---Kouki Arakawa Viewpoint

　My head was in my hands as I sat at the office desk for the head of the "Special Media and Entertainment Division" set up on the third basement floor of Hakone Base.
　When I looked up, I saw that each of them were busy with their own partitions, each having a meeting with their respective responsibilities.

How did this happen...

　As I'm mumbling to myself muttering to myself and drinking cold coffee, Claire-san, who has been appointed as my personal deputy here as well, brings a large amount of electronic memory in front of me.

I'd like to ask you to confirm the final confirmation of the animation that is scheduled to be broadcast from tomorrow that arrived from Noah Island as well as the commercial that will be broadcast at the same time. Just so you know, I've given the same thing to Shingo-kun, the deputy director, and the skinhead who are currently on Noah Island.

　I thank Claire for reporting back to me with a smile on her face, but I'd rather not have you helping me with my work here!　Claire-san is a registered employee of Noah's PMC department, right?　It's a good thing you're in the wrong field.
　Well, if she wasn't there, I'd be busy as hell and I'd have to coordinate with all the other departments and I'd be dead. After confirming that the picture I'd drawn with Mr. Skinhead had sold well, I decided on a cultural creation plan that I'd submitted, and my mother immediately adopted it, leading the necessary personnel and equipment to Noah's Island.　

　Due to the acquisition of broadcasting rights, the actual broadcast was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. However, as a result of repeating all five types of commercials between the programs for which we had acquired the rights... the next day, Noah's products disappeared from all cosmetic stores around the world.
　Perhaps because of this, my mother built a special facility on Noah Island for the purpose of filming and production at a rapid pace, and within five days after the first commercial aired, the satellite network 452 - commonly known as the Noah Channel - will begin broadcasting the animation tomorrow. The entire staff of Noah, including Claire, is just too good to be true.

It's only been a week since the day I drew that picture, how did you make it in time?

Yes, this time it was about the establishment of a new department, so Noah's entire staff backed it up with everything they had, so we made it happen. So please keep in mind that we can't always produce this fast, so please keep that in mind. Also, tomorrow's episode of "Magical Girl Alice" will be broadcasted as planned, with Alice playing the main character and Aikawa-san voicing her rival. By the way, the two of you haven't finished recording the final episode yet, so we're planning to come back here in two days, including sightseeing afterwards.

Okay.

　Hmmm, well, it was indeed impossible to start a new business in one week, but from now on, I'll schedule at least two weeks as a production period. More importantly, Alice and the others are in a good mood and are helping me with the production of the animation, but are they getting paid for their part-time work?　I'm sure my mother is very thorough, but I'll send her a confirmation email later. I also asked Macho and the others to help me out with the game and the visuals I asked them to use for the VR device.

I'm going to ask my dad for some help with the VR device.

Yes, first of all, please be aware that although the department head had envisioned adult content, a different department will be taking over the development of both the male and female versions of the game. This has been notified by Miki-san.

Oh, that's to be expected. I'd rather not be asked to provide content guidance to me. How about a horror game instead?　I was so confident, but...

........15 of the 46 members of Noah's PMC squad, who were participating in the beta test, have suffered transient loss of consciousness seizures. Three of them have developed a mild fear of the dark.

Disorientation?　I don't know if there was any technical difficulty, but I'm pretty sure my mom used the beta machine with safety standards in mind.

'I beg your pardon I guess I didn't say it right, 15 out of 46 people fainted from too much fear. Three of them are afraid to go to the bathroom at night.

　Huh?　It's a joke that a brawny ex-UNC special forces member freaked out and passed out. It's true that VR is a device that sends the sensation of being in a place directly into your brain, but even so, not being able to go to the bathroom at night is a child's game. Why did I pass out when there were other things to enjoy? All the tricks and surprises I'd worked out without sleeping for a night were for naught.

Then the game is over..., didn't anyone manage to solve the mystery and escape?

I'm the only escapee. With all due respect, let's be clear, there is no such thing!　The beginning is still good, but the nurse with a broken leg you encounter in the west ward in the middle of the game is cowardly!　Almost everyone dropped out at that point where they were coming at you while silently pushing a wheelchair at high speed. Plus, stop the random event in the basement where you go to get the keys, where the lights in the hallway are flashing and the ghost of the doctor is gradually approaching you at the same time!　And then there's the event where we put the last chart back in the right place, but there's no way I can understand that, how many times have I had to do it again?

''No, what I'm saying is that you've played it to the end, you're enjoying it. Okay, I'll consider implementing a remedy based on the change in difficulty and reduced description.

　I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying the game, Claire. But I guess I should say that the difficulty level was too difficult for people in this world who have never experienced a game before. I didn't set up save points or anything like that because I wanted it to be more realistic, but I'll adjust the save and enemy positions on the lower difficulty levels. The other thing I need to check is....

I'm not going to be able to do that. What the hell?

　I operated my personal terminal, which echoes the ringtones from earlier, and opened the mail screen while shouting. Since the screen showed 'Skinhead-san', I thought it was a report of my return from Noah's Island, but when I opened the email, it only said one word: 'I need your help'. I don't understand what that means, but it's not a normal situation for a calm and collected skinhead, who is more reliable than macho, to ask for my help.
　What the hell happened?　While thinking that inwardly, I sent a reply for the time being and then called out to Claire-san.

I'm going to have a meeting to discuss the original drawings for the new anime since skinhead-san has returned. If you have any questions, please contact me at the terminal.

I understand.

　Looking at Claire's back as she bowed to me and then stepped back, I got up from my seat for the first time in half a day to head to the warehouse where I was meeting with skinhead-san....




---- Skinhead's point of view-----.

Meet me in storage room H-52 in 20 minutes.

　I waited patiently for Kouki-kun to come into the room while I stared at the terminal labeled as such. I'm sure he'll take care of it," and "I shouldn't get involved," two conflicting feelings are swirling around in my mind. But with my current helplessness, there's no other way but to rely on him.... As I was biting my nails in the dimly lit warehouse, I heard footsteps approaching my room, and at the same time, Kouki-kun entered the room.

''Sorry to keep you waiting. What on earth is going on?''

'Oh, oh.... No, I mean,

　It's a good time to be in a good mood, and Miki's gentle smile is very similar to his. I couldn't help but look down and mumble my words as I felt my disappointment with that expression along with a sense of relief. It's a good thing that you're able to do that," he said in a gentle voice again, as if he was concerned about me.

You'll be able to find a lot more than a few of them. What's going on?

I'm going to need your help.

'Good, I'll help you as much as I can. Tell me more about it.

"One of my former superiors back home got caught. Somehow I managed to get in touch with some of my old associates to get the details, and it seems that he's been charged with selling out classified information to other countries. But that man would never do that!　He must be falsely accused, or...

Or?

All I can think of is that someone set me up.

　When I finish speaking, he seems to be thinking about something while tilting his head. The way he ponders while squinting his eyes is a common gesture of Kong-kun who is always with him, but it seems that his owner's habits have been transferred to him. I've been thinking about such a trivial matter while trying to get rid of my inner anxiety, when Kunugi spoke up.

''I've determined that Skinhead-san's previous job was as a secret agent belonging to the Russian Foreign Ministry, am I correct?

That's for sure. I was a combat soldier, a foreign agent.

'Another reason you asked for help from me and not my mom or dad is that you don't want to make this thing too big, is that correct?

'Oh, I'm sure Miki-san and Shuichi-san will be able to help us, but it's going to be quite a political pressure that will make it important or a massive rescue mission. If that happens, other agents hiding in other countries might be in trouble. I know the job is not very well connected laterally, but even so, I don't want to cause any more trouble than necessary to my former comrades who let me know about this, even though the situation is dangerous enough.

　I'm very aware that my thoughts are selfish, but I still want to rescue that person. I've been praying and looking at him, he seemed to be thinking for a while while tilting his head again, but suddenly he seemed to think of something and started operating the terminal on his arm. He was working on the screen at a furious pace, but it seemed to be over and he looked up with a grin.

'Mr. Skinhead, I'll be heading to Russia from the airport in the academy city in two hours. I'll be back in the morning so you don't need to change your clothes, let's head to the airport right away.

　No, no!　Wait a minute!　It's too sudden to follow such an atmosphere of 'let's go shopping for a while there'. More importantly, what can I do if I suddenly go to Russia?　And I'm not going to take him to a place where I can't guarantee his safety either.
　It's not necessary for me to act on my own, I just want to borrow the help of the information network and accompanying organization that I used when I found out the identity of Alice. I hurriedly tell Kuniki-kun about it, but he explains it to me with a reassuring smile, just like Shuichi-san does when he gives orders on the battlefield or in training.

'There seems to be some misunderstanding about the information network you speak of, Skinhead-san, but that's okay. Claire said that when Alice was kidnapped before, she said it. As for me...well, to be precise, other countries are 'obligated' to give me special treatment as the researcher who developed the drug that works for the tragedy in Europe. Therefore, I don't think I will be suddenly taken into custody when I enter Russia, and I don't think my 'bodyguard', Mr. Skinhead, will be detained either.

But that doesn't mean...

Well, it's a privilege we don't like to use very often, but let's make this one count. And I don't mean to sound like a prince, but I'm offering you free broadcast rights to Noah's channel in Russia in exchange for a superior officer.

What are you talking about?　It's like making a fortune, you know?　You don't give it away for free.

　There's no way Gongju-kun wouldn't know about the results of the cosmetic commercial he's been airing for a while now, but it seems he's willing to offer it for free in exchange. What the hell is he thinking?　It's true that the person in charge of the special media department is Kouki-kun, but there's no way he can make a decision on this level of content without checking with Miki-san.

''I hope they think that way too. Skinhead, the commercial is just a 'side effect'. The main purpose of the commercial is the anime and its related development products. By the time they notice it, though, it will be too late.

Congratulations, Congratulations, what the hell do you mean by that?

'I could tell you, but no one in this world can understand it right now. It's more than that!　I have to be back here by tomorrow evening no matter what, and I have to watch 'Magical Girl Alice', so let's go quickly.

　Gongju-kun is beckoning me to the entrance of the warehouse while rushing me, but what does he mean when he just said, 'No one in this world can understand it right now'?　He spoke as if he wasn't from this world, but.......is it my imagination?
　No, more than that, if you're going to help me and that person, you have to show me the proper courtesy. Thinking about that, I opened my mouth while looking into the eyes of Kouki-kun.

It's Anton.

Yes?

You've heard my name before, right?　My real name is Anton Bortkiewicz. I was formerly a member of the Foreign Intelligence Service's Foreign Special Operations Unit 'Chernobog'.

　 I'm glad, I'm sure I'll be able to get along with him well in the future. Feeling some relief, I decided to go to the airport with him.