'Yes, sir! We're brothers-in-arms after that war!'
'Glad to hear it. Sorry, I'm on a bit of a clock. Catch you later.'
'"'"'"Yes, sir! See you around!""'"'
"See?" Kikuoka smirked. "Told you."
"Unbelievable. He's like a mob boss."
"Is he their leader?"
"Not just theirs. Look."
A group of female players had appeared from around a corner, swarming Shana.
'Good afternoon, Lord Shana!'
'Hey. Is the 'Missus' doing well?'
'Yes! She's out bashing heads as usual today!'
'Haha. By the way, is anyone from the G-Girls Union entering the BoB?'
'Misaki-san is. She'll probably make the finals.'
'Misaki, huh? She's a beast, despite how she looks. She'll probably steamroll the guys.'
'She'll use any weapon she can get her hands on!'
'Well, she won't be steamrolling me.'
'Haha, true! She's always complaining about how she can't touch you.'
"Wow... I can't believe that's the same Hachiman-kun," Mari whispered.
"He's incredibly popular."
"I don't know what you two think of him," Kikuoka said, "but honestly, he's kind of like this in the real world, too."
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
Shana bid the girls farewell, citing his errand, and hurried toward the area Kirito and Sinon were heading.
Meanwhile, Sinon—still convinced Kirito was a girl—was making conversation.
"So, what are you going to the Governor's Office for?"
"Ah, um... I'm here to register for the Bullet of Bullets tournament."
Sinon stopped in her tracks, surprised. "The BoB?! But... you just started today, right?"
"Yeah."
"Um... how do I put this? You might not have enough stats yet," Sinon said tentatively.
"Oh, that's fine. I actually converted from another game, so my base stats are pretty high."
"I see. That makes sense."
Kirito had done his research. To make a name for himself quickly, the BoB was the fastest route. Of course, he had zero confidence in his ability to win a shootout.
"By the way, Sinon-san? I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Could you show me a Bullet Line? I've read about the prediction system, but I haven't actually seen it in action yet."
"Sure."
Sinon stopped, pulled out her Glock sidearm, and aimed directly at Kirito's forehead, her finger resting on the trigger.
Fwoosh!
A brilliant red line of light extended from the barrel, terminating right between Kirito's eyes.
"I see... so that's how it looks. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
They arrived at their destination: a massive, showroom-style weapon shop packed with players.
"Whoa, this place is huge."
"It's the standard shop for beginners and mid-tier players."
Kirito looked around with wide-eyed curiosity. "So, what's your stat build?"
"Um... my highest is STR, then AGI... I think?"
"I see. In that case..." Sinon started listing off several firearms, but then paused, her face going pale. "Wait. If you just converted today... do you even have any credits?"
Kirito froze. "Oh. Right. I forgot about that..."
The two stood there, an awkward silence stretching between them.
"What should we do? Maybe we should step outside and brainstorm," Sinon suggested.
"Yeah..."
They walked back out onto the street.
"This is bad," Sinon muttered. "I haven't been short on cash in forever, and I haven't bought new gear lately, so it completely slipped my mind. How do we earn credits fast...?"
"What are the options?"
"Well, you can hunt players, hunt mobs, or..."
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed them both, dragging them into a dark alleyway. Before Sinon could even scream, a familiar voice hissed in her ear.
"Sinon, just follow my lead."
"Eh? What?"
Standing before them was a player Kirito didn't recognize, but whom Sinon desperately wanted to see every single day.
"Hey there, ladies," Shana said, leaning against the wall with a line that didn't suit him at all. "Care to join me for a cup of tea?"
Sinon opened her mouth to snap at him, but then she remembered Shana's whisper. She decided to play along.
"What do you want, you creep?"
"Now, now, don't be cold. How about your friend there?"
"Ah, um..." Kirito stammered, completely lost.
"Knock it off," Sinon snapped. "We aren't interested in being picked up."
"'Picked up'?!" Kirito gasped. Being hit on was a first for him, so he didn't even question Shana's unnatural acting. He simply assumed this was how the game worked and stepped forward to protect Sinon. "Cut it out!"
"Oh? You want a go? I don't like hitting women, but if you're going to be like that, I'll have to use force..."
(Good, Kirito. Keep it up!) Hachiman thought.
Shana slowly reached toward Kirito. Kirito swatted his hand away with a sharp motion.
Instantly, Shana threw himself backward with an Oscar-worthy groan and dropped into a deep 土下座 (dogeza)—a formal kneeling prostration.
"OWWW! My hand! I give up! I was wrong, I'm sorry!"
"...Eh?" Kirito blinked.
"...What?" Sinon stared.
Shana reached into his item storage, pulled out a heavy pouch of credits, and shoved it into Kirito's hands.
"I'm sorry! This is for the trouble! Please take it! I'm out of here!"
"Wait—hey!" Kirito called out, but Shana was already gone.
In the real world, Kikuoka and the nurses were howling with laughter at the sheer absurdity of the scene.
"Ahahaha! My stomach!"
"Pfft—I shouldn't laugh, but that was... wheeze... too much!"
A second later, Sinon's HUD pinged. She glanced at Kirito, who was still standing there dumbfounded, and opened the message from Shana.
'Explain later. Go to the weapon shop in the building on Mount Kurama.'
Sinon didn't understand the logic, but she decided to trust him. She shrugged and looked at Kirito.
"Well, you got your money. Good for you."
"Eh? Is it really okay to keep this?"
"Why not? He said it was for the 'trouble.'"
"I... I guess."
"So, how much did he give you?"
Kirito gingerly showed her the contents of the pouch. Sinon's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Wait—this much?!"
"Is it a lot?"
"A lot? With this... look, there's a shop near our base that carries high-end gear. Let's go there instead."
"Oh, okay. Lead the way."
And with that, the two set off toward the building on Mount Kurama.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"