Long Live Money in Anime Crossover

However, Yuuki Shozo still felt a little uneasy. After all, although Mo Mo's actions had also deeply shocked him, was it really a good idea to buy his company with money in order to gain his support?

Yuki Shozo also thought about Mo Mo's private meeting with Sugo Nobuyuki earlier, and that the two of them probably reached some kind of agreement.

All of this made Yuki Shozo feel like he was being coerced and selling his daughter.

"No, you're mistaken, Uncle."

Momo smiled brightly and said, "Everything I've done is, of course, for Asuna, but it's not to propose to you directly. I just hope that you can approve of me and support my pursuit of Asuna."

Shozo Yuki was stunned.

"So, all you've done is actually just to get a chance to pursue my daughter Asuna?"

"That's right! As expected of your uncle, you were just as clever when you were pursuing your aunt!"

Yuki Shozo smiled slightly because of Mo Mo's praise; the usually dignified Yuki Shozo rarely showed a smile.

"However, Chairman, aren't you overestimating my daughter? Although she is excellent in appearance and knowledge, she is still quite far from your level. Moreover, that child has been forcing herself since she was a child. I don't actually expect her to keep up with Koichiro's pace, but unfortunately she seems to be becoming more and more demanding of herself."

“Talent plays a significant role in a person’s achievements. Asuna will most likely never become my wife or someone like me. Even so, do you still want to pursue my daughter?”

Mo Mo blinked, a look of surprise appearing on her face for the first time.

In the original work, Koichiro Yuuki is portrayed as a cold-faced father, but Momo never expected that he would understand Asuna so well. Considering the original work, Shozo Yuuki's understanding of his daughter even surpasses that of his wife, Kyoko Yuuki.

However, perhaps this is the warmth behind most fathers' seriousness.

"Are you surprised?"

"Ah, this is the first time I've heard such a detailed evaluation of Asuna. However, I like Asuna not because of her appearance, nor because of her intelligence, but because of her shining strength and gentleness."

Yuki Shozo didn't quite understand Mo Mo's words, so he chose to remain silent and said, "Can you promise me? I'll call you that from now on, Mo Mo-kun. If you can promise me that you truly love my daughter and are pursuing her with the intention of loving and protecting her for the rest of your life, I will support you without going against her wishes."

Reimu Hakurei looked surprised and said, "Shozo Yuuki has made a deal, asking you to love and protect Asuna for the rest of your life. In return, he will support your relationship with Asuna."

Mo Mo smiled brightly and said, "I am willing, I guarantee it with my life. As long as I, Mo Mo, am alive, I am willing to love her and protect her forever, giving my all and everything I have."

Reimu Hakurei's expression was somewhat complicated, but she still faithfully completed her mission.

"Deal reached."

Yuki Shozo smiled with relief and said, "Then, I hope you'll take good care of me from now on, Momo. Come to my house for lunch tomorrow. As the new chairman, it's only right that I invite you to a family dinner. I'll formally introduce you two then, and before that, I'll also try to persuade Kyoko."

"In that case, thank you very much, Uncle!"

Momo believed that it was certain that Yuuki Shozo could persuade Yuuki Kyoko. Yuuki Kyoko was a pragmatic woman; she had taken a liking to Sugo Nobuyuki only because Sugo Nobuyuki was excellent in every way. Now that Momo, who was even more outstanding in every aspect, had appeared, she certainly wouldn't refuse to give her daughter a chance to advance further.

The two chatted for a while longer, and Yuki Shozo intentionally or unintentionally told Momo about Asuna's personality, past, and some small habits, which made Momo truly believe in his image as a cold-faced but good father.

If Shozo Yuuki had chosen to do more than just observe, but instead communicate more with his daughter Asuna, perhaps Nobuyuki Sugo wouldn't have had the opportunity to do so much in the original story.

018 Dinner

After saying goodbye to Yuuki Shozo, Mo Mo looked up and saw that Hakurei Reimu had her back to her, arms crossed, looking very angry.

Mo Mo was helpless and said, "Little Lingmeng, I like you too. I've made so many deals with you to prove my feelings, but you've rejected me every time."

"Pah, I don't want to do business with you. You say that a transaction proves our sincerity, but isn't it just using transactions to bind each other? Don't make it sound so noble."

"No, I do not acknowledge such slander. The power of exchange is bestowed by the supreme god Alaya, and every exchange is in fact a fair exchange witnessed by the divine. What is wrong with me exchanging my true heart for your love?"

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

"I, who waited for ninety years in my past life, possess boundless sincerity!"

"Disgusting womanizer theory!"

Having said goodbye to Shozo Yuki and resolved the layout issues for RECT manufacturing, Momo still has two trading opportunities today.

Mo Mo naturally wouldn't waste these two trading opportunities; he wanted to continue preparing for tomorrow's deadly game.

Evening arrived quickly, and Kayaba Akihiko looked at the invitation Kikuoka Seijiro handed him with some surprise, saying, "Are you sure you're not joking? The game is launching tomorrow, and I have to continue debugging and monitoring work today. How could I possibly go to a banquet?"

Seijiro Kikuoka gave a wry smile and said, "I know you're very busy, Doctor, but the person we've invited this time is really important. It's a young man named Yagyu Momo."

"Yagyu Momo? Never heard of him. But, Yagyu..."

Kayaba Akihiko was not a bookish nerd who was oblivious to the world; he designed a massive death game, so he was naturally a cunning and scheming character.

"That's right, it's Yagyu, it's this Yagyu. Yagyu Momo is only sixteen years old this year, but today he made a powerful entrance and bought shares of RECT Manufacturing at a premium, becoming the chairman of RECT Manufacturing, our biggest competitor. So, whether he is the chairman of RECT Manufacturing or the new spokesperson for the Yagyu family, we have no reason not to accept this invitation."

Kayaba Akihiko was somewhat displeased. Once the game started tomorrow, he wouldn't have to manage these annoying, trivial matters anymore.

But today, September 5th, even though there are less than 24 hours until the game's opening, he really can't refuse this invitation.

"You invited me alone?"

"No, that's not it. It's a ball hosted by RECT Manufacturing to welcome their new chairman. They probably invited you as an excuse."

The word "by the way" actually pleased Kayaba Akihiko. It meant that he could attend the ball and then quietly disappear.

"Deal made!"

Before the ball began, Momo made another deal with Yagyu Masayoshi. The deal was that Yagyu Masayoshi would take over the care and protection of Momo and Asuna's bodies as soon as they entered the game, until they safely came out of the game.

Yagyu Masayoshi had no reason to refuse such a deal, and because of the additional skill "Secret," even though he learned the details of the death game through the deal, he still couldn't reveal it to anyone.

Therefore, he could only begin preparing for the acquisition of SAO in advance, and prepare luxurious wards and nursing staff for Momo and Asuna.

"Mr. Momo, is that Kayaba Akihiko?"

Even without Yagyu Masayoshi's guidance, it was impossible not to attract attention in such a large ball when one person was the only one wearing a white coat.

However, Kayaba Akihiko simply sipped his red wine alone, completely ignoring the stares of those around him. This was his pride, and his trademark.

As one of the most brilliant quantum physicists in history, he was young and renowned not only for his genius but also for his extraordinary talent. Many of the people attending the reception were involved in the field, and no one was unfamiliar with his name.

Therefore, even as an oddball at the ball, Kayaba Akihiko still received a few visitors from time to time.

Mo Mo merely glanced at Kayaba Akihiko; he had nothing to say to him. When Mo Mo looked at Yuuki Shozo, he froze, then broke into a bright smile.

As if sensing something, Yuki Shozo looked in the direction of Mo Mo and raised his glass to Mo Mo from afar.

Beside him stood a beautiful young woman dressed in a pure white gown, her chestnut hair styled in a bun. Though she was still somewhat immature, she already exuded an air of solemn elegance. Who else could it be but Asuna?

Sure enough, after winning over Yuki Shozo, he became a great wingman. What a great father-in-law!

Asuna followed her father's gaze and looked at Momo, a hint of shock appearing in her eyes.

Asuna learned from her father about the dramatic changes at his company, RECT, and also heard about the trust and maturity of the young man. However, when she actually saw Momo's youth, she was still shocked.

He was still a dutiful student, while this Yagyu Momo had already stirred up a storm throughout Japan.

019 Security Assurance

Just then, Momo, who was in the distance, seemed to notice Asuna's gaze, and slightly tilted his head to meet Asuna's eyes from afar.

Asuna blushed. Even though it was a party and they were so far apart, she couldn't deny that she was secretly watching Momo.

Asuna tried to dodge, but saw Momo blink, reveal a bright smile, and then point somewhat helplessly to Yagyu Masayoshi beside him.

Despite not having any lines, Asuna seemed to understand Momo's meaning. She looked at her side and saw that her father, Yuuki Shozo, also had a formulaic smile on his face, no different from Yagyu Masayoshi.

So, this seemingly young and outstanding boy, like her, was also dragged into this kind of activity against his will?

A mischievous smile crept onto Asuna's lips, but she knew better than to mince words and quietly concealed it, giving the conspicuous Momo a disdainful look in the distance.

It seems Asuna is saying, "If you make me laugh again, I'm going to get angry!"

"Hmph, winking and making faces, neither of you are any good!"

"Don't always look so jealous, Reimu, or you'll get wrinkles!"

Momo shrugged, which was her final response to Asuna, and said, "She's just a kind and obedient girl, okay? The biggest rebellious thing she did in her life was just secretly playing her brother's games. I'm the only one who's not a good person, so don't wrong her!"

"Can't you have a little more shame?"

"A sense of shame has always been the most incomprehensible commodity. It is clearly worthless and ineffective, yet it is priced extremely high. This is simply human folly."

"I think you've gone mad."

Mo Mo ignored the furious Reimu Hakurei and followed Yagyu Masayoshi to meet with many dignitaries. They were all quite interested in Mo Mo's identity, but Mo Mo's answers were always watertight, keeping their curiosity in suspense and letting them guess.

"Hello, I am Yagyu Momo. I have long admired Dr. Kayaba Akihiko. I admire your talent and creativity, and I am very much looking forward to your Sword Art Online game. Tomorrow I will be one of the first participants in your game!"

Kayaba Akihiko's expression changed slightly. Seeing a player who was about to join his death game with excitement, and a player with such great wealth and influence, made Kayaba Akihiko feel somewhat uneasy.

"Really? Thank you for your kind words. With a supporter like you, I'm sure my game will be a success."

Mo Mo grinned and said, "Of course! After all, you are Dr. Kayaba Akihiko, a pioneer who led the progress of the entire world. Your technology is unparalleled in the world. Even if you wanted to build your own world in the game, I doubt anyone in reality could stop you, right?"

Kayaba Akihiko narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Do you have any advice for me? I'm not very good at writing, so you can speak frankly if you have anything to say."

Mo Mo nodded and said, "Then, what I'm more interested in is the security of the Sword Art Online game. After all, I'm essentially handing over my head to a brand new device, and it seems my consciousness will even infiltrate the game. I'm just speculating, but what if some hacker manages to trap my consciousness inside the game and uses that to blackmail and kidnap me?"

"After all, I am a person of some standing, so I am a bit paranoid sometimes. Dr. Kayaba Akihiko, I would like to ask you, based on your game and NERvGear, are there any security risks, and is it possible that they could be used to commit crimes? Our Yagyu family has always been very concerned about security issues, and I believe you understand the power of the Yagyu family."

Kayaba Akihiko's expression turned completely serious. He said, "Yagyu-san, what exactly do you want to do? What are you asking for? I'm listening."

"So, how about we make a deal?"

Mo Mo smiled and said, "I can ignore the safety issues of Dr. Kayaba Akihiko's SAO murder game, but as a kind-hearted businessman, I cannot tolerate the existence of such a deadly game. So, can we discuss whether we can change the rules?"

"Change the rule that if a player dies in the game, the player in real life also dies, to that if a player dies in the game, they are freed in real life. Of course, you can still declare your game a death game to scare the players, since they can't know what's going on in the real world anyway, so there's no real difference."

"After all, even if you die in the game, you won't die in real life. Your game is still a death game. You'll die if you take off your helmet, you'll die if you lose internet, you'll die if you run out of power, you'll die if you break your helmet, and you'll still die if you starve to death in real life. As long as a few people are willing to risk their lives, no one will doubt the authority of your death game."

"Transaction request: The host requests a transaction with Kayaba Akihiko, on the condition that the normal operation of Sword Art Online is not disrupted, and that Kayaba Akihiko guarantees the safety of players who are eliminated from the game due to death."

Reimu Hakurei looked at Akihiko Kayaba, also somewhat curious, because Momo's last transaction today was an action that could change the entire world's plot.

Kayaba Akihiko was silent for a few seconds before saying, "If you want to save people, why don't you let me guarantee the safety of all players? For example, you can save people simply by removing their helmets, wouldn't that be better?"

"That's true, but I'm already satisfied that I've saved over 90% of the players. Besides, I still really want to see the world you created with my own eyes. Ah, please don't misunderstand, I'm not some immature chuunibyou who wants to be a savior, I just have a sudden burst of kindness."

“If I decide to save all the players, I believe Dr. Kayaba Akihiko, you would never agree to my deal. In that case, I won’t be able to see the world you have painstakingly created.”

Kayaba Akihiko smiled in surprise and said, "I see, I understand. My answer was yes. I don't have the guts to confront a behemoth like the Yagyu family."

Kayaba Akihiko pondered for a long time before finally making a decision. Although he was of high status and prestige, he was absolutely no match for the Yagyu family.

020 First Encounter with Asuna