Chapter 250: The President and the Chairman
As I stepped out of the car, I found myself in a parking lot spacious enough to accommodate a hundred vehicles. About half of it was already filled with cars, but where exactly was this place? I vaguely recalled something about moving to an office…
It seemed we were in an underground rotary, with an entrance leading into the office right in front of us. While I waited for everyone to get out of the car, Yanagihara-san was the last to descend.
“Alright, everyone, this way please.”
Once everyone had exited, the driver closed the door and drove off. We followed Yanagihara-san into the office. We passed through a floor with several elevators and approached a door at the back, where Yanagihara-san swiped a card to open it. Inside, there was another elevator, and Yanagihara-san pressed the button for the upper floor.
“This place is… really huge, isn’t it?” I remarked.
“Haha, it is indeed. That was something I could always brag about,” Yanagihara-san replied, his tone wistful as he spoke in the past tense. I felt a question bubbling up, but I decided to set it aside for now.
“Let’s go.”
We stepped into the arriving elevator, and it seemed Phonia had finally woken up, joining us as we walked in.
“Wait, is this it? …It’s too cramped, isn’t it?” Ivan’s small voice came from behind, almost making me burst out laughing, but I managed to hold it in. This wasn’t a room, after all.
Once everyone was inside, the elevator doors closed. The button for the top floor, labeled 72, lit up, indicating our destination. As we slowly ascended, the floor number displayed began to climb rapidly.
“Whoa!?”
“Whoa!”
“…This is amazing!”
“Wow, it’s so high!”
As we passed the fifth floor, the side of the elevator turned to glass, revealing the view outside. A breathtaking urban landscape unfolded before us, rivaling even the heart of Tokyo. I wasn’t sure where the capital of Japan in this world was located, but it was clear that this place was thriving.
“Haha, it seems you all are fine with heights,” Yanagihara-san said, standing by the elevator entrance, his expression slightly strained. Since he mentioned this was an office, I assumed he worked here, but it seemed that unfamiliar heights were still a challenge for him. We had merely grown accustomed to flying.
Once we reached our destination, we exited the elevator and were guided to a room on the top floor.
The conference room was set up with a long table in the center, capable of seating about seven people on each side. One wall was entirely made of glass, offering a stunning view of the city skyline below.
“Thank you for coming. I’ve been waiting for you!” A man seated in the middle stood up energetically and walked toward us. He wore a bright suit that made him resemble a younger version of Yanagihara-san, with a softer facial structure. He was likely Jushiro Yanagihara, Kaede-san’s father.
“You were already here?” Yanagihara-san asked.
“Yes, I had to follow up on Kaede’s lead. I couldn’t afford to take it easy,” the man replied.
This was indeed Jushiro Yanagihara, Kaede-san’s father, just as I had suspected. To avoid confusion, I would refer to the grandfather as Mr. Jinpei from now on. It turned out he was the president and chairman of “DRAGON,” one of the five major telecommunications companies spanning the world. I had never heard of it before, but it seemed I had stumbled upon the smartphone of someone quite significant.
As we introduced ourselves, we took our seats. Unlike the chairs at the Majin Tribe’s place, these were perfectly comfortable. When Nil hopped onto the table, Jushiro-san’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I brought her all the way here, but… is that alright?” he asked, hesitating.
“Ah, um, well… I suppose it should be fine…” he replied, trailing off as he glanced at Nil, who wasn’t wearing a collar. At least he granted us permission, so that was a relief.
“Ahem. Now, could you please share your story?” he prompted.
“Understood,” I replied.
Jushiro-san opened a laptop on the table and prepared to listen. Thus began our discussion with Yanagihara-san and the others.
“First, this is… Kaede-san’s smartphone,” I said, pulling the device from my pocket and placing it on the table in front of Mr. Jinpei.
“Oh…”
He picked it up with a look of deep contemplation, examining it closely before passing it to his son, Jushiro-san. As Jushiro-san began to operate the smartphone, a single tear rolled down his cheek, unable to contain his emotions.
“Indeed, this smartphone undoubtedly belongs to Kaede,” he confirmed.
Displayed on the screen was the home screen we had been unable to unlock, featuring a wallpaper of a kitten taken in someone’s home, surrounded by several app icons.
“I see. Then I will return this smartphone to you,” I said.
“Thank you. I will ensure you receive a proper reward, but first, could you explain how you came to possess it?” Jushiro-san asked.
“Of course,” I replied.
With Jushiro-san present, I prefaced my explanation with, “You may find it hard to believe, but…” and began recounting our journey. I explained how we were summoned from Japan, a world that wasn’t this one, and how we acquired the smartphone before traveling here. I omitted the more complicated details about the Majin Tribe’s world, as they were irrelevant.
“Wait… an Otherworld…?” Jushiro-san murmured, his expression blank as he processed the information. Mr. Jinpei, who had heard some of this in the car, maintained a serious demeanor.