SWNOVELXO Chapter 280.1
Chapter 280.1. Car
Spring arrived, with warm sunlight and a breeze so pleasant it coaxed sleep, brushing gently against the skin. The season of life awakening, as winter came to an end.
I like spring. No reports of frostbite deaths this year, and work is easier too.
At the main entrance of the Amatsugahara Corporation headquarters, Sakimori took a deep breath and smiled broadly.
“Don’t be so angry, Sakimori.”
I’m not angry, though Serika, standing next to me, poked at my cheek in an attempt to calm me down. No, really, I wasn’t angry.
“My apologies, boss. It seems I was a bit careless.”
“No, seriously, I’m not mad.”
Katsuyori bowed his head regretfully, but again, I wasn’t actually upset.
Currently, Sakimori, Serika, Karin, Yukihana, Ares, Katsuyori, Shingen, Jun, and Ohki-kun were all gathered at the front entrance of headquarters. Nearby, a large crowd had gathered, watching us from a distance.
To be precise, they weren’t looking at us—they were staring at the charred remains of a brand-new car in front of us. The shiny black limousine-style car had quickly turned into a burned-out wreck.
“It’s all burned up!”
A young girl toddled over, patting the ruined car with her small hands while gazing at it in awe. Her curiosity led her to keep patting it repeatedly, leaving her hands smudged with soot.
“But the interior is intact, aniki.”
Ohki-kun said, wiping sweat from his brow as he informed me the damage hadn’t reached inside. He seemed relieved, and indeed, the interior appeared untouched.
“Wow, I built something amazing! But that was a close one…”
Jun hesitated between pride and concern, but honestly, he could just be proud.
After all, the car had taken a direct hit from a bazooka.
“Well, it’s good everyone is alive. Everyone except Ohki-kun would’ve died if his heads or hearts had been destroyed.”
“Hey, I’d die too, you know? People keep treating me like some kind of plant lately.”
“Let’s leave the wreck cleanup for later and hear the story first.”
Upon returning from Niigata City, I had been informed that the new car was now a burnt-out husk. Talk about a surprise.
For now, I decided to bring everyone to my home to get the details. Ohki-kun volunteered to grab takeout, skipping off to a newly opened restaurant, though I just wanted a sandwich.
Back in the penthouse suite, everyone settled in to relax and talk.
“Here we go: sandwiches for some, Amatsudon, omurice, ginger pork set meal, sashimi set, okonomiyaki, tempura soba… and three ice creams, four shakes, one parfait. Drinks are sake, ale, smoked meat snacks, and strawberry juice.”
Riko, the genius chef and manager of Lucky Smile, brought the orders along with a few staff members. Despite the lack of cohesion in the order, her skill was evident. Her cooking-focused clone wasn’t one to disappoint.
The red-haired ponytailed girl efficiently placed the dishes on the table with her team.
“Hehe, Riko, let me help!”
“Thanks, Ohki-kun! Much appreciated!”
“It’s no big deal, haha!”
“Poor guy…”
Ohki-kun, blushing, eagerly offered his assistance, clearly driven by ulterior motives. Those of us who knew the truth—myself, Yukihana, and Ares—gave him pitying looks, but the little girl paid no mind, happily sipping her shake. Riko, ever cheerful, thanked Ohki-kun with a bright smile. Clones apparently didn’t feel guilt. Well, if Ohki-kun got rejected, he’d just move on to another girl anyway.
We began eating while discussing the situation. An empty stomach wouldn’t help. Oh, and I handed my smoked meat to Karin. The sandwich was filling enough.
“This shake is perfect, nya! It’s crisp, smooth, and goes down so easily, nya!”
A gourmet catgirl extended her tail in delight, drinking her shake with tears of joy. I had to agree—the sandwich was delicious. The scrambled eggs were fried so that the separated whites and yolks added texture and flavor. As for the ham… yeah, it seemed fine. I trusted it.
[As expected of a culinary specialist. The flavor makes even skilled chefs pale in comparison. Wouldn’t it be fun if I, as Illusionist Rei, appeared in a puff of smoke?]
[I’ll order something for you later, so hold on.]
Shizuku, the spectral presence, pleaded to try the food, but I asked her to wait. She and I were apparently locked in some sort of power struggle.
“Sakimori, say ‘ahh’!”
Serika, with a sweet, melting expression, held a piece of ginger pork to my mouth with her chopsticks. Relieved, I ate it. Yep, just regular pork. Not wild boar or a boar with a spear. Good.
“You could at least act a little flustered, you know?”
“I was more concerned about what kind of meat this was.”
She puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction, so I poked them gently before glancing around. No one else seemed to care—they were all eating. The ones who couldn’t eat muttered ominously to themselves.
[A ghost haunts me! I can escape any prison!]
[Don’t call yourself a ghost.]
A fairy muttered about needing a school uniform and hat, but I figured Serika just wanted some attention after our recent busy spell. Fair enough. She smiled teasingly at Shizuku while reaching for another piece of ginger pork, proving again she was as mischievous as a fairy. Still, she was cute, so it was fine.
After flying around to various places recently, it felt nice to have a lively meal together. It was soothing, really. Probably.
Before things could get too chaotic, I decided to shift the focus to the main topic. Shingen poured himself some sake. Too much, old man.
“So, what happened? Weren’t you all working on a big deal?”
“We visited the Nerima Research Institute and finalized a licensing contract for reinforced magic fiber. The royalty is set at 3% of sales profits.”
“That’s the material for combat gear, right?”
Work had kept me too busy to review the documents, what with setting up branches for the Adventurer’s Guild and Amatsugahara Corporation everywhere.
Understanding this, Katsuyori gave a concise explanation.
“Yes. However, the director at the institute seemed to have ulterior motives. I lost my cool briefly, but Ares saved the day.”
“Good to hear… but is 3% a normal royalty rate?”