Chapter 103
Several hypotheses in my head were discarded.
Until now, I had been thinking that Sey, like me, might be someone connected to the Militia Secret Research Institute.
The fact that she had met me in the past, and on top of that, that I couldn't properly recall that memory…
Doesn't it bring to mind the lost memories from the Laboratory?
If we had encountered each other there, and if Sey's high-output implant had also been the result of human experimentation and modification similar to the Microchip in My Head, then the questions I've had until now would be somewhat explained.
But after hearing what she just said, I changed my mind.
It doesn't seem to be Militia after all.
Come to think of it, the timeline didn't match up in the first place.
The time I was a Test Subject at the Research Institute was a few months ago.
Sey would have naturally been working as a bartender at Dragon's Lair during that time.
If I assumed her role at the Research Institute was an employee—a researcher—rather than a Test Subject like me, and that she juggled her bartender duties with her work in the Laboratory, it wouldn't be completely impossible, but…
Militia is not such a lenient organization. I could tell instinctively.
The hazy memory from the Laboratory, and the vertical, rigid organizational culture of the DCPD I had seen so far, came to mind.
Militia is a Megacorp where everything operates rigidly like a machine. A deviation like a Research Institute employee conducting experiments during the day and working as a bartender at night would never be tolerated.
Furthermore, if she were a member of Militia who participated in the experiments, there would be no reason for her to use the expression 'those trying to take me away' toward the Organization she belonged to.
As could be seen from the Dead Cell Incident that turned East Monica upside down,
Militia isn't a Megacorp specialized in information, surveillance, or net tracking, so someone with Sey's abilities could easily hide and stay on the run from it.
'Most of all, Militia isn't a corporation that would make that kind of contract.'
Sey didn't directly mention the details of the contract.
But according to what she indirectly revealed…
As long as Sey her identity or abilities weren't discovered, they couldn't touch her 'yet.'
Conversely, if Sey revealed her abilities, if her identity was exposed to the outside, they would definitely appear and take her away.
I didn't know what kind of organization or group it was, but Sey's tone when she said that was extremely definitive.
She seemed certain that they possessed such overwhelming force.
It was quite scary and made me wary, but one thing was for sure: it wasn't Militia's style.
There was no way a Military-Industrial Complex that only valued results and efficiency would work in such a complicated and cumbersome manner.
If those bastards were the ones chasing Sey, they wouldn't have set complex conditions; as soon as they found her location, they would have immediately dispatched Special Forces, including Mili-Tech, to subdue and escort her.
While I was thinking that, Sey continued speaking.
"And I can't perfectly control my Implant. If I had stepped up to stop those bastards head-on, it definitely would have Activated… and the risk of getting caught would have been quite high. No, I practically would have been caught unconditionally."
So that was why she couldn't fight.
An uncontrollable high-output Over-tech Implant.
She was similar to me in many ways.
If the Microchip in My Head accelerated the brain, I suppose the difference was that hers accelerated the body.
For now, I am convinced…
However,
"But when you saved me from the Explosion… and during the Man Hunter incident, too."
During the Man Hunter incident, she had definitely used force. She had snapped the necks of two Bratva hulking men in the blink of an eye.
It happened so fast that it seemed no one but me had seen it, but according to Sey, she had taken a considerable risk back then as well.
There were a lot of ronin in the bar that day too, and if even one mercenary among them had exceptionally sharp senses or superior kinetic vision, it could have caused problems for Sey's safety.
The very fact that I caught her saving me must have been a huge risk for Sey in the first place.
I could guess the reason why Sey had looked quite shaken at the bus station that day, unlike her usual self.
In a sense, it was the same as my knowing her weakness.
If I were to accidentally or intentionally let slip the information I knew about Sey, that alone would bring in 'them,' whom she was so wary of.
Looking back, it's amazing that she didn't threaten me to keep my mouth shut that day and just let it go. What did she trust about me to just leave me alone like that?
"There were a lot of people during the Man Hunter incident, but not as many as during the Luddite attack. Plus, your chainsaw and the Boss's timely appearance drew their attention."
I nodded at Sey's continued words.
True. Even I, who had watched the situation from the closest distance, had thought, 'Did the Dragon President save me?'
How much more so for the ronin watching from afar?
The presence of the Red Dragon Armor, emitting a bright yellow glow, was so immense that anyone would have been captivated by it.
It would be more accurate to say that I was the abnormal one for managing to spot the blue afterimage that flashed for a mere 0.01 seconds amidst all that.
Thinking about it now, I suspect that was also the result of the momentary Vision Acceleration and Cognitive and Concentration Ability Enhancement, which I assumed were additional functions of the Mental Switch.
"And during the Ned Ludd incident, that was thanks to you."
Thanks to me?
What did she mean by that?
I frowned at Sey's words, but her addition made me understand.
"Because you fought so hard against Ned Ludd and at the end, you even brilliantly Activated your Laser Blade, drawing everyone's attention. Plus, there was the final katana Explosion. It was The Finishing Touch."
That was certainly true.
In the midst of the chaos, with the lightsaber and Plasma Katana clashing, and the Explosion and flames engulfing the entire bar.
There couldn't have been a better environment for Sey.
Taking advantage of the moment when everyone's eyes were drawn to the spreading flames and shockwave, she moved with a speed faster than perception to save me.
"Of course, that doesn't mean there were no risk factors at all, but I made the judgment that it was worth the risk. Even if…"
Even if?
Sey stopped there and fell silent, as if she were choked up.
When I looked puzzled, she shook her head and said,
"…No. It's just that you're a pretty competent junior colleague, and I've grown somewhat fond of you over the past few days, so that's why I saved you. I figured it was worth taking a certain amount of risk."
I see. I am quite competent, after all.
It was absolutely true. Where else would she find a bar manager who would step up to block a terrorist leader?
My heart swelled a little at the thought that the effort I had put into my work hadn't been in vain.
Without realizing it, I found myself bowing my head in an Eastern style as I spoke.
"Come to think of it, things were so hectic that I couldn't even give you my words of gratitude despite receiving your help again. Thank you for saving me this time too, Ms. Sey."
Tony snorted beside me, his face scrunched up as he called it cringeworthy, while Sey accepted the greeting as calmly as ever.
"I'm the one who should be thankful. Thanks to you, I was able to protect my workplace from a terrorist gang."
And with that heartwarming note, it was over.
Sey drew a clean line, saying she had nothing more to say, and her turn passed.
Next was Tony.
It was time for him to tell the truth.
"Hah… It's my turn. What should I say? This is tricky. Very tricky."
He said that, but the corners of his mouth were practically hanging from his ears.
He had seemed to be secretly waiting for his turn for a while.
It seemed he had been quite envious of the atmosphere being entirely focused on Sey while she was revealing her truth.
Now that his turn had come and he was in the spotlight, he loved it.
He and the Dragon President were always at each other's throats, but their attention-seeking temperaments were exactly alike.
While I was having a thought that both Tony and the Dragon President would find highly offensive if they knew, Tony cleared his throat and asked.
"Ahem. So, do you have anything you're curious about regarding me?"
"……"
I stared at him blankly as if I had nothing to ask, wanting to tease him for a moment, and he seemed genuinely hurt.
"…D-Do you really not have anything?"
Hearing Tony's stuttering, trembling voice that sounded like he was about to cry, I decided to stop the prank there and opened my mouth.
"Of course I do."
How could I not? Dragon's Lair's deputy and last-place bartender, Magician Antonio, was also a man with a formidable number of secrets.
The past of his prosthetic arm that changed every time I asked, his suspiciously extensive Net Knowledge, and the high-level hacking skills he occasionally showed…
And above all,
I had something to ask him about the events of the other day, too.
The obsidian blade, Kokuyōtō.
Even after catching a glimpse of the High-tech Particle Engine hidden within the blade of the Jet-Black Katana, I had been struggling to find a way to Activate it, until a single message was delivered to me.
[Bottom of the handle.]
The sender was the person who had previously sent me the address of a net auction site where I could sell off the Man Hunter's Arm.
That's right.
It was Tony.
Not only Sey, but Tony had also helped me.
Perhaps, if Tony hadn't given me a hint on how to operate it, the situation might have turned out very differently.
I might have died at the hands of Ned Ludd while clutching a katana that remained unchanged and wouldn't Activate until the very end.
From that perspective, Tony's advice was minor, but at the same time, extremely crucial. It was also timely.
It was something to be thankful for. Just like with Sey.
However, separate from my gratitude, there was a question.
How on earth did Tony know?
The existence of the Activation Sensor acting as a trigger at the bottom of the hilt of Kokuyōtō, the family heirloom of the Schneider Family…