So.
A certain someone got carried away.
"…"
Main control cabin section.
Seeing Zeig appear here completely unscathed, many staff members who didn't know the truth widened their eyes.
"Oh my god, Brother Zeig kidnapped the station master in front of everyone, and now he's standing here perfectly fine?"
"Badass!!"
"Wait, what about the station master then?"
"Heh, obviously sold her off. Look—Arlan's gone too."
"Packaged and sold together?"
"…Double celebration, huh."
…
A certain someone silently paced back and forth in the main control cabin section.
Now, all three candidates had been checked.
Oh no—four.
Leonard gave credit points and drew a mysterious big pie about making big money.
He still hadn't messaged Zeig—probably busy.
Though Herta didn't give anything, she verbally promised double Simulated Universe rewards when she was in a good mood.
Then she sent him off to find Asta.
As for Asta.
She was originally planning to hand over Heavenly Father, but Screwllum got involved, so it probably wouldn't happen anytime soon.
She was probably feeling a bit awkward herself.
As for Screwllum, he had volunteered to step up—upgrading Heavenly Father was out of personal interest, and according to him, there was still a real reward coming later.
"Seems like… I really made a killing."
A certain someone pondered while walking.
Completely unaware that all the staff members were staring at him.
"Just now, I think I heard Brother Zeig say something… about making a killing? It's confirmed—he really sold the station master!"
"…Looks like it's pretty much certain. Wonder if he'll remember to treat everyone to a meal."
"?"
Zeig walked with his head down when suddenly his phone vibrated.
He silently pulled it out of his pocket, unlocked the screen, and a message from Pela popped up.
"? Pela, why's she looking for me at a time like this?"
A certain someone vaguely remembered that most threats on Jarilo-VI had already been dealt with.
If Belobog didn't go crazy like him and blow up the glaciers ahead of time, those wandering rift creatures or the Antimatter Legion slowly thawing out of the ice weren't really threats.
With Seele, the underworld's top dog, holding things down, they were all small fry.
Pela: Executor, got any free time lately?
Zeig: Depends—what do you want me for?
Pela: …
Zeig: Damn, you're actually going silent. You want to use me as a tool too, huh?
Pela: Too? What are you even talking about—don't tell me you're being used as a tool somewhere right now?
Zeig: Mud wife!
Pela: …
Pela: Anyway, if you're free, come back for a bit. There's something good waiting for you.
"…"
A certain someone silently stared at Pela's message, deep in thought for a long time.
Something good? What good thing.
As long as it wasn't money, it was all bad news!
Just like this time on the space station—Zeig had only actually received a card from Leonard!
The other three big shots' promises? A certain someone hadn't received anything tangible at all!
Although he and March 7th both agreed this round was a win, the stuff still wasn't in his hands yet.
"…"
Zeig pursed his lips and glanced around.
A bunch of staff members' gazes just happened to meet his.
"?"
"What are you all looking at me for?" a certain someone asked in confusion.
Realizing Zeig had noticed them, the staff members quickly averted their eyes, pretending they hadn't heard anything and acting very busy.
"???"
A certain someone silently walked over to one of their workstations and quickly glanced at the screen.
"Spider Solitaire?"
"…"
"Ah! Brother Zeig… y-you, why are you here!!"
Zeig's move startled him into hurriedly minimizing Spider Solitaire, revealing the window behind it.
"4399 Aura Star?" a certain someone narrowed his eyes and read the page title in a low voice.
"Ah! Wrong one!"
He quickly closed that tab, finally revealing a legitimate document page.
The staff member finally breathed a sigh of relief and complained: "Brother Zeig, what are you doing here? We're really busy!"
"Busy? Busy playing Spider Solitaire and Aura Star? Tell me—what were you staring at me for just now!" a certain someone narrowed his eyes.
"N-nothing, really. What's up, Brother Zeig—you can't even let people look?"
"…"
A certain someone frowned.
Sure, the logic checked out, but being stared at by so many people just now made him feel like this couldn't possibly be that simple.
What kind of look was that? He knew it all too well.
Back when he was eating melon (watching drama), he used to look at others with exactly that same expression!
"You little shits—what were you saying about me just now?" a certain someone frowned.
"Nothing, really nothing!" That staff member raised both hands, sweating: "Brother Zeig, there are so many staff here—why are you zeroing in on me!!"
A certain someone narrowed his eyes:
"Because you're the only one with a game open!"
"Th-that one." He pointed at another staff member behind him, selling him out: "He's playing too! But he hid it. Brother Zeig, let me off and I'll help you expose his disguise!"
The staff member behind him was shocked: "What?!"
"What what… what your ass! Show your true colors, you beast!"
Under Zeig's gaze, the two staff members tangled together. The computer's defenses were still breached by the first one in the chaos.
A certain someone narrowed his eyes, staring at that page and reading aloud:
"4399 Dragon Warrior?"
"Ah!"
Hearing his little secret read out by Zeig, that staff member's face immediately flushed red.
He unwillingly said in a low voice:
"Since I've been exposed… then you all… don't even think about surviving!!"
"Y-y-you, what are you going to do?!" The other staff members were shocked.
"Xine!!"
And so, the scene descended into utter chaos.
The exposed staff member desperately tried to grab the surviving staff members' mice, wanting to drag their secrets into the light too!
A certain someone narrowed his eyes, going from computer to computer like taking roll call:
"Aura Legend, Little Flower Fairy, Tan Tan Tang, Shen Jiang World, Kabu Journey to the West, Gourmet Battle Rats…"
A certain someone frowned:
"Aren't you all just playing games? What the hell were you discussing while staring at me?"
"We really weren't eating melon!"
"Eating melon? What melon?!"
"Brother Zeig, I was wrong—please don't sell me too…!" Finally, one staff member wailed.
"?"
"Me too, I'm really fat! Even if you sell me, you won't get a good price… I eat a lot—no one would want to buy me."
"?"
"Station Master is beautiful, sweet-voiced, great temperament—no matter how you sell her, someone will want her. We're not like her!"
"Um… Brother Zeig, if you're short on money, just tell us brothers—we'll do our best to pool it together… but please don't target us brothers!"
"Not all brothers either, Brother Zeig… even though I'm a girl, I'm not easy to sell."
A certain someone's eyes nearly popped out: "What the hell are you all talking about?!"
"Sell me, sell me~" one white-haired elderly staff member said shyly.
A certain someone: "?"
…