Interlude: Jinpei Yanagihara
“Hmph… I suppose I can finally breathe easy.”
It has been nearly a month since my granddaughter Kaede returned. She displayed extraordinary physical abilities, but after a series of thorough examinations, no issues were found. When I asked her, she mentioned receiving a Skill from a god, but I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. However, I can’t deny that her physical prowess is undeniable. Given the examination results, I suppose I can just think of it as the god granting her a robust body.
The catalyst for this reflection was the recent visit to my late wife’s grave. Kaede, misunderstanding that her wallet had been stolen, chased after the supposed thief at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, she vanished, leaping down without even using the stairs.
As I ponder these thoughts, there’s a knock at the door.
“Excuse me.”
This is the chairman’s office in the Dragon Corporation Building. The one entering is my secretary, Mochizuki-kun.
“What is it?”
“Chairman, I have come to report on Mizumoto Shu and Rio.”
“Oh, I see.”
I’ve informed them that they are free to use smartphone payments, but perhaps they’ve been spending more than expected. I also rented them an apartment. While I don’t know the exact amount they’ve spent, considering all the efforts I’ve made over the past five years to find Kaede, it hardly matters.
“I will send you the details via email later, but there is one point of concern that I wanted to report directly.”
“Hmm.”
“Please take a look at this.”
He handed me a smartphone statement. Since it includes smartphone payment transactions, it lists various purchases made.
The proportion of food items seems unusually high, but it’s not alarming enough to warrant further scrutiny.
“Hmm?”
“Did you notice something?”
“Ah, this is…”
As it’s a shopping statement, there should be a list of expenditures. Among them, one item stands out with a negative figure preceding it. The amount itself isn’t significant, but the single negative entry amidst the expenses is quite conspicuous.
“When it comes to Google… it’s a major internet service company, but why is its name here?”
“It appears to be from advertising revenue generated through video uploads.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, my mind struggled to comprehend, and I blurted out a foolish response. When it comes to video upload sites associated with Google, only one comes to mind, but is Shu actually posting videos?
“This is the video in question.”
The video shown by my secretary featured Phonia-chan. Her adorable appearance made me smile, but the audio that accompanied it caused me to furrow my brow. I had heard it a few times before; it was undoubtedly in the language of the Otherworld.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm…”
The video has already surpassed one hundred thousand views. There are numerous comments, filled with both truth and fiction. Most of the comments are positive, but of course, there are some negative ones as well.
“It seems to be spreading quite a bit.”
“Yes.”
As long as it appears to be mere cosplay, it might be fine for now, but eventually, some might catch on. There’s a possibility that the unfamiliar words could be linked to Dungeons. Trying to hide it now would only make it seem more suspicious. I doubt it would have any impact on them, as they rarely come to this world…
“Hmm… Rather than trying to hide it, perhaps it would be better to…”
As a plan formed in my mind, I conveyed the rough outline to my secretary.
“Please initiate this as a project. I will inform them myself.”
“Understood.”
Once Mochizuki-kun exited the room, I sank back into the sofa. As I recalled Phonia-chan’s cuteness, I began to envision a future where this project would succeed.