"I mean, I did say that, but still…"
"This time, it's not an hourly wage. I'll pay 150,000 yen just for accepting, and another 150,000 as a success fee. How does that sound?"
"Are you serious? With that kind of money, I could buy… I could buy everything."
"The timeframe depends on the investigation, but I expect it to take about two weeks. If it goes longer, I'll pay the same amount for the next two weeks. What do you say?"
Kazuto reached out his hand. "Consider it done."
"Perfect. Negotiation complete. I'll contact you once the preparations are finished."
"Oh, one thing," Kazuto added. "You mentioned monitoring the game..."
"Ah, I've already requested cooperation from Soleil. Do you know that maid cafe in Akihabara, 'May Queen Nyan-nyan'? They have one of Soleil's test machines there."
"Wait, really? But why a maid cafe?"
"Apparently, the manager there is a big deal in Akihabara. I heard she's a high school girl, and they decided on that location because of her influence."
"Seriously? Hachiman kept that a secret from me… that lucky bastard. No, no, I'm not jealous. Definitely not."
After parting ways with Kikuoka, Kazuto headed straight for Akihabara and stepped through the doors of May Queen Nyan-nyan.
"Welcome home, Master! Nyan~"
"Ah… h-hello."
Kazuto had come on an impulse, but as it was his first time in such a place, he had no idea how to behave. Just then, a young woman ran past him.
"See you later, Faris-san! I have an appointment with Hachiman!"
"Kunya-nyan, again? Nyan~"
(Hachiman? Did she just say Hachiman?! He really was hiding this. I'm so jealous… No, I'm not. I'm not!)
Kazuto shook off the thought and approached the girl named Faris. "Um, I heard there's a Soleil machine here where you can watch live gameplay?"
"Nyan-nyan? Is Master a gamer too, nyan?"
"Ah, yes. Sort of."
"Hmm! I felt a powerful aura and decided to take this table myself—it seems my instincts were right, nyan! But I'm sorry, nyan. That machine was moved today because some very important person wanted to use it somewhere else."
(Whoa, Kikuoka-san moves fast…)
"I see. That's a shame."
"What will you do, nyan? Will you come back another day?"
"No, since I'm here, I'll order something light."
"Thank you, nyan! Right this way, nyan!"
(Man, she says 'nyan' constantly, but it sounds so natural coming from her. It's weird.)
Kazuto mindlessly ordered an omelet rice and a coffee. A short while later, Faris brought the dish over.
"Shall I write something with the ketchup, nyan?"
"Eh? Oh, uh… I'll leave it to you."
"Understood, nyan!"
Faris began to draw on the omelet rice with practiced ease. When she finished, the words written in red were: "The World is in Danger!"
"How is it, nyan?"
"Ah… hahah…" Kazuto could only manage a dry laugh. (I've never been to a place like this, but it's… something else.)
He took a bite. "W-Wow, this is actually delicious."
Seeing his reaction, Faris nodded to herself. Even warriors need their rest, nyan.
As he was finishing his meal, Kazuto noticed a man talking to Faris.
"Faris, is Daru here?"
"Ah, Daru-nyan is at Hachiman's place today, nyan."
Kazuto choked on his food. (Hachiman's name again… is he a regular here? I definitely need to report this to Asuna.)
"I see. What about Christina?"
"Kunya-nyan is also supposed to be at Hachiman's, but she said she's staying over at Asuna-nyan's tonight, nyan."
Kazuto choked again, harder this time. (Are you kidding me? Asuna comes here too? And they're close enough to have sleepovers?!)
"Right. I'll come back another time then. Thanks, Faris."
"You're welcome, nyan! See you later, Kyouma!"
Faris walked back to Kazuto's table with a concerned look. "Master, are you alright, nyan?"
"Yeah… I'm fine. Just the coffee, please."
"Right away, nyan."
When she returned with the coffee, she asked, "Sugar and milk, nyan?"
"One of each, please."
"Yes, nyan!"
Then, Faris unleashed her finishing move: The Eye-Contact Stir. Kazuto turned beet-red as Faris stared directly into his eyes, whispering "Mazé-mazé, mazé-mazé" (mix-mix) as she stirred his drink. To hide his embarrassment, Kazuto tried to change the subject.
"Um, earlier, you mentioned the name Hachiman…"
"Hmm? What are you talking about, nyan? You must be imagining things, nyan."
"But you said his name twice—"
"It must be an auditory hallucination, nyan. Master is tired, nyan. Please relax here with us, nyan."
Faris gave him a perfect, professional smile.
(What is going on? I don't understand anything anymore.)
Kazuto was bewildered, but such was the way of things. Faris would never leak information about a regular customer. She was a professional among professionals.
Eventually, Kazuto stood up to leave. "Thank you for the food."
"Thank you, nyan! If you like, please come with Hachiman next time, nyan."
"Eh?"
Faris said nothing more and simply saw him off with a wave. Once outside, Kazuto pondered her final words.
"So even if she knows I'm friends with Hachiman, she won't admit she knows him until it's officially confirmed? She really is a pro..."
Kazuto decided he would ask Hachiman to bring him here next time and headed home. However, between the upcoming job and the chaos that followed, that promise wouldn't be kept until long after the incident was resolved.
Incidentally, Kazuto's next meeting with Faris would happen sooner than he expected—within the digital realm of Valhalla Garden.
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