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“…….”

Aaron formally faced Anastasia, who was staring at him with unconcealed displeasure, seemingly unhappy with the lewd joke he had thrown out as soon as he entered the room.

There were no visible firearms or swords.

Not that her body itself was a weapon. According to the background check, she was a rare Pure (meaning a human who hadn’t undergone any surgery other than a communication implant).

However… he couldn’t let his guard down completely.

Even if it was just one possibility pieced together from on-site evidence and circumstances. He had brought an unorthodox individual, who might be able to turn the surrounding machinery into weapons, to the top floor of the company.

“You’ve come all this way… you don’t have to be so formal. Miss Anastasia. Feel free to call me Aaron!”

“…Understood. Director of Strategic Planning for the great Paradise Corporation.”

As he had experienced several times, her tendency to vehemently reject being manipulated by others’ intentions was unwavering.

…In fact, if she hadn’t shown familiarity with the world or mastery of modern electronic warfare, he would have adopted the theory of a frozen human awakened from somewhere and offered her a safe haven and a mountain of money as bargaining chips….

“…So, is Mr. Dreyfuss personally handling the alimony… or the survivor’s benefits?”

Even a corporation with immense power.

And even the top five Mega Corps that competed for the pinnacle among those corporations weren’t omnipotent.

Paradise, which had successfully integrated into society with the most diverse services and products, had difficulty accessing strictly confidential information, while Elysium, the ruler of the network, was conversely not very sensitive to real-world problems.

ExaTech and Heilong, currently busy filling the empty orbits with satellites, were meticulous about security and leakage, perhaps because of their pride in their technological prowess.

Enama… well, while broadly interacting with corporations and providing medical services, they always clearly distinguished between public data and confidential technology.

The point was this.

If a capable person was too clean, with no background, could it be that they already belonged to another organization?

“…Thank you for your kindness… Aaron.”

“Kindness? Not at all. Ah-ha-ha!”

She took a step back, looking slightly dejected by the suspicion and doubt he was pouring out.

The strategic planning department analyst who compiled the data would have felt quite wronged, but in this case, Aaron decided to trust his intuition.

People were greatly influenced not only by their genes but also by their upbringing, and Anastasia didn’t fit any of the upper-class or power-elite figures he had experienced and established.

…Rather, she showed aspects much closer to an anti-corporate figure in many ways.

To leave such a precious strategic weapon alone and unguarded like this? And not even for infiltration purposes, but for a headhunting position?

Even if she could assassinate Aaron Dreyfuss, an executive, right here and now, the losses would far outweigh the gains.

Still, it seemed wise to conduct a ‘check’ before proposing a full-fledged recruitment, in case she had been caught with some weakness, or had a special implant that evaded scanning… specifically, a small bomb that could determine her life or death remotely.

For that matter, she might even have poison implanted, for her sake and his own safety.

“What would you like to drink? Mr. Weizmann must have made you say a lot of unnecessary things, so please don’t hesitate.”

He asked, opening the refrigerator filled with special drinks prepared in advance by Paradise’s subsidiaries.

If you asked what was so special about them, the only difference from the items sold on the market was one thing.

They contained a lot of nanobots for sampling, which didn’t help the taste at all.

If Anastasia Valentine was hiding any physical secrets, this would reveal them, and if he was lucky, he might even get a clue about her identity.

But really, she never willingly went along with other people’s expectations, whether intentionally… or unintentionally.

“I’ll have coffee then… if possible, I’d like a latte with milk and syrup.”

‘……?’

……What was that?

Wondering if he had misheard, Aaron turned his head from inside the refrigerator and stared at Anastasia.

He hurriedly activated his self-diagnosis implant to check every corner of his body for any problems, but all the functions displayed were normal.

Then why was it that coffee, which wasn’t even on the list of her personal consumption records, or even the purchase history of her sister Helena, and was only cultivated as a specialty item in a dedicated plant, had come out with such clear preferences?

“Caffe latte… is it?”

Even after carefully reconfirming, all he got in return was a somewhat embarrassed nod.

…History could repeat itself, so she might have been educated on how to politely refuse refreshments offered by a corporation based on past unscrupulous poisoning incidents in companies.

But what she had just said… was a phrase you would only hear in a meeting with a high-ranking organization official.

It was absolutely impossible for such a request to come out so naturally from someone whose origin and background were unknown. If it was a trained response, there would have been a more plausible way.

“…You have more refined tastes than I expected. The caffe latte you desire will be brought to you by our staff along with the breakfast that is being prepared.”

Calmly, he carefully closed the beverage storage, which was no different from a nanobot container.

The thought that he should finish the check now in advance for the main topic and the dinner scheduled later disappeared somewhere.

More unique than strange. More mysterious than suspicious.

A curtain slightly lifted as if provoking Aaron, who was in a position where he had to control even his heart rate to avoid detection while telling all sorts of lies.

Come to think of it… wasn’t he the one who personally left the arrogant saying that if you want to win over a person, you should first win their heart?

Some truth rather than deception and pretense.

An elegant game of wits, showing each other’s cards little by little.

As an executive of Paradise who had been challenged, and as a human being who had become interested, he had no intention of backing down. No, he absolutely didn’t want to back down.

He wasn’t born into a particularly wealthy environment, but he had always believed that he was born at a blessed moment.

He was able to jump into society at the right time during the turbulent period when the Chairman was cleaning up all the petty companies on the hellish Harvest Planet.

Thanks to that, his talent, appearance, and even cunning were recognized, and he was diligently solidifying his position as the company’s second-in-command.

With the expectation that it was his turn to pick up a member of his retinue, he entered a war that didn’t involve guns or swords.

“First of all, I sincerely apologize for the difficulties Miss Anastasia has experienced due to the recklessness of our employee. I would also like to express my deepest condolences once again for the death of your sister.”

“…Thank you. Aaron. I was feeling heavy-hearted because I had to hold a funeral without a body, but it makes me happy that the executives are so saddened. I’m sure my sister Helena, who dedicated herself to the police force, would be pleased too.”

As a reward for her honesty, and since there was no point in being hostile from the start, he lightly opened the conversation by expressing his condolences.

“Indeed, it’s a relief to hear you say that as a bereaved family member! By the way, if you’re worried about the body to put in the coffin, should we send you that dissolved protein mixture? Strangely enough, there’s exactly the amount left for a Levy unit member whose body hasn’t been identified!”

“Ugh!!”

The subsequent check was a taunt based on the data secured by the company.

He was quite pleased to see Anastasia’s eyebrows and lips, which had been drawing a soft curve until just now, twitching.

He would be greatly disappointed if she was flustered by such a simple check.

There were still many exchanges to come and many cards to wield against each other, but to be terrified already.

“Do you know how much trouble I was in because of the gift you gave me before? If the Chairman hadn’t liked it so much, the legal department would have contacted you separately.”

“Oh… I’m re~ally grateful for your leniency.”

…Yes, he wanted this kind of reaction.

The venom that made her hold her head high and look only at the adversary in front of her, even with the name of the Mega Corp looming right behind her. He needed at least this much to make it worth raising her.

“Anastasia Valentine. For a hacker who registered for citizenship through a wasteland broker not long ago, your past actions have been inconsistent.”

“…Sorry, but I tend to live as I please.”

This… was a much more lackluster answer than he had expected.

Aaron was impressed by her attitude of looking straight at him as if she had nothing to hide, even though he had presented the fact that he had investigated her actions and observed her life.

In the transparent gleam of her eyes, which seemed to claim that she had lived a life without any regrets or shame. He wanted to grab her small face and shout.

Living is a continuous competition to steal opportunities that others might have obtained.

In such a world, how can you be so leisurely watching the flow, even with such talent?

“Join Paradise. Miss Anastasia. Your abilities are too precious to be wasted on the streets.”

“…I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here.”

Unlike his inner thoughts, the words that came out of his mouth were the core that he wanted to postpone a little longer.

The answer that came back to that was a sharp refusal.

Originally, he had planned to slowly break down the wall with long persuasion and convincing, but his mouth felt parched at the subtle mindset that seemed similar to his old self, yet not quite the same.

She doesn’t seize the opportunity even when it comes, and she doesn’t walk the path even when it exists.

He mentioned the possibility of a harsh outcome without realizing it, due to her cautiousness that was beyond frustrating.

“Are you simply referring to the location? If you mean that Paradise is not an option, then I’m afraid I can no longer offer you only kind words of persuasion?”

“Because… there is a goal that can only be achieved in Neo Haven.”

On the other hand, she didn’t seem to care about being threatened, and she rejected the offer again with some truth without losing her composure.

A goal. A heavy word that is difficult to take out of one’s pocket carelessly.

Especially if a person with outstanding abilities hasn’t achieved it yet, it must be something quite extraordinary.

……It can’t be helped.

To gain the right to look down on this scenery, it would normally be right to work hard and earn the qualification, but… she is so outstanding that it is difficult to guess.

With a light gesture, he swept away the curtains that were covering the window, and gently handed a jewelry box to the immature girl who couldn’t make the right decision.

“I don’t care what your purpose is, or what your hidden background or original identity is. Even though it’s smaller than Neo Haven, if a talent like you becomes a member of Paradise, you will have this vast Harvest Planet at your feet.”

What kind of disgraceful behavior is this? Wouldn’t this look like he was begging rather than making an offer or proposal?

Aaron inwardly chuckled at the level of subservience that didn’t even know who the master was, let alone putting a leash on her securely. Still, he believed that if he could correct her foolish thoughts even in this way, he could slowly repay the debt later.

“…I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t have any intention of belonging to Paradise or anywhere else yet.”

He was tired of the constant denial.

Come to think of it, even his younger self often wouldn’t listen to reason, no matter how nicely he put it.

He tried to guide a prodigy in his prime, someone who needed to experience everything firsthand and verify it himself, as a mature senior, so this fruitless standoff continued.

“Taking some time to contemplate alone might change your mind.”

Anticipating potential hostility, he issued an order to the Levy unit, heavily armed with jamming equipment, to move in.

The goal was, above all, swift apprehension and confinement. Considering the previous virus incident, a complete mess was sure to break out soon, so it had to be contained as quickly as possible.

But… the person he thought he had parted ways with still had something to say, a sincerity to show.

“Does Aaron want my abilities? Or is he simply looking for a tribute to offer the Chairman?”

“……? What’s with that all of a sudden….”

The answer to the question was, of course, both… but before he could give a proper answer. Anastasia Valentine, revealing her true colors, moved first.

Using her own body to block her cherished jewelry box, she reproached the tactless man.

The halo shining along her petite silhouette occupied his vision, and the delicate hand extended towards him offered an intense temptation.

Perhaps… Aaron Dreyfus was under a great misunderstanding.

It was almost laughable to think he could find common ground with Anastasia Valentine.

“I absolutely won’t sign that damn relationship contract or employment contract… but Aaron Dreyfus, aren’t you interested in a partnership agreement for our respective goals?”

She wasn’t someone who would stop at just him.

Her attitude was so haughty, as if she were someone Mega Corp alone could never contain.

…A man who had spent his entire life coaxing people and binding them with contracts.

The second audacious proposal he had received since the Chairman asked if he would follow him.

They often say that opportunity knocks three times in a lifetime.

If so, wasn’t it an inevitable consequence that the first choice led him to the second opportunity?

“Ahahaha!!”

Having thought that far, he burst into hearty laughter without realizing it.

Just now, Aaron had compared Anastasia to someone upstairs before he could even think rationally.

He thought there were only five such figures in the world, capable of overturning a prepared plan with a single word and dominating someone else’s stage at will, even though they weren’t the main character.

“Indeed… indeed!”

Within the heart of an ambitious man, a very… personal desire sprouted.

This small giant, this cunning little devil.

An irresistible urge to engrave his name on the trajectory of this prodigy, who claimed that even the vast Metropolis and the five pillars supporting the world were too small, before she grew too big.

…Indeed, romance didn’t suit him.

Was it because he had been exposed to the Chairman, who always said that marriage was the tomb of life, for too long? Or was it because a man, a mere small fry compared to the girl, was worried that he would ruin things by rashly taking a great tree?

However, even amidst the complex emotions, he could clearly recognize his possessiveness.

Even if it was the Chairman he revered. The feeling that he didn’t want to share the secret bond that would soon be created was budding within him.