After numerous probes, Kanako finally came. Xu Yang sighed in relief. What does this mean, Kanako? Why send Asa Katsuragi to deliver the message? There’s really no need for such trouble; you are now Xisheng’s daughter, a world away from us. What Pan Ruiyi said was true, "Mortals as pigs, the Witch as a dog, Kanako as a god."
All the changes in Kanako made him uncomfortable, yet he wasn’t about to turn and run, so Xu Yang stepped out of the shadows.
The moment Xu Yang appeared, Senzoune turned toward him like a turret automatically locking onto its target. Seeing Senzoune’s movement, Kanako also looked at Xu Yang, her eyes lighting up.
"Is it you? Xu Yang?" she examined Xu Yang, "Dressed so coolly, I hardly recognized you."
"Same with you." Xu Yang scrutinized Kanako repeatedly.
The reunion, with Kanako now perfectly styled, flawlessly beautiful, as though she stepped right out of a business elite’s promotional photograph, dressed by Xisheng’s rules—it made her a paragon of Xisheng’s prestige and image wherever she went.
Kanako... Kojima Kanako.
Seeing Kanako now, Xu Yang felt a void in his memory, unable to reconstruct the previous image of Kojima Kanako—the dazed, weak, and physically uncoordinated Kanako, the one who loved playing video games—she seemed erased from the world without a trace.
"Long time no see," Kojima Kanako smiled slightly, "Why so silent?"
"You once said that Xisheng’s home was like a nightmare," Xu Yang said.
"Did I?" Kanako looked puzzled, "Have I said such a thing?"
Gunfire echoed from afar, and Senzoune looked towards the sound, raising her wrist to her face, speaking quietly with the other security personnel.
"No threat," Senzoune said, "Just some street conflicts."
"Let’s go inside and talk," Kanako suggested, pointing to the luxurious car she had arrived in, "Aizu City is quite tumultuous, a bit frightening."
Xu Yang felt only irritation, wanting to flee this beautifully costumed puppet before him. His gaze drifted to the car, its commercial name "Old Chamber Black Moon," worth 9.6 million Funds, elongated in structure, retro in design.
Memories were like illusions, and Xu Yang’s mood was heavy. He scanned the vehicle, no other armed personnel or weapon systems in sight. Kojima Kanako’s sincerity was full, her coming to Aizu City itself a risk given her current status, indicating she genuinely wanted to talk with Xu Yang.
Senzoune helped them into the car, Xu Yang sliding into the luxurious vehicle, with Kanako entering from the other side. The interior was spacious and sophisticated, like a narrow hotel room—limited space but fully equipped. The back had been transformed into a resting area, the car decked with a full mat of tatami, and at the rear, a 60-inch smart screen displaying "Dance of Flowers" with its gentle melody from local traditional music, the backdrop showcasing the scenic Maone Mountain and cherry blossoms, a blanket of white snow.
"Quite a peaceful setting, isn’t it?" Kanako knelt at one side of the tatami, looking at Xu Yang with soft eyes. Xu Yang sat opposite her, feeling as though he was observing a stranger. The luxury car felt like a cage, blasting air conditioning. Senzoune closed the door from the outside and then climbed onto the roof to keep watch.
He realized this was not a reunion, but an encounter with a stranger; one who would spout nonsensical words, further erasing the cute girl that once lived in Xu Yang’s memory.
"You don’t seem very happy," Kanako said elegantly, "Would you like something to drink? I have everything here."
Speaking and acting had become too simple now. After her brain modification which implanted an auxiliary decision chip, Kanako had an AI known as "Retainer·Think Tank" providing her with dialogue options. All she had to do was to repeat them verbatim. Each sentence’s potential effect was indicated—for instance, her previous line had a 90% probability of making the person in front of her happy and a 60% chance of sparking a hint of infatuation.
"Was it you who helped Asa Katsuragi win the bid?" Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered to look at her.
"Yes," Kanako nodded cheerfully, "Everything went smoothly."
Xu Yang detected a high-end perfume on Kanako, and Digital Mind popped up a warning panel before his eyes, cautioning him against the intake of synthetic pheromones. Modern people can recognize each other’s backing resources and power simply by smell, and even if Xu Yang couldn’t identify the brand, he understood that this scent signified the highest echelon of power and influence.
These synthetic pheromones could affect how others perceived someone, enhancing interpersonal relations; they were an essential element of high-level business meetings. As discussions reached their latter stages, with the scent permeating the air, the participants’ minds drifted from their business plans.
A terrifying silence fell inside the car. Xu Yang wanted to revert Kanako back, but he knew he had to take it slow and couldn’t rush.
"Why aren’t you speaking?" Kanako tilted her head to look at him.
"...You’ve suddenly appeared because you want our support," Xu Yang said. "You want Farosa’s help, you want Xu Yang’s hacking skills, you want the people on the Anonymous to rally again and help you take resources, to improve your standing within the entire family... Are you sure you want to do this?"
Kanako revealed a relaxed smile, making a sweeping gesture in the air as if to cut burdensome emotions in two with a saber, such was the thought process of Honma Noriko’s daughter now.
"Yeah," Kanako said, "You see very clearly. After all, don’t we both understand very well what the other wants? You, Asa Katsuragi, and Farosa are trying to control Aizu City now, and I want to be favored by my mother, to climb higher within the Xisheng system. So, come help me. My soaring status within Xisheng will also be very profitable for you. This is Xisheng! The strongest, wealthiest financial dynasty in the world!"
"Profitable?" Xu Yang shook his head.
"Yes, a win-win is the best business strategy I’ve learned," Kanako nodded lightly. "I get rich, you get rich, our resources complement each other, each showing our strengths. My mother has high regard for me, but I also need capital; you all are excellent talents, currently in possession of favorable conditions. I want you to help me, and in exchange, I’ll open the gates of convenience for you. I am now Xisheng’s special commissioner for Kyoto Infinity, with great power."
As Xisheng’s "special commissioner," Kanako had also become one of Xisheng’s tentacles. Xu Yang looked at Kanako, whose shell had lost her self, becoming a walking symbol of a massive corporation.
Honma Noriko, now 135 years old, had extended her life beyond its due, facing the threat of death. Given the level of dedication she had to her pioneering career, it was impossible for her to live to this age under normal circumstances. Honma Noriko also understood that the financial empire she had established with her own hands might crumble with her death. Kojima Kanako had just returned to the family; her slate was clean, her background clear, without entangled interests – naturally becoming a particularly good tool for Honma Noriko, one that could be dispatched to investigate the loyalty of various subsidiaries. This was the value of the special commissioner position.
The Xisheng System’s capital held a 70% share in Kyoto Infinity and a 35% share in Black Fire Innovation. Now, in this corporate warfare, Xisheng was profiting from both sides, silently collecting all the chips.
"I only talk with Kojima Kanako," Xu Yang stood up. "Chatting with the special commissioner of Xisheng is quite boring."
"But I am Kojima Kanako," she said with a beaming smile.
"Goodbye." Xu Yang moved to open the car door, ready to leave, but his gaze fixated on Kanako’s face. "Don’t think of threatening me."
Kojima Kanako was at a loss for words; she did indeed want to threaten Xu Yang with some harsh words, so the "Think Tank" decision-making support system installed in her brain provided her with 30 phrase tactics for intimidating Xu Yang.
"Once I leak the news of your survival to Kyushu High Pavilion," Kanako chose the most practical threat from the list, "you won’t believe that you can be as carefree as you are now."
Kanako’s words wounded Xu Yang, but he indeed caught the brief moment of bewilderment behind her eyes, a high frequency of interactions between electrical signals and neurons, indicating some degree of mind control – not due to digitization of the mind, but because of the control exerted by some kind of decision-making assistance chip.
At this stage, it was not yet possible to scan Kojima Kanako directly; the Kanako of today must have installed top-quality anti-scanning implants. Forceful detection would only raise her suspicions.
"Is it you talking, or is that voice inside your head talking?" Xu Yang challenged. "Is everything you’re saying now truly coming from your heart? Are you a cripple who needs crutches? Can’t you communicate with people without options provided by your neural accessories?"
Kanako was startled by Xu Yang’s sudden aggressiveness; in her memory, Xu Yang had always been a kind and informal person.
This subconscious panic, in Xu Yang’s opinion, confirmed that Kanako still retained parts that could be called human and was not entirely mechanical.
At the same time, faced with Xu Yang’s ridicule, the "Think Tank" AI provided Kanako with a series of defensive strategies: the best move was to immediately materialize her threats, the next best one was to summon Senzoune to control Xu Yang, and the last resort was to change the subject.
Seeing Kanako’s indecision, Xu Yang knew she was still continuously choosing.
"Is this the kind of game you really want to play, with no freedom at all?" Xu Yang didn’t give her a chance to think. "This is the very type of game you hate, isn’t it? Full of clichés, where plot choices don’t change the story’s course, paths are set, endings are finite, giving players no other possibilities. If you truly want to treat the real world like a game, your choices should be very diverse."
The "Think Tank" AI presented Kojima Kanako with 5 different phrase tactics to make an appropriate counterattack, even highlighting the best option, flashing bright green in front of her eyes, urging Kanako to quickly utter it word for word to resolve the predicament before her.
Kanako clenched her teeth.
"Wait!" she raised her voice. "This is all messed up!"
"Not at all," Xu Yang pushed the car door open. "—Come with me; I’ll take you to a place that belongs to you."