Chapter 329
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Chapter 329 – Administrator
Once I tapped on the URL, a suspicious app was automatically downloaded on my smartphone. I was careless…should I stop it?
But, without any time to actually make a decision, the downloaded app arbitrarily booted up itself. What was displayed next on my smartphone was the screen of a video call.
Hmm? As I narrowed my eyes, wondering what I should do…
――!
The smartphone started to vibrate in my hand and 『Administrator』 was shown on the screen as the name of the caller.
Administrator? If you translate that, it’s administrator, isn’t it?
As soon as I pressed the green button on the screen, the display changed.
『Nice to meet you, Saburou-sama. I’m the administrator of Laplace. Please allow me first to thank you for accepting my invitation for a talk』
“Nice to meet you too, Administrator-sama. Still, I feel like you wrote in your mail that we would meet face to face to discuss things, but…is that your real face?”
A grinning, yellow face was shown on the screen. The demon king behind the administrator was hiding their face behind a smiley.
『You have my deepest apologies. If you feel like it, you can easily create a similar smiley over your face by choosing one of the icons on the lower right of the screen』
“A bit late for that, isn’t it?”
『True. Saburou-sama――Creator Shion-sama, your face has already been disclosed to the whole nation』
The administrator seems to possess a nasty personality. Anyway, our negotiations are going to start from now on, but…should I act tough or should I keep a low profile?
If the administrator is a demon king of Itoigawa as Kanon suggested, I probably should put on a strong front and push.
“Thank you for your polite advice. You’re fully grasping my identity while completely hiding your own. Are you trying to show off your own superiority with that sort of contemptful attitude?” I raised my voice while narrowing my eyes.
『Please forgive me. Since I hold the position of being Laplace’s administrator, many nameless demon kings are targeting my life. Therefore, I would ask you to forgive our first contact taking place in such a shape』
“Targeting your life?”
『I often receive passionate offers, which could be mistaken as preliminary murder announcements, by demon kings who desire me…or rather Laplace』
“Hoh.”
『To go even further, I’m afraid of strangers. Moreover, I don’t have any confidence in my own appearance like you do…exposing my face to others…not to even mention the whole world…would be absolutely unthinkable for me』
“Is it your goal to get me angry or something?”
『No, not at all! I’m simply bad at talking to others because of my communication disorder…please forgive me…』
Their face and voice are hidden by the smiley and a voice changer, so I can’t get a read on the real intentions of the administrator at all. They’re the worst type to deal with when it comes to negotiations.
『So, about the mail…you mentioned a cooperative relationship, but what does that mean? Could you specify it?』
“Oops, you’re completely right. But, before we get down to the main topic…”
“What is it?”
『It’s a final confirmation. If you decline my offer after I go on with the detailed explanation, your account on Laplace will be banned for eternity. You’re a precious member who has brought stimulation and a future to Laplace. If we decide now and here that none of this happened…all of it will go back to before with a clean slate. So, is it really alright for me to proceed with the story?』
The voice was changed by a device, but I could tell their seriousness from the intonation.
“In other words, you will reveal your real identity and remove that odd smiley, if we go on with the talk?”
『Would you be able to form a cooperative relationship with some random stranger whose face you don’t even know?』
I see. The other side is attending this negotiation after having resolved themselves quite a bit as well. At first I didn’t like their attitude of taking me for a fool, but…if the other side has made its resolve, I’ll also accept my fate, I guess.
“I got it. Please continue with the talk.”
『Are you certain?』
“Would you want to form a cooperative partnership with someone who would reverse his response at this point?”
『Forgive me. Then let us proceed』
I nodded my agreement.
『Originally it should have been a meeting where we’d directly face each other, but…for now I shall interact with you across a screen, using my real face and voice』
Once the administrator stopped talking, the smile vanished, revealing a girl who was wearing VR goggles while having part of her face covered by a hood.
…Who’s that?
It’s only logical, but it’s not like I know the faces of Nina or the demon kings of Itoigawa anyway. Rather, the number of living demon kings, whose names I can connect with a face, is extremely low.
『Once again, Creator Shion, I am the administrator of Laplace』
I could hear a voice that was more childish than I had expected from my smartphone’s speakers. Or rather, is this girl really a demon king…?
Seeing the face of the administrator, I cocked my head in confusion.
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