"Kazuto-kun, are you ready?"
"Yeah. Any time."
"Don't you worry about things on this end. Just focus," Natsuki said.
The woman addressing Kazuto was Aki Natsuki. A graduate of the JSDF Nursing College, she held the rank of Sergeant First Class in the Ground Self-Defense Force.
"Alright. I'm heading in."
"Just try to make a name for yourself so this 'Death Gun' person takes notice," Kikuoka added. "But don't get too tense. Go out there and enjoy GGO for what it is."
"Haha. Well, I'll try to enjoy it just enough to not forget I'm on the clock."
With that, Kazuto began the conversion process to Gun Gale Online. Once the dive initiated, he was cut off from the physical world. Just as he 'departed,' Hachiman entered the room accompanied by another woman.
"Well, let's see how he handles it," Hachiman remarked.
"Hachiman-kun, and Kurokawa-san as well—sorry for the sudden summons," Kikuoka apologized.
"Don't worry about it. I've always been curious about this sort of thing," the woman replied.
Her name was Kurokawa Mari, an active-duty JSDF member called in from the Central Hospital for this operation. Like Natsuki, she held the rank of Sergeant First Class and was a qualified nurse. As the four of them gathered around the monitor to watch Kazuto's arrival, Hachiman suddenly let out a strangled yelp.
"Whoa!"
"W-What? What happened?"
"I mean, look at him... No, look at Kirito's avatar. That's a rare skin. Look at it—he looks like a girl no matter how you slice it!"
"Pfft! You're right," Kikuoka chuckled.
"He's going to get swarmed by brokers," Hachiman predicted.
"Brokers?"
"Yeah. Rare avatars sell for a fortune."
On the screen, Kirito finally caught a glimpse of his own reflection.
'Wh-What the hell is this?!' he screamed.
"And there it is," Hachiman sighed. "He's officially drawn a crowd. Look, here comes a broker."
True to his word, a suspicious-looking man approached Kirito on the screen.
'Whoa, is that an F1300 series? Those hardly ever drop! Hey, missy—I'll pay top dollar for that account. Sell it to me?'
Kirito instinctively clutched his chest in a panic. For a split second, he genuinely feared the system had changed his gender. However, under The Seed's core architecture, such a thing was technically impossible.
'Ah, no... sorry... I'm a guy,' Kirito stammered.
'WHAAAAAT?! Then that's an M9000 series?! I'll give you double—no, triple my first offer! Please!'
"Hey, Hachiman-kun," Kikuoka asked. "Is that avatar really that rare?"
"Honestly, it's my first time seeing one in person. Based on the market rate, that account is probably worth a solid six-figure sum in real cash."
"Wow... seriously?"
On screen, Kirito was politely turning the man down.
'Sorry. This isn't a new character; it's a conversion. I can't really sell it...'
The broker's shoulders slumped in theatrical defeat. 'Oh. Well, nothing to be done about that then...' He backed off without further fuss.
'Sorry about that,' Kirito muttered, starting his walk through the city with a bewildered expression.
After being accosted by three more brokers in as many minutes, Kirito let out a heavy sigh.
'Sigh... I can't keep wandering around alone. I need to find someone to show me the ropes... but man...'
He looked around at the other players. Most of them looked like extras from a post-apocalyptic martial arts anime—rugged, grimy, and intimidating. For Kazuto, approaching any of them required a significant amount of courage.
'This is bad. It's nothing but hulking dudes. I wish I could find a female player; they'd at least be easier to talk to...'
Watching Kirito's internal struggle, Mari turned to Hachiman. "He seems stuck. Should you go in and help him out?"
"I suppose... Wait, is that—?" Hachiman leaned closer to the monitor.
'Alright,' Kirito said on screen. 'I'll try her. It's worth a shot.'
Kirito had spotted a female player walking ahead of him. Recognizing the back of her head immediately, Hachiman paused his login.
"Actually... that's an acquaintance of mine. Let's see how this plays out first."
"Hachiman-kun is basically on a first-name basis with every female player in GGO," Kikuoka added unhelpfully.
Mari and Natsuki stared at Hachiman, eyes wide. "R-Really?"
"Hachiman-kun, are you actually some kind of harem king?"
"What is a 'harem king' even supposed to mean? No, it's just... there are barely any women in GGO to begin with."
Mari wasn't convinced. She leaned in, interrogating him. "Even so, 'nearly all of them' is a hell of a statistic. How?"
"Uh, well..."
"It's only natural," Kikuoka cut in. "In GGO, he's one of the top two most famous players in the game."
"Wait, really?"
"I mean... technically, yes," Hachiman admitted sheepishly.
On the screen, Kirito finally worked up the nerve to call out to the player.
'Um, excuse me? I'm looking for—'
'What?'
The player—Sinon—turned around, her expression as cold as ice.
"Whoa," Hachiman muttered. "I didn't realize she was that icy to strangers."
"Is she usually different?"
"Yeah. I'll be contacting her later, so you'll see for yourselves."
As they watched, Sinon looked Kirito up and down. Slowly, her frosty demeanor thawed into a soft smile.
'Is this your... first time playing?'
"Hm..." Hachiman tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"I think Sinon—that's her name—thinks Kirito is a girl."
"""Ahhh!""" the other three said in unison.
'Ah, yeah... I guess it is my first time,' Kirito replied.
'I see. Where are you trying to go?'
'...Oh, um...'
'Well?'
"Hmm..." Hachiman grunted.
"Now what?"
"Hold on a second. I need to record this."
"Why?"
"Just a hunch. I think we're about to see something hilarious."
After a moment of visible hesitation, Kirito looked up. He cupped his cheek with a dainty hand and tilted his head slightly, putting on a perfectly distressed, coquettish act.
'I was looking for... um... a cheap weapon shop-u? And also, the Governor's Office-u?'
The sheer girlishness of his tone sent the four people in the real world into fits of laughter.
"So that's why you recorded it!"
"I could tell he was panicking, so I hoped for a funny reaction, but this exceeded my wildest dreams," Hachiman wheezed.
"I... I'll pretend I didn't see that," Kikuoka gasped, wiping tears from his eyes.
"I won't show it to anyone else. Probably," Hachiman added.
On screen, Sinon readily agreed to help. 'Sure. I'll take you there.'
'Oh, thank you so much-u!'
As the two of them set off, Hachiman stood up. "Alright, I'm heading in. I need to get some credits to him."
"How are you going to manage that?"
"I'll figure something out. Black-market handoffs are my specialty."
"In that case, Hachiman-kun, follow me to the other room."
"Thanks, Kurokawa-san."
"Leave it to me."
Hachiman logged into GGO. Moments later, on a second monitor next to the one showing Kirito, the figure of Shana appeared.
"Oh!"
"Whoa... he's got a completely different presence in the game."
Mari returned to the room and looked at the screen. "Well? How is he?"
"Look at the screen. Unlike Kirito-kun, he actually looks like he belongs here, doesn't he?"
"You're right. Wait—!" Mari cried out.
A group of rough-looking men had suddenly surrounded Shana. "Is he going to be okay?"
"He'll be fine," Kikuoka said casually.
"You're taking this very lightly!"
"No, really. Just watch."
The group of men suddenly bowed in unison.
'"'"'"Good afternoon, Shana-san!""'"'
'Hey. You guys from Dyne's squad and Tarako's? You all getting along?'
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