Chapter 146
Even through the long period of Contempt and Oppression, Ms. Kim remained resolute. No matter what Criticism and Provocation she faced, she didn’t even pretend to listen.
Put nicely, it was a Steadfast Attitude; put bluntly, she was plugging her ears and stubbornly insisting, “Yeah, whatever you guys say, I’m absolutely right.'
Naturally, that attitude only further fueled the anger of the McMillan Supporters, but this was the 22nd century Society, where an Individualistic Tendency was bound to be strong.
With me and the other Bartenders watching like hawks, preventing any Physical Violence, arguing with Ms. Kim - who consistently maintained the exact same Stance - was simply exhausting.
It was Preaching to Deaf Ears; there was nothing quite as meaningless as losing your temper at someone who refused to listen.
The McMillan Supporters eventually swallowed their anger and began to lose interest in Ms. Kim, who was merely sipping her Valentine Cocktail.
The heated atmosphere entered a Lull, and just as I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore…
“Now I see what McMillan’s angle is.”
Having finished her Valentine Cocktail, Ms. Kim snapped out of her own little World and flashed a Satisfied Smile.
I was left with a Dumbfounded Feeling.
I thought she had finally quieted down, but she had been intensely pondering that this whole time?
I suppose you had to be at least that dedicated to call yourself El Valentine’s fiancé. Truly an astonishing level of loyalty.
“Uh, right. What’s his angle?”
When I asked with a Reluctant Feeling, she answered as if she had been waiting for this exact moment.
“As I mentioned earlier, common sense dictates that Completely Free Medical Insurance is impossible.”
“But didn’t he pull it off? If he managed to get statements from the Megacorp Chairmen…”
“That’s right. Surprisingly, McMillan managed to get the consent of the Medical Megacorps. Two of them, at that.”
The reason that made no sense was, of course, because a corporation’s First Virtue is Profit Seeking.
Conversely, the only reason it was possible was that it would make money for the Megacorps.
Ms. Kim wagged her finger as she explained.
“In this speech, McMillan, that Cunning Person, used modifiers like 'all' and 'everyone' quite a lot. Didn’t he?”
“Uh… now that you mention it, I suppose he did.”
But why would that be a problem?
It wasn’t strange to emphasize that it was a medical service applied equally to everyone.
At my questioning look, Ms. Kim let out a 'Hmph,' wearing an Annoying Expression as she spoke.
“If that were the case, he would have said anyone can enroll. Rather than saying everyone is enrolled. Ultimately, it means Mandatory Enrollment… Now, hold that thought. In Dusk City, there is a system called the Local Social Security Tax Law.”
Wh-what?
I prided myself on being fairly educated, but the sudden mention of specialized tax laws made me instinctively furrow my brow.
Seriously, how did this person know about something like that? Had she looked it up on the net via her Neural Interface just now?
“There are several categories within the Local Social Security Tax Law, but if you look at the most recently added clause, it states that an Additional Income Tax will be levied on any Universal Enrollment Public Service that registers all Citizens exclusively within Dusk City.”
Aha. So while he claimed it was completely free on the surface, he was actually going to siphon taxes behind the scenes based on some clause in the social-security-whatever law.
It was free, but not actually free.
“This is just a loophole I found after ten minutes of searching. If you dig deeper, I’m sure he has plenty of other clever ways prepared to extract money. It’ll be even worse by the time it’s implemented as actual policy. They call it free, but it could end up squeezing the Citizens even harder than before. In the past, you could at least refuse a Medical Expense Expenditure, but you can neither refuse nor avoid taxes.”
Didn’t they say the two unavoidable things in life are death and taxes?
If what she said was true, they would be able to rake in City Dollars in a truly inescapable manner.
“And all that money will be funneled back to the Megacorps through a Covert Route.”
“Whoa.”
“Surprised? But without terms like that, he never would have been able to persuade two entire Medical Megacorps. From their perspective, they have Nothing to Lose by keeping things exactly as they are. A clever Medical Expense Collection targeting all Citizens, and handing over that entire massive pie… It takes a Lucrative Compensation of that magnitude to win them over. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a Megacorp to move?”
I Was Astonished.
Should I say this was exactly what you’d expect from a Megacorp, the Root of All Evil? Or should I be amazed by the Politician D.D. McMillan, who orchestrated a scheme on a scale grand enough to tempt and mobilize those very Megacorps?
Ms. Kim, who had figured out these Hidden Circumstances with just a bit of pondering, was certainly no Ordinary Person either.
Did she work in a Related Industry or something?
Of course, aside from the clue about the social-security-whatever law, there was no hard Evidence, making it all just speculation in the end… but wasn’t that speculation entirely grounded and logical?
Because she was a Fanatic Supporter of El Valentine, I had to take her words with a grain of salt, but it was undeniably a highly plausible theory.
“Also, his pledge only stated that he would provide a Reduction Benefit ranging from a minimum of thirty percent to a maximum of one hundred percent, but he didn’t reveal the specific Mechanism. Doesn’t that smell fishy to you? Varying the benefits based on the Severity of Illness or Insurance Grade, or completely changing the Pricing Method of the Medical Service Cost itself… The possibilities are endless. What I’m saying is, this isn’t something people should be cheering for.”
For all that, the atmosphere in here was electric.
I had only been watching with a Lukewarm Gaze because I was an Illegal Immigrant scraping by on a Fake ID, but as the mood in the bar clearly showed, the other Citizens were absolutely thrilled.
Would the things Ms. Kim mentioned eventually come to light over time, causing his currently red-hot approval ratings to turn ice-Cold?
But despite her confident deduction, Ms. Kim’s expression wasn’t looking too good. And it didn’t seem to be because she had been heavily mocked by the McMillan Supporters.
“But his approval ratings will continue to rise.”
That wasn’t my voice.
I turned my head to see that Sey had approached at some point and was refilling the Chlorella Snack in front of Ms. Kim.
“Oh…”
Despite hearing Unpleasant Words as a Fanatic Valentine Supporter, Ms. Kim looked quite pleased.
More than just pleased, she looked practically mesmerized.
“Wow, so fucking pretty…”
The words slipped out as she blankly admired Sey’s beauty.
She stared, practically drooling, and only shook her head with a Startled Look when Sey cleared her throat, as if finally realizing her rudeness.
“Get a grip! You have a fiancé. You’re Taken. No matter how pretty she is, you can’t fall for her. Got it?”
Actually, she hadn’t realized her rudeness; she had just remembered the existence of her Imaginary fiancé.
Sey’s looks were apparently stunning enough to bewitch even an elite Sexual Minority who was head over heels for a Mayoral Election Candidate.
Seeing her drop the Polite Speech Concept she had been so faithfully maintaining, I felt an inexplicable sense of pride for some reason.
Yeah, seeing her for the first time will do that to you.
There was a reason we had half a dozen customers every day who only regained their senses after getting smacked for flirting with her.
Anyway, they weren’t going to end up falling for each other at this rate, were they?
I didn’t think that would happen, but what if Sey was a minority attracted to a Third Gender, neither male nor female? What if that was why she had always coldly rejected anyone who hit on her, regardless of whether they were a man or a woman?
As I frowned at the Bizarre imagination that suddenly popped into my head, Ms. Kim stuttered uncharacteristically.
“Come to think of it, you do look a bit alike - no. What am I saying? Phew… Nice to meet you, Bartender. I’m Kim Valentine. Feel free to just call me Kim.”
“My name is Sey.”
A Cold yet polite, short Answer - classic Sey.
Ms. Kim lowered her head for a moment and muttered something.
Judging by the faint sound and the shape of her mouth… it was probably something like, “Wow, even her name is pretty,” or “Even her voice is pretty.”
Her nostrils flared for a moment, but Ms. Kim quickly regained her composure and spoke.
“Anyway, what did you say? That McMillan, that Cunning Con Artist’s approval ratings will continue to rise?”
“Yes. I believe so.”
I thought Ms. Kim would fly into a rage.
Unexpectedly, however, what came out of his or her mouth was agreement.
“I hate to Admit it… but you’re right. In the end, people see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear. No matter how much the experts point out the traps in McMillan’s pledges, the only things that will stick in their heads are Provocative Phrases like “the Politician who persuaded the Megacorps” or “Completely Free Medical Insurance.” People are stupider than they look, and The Public even more so.”
Perhaps it was because she hated admitting it.
Her voice was sharp, carrying incredibly Caustic Content. It was a tone brimming with disillusionment and cynicism, though in a different sense from Common Citizens like me.
Yet, for some reason, I felt a spark of resistance.
She wasn’t entirely wrong, so why…?
Just as I was pondering this, Sey spoke up lightly while organizing the glasses.
“Well. I don’t think that’s the whole story.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s true that people see what they want to see, but what is it that people want to see? Ultimately, doesn’t it come down to that?”
What people wanted to see. Providing an Answer to that was a Politician’s calling.
And right now, there was only one thing everyone wanted.
“Hope. Just as McMillan said, people live and die for A Glimmer of Hope. He presented a firm vision and the possibilities to match it. He knew exactly what the people wanted.”
Even if there was a Suspicious Aspect to it, the hope he presented was far more appealing than El Valentine’s.
That was the reason he was currently enjoying such Sensational Popularity.
“I don’t think we can simply dismiss it as the fault of a foolish public.”
If harboring wishes and expectations was foolish, then all of humanity was foolish.
Because people couldn’t live without hope.
That was what she meant.