Money Can Buy Everything

018: Dinner Banquet

After bidding farewell to Shouzou, Momo looked up and saw Reimu with her back turned, arms crossed in front of her, seemingly angry.

Helpless in this situation, Momo said, "Little Reimu, I like you too. I initiated so many deals to prove my intentions, but you rejected them all, didn't you?"

"Pah, I don't want to make deals with you. Talking about using deals to prove intentions, isn't it just using deals to bind each other? Don't make it sound so noble."

"No, I won't accept such slander. The power of a deal is bestowed by the supreme god. Every deal is actually an exchange sanctioned by the divine proof of fairness. I exchange my sincere feelings for your love. Isn't that both fair and irrefutable?"

Reimu looked at Momo with some disdain and said, "How much sincerity do you actually have?"

"The me who has waited for ninety years in a previous life has endless sincerity!"

"Disgusting playboy rhetoric!"

After bidding farewell to Shouzou and resolving the RECT Progress's layout issues, Momo still had two more opportunities for deals today.

He naturally wouldn't waste these two opportunities and would continue preparing for the death game tomorrow.

Soon, it was evening. Kayaba Akihiko looked somewhat surprised as he received an invitation from Kikuoka Seijirou. He said, "Are you not joking? The game will launch tomorrow, and today I still have to continue debugging and monitoring work. How can I attend a banquet?"

Seijirou wore a bitter smile and said, "I know you're busy, Doctor, but the person being invited this time is quite important. It's a young man named Momo Masayoshi."

"Momo? never heard of him. But, Masayoshi..."

Kayaba Akihiko wasn't an oblivious bookworm. He designed a vast death game, so naturally, he was a scheming character.

"That's right, it's him. Momo Masayoshi is only sixteen years old this year, but he appeared today with a strong presence, directly acquiring a stake in RECT Progress at a premium price, and has become the chairman of our biggest competitor, RECT Progress. So, whether as the chairman of RECT Progress or as the new spokesperson for the Yuuki family, we have no reason to refuse this invitation."

Kayaba Akihiko felt somewhat displeased. Once the game opens tomorrow, he won't have to deal with these annoying trivial matters anymore.

"But today, on September 5th, even if there are less than 24 hours left before the game opening, he couldn't refuse the invitation in front of him.

"Inviting me alone?"

"No, it's not that. It's a banquet organized by RECT Progress to welcome the new chairman. They probably invited you as well."

The mention of "probably" made Kayaba Akihiko happy. It meant that he could attend the banquet, make a round, and quietly disappear.

"Deal reached!"

Before the early stages of the banquet, Momo made another deal with Mifune. The deal was for Kayaba to immediately take care of and protect him and Asuna once they entered the game until both of them safely exited.

Kayaba had no reason to refuse such a deal, and with the additional skill "Confidentiality," he couldn't reveal the details of the death game to anyone, even if he learned about it through the deal.

So, he began preparations in advance to acquire suitable equipment for SAO and arranged a luxurious ward and nursing staff for Momo and Asuna.

"Mr. Momomo, is that Chaya over there?"

Even without Mifune pointing it out, in such a large banquet, there was only one person wearing a white coat who stood out from the crowd.

However, Kayaba Akihiko enjoyed the attention, paying no mind to the gazes of those around him. It was his pride and his trademark.

As the most brilliant quantum physicist in history, he was not only famous for his genius, but also for his remarkable abilities. Many of the attendees at the banquet were related to the industry and knew of his name.

Therefore, even though Kayaba Akihiko was considered an oddity at the party, he still received occasional visitors.

Momo merely glanced at Kayaba Akihiko and had nothing to say to him. But when Momo looked towards Shouzou, he paused for a moment and then revealed a radiant smile.

Shouzou seemed to sense something and turned his gaze in Momo's direction, raising his glass in a toast.

Next to him was a beautiful young girl dressed in a pure white gown, her chestnut-colored hair tied up in a bun. Although she appeared youthful, she exuded an air of elegance and grace. It could only be Asuna, right?

Indeed, after conquering Shouzou, he had become an excellent ally. Momo was satisfied with having such a father-in-law.

Asuna followed her father's gaze and looked towards Momo. Her eyes showed a hint of astonishment.

From her father, Asuna had learned about the significant changes in RECT Progress and had heard about the young man who was trustworthy and sensible. But seeing Momo's youth in person still shocked her.

She was still a studious and obedient child, while this Momo Masayoshi had already caused a great stir in Japan.