[Aboard Air Force One heading to the United States.]
“Patrick.”
“Yes, Mr. President.”
“With this single photo, can we smooth over the events that occurred during my recent emergency visit to Korea?”
“Not only can it smooth things over, but it could also serve as a card to put pressure on them.”
Patrick, the aide, enlarged the photo on the cabin’s TV screen.
“Everyone in the United States, no, the entire world, will analyze this photo. It will be clear that you, Mr. President, have engaged in positive negotiations with the ‘Master’. And also, the presence of Mrs. Elaine assisting the ‘Master’ will be undeniable.”
“…There aren’t any reflections or clues in the cups, sunglasses, or pupils, right?”
“As you can see.”
When Patrick zoomed in on the reflection of the President’s sunglasses, a figure was visible, seated with legs crossed.
“Based on physique alone, one could infer the individual is a young man in his mid-twenties. However, thanks to Elaine’s ‘ability’, neither the face nor hair is discernible. The hands resting on their lap… from the skin tone, one might assume the person is Caucasian.”
“I instructed them to leave just enough of their presence visible in the photo, for future purposes.”
“Indeed. Personally, I would have preferred a completely concealed approach…”
“Still lacking, Patrick.”
President Luigi smiled slyly at his aide while fiddling with the ring on his left ring finger.
“Since this photo will spread widely in the international community, it was all the more necessary to establish his presence. As the ‘Master,’ the ‘lord’ of the Perfect Maid.”
“To enhance your political standing, you mean?”
“That, and the fact that he can’t just sit idly while his woman takes a photo with another man, even if that man is the President of the United States.”
“…”
“Anyway, will this photo help us navigate the hearings? Issues like the procedural irregularities during the deployment of the presidential aircraft or the troubles we faced with Korean politicians?”
“It will escalate matters.”
“What?”
President Luigi’s hand, which was about to pour some whiskey into his glass and drink it, stopped.
“Why?”
“Because everyone will want to know. How did President Luigi manage to contact the ‘S-rank Hunter’ in Korea, whom no one else could approach? What kind of discussions took place, and what agreements were made?”
“Surely, they don’t expect me to explain everything myself?”
“Given the urgency of your actions, both opposition and ruling party members are united in their questions. Even key senators have been continuously reaching out, asking, ‘What happened?'”
“Fair enough. From their perspective, it must feel like I’ve kept them in the dark. Understandable.”
President Luigi took a small sip of his whiskey.
“I’ll handle those responses myself. In the meantime, focus on figuring out how to discreetly deliver support to the ‘Master’ without it being intercepted by others, like hackers from China or Russia.”
“Understood. However, Mr. President.”
“Is there something else to discuss?”
“Since the photo was released, there’s one question circulating everywhere. Could it be that…”
“Three months.”
President Luigi held his whiskey glass with his thumb and index finger, extending the other three fingers.
“In three months, they will clear the S-Rank Tower in Pennsylvania.”
“…!”
“There will be plenty of support and numerous negotiations leading up to that. And the most publicly visible result of those negotiations will be the conquest of our S-Rank Tower here in America.”
A Hunter who single-handedly conquers an S-Rank Tower.
Such a thought was bound to arise.
Could it be for… us too?
“Make the official announcement when I return to the White House. Inform the Senate and House that while the details of what we offered remain classified, the deal includes the condition that they will come to America in three months to clear an S-Rank Tower.”
“Understood. I’ll relay this to the other aides as well. …Why three months?”
“It’s a benchmark.”
President Luigi leaned back in his chair.
“If we ask them to come in a month, the world will start clamoring for them to clear an S-Rank Tower every month. And…”
“…….”
“There are still more S-Rank Towers. If they tackle those first, they might arrive here sooner than expected, depending on how quickly they handle things in Korea.”
“You mean they’ll come to America after mitigating the risks in Korea to a certain extent.”
“Exactly. The Master seems unexpectedly favorable toward the United States—or perhaps disillusioned with their own country. We’re incredibly lucky. Of all people, they reached out to me first.”
President Luigi lazily slumped in his chair and waved his smartphone.
“Let me grab a quick nap before we arrive. Upload the photo to social media, with just the caption ‘Mission Accomplished.'”
“Is that truly necessary…?”
“It’s the only way I’ll get a proper four-hour rest.”
Handing his smartphone to Patrick, the President closed his eyes.
“Wake me immediately if there’s any contact from the Master. Moving forward, treat any communication from them as Code Red.”
“Understood. Rest well, Mr. President.”
Patrick adjusted the phone for the perfect angle.
Click.
Click-click-click.
Click-click-click-click-click.
The best shot, edited and perfected, was uploaded to social media, captioned simply with the words “Mission Accomplished”.
It was as if something had been burned white-hot.
But not to death.
* * *
After switching vehicles two or three times at various locations, I finally arrived home in a limousine.
“Whew.”
“You’ve worked hard, Master.”
“You’re the one who did all the hard work.”
The moment I stepped inside, I threw myself onto the bed.
“These past twelve hours have been the most intense and spectacular of my life.”
From being an ordinary office worker who handed in his resignation that morning, meeting the President of the United States around noon, to becoming a dual citizen and finally returning home by evening.
“What would you like for dinner?”
“Elaine.”
“…Yes, Master?”
“Come rest with me.”
I grabbed Elaine’s hand just as she was heading toward the kitchen and pulled her down.
Thump.
With no resistance, she sank onto the bed beside me.
“Master, it’s been a while since your last meal. Even though you didn’t eat with the President for safety reasons, you still—”
“It bothers me if I’m lying here doing nothing while you’re up and about making my meal.”
“…”
“For now, let’s just rest like this.”
Elaine remained still.
I turned my head toward her as we lay there.
“I’m not sure what America’s next move will be, but if we build up some more achievements, I’m thinking of telling them to invest in a major game company.”
“…”
“Then we acquire the company and establish some control over you—or rather, ensure no one messes with you. Not control in a bad sense, but to prevent any tampering.”
Nerfs.
Character deletion.
…Or even server shutdowns.
“When you’re summoned through my phone’s <Grimoire> app, you’re unaffected by their influence. But if I were to boot up the original launcher on a computer, who knows? Things might sync up differently.”
“You’re referring to a kind of ‘Synchronization’?”
“Exactly.”
Elaine, as she exists in my phone’s app, could be considered offline data.
When I enhanced weapons to their max potential on a secondary device using live servers and transferred them to my main phone’s <Grimoire> app, she effectively transitioned to an offline server state.
But if the game company decides to nerf Elaine—say, reducing her critical strike rate to zero—and her data syncs back with the server even momentarily?
‘We can’t leave it like that.’
The game company must be monitored. No nerfs, no deletions, no reckless actions regarding Elaine.
Most importantly, the servers themselves must be safeguarded to prevent any harm to Elaine.
It might sound overly cautious, but better safe than sorry.
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
“If the President and I had posed for a photo holding the agreement together, wouldn’t that have completely hidden your existence?”
Elaine’s question was quintessentially her: thorough, meticulous, and focused on my safety—a trait befitting the Perfect Maid.
“Elaine.”
“Yes, Master?”
“Stay still.”
I pulled out my smartphone and switched to selfie mode, snapping a picture of the two of us lying side by side on the bed.
“See this?”
“You mean the photo?”
“Yeah. Who’s in it?”
“It’s you and me, Master.”
“Exactly. No one else gets to take photos with you like this, let alone spend time alone with you. Understood?”
“…”
Elaine’s expression stiffened momentarily, then softened into a serene smile.
She scooted closer to me.
“This way, it’ll turn out even better. Shall we take another one?”
“Sure.”
Click. Click.
“Oh, right. We just signed a contract with the U.S. President and even got an advance payment. How about ordering some late-night snacks?”
“I could cook, but since we’re short on ingredients, delivery would suffice.”
“While we’re at it, add any groceries you want to the order. Set them for delivery tomorrow, and they’ll arrive at the door. There’s so much we need to stock up on.”
I quickly scanned Elaine from head to toe.
“Like your casual clothes, for one and…”
“And?”
“…What you’re wearing underneath, too.”
“…I’m fine with just one of your hoodies, Master.”
For a moment, I felt a sharp, inexplicable twinge somewhere.
“But I suppose that would make things difficult for you, Master. So, I’ll make sure to dress appropriately. By the way, Master, where will the money come from?”
“About that, they said they’d test it out for about a week or so.”
I pulled out my wallet and retrieved a black credit card.
“If this gets traced, we’ll figure out another way. If it doesn’t, we’ll start using it right away.”
“This is part of the financial support they’re providing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
What did they say again?
Up to $2 million was fair game without causing any issues.
2 million dollars.
The advance payment on the contract.
“…I’m not sure if the government will try to track the purchase history on this, but for now, we’re fine.”
I then took out my personal card instead of the one they provided.
“Credit cards don’t charge until a month later anyway.”
Just like the money I’d spent on weapon pulls didn’t immediately leave my account.
“Let’s go all out. We can spend up to 200, no, even 2,000 like maniacs.”
“Two thousand? Has the money already arrived in your account?”
“Not dollars—won.”
The ultimate dream for those leaving a job:
“Let’s flex with my severance pay. Combine it with the cash I already had, and let’s really go wild.”
Finally splurging on everything I wanted with my severance pay.
“First of all….”
“First of all…?”
I picked up my secondary phone.
“Let’s start with filial piety.”
I launched the game where Elaine had originated.
“First, I’m going to buy a ton of stamina with real money, then deck you out with the best relics and accessories. That way, you’ll get even stronger.”
As Elaine’s Summoner, I had one job.
“Elaine, you can become stronger. Even more than you are now.”
Sitting here, in this room, playing the game.
“I’ll make you the strongest. Stronger than anyone else in this world. But in return…”
“In return?”
“You’ll stay by my side for life. Deal?”
Elaine didn’t answer with words. Instead, she grasped my pinky with her own.
“Of course, Master.”
Her promise, sealed with a pinky swear.
“I will stay by your side for the rest of my life.”
* * *
[Hmph.]
[Only one summoning stack left…]
Inside the smartphone, the AI hesitated.
