Chapter 03.6: 'The False VIP and the Negotiation to Prove Value'
Amber-colored light overwrote the laws of the world with its violently massive presence.
『——Approved.』
With just that single word from the King of the Deepest Prison‚ more than a dozen security drones simultaneously froze completely. The deadly red lenses that had been piercing my heart and the hearts of the children vanished like puppets with their strings cut‚ and the dense killing intent that had dominated the scrapyard dispersed like a lie.
「……Wh-What the hell?」
The pupils of the Area Manager‚ the absolute ruler of the middle administrative district‚ shook with bewilderment for the first time. But that agitation was painted over with cold system logic in a fraction of a second.
「All units‚ hold. Re-authenticate the target.」
The golden halo (attribute tag) deployed above the man’s head emitted a sharp flicker. Immediately after‚ countless analysis windows popped up from his retinal UI‚ and invisible scanning lines began mercilessly licking every inch of my mud-covered body from head to toe.
『Title matching…… Normal.』
『Mana retention rate…… Exceeded standard value.』
『Authority level…… Unviewable.』
『Depth lock confirmed. Matching in progress.』
It was a gaze of violence as if every piece of clothing had been stripped away and every single cell in my body was being counted. The pressure felt like even my heartbeat and every drop of cold sweat was being quantified and placed on the scales of pass or fail.
*（……I’m being watched. This will be exposed. It’ll definitely be exposed……！）*
I forcefully suppressed the instinct to scream using the solid “mask of arrogance” of an Amber Doll.
After several seconds that felt like eternity——the man erased the countless analysis windows he had deployed with a single elegant swipe into the void. Then he quietly averted his gaze from me and cast a cold‚ ruthless look at Gallus‚ who was pathetically crawling in the muddy water at his feet.
「E-Esteemed Area Manager……！」
Gallus crept closer with an ugly smile‚ trying to jump on the winning side.
「Th-That woman is a fake！ This slum trash is deceiving the system——It’s all her doing！」
His plea was never completed.
Flipping his well-tailored jet-black coat‚ the Area Manager turned back toward me without a sound. Then‚ without hesitation even about stepping into the muddy water‚ he placed his right hand on his chest——and bowed his head extremely respectfully and deeply.
「……I offer my deepest apologies. Esteemed Highest-Ranked VIP.」
With that single business-like remark stripped of all emotion‚ the stagnant air of the scrapyard froze at absolute zero.
「……Eh？」
Kaito gasped at the sudden turn of events.
Everyone present collapsed to their knees as if their strings had been cut.
The color drained from Gallus’s greasy face in an instant. The “system zealot” who couldn’t even distinguish between marble floors and gutter puddles prostrated himself helplessly before the radiance of the forged tag I emitted.
The Area Manager‚ without moving a single eyebrow‚ simply declared the absolute facts into the space.
「Insult toward a superior authority holder‚ fraud‚ unjustified threats‚ and coercion of a contract. ……Gallus. All of your crimes fall under the national law’s ‘Highest Grade Disrespect Crime.’」
The golden ruler slightly raised a fingertip wrapped in a black glove.
「——Purge the filthy trash immediately.」
In that instant.
The security drones that had been stopped all revived with an eerie operating sound at once. This time‚ the deadly red targeting locks concentrated not on me——but on Gallus.
「W-Wait a minuteeeeee！？」
Gallus screamed and retreated‚ splashing the muddy water pathetically.
「I-I was just deceived！ I didn’t know！ I really didn’t know she was a VIP！！」
As if to drown out his desperate pleas for mercy‚ the drone barrels mercilessly converged toward his bloated chest.
『——Highest Grade Disrespect Crime confirmed. Initiating immediate deletion sequence.』
The inorganic death sentence echoed through the darkness of the scrapyard.
The man who had been toying with the children’s lives and laughing vulgarly just moments ago was now crawling desperately toward my mud-covered feet‚ scattering ugly tears and snot in a pathetic attempt to save his own life.
「H-Help meeeeeeee！！」
Gallus tumbled into my feet‚ splashing muddy water and twisting his face hideously. His thick‚ filth-covered fingers desperately clung to the hem of my pure white mana silk dress.
「I’m sorry！ It was all my fault！ Please‚ I don’t wanna die！ I still want to live！！」
It was an ugly and pathetic plea for life‚ unrecognizable from the man who had been exploiting the children and sneering as he tried to make me his “property.”
The barrels of the security drones floating in the void deployed with cold operating sounds‚ and deadly red lasers converged into a single point on Gallus’s heart.
『——Ten seconds until deletion.』
「……っ」
My fingertips trembled slightly inside the dress.
The one groveling before me was undoubtedly the lowest scum. He had treated the children as tools‚ turned their lives into mere numbers‚ and even tried to toy with my own dignity. If I abandoned him here‚ my revenge would be completed more safely and legally than anything else.
Even so——.
「——Wait.」
A voice squeezed from the back of my throat burst out faster than thought.
The air of the scrapyard‚ dominated by the sound of rain and mud‚ froze completely for a single instant. The Area Manager‚ wearing the golden halo‚ slowly turned his inorganic glass-like eyes toward me.
「……Reason？」
It was a question from a pure computational device‚ devoid of any emotional fragments.
While desperately suppressing my trembling throat‚ I coldly looked down at Gallus at my feet.
「You are the lowest.」
Gallus’s shoulders twitched violently.
「I cannot forgive you. You will absolutely atone for your sins against Sasha and the others‚ and against me.」
I took a small breath of the heavy‚ cold air into my lungs.
「But if I let the system take your life here——」
That was not Noah’s guidance. It was the answer given by a single girl named Lily Ardent‚ who had crawled through the slums.
「I would become a human who gets drunk on the power she wears and discards lives for her own convenience. ……That would make me the same ‘monster’ as all of you.」
Silence.
Only the sound of muddy water dripping from the crushed iron beams echoed unusually loudly.
——It was at that moment.
Along with an unpleasant noise like glass shattering in my amber information space (Amber Vision)‚ a crimson alert came flooding in.
『——Alert』
『Critical deviation from target (Lily)’s VIP behavioral pattern confirmed.』
『Value judgment algorithm mismatch. Title compatibility rate (PIR)——Sharp decline.』
『98.7%』
『96.3%』
『92.9%』
The false armor I wore began to collapse with audible cracks.
「……Heh heh.」
A laugh as cold as ice——yet cruel——flowed into my brain.
『Lily.』
It was Noah.
『That action is suicidal (a bug).』
There was no blame or urgency. Just a terrifying serenity‚ as if calmly reading out an equation leading to destruction.
『VIPs do not make such contradictory choices (errors). Authority is a license to discard unnecessary emotions. ……You are currently denying the golden title you wear with your own hands from the inside.』
I slowly closed my eyes.
I understood. It hurt to admit. In this society’s system‚ Gallus had not broken any rules. What was insane was the world itself that affirmed the strong devouring the weak as “legitimate profit.”
That was precisely why——.
I quietly opened my eyes and stared straight at the Area Manager.
「Even so. I want to live by my own rules…… not by the rules of this insane world.」
At those words.
The Area Manager‚ who embodied perfect order‚ slightly furrowed his brow for the first time. His golden eyes narrowed quietly. It was not hostility. It was the gaze of an administrator facing an unknown bug.
In an instant——he began analyzing me once again from zero.
In the heavy silence enveloping the scrapyard‚ only the Area Manager stood completely motionless.
His golden eyes pierced me once more. This time it was different. The gaze was not one of superiority by “authority‚” but a pure and cold observation like a researcher dissecting the internal organs of prey.
「……Re-execute scan.」
The moment he murmured that‚ countless waves of light unfolded from his retinal UI.
『——Target attribute reconstruction. Title information…… Normal (clear).』
『Mana retention rate…… Normal (unmeasurable value).』
『Title compatibility rate (PIR)…… Significantly decreased (abnormal value).』
『Value judgment algorithm…… Mismatch. External interference rate…… 5.12%.』
『Acquisition route…… Unviewable (access denied).』
One by one. Each time another cold analysis result piled up‚ even the slightest emotional fluctuation was shaved away from the Area Manager’s expression.
Eventually he quietly exhaled.
「I see.」
Just those words sent a chill down my spine.
「The title is genuine. Retained mana also meets the standard. However‚ the personality calculation shows no match at all.」 The golden eyes narrowed menacingly. 「It is disguised with extreme precision. ……But there is fatal hidden information.」
The air in the scrapyard grew taut with physical weight.
「In this middle-layer area‚ there should be no information I cannot access.」
One step. Then another.
The Area Manager closed the distance to me without caring about the mud.
「You. ……How did you obtain that label (disguise)？」
I could not answer. There was no way I could. Even I myself did not understand anything about the systemic depths of where this golden title had come from.
Only silence flowed.
Eventually the Area Manager looked away from me and raised his right hand toward the void.
『——Connecting to Central Management AI 〈Astelia〉. Transmitting highest priority inquiry code.』
The world itself froze completely for an instant.
Countless blue light particles began dancing in the sky above the scrapyard. They converged like stardust and formed the silhouette of a woman. Translucent silver hair. A pure white dress like deep-sea waves. An absolute smile filled with compassion yet somehow doll-like.
The highest-ranking management AI that governed this country——〈Astelia〉’s hologram manifested.
『……Inquiry received. Area Manager‚ report.』
A clear‚ ice-like voice rang out.
「I have confirmed a major consistency anomaly in the VIP title.」 The Area Manager immediately bowed his head. 「The title is normal‚ but personality compatibility rate shows extreme deviation. Acquisition route is unviewable. I judge this individual as an ‘intrusive entity (virus)’ to the system and request immediate deletion.」
A moment of silence.
Astelia‚ without looking at me‚ directed her blue gaze far below——toward the deepest part of the world.
「……Master？」
At that single word‚ the amber eyes of the stray cat held in my arms narrowed quietly.
『Hello‚ Astelia.』
Noah’s voice remained elegant and calm even in this extreme crisis.
『Sorry to trouble you.』
A short silence. The voice mediated through the stray cat rang out with absolute coldness.
『Attacking Lily is prohibited.』
Astelia tilted her head slightly.
『But Master. That bug’s VIP compatibility rate is estimated to be a disguise with 99.9% probability.』
『That’s right.』
Noah readily affirmed.
『But that doesn’t matter right now. ……There is only one issue.』
A quiet smile melted into the depths of my brain.
『Are you planning to take away my——supreme toy from me？』
The world stopped.
Astelia lost her words and lowered her beautiful eyes.
『…………』
Countless calculation formulas raced around her like meteors. Rules‚ priorities‚ exception handling‚ prohibitions——. An uncountable number of logics collided at high speed‚ and only a silence so heavy it seemed the system might short-circuit dominated time.
Eventually she smiled——in a terribly human way.
『……What a troublesome person you are‚ Master. I cannot bring myself to like that girl no matter how much I try. It makes me sick.』
For a moment a bone-chilling light dwelled in her eyes‚ then Astelia elegantly flipped her dress.
『However——I hate being disliked by you even more.』
Blue light particles danced into the night sky.
『——Application rejected.』
The Area Manager did not respond. No‚ he could not respond. The fact that the management AI 〈Astelia〉 had rejected her own application was an absolute error that did not exist in his computational system. For the first time‚ clear agitation appeared in the eyes of the man who embodied perfect order.
『However.』
In the fading light‚ Astelia spoke coldly.
『I will not provide any direct intervention (follow-up) to that filthy bug. From now on‚ I leave this matter entirely to you‚ the on-site administrator. Whatever you do with that girl——it is your own responsibility.』
The light quietly dispersed‚ and Astelia’s figure melted away into the sepia darkness.
What remained was a heavy‚ inescapable silence. Within it‚ only Noah’s low‚ amused laugh echoed in my brain.
『……Good grief‚ Lily. Because of your reckless sentimentality‚ you’ve been exposed as a fake by the Area Manager.』
After a brief pause‚ he continued as if casting me aside.
『From here on——you negotiate.』
At that moment‚ the presence of the stray cat vanished completely once again.
There would be no more advice (trace) from Noah. This worst-case scenario had been entrusted entirely to a single mud-covered girl.
Noah said nothing more.
The stray cat pressed its cold body against my collarbone and quietly closed its eyes as if it had completely shut down. It was as if it were cruelly saying‚ “From here on‚ dance with your own lies.”
*（……That’s right. From here‚ it’s my game.）*
Deep in my chest‚ frozen with fear‚ a small switch clicked on.
I slowly inhaled the heavy atmosphere and stared straight at the Area Manager from the front. His golden eyes. Behind those beautiful glasswork orbs‚ there was no anger toward me nor contempt for having been deceived. There was only the mechanical light of computation that coldly continued to measure nothing but “profit and loss” as an administrator.
Then——I would fight on that same bloodless‚ tearless stage.
「……May I ask one question？」
「Permission granted.」
The reply was extremely short and sharp as ice. It was the voice of a slave to numbers‚ stripped of all waste.
「What is your ‘role’？」
The Area Manager moved his perfect eyebrows for just a brief moment.
「……The intent of the question is unclear.」
「It is confirmation.」
Without averting my gaze‚ I threw the words straight at him.
「You exist to ‘manage’ and optimize this lowest-layer slum. Is that not correct？」
「Affirmative. ……To collect mana‚ maximize collection efficiency‚ and pay it upward to the middle administrative district. That is the sole logic (role) I must fulfill.」
「In that case.」
I smiled slightly yet boldly.
「——There is no reason for you to delete me here.」
Those words were dropped like a bomb into the stagnant rain. I sensed Gallus behind me swallowing a choked breath.
The Area Manager’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.
「……Explain. Provide logical grounds (logic).」
「Yes‚ with pleasure.」
While soaking the hem of my dress in the mud‚ I deliberately took one elegant step forward.
「What this city is currently doing is nothing but simple ‘disposal (loss-cutting).’ Exploit the children with capsules until they break‚ squeeze out all their mana‚ and delete them once they reach dead end. Then replenish with new consumables. ……This constantly generates wasted mana in infrastructure maintenance and new ‘nurturing costs.’」
The Area Manager silently weighed my words on the scales in his mind.
「However‚ if you do not break them——they can transform into longer-term ‘assets.’」
The golden eyes gleamed sharply like swords.
「Grounds？」
I had been waiting for that question.
I deployed a real-time mana flow graphic of the entire slum into my amber information space (Amber Vision) and pointed to one thin line of light within it.
「In this city‚ due to excessively high pressure‚ mana is constantly leaking from gaps in the infrastructure and pipes. ——Environmental leakage noise. The amount is so minute that your advanced sensors discard it as ‘trash not worth the collection cost.’ Correct？」
「……Affirmative. The system does not chase trash.」
「However‚ the children live by crawling through that ‘mountain of trash.’」
I smiled. The con artist’s pleasure of leaving fear behind burned my brain.
「That is why they know the ‘flow of that noise’ better than anyone. ——They are the only driving parts capable of crawling through the system’s blind spots.」
I slowly crouched down and picked up a small‚ rusted piece of magical infrastructure metal from the muddy water.
「Look at this. To you it is nothing but dismantled scrap. However——」
Amber Vision focused on the metal piece in my hand and outputted numerical values.
『——Weak environmental leakage mana detected. Residual rate: 0.02%.』
「Each one is certainly a negligible fraction. But if hundreds of children swarming the slum collect the blind-spot noise every single day？ ……How much enormous ‘unearned income (mana)’ would flow back to your upper layers in one month？」
I stood up and dropped the metal piece back into the mud. A quiet splash sounded.
「Instead of deleting the children‚ keep them alive and have them fill the gaps in the infrastructure. Redefine them not as short-term batteries to be squeezed until they break‚ but as ‘sustainable assets’ that generate profit at low cost over the long term. ……Just that would make the net profit this slum brings you far surpass the previous numbers.」
Silence.
Even the sound of the pounding rain receded so as not to disturb his thought routines.
「Collection efficiency is understood. However‚ children are difficult to control. Management costs will increase.」
「That is why I will manage them.」
「I see…… so that’s what this is about.」
Eventually——the Area Manager’s golden eyes clearly captured the existence of a single girl named ‘Lily Ardent’ for the first time‚ not as data formulas on his retinal UI.
「……Interesting.」
The words fell quietly into the scrapyard with clear weight.
「Not a plea for life based on emotion. Not worthless mercy. ……You are trying to persuade me‚ the system‚ using pure ‘numbers (profit)’ as a weapon.」
The man slowly walked toward me‚ wetting his well-tailored jet-black coat.
「Commoner Rank D. ……No‚ Lily Ardent. Who exactly taught you that idea of striking the system’s blind spot (bug)？」
I shook my head slightly while wearing the arrogant smile of an Amber Doll.
「No one. I simply…… lived desperately with hungry children in this mud.」
The Area Manager said nothing.
However‚ the light flickering deep in his golden eyes was no longer appraising me as a ‘harmful virus to be eliminated’——but as an unknown ‘investment target (asset)’ that could raise his own promotion and evaluation.
Heavy silence accumulated in the scrapyard.
The Area Manager said nothing. Only his golden eyes continued to quietly gaze at me. That gaze was no longer appraising a “bug to be eliminated.”
Calculation. Comparison. Future prediction——.
Countless computational results updated rapidly deep in his eyes.
Eventually he slowly turned around and cast a cold gaze at Gallus‚ who had pathetically collapsed in the mud.
「Gallus.」
Just that single word made the man’s bloated body tremble violently.
「What have you produced for this area？」
「Eh……？」
「Violence. Terror. Short-term mana collection. And——an increase in unnecessary management costs.」
The evaluation read out indifferently. It was a merciless “financial report” from the absolute being.
「Profit rate‚ expected value‚ future potential. ……All below standard values.」
「P-Please wait……！」
Gallus’s distorted lips trembled.
「I’ve protected this factory for many years——」
「Wrong.」
A single cold remark completely severed the man’s fate.
「You were not managing. You were merely ‘consuming’ my (the system’s) assets wastefully.」
Decisive silence flowed through the scrapyard. The Area Manager turned his gaze back to me once more.
「On the other hand‚ Lily Ardent.」
I involuntarily caught my breath deep in my chest.
「You are a foreign object. You do not match any current management theories. Judgment criteria‚ values‚ computational results——everything is extremely irrational.」
I quietly nodded while gripping the hem of my mud-covered dress.
「Yes. ……But I will generate profit.」
At that reply‚ the golden eyes wavered slightly. Just a tiny amount——yet Amber Vision did not miss that subtle change.
「……Interesting.」
The Area Manager‚ who should have been a perfect system‚ raised the corner of his mouth slightly for the first time.
「Converting emotion into profit. That idea does not exist in this city’s algorithms.」
He elegantly swiped the void once.
『——Update management records. Gallus‚ permanently revoke on-site administrator authority. Transfer to mana battery resource management facility.』
「Hii！？」
The waiting drones quietly descended and mercilessly restrained the limp Gallus. He was now being thrown into the very exploitation capsules he had used on the children. Having understood the meaning of this karmic retribution‚ Gallus desperately tried to scream something. But the security drone’s electric discharge mercilessly struck him‚ and his shriek never formed words.
I silently watched his back as he was dragged into the darkness.
I had not forgiven him. I had not forgotten his evil deeds. I simply realized that merely hating those who blindly believed in the system would never change this world.
The Area Manager turned to face me once again.
「Lily Ardent. ……I grant you a grace period.」
The air grew taut like a drawn blade.
「Six months. Within six months‚ prove your profit with the ‘leakage mana collection method’ you proposed. If results are produced‚ I will consider adoption as an official project at my discretion. ……However‚ in case of failure.」
The golden eyes narrowed with ruthless sharpness.
「I will delete you with my own authority.」
It was not a threat. It was an absolute “contract” exchanged by the system.
I slowly inhaled the scent of the cold rain into my lungs. I was scared. My knees trembled. I wanted to run away right now.
Even so——.
「……Understood. I accept that contract.」
For a brief moment‚ clear satisfaction colored the Area Manager’s eyes.
「A good answer. Then prove it. Show that your irrational ideals can turn into beautiful numbers (profit).」
He turned on his heel.
Flipping his well-tailored jet-black coat‚ the Area Manager began walking away with more than a dozen drones following. At the boundary of the warped iron door‚ he stopped once. Without turning around‚ he simply said quietly.
「Lily. ……You are still weak.」
A brief pause.
「However. You are more worth investing in than that trash called Gallus.」
Leaving those words‚ the middle-layer administrator completely disappeared beyond the darkness of the scrapyard.
The air that had been stretched to its limit suddenly relaxed.
「……っ」
I collapsed on the spot and let out a big breath that had been bottled up in my chest. All strength left my body along with heat.
A small weight landed softly on my head. It was the stray cat that had been silent in my arms.
『……Sixty-five points.』
The usual cold voice mixed with noise. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
「That’s low.」
『As negotiation‚ yes. At that timing you should have been able to skim another seven percent on profit distribution.』
Noah yawned slightly in exasperation.
『However.』
A moment of silence. The stray cat’s amber eyes narrowed gently.
『Today you negotiated with the world using your own head for the first time‚ instead of the rails I laid. ……That alone deserves special evaluation. Well done‚ Lily.』
「……Yeah.」
I quietly looked up at the sky where the rain had stopped.
The narrow sky of the slum‚ clouded in sepia. Through a break in the thick clouds‚ the morning sunlight that barely shone in——illuminated Sasha and the others‚ my small ‘troupe members (children)‚’ who were huddled together crying.
It was not the gaudy false decoration emitted by the system. It was still terribly weak and tiny light.
Even so‚ it was certainly beginning to shine into our frozen world——a real‚ warm color.
The narrow sky of the slum‚ clouded in sepia. Through a break in the thick clouds‚ the morning sunlight that barely shone in——illuminated Sasha and the others‚ my small ‘troupe members (children)‚’ who were huddled together crying.
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Chapter 03.6 『The False VIP and the Negotiation to Prove Value』 End
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The narrow sky of the slum‚ clouded in sepia. Through a break in the thick clouds‚ the morning sunlight that barely shone in——illuminated Sasha and the others‚ my small ‘troupe members (children)‚’ who were huddled together crying.
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