That day, Asuna happened to be visiting Hachiman's house. Sprawled on his bed, she was flipping through a light novel he'd recommended. As she lounged, Hachiman stood up and called out to her.
"Hey, Asuna, I'm stepping out to the bathroom."
"Alright," she replied lazily.
Hachiman opened the door and headed downstairs, leaving Asuna to continue her reading, still sprawled comfortably. Suddenly, his phone rang. With a familiar ease, Asuna glanced at the screen, saw the caller's name, and pressed the answer button without hesitation.
"Hello?" she said.
"Uh… oops, wrong number," came the voice on the other end.
"Huh? No, it's the right number, Argo-san."
"…Wait, is that you, A-chan?"
"Yup!"
There was a pause. "Argo-san? Something wrong?" Asuna asked, sensing the silence.
Argo, sounding a bit flustered, countered with a question of her own. "H-Hey, A-chan, this is Haa-bo's number, right?"
"Yup, it's his phone."
"Right…" Argo trailed off.
"Oh! You called for Hachiman-kun but got me instead, so you thought you dialed the wrong number, didn't you?" Asuna said, realizing the mix-up with a chuckle, as if she'd just caught her own oversight.
"Eh, close enough, I guess," Argo replied.
Argo's real question was why Asuna was answering Hachiman's phone so casually, but she hesitated to ask directly. Instead, she pivoted. "So, is Haa-bo there?"
"He just stepped out to the bathroom. I'm in his room right now. Oh, sounds like he's back—hold on. Hachiman-kun, it's Argo-san on the phone!"
From the other end, footsteps echoed, followed by Hachiman's voice. He took the phone. "Yo, Argo. What's up?"
"Before we get to that, why's A-chan answering your phone like it's no big deal? Not that it's a problem for me or anything," Argo said, her tone teasing but curious.
"Oh, yeah, I get why that'd raise questions," Hachiman admitted, scratching his head. He launched into an explanation. "Long story short, everyone in my contacts is someone Asuna knows too. So, if she picks up when I'm not around, it's no issue. I told her to go ahead and answer if I'm busy."
Argo processed this, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. "That's… pretty bold, huh?"
"Hell yeah, praise me more. I don't get compliments often," Hachiman quipped.
Argo sighed. "Fine, I'll let your narrow social circle slide."
"Hey, you just said it out loud!" Hachiman protested.
"I mean, narrow but deep—especially with the ladies," Argo teased.
"Rude. I've got guy friends too. Like… eight, outside of family."
"Whoa, way more than I expected," Argo said, mentally tallying faces: Kirito, Zaimokuza, Egil, Klein, Recon. "I can guess five, but who're the other three? You bluffing?"
"No bluff. The others are Totsuka, Hayama, and Tobe," Hachiman replied.
Argo recalled Zaimokuza mentioning Totsuka before. "Oh, right, Totsuka the Prince! Heard about him from Zaimokuza. Never heard of the other two, though. High school buddies?"
"Prince? Seriously?" Hachiman groaned. "Whatever. Those two helped me out when Sugou attacked me at the hospital."
"Oh, right, I remember you mentioning that!" Argo said. "So, how many girls are in that contact list? Spill."
"Trade secret," Hachiman deflected.
"Hmm, minus your sister Komachi, I'm guessing thirteen," Argo said, quickly calculating ALO members.
"Nope, sixteen. Ones you'd know: Asuna, Lizbeth, Silica, Leafa, Yukino, Yuiyui, Iroha, Soleil, Mebius, Yumi, and Klein's girlfriend, Hiratsuka-sensei. Plus you, that's… wait, twelve?"
"Hold up, Haa-bo. I'm colleagues with Bara-chan," Argo corrected.
Hachiman blinked, realizing he'd never mentioned his connection to Bara to Argo. "True, but how'd you know we swapped numbers?"
"Caught Bara-chan chewing out Zaimokuza the other day. She pulled out her phone and said, 'I'm telling Hachiman!'" Argo laughed.
"What are those idiots doing…" Hachiman muttered, rubbing his temples but letting it slide. "Anyway, nice math, Argo. Thirteen it is."
"And the other three? Side chicks or something?" Argo prodded, smirking.
"No way. They're Kawasaki, Ebina, and Orimoto—pre-SAO friends. Asuna knows them all."
Asuna and Hina had hung out once through Yumiko's introduction, with Hina dragging Saki along.
"Got it, got it. Haa-bo's trade secrets are safely noted," Argo said, her tone dripping with mischief.
"Wait… hold up…" Hachiman stammered.
"Didn't expect you to spill everyone's names so easily with a little teasing," Argo gloated.
"What… you…" Hachiman groaned, realizing he'd been played. But he wasn't one to go down without a fight. "Fine, you got me. Now pay up for the info."
Grinning smugly, though Hachiman couldn't see it, Argo matched his energy. "Sure, I'll pay, Haa-bo. But you remember my rules as an info broker, right?"
"Your rules…" Hachiman started, then froze as it hit him. He was cornered.
"Looks like you get it," Argo said. "Info I get for free, I keep quiet. But if I pay for it, it's fair game for business."
"Damn it…" Hachiman muttered.
"If you take my payment, your secrets become my merchandise," Argo said gleefully.
"No one's buying my info," Hachiman shot back, a last-ditch effort.
After a brief silence, Argo's voice carried a new conversation. "Hey, you two, got a sec? Just scored some juicy secrets about Haa-bo. Wanna buy?"
"What? Hachiman's secrets?" Zaimokuza's voice boomed. "A chance to one-up him? Name your price!"
"Seriously? I'm in!" Bara chimed in. "I'll pay whatever! Time to get even with that jerk!"
"Sorry, my bad! It's not even that big a deal, just let it go!" Hachiman pleaded, hearing Zaimokuza and Bara's voices. He caved instantly. This was his total defeat.
"Alright, I'll let it slide this time," Argo said generously.
"Thanks, I owe you," Hachiman sighed.
Just when he thought the ordeal was over, Argo spoke up. "Haa-bo, seems like those two have something to say to you."
"Huh? Sure, go ahead," Hachiman said, bracing himself.
"Switching to speaker so everyone can hear," Argo announced.
Instantly, Zaimokuza and Bara's voices blared through. "Hachiman!!!" "Hey, you!!!"
"Whoa, what's up?" Hachiman asked, startled.
"We overheard some of your chat with Argo, and what the hell, Hachiman?!" Zaimokuza roared.
"Yeah, don't mess with us!" Bara added.
"What'd I do to piss you guys off?" Hachiman asked, genuinely confused.
"Twenty-four people in your contacts? You've fallen to normie status, you traitor!" Zaimokuza bellowed.
"Twenty-four?! That's, like, way more than me! You're dead!" Bara fumed.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Hachiman said, cowed by their intensity. Their grumbling continued, unrelenting, and Hachiman, now slightly terrified, tried to placate them. "Alright, alright. Next time something's up, I'll invite you both. Just let it go."
"You better, Hachiman!" Zaimokuza said.
"Promise?" Bara demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, I got you," Hachiman agreed, overwhelmed.
Satisfied, the two seemed to return to their work. Hachiman let out a relieved sigh, only to feel Asuna tapping his shoulder.
"What's up?" he asked.
Asuna grinned. "All done getting teased by Argo-san?"
"Ugh… yeah," Hachiman admitted.
She gave him a playful, upward glance. "Can you let Argo-san hear me for a sec?"
"Sure," Hachiman said, charmed by her sly cuteness. He adjusted the phone.
"Argo-san, can you hear me?" Asuna asked.
"Yup, what's up, A-chan? Got something for me?" Argo replied.
"Time to get to the point. I'm guessing there's news about Yui-chan and Kizmel, right?"
"Sharp as ever, A-chan! That's exactly why I called," Argo said.
"Really, Argo? Is Yui okay?" Hachiman cut in eagerly.
The conversation had veered off track, but Argo's call was about Yui and Kizmel, who'd been absent lately.
"Sorry for keeping you both waiting," Argo said. "We've finally got a lead on bringing Yui-chan and Kizmel back."
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The battle isn't over... and the truth has yet to be revealed. Read the next chapter now on Patreon! [patreon.com/Greyhounds]