"I knew it… I felt like something was off."
The truth was, Hachiman had witnessed the benefits of the Singing skill once before. It happened back during his days as a beta tester, before the official service of SAO even began. Among all the players currently trapped in the game, Hachiman was the only one who even knew the skill existed.
"I'd heard it was an incredibly rare skill," Hachiman had told her back then. "I'd never actually run into anyone who used it. I knew it was out there, but I never expected to see it in person, so I'd written it off as a factor in our strategy. I never dreamed it would manifest in you."
"W-what kind of skill is it?" Yuna had asked, her voice trembling.
"It's a powerful support skill that affects every party member who hears your voice. Apparently, as the level rises, the range can expand to cover an entire Raid. That's probably why none of the spectators noticed—and honestly, I wasn't 100% sure myself. Word is, the effects change depending on the emotion you put into the song."
"It's that powerful…?" Yuna murmured.
Immediately after that revelation, Yuna had begged Hachiman to let her join the Clearers. Naturally, Hachiman had refused.
"I don't care how powerful your rare skill is," he'd snapped. "What is a Level 1 player supposed to do on the front lines?"
"Then help me level up!"
"Hah?"
"With this, I can finally be useful to you in a real way, Hachiman. Oh, and teach me how to use a dagger while you're at it. You're an expert, right?"
"Give me a break…"
"Please!"
"I'm sure you could find someone else to teach you."
"Please! If you do, I'll sing a song just for you every single day as thanks!"
"I'm perfectly satisfied with the way things are now."
"Oh, come on! Just say yes. Please?"
The back-and-forth had gone on forever. Eventually, Hachiman buckled under Yuna's sheer persistence and agreed to train her. Perhaps, deep down, he simply couldn't turn down the prospect of such a potent addition to their fighting force.
"Fine, fine. I get it."
"Thank you, Master!"
"'Master,' huh…?"
"Yep! Master!"
"And that," Agil said, leaning back, "was how their master-apprentice relationship started. Asuna knew about Yuna, too. Apparently, the two of them would occasionally train her together. I suspect Asuna was a little jealous deep down, but since Hachiman's attitude toward her never wavered—and because she'd experienced the sheer power of Yuna's buffs firsthand—she decided to look the other way."
"So Asuna knew Yuna as well," Ryotaro (Klein) mused.
"Well, Asuna was busy as the Vice-Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath back then, so I don't think they spent that much time together. But whenever I saw them, they seemed to be on great terms."
After listening to the story, Ryotaro looked at Agil with genuine curiosity.
"I see… So, where is Yuna now?"
Agil's expression darkened.
"I don't know. I brought it up to Hachiman once, but even he didn't know what happened to her. Apparently, Kikuoka-san didn't have any record of her either. That means she wasn't admitted to any of the usual hospitals."
Agil crossed his arms, his voice dropping an octave. "The rumor is that after we headed out for the 75th-floor boss battle, she got a bad feeling from the way Hachiman was acting. She reportedly asked her childhood friend to gather the remaining players in town and headed for the Labyrinth."
Ryotaro's eyes widened in realization. "Wait—I know that story! I'm pretty sure some of my guild members were in that group!"
He immediately pulled out his phone and began calling the members of Fuurinkazan to verify. After a few minutes, he hung up, his face pale.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
"What? What did they say?"
"Apparently, a high-level mob spawned while they were moving. Yuna's childhood friend—Nautilus, I think his name was—said Yuna acted as a decoy to lure the enemy away. He chased after her in a panic, but the game was cleared immediately after that. He assumed she had been logged out safely like everyone else, so he never reported it. Everyone else in the group felt the same way. In the joy of the game being cleared, no one thought to double-check."
Agil frowned, deep in thought. "That's... precarious."
"Yeah," Ryotaro agreed. "If my guys say the mob was 'dangerous,' there's a chance she could have been taken out in an instant."
"But if even Kikuoka doesn't know…"
"Then we have no leads at all."
"I wonder what Hachiman thinks about all this," Agil wondered aloud.
"He probably thinks she's out there somewhere, living a normal life," Ryotaro sighed. "Right?"
"Probably…"
The two men hesitated, unsure whether they should tell Hachiman. Ultimately, they decided there was no point in stirring up the past themselves. They would leave it to Asuna.
"Asuna will find the right time to tell him," Agil decided. "Anyway, I'll let her know later. So, that's the end of my trip down memory lane. Did that help you guys at all?"
The group, who had been listening intently, exchanged looks of mild dissatisfaction.
"Is that it? Just one example of him being popular?"
"It was plenty of reference for me," another chimed in.
"Knowing the Leader as he is now… it feels like something is missing."
Shizuka, however, took a long drag of her drink. "As someone who knew him in high school, even this much is bordering on a miracle."
Agil grinned broadly. "Well, how about this then? After Hachiman was appointed as the Strategist for the Knights of the Blood Oath, I actually started selling 'bromides' of him behind his back. It was a nightmare trying to keep him from finding out, but I donated all the profits to the Church, so I figure I'm in the clear."
Klein pulled out his smartphone. "Oh, I actually have that image! This was part of the data salvaged from the game, right?"
"Now that you mention it, I remember you showing that to me before," another added.
"Really? I want to see!" Karen exclaimed.
"Go ahead. A rare relic from the SAO era. Feast your eyes."
Karen and Miyu huddled around the phone. When the image of Hachiman in his pristine white-and-red Strategist uniform appeared, they let out audible squeals.
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