"Boss?"
"Don't talk to me..."
"Well, uh, are you having dinner tonight?"
"No..."
"It's chicken."
"...Save some for me."
"Yes. Sarin, no, Director! The president says he's eating!"
Huh? What's all this nonsense about, you ask?
About four hours ago, I barely managed to escape from those two crazy bitches from Millennium.
And as soon as I reached the car where the kids who had already bolted were waiting nearby, I collapsed.
"Ah, fuck."
Literally. My mind suddenly went blank and I passed out.
Naturally, the kids who saw this right in front of them went into a frenzy.
"Boss? Boss?!"
"Sis! We're screwed!"
"Shut up, Sarin. Don't pronounce him dead just because he fainted from overexertion."
Am I lucky to have a rational person like Arin around?
Or is this son of a bitch treating me like some kind of monstrous creature injected with nanomachines again?
It's probably the latter. That bastard suggested I test a new weapon on myself the other day.
Of course, I refused and had her test it on the employee next to her instead. He seemed comfortable, sleeping for a solid four hours.
Anyway, the kids brought me back to the factory, covered me with a blanket to let me rest, and apparently, I woke up after about two hours.
The first emotion I felt upon waking was relief that our first plan had ended safely.
"FUCK!!!"
Or rather, my first thought was a commentary on my eyes, which were burning as if I'd applied a menthol rub.
Thinking back, it wasn't so much painful as it was a throbbing and stinging just enough to be annoying. Looking back now, that's what it was.
At the time, I thought my eyes were going to explode.
"Ah, you're awake."
"Waaaaah!! It stings so fucking much, goddammit!!!"
"I'm glad to see you're safe."
Something seems off in that memory.
That crazy bitch Arin. I'm going to have to grab her and set her straight later.
I appreciate her not babying me, but I'd like to be treated like a human being.
Anyway, after throwing a fit for a good five minutes, I'm now applying a warm compress to my eyes.
How do a bunch of beggars manage a warm compress, you ask? Apparently, they snuck a pillow into a convenience store microwave.
I'll question the physical possibility of that later. For now, I need to think about why my eyes are in this state.
The most likely cause is that insane shooting spree.
Focusing on the bullets flying through the air, tracking their trajectory, and shooting them down one by one.
Admittedly, even saying it myself, it sounds a bit crazy. I wonder if even my sister would be surprised by this.
Normally, even when I focused my eyes, the bullets would only slow down to about the speed of a soccer ball. In other words, I didn't have enough time to judge, and when I fought my sister, her bullets were so damn strong that it was a completely useless ability that only taught me the lesson of 'Ah! I'm about to get my ass kicked!'.
But that girl, Neru was it? There's some difference, but that shorty was definitely on my sister's level.
And yet, the speed slowed down to the point where I didn't dodge or get hit by those bullets, but 'shot them down'. No, to be precise, my kinetic vision must have improved.
Either way, it's certain that my eyes became several times better than usual.
But in all those comics I've read, they say something. With great power comes great fucking responsibility.
I didn't know because I usually used it moderately, but in a critical situation, I couldn't control it and put a shit-ton of power into my eyes, and now I'm feeling the massive strain from it.
"Haa, shit... Ah, hey guys. No one followed us, right?"
"No. Huh?"
Just then, Sarin came running over urgently, as if she'd seen something.
"Boss! Bo-oss!"
"What now."
"They're here, they're here!"
"Who? Is it Director Park Min-chul?"
"No!"
Then who could...
...Fuck, already?
"They're from Millennium!"
The Big Three academies are fucking fast.
How the hell did they find our location?
"It's only been three hours, you crazy bastards..."
Well, I guess the representative has to go out.
To protect my eyes, I'll wear a mask...
"They'll recognize me if I wear this, won't they?"
"Do you take Millennium for fools?"
"Right?"
I went out wearing sunglasses instead of the mask.
It's not for any other reason than the fact that if I open my eyes properly, I can feel my vision getting fucked up in real time.
"Let's go."
As I went out, getting out of the car from Millennium were...
"Oh, fuck?"
"Hello, isn't it a bit rude to swear upon first meeting?"
The Millennium student who collapsed after I shot her once. Yuuka.
Ah, that's not the problem, is it?
"Ha! I don't like the look of you."
Why is that bastard here again?
"Huh? Who are you?"
"...Hello. This is the munitions factory, 'The Farm'. What brings you here?"
"Did you bastards sell this gun?!"
"Senpai! Anyway... it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hayase Yuuka, a student from Millennium."
Calm down. No swearing.
For now, we're a terror suspect and detectives, but in the distant future, they could be customers.
First, use honorifics as much as possible...
"I am the president of 'The Farm'... the 'Farmer'."
I guess I'll have to use a temporary name for now.
If I reveal my real name here, I feel like my future won't be very peaceful.
By the way, I'm really not used to honorifics. I even used informal language with my sister.
I'm not sorry, sis.
"What? What kind of name is that?"
"Do you think it's my real name? Anyway, what do you mean by selling weapons?"
At my words, Neru handed me a gun as if to say, 'Try talking your way out of this one.'
The same gun I shot Hayase in the face with, and the one that shot down Neru's and Asuna's bullets.
The first product of our company, 'Farm - 01', with the word '[The Farm]' inscribed on it.
"This gun is..."
They're faster than I expected, but what the hell, let's just do this.
"It is indeed our gun."
* * *
An hour after that damn Sukeban leader escaped, me, Asuna, and the Millennium accountant investigated the scene.
Ignoring the unsettling points for now, there was one thing we had to focus on.
"What kind of weapon is this?"
Manufacturer: The Farm, this was the text written on the guns used by the invading Sukeban.
A manufacturer named 'The Farm'? Setting aside the naming sense for a moment, as the vice-president of C&C, this was the first time I'd heard of them. I'd never heard of them among munitions factories or companies either.
Usually, in a case like this, it's one of two things.
One, the Sukeban made up a fake manufacturer.
Two, the Sukeban stole the inventory of an unknown factory.
The way to confirm which of the two is correct is actually simple.
"Hey. You."
"Yes? Me?"
"Who else would I be talking to? Is your accountant brain not working?"
"Neru-chan! Me! I'm here!"
"Be quiet. Anyway, are you in contact with Veritas?"
"Ah... well, I can be."
"Then put in a request."
We just have to go find that company.
"The Farm. Ask if there's any company related to this."
"What? But there must be hundreds of farmlands in Kivotos..."
"No. Tell them to only look for places like munitions factories."
"Yes. Then, I'll contact Chihiro-senpai..."
And so, that accountant contacted Veritas, and about thirty minutes later, we had about four potential candidates.
"Hey! Let's go!"
"What? Me?"
"Who else am I supposed to go with? Asuna has to help with the scene investigation, and it's a pain to wait for the Seminar folks."
"But..."
"Haa, you're so frustrating. Weren't you working here to get into Seminar anyway? Just come along. I'll put in a good word for you."
I grabbed a gun to use as an example, and we both got into a vehicle provided by Seminar.
Of course, I'm faster on foot, but this accountant doesn't seem to be.
As the car drove towards the first destination, I gazed out the window, lost in thought.
The Farm, The Farm...
...This is dangerous.
A gun that, in the hands of a mere Sukeban grunt, boasts enough power to destroy Millennium's reinforced walls.
It's a weapon with a clearly anomalous level of power. I'd believe it if you told me it was made by someone with genius-level combat knowledge.
What if such a weapon is mass-produced and smuggled into a place like the Black Market?
There's no business against a mob. Of course, the story is a bit different if there's an overwhelming skill gap, but in the end, it's nearly impossible for one strong person to fend off tens or hundreds.
But now, those tens or hundreds would be attacking with twice their original firepower.
Of course, even if it's sold through legitimate channels, it will surely flow into darker paths...
But that's not the same as it being sold exclusively in the dark.
"Haa, shit."
In the end, she sends a text with her phone.
['Hey, you got some budget? I might be making a contract with a company.']
['Amazing. I never thought you'd come up with a plan like a contract.']
['What did you say, punk?']
['Just kidding. Anyway, Zero-Two. That contract is related to the Millennium Prize attack, isn't it? Specifically, the weapon the intruder used.']
"...Annoying."
['So. Is it possible?']
['For now, up to 3 million yen. Anything more than that will require performance or results.']
3 million yen. Is that enough?
Of course, that company is waiting for payday without even 300,000 yen, let alone 3 million, but Neru, unaware of this, feels nothing but frustration.
But what can she do? The person she's texting with right now is not someone she can defy over a single incident.
[From. Tsukatsuki Rio]
She is, after all, the student council president.
As long as it's not an order to kill a young student, she'll have to follow it, now and even more strictly in the future.
A short while later, after visiting several places, we finally reached the fourth destination. Unlike the others, this one had a factory that was actually running.
The guy who called himself the president came out wearing strange sunglasses, and as soon as he saw the intruder's gun we handed him, he uttered a single phrase.
"It is indeed our gun."
* * *
The fruits of the Millennium terror attack are starting to show.
The important thing now is to talk a good game.
Our 'Farm' needs to look incredibly competent, not like some Kaiser knock-off that supports Sukeban.
"Where did you get this?"
"There was an attack at Millennium today. This is the gun the intruders were using."
"Ah, I remember now. There were about ten of them, I believe. I think we sold them the guns. To be precise, it was a free giveaway."
"Hah? A free giveaway? Are you kidding me? A merchant doing something like that?"
It's certainly an unbelievable statement.
For a normal company, that is.
"Our company is a startup, you see. We desperately need promotion and marketing above all else."
"So you gave the advertising to a bunch of Sukeban?"
"To be precise, they were the ones who proposed it first."
"Anyway, do you have any more of these guns?"
"We do not. You're welcome to look around if you wish."
"Alright, let's go! Let's see if you're bluffing or not."
As Neru barged in, the employees tried to stop her, but Arin shrewdly cleared a path.
Click-clack-
...Sarin. Put the gun down.
Anyway. The reason they're asking about our inventory is simple.
To see if 'The Farm' is really a new company. To see if there are any more dangerous items. And finally, if both conditions are met, they intend to make a proposal.
Well, to be more specific, they probably also want to check if I'm a scammer who lies on our first meeting.
"There really isn't anything."
"Tch, I can't believe it's true."
So you were hoping it was fake?
Of course, a broke-ass factory like ours wouldn't have any spare guns. Wasn't one of the three rules during the terror attack to abandon all weapons?
It was to prevent leaving behind any evidence.
"Alright... you there. Your name?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"You're just full of it, aren't you. Anyway, this is a message from the Millennium student council president."
What Neru said next was beyond imagination.
To be precise, it was a proposal from the person who is the Millennium student council president, not Neru.
"An advance payment of 1.5 million yen, and if you guys do well, an additional 1.5 million yen."
An unbelievable amount. And in return for that, there's only one thing we have to do.
Work like a munitions factory.
Fifty guns, twenty thousand rounds. The deadline is one week.
We are to deliver our products to Millennium.
Isn't this a very sudden proposal? No way.
From Millennium's perspective, they must be burning with anxiety. Some random Sukeban showed up and wrecked their biggest event, and our guns were their main force.
They'd want to restrict the source of supply by any means necessary.
"Ah. And she told me to add this. Don't sell to anyone else until you've delivered all of this. If you get caught selling, you're dead."
See. Any other company would have been heavily criticized for creating a monopoly, but our company's name, apart from Kaiser and Millennium, would probably make people think of organic produce first, so let's just move on.
And in the first place, 3 million yen isn't that much money.
Of course, it's not from the regular budget since it was so sudden, but either way, for the student council president of a major academy like Millennium, it's not an unimaginably large expense.
Though for us, it's an unimaginably massive gain.
Fifty guns, twenty thousand rounds. We can do it in 5 days for 1.5 million yen, so this is a deal where we double our money.
"Very well. Then, we'll see you in a week."
"Right. Do your best. Let's go! Accountant!"
"...Why did you bring me here?"
Good question. Why did you come?
Of course, I'm certain those guys, specifically the student council president behind them, aren't the type to just give us benefits for free.
Their goal is probably... the patent.
For Millennium, acquiring the patent for a gun they don't have would be a bargain for 3 million yen.
The reason they're requesting fifty guns is 100% for testing.
"Then, farewell. Neru-san, Yuuka-san."
Fuck off. You think I'm gonna fall for that?
Let's see... right, they're already far away.
First, I need to drop this uncomfortable formal speech.
"Arin, Sarin?"
"Yes, Boss!"
"We've got a place to go tomorrow."
Even a small company, when cornered, can bite you in the neck.
"Let's go pay the General Student Council a visit."
Go ahead and take all the guns you want.
By tomorrow, the patent will already be registered.
...The feeling that this will be a rough journey must be just my imagination.
Clutching my sore eyes, I lay back down on my bed (which was flimsy).
Tomorrow, I'm going to see the General Student Council President.
"...It's strange."
"What is, senpai?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
After depositing 1.5 million yen into the account provided by the employee who introduced herself as 'A', Neru was lost in a single thought.
Yuuka had a name tag, but what about herself?
"Then, farewell. Neru-san, Yuuka-san."
"But I never told him."
My name.
===========================================
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