"Come to think of it, Shana, you already know what she looks like in the real world, don't you?"
"It was a complete accident. I can't really take credit for it."
As they made their way back to the firing range, Ikoma tossed the question out, and Shana—Hachiman's avatar—replied with a shrug.
It truly had been a stroke of luck. Only a few days prior, someone had attempted to sneak into the school for "returnees." It turned out to be a relentless member of the press trying to force interviews with the students. In the aftermath, the Chairwoman had ordered a full review of the security footage. While tracking the intruder, they discovered someone else: a young woman who seemed intently focused on observing Hachiman.
Unsure whether to involve the police, the Chairwoman had wisely consulted Hachiman first. Looking at the woman's face, Hachiman felt a flicker of recognition. He asked the Chairwoman to hold off on any official report while he looked into it. Even now, deep within the world of GGO, the puzzle of her identity occupied his mind.
"Shana? Do you have a moment?"
"Sure. What's up, Little Kitten?"
Calling me 'Little Kitten' out of nowhere... just how much does this man adore me? Rosalia wondered, her heart skipping. Wait, if I think about it, he's just treating me the same way he treats everyone else now.
She froze for a second at the nickname before finding her voice.
"…So, you only use that name when we're alone?"
"You don't like it?"
"…I didn't say that."
"Good. I'm fond of it myself. If we're both in agreement, then there's no problem."
There is a huge problem! It's embarrassing! If that's how he wants to play it…
Rosalia narrowed her eyes and shot back, "You know, if you keep calling me that, you might let it slip in front of other players. If that happens, you'd better be prepared to take responsibility."
There! Let's see how he handles that!
"Hm? If it slips out, I'll just tell them it's because you're acting like a kitten. We'll push right through it. No problem at all."
Ugh! I mean, yeah, he probably could pull that off! But that's not what I meant by 'taking responsibility'!
"Well, if you say so…"
"I'll take proper responsibility for you, don't worry."
Wait, what?!
"I intend to look after you and your lifestyle for a long time. For the rest of our lives, even."
My lifestyle… for the rest of our lives? Staying with this man until the day I die…
"I love you…" she whispered.
Crap! I said the quiet part loud!
"Huh? What was that all of a sudden?"
"N-Nothing! Sorry, I think I'm just tired."
Hachiman cast his gaze downward, his voice softening. "…I'm sorry."
"Eh?"
"No, forget it."
Was that 'sorry' for me being tired? Or was it because he can't return my feelings? Well, either way is fine. I've decided to live my life for him…
Rosalia stepped closer, leaning gently against his back. "It's okay. I like what we have right now."
Though I'd like to be just a little bit closer…
"I wonder what the 'old you' would think if she saw the 'current you,'" Hachiman mused.
"Oh, she'd be absolutely livid, I'm sure."
"Figures. I did give you a pretty thorough thrashing, after all."
"Let's just call it a 'tough love' intervention that worked out in the end."
"Actually, back then, I was just genuinely pissed off."
"Now, now, Pops—we agreed not to bring that up," she teased, using an old-fashioned street-slang term for 'father.'
"Yeah, my bad. I'm always putting you through the wringer. I got the order of operations backward. Anyway, what was it you actually needed?"
"Ah!" Rosalia snapped back to her original purpose. "Right. I've been making a list of players loitering around Mount Kurama. There's one person whose 'vibe' is completely different from the rest, and I'm having trouble placing them."
"Let's see… wait, isn't this Musketeer X? Is she an enemy?"
"No, quite the opposite. Look at this—it's the friend-or-foe checklist I made with the Professor."
"…You actually made a spreadsheet for this?"
"It makes life easier once it's done. Anyway, according to the criteria, Musketeer X scores a perfect one hundred."
Hachiman blinked, looking puzzled. "Wait, a perfect score? Meaning…"
"To put it simply: she's a fanatical devotee. A stalker, basically."
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"But there's something that keeps her from being a standard stalker."
"Oh?"
"It seems like she's actually trying to protect you."
"How do you mean?"
Rosalia shrugged. "Well, we and our pursuers usually move by car, right? Since she's on foot, she seems to be desperately trying to chase after us to help, but she never quite makes it in time. It's almost tragic."
"I see…"
"Watching our base feels less like stalking and more like she's standing guard—waiting to jump in the moment we're in danger."
Hachiman crossed his arms, deep in thought. "I get it. If a war breaks out, we'll be short-handed. Bringing her into the fold might not be a bad idea… wait. Hey, Little Kitten, can you do me a favor? Take this photo of Musketeer X and edit her hair to be black."
"I can, but why?"
Rosalia processed the image and showed the printout to Hachiman. "Like this?"
"That's her… It's the same woman who was watching me at school. No doubt about it."
"What? Seriously?"
"But our faces are totally different between this world and the real one. Normally, I'd assume Musketeer X was a different person entirely, but…"
"Ah!"
"What is it?"
Rosalia quickly explained the conversation she'd overheard between Musketeer X, Usujio Tarako, and Yamikaze.
"She said, 'Fortunately, this face and body—aside from the chest—closely resemble my appearance in the real world.' I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but she definitely said that."
"Are you serious? Little Kitten, where are you in the real world right now?"
"At the office…"
"Right. I'm coming to pick you up. Meet me at the school. The Chairwoman should still be there."
"Understood."
The two of them logged out immediately, met up in Hachiman's car—the Soleil—and sped toward the school.
"Madam Chairwoman! About that matter from earlier…"
"Oh, Hachiman-kun. And Miss Rose, was it? You're back quite soon. Did you find a lead?"
"Yes, a major one. May we see the photos and the security footage again?"
"Of course."
The two of them took one look at the screen and spoke in perfect unison.
"It's Musketeer X."
"That's Musketeer X."
"Muske…?" the Chairwoman blinked.
"That's her player name in the game, ma'am," Hachiman clarified.
"I see. Well then, I suppose I can leave the rest to you, Hachiman-kun?"
"Yes. She doesn't seem to have any hostile intent toward me, so she's probably, uh… well…"
As Hachiman stammered, Rose (Rosalia) stepped in with a blunt clinical diagnosis.
"Madam Chairwoman, it appears this individual is a young maiden in the throes of a very heavy, very obsessive love for Hachiman. To be precise, it's closer to religious devotion."
"Hey, Rose! Don't just come out and say it like that! We don't know for sure!"
Ignoring Hachiman's protests, Rose continued. "I'll leave the formal identification to our Head of Intelligence, Argo. We'll handle everything from here."
"Oh, that would be a great help."
"I'll contact the Chief immediately. I'm going to step outside to get the Boss's formal approval."
Rose exited the room, leaving Hachiman alone with the Chairwoman. She turned to him with a knowing smile.
"Well then, Hachiman-kun, good luck. Is there anything else I can do to assist?"
"Ah, no, I'm fine, thank you."
The Chairwoman hummed, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "I see… You're as popular as ever, aren't you?"
"I mean, I guess… wait, Madam Chairwoman?!"
Without warning, the Chairwoman sat herself down on Hachiman's lap as he sat on the sofa, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"W-w-w-what are you doing?!"
"Oh, I'm just trying my hand at being 'jealous.' Is an old woman like me not to your liking?"
"No, you're beautiful regardless of age! I can't even believe you're two decades older than me… damn it, I can't move a muscle…"
"Of course not. I am the mother of those two girls, after all. For your information, I'm still more skilled in martial arts than Haruno."
"Are you serious…?"
Hachiman was stunned. Watching his flustered face with delight, the Chairwoman took it a step further and hugged him tightly.
"M-Madam! This is going too far!"
"But it's so frustrating! I want to do things for you just like my daughters do, but you always solve everything on your own. You told me to help whenever you needed to intimidate someone, but that opportunity never comes! Since it's come to this, I have no choice but to forcibly recharge my 'Hachiman-kun Energy.'"
"What the hell is 'Hachiman Energy'?! Stop, you're way too attractive for this to be a joke, it's dangerous!"
The Chairwoman's cheeks flushed like a young girl's.
"Oh dear. Well, I'll just have to apologize to him later. Perhaps I should create a 'fait accompli' right here… and give those two a new little brother or sister… or maybe twin girls? A Snow White and a Rose Red…?"
"Hey! Your jokes don't sound like jokes! Just let me go!"
"I refuse. Maintaining my Hachiman-kun levels is the secret to my youth."
"Who started that rumor?! Let go!"
"No~ purr, purr…"
She began to nuzzle against him like a spoiled cat. Hachiman looked up at the ceiling in despair.
Damn it… back in high school, the rumors said she was terrifying. But now she's just plain cute, which makes her impossible to deal with…
"My, my. Was I really that scary back then? And you think I'm cute now? Well, that settles it. We're definitely making this official…"
"Crap, I really can't resist… I guess I just have to accept my fate…"
Seeing Hachiman go limp in resignation, the Chairwoman giggled like a schoolgirl.
"Hehe. I suppose I've teased you enough for today. I got plenty of compliments, after all."
"Phew… Please, never again…"
"If you mean that, then make sure you come to entertain me more often, even when you don't have 'business' to discuss."
"Ugh… Fine. Understood."
Exhausted, Hachiman let out a sigh. "I guess you really are mother and daughter."
"Eh?"
"The way you just blushed… you looked exactly like those two."
"Oh? Hehe. I wonder which of the three of us is your favorite?"
"If I say any name, my life is in danger. I'm pleading the fifth."
"Oh, don't be like that. In times like this, you're supposed to say my name, even if it's a lie."
With those words, she playfully licked his neck.
"Gah! Damn it, she's still got it… she's totally out of my league…"
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and it swung open.
"Mother? I heard Hachiman was here. Rose just contacted me, and since I was nearby, I thought I'd stop… by…"
Haruno froze. Her eyes darted between her mother on Hachiman's lap and Hachiman's traumatized face.
"…Wait. Is this the aftermath? Or are you two right in the middle of it?"
"Shut up, you stupid sister! Don't just stand there analyzing it, help me!"
"Eh? I don't mind going after Mother is finished."
"That's not funny!"
"Fine, fine. Honestly… and here I thought I might finally get a younger sibling."
"You people are a hopeless family…"
Haruno stepped forward, but she didn't pull her mother off. Instead, she leaned over and rested her chest right on top of Hachiman's head, beginning to massage his shoulders.
"Phew. This is a perfect height for a chest-rest. My shoulders have been so stiff lately…"
"You idiot! Of all the things to do…!"
"Well, if I make Mother move, you'll just run away. I have to get my 'Hachiman-kun Energy' fix while I can."
"Oh, Haruno, you too?"
"Yep. So that was your goal as well, Mother?"
"Who is spreading these rumors?!" Hachiman yelled, though he had completely given up on struggling.
Trying to deal with these women rationally was a mistake from the start. He couldn't win against one of them; against two, he was utterly powerless. As a last resort, he closed his eyes and prayed.
(God, please… let me out of here… these women are dangerously charming and I'm going to lose my mind…)
Perhaps his prayer was heard, for a savior appeared.
No—not a savior. It was the Queen of Terror herself.
"…Sister. Mother. Just what do you think you are doing?"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"