"What's so funny?" Shana barked.
"Sorry, sorry," Yukko gasped. "It's just… Xeceed-san says the exact same thing about you."
"Well," Shana muttered, "at least we agree on one thing."
The two girls shared a look and nodded.
"Thank you. We'd be honored to accept the invitation," Yukko said.
"We'll make sure to convince Xeceed-san," Haruka added firmly.
"Good. I'll send you the details later."
Shana sent them friend requests, which the girls accepted with a mix of surprise and hesitation.
"Sorry," Shana said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know it feels weird as hell to be on my friends list."
"Oh, no, it's not that…"
"We were just surprised you'd even want to be friends with us," Haruka admitted.
Nyangoro tilted her head. "My, aren't we being humble all of a sudden?"
The girls looked down awkwardly. "Since starting GGO, we've… experienced a lot," Yukko said softly.
"We learned our place, I guess. Something like that."
"Don't talk like that," Shana said, his voice firm but not unkind. "You don't have to force yourselves to be my best friends, but just treat me like any other player. We're equals here."
"Exactly," Nyangoro added. "We'll probably run into each other at a real-life alumni reunion eventually. It'll be nice if we can just chat about the 'old days' in the game then."
The girls still looked a bit overwhelmed, but the tension in their shoulders finally dissipated. They nodded, a small, genuine relief appearing on their faces.
Elsewhere, Rosaria and Musket X arrived at the tavern favored by Yamikaze and Usushio Tarako.
"Oh! Rosaria-chan! Ix!" Yamikaze called out.
"Yamikaze, don't be so familiar," Ix snapped.
"Give me a break. Calling you 'Musket X' every time is exhausting, and Shana's the only one allowed to call you 'Max.'"
Ix huffed. "Well, I guess that's fair."
"Glad you agree! So, where's Tarako?"
"He's in the back. Hey, Tarako! Rosaria and Ix are here!"
Usushio Tarako stuck his head out, grinning. "Oh? What's up? Did something happen?"
"A Fortress Defense is about to pop," Rosaria said. "We're here to invite you."
"Seriously?! Man, I hope some decent gear drops this time."
"Yeah, like a Luminous Unit!"
The two were eager to join. When Rosaria mentioned that Xeceed would likely be there, they made a face, but they didn't refuse.
"Well, if Shana says it's okay, we'll deal with it," Yamikaze grunted.
"We'll just save our revenge for a time when there's more room to move!" Tarako laughed.
At the G-Women's headquarters, Shizuka and Benkei were receiving a hero's welcome.
"You girls! It's good to see you!"
"It's been a while, Okka-san," Shizuka replied.
"Right! Today, we feast!"
"Wait—hold on—we have something to tell you first—"
But once the news of the defense battle spread, the excitement only grew.
"Did you hear that, girls? We're definitely feasting now!" Okka-san shouted, and Shizuka and Benkei were promptly swept away into the rowdy celebrations.
Meanwhile, Shinon delivered the news to Dain and Ginrou.
"No way, for real? Shana is a godsend! Alright boys, get ready! New equipment is back on the menu!"
The squad cheered. Shinon watched them for a moment, told them she'd be in touch, and turned to leave. Shortly after she left, Spiegel entered the tavern.
"Ginrou-san."
"Oh, Spiegel! Good news—another Fortress Defense is coming up."
"I know. I heard from Tarako-san a moment ago."
"Right. Well, some people we don't like are going to be there, but we'll just have to suck it up."
Spiegel tilted his head. "Someone we don't like? Who?"
"Xeceed."
Spiegel froze. "What?"
He hurried over to Dain to confirm the story. Once the situation was explained, he didn't look happy, but he backed down quietly.
"If Nyangoro-san says so, I guess there's no helping it…"
Spiegel returned to Sterben and Noir and told them that Xeceed's group would be participating. As he spoke, he failed to notice the predatory glint that flickered in the eyes of his two companions.
"Hey… didn't Xeceed choose an in-game item during the last BoB?"
"He did," Noir confirmed.
"I see… is there any way we can 'steer' him this time?"
"Let's try. We'll make him help us, too."
"Good. It'll be for Spiegel's sake, after all."
"Right. And starting now… we'll begin interfering with him in the real world, little by little."
"I'll leave that part to you."
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