Wednesday, under a clear blue sky …
"I'm going to die without Anna! Ahhh!!!"
Chiaki's pitiful wails could be heard.
She was lying on the table and punching the innocent tabletop with both fists. Seiji and Mika were speechless as they watched on.
The "Anna" game had been undergoing maintenance since last night, which was why the tomboy was displaying such symptoms.
This was the first time this game had been undergoing maintenance for such a long period of time.
Did something happen to her?
"Seigo, hurry and find Kazuhiko Haiga! Have him release Anna! I'll pay any amount of ransom!! "Chiaki shouted.
"It's not like he's a kidnapper." Seiji narrowed his eyes. "But this situation is indeed rather concerning. I'll try contacting him."
He had Kazuhiko Haiga's cell phone number.
However, Seiji couldn't call him.
Did something really happen to him? Seiji furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
"Seigo …"
Chiaki looked at him with a pitiful expression, as if she was looking at a pitiful puppy.
She truly loved this game. She loved the gentle Anna in the game.
"Alright, I'll go find Kazuhiko Haiga after lunch." Seiji opened his lunchbox. "Help me tell Sensei about my afternoon class."
"Seigo! I love you!! "Chiaki's eyes instantly lit up as she passionately confessed her love for him.
Mika was rendered speechless.
"I love you as well, sweetheart," Seiji responded casually as he started taking large bites of his lunchbox.
If something really did happen to Haiga, he might be able to make it in time if he hurried over.
"Seigo, how about I go with you?" Mika suggested.
"Eh?"
"I'm your companion … the Sixth Knight." She had a serious expression as she looked at him.
"Mika …" Seiji glanced at her and smiled. "I'll ask for your help if I need it. But right now, I'm just going to check on the situation. There's no need for you to miss class with me."
The pigtailed girl fell silent.
Not long after that, Seiji finished his lunchbox, said goodbye to the two of them, and left school.
…
Haiga's residence was the same as Seiji's game studio.
The call was still not going through. Therefore, Seiji contacted Summer Night, asked for the phone numbers of the other people in the studio, and then called to inquire about the situation.
In the end, Seiji learned that Kazuhiko Haiga had disappeared!
Last night, he sent an email to all the members of the studio, telling them that he was under too much pressure, so he decided not to work on the game "Anna" anymore. He was quitting the studio and leaving.
The studio's founder suddenly quit, and the members were shocked. What they were unable to accept was the fact that Kazuhiko Haiga had switched out "Anna's" core program!
Anna's program had been changed, and she no longer had her original intelligence. She had become an ordinary NPC character, as if she had lost her soul.
This "Anna" was no longer "Anna," and the players would never accept it! The game was as good as ruined.
Kazuhiko Haiga had been searching everywhere for Kazuhiko Haiga in order to redeem himself, but to no avail.
Directly leaving … this was Haiga's choice.
Seiji's actions were quite heartless towards the other members of his workshop, but it was to protect himself and little Anna as much as possible. Seiji didn't think that he was wrong, but he also didn't think that it was right.
Seiji didn't know what Kazuhiko Haiga had thought about it or struggled with it before making such a decision, nor did he want to think about it.
A man took his treasure … or perhaps a father took his daughter and left everything behind. That was all there was to it.
… Was that really all there was to it, and Haiga wasn't kidnapped?
Seiji thought about it in a different direction. He felt that if Haiga had been attacked, little Anna, who was an artificial intelligence connected to the internet, should have been able to send a distress signal.
Seiji rejected the possibility that Haiga had been kidnapped and decided not to pursue the matter any further.
"I hope that you and Anna-san can live a peaceful life, Haiga-san."
Seiji returned to his home after sending his blessings to his creator, who was hiding somewhere unknown.
…
"How did you find me?"
Kazuhiko Haiga asked the young man before him in a certain hotel room.
This man was wearing a dark brown windbreaker and black pants. His hair was slicked back, his face was slightly long, and his eyes were long and thin. His smiling expression made him seem like a fox.
"I used some special methods. I guess you could call it a business technique," the man spoke in a gentle tone as he handed Haiga a name card. "This is my name card."
Haiga accepted the name card and saw that the name was "Shinsei Yamazaki." His job title was "Business Manager." His company … was a company that Haiga had never heard of before.
"Yamazaki-san, didn't you just say that you were here on behalf of Takada-san? Why are you different from his company? "
"My company has a cooperative relationship with Takada-san's company. Takada-san is busy with other work and is unable to personally come here. He asked me to help him. "
"Is it because you have the special ability to find people that you don't want to be found?" Haiga looked directly at Shinsei.
"It's not any special ability. It's just a small business technique." Yamazaki smiled.
"I used various methods to hide myself and went to many places before finally arriving here. Not only did I disguise my physical appearance, I even used a fake name to register myself. Yet, you were able to accurately find me! Such an ability is definitely not a 'small business technique,' "Haiga spoke in a cold tone." Just who are you!? "
"I'm just an ordinary business manager. I came here on behalf of Takada-san in hopes of cooperating with Haiga-san regarding 'Anna.'" Yamazaki maintained his smile as he spoke politely.
"I'm no longer making that cell phone game. If you want to discuss a cooperation, go find someone else from the gaming studio."
"I've already tried, but Haiga-san's' Anna 'isn't the' Anna 'that Takada-san wants."
"I already said that I won't make it again! No matter what, I won't. Please leave, Yamazaki-san. "
"Why aren't you willing to continue, Haiga-san? 'Anna' is an excellent game. As the game designer, you shouldn't give up halfway and cruelly bury her. "
Haiga fell silent for a moment.
"It's precisely for Anna that I'm giving up," he spoke in a low voice.
"Eh?"
"Creating an interesting game that can make people happy and fascinate them, as well as earn a corresponding amount of wealth through it, is my dream," Haiga told him.
"However, Anna's existence is even more important than this dream.
"Living a peaceful and stable life together with Anna is twice as important to me … no, countless times more important than my dreams!"
"I love Aina, not 'Aina'."
"That's why I won't be 'Anna' anymore. I definitely won't be," Haiga told Yamazaki in an incredibly resolute tone.
Yamazaki was rendered speechless.
"I don't really understand what you're saying, but I can feel your resolute refusal." The business manager furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "Is there no room for negotiation at all? If you have any difficulties, feel free to tell me, and we can discuss a solution. "
"There's none. I've already said everything that needs to be said. Please leave, Yamazaki-san. "
"I can't just leave like this. I won't be able to explain things to Takada-san."
"That's your problem."
Everyone fell silent.
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