Chapter 20: Phone Call

Solomon stepped into their apartment, the familiar scent of lavender and vanilla from the candles filled her nose. The chandelier in the living room and the many other lights turned on due to her entrance, illuminating the living room. Kanata followed closely behind her, a look of excitement on his face as he locked the door. He removed his shoes at the door and walked into the living room, where Solomon had already slumped down on one of the white sofas, her shoes still on.

Sitting on another sofa, Kanata brought out his phone from his pocket and looked at his Shogun's Vault bank account, the bright light from the screen illuminating his face.

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Good Afternoon, Uchimura Kanata

Monday, May 5th, 2174.

Profile{2 message}->

ACCOUNTS

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Shogun's Checking(...3456)->

Available balance || ¥ 63,290,646,959 ~~

~~~~~

*We recommend you open a savings account*

Disclosure

...

Legal information ->

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"I can't believe this..." Kanata said, his hands trembling with excitement as he scrolled through his bank account. "Sixty-three billion yen. I have never seen money this much in my entire life and never even dreamed of it."

"Well, now you see it. Congratulations." Solomon groaned, stretching as she sank deeper into the couch, the coolness of the fabric warping around her. "No wonder my father never seemed to run out of money. Maybe he kept gambling." She mumbled, remembering how her father always seemed to bring money to continue their research on Noah even after all their investors abandoned him.

"Hmm? What did you say?" Kanata asked, his eyes still fixed on his phone.

"Nothing." Solomon replied, picking up her laptop from the couch and placing it on her lap. She turned it on and felt the machine's soft whirring as it came to life. "Now that all the money in that account has been 'cleaned,' you don't have to worry about spending."

"Right?" Kanata chuckled, going to his profile and clicking the notification next to his profile. "But..." He paused. "I feel like this is a bit too easy. Sixty-five billion in a few hours is outrageous."

"It's just like winning a lottery," Solomon said as she logged into her database management system. "I was lucky to play against those guys. I doubt normal people would go all-in on even three billion yen."

"Those guys were the definition of high rollers." Kanata agreed. "Now, I doubt anyone would want to play against you."

"Maybe for competition." She nodded. "But I doubt they will be willing to bet a large sum of money. It's a good thing I won a lot the first time." She leaned forward, her eyes scanning the data on her laptop screen. 'Noah. How much-estimated amount of data do I need for the prototype soundscape AI and how long do I need to gather them all?'

[An estimated total of 3-5 terabytes of data. If you focus on collecting data from now on, it should be done before the day ends.]

"Yeah..." Kanata replied as he waited for his notification to load. "I was surprised when you also went all-in." He chuckled. "I almost had a panic attack."

"Anyone would be." Even she was surprised when Noah told her to go all in. She almost didn't want to do it. "Did you receive any notification from the bank?" She asked as she went into Gloogle and started typing something into the search engine. "I doubt you gaining that amount of money would go unnoticed."

"I am looking at it right now," Kanata mumbled, his eyes widening as he read the first message from Shogun's Vault.

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Dear Uchimura Kanata,

On behalf of Shogun's Vault, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations on your incredible win at Hikari Heights Royal Casino. Your recent success has catapulted you to the top 0.0001% of all Shogun's Vault users, and we are thrilled to have you as part of this exclusive group.

We understand that your achievement did not come easily and required a combination of luck, skill, and determination. We commend you for your hard work and dedication, and we hope this win serves as a testament to your unwavering commitment to success.

As a top-tier customer, you can expect personalized services from us, including a dedicated relationship manager who will assist you with all your banking needs. Our relationship manager will work closely with you to understand your financial goals and provide personalized investment advice to help you make informed decisions.

We are also pleased to offer you higher interest rates on your savings account, which will help you earn more on your deposits. In addition, you can now avail of our exclusive credit cards with higher credit limits and more perks, such as travel rewards, airport lounge access, and concierge services.

At Shogun Bank, we understand the importance of your time, which is why we offer priority access to our services. This includes faster loan processing, priority customer support, and expedited account opening. We want to ensure you receive the best possible banking experience with us.

Lastly, we would like to highlight that as a top-tier customer, you will have access to exclusive investment opportunities. These may include access to hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital investments, which are not available to regular customers.

We look forward to providing you with an exceptional banking experience and are committed to helping you achieve your financial goals. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact your dedicated relationship manager.

Once again, congratulations on your remarkable win, and thank you for choosing Shogun's Vault as your trusted financial partner.

Sincerely,

The Shogun's Vault Team

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"Holy shit..." Kanata whispered in awe, his heart racing as he read the notification on his phone. He could feel warmth spreading through his body, the possibilities and potential of his newfound wealth. "I am now Shogun Bank's top 0.0001% of Shogun Bank users. We are fucking rich."

Solomon watched Kanata's face as he read the email, a mix of excitement and disbelief written across his features. She could practically feel his anticipation. "Understandable," she said, breaking the silence. "Seeing as you now have sixty-three billion in your bank account." She said as she returned her attention to her laptop and clicked a link to a music forum to gather more data for her AI.

Kanata turned to her, still grinning. "Can you believe it?" he asked, practically bouncing with excitement. "I feel like I am the main character in a K-drama."

He paused, staring at Solomon. "No, you are the protagonist, and I am the deuteragonist. Isn't this crazy?"

Solomon nodded, but her mind was elsewhere as she typed away on her laptop. "It's crazy," she said, more to herself than to Kanata. 'Noah. Did the currency in this world change due to inflection? I feel like it should since hundreds plus years have passed.'

[Upon examining the currency valuation in this world, it appears that its value is inferior to that of Earth due to inflation. Therefore, the current sum of sixty-three billion yen would only amount to thirty-two billion on Earth. For a clearer perspective, this amount would reduce to two-hundred and forty million dollars from the current four-hundred and sixty million dollars.]

'That's almost double.' She nodded, feeling a twinge of homesickness for Earth. Her mother. Her old workshop. Her old house... Pushing those emotions away, she continued. 'Well, it makes sense since more than one hundred years have passed. But, from what I see, things still cost the same as Earth. Like food.'

[The inflection appears to be geared towards the elite class, as those belonging to the middle or lower class may not be able to discern its effects. However, once an individual's net worth exceeds fifty billion yen or three hundred and sixty-four million dollars, they will likely begin to notice the increased cost of living.]

'I guess this is because of an increase in prices for luxury goods, services, and experiences that only the elite class can afford, while the middle and lower classes would not be affected as much.' Solomon thought as she glanced at Kanata. "Did you get any benefits from being one of the top percentiles?"

"Actually, yes." Kanata replied, reading through the email once more. "It says I have higher interest rates on savings accounts, and exclusive credit cards with more perks will be offered, which I can pick up at the bank. Also, I now have priority access to services, such as faster loan processing and expedited account opening." He said as he read the second notification, which just came in, informing him to pick up his new credit card from the Shogun's Vault branch in the city.

"Not as much benefit as I expected." Solomon said as she stretched, feeling the kinks in her muscles start to loosen. "Thought they would invite you to their private bank due to your huge amount of money."

"Yeah, there is more than just a high net worth required to join a private bank." Kanata laughed. "Speaking of that. I have a quirk."

"Let me guess." Solomon glanced at him. "Does it have something to do with regeneration?"

"Yeah." He sighed, realizing she must have noticed he had a quirk when he managed to survive his neck being slashed open. "Yeah, it's not so great. It just does what my body normally does. Which is keeping me healthy."

"Yet, it managed to save you from an attack that 90% of pro heroes can't survive." She added, returning her attention to her laptop. "Yeah, a useless quirk."

"I expected something showy." Kanata mumbled, remembering his parents and siblings' quirk. "At least something is better than nothing." He sighed as he stood up, walking to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he brought out two bottles of water, saying. "It's a good day to celebrate." He said as he brought out two bottles of water and returned to the living room. "I got my quirk, and you won sixty billion yen."

He gave Solomon a bottle of water, which she took and continued. "You don't need to continue building the prototype AI for Soundscape, so have a break and splurge some money."

Solomon took a long sip of water, savoring the cool liquid as it quenched her thirst. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and leaned back in her chair.

"You are right." She nodded in agreement. "But I want fame." She bluntly stated.

This caught Kanata off guard. "You want fame?"

"I want to be famous for my intelligence." She explained, tapping her right temple. "I want to be the Reed Richard of this world, the one known to be the smartest human, and I will do that without a quirk."

She closed her water bottle and placed it beside her on the couch. "This would be my start to fame. Just imagine the headlines. 'A ten-year-old girl built a groundbreaking artificial intelligence for Soundscape, helping them hold on to their first place in the music streaming service and gain ground over EchoTunes.'" She said, feigning to be a male news anchor. "Or better, 'Quirkless ten-year-old girl built a ground-breaking AI for all Soundscape---'"

"Alright, alright." Kanata cut her off. "I know. Everyone wants to be famous for what they are good at, so I understand." His eyes narrowed in confusion as he asked. "But, who is Reed Richards? A famous guy from your time?"

Solomon glanced at Kanata, one of her eyebrows rising up. 'Oh, right? Nothing came up when I researched Marvel and DC earlier to see if new comics came out after I died. I guess they don't exist in this reality.'

Deciding to keep it simple, she explained. "Reed Richards is a brilliant scientist and inventor known for his unparalleled intelligence. He is considered one of the smartest people on the planet, with genius-level intellect and expertise in a wide range of fields such as physics, engineering, and mathematics."

Kanata listened intently, nodding. "So, he is basically the Ethan Monoma of your time?"

"Ethan Monoma?" She asked as she went to Gloogle search. "Who is--"

Suddenly, the buzzing of Kanata's phone in his pocket cut her off, confusing both of them. "Who could be calling me?" Kanata mumbled, knowing the only person with his new number, besides Noah, was the hospital. 'Maybe they are calling me to update me about my quirk.'

Pulling out the phone from his pocket, Kanata noticed it was an unknown caller, which made sense because he had never saved or called the hospital number. Though, he didn't recognize the area code, which was strange.

Picking up the phone, he placed it on speaker since he didn't want to hold it up to his ears. "Good morning, this is Uchimura Kanata. How may I help you?"

"You sound so enthusiastic." A woman's voice came from the other side of the phone, causing Kanata to freeze. "Were you expecting someone else? The hospital, perhaps?"

Solomon looked up from her laptop to notice Kanata glaring down at his phone, his teeth clenched. "Why the fuck are you calling me?" He asked, his voice laced with venom.

"Oh, come on now." She chuckled. "What did I do to make you so angry?"

"Get to the fucking point." Kanata hissed, clenching his phone. "Every second I speak with you, my hatred grows."

There was a small silence before she replied, her tone cold. "You should be happy I got you out of prison after only six years. Remember, your sentence was twenty-seven years."

Kanata let out a hoarse chuckle. "You are the one who sent me in there due to your fucking false accusation, so why should I be happy you got me out after six fucking years?"

"*Gasp* Oh, my." She gasped, "I did no such thing."

Clenching the phone, he growled. "Just get to the point." Too angry to ask how she got his new number. It's likely that she just contacted the hospital. "What do you want?!"

"I need Amethyst." She replied, causing Kanata to look down at Solomon, silently listening to everything.

"Why?" Kanata asked, looking away from Solomon. "Weren't you the one who abandoned her?"

"Trust me. I don't want to meet that child either. I am traumatized thinking of the pain I suffered when I was getting raped." The woman choked, sniffing back none existence tears.

Kanata clenched his fist but decided not to say anything. Seeing no reaction, the woman let out an exasperated sigh. "You went to the hospital this morning to get checked up, didn't you?" She asked, but before Kanata could reply, she continued. "They looked through your medical history and found out you had a daughter who hadn't gone for a checkup in four years."

She paused. "Since I am still her guardian on paper, the hospital called me, telling me to set up an appointment for her to get a full body checkup and another quirk examination."

Kanata stood silent for a few seconds before asking. "When do you need her?" As much as he wanted, he had no power to decline her since she is, after all, Amethyst's guardian by law.

"I will be coming to Musutafu for a business with Nezu on the ninth, so maybe on that day or the day after." She replied after a short pause. "I will call you an hour before picking her up. Please get her cleaned in a real bathroom, not the one you have in that slummy apartment."

"Bye." Kanata spat as he hugged up, not wanting to hear her voice anymore. "Fuck." He mumbled, staring up at the ceiling.

"So, that was the woman that sent you to jail." Solomon spoke, stating the obvious.

"Yeah." He replied, slumping down on one of the couches. 'I am here talking about celebrating when Solomon is still chained to that woman's hands.' he clenches his fist. 'I am a fucking useless man.'

"Don't stress about it." Solomon sighed, knowing what Kanata was thinking. "I also forgot that she had full custody of me." Solomon mumbled, looking back at his laptop. "I will think of a way to make her transfer her custody to you--"

"No." Kanata snapped, closing his eyes and calming his breathing. "I will do this myself."

Solomon stared silently at Kanata before nodding. "I will leave it to you then."

"Thank you." With that, Kanata stood up and smiled. "There is no time to have fun, is there?" He chuckled. "Well, I will get on with this new mission. Don't worry about it and focus on becoming the Reed Richards of this time."

"Hahaha." Solomon let out a laugh sheepishly, not knowing how to react to that. "R-right. Go get them, tiger."

Kanata froze, looking down at Solomon. "What?"

"What?" She asked, tilting her head.

There was a long pause before Kanata spoke. "You said that on purpose, didn't you?

"Yeah." She nodded with a chuckle. "Well, be on your way and send up one of the concierge services. I am hungry."

"Right." He nodded, putting on his shoes and opening the door. "I will be back." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he closed the door behind him, Kanata took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against the cool metal. He could feel his heart racing, his chest heaving with anger and frustration.

'I can't let her take Solomon.' he thought, his fists clenching at his sides. He knew he had to find a way to get custody of his daughter's body---

He froze. "My daughter's body?" Those words made him burst out laughing, his voice echoing through the quiet and empty hallway. He is no different from that woman. He doesn't care about Amethyst. She was dead, but he didn't even mourn.

No, he is happy she is dead. He is overjoyed that Solomon is now in her body. He only cared about Solomon's well-being and not Amethyst's.

"Damn." He chuckled, walking away. "I am a monster."

Now alone in the apartment, Solomon turned her attention to her laptop on her lap. "Noah. Were you able to track the caller?"

[Indeed, as per your instructions, I successfully traced the origin of the call to Tokyo. However, I failed to access the caller's mobile device as it employed a robust firewall that required a significant amount of calories to bypass, more than you currently had.]

"That's alright." She replied, going to Gloogle. "What is this woman's name?"

[Her name is Akemi Monoma, sir.]

Noah immediately typed the name into the search bar and clicked the first link, which took her to the webpage of WikipediA

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Name: Akemi Monoma

Birth Name: Akemi Suzuki

Born: 2143 (age 31 years)

Birthplace: Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan

Education: The University of Tokyo (BA), The Supreme University of Metropolis (MBA).

Occupation: Businesswoman

Title: COO of ProTech Industries, President of RoboTech, Co-founder of Yaoyorozu Industries, Former CEO of Detnerat.

Spouses: Ethan Monoma(m. 2169)

Children: Amethyst Monoma(b. 2164)

Parents: Hiroshi Suzuki(Father), Akemi Suzuki(Mother)

Family: Monoma family, Suzuki Family.

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Upon seeing her profile, Solomon froze, her eyes widening. "This is my mother?"

[It appears so.]

"Ok..." She mumbled, staring on in silence. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. "Holy fuck, she is distinguished. No wonder Kanata couldn't do anything to her. She can wipe him off the face of this planet with a snap."

Her eyes returned to Akemi titles, mumbling. "She is also the COO of ProTech Industries? Isn't that the biggest tech giant in this world?" She asked, remembering seeing something about ProTech Industries when researching the music of this world for her AI.

[Yes, sir. ProTech Industries is a global corporation renowned for its leadership in the technology sector, boasting a staggering revenue of five hundred and eighty-eight billion dollars in 2172. Its focus is on designing and producing state-of-the-art hero costumes, utilizing advanced materials and technology to amplify a hero's skills and provide ultimate protection while their innovative technologies enhance the heroes' quirks and abilities, enabling them to control their quirks with unprecedented precision and efficiency.]

"Haha." Solomon chuckled, staring at the smiling woman with Amethyst eyes and blond hair. "I was thinking of you hacking into her laptop and exposing her, but no amount of exposure would bring her down.

[Correct, sir. You will only bring trouble to yourself by attacking this woman, especially since her husband is the Ethan Monoma.]

"The one Kanata compared to Reed Richards?" Solomon noticed that her husband was indeed that man, so she quickly clicked on her 'stepfather' name, a new profile that left her stunned.

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Name: Ethan Monoma

Birth Name: Ethan Krimmel

Born: 2095 (age 79 years)

Birthplace: Metropolis, New York, U.S.A.

Education: The Supreme University of Metropolis (B.S.E., Ph.D. EE, DDSc, Ph.D. ME), Pharaoh University of Egypt (Ph.D. Physics, Ph.D. ChE, Ph.D. BioE), The United University of Africa (Ph.D. Math, Ph.D. CE, Ph.D. MSE), Shanghai International University of Science and Technology (Ph.D. AE, EngD)

Occupation: Businessman, Engineer, Scientist, Professor, Entrepreneur, Investor, Nuclear Physicist, Researcher.

Title: Founder and CEO of ProTech Industries, Founder and CEO of SpaceZ, Founder and CEO of Global Bioengineering Corporation (G.B.C.).

Spouses: Akemi Monoma(m. 2169), Fatima Ali (m. 2161, d. 2167), Elena Rodriguez (m. 2152, d. 2159), Wei Chen (m. 2142, d. 2150), Amara Singh (m. 2133, d. 2141), Emma Thompson (m. 2122, d. 2130).

Children: 11

Parents: David Krimmel (Father), Miya Krimmel (Mother)

Family: Monoma family, Krimmel Family.

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"..." Solomon sat speechless for what felt like hours before managing to choke out. "The Fuck?"

[The richest man, the smartest man, and the Reed Richards of this world. He is *drum roll* the 'Top G.']

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Author's Note

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Monoma. I wonder who else has that last name.