"Alright! That's our Shana for you!"
"We did it, nyan! Another grand victory today! Should I prepare some sweets for the celebration, nyan?"
"That's a top-tier idea, Lady Faris."
Faris slipped out of the room to start the preparations, with Daru following close behind to lend a hand. Back on the screen, within the world of the game, Comike approached Shana—who had just finished giving the order to withdraw.
"Hey, Boss. I've got a lot I want to ask you. Mind if I hitch a ride in that Humvee?"
"Oh, uh, sure. Go right ahead."
"You heard him," Comike called out to his subordinates. "Kemoner, Tommy, follow us from behind."
""Roger!""
In that moment, Shana noticed Tommy start to reflexively salute before quickly catching himself. Leaning in, Shana whispered softly to Comike.
"Are you... professionals? As in, active duty?"
Comike felt a momentary jolt of surprise, but he kept his expression neutral and parried with a question of his own.
"...What makes you say that?"
"Ah, that answer pretty much confirms it. Sorry, I was just testing the waters. I saw Tommy-san start to salute just now. A mere military otaku would have just gone through with it. I started wondering what kind of person is so used to saluting that they have to consciously remind themselves not to. Plus, there's the way you handle your rifles, your tactical movement, the general vibe... you know?"
Comike let out a low whistle of admiration.
"If you've seen that much, there's no point in hiding it. Guess that's why you're the Boss. But people usually tell me I don't look the part at all. I still give off that impression?"
"Hmm. You say that, but your bearing is clearly different from an amateur."
"I see... Well, the truth is, we're on a mission. We only have three days left here. Is that going to be okay?"
"Is that so? No problem at all. Even three days is a massive help."
"Glad to hear it. Well then, we're in your hands until then!"
"Right."
After they climbed into the Black Humvee, Comike added one more thing.
"Oh, and if possible, keep our identities under wraps..."
"Of course. Senpai, Sinon—you didn't hear any of that, alright?"
"I take it there are... circumstances?" Shizuka replied. "Understood!"
"I don't quite get it, but it's fine with me," Sinon added.
Relieved, Comike looked around at the gathered players and remarked to Shana, "You know, this game has a much higher percentage of female players than I'd heard. I was actually pretty surprised when I saw the members of the Genji army earlier."
"Ah..."
"Comike," Nyangoro interrupted. "That is a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding? What do you mean, Senpai?"
In their brief time together, Comike had already figured out the right way to interact with Nyangoro—a testament to his impressive social intuition. Of course, if Comike ever met the person inside the Nyangoro avatar, the sheer gap in personality would probably make him faint.
Nyangoro explained bluntly, "Almost every female player currently active in GGO is on our side. On the enemy team, only two women have been confirmed. Even among those not participating in the war, there are maybe five at most."
"Wait, seriously...? I had that completely wrong..."
Nyangoro began rattling off the hard data for the shell-shocked Comike.
"Fifteen from the G-Girls Federation, six from Kuro-Ookami, six from SHINC, and likely one in the final squadron. That makes twenty-eight women on our side."
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