Half the Truth

[...Although you didn't Tell me everything.]

Dragon President's voice lowered meaningfully.

That was true. I hadn't told him everything.

You could say I only told him about half the truth.

Regarding my Identity, I stopped at saying that most of my data was fake and that I was an illegal immigrant, not someone from Neo Tokyo.

I didn't reveal my actual Hometown or the fact that I was Korean.

Naturally, I also didn't mention that I had been living perfectly Fine in 21st century Korea before suddenly experiencing a Time Slip or whatever it was, ending up dropped onto the Street of Dusk City in the 22nd century inside a game.

As for the Microchip, I told him that I had small chip-shaped Supercomputer cyberware inside my head,

and that thanks to it, I sometimes displayed abnormally outstanding Physical Ability or managed to succeed at seemingly impossible tasks.

I explained that slicing off the Man Hunter's Arm and being able to operate Schneider's laser katana, which had a Bio-Lock on it, were likely all thanks to that.

I only said that much.

I didn't Confess the specific abilities of the chip, such as Extrasensory Perception or Bare-Body Cyberdive.

I also didn't mention the source of the Switch Chip, the Militia Research Institute.

I explained that I couldn't talk about that part, and that I had only recently learned of the Microchip's existence myself.

It wasn't a lie. It was true that I only found out about the piece of metal in my head through the Detailed Examination ordered by the Chairman.

"Anyway, I can't tell you everything in the first place."

I said nonchalantly.

I had not a single speck of shame regarding that.

Where in the World is there a person who can share one hundred percent of their secrets with the people around them?

Even with Family, you can't just lay everything bare. No matter how close you are, strict Privacy exists.

Let Alone a work colleague.

It was Fine to reveal a certain portion of my secrets and the things they were curious about, but I couldn't open up about everything.

Just looking at Sey, he hadn't said a single word about the Identity of 'them,' and Tony hadn't confessed the specific reason why he quit being a Net Diver.

It was the same in my case.

Revealing the fact that I was Korean might bring about immense danger, apart from mutual trust.

Besides, my relationship with the employees would worsen. The perception of New Mecha Korea was just that bad.

The Isiho Chairman, who hired me because he found it amusing despite knowing I was Korean, was the weird one; most people would freak out and try to distance themselves from me.

That was the normal reaction.

It would be a relief if they stopped at just distancing themselves.

Nine times out of ten, they would probably try to report me to the DCPD. Then things would get very Headache-inducing.

The part about crossing over from the 21st century to the 22nd century, and falling into the World inside a game, went a Step further; I'd be lucky if they didn't just treat me like a Crazy person.

The part about the chip's power or source was also too sensitive an issue to speak of carelessly.

It wasn't that I didn't trust the people at Dragon's Lair, but secrets are safest when kept to oneself.

It was for my sake, but also for the sake of the other employees.

A Microchip that grants Extrasensory Perception and enables free cyberdiving?

Its very existence was no different from the Holy Grail of the middle Ages or a treasure map in a Martial Arts novel. Just knowing about it would make it impossible to avoid misfortune.

The part about the Militia Research Institute was the same. There was nothing good about getting tangled up with a Megacorp.

Even more so if it was a Territory secretly hidden like a Secret Research Institute.

I was being considerate of the other employees. Come to think of it, rather...

"I even feel like I might have said too much. Should I have hidden more?"

Suddenly, I was getting worried. When I muttered that, Dragon President waved his hand.

[Chigau (No). That much is just right. We'll be able to help hide it together... You revealed it well at an Appropriate Level.]

Hearing him say that put me at ease a little.

Having confessed even a part of the things I had been keeping tightly hidden made me feel relieved. For the first time in a while, my mind felt very light.

That was why, even when Dragon President rummaged inside his armor saying he had something to give me and held something out, I could Accept it with a light heart, wondering, 'What's this?'

"...!"

I wondered why he had prepared so many gifts, but an Unexpected item popped out.

What he handed me was a small, rectangular, thin Electronic Display.

I felt like I had seen something similar somewhere before...

[Turn it on.]

"How do I turn it on?"

[It should turn on if you touch the screen once. To turn it off, just touch it twice in a row.]

At his words, spoken with a grin, I pressed down on the screen with my finger.

Then, the Display turned on.

"Bar, Dragon's Lair Manager and Trainee Bartender—Aaron."

It was high-quality. I could feel it as soon as I saw it.

On a smooth Silver Metal Color background with a slight red tint, my affiliation, Rank/Position, and name were written in an elegant font.

And we call such an object a Name Tag.

[It's yours. Try putting it on.]

I didn't tactlessly say something like, “You already gave me a Name Tag when I first came to work, didn”t you?'

What I had received back then was a Hastily Made, cheap Name Tag.

A clumsy plastic Name Tag that obviously looked like it was made half-heartedly to anyone who saw it.

In itself, it was no different from a label announcing to others that I was a Temporary Employee, a clumsy Newcomer.

And to put it the other way around.

The fact that I had received that proper, top-grade Electronic Name Tag that Tony and Sey always wore on their uniforms meant...

[Nanishiteruno (What are you doing)?" I said, "Hurry up and put it on."]

"..."

I remained silent and attached the Name Tag to my chest.

Perhaps because it was a good item, there was no need to pin it or secure it with a string; just bringing it close fixed it neatly onto my clothes.

[Yeah, like that. Wow, it suits you well. Is it because you're dressed up in a nice-looking suit? Looks cool.]

"...Thank you."

[I purposely didn't include your surname and only put your Namae (Name), but thinking about it now, I did a really good job doing that. Good. From now on, make sure you wear this every time you come to work.]

That meant...

[Starting today, you're a Full-time Employee of our bar too.]

It meant that I had escaped being a Temporary Employee and had become a bona fide Full-time Employee of Dragon's Lair.

I gulped while remaining seated. Dragon President chuckled at the sight of me just blinking my eyes.

[What's this? You're usually quick on the uptake, so why are you just staring blankly as if you had no idea only at times like this? Honestly, it was obvious. What other reason would there be to suddenly call you out separately? I called you out because of this.]

It wasn't obvious at all.

Until I received the Name Tag, I genuinely had no clue.

It felt like receiving a truly unimaginable gift. It still didn't feel real.

What was this that felt so special?

This conversion to a Full-time Employee felt emotionally more surprising than that hundred-thousand-dollar bonus from earlier.

[Are you naive, or are you pretending to be naive... Hey, if it were you, would you Leave an Employee with good guts who works well as a Temporary Employee? Are you Crazy?

An immediate combat-ready ace who handles even the work the boss is supposed to do, and even throws himself into solving the store's problems while disregarding his own safety?]

He said, wagging his finger back and forth.

[I'd never Leave them as temporary employees. What if someone snatches them away? I have to make them full-time employees unconditionally.]

Dragon President thrust his helmet toward me. Those bright yellow burning electronic lenses met my eyes.

[Hey, Aaron. Aaron.]

"...!"

He merely called my name, but I was startled.

And for good reason, Dragon President had never once called me by my first name until now.

He would always call me 'Nakamura-kun' or 'you.'

But with the sudden change in title, it felt extremely unfamiliar and Awkward.

Why all of a sudden...?

[Aaron. Now that you've received that Name Tag, you've stamped the seal. You're a Full-time Employee now, and you're my Employee. You're mine. No one can take you away. Got it?]

"Uh... yes."

Crushed by his intensity, I nodded.

'You're mine, no one can take you away.' If anyone heard that, they'd think it was a scene from a romance drama.

It wasn't like I was in the Position of a female Employee being obsessed over by the President. What was this?

More than that, even with this, I'd have to go back if a Recall Order came down from Headquarters... I don't know. I'll think about that when the time comes.

Dragon President seemed satisfied with my nodding my head and patted my shoulder.

[Yoshi (Okay). Very good. Hah, come to think of it... everything you said back then was right.]

"What I said?"

Seeing my puzzled look, he kindly retraced his explanation and informed me,

[You said it back then. That I should prepare to be robbed of a massive bonus in a little while. That you'd work so well that I'd be absolutely itching to take you in as a Full-time Employee.

It really turned out exactly like that. Ah, did the timeframe change a bit? Back then, you told me to prepare for a month later, right?]

Ah, I shouldn't have asked.

This guy remembered everything. He pretended not to know!

Dragon President giggled and laughed at the sight of my face burning red from having my dark history brought up.

[What are you being shy for? It's a Sugoi (Amazing) thing. You basically reduced the originally stated deadline by a whopping two-thirds. Good job, Aaron! As expected, you're the pride of our store.]

"President, please..."

Please stop...

The Dragon President was shouting loud enough to blow away the Street in the dark and quiet dawn.

I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment. The Dragon President watched me twisting my whole body with interest, then blurted out.

[But you still call me President?]

"Huh?"

Then what else was I supposed to call the President other than President?

When I frowned at the random remark, he waved his hand.

[It (It's Fine). You might not remember.]

"Remember what..."

[Don't Force yourself to remember. It's Fine if you don't know. Just...]

He said as he stood up from his seat.

[Just know that I'm incredibly thankful for the trust you've shown and the work you've done over the past few days, and that I'm incredibly happy to have gotten to know you better today thanks to this, and that the other employees and I all feel the same way.]

Dragon President looked at me from a few steps away and said.

[It was fun being together, and let's continue to work well together in the future.]

"Uh, yes."

[And... we're close now, right?]

This time, it was an Unexpected question, too.

As I didn't know how to Answer the question whose underlying intention I couldn't figure out, he waved his hand and said goodbye, looking clearly disappointed.

[No. Don't mind it. It's late, and you have to come to work again in the evening, so let's stop talking here. I'll go first. See you later.]

"Yes. Goodbye."

And just like that, we parted ways haphazardly. It was a bizarre farewell.

Something felt off.

That was the thought that came to me after I faced Dragon President, who was leaving after finishing his business, waved my hand, and even bowed my head to send him off.

It felt like taking a SHIT and not wiping my ass... I had definitely missed something.

As I thought about it carefully, one memory came to mind.

“Please call me by my first name instead of my surname. You can call me Aaron. I”m more Comfortable with that.'

My First Day of Work.

When I said that, the Answer that came back was definitely...

“If you work so well that I”m itching to take Nakamura-kun in as a Full-time Employee, I'll think about it then. Until then, I'll keep calling you Nakamura.'

“Or, if you get close enough to me that you comfortably just call me boss—ah, or you can call me Sasha as when you spoke with such spirit earlier—then, I”ll call you by your first name instead of your surname too.'

"..."

I really didn't think I should just let him go like this.

When I raised my head and looked, I could see the reddish back of Dragon President's head far away.

He sure walks fast. When did he get all the way over there?

...Ugh. I have no choice.

Tap-tap-tap-tap—

I picked up speed and ran down the night Street.

With the city's buildings, electronic billboards, and aerial vehicles looking down on me, I ran until my feet sweated and barely managed to catch up to Dragon President.

"Pant, pant..."

When I arrived panting, out of breath, Dragon President turned around.

He asked Calmly.

[Oh, Aaron. Why did you run all the way here? Do you have something to say?]

This guy... He's acting like that even though he knows exactly why I ran here.

He made it so obvious that he was hurt when I didn't catch on earlier, and if I hadn't remembered at the end, he would have been sulking for a long time.

Would it kill him to just Tell me with words, seriously. He's not a little girl...

Grumbling inwardly, I opened my mouth.

I threw out the words the other party must have been waiting for.

"See you at work later, boss."

[...]

Boss.

The title felt truly unfamiliar.

Using the word Dragon President that only Tony and Sey used made me feel extremely strange.

And Dragon President's expression upon being called that by me... even though I was only reading the Movement of his Metal Face Snout and his Display,

it looked equally profound. He smiled brightly with that ticklish impression and said.

[I was secretly hoping for the other one... but this is good too. Sou (Yeah). See you at work, Aaron.]

Dragon President ruffled my hair with his hand, and then walked away again.

His back looked much more cheerful than before.

And not long after, he went so far away that I couldn't even see his back anymore.

It finally felt like we had a real, proper farewell.

Now I have to go too.

I should go home and sleep. I'm sleepy.

"Ah... this is the opposite direction of my house."

I checked my Cyberwatch and frowned. It seemed I would have to go back the way I had run.

This is so annoying. I could die.

"..."

Trudge, trudge.

After walking down the whitish Street for a long time following the Guidance of the Navigating System, I suddenly looked up.

As I raised my head, I momentarily felt as if I were standing on a tiny planet.

The streetlights and buildings jutting out diagonally felt unfamiliar, as if I had arrived on the tiny star in "The Little Prince".

The ceiling looked shaky and warped, like a World viewed through a convex lens.

The night sky was in my twisted field of vision as I tilted my head back so far it felt like it would snap.

Soaring advertising towers and jagged skyscrapers stood, glass walls flashing as if they would pour down at any moment. The lights clumped together and pierced my eyes.

"...Huh."

Only then did I feel like I understood what Dragon President meant when he said the view looking up from below wasn't bad either.

The disorder within the order created by humans was the beams of light spewed out by ugly structures pressing their heads together.

The sight of the messy Sky Lights gathering at a single point to become one light source, the sight of tens of thousands of indescribable colors twinkling as they emitted different radiances, were present.

That deafening light reminded me of a star submerged in darkness.

"..."

I stood in place and looked up for a long time, and only when I felt dizzy and stumbled did I look forward again and walk.

Under the artificial starlight made of iron, I ended that long day.

Somehow, my steps were lighter than usual.