"What do you all think I should do?"
Suzuki stood in the ethereal expanse of his mindscape—a quiet, softly glowing void where the hum of raw cosmic energy vibrated against his skin. After thoroughly cleaning Kobayashi's apartment, he had retreated into this mental space to connect with his alternate selves. Now that he possessed all this newfound power, he needed a direction.
"To be honest, we don't know," one of the voices echoed.
"Yeah, what do you want to do?" another chimed in.
"Instead of asking us, isn't it better to just do whatever you want?"
The other Suzukis were genuinely confused. Unlike their universes, his world wasn't inherently plagued by apocalyptic danger. The dragons existed, sure, but they wouldn't bother picking a fight with a puny, weak human. Or rather, was there even a practical way for a human to grow strong enough to matter here?
"There's no need to stress about it for now," the Tensura Suzuki advised. "Let's just enjoy life. You don't have to worry about money anymore, right? So you might as well focus on your education, spoiling women, and maybe starting a business. The experience of running a massive corporation will be a huge help to all of us."
It made sense. Finn from the DxD universe had his own business; the Arifureta Suzuki did too. But Suzuki of the Dragon Maid universe had a unique advantage. While Finn was living in 2008, Suzuki was currently in 2013—the absolute golden age for tech startups.
"Well..." Suzuki murmured, the gears in his head turning.
There were countless modern businesses he could replicate. He had originally just wanted a peaceful, lazy life, but the threat in this world wasn't monsters—it was just other humans. If he ignored the supernatural creatures hiding in disguise (who didn't seem interested in world domination anyway), he could easily conquer the mundane world.
"Okay then. I'll build an internet conglomerate."
It was a crazy, casually tossed-out idea, but he knew it was entirely possible. He thought of Yahoo Auctions and how clunky it was. What if he built something better, like Mercari? He could pioneer TikTok before it existed, or invest heavily in streaming platforms like Netflix while their stocks were still low. The possibilities were endless.
"I might also get my Master's Degree and a PhD while I'm at it," Suzuki added.
"That's a solid plan," one of his alternates agreed.
Knowledge was power, but the title was the key. Society bowed to credentials. With a PhD, every door would swing open for him.
"Anyway, instead of overthinking the future, just relax for a bit," the DxD Suzuki chuckled. "Give yourself some time to breathe. You haven't had a break in a long time, right? You've got the money now. Enjoy the fruits of your labor."
"...I think I will."
It felt alien to him. In the past, he had always pushed himself to work harder, having no leeway to rest. But now, he could finally let go and embrace the leisure he had spent a lifetime avoiding.
Meanwhile, in the stuffy, fluorescent-lit offices of Jigokumeguri System Engineering, Kobayashi was in a surprisingly spectacular mood.
Normally, working on a weekend left her feeling dead inside. The air in the office usually smelled of stale coffee and ozone, and the endless, rhythmic clack-clack-clack of mechanical keyboards was enough to drive anyone insane. But today? Today, a deep, warm flush colored her cheeks.
Having a man waiting for you at home is the absolute best, she thought, shifting her weight in her office chair.
Loneliness had always been her greatest enemy. She worked endlessly just to survive, terrified of becoming a burden to her family. Her only solace used to be drowning that creeping isolation in cheap alcohol. But now, she had Suzuki.
Her thighs rubbed together beneath her tight pencil skirt as she thought about the lunch he had packed for her. The rich, savory taste of the bento still lingered on her tongue. It was so impossibly delicious that she half-wondered if he was a god, or if he had slipped some kind of aphrodisiac into the rice. Every bite had sent a shiver down her spine, making her body run hot and her skin prickle with sweat.
She reached up, her fingers trembling slightly as she popped open the top two buttons of her blouse. The cool air of the office ghosted over her exposed collarbone, but it did nothing to cool the heavy, throbbing heat pooling in her lower belly.
What if he leaves?
The dark thought briefly clouded her mind, making her chest tighten. But she pushed it away. He was there now. She brought her hands together in a quiet prayer. "Thank you for the meal," she whispered, a sultry, hooded look in her eyes.
She was buzzing with energy. She wanted to finish this code, sprint back to her apartment, and absolutely devour him. She imagined pinning Suzuki to her bed, tearing off his clothes, and doing things that would easily break her lease agreement. She was so incredibly horny and happy—
"KOBAYASHI!"
The booming voice shattered her fantasies like glass.
The bald manager, a man who built his career off dumping his responsibilities onto her, came stomping toward her desk. Spit flew from his lips, his face purple with rage. Immediately, the entire office tensed. The air grew heavy and suffocating.
"THE DEADLINE IS IN THREE HOURS! DO SOMETHING!"
"....."
A collective groan echoed through the room. No one was going home.
"Hey, hurry up and get that data over here!"
"Forget about that, fix this server error first!"
"Kobayashi, save me!"
Chaos erupted. The once-rhythmic typing turned into a frantic, panicked crescendo. Kobayashi, the backbone of the entire department, took the brunt of the pressure. Her fingers blurred across the keyboard, her lust entirely replaced by the cold, grueling reality of corporate slavery.
"KOBAYASHI, THERE IS A FATAL ERROR!" the manager screamed in her ear.
"I'll patch it at once!" she bit back.
"Kobayashi, help out over here!" a coworker begged.
"Right away!"
"KOBAYASHI! KOBAYASHI! KOBAYASHI!"
SHUT UP! she screamed internally, her grip on her sanity completely snapping.
Hours later, the sky had turned pitch black, matching her ruined mood. The moment she was free, she had practically sprinted to a convenience store, buying the cheapest, strongest sake she could find, chugging the burning liquid like it was water.
Now, shivering in the cool night air, the smell of alcohol clinging to her breath, she stumbled down a dark, empty street. She had no idea where she was. Her vision was swimming, and her clothes were completely disheveled, her blouse hanging dangerously open to the night breeze.
Fumbling with her smartphone, she hit speed dial and pressed it against her ear.
"Suzuki...?" she slurred, her voice a mix of a drunken whine and desperate need. "Do you know where I am...? Hic... Come get me...!"