Chapter 88: Miss Haruno's Support
After Mr. Kikuoka finished understanding the details of the game clearance, he went to the hospital corridor to report to his superiors.
At that moment, only Hachiman and Haruno were left in the hospital room.
"Um… Miss Haruno, I have a request."
"Hm? What is it?"
"From now on, could you stop calling me 'Hikigaya' and call me 'Hachiman' instead? I plan to tell others too, but after being called 'Hachiman' for two years, I guess I've grown unaccustomed to being addressed by my surname."
"Is this a proposal? If that's the case, then you and I can get marri—"
"No, never mind. That request is too selfish."
"Geez~ I was just joking, Hachiman-kun~"
"By the way, Miss Haruno, what are your plans after graduating from university?"
"Haven't I told you? I decided to join RECT this time to protect you, Hachiman-kun! Though it ended up being a swing and a miss since you escaped on your own before I joined."
"Eh… seriously?"
"Yup, seriously~"
Haruno replied brightly with a cheerful smile.
"I'm surprised your mother agreed. Didn't you say before that she's even scarier than you?"
"Fufu, want to know how I convinced her?"
"I'm a little curious."
"At first, I said that whether I became a politician or took over the family business, real-world work experience would be essential.
Dad said to do as I like, but Mom absolutely refused.
So I told her that if she didn't agree, I'd run away from home with Yukino-chan~"
"Whoa… Was that really okay?"
"Dad laughed and told Mom, 'You lost this one.' Mom reluctantly gave in after that."
"I feel like I caused you so much trouble… even affecting your life plans, Miss Haruno…"
Haruno hugged the downcast Hachiman from behind.
"Actually, I briefly considered playing SAO myself. So when I heard you were trapped in SAO, my first thought was— 'Why didn't I play SAO?' If I had, I could've adventured with you in that unbounded world, supported each other through the game, and then returned to reality together…"
"Miss Haruno…"
"That's a really beautiful thought."
"Beautiful?"
"Yeah. If you were there, Miss Haruno, I probably would've had a much easier time."
"..."
"But reality didn't turn out that way—and I met Asuna. Miss Haruno, to me, you're like an older sister. I could never think of you in a romantic way. But you are still someone special—someone I deeply respect and cherish from the bottom of my heart."
Haruno was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed. The arms around him tightened slightly.
"Sigh… I really can't deal with you. Fine, I'll let you off this time."
"Thank you very much."
"That means Miss Asuna becomes my little sister now."
"Pretty much."
"Well then… you absolutely have to save her, Hachiman-kun."
"Yeah, I will. Definitely."
"First, we need to gather information.
Since I've joined RECT headquarters, I'll start investigating internal intel from that side.
In the meantime, you focus on rehab.
I've already located where Asuna is. Once you're able to walk, let's go together to the hospital where Asuna is sleeping."
The moment he heard those words, Hachiman suddenly turned around. Haruno hurriedly let go, but their faces were now just inches apart.
Haruno's cheeks turned a little red, but Hachiman remained completely unfazed and asked:
"You know where Asuna is? Does the Yuuki family have ties with the Yukinoshita family?"
"Rather than ties, I'd say it's standard corporate relations. But I've met Asuna's father, Mr. Shouzou Yuuki, several times.
I made full use of that connection when I joined the company, so visiting her shouldn't be a problem."
"…Even without those connections, I think you could've joined RECT easily, Miss Haruno."
"I'm confident, yes. But this time, I joined mainly to build those connections. Thanks to that, I now have a bit more leeway to make demands."
"As expected of you."
"Fufu, we're like accomplices now. Let's stamp a contract to seal the deal~"
Before he could react, Haruno planted a kiss on Hachiman's cheek. Stunned, he managed to squeeze out a few words:
"…Damn, I let my guard down."
"Hehe, you're two years too early to challenge me."
"That's oddly specific."
"Considering you'll need to re-enter school under government arrangements, it'll probably take about that long to graduate. Once you're ready for college or work, I'll recognize you as my equal."
"Eh? I can go back to school? That actually makes me a bit happy. I'll work hard to gain your recognition as soon as possible."
"Mm, good boy."
"Um… may I come in?"
At that moment, Haruno quickly stepped away from Hachiman.
"Sorry to interrupt such a touching moment. But regarding that accomplice relationship—may I join in too?"
"Huh? Mr. Kikuoka?"
"Actually, I just received orders from the higher-ups to fully assist Hachiman-kun in resolving this case."
"For real?"
"That's right. We must rescue the remaining 100 people. From now on, we're comrades.
Ah, but please try not to break the law."
As he said that, Kikuoka extended his right hand, and Hachiman grasped it firmly, their handshake sealing a strong partnership.
"Couldn't ask for more. Please take care of me."
"Now, back to what we were discussing earlier—though there might not be much to add."
"Right. But can I ask one question first? What's the status of my phone?"
Kikuoka seemed prepared for that and replied smoothly:
"All of your phone contracts were temporarily suspended, but that's already been resolved. You should be able to use them normally now. Your email address and number haven't changed."
"Miss Haruno, could you ask Komachi to bring my phone?"
"Got it! I'll call her right now~"
Haruno promptly called Komachi and asked her to bring Hachiman's phone to the hospital.
"All done~"
"Thanks, Miss Haruno. And Mr. Kikuoka as well."
"Mm?"
"In SAO… I killed people. Would that be considered a crime?"
"You won't be charged."
"I see…"
"You weren't doing it willingly, right? Most of it was self-defense."
"But there were people in SAO who took pleasure in killing."
"Those guys will be monitored by public safety authorities after collecting testimonies. Unfortunately, they can't be prosecuted."
"Testimonies… Should I provide any info I have?"
"It may be unpleasant to recall, but if you have intel, please do share it."
"Understood."
Hachiman listed names: PoH, Johnny Black, Kuradeel, Rosalia, and the red-eyed XaXa. He couldn't remember the others.
After recording the names, Kikuoka checked them against the database. Only one name was missing—PoH.
"Damn, it had to be that guy…"
"Is he dangerous?"
"He's the leader of the murder guild 'Laughing Coffin'. Most likely a retired or current soldier."
"If he's military, his info being encrypted isn't surprising.
If it got out that military personnel were serial killers in a game, even if they couldn't be charged, it would be a huge scandal.
So it was probably encrypted from the beginning."
"If he's overseas, it shouldn't be an issue for now."
"That's all the info I can provide for now."
"It's more than enough. We've got what we need."
After pondering a moment, Hachiman asked another question:
"Mr. Kikuoka, could you tell me how to contact my former companions?"
"Sorry, that's strictly prohibited. I trust you, but we can't rule out the possibility of revenge-seekers."
"Right, there's the personal information protection law… Makes sense. We had our own way to contact each other, so it should be fine. Then could you help check whether my friends are among the ones still asleep?"
"For the sake of resolving the issue, that's allowed."
"Please check on these six people: Kirito, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, Klein, and Argo. Oh, and Nezha… but I didn't share contact info with him. We'll probably meet once school starts again, so just confirming his safety is enough."
After checking the terminal, Kikuoka's expression turned grim.
"One person hasn't woken up."
"Who?"
"Miss Lisbeth."
"Lisbeth… Kirito will be heartbroken."
"Is she Kirito's girlfriend?"
"Not quite there yet."
"I can't reveal contact info, but I'm going to meet Kirito soon. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?"
"Really? Please tell him about Asuna and Lisbeth. Also, tell him: 'I'll push through rehab with the goal of recovering in two months.' Oh right—Miss Haruno, I don't remember my email address…"
"I know it."
"Could you write it down and give it to Mr. Kikuoka?"
"No problem~ I'll write it right away."
"Mr. Kikuoka, please pass this to him. Thank you."
"Consider it done. Anything else?"
"Nothing for now."
"Then Miss Haruno and I will focus on gathering intel."
"Thanks a lot. I'll work hard at rehab."
And so, their conversation that day came to an end. Hachiman's rehabilitation life had officially begun.