Neon Orange Vision

Bzzzzzt-

With a heavy vibration, my vision flashed neon orange. Outlines spread out like a world seen through ultrasound.

Not only Room No. 17, but every room from one end of the corridor to the other came under my perception. My head throbbed from the overwhelming amount of information.

“This is a bit much.”

I was confused whether the System Assistant was throwing a tantrum, or the microchip’s output had simply increased.

Either way, I couldn’t last long in this state. I had to adjust the range.

I consciously closed my eyes and focused my mind. I blocked out unnecessary senses and focused only on what I wanted.

If you asked me how I was doing it, I couldn’t explain. It felt like taking the secret room I wanted to spy on and forcefully cramming it whole into my head.

It made no sense, but it worked.

Perhaps I had adapted considerably to this damn microchip in the meantime, as the headache gradually began to subside.

The interior was not bright. A faint light illuminated two silhouettes sitting and conversing. It was difficult to make out detailed physical descriptions, but at a glance…

“Both are women.”

They were slender and tall figures, nothing special. If they were the kind of people to have a secret talk here, they would have plenty of means to invest in their appearances.

'It does seem like they’re talking about something important.'

They weren’t enjoying a secret rendezvous alone without escorts; they were just having a conversation.

I couldn’t hear well, but judging by their gestures and tone, it seemed like there was a slight argument.

The Chairman wouldn’t have ordered me to act as a spy for nothing; a major incident must be happening in here, and she wanted to find out about it.

First, I had to eavesdrop. I paid as much attention as possible to my hearing.

In reality, there was soundproofing, so there was no chance the sounds from inside would leak into my ears, but the goal was to draw an image in my head anyway.

The situation inside the room distorted and became hard to see. Instead, the buzzing voices became much clearer.

Voices whose identities couldn’t be easily guessed, as if they were conversing with voice modulation.

One side was cold, and the other was soft.

-Let me ask you one thing.-

-Yeah.-

-Isn’t it about time you returned? The situation isn’t very good. You are needed.-

-I don’t want to.-

At the cold voice’s firm refusal without even a moment of hesitation, the soft side closed her mouth.

Just from the sigh, clearly meant to be heard, I could guess that things weren’t going her way.

-I think you’ve enjoyed your hobby life enough by now, haven’t you? You’re all grown up now. There’s a limit to how much I can indulge your whining.-

It was a warm tone, yet one that seemed to ensnare the listener. The cold side tilted her head and replied.

-I thought you were the one engrossed in your hobby life, sister. How’s your political game lately? Is it doable?-

-That’s not a hobby; it’s because it helps the family…!-

The soft voice, which had flared up and stood, took a deep breath and regained her composure.

-Forget it. What’s the point of talking to you? So, you still have no intention of coming back home, beggar?-

-Yeah.-

Around this time, I was suffering from a certain sense of déjà vu.

“The older sister is a politician; the younger sister left home… Why is this so familiar?”

I felt like I had heard a conversation with a similar vibe before. And back then, I wasn’t in a position of spying like this.

Was it just my imagination? I faintly remembered the sight of those two conversing in front of me.

First of all, it was definitely not the bar.

It hadn’t been years since I started working at the bar, and there was no way I wouldn’t remember such a unique combination.

In the first place, there was no way figures from The Consortium Club would be drinking and talking in the back alley dragons' Lair. Ms. Kim was a very special case. It was hard to imagine them being like that.

Then there was only one option left.

Enkai. The Special-Grade Japanese Restaurant on the 101st Floor of the Kyoku Hotel, my former workplace.

If they were people whom I, who held the position of executive kitchen chef, personally stepped forward to serve food to and hear their conversation, they must have been massive VIPs.

It was only a few months ago, but I ruminated on the faded memories as if years had passed.

'They say it’s a trendy restaurant. I heard the chef is from Neo Tokyo, how is it? Do you like it?'

'I don’t know about the taste, but the chef is a little interesting.'

The image of sisters with their faces covered by hologram veils seemed to come to mind, come to think of it. The older sister was accompanied by a bodyguard in a unique outfit whose price range I dared not guess, while the younger sister, on the other hand, was somewhat…

Kweeeeng-

Was it because I was lost in thought? My concentration broke for a moment, and the scenery of the Room No. 17 Secret Room looked blurred in gray as if covered in fog. The voices also changed into an ear-piercing tinnitus.

Along with a headache that felt like being stabbed by an awl, bloody water dripped from my nose. Damn it. Did I let my guard down because I got a little used to it?

The information I had obtained so far wasn’t small, but I couldn’t guarantee it would satisfy the Chairman. It would probably be difficult. I had to find out something more here.

I hurriedly wiped the nosebleed with my sleeve and focused my entire mind. It wasn’t easy to regain control of my extrasensory nerves once they had been shaken, but I had to do it somehow!

After barely gathering my consciousness and restoring the connection, I heard a sound like a bolt from the blue.

-So is this the end of our pleasant family talk?-

-Yeah, though it wasn’t very pleasant.-

No, if you end it already, what am I supposed to do!

Don’t tell me they finished all the important talk while I missed it for a moment?

Thinking I was in big trouble, I pressed my ear close to the door and focused even more, but that wasn’t the problem.

-Then I’ll be going now.-

-Already? That’s a relief.-

-It’s troublesome if I leave my seat for long. I’m a celebrity, you know. Please don’t follow me out. It’d be troublesome if we get entangled, wouldn’t it?-

The woman with the smooth voice said so and approached toward the door.

She was coming out.

I was so fucked! With my mind going completely blank, I jumped back and retreated, but there was nowhere to go. Should I just run blindly toward the outside of the corridor even now?

I would definitely get caught. Should I pray she wouldn’t know it was me since it was only my back? Was that the best option?

-Then lastly… don’t forget that we are always watching you. You remember, right? There should be no secrets between family members.-

-Hah.-

And then, the sound of the secret room door unlocking was heard.

Fuck, there was no more time to think. I had to do something.

I discarded delusions like whether I should try clinging to the ceiling like spider-Man, or if it might be possible since my physical ability had improved significantly lately. I have to run right now!

It was when I was running down the slippery, blue-glowing cobalt corridor, my momentum allowing me to sprint 100 meters in 9 seconds.

Clack.

The door up ahead opened, and suddenly a rough, metal cyborg arm popped out!

“Gah-“

Before I even had time to scream in surprise, it grabbed my arm and pulled me in. The strength was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even resist and was thrown into the room.

And thud! The door closed.

“Gyaaaah!”

In this sudden unexpected situation, it was only natural for the trauma inherent in my instincts, my Cyborg Ninja Phobia, to awaken.

The cyborg in front of me looked at me pathetically and restrained me as I jumped up, letting out a bizarre scream.

[Be quiet.]

What was in front of my eyes was a familiar cyborg warrior. He wasn’t a brute, but an aura like a sharpened blade faintly surrounded him.

In particular, the gaze looking at me was freezing cold while he brought a finger clad in an exoskeleton to his mouth.

I felt a silent pressure that he might really cut my head off if I acted loudly.

What suppresses fear is a greater terror. Overwhelmed by the aura of the Chairman’s bodyguard warrior, Sandayu, I stopped the fists I was wildly swinging in the air and kept my mouth shut tight.

“Uh… thank you for helping me?”

That was right. When I thought about it calmly, that samurai had saved me when I was in a dangerous situation where I was about to get caught.

I was just startled because the method was sudden and violent; otherwise, I would have been in big trouble.

[I am merely doing what the Chairman ordered.]

“I see.”

Then again, it was none other than Isiho’s Iron Blood Chairman.

A style that ensures success thoroughly by taking out insurance no matter what she does.

In this case, she had sent her close bodyguard warrior, Sandayu, nearby so that even if I made a mistake, he could immediately control the situation.

'If she had let me know in advance, I wouldn’t have panicked so disgracefully, but…'

I wasn’t in a position to grumble, so I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut. Instead, while I was complaining inwardly, Sandayu stared at me and added.

[Also, she told me to pass on a message to you. “The work is not over yet.”]

“…!”

“…!”

I snapped back to my senses. Those words were right.

Thanks to Chairman Isiho’s arrangement, I wasn’t caught spying. And saying the work wasn’t over meant… there was more for me to find out.

The woman with the smooth voice who stepped out of the secret room came to mind. Wouldn’t she be walking down the corridor and passing by here right about now?

Kweeeeng-

My brain overloaded, and both of my nostrils became wet. Even without looking, I could guess that my nose was bleeding profusely again.

This time, I didn’t close my eyes but stared at the wall with them wide open. The light from beyond transmitted through my red eyeballs with burst capillaries.

The strong facial features of a woman dressed as luxuriously as could be were faintly visible.

A confident gait, milky skin, and glossy lips - even with just a vague impression, it was an appearance that would draw one’s gaze if encountered on the street. What was certain was that she was a beautiful woman. And she was young.

Suddenly, someone’s words came to mind.

'Look at those pretty lips, that voice that just sticks in your ears, and those eyes that feel like they could suck you in. How can she pierce through people’s hearts even from beyond the screen like that? If there is someone up in the sky, they have definitely bestowed a tremendous blessing upon her. Don’t you think so?'

Beyond the screen? Who did I see beyond the screen…

Hmm?