the Explosion.
Or second, the Head Bartender Sey utilized her Unique High-Speed Implant Function to arrive and Saved Me from the Flames Faster Than the Expansion of Flames and Shockwaves.
I thought it was a Fifty-Fifty Chance, but it seemed to be the latter in the end.
She told me not to expect her help next time... but in the end, my life was saved again thanks to Sey.
[Maa (Well), so Sey Safely Moved You to the Rest Area. The Sprinkler went off, and the Fire Was Extinguished thanks to Tony operating the Fire Extinguisher. Right around then, I Arrived at the Bar.]
“you Must Have Been Very Surprised.”
The Dragon President Shook His Head with a Sigh.
[Don't even mention it. I heard the Sound of Something Exploding on the Way. I thought Masaka (No way), but sure enough.
When I arrived at the shop, All Windows Were Broken, and with the Smoke and Corpses... it was an absolute mess.]
It was one thing for me, who came to work as a bar Manager only to end up Fighting with Swords Drawn against the terrorist Leader Ned Ludd, but
it seemed the Dragon President had also gone through quite a Perplexing Experience.
Then again, even if it were me, if I arrived later than usual for just one day to my Operating Shop because something else came up, and found that the establishment was terrorized and in chaos, I'd wonder if it were a dream or reality.
[That Alone gave me a Headache, but then the DCPD and some Upper-Class Noble House Private Soldiers Came Swarming in, saying Their Member was inside this building... What was the Family name again? It was definitely a name I knew. I know it, but I can't quite remember.]
“Schneider?”
[Ah, right. Schneider. Seems that Family is still doing well? There was No News for a While After He Died.]