01-20 · 012

Chapter 12: Contract

I sank deep into the sofa in my spacious tower apartment room and let out a heavy sigh.

"Haah, I'm tired. …Hmm? That was fast."

On my tablet, a PDF file of an 'Exclusive Management Agreement (Draft Version)' had just arrived from Rin Sakai, whom I'd parted ways with not long ago.

"Not a bad deal… is it?"

Surprisingly, the contract was clean and mutually beneficial. Based on the document, there was nothing suspicious about it.

However, perhaps because I'd run into Goda and the others in the dungeon today, my miserable days from the past suddenly crossed my mind. The past where I'd been used ruthlessly and then discarded like trash.

At the izakaya, I'd been swayed by her unexpectedly favorable impression and had gone along with her flow. But she was still one of the people who had wronged me. She was cunning, and she could easily behave exactly as I wanted. Was it really okay for me to team up with her so easily?

As I was thinking about this, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

"Should I try using my Appraisal on it? I wonder what happens if I use it on something like this… Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Let's try it."

I focused on my right eye and activated 'True Appraisal' on the tablet screen.

—Thrum.

My vision warped, and the text of the contract, which should have been electronic data, twisted and changed shape. A mechanical system window unfolded, superimposed over the screen.

"Oh, I can see something."

====================
[Name] Exclusive Management Agreement (Draft Version)
[Creator] Rin Sakai
[Condition] Cunning disguise, contains unfair clauses
[True Intent]
On the surface, the margin is 15%, but there are legal loopholes in Article 8 (Attribution of foreign exchange gains/losses in overseas transactions) and Article 12 (Outsourcing of system management fees). Using these, there is intent to legally divert approximately 70% of Toru's profits to a dummy company established by Rin.
[Danger Level] Extremely High (*If signed, there is a risk of assets being drained within a few years.)
====================

"That woman, seriously!? I can't even tell just by looking at it normally… Damn, I was an idiot to trust her even a little."

I held my head in my hands. Seventy percent was nothing short of extortion. If I'd been fooled and signed it, I would have ended up as her money tree, kept in captivity for life. As expected of the woman who didn't hesitate to abandon Goda and switch to me. Her obsession with the scent of money and her legal cunning for fleecing people were as terrifying as a dungeon boss.

"What should I do? Turn her down?"

But I immediately realized the danger of that option. What would happen if I turned her down now, saying "I found the trap, let's forget this ever happened"?

She was a professional at negotiation and harassment. If she exposed my identity as 'Master_Eye' online or spread rumors to stir up haters, my business would be finished. Even just her telling Goda and the others where to find me would be trouble enough. Above all, if I made her a full enemy, I had no idea what kind of schemes she'd cook up.

"It's tricky, but it's also true that there's no one more reassuring to have on my side than her."

Dealing with overseas buyers and handling haters—her ability to handle the troublesome things I least wanted to do was definitely genuine. What I needed was a leash to make her cunning work solely for my benefit.

I alone couldn't outmatch her in legal knowledge or smooth talk. So, I had to turn Rin's own proposal against her.

"Get an overwhelmingly superior person who won't be swayed by money on our side… huh."

I took out my phone and opened the contact app, D-Chat. In my friends list was the brilliantly shining word, 'VIP'. The account of Japan's strongest S-Rank explorer, Seira Jinguji.

Actually, shortly after listing the Aegis Shield, she had sent me several messages via private chat.

『Toru-san! I saw that shield!』 『Did you repair that one too!? That's insane!』 『Is the magic reflection rate really 100%? Is the curse completely gone?』 『Hey hey, how did you purify it!?』

She was spamming stickers, looking completely like an excited enthusiast. I took a deep breath and typed my reply.

『Hello, Seira-san. Actually, including the matter of that shield, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. Could we meet in person tomorrow?』

I pressed send. Within seconds, it was marked as read, and a reply came instantly.

『Sure! I'm free tomorrow afternoon because I'm taking a break from dungeon runs. Do you want to come to my place?』 『Ah, but I feel bad making Toru-san come here. I can go to you instead! I'll bring the new cake from that nice shop! Just tell me your address!』

…S-Rank, isn't that a bit too quick on the uptake? Well, it's helpful, though.

『Thank you. Please come to the corner room on the 35th floor of Gran Axis Shinjuku.』

We quickly settled on the time and place, and I closed the chat. Alright, my strongest card was now arranged.

Now, it was time to set the stage for Rin.

I opened the chat with Rin and composed a message, trying to keep it light.

『Rin, thanks for the meal earlier. About the appointment with Seira-sama, I tried contacting her directly just to see, and it seems she's busy with expeditions and interviews right now. Looks like the soonest we can meet is next month. What should we do?』

Sent. Immediately marked as read.

『What? Seriously? Next month, huh… That's slow, but if it's an S-Rank, I guess we can't help it. Alright, I'll work on perfecting the groundwork for overseas expansion and the contract on my end in the meantime ♡ You keep hunting for treasures, Toru-kun!』

"'Work on perfecting them on my end ♡,' my ass. How dare she!"

I couldn't help but click my tongue at the sly winking emoji on the screen. But this was fine. This would make Rin drop her guard, thinking "the contract is progressing at my own pace." She'd never imagine that I'd be meeting Seira directly tomorrow.

I'd negotiate with Seira behind Rin's back and secure a completely safe backing. That way, no matter what trap Rin set, I could crush it with the authority of an S-Rank.

"For that, tomorrow… I'll need enough 'bargaining chips' to fully convince Seira."

My only weapon was 'True Appraisal'. But the items I found with this eye had value enough to make even an S-Rank bow down.

I glanced over at the 'Aegis Shield' placed on the blue sheet.

"I can't afford to lose tomorrow's battle. Not if I want to protect my comfortable, wealthy life."

In my tower apartment room overlooking the night view, I quietly kindled my fighting spirit alone.