Of course the mercenary know that some questions must be spoken aloud even when nobody actually want to hear the unpleasant answer, when they already figured it out. "Dear grand master... Do you managed to finish the enemy boss?... Or are you fooked us all for the second time for today?! Again?! You do realize the but pain we will be in, if this mission will actually fall onto red numbers? We all had an expenditures to show off!"
It was noticeable how tense was the body of the four eye man. "Well…" As he said this word, the tension in room get a heaver, and it look like he was struggling to found the correct words. "I, going under radar went well… But, they quickly realize they walked into a trap. I... overdo the sweep up and the boss got a time to run away, erasing his track. There was not even point to try establishing a pursuing." Even if nobody actually spoke up anything, thought the atmosphere in bar was felt how the trio from the rest of team, scream inside of theirs souls something like: (Are you kidding me!!) But this guy decide to continue speaking on his serious tone. "There was a whole line of an unexpected obstacles that surprised me, which leaded into cooling my overwhelming initiative. What more; the enemy boss managed to exploit the unseen hole in our plan to much well, to mark it as a coincidence. The fact is: they had been preparing for us quite ahead of events and managed to deflect our checkmate. They side not just survived they managed to thrive from this clash."
Woman in dress lays her head onto the table staring at her hand, on how her fingers were trying to scratching the wooden counter. "This sour meowing sound like; (The fall of the Great-One.); was actually caused by his own fame." For some reason it sounded sad and off.
Even the scientist join the heavy atmosphere when her UwU smile was at this moment obviously forced. "Well that suck, because that make us, who are in trap. We cannot go to wild, because they already know to well our tricks. And we know that a certain news company will eager to jump on it. Its not just this mission, our entire guild was set to fall from the begging. Being popular actually created a stain of envy that resulted in a plan to dispose of a rival in the competition. This time they really went around making sure we will lose not just this mission but the entire game."
On contrast the protagonist was the only one who was not (depressed) as he was just (lost?). He felt so distant from the conversation that the rest had. And yet he fell like he shall say at last something, as if he know that he is not just a part of this team, but somehow had a certain responsibility that they (don't win jet?). But again, he wasn't remembering a thing. As he stared blankly at the desk in front of him he caught himself speaking his thoughts aloud. "Something don't feel right about this at all... Is the actual defeating of the others, really that important? If what has been told to me about the mission was a true, then all that shall be done from this side is keep the other side busy. Its don't seem to me that we shall done more when all what hat been asked from us to do is just act as decoy. Is winning the entire clash the only way out of this?"
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The grand master make the same (What?!!) expression as cat-girl and mercenary dit, on what the main guy just said. Then he quickly asked the others. "Is he like this, for the entire day?" But as no answer has coming and the rest just averted theirs gazes, even when the protagonist look at them for the explanation or help, the man whit eye-glasses just sighed as it its again on him to explain things. "Not at once... I abandoned a mission... I was recalled or reach a dead end, but never forfeit or give up. I always founded a way how to push the mission forward… Like when I moved a part of it on others who were more suitable for it. But now we face a farce whit overstepped boundaries, when our space for maneuvering was reduced to jack box." [children toy]
The mercenary acting as bartender place in front of him a glass of fine liquor. "Maybe his lack of attachment to our situation, has something to do with the fact; that someone used up all his dopamine when they had a moment of privacy." [Dopamine - neurotransmitter in brain, most notably involved in helping us feel pleasure as part of the brain's reward system. Like a sex.]
But the cat-girl woman noticed the meaning of that fancy comment. "Enough whit the subtitle paraphrasing! I am different type of predator. And before anybody state anything fancy once again: I truly just found him slacking on a floor and he was refusing to wake up for a while. So I was only a little rough whit him. Without me he will still be out."
And of course the discussion will not be completed if the scientist was not part of it. "Relax! Nobody blaming anybody. But maybe the lost boy just make a critical difference in this story that we prayed for. I mean; its for the protagonist to help the party when they got stuck on unsolvable obstacle." As others member of team just look at her whit sincere interest to know more, this woman actually puffed her chest whit pride as she got a full hand to present her theory. "Can you all imagine the chaos when a word come out; that our savior having a partial amnesia? The news titles will be: (A pure page of paper, holding the unstained pride, that will be envied, lusted for, causing wrath and greed, when it will be laziness [sloth] that will be crawled [gluttony] for quite long, when it is actually a blissful ignorance.)"
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In that moment a vein of blood appeared on the forehead of four eyed man and that vein pulsed. "I will appreciate if you change the wording of that sentence to something like: (He was like an unstained paper that spoke about humility, showing kindness in chastity, inspiring patience and charity, pointing out the power of Diligence and succeed of temperance. All thank to the undying vigilance.)"
This scientist girl throw her glance back at him. "All of those are just opposite extremes of the same bullshit thing, that determinate what one need to do; in maintaining his balance." Suddenly she was like a daughter in tantrum nearly barking at him. "Do you thought that I will don't notice the blood in your mount, when you forced yourself to spoke up those (words of old mans) aloud? Daaaddy!!?... For just (who?), do you pretending to be the perfect male hero?"
Immediately after that (daddy) nickname was spoken up, the cat-girl woman stared down on the lilliputian scientist whit a blank expression.
And of course even the bartender let his anger to be noticeable in his voice. "So you want from us to fook ourselves, by abandoning the missions, stating it was to much for us, and go playing shitty games or something?"
This make the protagonist got nervous to the point he start sweating as he somehow saw an (illusion?) of dark aura gathering around the supposed grand master. "Oh sorry I don't know its so important. I just… tried to help."
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But on contrast this illusion disappeared the moment when that man sighed in defeat. "No, it's okay. All you concerns are on place. And what's was that comment about a partial amnesia? If this is a joke, then is a bad one. So quit it out! If it was actually a true, then I am the one who will have a serious brain puzzle to solve or face a hint of bankruptcy if I dint want to lose the control over the project. Or are this some kind of cunning plan how to force me into retirement before I actually finish my grand work? Even role-playing shall have its limits..." Then he suddenly realized something. "Wait a second! This is so stupidly simple it actually may work... My hunt of perfection can be actually crowned by a big bang on nonsense and lack of useful achievements. Actually, nobody can blame anybody when they will mess on theirs last round of the game, to just have a fun and explore new thing or frontiers."
Of course this statement make the protagonist to revalue his involving. "Why I suddenly have a feeling that you will end up in a theme park?"
Only a suggestion on this type of entertainment institution make the mercenary slam his hand on the counter as he bark. "Don't even try to suggest something crazy like a setting a trap operation in that theme park! It will be a nightmare to deal whit it. Specially when those are designed to loose the guard for a fan experience."
Somehow the scientist was on this moment more interested in dealing whit the big guy that the rest of the party. "Why the stress? We shall simple ask if (we) know, that they got away? Or if they buy that we thinking there is nothing for us to do more, so we drop the guard. Oh I know! We will need a suitable bait for it to work perfectly. Like when a certain couple unaware of danger will use the last day on mission to go on unscheduled date. And the rest will act as wing-mans."
Without a hesitation the woman in dress tried to back out of this deal as if it was not about her: "Can I stay out of this one?" But the other female drag her closer to her and whit a silent conspiracy talk, she whisper into her ear so no other can hear them. She was definitely trying to convince her to join the task. Because on half of it, the cat glanced whit corner of her eye on the protagonist, it must have been something like if certain two will go on that date: (Then there will be probability that certain boy will make his tongue a slip. That kind which will reveal that he is faking his amnesia and then certain feline [cat] will be there to throw it into his face.) But in the end even if the kitty dint like the idea, she give up on the temptation and glanced to the ceiling. "Lets do the theme park."
Seeing the lack of enthusiasm on her side, the main character just must make a dry comment: "Why I have the feelings that having a fun on my account is what someone here actually aiming for? And if we are on it; when this supposed mission will end?..."
.
The protagonist want to say something more but his body shivered by goosebumps when the eyeglasses guy giggled in a weirdo way. No! All other got a cold sweat drop on their faces, as this guy make a (monster?) like smile. Not to mention that the power aura around him was back. "Fook it! Let's do this! Let's all have a fun on a theme park! It will be like when a company crew meetup was stuck on resort for one more day because the train was canceled due blizzard. So it will be not too weird for them, to spend the extra pay day doing random stuff. On a second though, we can place the beacon there marking it as the extraction point, while doing stuff. And if the boss will actually dared to show up, then the observatory will have enough data for years. Heck, let's turn this into a comedy." Then he actually notice they stiffness and restore his sanity making an honest smile. "Too bad we will don't had that much of time to try everything. But let's tried to make maximum from it."
The rest of them don't buy that he dint have a side motive which he doesn't mentioned. The one, that can result in something extravagant like a total destruction of that park, if not even more. They stayed silent until the lilliputian scientist dint overcome her fear, probably by making up another crazy idea how to grade up any entertainment. She was back radiantly UwU smiling. "Oh common you all, don't worry! It will be fun."
.
Suddenly she turned on her chair facing the door out of the hidden cafe. Then she start speaking like she had been the narrator in TV show who read the next episode preview to the supposed audience. "As the heroes will crash the theme park to let out some steam and relax; the expectation of development on multiple front are overtaking the atmosphere. Will our kitty manage to finally open her hart to the hero who forget? Will the other-side stay silent to our withdraw from the competition? And more importantly, will they try to crush the most important date?... Or we can expect a tragedy? Like an accident that will occur during ridding an attraction in a park where it was already a days, when the last scheduled maintenance has been done? Or some tsundere will freak out and finally (isekai!) certain someone to another world."
Even the rest of the party turned they faces to the door as if there was someone or at last a camera that record everything they do as some kind of popular show. Whit her finishing her (next episode preview) whit a line: "Stay tuned for the next episode." ;she waved toward the door a (bye!) gesture, and the cat-girl, the mercenary and grand master followed her example; and expressed they own (bye!), as if they were truly a cast on some show who just break a (fourth wall).
The only one who dint do the (Bye!) gesture, was the protagonist who had a feeling that he shall stay silent for the entire conversation. Additionally he got worry about the unnecessary amount of effort of what those people around him will do just to screw whit him. ("Wait! Did she actually call me a protagonist?!")
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[Notes]
-Shit game, or shitty game is the English translation of kusoge, a Japanese term for video games seen as not good or poorly made. It can actually mean a game with a frustrating difficulty.