“What’s a green goblin doing in Japan?” I asked, not expecting it to reply.
“Give me the book and girl.”
It did respond! And way more fluently than I expected. Did that mean it could understand human speech? The goblins made sounds in the game, but they never conversed or anything like that. What was this thing?
It was most likely a monster summoned by a miracle. That would make sense for a corrupted god. Still terrifying, though.
“Give me the book and girl,” the goblin repeated impatiently.
“And if I say no?”
“I will use force.” The goblin stepped towards me slowly.
It had a club, and all I had were my bare hands. I was bigger, but I had no real fighting experience. I wasn’t confident in my chances.
“What do you mean ‘book’?” I asked, playing dumb.
“Don’t be stupid. I mean the holy book. I won’t hurt you if you give it to me.”
It was smart and calm, easier to talk to than that punk in the park. Either way, it knew about the holy book.
“Why are you here? You’re a green goblin. Is someone controlling you?”
“I don’t have to answer your questions. Give me the holy book and the girl.”
It clearly wasn’t keen on unnecessary conversation. I calmed down a little as I realized it could understand me fully, despite its appearance.
“If I refuse, you threatened to use force. Isn’t that against the rules? You’re not allowed to harm other players directly.”
“I heard you were only level 1. Sounds like my sources need updating.”
It knew who I was, and now it knew I was level 2. I sucked in a breath and looked to my side. I whispered to Carol, who was still clinging to my pants, and after a moment’s thought she whispered back to me.
“Stop that. I have many ways to get what I want.”
“Why not just go for it? Get your game over.” I pulled the holy book out of my pocket and flashed it at the goblin. I noticed it twitch, but nothing more than that.
If it tried to take the book by force, all I needed to do was fight back. Assuming this creature was summoned by a miracle, it would be game over the moment it laid a finger on me. I’d let myself get hit. Of course, this was a last resort. I’d rather get this thing to leave us alone without a fuss.
“You’re not a real goblin, are you? You’re some kinda illusion or disguise created by a miracle.” I knew that different gods had access to different miracles, and that those miracles often corresponded to the god’s attributes. I’d seen similar abilities to this one in manga, anime, and games before. That was one small leg up I had from my years of self-quarantine.
“Saw right through me, huh?”
“Wait, I was right?”
“What was that?”
“Oh, nothing…”
Wow, got it in one. The goblin’s figure began to blur, and the next second it was gone and replaced with a slightly plump middle-aged man. He had a threadbare suit and a receding hairline. Your average salaryman.
“I didn’t expect you to see through my powers.”
“You were too tall to be a real green goblin. The in-game ones are shorter.”
This sort of disguise often had the drawback of being unable to account for a person’s height. An illusion needed to cover you completely or parts of your real self would remain visible. In the game, green goblins were about as tall as a human child. This one was obviously taller.
And then there was the way he spoke. The people from the Village of Fate didn’t speak an Earth language—I’d learned that by observing Carol. Our whispered conversation just now was to confirm that she couldn’t understand what he was saying. He wasn’t being automatically translated. He was speaking Japanese.
My guess could have been way off, but the guy himself admitted to it. I wasn’t about to complain.
“I suppose there’s no point hiding anymore.” He smiled amicably at me. “Anyway, how would you like to sell that book to me?”
“I thought you were going to use force?”
“I could simply take it from you, sure. I’d make more money that way, but I thought I’d be nice and offer a negotiation. This way, we can both profit.”
Assuming he was telling the truth, he wasn’t planning to hurt me anymore. Talking was preferable to fighting, but I still had to keep my wits about me.
“So how much would you give me for the book, then?”
“Let’s say five million yen? That’s half its value.”
So he would sell it on for ten million yen, presumably. That was the same price the punk mentioned—at least this guy was being honest about the value.
“You were a shut-in NEET for a long time, weren’t you? That means you need money, right?”
“You know that much about me?”
“Of course. In my job—ah, I’m a salesman by the way. I don’t just sell products; I gather information in certain circumstances as well. I never thought you’d become independent enough to take a small girl—from another world no less—all the way to Hokkaido.”
So he was snooping around my neighborhood and gathering information on me? I was glad I got out of my house as soon as I could.
“I need money myself. The game and its microtransactions—and gambling—are my life now. I was buried in a mountain of debt, you see. My wife and daughter were sick of it all. They left me. I only work now to pay off my debts. I’ve never had any hopes or dreams.”
Isn’t that your own fault?
I wasn’t in a position to criticize anyone, but this guy was the very definition of a waste of air.
“Then I had a turn of good luck. Not only can I make money off this amazing video game, but your book and that little girl are going to net me a hefty bonus. Enough to wipe out my debts completely. Then I can go back to gambling and spending money on the game.”
He really was a waste of air.
Are all the corrupted god players people struggling to make ends meet? This guy, that punk, Yamamoto-san…all the corrupted gods can trade in points for money.
If this was a coincidence, it was a big one. But then again, I struggled with money, and I was on the side of the major gods. Maybe finances weren’t the only factor.
“I understand you need cash, but I’m not going to just hand over this book or the girl. They’re both irreplaceable to me.”
“In the business, this is what we call a breakdown of negotiations. It’s a shame, but I suppose I have no choice but to give up. Please do be sure to contact me if you change your mind. I’ll put my card here.” The man placed his business card down on the floor before turning to leave the carriage.
Was that really all he wanted?
The man paused just before opening the door. “I’ll be going now. Contact me if you manage to survive long enough.”
With those sinister words, he was gone.
I cautiously picked up the card. It was stamped with a company name and a phone number. His own name was scrawled on one side.
“Is it safe yet, Yoshio?” Carol looked up at me anxiously as she clung to my waist.
“We’re done talking. I think it’s probably okay now.” His final words troubled me, but I was hoping the threat was empty. “Just remember, there are lots of bad people like that. Make sure you stay close, okay?”
“Okay!”
We went back to our seats. It was still quiet. The other passengers all remained asleep. A wave of drowsiness crashed over me, but I would be an idiot to give in to it. I needed to stay awake, at least until we got to Hokkaido.
“Yoshio? Yoshio, I’m hungry.” Carol looked up at me, her face flushed as her stomach let out a little gurgle.
“Right, it’s past lunchtime. Shall we have our lunch boxes?” I tried to sound as normal as possible.
“Yeah!”
Fighting on an empty stomach was impossible. We dug into our lunches together.