Central Zurich.
A members-only restaurant tucked among old alleyways.
I had been invited to a place where you couldn’t even enter unless you were a member.
A place where the Zurich skyline, the Alps, and even the lake could be seen at a glance.
The view alone was worth the price.
Of all the rooms, I was shown to the one and only private dining room.
When I opened the door and entered, Eduardo, the Brazilian executive, was already there waiting.
“What did you want to see me about?”
Without even sitting down,
without so much as a greeting, I went straight to the point.
Eduardo was flustered.
“Pardon?”
“I asked why you called me here. If you have nothing to say, I’ll just leave.”
I asked again, dryly.
“Ah… It’s not anything in particular… We’re going to be working together from now on, so I thought it’d be good to see each other’s faces and get acquainted in advance. That’s why I invited you. Just to have a meal together.”
Eduardo answered, covering his embarrassment with a laugh.
“Do we need a personal relationship to work? I guess Parallax does business based on personal ties?”
Eduardo had only meant it lightly, as an attempt to get along,
but my answer was as cold as a blast of winter wind.
Eduardo was both flustered and angry.
Eduardo hadn’t come here because he wanted to, either.
He had only come because Rodrigo had ordered him to win Alex over.
He had planned to feed him a decent meal,
get him some drinks, figure out what he liked, and put it in his hand.
If he liked money, he would give him money,
and if he liked women, he would send women his way.
He hadn’t expected to succeed on the first try.
He had planned to proceed slowly, matching his tastes.
He had intended to tame him over time.
That was why he had chosen this place.
Somewhere moderately luxurious,
somewhere that would make the other person feel they were being treated well.
If it had been up to Eduardo’s tastes, he would have gone somewhere with flashing neon signs and half-naked women dancing.
And yet this bastard of a proxy had shown up and immediately
made it obvious that he didn’t like the place.
He hadn’t even sat down yet.
His tone was arrogant,
and his eyes were cold.
This young punk had come as a proxy and was already strutting around with his neck stiff.
Normally, Eduardo would have flipped the table right here.
He would have snapped that stiff neck.
He was itching to put a few holes in him with a gun.
That would make everything far easier.
But this time, he couldn’t.
Right now, that insolent proxy had the upper hand,
and Eduardo was the one who had to bow.
He had to humor him.
Rodrigo had stressed it to him again and again.
He had to make a good impression.
He had to build a good relationship.
Eduardo held back the anger twisting inside him
and spoke with a smile.
“Wow, you’re refreshingly direct. You’re right. Personal ties aren’t necessary for work. But it’s also true that things go a little better when they exist. Then let’s leave out the personal ties and just have dinner. The food here is good. It’s hard to get a reservation, too, so it’d be a waste to just throw it away. Let’s just eat. I also ordered a good wine in advance. So let’s simply enjoy the meal. That much isn’t so bad, is it?”
Eduardo answered with a smile.
It was unexpected.
I had thought he would flip the table if I provoked him,
but he was a man who knew how to hide his emotions fairly well.
“Then I’ll just eat.”
I answered.
To be honest, I was curious.
Why he had wanted to see me,
and what he intended to say after calling me here.
I already knew.
At least I knew that the very fact he had arranged this meeting meant he wanted to win me over.
He would probably try to coax me into joining their side, right?
I could guess that much.
But what would he offer to make me join him?
That was what I was curious about.
I wanted to know what he would bet on me.
I was also curious just how powerful these people were,
and who was working with them.
Because I was curious about that, I sat down.
“Sure. Let’s eat.”
With that answer, I sat in the chair across from Eduardo.
Eduardo spoke to the waiter.
“Bring what I ordered.”
“Understood.”
Eduardo turned his head and looked at me.
“You do know who I am, right?”
“Yes. I heard you’re the head of the Brazilian cartel.”
“You came properly informed. Our Parallax has quite a bit of influence in Brazil. Or should I say South America? We pretty much have all of South America in our grip.”
Eduardo began bragging with a sly smile.
“To be honest, nothing happens in South America without our permission. As for just how powerful we are…”
Eduardo was still talking when the food came out.
The first dish served
was an amuse-bouche of smoked Swiss truffle cream and caviar on mini toast.
Without listening to Eduardo,
I put the amuse-bouche into my mouth without hesitation.
There was no point listening anyway.
He would just pile on a bunch of MSG about how amazing Parallax was, how amazing their cartel was,
and how tremendous their influence was.
On the other hand, the amuse-bouche I ate in one bite was truly delicious.
The deep, earthy aroma of the mushrooms and the briny scent of the caviar burst in my mouth and melted softly.
This is good.
Without realizing it, I nodded.
I suppose food had to be at least this good to operate as a membership-only restaurant.
It really was an impressive flavor.
The food continued to come out.
Oven-roasted lobster, black truffle consommé, golden-brown Dover sole, wagyu ribeye steak, and dessert.
The wines paired with each course in between were also excellent.
I didn’t listen to a word Eduardo said,
and focused only on eating.
“…At that time, even the president came running out. Hahaha.”
“…”
Chomp, chomp.
“Looks like the food suits your taste?”
Only then did Eduardo seem to sense something was off and spoke,
mixing in a hint of sarcasm.
“Yes. It’s delicious.”
I answered honestly.
Because it really was delicious.
Eduardo let out a short laugh, as if he found it absurd.
“Should I get you a membership here? You can come eat whenever you want.”
I shook my head.
“No, that’s all right. Food like this tastes good when you have it once in a while. If you eat it too often, you get tired of it. And if you eat things like this too often, you can’t eat other food anymore.”
Perhaps my answer was unexpected, because Eduardo laughed.
“Hahaha. You know how to eat. That’s right. If you get too used to high-end food, it becomes uncomfortable when you eat other things. That’s why you have to keep trying new foods and challenging yourself.”
Eduardo paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued.
“Speaking of which… how about the Alex Group tries something new this time?”
“Something new?”
I set down the fork I had been eating dessert with and looked at Eduardo.
“No, it’s nothing major. We’re going to be working together anyway, aren’t we? But wouldn’t it be inconvenient if Mateo is stuck in the middle? We have plenty of people who are good at their jobs, too. Narrowing the communication channel down to one person is just putting restrictions on ourselves.”
For a moment, my expression twisted without my realizing it.
Seeing that, Eduardo changed his words.
“Well. I’m not saying we should cut Mateo out completely… It’s fine to work together. I’m just saying, wouldn’t it be possible to do a few projects separately with us? We can make the terms very favorable.”
“Terms?”
“Yes. Terms can be adjusted. In the end, the Alex Group is trying to make money and expand its influence, isn’t it? But moving directly with us will be much better than moving with Parallax in between.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because Parallax, having lost Adrian, is already in a state of chaos. There’s no center yet. The reason I’m suggesting we proceed without Mateo is that if things go through that side, they won’t move properly. It’ll be hard even to get started. But we’re different. We’re quick, the market is wide, and we have influence. We have enough room to meet your conditions, too. If you work with us, you won’t regret it.”
I widened my eyes as if I had no idea and asked back.
“What? Things won’t move forward?”
“Mateo isn’t from the field. Although he was in the military, he isn’t someone who cut his teeth in the field like us. So he doesn’t understand the situation well. It’ll be completely different from when Adrian was around. There’s a high chance Mateo won’t be able to take control of Parallax.”
“Then what happens?”
“We’ll have to see the situation at that time. Either the chairman changes, or the organization splits, right?”
I let out a short sigh.
It was to make myself look as if I had many concerns.
“Hmm…”
“For your information, there are already quite a few people who say they won’t work with Mateo.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Honestly, it’s not like it looks good when a guy who was working alongside everyone until recently gets his hands on some ring and tries to play king. It’s not like he’s the Lord of the Rings. Mateo already has no faction inside Parallax. On the other hand, there are many people who have worked with us for a long time.”
I was a little surprised.
It was faster than I had thought.
It meant these guys had already started working internally.
I deliberately answered one beat late.
“It sounds like something I need to seriously think about.”
“That’s right. And, Mr. Proxy.”
Eduardo leaned slightly toward me.
“Yes?”
“Honestly, you’re the same, aren’t you? This is all about making money, but no matter how hard you work day and night, how much are you really going to earn? A salary and nothing more, right? Maybe a little incentive on top of that? But if you work with us, it’s different. If you speak well of us and help us establish a direct line, we’ll compensate you separately.”
“Compensate me?”
“Well, if you prefer cash, we’ll launder it properly and give it to you. Or we can give it to you in coins. Candycoin should be fine, right? Candycoin is all the rage these days. You should buy some too, Mr. Proxy. They say it’s going to rise tremendously. There’s information that several countries in South America are already working behind the scenes to use it as currency. It’s information from the Hot Line, so it should be reliable. I’m only giving this information to you, Mr. Proxy.”
Eduardo spoke with a grin.
I took a moment to organize the situation.
“So, to summarize, working with Mateo may not go well. Mateo has no support base inside Parallax. In contrast, if I work with you, Mr. Eduardo, projects can proceed quickly and stably. On top of that, I can receive personal compensation?”
“As expected of you, Mr. Proxy. Your learning ability is outstanding. That’s exactly right.”
I pretended to think for a moment, then asked.
“But who exactly do you mean by ‘us’ here?”
Eduardo hesitated for a moment.
“Pardon?”
“You keep saying ‘us, us,’ but I don’t know who that is.”
“Just think of us as people on the inside.”
Eduardo tried to brush it off vaguely.
“Come on. That won’t do.”
“Pardon?”
“If I’m going to change the distribution line, I need to report it to headquarters too. How am I supposed to do that without even knowing who’s on our side? Based only on those vague and ambiguous words of yours, Mr. Eduardo? Could you do that? At the very least, you need to give me numbers or names.”
“Hmm…”
Eduardo hesitated, as if he was reluctant to say any names directly.
I slipped into that opening.
“For now, I know Rodrigo is at the center.”
At the mention of Rodrigo’s name, Eduardo was startled.
“What? How did you…”
I shrugged.
“In the current situation, Rodrigo is the only person capable of growing the game to this scale.”
A brief silence.
Eduardo burst into laughter.
“Huhuhuhu. You grasp the situation faster than I expected.”
“I have to do at least this much to make a living.”
“Looks like competition is fierce on your side too. If you’ve understood the situation to that extent, this conversation will go quickly. As you know, the South American side is forming a faction centered around Mr. Rodrigo. There are many people who say they’ll help, too.”
I cut Eduardo off immediately.
I already knew Rodrigo was at the center.
What I was truly curious about began here.
“How many people inside are helping you, Mr. Eduardo?”
He hesitated briefly before answering.
“Quite a number.”
I immediately shook my head.
“Not like that. This is frustrating. I told you, didn’t I? If I’m going to report this, it can’t be ‘many’ or ‘few.’ There needs to be at least a number. I’m not even asking you for names, just a number, so why can’t you give me that? Is there no one? Or are you bluffing?”
Eduardo’s expression hardened.
“No. That’s not— It’s nothing like that. It’s not. Even among the executives right now, there are more than ten. But the ones standing in the middle are in the process of coming over to our side, so I can’t give you an exact number.”
“So there are more than ten among the executives, and you’re currently recruiting more. Would that be the right way to understand it?”
“That’s right. You can think of it that way.”
I put on a surprised expression.
“Wow. That’s tremendous.”
“Isn’t it?”
Eduardo smiled, looking satisfied.
“It’s not just South American executives gathered together, is it?”
I asked in a suspicious voice.
“Ah… Are you asking if a handful of South American bastards are behind all this? No. Even we wouldn’t stand a chance that way. The security team, operations team, logistics, intelligence team—they’re our people. And the number is growing. Well, at this level, it’s enough.”
Eduardo spoke proudly.
I applauded.
Clap, clap, clap.
“That’s impressive. With that much, it seems like you could set up a separate organization. So why stay inside Parallax?”
Eduardo immediately shook his head.
“Go out and set up an organization. It sounds nice, sure. But it’s a damn ordeal. Everything is already inside Parallax, so why go out of our way to suffer? Taking Parallax whole is far more efficient.”
“That’s true.”
I agreed with Eduardo one hundred percent.
Creating a new organization is never easy.
Even things that seem trivial in an existing organization become anything but trivial when you try to implement them in a new one.
The things you took for granted while working at a company—
when you actually start your own company, the cost feels wasteful, even impressive.
Copy paper and copier toner are like that,
phone bills are like that, and so is the coffee in the break room.
The things that used to be taken for granted—
in a new organization, every single one of them is money, time, and energy.
So taking over Parallax is far more efficient than creating a new organization.
On top of that, they can use the enormous brand that is Parallax.
If anything, giving up Parallax would be the foolish move.
Eduardo spoke to me gently.
“If we become closely connected in that process, I think it would be of great help to both sides. To you personally as well, Mr. Agent.”
I drew back slightly from the table.
It was time to wrap things up.
“I understand everything you’ve told me today. I’ll organize it, review it, and contact you again.”
“Of course. This isn’t something to decide here. But I don’t even know your name. Can you tell me?”
I smiled lightly.
“I’m just a mere agent. You can continue calling me Agent.”
“Still, we can’t keep calling you Agent forever.”
I pretended to think for a moment before answering.
“I’m an agent of the Alex Group, so you can just call me Alex.”
“Come on, how could I do that? That’s not even your name.”
“I don’t think it matters. And thank you for the delicious meal and the useful conversation today.”
“There’s no need to thank me for this. It was nothing.”
Eduardo gave an awkward smile.
“Not at all. I’ve heard this much about Parallax’s internal situation. For me, it was an incredibly valuable time.”
At that moment, Eduardo’s expression hardened.
A chill ran down his spine.
He had said too much.
Because he’d been thinking he had to recruit this bastard.
Because he’d been thinking he had to bring him over to their side, he had crossed the line.
And only then did he realize it.
Who had held the initiative in this conversation.