"Just so you know, I already passed the entrance exam. I even got a bow."
"Are you kidding me...? That guy Hachiman... just how many secrets is he keeping from me...?"
"It's not really a secret. My name should already be on the roster..."
"...I-I'll make sure to double-check that next time."
"Yeah, you do that."
Kirito paused for a moment before turning back to Sinon with another question.
"Wait, are there other members of ours here too?"
"Yeah. Let's see... Bara-san is Rosalia-san..."
"She's here too? Well, I guess that makes sense. She's one of Hachiman's favorites."
"Asuna is Shizuka, and Komachi-chan is Benkei."
"What is this, The Tale of Genji!?"
"...Don't you mean the Genpei War?"
"T-That's what I meant to say! My tongue just slipped a bit!"
"Sure, 'slipped'..."
Giggling softly, Sinon continued her explanation.
"And then Yukino is Nyangoro..."
"Huh? Even Yukino's here!?"
"And finally—though he's not a member of Valhalla—what was his name again...? Ah, right, Nezha. Nezha-kun is Ikoma-kun."
"What?"
Kirito stood frozen in complete disbelief before suddenly lunging toward Sinon.
"For real!? Nezha is here!?"
"Yeah. Once this tournament wraps up, I'm sure you'll have a tearful reunion."
"I see... I see..."
Without warning, tears began streaming down Kirito's face. In a virtual world like this, he couldn't hold them back.
"...Are you really that happy?"
"Yeah. In a way, that guy saved our lives. I want to see him right now."
"I see... I'm really glad then."
Sinon gave a soft, gentle smile, and the two turned their eyes back to the monitor.
In the middle of the preliminaries, Kikuoka logged out of ALO under the excuse of using the restroom. Awakening as Chrysheight, he immediately turned to Natsuki.
"So, did anything useful pop up on this monitor while I was gone?"
"You're late, Kikuoka-san! Things have been in absolute chaos over here!"
"Huh? What on earth happened?"
"It looks like this 'Death Gun' player is actually Red-Eyed XaXeeD—or rather, Red-Eyed ZaZa—from Laughing Coffin!"
"...What!?"
"We checked with Public Safety, but since he was only under temporary surveillance, he's already off the watchlist!"
Kikuoka was rendered completely speechless. Hearing that name here was entirely outside his calculations.
"Understood. We need to take him in for voluntary questioning. The best person for this kind of job would be... Sagami-san, perhaps?"
Kikuoka attempted to reach out to Sagami, only to be informed that he was currently on paid leave.
Taking paid leave at a time like this? No way...
Feeling suspicious, Kikuoka dialed Sagami's number directly.
"Hello, Sagami-san? It's Kikuoka..."
"Ah, Kikuoka-kun! Is something the matter?"
"Ah, sorry to bother you with a sudden question, but where are you right now?"
"Right now? I'm at a facility called the Forest of Sleep. Operating as a security guard of sorts, you could say! Hahaha!"
Hearing Sagami's breezy tone, Kikuoka immediately understood the situation. "In that case, don't worry about it," he said, hanging up the phone.
(Having Sagami-san act on Hachiman-kun's instructions will probably yield better results anyway.)
Reassuring himself with that thought, Kikuoka placed another call to Headquarters, filing a formal request for voluntary questioning regarding Shoichi Shinkawa and Atsushi Kanamoto.
(There's no way he's acting alone, after all.)
"I'm heading back inside for now. If any new information comes up, cut the connection to pull me out."
"Understood!"
With that, Kikuoka logged back into ALO.
When Kikuoka returned, the Valhalla Garden was also in complete turmoil.
"I mean, isn't this game supposed to be about guns!? Why is everyone using swords!? Especially Kirito—did he pick the wrong game or something!? Why is he barely even trying to use a gun!?"
"Well, it's Kirito-kun... that's really all there is to say..."
The moment those words were spoken, every single person present nodded in unanimous agreement. Their faith in Kirito—at least in that specific regard—was absolute.
"Well, there's no way Kiri-chi could handle a gun with any actual grace, anyway."
"Though he handles a sword with plenty of grace..."
"Besides, what does 'cutting down bullets' even mean!? It makes zero sense!"
"Kirito definitely isn't human..."
"Then what is he?"
"A robot?"
"A Roboto, definitely."
Spurred on by that single comment, a debate broke out over potential new nicknames for Kirito.
"Mekato doesn't sound half bad either."
"I vote for Digito!"
"Aren't these getting a bit too tech-heavy?"
"He cuts bullets, so... Kirito? Ah, wait, that didn't change."
"Ugh, this is too much trouble. He's weird, so let's just go with Hento!"
Right in the middle of their chaotic banter, the second round match between Shana and Hachiman played out on screen. Watching it unfold, the Valhalla Friends froze in unison.
"Wait... are both of them the real one...?"
"No, no, maybe he switched places really fast?"
"Did he even have time for that!?"
"Yeah, but that counterattack..."
No matter how much they pondered, no answer came.
"Aaargh, I don't get it at all! What is that guy even trying to do!?"
"He needs to tone down the secrecy already..."
"And he's been way too popular lately!"
"Alright, next time he shows his face here, we're all jumping him. Agreed?"
"Agreed! Total agreement!"
Watching the scene unfold, Chrysheight caught himself feeling a strange sense of relief—realizing that as long as Hachiman was surrounded by friends like these, there was probably nothing to worry about.
(No, no... I need to stay focused... if only to protect these companions of his.)
Steelings his resolve once more, Chrysheight fixed his eyes on the screen, searching for any scrap of new information.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"