["Don't worry, the Great Guardian girl is someone with great wisdom; she'll definitely figure it out."]
[Topaz suddenly shifted her tone, her gaze turning sharp: "Moreover, if you want a direct answer to your question, it's… 'no matter what you do, it's useless.' No matter what obstacles I encounter, I will definitely complete the Jarilo-VI project."]
[A wave of pressure immediately tightened March 7th's heart.]
[But soon Topaz returned to her amiable expression, advising the two not to worry about irrelevant things and to just enjoy the festival atmosphere. After saying that, she left the museum due to official business.]
[The two were sighing over how complicated things were when suddenly Seele sent Stelle a message, saying that the Underworld's Earthfire had just clashed with Company people, and they really couldn't hold them off anymore, so they hurriedly contacted the two for help.]
[One wave hadn't settled before another arose; Stelle and March had no choice but to rush to the Underworld at full speed to rendezvous with Seele.]
[The large mining area in the Underworld had already been taken over by Company people, claiming they were conducting an "asset evaluation," while the mine entrance was firmly guarded by two well-equipped Company security personnel, with no intention of yielding at all.]
[The key issue was that these two wouldn't speak at all, infuriating Seele into cursing them out, yet they remained unmoved, like two lifeless pieces of wood.]
[With no other choice, March 7th had to use Topaz's name to intimidate them, finally getting one to speak—though his attitude remained extremely resolute: "…No way! I can't step aside! The team leader said if anyone slips in, they'll dock half a year's performance from me!"]
["Wow, so you're not even a team leader? I really overestimated you." March 7th started mercilessly mocking him.]
["Sh-Shut up! To get into the Company, I hid on a small asteroid prepping for six or seven years, then survived seventeen rounds of interviews to finally get hired—people like you without jobs, what right do you have to judge me?!"]
——
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.
"Half a year's performance!? Then yeah, he really can't back down even if it kills him…"
Inside the apartment, Kobayashi sat cross-legged by the kotatsu. She had originally been drinking herself tipsy, but upon seeing that even Company employees could get half a year's performance docked over something like this—as a fellow wage slave herself—she slowly clutched her chest: "…I get it. I understand it all too well, friend."
Also, isn't joining the Interastral Peace Company way too brutal?! Prepping for six or seven years, then going through seventeen interview rounds—and this is for a security guard-type position!
In that situation, docking half a year's performance is one thing, but if it costs him his job because of it, he'd probably want to die.
Kobayashi suddenly felt that the wage slaves in this universe weren't so different from her as a Japanese corporate drone.
No… actually, they might not even have it as comfortable as her—at least after work, she has Tohru waiting for her.
Tohru, sitting beside her, blinked: "Kobayashi, do you know him?"
"Not at all! But I understand his pain! This is the kind of bitterness only fellow wage slaves can truly empathize with…" Kobayashi suddenly slammed the table. "One docking of half a year's performance, and both rent and food money are in danger! Going to a maid café or anything like that is straight-up over…"
"Wait? Maid… café?!"
As if some dangerous switch had been flipped, Tohru's voice suddenly dropped several tones; her originally sweet and soft tone instantly turned hoarse and dangerous.
As if the next second she might unleash scorching dragon breath, Tohru roared as she closed in on Kobayashi. Her pupils narrowed into thin slits, seemingly burning with raging flames; even the apartment windows began to rattle with "creak creak" sounds.
"You—cheated—on—me—didn't—you?!"
Kobayashi immediately broke out in a cold sweat: "No, no, haha… Tohru's maid outfit is of course the cutest in the world…"
"Then why go to another maid café?!" The sound of grinding teeth made Kobayashi's bones ache.
"Uh…" Kobayashi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "B-Because I want to learn! I want to see what good points other maids have, so I can come back and make you even more perfect!"
Tohru was instantly stunned: "Eh?"
The furious aura instantly retracted; her vertical pupils returned to round and cute.
"R-Really? Kobayashi did it… for me…?"
Kobayashi, drenched in sweat, nodded frantically like pounding garlic: "Of course! You're my best maid! No one else even comes close!"
Tohru's face flushed "whoosh"; her dragon tail started slapping wildly against the floor.
"Wu… I'm sorry, I got too worked up just now… I just love Kobayashi too much." Tohru threw herself into Kobayashi's arms and rubbed against her. "I… I'll go make you omurice right now! With ten hearts drawn! No—a hundred!"
——
[Seele had completely lost her patience and decided on the spot to blast these two.]
[But not long after the fight started, the two saw it was getting tough and immediately ran off without a trace… After all, there's only so many credits in a month—why risk your life over it?]
[After driving off those two, Stelle and the others decided to head into the large mining area to properly deal with the Company people—finish it early so they could get back to enjoying the festival sooner.]
["..."]
[At the same time, inside the Mechanical Settlement.]
[Topaz had already proactively sought out Svarog and recognized the little girl beside him… Clara.]
[Svarog immediately recognized the Interastral Peace Corporation badge on Topaz's chest, determining that this person was neither a guest nor a friend. Facing such a massive robot, Topaz also appeared very relaxed. After dropping the formalities, she got straight to the point: "The planet beneath your feet right now—it will soon become an asset belonging to [the Company]."]
["No one can reverse this outcome. You can't, those Nameless can't, and no faction in the galaxy can."]
["Right now I only consider one thing: to take full responsibility for the projects that pass through my hands. I want the Company's shareholders to see the value that Jarilo-VI can create."]
["In the long term, this is a… no, only by doing this can Belobog's long-term interests be guaranteed. I need your assistance to achieve this goal."]
[Svarog was curious how Topaz planned to convince the Company higher-ups, but Topaz simply calmly took out a core—that was [Source Code], or more precisely, the source code capable of taking control of all mechanized units in Belobog.]
——
Jujutsu Kaisen.
"Hah? So basically, if Topaz wants to, she can instantly make all the guard automatons turn against them in battle, turning them into Belobog's enemies?"
Kusakabe Atsuya held his forehead: "Then how are we supposed to fight? Although the Trailblazer and Seele are strong, facing an entire massive mechanical army would leave them helpless, right? If Dan Heng were here and willing to transform into Imbibitor Lunae… I think it could be a fight."
"Hmm… What if we go straight for Topaz herself?" Zenin Maki suggested from the side. "This girl hasn't actually fought for real so far; it seems like she has no abilities besides her eloquence."
"No use. The Company is a galaxy-spanning conglomerate. Although Topaz is a director, in the eyes of higher-level managers, she's just a slightly higher-grade corporate slave."
Kusakabe immediately shot down Maki's idea: "Moreover, what makes you think the Company would entrust such a huge project to a girl with absolutely no combat ability? I think this girl simply wants to do her utmost to avoid the outcome turning into 'battle'—it doesn't mean she herself lacks combat power."
"Ah, then this situation is completely beyond little March and Stelle's capabilities… How about…" Nearby, Hifumi suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "How about we use that Xianzhou Alliance token and call over General Jing Yuan to help deal with it?"
["..."]
Shōko rolled her eyes speechlessly at Hifumi.
"If I were Jing Yuan… I'd have the Divine Sovereign be the first to chop down idiots like you who throw out random ideas."