Da— Da!
The notes of the keyboard were sharp.
I pressed it a couple of times to make sure that everything was alright. In the end, setting the keyboard away, I leaned back against the chair and covered my face with both hands.
‘The stage has been set.’
‘Your turn.’
The conductor’s words replayed in my mind as my heart sank into my stomach.
I’d known from the start that everything happening outside was the result of the conductor’s meddling.
I wasn’t stupid.
The dots were extremely easy to connect.
And yet—
Hearing outright that an entire <A>-rank gate had been created solely to match my “perfect piece” sent a shudder through my whole body.
Perfect piece?
What perfect piece!?
I could hardly play the piano as I was still rusty at it. I had been practicing more lately, but it was far from enough!
At the rate things were progressing, by the time the deadline arrived, I’d be turned into a ‘faceless’ audience member before the entire world.
‘I’d rather die than for that to happen.’
It wasn’t so much because I was scared of getting humiliated before the entire world. I didn’t mind that part one bit.
My main issue was getting turned into one of ‘those’ things.
Just the thought of being reduced to a mindless husk, forced to endure the same music on repeat, sent a shiver through my entire body.
“No, anything but that!”
I needed to quickly think of a way out of the situation.
‘…But that’s the problem.’
I had spent a good month or more thinking about this situation. And yet, the best that I could come up with was a simple item from the Guild.
This was far from enough for me to resolve the situation.
Not only that, there were even more problems piling up at the moment.
The Guild’s top recruit was now on my back thanks to some ridiculous instinct of hers, and since every gate I entered seemed to rise in rank, I knew I couldn’t risk stepping into one. At least, not while she was around.
‘At all, if anything…’
The Guild was now aware of the ‘Jesters’ unique trait.
“Thankfully, all gate excursions are suspended for the next couple of days until things are a bit more under control. In the meantime, I need to figure out how to deal with this, alongside the conductor’s situation.”
The situation was dire, but not impossible.
Pulling out my laptop, I booted up the app and immediately started typing on the system box.
[Are you the one responsible for causing all gates that I enter to increase in rank?]
Pressing ‘Enter’, I waited for a response.
I didn’t have to wait long for an answer, and yet, each second that I waited felt like a second too long as a notification flashed on my screen.
[Yes]
It was just a single-word answer, and yet, it was all that I needed to hear as I typed back.
[Is there a way to disable this feature?]
I sent the message again, and this time the answer came a lot faster.
[Yes]
My eyes lit up.
There was a way. Great!
I began typing again.
[How do I disable the feature?]
[….]
The system didn’t reply.
It just left me on read.
I tried typing again, but yet again I was left on read.
“This fucking…”
I was extremely tempted to toss the laptop aside, but I managed to hold back, sinking into my chair instead.
‘There is a way for me to disable the feature, but the system won’t tell me. This must mean that I need to figure this part out myself. But I don’t really have time to figure this part out.’
One month and ten days.
This was how much time I had at my disposal.
It sounded like a lot, but it was far too little.
“Ah, shit.”
I covered my face with both hands as I tried to sort the entire situation in my head.
‘Since the system isn’t being useful, I need to think of a way to solve this entire situation. How can I come up with a perfect piece?’
No…
How could I make it seem like I was playing a perfect piece?
My skills fell short, and no amount of training within the next month would let me play the perfect piece the conductor demanded.
I had to think outside the box.
Ruffling my hair, I leaned forward and grabbed a piece of paper as I started to highlight all possible ways for me to clear this quest.
Originally, the mission was a Third Order one. In that regard, it wasn’t impossible for me to clear. It was extremely hard, but not impossible.
I had the means.
“…Should I just try to push myself to the Third Order?”
The mission was of the Third Order, so it did seem like a plausible conclusion. However, I soon shook my head. That would help, but it wouldn’t solve the situation.
“Wait, what if…”
Taking out my phone and looking through the Guild Database, my eyes paused on several gates.
My heart suddenly sped up as a dangerous thought crossed my mind.
“What if…”
My breathing grew heavier.
“…What if I try to contain an anomaly that can help me with this?”
That, combined with my second node, Trait Swap, made me feel like I could actually accomplish something.
I held my mouth and thought deeply about the situation.
‘Yes, this might actually be possible.’
But there was only one issue.
‘I’d either have to enter a gate or directly go to the containment area.’
Neither was an option for me right now. The Containment area was where all of the anomalies were stored, and it was under extreme scrutiny and surveillance. If I tried something, they’d know immediately.
The same was for gates, and given my current situation, I had to lie as low as possible.
In that case…
“Do I have no choice but to try to find the person who lent the item that I wanted?”
I frowned, weighing my situation. Nearly all my options were gone, and I felt like a mouse trapped inside a maze, where all roads led to the same dead end.
“Hm?”
Just as my thoughts began to scramble in all directions, my eyes were drawn to one of my drawers. It was slightly ajar, and inside, something caught my attention.
An item?
Curious, I reached out for it when—
Ding!
A sudden notification cut my thoughts short.
Pulling the notification down, my breath paused, and my eyes widened.
This…!
Hastily pulling the notification down and checking the date, my mouth hung open as I suddenly laughed.
“I actually forgot…”
Today was the end of the month.
And—
[$747,348 has been credited to your account!]
It was the day that I got paid.
And as if that wasn’t all, I got a message from the Section Chief not long after.
[Meet me in the storage space at the back of the Guild. The equipment that you’ve requested has arrived, and it’s… quite a lot. It’s best if you check it out yourself.]
The VR equipment that I had requested had also arrived.
From one bad news after another to one good news after another.
I didn’t really know how to feel at the moment.
Nonetheless, the anxiety and stress from the situation were still ever-present as I stood up from my seat and left my office.
It was time for me to check out the new equipment.