With his thoughts still swirling, Shirogane Miyuki returned to his own world.
At this time, he was still in school. Even after returning to the student council, he couldn't stop thinking about the day's experience.
Although he hadn't been able to defeat White Night, what really lingered in his mind was the impact of seeing all those people die because of White Night. Even though the system helped him distinguish between the virtual and reality, the experience felt unsettlingly new.
"President?"
Ishigami Yu who was sitting on the sofa typing on his computer noticed something was off with Shirogane Miyuki and asked with concern, "President, is something wrong?"
"No, nothing," Shirogane Miyuki replied, though his thoughts were far from settled.
This state of mind persisted until he returned home. When he arrived, he saw his "otaku" father sitting on the sofa, reading a book.
"I'm back."
"You're finally back. What's wrong? You look upset. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Dad..."
Shirogane Miyuki realized he needed advice, so he confided in his father. "While managing my employees, I found that they often died. Today, they all died under my management, and my assistant criticized me for it. Dad, I don't know what to do next. I want to protect both the combatants and the civilians."
"Is that so?"
Shirogane's father was a bit surprised. His son went to school every day—when did he get involved in management? And it sounded like gang management? Hadn't a gang just been destroyed recently? It seemed there was one, and that gang belonged to his son?
Recalling the report from his subordinates, Shirogane's father relaxed. Although the outcome was unfortunate, it was an experience for his son. He patted Shirogane Miyuki on the back and, while sipping a glass of red wine that looked like blood, asked, "Do you remember how many slices of bread you've eaten?"
Shirogane Miyuki shook his head. He hadn't eaten much bread, but he certainly didn't remember how many slices he'd had in his lifetime.
His father continued, "So, what do you think is the difference between people and bread?"
"People have thoughts, their words and personalities are different—they're part of life. I remember most of them."
Shirogane Miyuki was about to claim he remembered everything, but then it hit him: with the restarts every day, he only remembered the deaths of the combatants. When it came to civilians, he couldn't even count how many times they had died, let alone remember them all.
In the immersive environment of the four-dimensional space Internet cafe, every NPC felt so real to Shirogane Miyuki that he found it hard to forget those who had interacted with him.
While he was deep in thought, his father patted his shoulder again.
"Come with me!"
"Where are we going?"
"If you want to be a manager, then start with the basics."
Shirogane's father led him out of the house. Just as they were about to leave, his sister called out.
"Dinner's ready. Eat before you go."
"Sure!"
His father's previously serious expression instantly lightened, and Shirogane Miyuki noticed that his sister had made his favorite meal.
After dinner, Shirogane's father took him to a lavish office building. Once inside, Shirogane Miyuki heard someone address his father as "Lord Dio."
"Lord Dio?"
Before Shirogane Miyuki could react, his father clapped his hands, and several burly men quickly surrounded them.
"This is my son, Shirogane Miyuki. Assign a few people to him."
"Yes, sir!"
Without hesitation, the men moved to carry out Shirogane's father's orders.
Shirogane Miyuki looked at the men in surprise. "Who are they?"
"They're my subordinates. Since you're interested in management, I'll assign them to you. Don't worry—they're absolutely loyal."
"What?"
Shirogane Miyuki was stunned. While he was still processing this, twenty more people gathered around. They varied in height, but they all shared one characteristic—they were all incredibly strong.
"Dad?"
"They're yours to command. Do whatever you think is best."
"What?"
"Do a good job. I believe in you." His father patted him on the shoulder once more and then left with a smile.
Shirogane Miyuki was confused. He knew his father was capable, but he never imagined he was a gang leader. And now, his father had given him 20 people to manage? What could he possibly do with 20 people?
Oh! He could summon White Night. White Night's breach of containment meant turning 12 people into apostles, leaving eight more who could either attack White Night or be killed by his apostles.
But the problem was, White Night's apostles were incredibly powerful. These ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance.
No!
Shirogane Miyuki suddenly realized he was thinking too narrowly. He could use these people to develop battery technology. The Lobotomy Corporation had advanced battery tech. He could build a Red Alert bio-power station, harness the Lobotomy Corporation's battery technology to store bioelectricity, and then... sell the batteries himself?
This idea intrigued Shirogane Miyuki. Should he focus on understanding this scientific and technological knowledge next time he played the game?
But then he encountered a difficult realization.
To accomplish this, he'd need to learn the basic knowledge from both worlds. Without mastering it, he wouldn't understand the complex schematics, let alone bring them to life.
At that moment, he felt the weight of his responsibilities. He had to learn the knowledge of his own world, the knowledge of another world, command wars, and be a supervisor in a company. He also had to return to reality to be the president of the student union and manage a gang at home.
Shirogane Miyuki already looked as if he was being overwhelmed by it all.
Meanwhile, in the Internet cafe, Liu Yuan studied the test records with a serious expression.
"So, this game has completed internal testing and is ready to be released?"
[Yes, no serious issues have been found. The effects on personality and emotions can be managed by constantly distinguishing between virtual and reality. However, in-game items can't be taken out.]
"Why not?"
[These items could be used as weapons against ordinary humans and might cause irreversible effects. For safety reasons, weapons cannot be taken out at this time.]
Liu Yuan asked, "Could this be changed in the future?"
"With a system upgrade, this feature could be improved."
"Then upgrade it!"
[It'll cost 10 million.]
Hearing the number, Liu Yuan immediately reconsidered. "On second thought, it might not be worth it. If it were to upgrade, no matter the cost, it would be worth it."
If the system had a face, Liu Yuan's words would have undoubtedly brought a smile to it.