"Finally, the fateful day has arrived. Today... the world shall know pain, muahahaha!"
Standing near the glass walls at the highest floors of the high-rise building with one of his hands in the pocket, Kousuke made a copy of Earth replica at the size of a ping-pong floats above his palm while looking down at the people walking the street below at the size of ants. Then he crushed it in his hand as if saying the world is now under his control, reducing it to dust as he begins laughing like madman.
"What... are you doing?"
The stunned business woman stared at him as if he had lost his mind. It was Amano Mei, the CEO of Mythos Entertainment, she had invited him to their office so that they could celebrate the moment the game launch throughout the globe in half an hour from now on. Yes, that day is today.
"I'm channeling my inner Kayaba Akihiko, you wouldn't get it."
"You mean that Kayaba Akihiko who created Sword Art Online and dipped? I have done my research. So, is that one of your inspirations? I'm not sure I'm liking where this is going," Mei said with narrowed eyes. In the light novel of Sword Art Online, there was a genius character who developed the greatest tech alongside a video game. It was all fine until the game was finally released to the public and players realized they had been pulled into something they weren't sign for. They couldn't exit the game because the logout button had vanished, or was never there to begin with.
But the main point to take from that is, Kayaba Akihiko had done exactly that and justified it as the game was meant to be played like that. That means the players are basically forced into the virtual world until they beat the game. The protagonist of the story had accepted that fact much quicker than the norm, likely because he had always felt the virtual world were closer to the real home in his heart. But still, it doesn't change the fact that many innocent people died because of Kayaba Akihiko's seemingly insane action.
Mei was worried that Kousuke might try something as crazy as that. She prayed it was just her being consumed by paranoia, but it wouldn't go away. Not after she was informed by him yesterday that he had done some quick changes to the game, saying it will be a surprise for today. She didn't have any sleep at all afterwards, rather she couldn't. He wouldn't answer her call, so she had no choice but to wear thick makeup to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
"So, would you mind telling me the surprise? We only have around 20 minutes until the game is officially out."
"No biggie, I knew you are very eager about it so let's get straight to the point." Kousuke replied with a knowing smile, he then sat comfortably on the CEO seat and circles the chair around to face her. He went on and rest both his elbows on the table with his chin on top of his hands clasping together, then he continues. "Well you see... there is a little dirty secret I've kept from you all this a while."
"...What is it?" Feeling the sudden shift from his comical madness to the serious him, Mei couldn't help but swallowed a mouthful of saliva out of sheer nervousness. She hadn't known him for long, but she at least recognized that when he became serious, his idea were just as solid. Just like the time when he offered her a job as the head of Jewelry Store, and the second time when he revealed his Trinity Project. It was all absurd, especially coming from a highschooler.
"I'm... a wizard."
"? Is that it?" She asked with raised brows.
"You aren't surprise?"
Hearing him say that, her eyes turned to 'are you serious' before sighing. Kousuke simply tilted his head at her rather tame reaction, he didn't expect a jaw dropping one, but at least a hint of surprise. Yet there was none on her face, instead she looks like as if she knew about it all along. He was curious what her answer would be, so he patiently wait for her to say something.
"Alright, let's turn back time a little bit. What was the thing most suspicious about you in the beginning?"
"My irresistible charm?" Kousuke answered shamelessly.
"That strange necklace," she said seriously. "There was magic on it, isn't it? How else would the pawn owner said he felt strangely energetic? I even try it myself and thought it was placebo effect at first, that's what you wanted me to think right?"
"That's right, Sherlock." He nodded in agreement.
"I would've forgotten about it until a certain thing popped up. Remember the NDA you have me signed?"
"The marriage certificate?" He answered jokingly, but she nodded.
"You might as well call it that... since my mom kinda asked me about my job, and I was considering telling the truth but somehow I ended up making excuses that I would never think of on the spot."
"Exactly as it should, then was that it?"
When everything was put together, it made sense she was no longer surprise. It was like trying to fool someone who already knew the magic trick inside out. Thinking back, he never tried to hide it from Mei at all. He trusted the NDA would be doing a good job for him, and it never disappointed him at all.
"No, the next one is the capsule. As someone who loves tech and involved myself pretty heavily into it, that whole thing makes zero sense." Mei stated clearly, the looks on her eyes were as if she finds it rather offensive that it even works as he proclaimed it would. "It didn't even ask me to scan my face, nor my body as one would expects from such technology. I just need to lay on it, said the magic work, and voila, I'm inside!"
"I know right? I'm such a genius if I do say so," Kousuke said as he repeatedly nodded.
"More like magic can really do anything," Mei rebuked. "Are you sure this is okay? People gonna find out the truth eventually."
What she was worried the most would be when people figured out how the capsule works. Even now, people all around the world must have already acquired the capsule since it was sold out a couple of times a week before. The website also occasionally crashed, that was just how much people wanted it.
"You worry too much, Sis Mei. They will never even get there, I promise you that much."
"How are you so confident? If you can do it with magic, why can't others?" She asked with a frown. It was logical, at least from the point of view who thought magic as miracle stuff that anyone can do if they knows magic.
"I'm not just confident, I fully believes there's no one out who could do something like this," he stated firmly. After all, it was the combination of two unique Sacred Gears to make it happen. Both being Longinus tier. Of course he could do it on his own, his Sacred Gear is just that versatile.
"So don't be surprise for what I'm about to tell you next." He said with a mysterious smile. The only person who knows what his actual goal for the Trinity Project is none other than Valerie. She realized it while she was helping him, but still willingly choose to do it.
"Anyone who play my game starting today..."
Because she trusted him.
"They also get stronger in reality as they leveled up."
"...Huh?"