Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

I am currently sitting inside a fancy car.

I had thought about it before getting in.

It could be because it looks expensive, but the ride was incredibly comfortable.

If the situation were different, my mind would have been just as at ease as the comfort of the ride.

“Are you comfortable, Shun?”

Smith in the driver’s seat speaks to me.

His gaze glances over at me, reflected in the rearview mirror.

Looking at the vibe now, it seemed like we were just on a peaceful drive.

“Uh, yeah. It’s comfortable. Very.”

And on either side of me…

If those bulk guys weren’t here, it would have been even more comfortable.

Comfortable, my foot…

I muttered inwardly.

Indeed.

My posture and position were practically isolated.

Perhaps because everyone else in the car has bulked up to some extent, I couldn’t physically spread my shoulders.

I was literally squished in.

With a small laugh, Smith continued.

“I’m sorry this isn’t an air vehicle.”

“Well, it’s fine.”

Air vehicle or whatever.

It’s just that my posture is uncomfortable.

I silently added,

“But we’re almost there. Please bear with the discomfort a bit longer.”

With those words, Smith focused back on driving.

These days, any vehicle would have an autonomous driving system built in, yet he’s gripping the steering wheel and driving manually.

It’s a classic Smith — sticking to principles and rules.

By the way, it doesn’t feel like it’s been long since we started, and yet we’re already arriving.

He must be stepping on the gas like crazy.
I don’t really know the speed limit here, but we were definitely going faster than the other cars passing us.

I moved my gaze to the rearview mirror.

“…”

Something feels off.

I looked around the car I was in.

A procession of black sedans with the same design was following closely behind us.

It wasn’t just visible in the rearview mirror. There were some to the side, in front, even at diagonal angles.

It looked like we were surrounded by a formation centered on the car I was in.

Having confirmed this, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“Uh… Smith?”

“Yes, go ahead, Shun.”

Since he was driving, Smith didn’t turn around to reply.

“Uh… how many people came with you?”

Smith chuckled as if he heard something funny.

But that laugh was a bit mechanical.

“We’re picking you up, Shun. We can’t just go there without any backup.”

So how many?

A brief silence ensued.
Smith seemed awkward with the silence, so he opened his mouth again a moment later.

“About two teams.”

Two teams, huh.

[Based on the nearby signals, I assess that there are about four teams expected.]

Hmm.

Just hearing it made it hard to breathe.
No, I was physically struggling to breathe too because of the bulk next to me.

“Um, it’s feeling a bit stuffy. Can I open a window?”

No answer came back.

Instead, Smith pressed one of the buttons next to the steering wheel with his index finger.

A monotonous voice rang through the vehicle.
“Activating air circulation system.”

[Looks like the orc Smith is not planning to open the window, I conclude.]

Seems that way.

Still, Smith said,

“Hahaha, you never know.”

“Uh?”

Never know what?
What’s that supposed to mean?

Even though Smith seemed to hear my curiosity in the reply, he kept laughing mechanically and focused on driving.

No way…

Did he think I might jump out the window?

“…”

That wasn’t a bad idea after all.
With protection magic, jumping out of a fast-moving car wouldn’t get me seriously hurt.

Maybe breaking the window and making a run for it would be a better choice right now.

Just as I was thinking that,

“We’ve arrived, Shun. Time to get out.”

Maybe I was contemplating too long.
We had already reached No Answer.

—

It was still too early for people to be drinking.
It was close to lunchtime, yet there were plenty of folks at No Answer.

I remember saying this once before.
I had described this place as a club or a bar, or perhaps an upscale lounge, but it wasn’t just that.

It was natural for it to be bustling with people, even not at night.

The first floor was filled with rookie mercenaries and had a club-like atmosphere.
The second floor was home to experienced mercenaries with a classy bar vibe.
And on the third floor where I just arrived,

There was the true ruler of No Answer, a towering figure among all brokers in Neon City.

Rookie mercenaries typically didn’t even know of their existence; they were just a subject of rumors.

“Water or cola?”

“Uh… I’ll have cola.”

“Got it. Then it’s rum and coke.”

Since when did cola have alcohol in it?
I don’t know.

She, the boss of No Answer.

Natalia smiled at me.

Her alluring smile was eye-catching.

While she was momentarily out of the place to fetch my cola or rum and coke, I took a deep breath.

Whether it was due to her breathtaking appearance or her high status in Neon City, I couldn’t say, but she was a bit overwhelming for me.

When I was with another colleague handling a job, it felt a tad less daunting, but now that we were one-on-one, I felt even more on edge.

Natalia placed the glass of cola in front of me.

Luckily, it was pure cola without any alcohol mixed in.
Honestly, she was quite playful for the boss of No Answer.

For some reason, she seemed more playful with me.

I sipped the cola.

I was puzzled as to why she suddenly called me, but considering I had come sandwiched between those bulk guys, my throat was parched.

Natalia sat on the sofa opposite me.

She instinctively shifted one leg and crossed it over her knee.

Her luxurious black hair cascaded down around her neck.
Neatly braided, a small golden hairpin was embedded in it.

Natalia was dressed differently, in a China dress.
Her blue sky-colored eyes pierced through me.

It felt painfully oppressive.

The first to break the silence was Natalia.

“I believe Smith mentioned that you promised to come see me?”

“Uh, well, that… I’ve been busy lately.”

It was because the new game launch got delayed.
It wasn’t my fault at all.

“Hmm, you haven’t only been playing at home, right?”

How did she know?

[That’s a reasonable suspicion anyone could have, I think.]

Is that so?

In any case, she seemed to know far too much about me.

I took another sip of the cola.

When I have nothing to say, not saying anything at all can be a pretty decent tactic too.

If there was a problem, the silence made Natalia keep her mouth shut too.

In the end, I had no choice but to switch up the atmosphere,
thinking of something else to ask.

“Uh… what did you want to meet me for?”

“You seem eager to wrap up and get going.”

“Uh… that’s not it.”

Well, it was, but it wasn’t.
I really did want to leave.

This ambiance was a bit too much for me.

With a swift motion, Natalia opened her fan.
LED designs and holograms of dragons were elegantly animated on the fan’s surface.

Natalia naturally covered her mouth with the fan,
her gaze sharp above it.

“…”

If only I could use magic to break through the ceiling and create a lightning bolt to escape…
Such thoughts danced secretly in my mind.

It was at that moment that Natalia stood up.

She walked slowly towards me.
Since there were only the two of us in the room, there was no one to stop her actions.

I froze, watching her approach like a frog before a snake.
I felt a cold sweat trickling down my neck.

I didn’t know what I had done wrong, but I felt like I should kneel and apologize at this very moment.

With the fan still masking her mouth, Natalia neared me.

Slowly, she extended her hand.

Her fingertip brushed against my eye.
It was precisely where my dark circles were.

The mounting pressure was now doubled.

“Was it Maya? That girl you told me about before.”

I jumped at the unexpected name.
Why was Maya‘s name surfacing now?

And how did Natalia even know about Maya?

Did she hear it from the bioware expert I entrusted Maya to?

Suddenly hearing her name left me dazed.

“You look curious. You know, I almost know everything about this side of things.”

Her fingers continued to move,
tracing across my eye, mask, and then down to my chin before returning to their place.

“You’ve been living the same busy life.”

… It was true that I had been busy,
but something felt off.

Her tone was different compared to when I said I was just gaming.

For now, I had no words to offer,
so I sat quietly.

“Well, that’s that, but I didn’t call you here for that.”

“What’s going on then?”

Is there some urgent mission that came up?
No, if that were the case, she wouldn’t just call me solo, she would summon the other colleagues too.

She didn’t just kidnap me for a face-to-face meeting, right?
That would be a twist.

Natalia took a step back from me.

Between the sofas we were sitting on was a luxurious-looking table.
She walked over to the table and pressed a button on it firmly.

In an instant, with a burst of light, a huge hologram image emerged in the air.

It was a 3D representation of a smiling emoticon.
The singular difference from a typical emoticon was a red vein marked on its yellow forehead.

It looked like a smiling face but also seemed angry.

“Do you know who this is?”

“A smiling emoticon?”

“Hehe, no.”

Did the smiling emoticon even have a name?
The cyberpunk vibe was so confusing.

“This is the newly emerged Virtual Terrorist.”

“?”

A Virtual Terrorist, what?
Is he one of those who commits acts of terror in Net Space?
Or is he like Pete Mc or a virtual broadcaster, visually appearing only as a graphic while committing actual acts of terrorism?

Either way, I just couldn’t wrap my head around it.

I didn’t remember seeing anything like that back when I played the game that formed the basis for this world.

But,

“… Why would that crazy person be targeting me?”

“Ah, seems like you haven’t figured it out yet.”

Natalia sat back down on the sofa.
Her deep blue gaze fixed straight on me.

“This terrorist is after you.”

“… What?”

Why me?
In a situation I never anticipated,
I could only gawk with my mouth open wide.

I didn’t have any penchant for being targeted by a terrorist.

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