Money Can Buy Everything

037: Business Fraud

Argo didn't say anything more. She shrunk into Momo's embrace, crying silently.

"I can only admit that I have a favorable impression of you right now. It's probably just at the level of liking. However, what you're asking for is wholehearted love, and I can't provide that right now. Even you, I suppose, are only at the level of liking and impulsiveness, right?"

Argo didn't directly answer. After about ten seconds of silence, she said, "That's the worst excuse. You, you bastard, you're not just a playboy, you're a total jerk!"

"I completely agree with that. In my somewhat complicated life, there's only one thing I'm sure of: I'll never be a good person."

"Heartless, toying with girls, premature aging, jerk, jerk!"

A string of words spewed from Argo's mouth, but Momo's smile only grew brighter.

Suddenly, Argo leaned in and kissed him for the fourth time.

"This time, what's the reason?"

"Since I won't give you, the playboy, another chance, remember the taste of a playboy now, so you won't be fooled by another one in the future."

"Should I taste it a few more times to make the memory deeper? I'm always welcoming here!"

"No!"

Argo suddenly stood up, leapt off Momo, turned her back to him, and didn't let him see her face.

"I gave you a chance, but since you're not taking it, everything today was just a transaction. Now that the deal is done, playboy... no, Momo!"

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, but I'm going alone. You can leave after ten minutes of my departure. If you're within a kilometer of me, I'll still smell the stench of the playboy."

"Okay."

Argo said she was leaving, but she stood still without moving. After a full minute of silence, she finally asked, "How much do you love that girl with chestnut-colored hair?"

"Maybe, I would do anything for her? I could make a promise to the gods, to forever love her, protect her, and strive for her sake."

"Hehe, it's actually quite similar! Weren't you on the verge of sacrificing yourself for me just now? Indeed, the charm of Argo has proven itself, capable of making even a playboy like you bend!"

"That's enough, I'm leaving now! Argo the Rat makes her entrance, off we go!"

Argo donned her rewarded item, the Rat Whisker Mask, and strode forward with large steps. Her tone was extremely cheerful, yet her eyes glistened with moisture.

"That girl with chestnut hair, who is she... truly enviable..."

Momo watched Argo depart without trying to stop her. Reimu floated down from midair and landed by Momo's side.

Seemingly careful not to disturb Momo, she didn't land on him.

"Is this really okay? That girl is genuinely infatuated, right? And, I can tell, you quite like her too."

"Yes, it's just liking."

Reimu sounded somewhat dissatisfied. She said, "So, isn't it the same with Asuna? What's the difference? After all, you're determined to create a harem, what's the distinction? You've been accumulating feelings for a hundred years, that should be enough to deeply love all the girls you care about."

"Not all of them, only the ones I deeply love. With Asuna, I could make a vow to the gods, but for Argo, I doubt the Trading Authority would accept the deal I propose."

"That's the reality, that's the difference."

"So, should girls just be made sad?"

"It's alright, I'll be sad with her."

Reimu sighed, sat on Momo's shoulder, and said, "I wanted to scold you earlier, but looking at you like this, I can't bring myself to. Well, let this lady comfort you, Momo, be good!"

"How about you give me a sweet kiss then? I do love you deeply, Reimu!"

"Get lost! Keep your lips, which just kissed someone else, far away from me. You were flirting with a girl just now and made her sad. I won't fall for a fickle guy like you!"

"Oh, this shows I'm making progress! At the beginning, you wouldn't even come near me, now it's turned from being close to liking!"

As the two playfully bantered, a person approached from the darkness in the distance, walking steadily.

"Now, am I disturbing you?"

Momo lifted his head, gave a faint cold smile, and said, "I was actually thinking of finding you a while later, but it seems you've come on your own, Kayaba. You've increased the difficulty of this mission suddenly, didn't you?"

"Ah, that's right."

Kayaba didn't attempt to hide anything. He said, "After all, Momo-kun, you're a huge threat to my game. So, having you leave the stage is only natural. However, I didn't expect your strength and resilience to surpass what I imagined. This situation couldn't kill you, it's truly impressive."

"Is that what you came to tell me, and now you're flaunting your power?"

"No, actually, I wanted to warn Momo-kun not to use your miraculous abilities recklessly. Otherwise, these attacks will continue, and I'll make sure you leave the game."

Faced with Kayaba's threat, Momo chuckled and said, "No, you won't."

"I will, Momo-kun. What makes you think I won't?"

Momo shook his finger and said, "If I leave, I'll use all the remaining funds I have to instantly destroy the root server of SAO. Your Sword Art Online will become nothing in an instant."

Kayaba's face turned pale, but he said with a dark expression, "You won't. If you do that, you'll kill over ten thousand players. When the servers are destroyed, all players' NerveGears will go into standby mode. After thirty minutes in standby, the NerveGears will kill all players."

"Are you willing to become a murderer?"

Momo smiled, a cruel smile.

"Why do you think I wouldn't become a murderer? You can treat everyone's lives as child's play, so why can't I? Or did you think I don't have the guts to kill? Indeed, I've never personally killed anyone, but the people who died because of me can be counted in the billions."

"Only ten thousand people, what does that amount to?"

Kayaba stared at Momo, reluctant to believe his words, but when he looked into Momo's cold eyes, he had no choice but to believe.

This teenager before him seemed to have gone through countless struggles. It was as if each word and action of his could determine the wealth and poverty, the prosperity and hunger, of billions of people.

This kind of gaze shouldn't belong to a young child.

"Kirito Kazuto is also in the game. Would you kill him too?"

"No, I won't. But I'll tell you this, if Asuna dies because of this, I'll shift my anger onto your game. I'll destroy the entire industry of dive games, so that no one on this planet will dare to play such games again."

"Your 'The Seed' will definitely disappear."

Kayaba's pupils contracted.

"Also, since you've traded with me, you should understand my abilities. Why do you think I can't deal with a NerveGear on your head?"

Reimu blinked and asked, "Do you have a way?"

Momo answered without batting an eye, "No. At least not now. The Trading Authority also requires confirmation from the trading partner to complete a deal. If Asuna is still in SAO, I can't trade with her."

"Then why were you so confident?"

"Business fraud naturally needs to be confident. If you don't even believe yourself, how can you deceive others?"

Reimu covered her head and said, "I have a headache."

"It's fine, I have a headache too. Deceiving people is nauseating."

"Ugh—"

Kayaba took a deep breath and suddenly laughed.

"Momo-kun, you truly are impressive, not just because of your miraculous abilities, but your whole persona. You are indeed an admirable opponent. Well, that works out too. I was getting bored playing the game alone. Perhaps Momo-kun, you could be my opponent."

"Since Momo-kun doesn't want to leave, I won't use the system's authority for anything anymore. We can trade once more. I won't make any changes to the system. If Momo-kun leaves due to his own reasons, he also can't blame my game. After the game ends, you can't touch my 'THE SEED' and its derivative works either."

"Agreed."

"Deal done. Kayaba was really surprised by you!"

Momo smiled slightly and said, "Because he can't afford the gamble."

"You can't either. What if Asuna really dies?"

"I might end up committing suicide? Well, but Kayaba doesn't know I can't afford it, so I win. That's victory!"

"Tch!"

Kayaba, on the side, naturally didn't know about Momo and Reimu's banter. In his view, Momo had completed the trade with him and was now choosing to remain silent, probably because he wasn't welcoming him.

"Well then, I'll take my leave. Have a pleasant game, Momo-kun."

After seeing off Kayaba, Momo let out a long breath and patted his chest, laughing, "Ah, scared me to death. If he were truly a stubborn head and wanted to fight me to the death, my life would be ruined!"

Momo was genuinely afraid. Once he was kicked out of the game, even if the game didn't proceed as planned, the helpless Asuna would later transform into the Asuna of the Gleam, and she would inevitably have contact with Kirito.

Momo couldn't guarantee that the flags he had set would maintain Asuna's favorable impression of him until the end of the game. If the prophecy by Reimu truly came true, Momo would have no choice but to tie a lifebuoy around his leg and jump into Tokyo Bay.

"Look at how lacking you are! Now you're not afraid that Kayaba saw it?"

"No, actually now I hope he did see it. Who knows, maybe he'll be so furious he'll drop dead on the spot?"

Saying this, Momo even made a scissor hand gesture toward the sky.

"Alright, stop messing around. Hurry back to town. Asuna is still waiting for you, right? It's already past midnight, isn't it?"

"Oh no, it's already this late!"