"What?! The stocks have plummeted?!"
Margin trading. It's an industry that seems to have been created by the devil himself.
The "investor me" dropped the bag he had packed for the retreat.
Now, I'm a frozen corpse. Today is the first day of a long weekend. Stock trading in this world is open year-round.
The calendar used here is different from the one in my former world, and since religions differ, this is natural. My previous world adopted the Gregorian calendar, but the one used here is different.
Trading in stocks does not stop on weekends and holidays. Therefore, stock trading is alive. By the way, even Greenwich Mean Time is not adopted.
I was standing in front of the Onogoro Sales Office's electronic bulletin board at the securities exchange, losing my mind.
I was dizzy from seeing the green minus signs.
"Oh no. My money is disappearing..."
I wiped the foam and nearly passed out.
I somehow managed to put some energy into my shaking knees.
My sanity value was decreasing. 100... 70... 50.
"Why is this happening..."
Tears were about to flow. No, they were flowing. Tears were streaming down my cheeks. A hollow feeling emerged in my heart. I immediately began gathering information on my smartphone.
Suddenly, newly established companies that I had never heard of before were causing chaos in the market.
Not only that, but large corporations and conglomerates were being exposed for their misconduct one after another. It's completely chaotic.
Because of this, the stocks I owned experienced a terrifying fluctuation overnight. A horrifying decline.
Looking at the cliff-like chart made me feel nauseous.
"I have to file for bankruptcy. Debt restructuring..."
As I muttered my delirious thoughts, I walked unsteadily like a marionette with cut strings.
"I'm done. It's...the end. I'll leave the rest to you."
I collapsed face down onto the pavement of Onogoro's main street, quietly.
sanity value: ZERO.
I rolled my eyes and passed out.
"I'm...done too. I wanted to...live more. Perfectly...finished. Ahhhh!! Sht!! Fck! Fck! Fck! ..."
I continued to scream incoherently and collapsed in exhaustion.
I gently extended my right index finger and left a dying message.
"The culprit is...Ya..."
Then I died quietly.
Or rather, I pretended to be dead.
"What is that person doing?"
"Don't look! Maybe they're crazy. Poor thing."
"They're messed up."
"Isn't it some kind of performance?"
"Gross."
"They seem too suspicious. Call the police. They must be on drugs."
"I'll call them."
The passersby whispered, ignoring me.
I couldn't hear them.
After all, everything in front of me had turned pure white.
Please be quiet. My heart and money died with me.
"Excuse me, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Suddenly, someone called out to me, but my vision was distorted by tears.
I thrashed around like a tantrum-throwing child, lying spread-eagled on the street, tears pouring down my face.
"I'm dead!! Help me!! I'm gonna die!! I'm Earth!! Don't touch me!! Don't touch me!! What the hell! You brought handcuffs!! Hey, don't mess around!"
"Hey! Hold them down! Call for backup. Get the handcuffs ready!"
"Yes!" I caught a glimpse of a red light at the edge of my vision.
.
.
.
/three-person viewpoint/
"Sorry for being late," Kakko, also known as Kei, said as he looked at his watch, realizing that they were already 30 minutes late for their appointment.
"Well, it's nothing new," Hisui replied in a different tone, playing the role of Kei's older sister.
"So, how's Kei's plan going? Is everything going smoothly?" she asked.
"Yes, thanks to your support. Right now, I'm focusing on raising capital. I'm using investment funds to manipulate stock prices, and my subordinates are taking advantage of their positions to expose and publicly disclose any wrongdoing by those who have been thriving in society," Kei explained.
"What's the point of all this?" Hisui asked.
"Well, the first goal is to shake up the maniacs who control the capital. The second goal is to prevent the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. But there's something even more important. After acquiring a large amount of capital, I'm creating funds to build a giant shelter to protect civilians in case of the worst-case scenario," Kei revealed.
"What's a shelter? I've never heard of it," Hisui admitted.
"I see. The DROTS project has been entrusted to me. I'm currently having my subordinates build a theme park, which will serve as a cover for a massive granary and water source. We've already accomplished that. Right now, we're rapidly constructing facilities to accommodate civilians. We're also gathering food, disaster relief supplies, minerals, and petroleum fuels through trade. We've also acquired a food processing factory. As a bonus, we've also dispatched scouts to Kabuki Town to gather information from the underworld. This is all part of Amachi's plan," Kei explained.
"You're doing something on a huge scale behind the scenes, aren't you?"
Hisui was honestly amazed.
"Amachi-kun isn't stupid. At first, I didn't understand why he would engage in the absurdity known as the loan shark business. But then I thought about it. The goal is not simply to collect money. The true goal is to get close to the sons and daughters of the nobles, conglomerates, and large corporations who have been committing fraud while attending this school. And then to hold their weaknesses against them. Infiltrate the core of many industries and economies. Pull on those delicate threads like a spider's web and shake up the corrupt industrial capitalists who have been ruling over this world. Acquire many capitals and use them as a stepping stone to save as many innocent people as possible."
Hisui rubbed her chin and pondered, her eyes rolling around.
"I see. I think I understand it for the most part. The scale is so large that it's just sigh-worthy."
"As expected of you, Hisui-san."
Hisui placed her hand on her chin and thought again.
"Mahoro Academy has many children of prominent figures from around the world enrolled. They've been using them skillfully. By exploiting their weaknesses, they're able to bridge the gap between the wealthy and the common people, which would otherwise be impossible. Unscrupulous wealthy people are fooled into participating in a ridiculous underground casino. This was the first test. To see if they were trustworthy or not. If they're not trustworthy, the second step is to hold their weaknesses against them.They lure foolish people into the class competition, which is treated as a major casino event. Then, they win with debt and disgrace."
Hisui had come to a realization. The meaning of portraying weakness.
(Is this why a powerful person like him is hiding his abilities, for the success of this plan?... The weaker one appears, the higher the odds in a casino. Those who consider themselves strong psychologically look down on the weak. It's possible to make them drop their guard. Was that his aim? It feels like one of my doubts has been cleared.)
"Exploiting weakness, infiltrating the economic center, acquiring capital, and preparing for the worst-case scenario.
Certainly, it's a feat that can only be accomplished at this academy.
Truly impressive."
"That's generally correct, but that's not all, I believe."
"There's more?"
"Yes. Only Amachi-kun would be able to anticipate what comes next. He's just too clever."
"I agree with that. I can't read his thinking at all."
"Absolutely."
"He said that he came to this school to oppose the four evil knights of the malevolent gods who seek to destroy the world. I didn't believe everything he said. However, after he spoke about the evil known as "Maniacs," a mysterious magic circle appeared in the sky. The Maniacs possessed Yonhishi and manipulated the Rocksmith, a massive bank that the poor Maniacs controlled from behind the scenes. Many famous companies, which built their capital unnaturally due to the Magnolia crisis, were among those funded by Rocksmith. Furthermore, the Maniacs he spoke of are infesting the Cathedral, a philanthropic society, and the COR, a criminal network. All of these are part of a major incident that could lead to a world war, which seems to be linked to the Magnolia crisis. Connecting the dots, it doesn't seem like he's lying. Conspiracies that we commoners don't know about are swirling in this world."
"He has been fighting alone all this time, hasn't he?"
"Yes, it's terrifying. He knows so much information, and he's also such a powerful person. I think he has survived many dangerous situations."
"Even though we're almost the same age as him."
"Yes, but I also have the opportunity to become stronger this time. I hope to see the same scenery as him, even if it's just a little. I want to walk with him too."
"That's what I think too, Kei. It's almost time. Let's make contact with his party first."
"Yes, that's right. If he's late, it's probably part of some plan."
"Want to bet on how far ahead he's thinking, Kei?"
"Sure, how about 1000 moves ahead?"
Hisui shook her index finger and said, "He can see the future. The distant future."
"I don't stand a chance," Kakko scratched his head.