"Making money again? How troublesome."
Looking at the latest report, Ryu shook his head, dissatisfied.
It seems his old man won't be returning to Japan anytime soon~
"Lord Ryu, those two have arrived. They're waiting just outside the door," Ruri reported after putting down the phone. "They're a little earlier than their appointment. Should I show them in now?"
"Talent is hard to come by... Let them in." Ryu put down his pen, flexed his wrist, and made a "taking off" gesture. Ruri noticed the strange movement but said nothing.
He now used [Demon Brain] in his daily life to conduct imaginary weight training. Lead blocks and sandbags were suspended from his wrists, calves, and torso. He wasn't even truly "sitting" down; in his mind, he handled his official duties in a standing stance.
So, while he appeared to be sitting idly, he was, in fact, constantly expending physical energy.
A moment later, the office door was pushed open, and a man and a woman, both with a scholarly air about them, walked in.
The woman had ear-length short hair and was dressed in a shirt and jeans, looking sharp and competent. However, she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, and a hint of anxiety lingered between her brows.
The man was simpler to read. He was clearly a standard tech otaku, the type who'd be a top-tier hacker capable of cracking government networks in a Hollywood movie. He was about the same age as Kayaba and Sugou, but his mental state was far more youthful~
"Welcome to our family, Dr. Higa, Dr. Kōjiro."
Ryu rarely left his seat, but he did so now, enthusiastically shaking their hands, which left the two of them feeling both flattered and startled. Of course, it might also have been the decisive and sharp aura emanating from Ryu, so unlike that of a calculating, somber capitalist, that surprised them.
Higa Takeru and Kōjiro Rinko. These two had studied under the same mentor as Akihiko Kayaba and Sugou Nobuyuki. Although not as famous as Kayaba, they were still exceptionally talented individuals. Higa Takeru, in particular, was second only to Kayaba in talent, leagues ahead of Sugou~
Although they were scholars dedicated to their research, they had heard of the Kuse Group and its young leader, Ryu, especially after news of Kayaba's collaboration with the Kuse Group spread.
However, like Kayaba, they subconsciously assumed that such a young heir to a wealthy family, while perhaps having a good eye for investment, probably wouldn't know much about technology. They expected the project manager they would be reporting to directly would be someone else.
They never imagined that this favorite of the heavens, a person literally wealthy enough to buy a country, would actually take the time to receive them personally. According to that secretary (maid), today's meeting wasn't even for any specific project, but simply to get to know each other better.
In other words, this VIP seemed to be treating them as equals!
Even a cynical tech otaku like Higa Takeru subconsciously adopted a serious attitude, sitting properly and obediently on the sofa.
Ryu didn't return to his own seat but sat across from the two of them, making no effort to create pressure or project an image of superiority.
He always had great respect for people in the tech field.
At school, he also respected hardworking and gifted students, like Shirogane Miyuki—
Because they might just become his employees!
He treated Ruri the same way. Setting aside personal feelings, he would never deliberately humiliate her because of her status.
Because she works so hard!
She works so diligently to create profit for you, so what's wrong with providing a little emotional value in return?
Ryu had always been a very pragmatic person. An employee's value determined the compensation he offered. If Ruri could develop the [Optogenetic Particle Converter], Ryu wouldn't even mind paying her with his body~
The subsequent conversation went very smoothly. The two were rather pure scholars who had previously received invitations from government agencies and foreign investors. But because they hadn't yet produced a tangible project capable of creating economic value, like Kayaba had, most of the offers came from universities and national research institutes.
The offers were quite good, but they knew that once they entered such places, they would inevitably have to spend energy fundraising and networking... After all, resources were limited, and seniority-based hierarchies were the same all over the world.
The terms offered by the Kuse Group were different. Ryu had intentionally given them a very generous budget, one that was almost extravagant for just the two of them.
Furthermore, there was the most important point—
"It seems Kayaba has gone missing."
Higa Takeru glanced at Kōjiro Rinko, then asked, "His last public appearance was at the NERvGear launch event. Although his social media accounts say he's taking a break, some media outlets are reporting he's had an accident.
After all, he was in charge of such a huge project involving the interests of several parties. Logically, someone should be keeping an eye on him at all times... Mr. Kuse, do you have any idea where he is?"
As he said this, Kōjiro Rinko bit her lip, nervously awaiting Ryu's reply—she was the one most concerned about this question.
"Mr. Akihiko Kayaba is currently in seclusion at a resort hotel owned by the Kuse Group. You two don't need to worry."
Ruri served the coffee, her smile perfectly measured.
"To protect certain trade secrets, we did not disclose the full truth to the police or the media, so there may be some misunderstanding among the public. However, since you are both friends of Mr. Kayaba and will soon be joining us, we naturally have fewer reservations.
You two should know Sugou Nobuyuki, right?"
"Sugou?"
"That guy..."
The two exchanged a look and nodded.
"Sugou Nobuyuki is an important member of [Rect] and a partner of our group. Because he and Mr. Kayaba studied under the same mentor, he was responsible for much of the handover work, and through that, he gained access to many secrets about NERvGear and SAO... Unfortunately, he was ultimately proven to be a corporate spy."
"..."
"..."
Kōjiro Rinko calmly sipped her coffee, while Higa Takeru curled his lip and snorted. Neither of them seemed particularly surprised.
"What did he do?"
"To put it simply, he exploited our trust and launched a penetration attack on the server firewall that day, which ultimately led to... very serious consequences." Ruri's tone was full of regret. "He stole a lot of important data and is now wanted worldwide by the Kuse Group, but the people who hired him are likely certain American capital groups. If he's hiding his identity, there's nothing we can do."
"That man causes trouble wherever he goes."
Kōjiro sighed, but quickly forgot about Sugou. "What about Kayaba? How is he?"
"Mr. Kayaba has suffered a bit of a blow."
Ruri shot a quick glance at Ryu, her words flowing smoothly and naturally. While polite and restrained, her speech concealed fluctuations of regret and resentment, leaving no room for suspicion.
"He wasn't upset about being betrayed. In fact, according to him, he never trusted Sugou Nobuyuki in the first place. With no expectations, there can be no disappointment."
Hearing this, Kōjiro Rinko and Higa Takeru exchanged a helpless look and couldn't help but smile.
Such merciless words—that was Kayaba, all right!
"The reason he was hit so hard was that SAO, the childhood dream he poured so much energy into realizing, died on its launch day, causing the other world he created to lose its luster."
"So that's how it was..."
Kōjiro Rinko murmured to herself, simultaneously confirming the truth of Ruri's words.
The outside world generally considered NERvGear to be Kayaba's magnum opus, with SAO being just an accompanying piece of game software designed to showcase its superior performance, something like a "promo for getting into virtual reality."
But those who truly knew Kayaba understood that he had always valued SAO more. In other words, all his research was dedicated to fulfilling his own desire to create a real other world.
This not only proved that Ryu and Ruri weren't lying to them, but also that Kayaba must be cooperating happily with the Kuse Group. Otherwise, he would never have mentioned such a thing to anyone!
"However, Lord Ryu holds Mr. Kayaba in very high regard. Even though this incident caused significant losses for the group, Lord Ryu believes his value far exceeds these ethereal numbers."
Ruri changed the subject, speaking with enthusiasm, "What we need to do now is not just promote virtual games like ALO, but to fully develop the application potential of the full-dive device.
That's why Mr. Kayaba recommended the two of you to us. He said there aren't many people he acknowledges, and you two are among the best."
Higa and Kōjiro were slightly surprised, and then an excited flush appeared on their faces—that Kayaba fellow didn't say things like that lightly. So they were that outstanding in his mind~!
"I think to get Kayaba back on his feet quickly, we need to make him feel some pressure. And I believe that once you two join us, you'll soon achieve things that will make even Akihiko Kayaba take notice."
Ryu extended his hand again. "Welcome to the Kuse Group."
"Thank you!"
Higa Takeru cast aside his last bit of hesitation, completely forgetting the olive branch extended to him by the national research institute. Filled with anticipation and joy, he shook Ryu's hand, even excitedly placing his other hand on top.
"Technology is the future of humanity. Let us join hands and advance for the sake of technological development!"
—
[...Let us join hands and advance for the sake of technological development!]
Beep!
The screen paused. Ryu casually swiped it aside and observed Akihiko Kayaba's expression with amusement.
He really looked the part of a "mad scientist" now. Not only had he changed into a white lab coat, but a stubble had also grown on his chin. Tall and thin, he looked malnourished, like a geeky grad student who substituted Dr. Pepper for actual meals.
His slightly sickly pale skin, combined with his somewhat neurotic eyes... it made Ryu a little worried.
Could it be that keeping him here for too long has affected his mental state?
But on second thought, personal appearances in cyberspace were "manually adjustable." The fact that Kayaba was still in the mood to change his clothes and skin proved his mental state was fine. He was even in the mood to cosplay~
"...Hououin?"
"What?"
"Nothing." Ryu shook his head. It seemed the resemblance was just a coincidence.
After all, this guy didn't look like he'd be interested in women at all, whereas Hououin Kyouma was a pure, repressed pervert.
Akihiko Kayaba gave Ryu a strange look. "It seems you've successfully won them over. With their help, you probably don't need me anymore, right?"
Kayaba was well aware that he had been under strict surveillance from the very beginning. He had no doubt that all his research had fallen into Ryu's hands. With the foundation he had laid, Kōjiro and Higa could perfectly well continue the research along the same lines and eventually bring it to practical application."
"They are excellent, of course, but they ultimately lack the pioneering ability to lead humanity forward."
"Words like that don't move me, and you know it," Kayaba said, his expression unchanged.
Unlike most scientists, he felt nothing for the so-called "loss for all of humanity."
He embarked on this path to satisfy his own selfish desires, to build a castle in the sky, not for some noble and glorious ideals.
"What about the thing I gave you last time?"
"I'm not interested."
The man was lying—Ryu smiled faintly.
"It's not that I can't understand you. Everyone has their own unique fantasy world where they enjoy freedom on a spiritual level.
The difference is, ordinary children can only build crude secret bases, and when they grow up, they forget everything and become 'adults' tamed by society and corporations.
A very small number of people, however, never change, even into adulthood, and try to realize their beautiful dreams in various ways.
They are not the chosen children; they are the ones who actively chose a different destiny.
However, there is just one thing that bothers me."
Akihiko Kayaba frowned and stared rudely at Ryu, but showed no intention of speaking.
Ryu paid it no mind and said calmly, "Your ideal is far too easy to achieve."
"...What?" Kayaba was visibly stirred. "What do you mean?"
"Just making an online game and pulling in ten thousand players, and you call that a 'complete other world'—isn't that a bit unscientific for a scientist?"
Ryu smiled. "If it were me, I would have to pull at least an entire country, or even the whole world, into my 'beautiful dream' before I could dare tell my childhood self that the mission was complete."
"..."
"Besides, taking a huge step back, the "SAO" you created is nothing more than a world of 1s and 0s. Everything in it is designed, and you are its undisputed savior—is that really interesting?
Destiny is invincible because it is unpredictable. Time is feared because it is irreversible. The real world is full of surprises—some call them miracles, others call them disasters, but without exception, they are all inscrutable.
The moment you can control everything, you should realize it's just a slightly larger sandbox!"
"...Are you saying I'm just playing house?"
"The number of participants is a bit larger, but that's the essence of it. A mad scientist with the heart of a young girl, kidnapping ten thousand playmates to join him in a death game of house."
Ryu paused, his gaze sharp as he stared directly at Kayaba.
"The most pathetic thing is, you only saw the world within the data and failed to notice the distortion of reality. You're clearly a smart man, yet you made the most inefficient choice."
"The distortion of reality?"
Kayaba was taken aback. He had originally thought Ryu was going to tempt him with "future technology," but he hadn't expected him to bring up something else entirely.
"Even if you do nothing, this planet is slowly becoming like an 'other world' itself."
Ryu snapped his fingers, and a large holographic projection instantly appeared in mid-air: a 3D scan of Mount Sukuna.
Akihiko Kayaba glanced at it casually, but then his eyes were drawn to something. He looked first confused, then stunned.
"This is..."
"Whatever came to mind, you've guessed correctly."
Ryu said seriously, "This is a humanoid creature with a total height of forty to fifty meters. Although it's been cut into several pieces, you can still feel an extremely strong life force from it!
This isn't some fictional monster, and it's certainly not a boss from your game. It's an ancient demonic god that truly exists on a Pacific island nation on 21st-century Earth!"
"It's not movie CG, is it..."
"My family's mineral exploration company just discovered it. It's relatively stable for now."
"Impossible... a humanoid creature of this size... It's not scientific!"
It certainly isn't scientific, but who talks about science when dealing with idealistic fantasy!
Besides, Sukuna wasn't this big when it was "alive." It grew this way after being sealed underground for so many years, nourished by immense resentment... Just think of this life force as a special kind of fungus.
"This prosperous age is just as you wished~"
Ryu crossed his arms and smiled calmly. "Let's not rush to discuss the future. Would you like to come out and join me for a tour of this behemoth?"
"..."
Akihiko Kayaba had no choice. If he could forcibly suppress his curiosity and thirst for knowledge regarding the USB drive from before, Ryomen Sukuna was something he absolutely had to see!
Wasn't this exactly the "existence that transcends the bounds of common sense" that he had been chasing since childhood, one whose location he never knew?
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
Just as he had piqued Kayaba's curiosity, Ryu received a call from home. He didn't need to log out and took the call directly within the game.
[Young Master, the Master and Madam are returning home by plane today with their friends. They miss you very much. Please do not come home too late.]
"They're coming home?"
Ryu was a little surprised. He had thought his old man would deliberately avoid him.
"Friends? Who?"
[The one I mentioned to you last time, the Master's university senior, Mr. Sawai Sōichirō, who is now dedicated to philanthropic work.]
Ryu's fingertips twitched slightly, as if he'd been zapped by static electricity, a shiver running through his entire body.
But his expression remained unchanged, his tone still calm. "Alright, I understand."
________________________________________
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