A few days after the "incident" in the Chairwoman's office, Hachiman found himself at the Soleil headquarters, summoned by Argo and Rose.
"I heard you managed to crack Musketeer X's real-world identity," Hachiman said as he entered.
"Hmph! If you leave it to 'The Rat,' a little job like this is child's play," Argo chirped, leaning back in her chair. "You owe me one, Hachi-bou!"
"I'm always in your debt, you genius hacker," Hachiman replied with a dry smile.
"Don't call me a hacker—I'm an information broker. Anyway, Rose-chi, do the honors and explain the details."
Rose smoothed out a document on the table and began her report. "Musketeer X. Real name: Kurusu Mamiya. She's a university student. To our surprise, it turns out she's a classmate of Yukino's, though it seems they've never actually crossed paths."
"Are you serious? It really is a small world…"
"Indeed. Take a look at this." Rose handed Hachiman a photograph and a detailed background check.
Hachiman studied the photo. "It's rare for a GGO avatar to look this much like the player's real self."
"GGO uses random generation for avatars," Rose noted. "She must have hit the jackpot, or her real-world traits were just that distinct."
"The only thing that's different is her chest…" Hachiman's eyes drifted momentarily—and perhaps predictably—toward Rose's own figure.
Rose puffed out her chest with a smirk. "Well, I'm still the clear winner in that department."
"In attitude, too," Hachiman muttered.
"Hey!"
Hachiman looked back at the file. "Is 'Kurusu' written in katakana?"
"Yeah, that's right," Argo confirmed.
"I see. Maybe her parents were Christian, or just liked the name. 'Kurusu' as in 'Cross.' If you take the 'X' from Musketeer X and the 'Cross' from Kurusu, then 'Max' seems like a fitting shorthand."
"Max?" Argo tilted her head.
"Calling her 'Musketeer X' every time is a mouthful. If we swap 'Kurusu' for an 'X,' then both her real name and her handle shorten down to 'Max.' It's efficient."
"It sounds like a man's name to me," Rose pointed out.
"Think of it as a codename. More importantly, it's easy to say."
"I suppose so."
Thus, by Hachiman's decree, Musketeer X was dubbed "Max." (Later, when Max would hear this name from Hachiman himself, she would be overcome with the ecstatic delusion that her 'God' had granted her a holy name.)
"Now, Hachi-bou, this next part might shock you," Argo said, sliding a new set of photos across the desk. "These were taken with a telephoto lens through her apartment window."
"Hey, now. Let's try to keep the criminal activity to a minimum."
"Believe me, we didn't intend to go that far," Rose interjected. "But after we saw what was inside, we felt it was our duty to report it."
"What exactly are we looking at…?"
Hachiman took the photos. The moment his eyes registered the image, he froze. "Wh-what the…"
The photos showed the interior of Max's room. In the most prominent spot on the wall, she had pinned two massive, high-definition enlargements. One was of Shana—Hachiman's GGO avatar—and the other was of Hachiman himself in the real world.
"Okay, this is… intense," Hachiman managed.
"That's the strange part," Rose said, looking troubled. "According to our investigation, she shows no signs of being a typical 'unstable' person. In fact, her daily life is perfectly normal."
"Really?"
"Yes. The only 'irregular' behavior we observed was her morning and evening prayers."
"Prayers?" Hachiman blinked. "What do you mean?"
"She literally offers prayers to your photographs twice a day, every single day. And it's not… creepy, in the traditional sense. It's incredibly sincere. It's almost like she's a devout nun."
"So these photos aren't for… illicit purposes? They're just for worship?"
"Exactly. There's no swooning, no heavy breathing, nothing like that. It's pure, unadulterated devotion."
Hachiman felt a strange chill. He looked at Rose and decided to deflect with a joke. "I see. So she's the exact opposite of you, then? Since you spend your days swooning and heavy breathing over my pictures."
"What?! How did you know—!" Rose blurted out.
She stopped instantly. Hachiman stared at her, his eyes wide with genuine shock. Rose realized too late that Hachiman had been joking, and she had just effectively confessed.
Thinking fast, she winked and wagged a finger. "Just kidding! Kyaha~☆!"
Hachiman continued to stare at her, but his gaze had shifted to one of profound pity.
"…"
"…"
"Uh…" Rose stammered.
"Look," Hachiman said flatly. "That 'cute girl' act doesn't suit you at all. Please stop."
"I—I know that!"
"Honestly. The only joke in this room is your chest."
"This chest is 100% natural! It's no joke!"
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say."
"Ugh… how dismissive can you get…?"
Hachiman sighed, then added, "Actually, I remember now. Back at Christmas, you did manage to get your hands on a huge stash of my photos."
"Yes, and I'm simply making effective use of company resources. Is there a problem?"
"As long as you aren't bothering me with it, I guess I don't care. Do what you want."
Rose pouted. "You could at least look a little bit troubled by it! It's for your sake!"
Hachiman gave her a wry smile. "Normally, I'd indulge you, but Argo has been sitting there grinning at you for the last five minutes."
"Ugh…"
"Seriously, Rose-chan is so much more entertaining when Hachi-bou is around," Argo teased. Rose began to playfully (but forcefully) pummel Hachiman's shoulder in embarrassment.
"Alright, let's get back on track," Hachiman said, steering the conversation.
"Right," Rose cleared her throat. "Any other concerns?"
"I can't rule out the possibility that deep down, she's thinking all sorts of 'lovey-dovey' thoughts about you," Argo added. "But regardless, she seems to have incredible self-discipline."
Hachiman thought for a moment. "Doesn't that just mean she's going to explode if she doesn't vent some of that pressure? You know… like Rose does?" He pointed his thumb at the former PK leader.
"I do not 'explode'!"
"To some degree, all women are like that," Argo said wisely.
"I guess so… I mean, even the Chairwoman and Haruno-san are like that," Hachiman muttered, recalling the trauma in the office.
"Exactly."
Hachiman looked at Argo. "…Are you like that, too?"
"Me?" Argo grinned. "Well, I'm actually a guy, so—"
Hachiman's brain short-circuited. He sat there, completely paralyzed. Argo watched him for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.
"It's a joke! Want me to strip right here to prove it?"
Hachiman was so rattled that he actually nodded. "Y-yes, please."
"Oh? Ohhh? You're serious?" Argo laughed, her fingers going to the buttons of her uniform.
Hachiman finally snapped out of it, waving his hands frantically. "Wait, wait, wait! Stop! There is absolutely no need for that, Argo!"
"Tch. Don't get my hopes up, Hachi-bou."
"You're the one who started it!" Hachiman argued.
Argo shrugged. "Look, Hachi-bou. You'd be lost without me, right? When it comes to information, you're completely dependent on the great Argo-sama."
"I… can't deny that."
"I get my 'fix' from that sense of superiority. It keeps me from 'exploding,' as you put it."
"I see. Well, if that's all it takes, feel free to feel as superior as you want."
"A fancy dinner for just the two of us every now and then wouldn't hurt, either," she added with a wink.
"…I'll take it under advisement. I'm sure Asuna wouldn't mind if I treated you as a thank-you for your hard work."
"Even a dinner with Ar-chan is fine," Argo said, smiling warmly. "Now, back to Max. Any other issues?"
"None. She has a great reputation at school, her grades are top-tier… Oh, and she's already publicly stating her intention to join Soleil after graduation."
"Seriously?"
"Apparently, she says it every day. 'I will join Soleil and be of use to the President.' Everyone assumes she's talking about the Boss—Kayaba—but we know better."
Hachiman fell silent for a long moment. "…She means me."
"Most likely. What's the plan, Hachi-bou?"
"She's a talented individual. I'd be a fool not to hire her. But if she joins, she'll have to be part of my personal staff. Rose, do you think you can keep her under control?"
Rose crossed her arms confidently. "It shouldn't be an issue. She sounds like a much quieter version of Pitohui. I've had plenty of practice handling her."
"Alright. Then it's settled. Rose, you're my lead secretary. Minami and Max will be under you. Argo handles Intel, Kazuto handles Development, Yukino handles Management, and Asuna handles External Affairs. Oh, and Orimoto is the receptionist Argo recruited… though I suppose Yui and Yumiko might end up there eventually, too."
"You're just casually assigning your whole circle to company positions now, huh?" Argo laughed.
"It's a joke. Mostly."
Hachiman's expression turned serious. "For now, we need to bring Max into the fold within GGO. We'll eventually bring her into Valhalla."
And so, without her even knowing, Max's future was secured exactly as she had prayed for.
Hachiman leaned back into the sofa, closing his eyes in exhaustion. Sensing his fatigue, Argo and Rose moved in, taking turns massaging his shoulders.
"Thanks, you two."
"Hachi-bou, you've been pushing yourself too hard lately," Argo said softly.
"A lot has happened."
"If you're that tired, we could always go find a nap room and the three of us could… share a bed?"
"That's a tempting offer," Hachiman murmured, "but I'm not that tired yet. I'll manage."
"Listen to you," Rose teased. "It's rare to hear you actually admit an offer is tempting instead of just shooting it down."
"He's finally learning how to handle women," Argo giggled, leaning over and wrapping her arms around Hachiman from behind. "We've known each other a long time now, haven't we?"
"Yeah."
"The Boss created this place for us. Let's work hard to make sure we don't let him down."
Hachiman nodded, feeling the weight of the company and the lives attached to it. "Yeah. Keep helping me out, Argo. Rose."
"You got it," Argo whispered.
"Always," Rose added.
Later that evening, Hachiman gathered his core team within GGO. They discussed the situation with Musketeer X.
Ikoma provided tactical data on 'Airy Boards'—high-mobility hover devices—and suggested they provide one to Max to solve her mobility issues. Ikoma was officially tasked with recruiting her, but as expected, Max chose to remain a "guardian from the shadows" for the time being.
At the end of the meeting, Hachiman stood before his allies, his voice cold and resolute.
"Our forces are finally in position. In a few days, we will issue a formal declaration of war. We're going to drag our enemy out of the shadows and crush them once and for all."
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