September 15 2008.
On the top floor of Tokyo's Deia Tower in Odaiba.In the lounge of one of Japan's leading conglomerates, the Teia Group, announcing completion of their new project as I gazed at the skyscrapers outside.
Normally, this is where the cancellation of my engagement would be declared, sealing my and my family's ruin.
If it indeed was a story from a game I knew.
This place was used in the final scene of the otome game I played long ago, 'Let's Talk About Love Under the Falling Cherry Blossoms.'
Even now, I sometimes feel bewildered at my reflection in the window glass.
I wasn't born with such beautiful blonde hair.
I wasn't so fair-skinned.
I wasn't so enchanting.
And I certainly wasn't such a villainess.
[ I found you, Runa.]
I wasn't called Runa, nor did I bear the name Runa Kaika-in.
Turning to the voice from behind, I saw the man who should be my fiancé, Eiichi Teia.
As the heir to the Teia Group and having shown his talent at a young age, his gaze had depth.
'Oh? Eiichi-san. Why not go to Mizuho-san instead of me?'
Despite trying to dismiss him as if disinterested, Eiichi-san continued to stare at me, suspicion evident in his eyes.
[ What on earth are you doing?]
His voice was not the one that whispered love, but the one that accused me.
Yet, I couldn't deny that I deserved that accusation in this game atleast in this scenario.
[I took measures to not to be a inconvenience for the Teia Group.]
[That's not the point!]
Eiichi-san's angry voice was strangely pleasant to ears. A handsome voice with a handsome man is usually a reward, but not when it's directed at yourself with condemning tone.
[Why didn't you consult with me? Mitsuya, Yujiro, and even Mizuho were concerned about your actions! Mizuho also...]
He stopped speaking when I looked at the night view again.
Blatant rejection.
Mitsuya Goto is a genius from a family of bureaucrats whose father was a vice-minister of the Ministry of Finance, and Yujiro Izumikawa is the heir of a family of politicians whose father was once a representative of the ruling party.
In the game, my role was to be condemned by these three and face ruin. A typical OTOME game story.
With memories from my past life, I struggled to avoid destruction. Yet, I ended up crossing paths with these handsome men in this way.
[Well, As I thought it's impossible to hide this from Eiichi-san and the other two.]
I said it casually.
What I did wasn't a big deal. I just set up a paper company in a tax haven, gathered funds, and became the source of funding for fund traders who moved as they pleased.
Connections are everything.
[RUNA-SAN! Why didn't you rely on us? We're friends, aren't we?]
The protagonist, Mizuho, couldn't resist and entered, just like in the game. It made me smile.
In the end, I couldn't even become a villainess.
[Why are you laughing, Runa-san?]
Angry Mizuho is cute too.
That's why, at least like a proper villainess, let me exit with a lie that even they can understand.
[Mizuho-san, did you know? I despised you.]
I smiled at the bewildered two and ended this scene.
As a gracious loser, let's draw the curtain on this story.
[Be happy. Farewell.~]
Ignoring the astonished two, I left the lounge.
At the exit, my personal maid, Yuka Tachibana, entered quietly.
[Miss.]
Worry was evident on her face, as if she thought it was a lamentation scene. However, I urged her for the purpose.
I hadn't expected her to come at this time, but I had a faint feeling.
The life I once had.
Generally, which could be called my past life, the events that unfolded caused a blackout in my former life.
Even if this world were a game, and if it were set in Modern-Day Japan, I believed it would inevitably happen. Unfortunately, that gamble turned out to be correct.
[Just now, the investment bank Lehman Sisters filed for Chapter 11. The New York market is in great chaos.]
My previous life was a miserable one. The company collapsed, I worked for a black company with low wages, my health deteriorated, and I was easily laid off, ending up at the bottom with a miserable fate.
Above all, the era neglected us. This is not a story of my condemnation; it's a story of revenge that we, as a generation, will take on.
[Alright then. Let's begin the game.]
___________________________________________
Glossary:
Tax Haven: A tax avoidance haven. A source of funds for hedge funds.
Paper Company: A ghost company or dummy company used to enjoy the benefits of being a company.
Chapter 11: Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Equivalent to civil rehabilitation law in Japan. Using it may not be pleasant for creditors, but not using it leads to an even worse outcome.
Comments