After logging out of GGO, Hachiman didn't stop to rest. He immediately dove back into the private server where Ai and Yuu were waiting.
"Ai, are you okay?" he asked the moment he materialized.
"Hachiman... Yeah, I'm fine. It's not like I'm physically tired or anything," Ai replied.
Despite her words, she staggered as she tried to stand. She made a move toward the house, but the trembling in her legs showed no sign of stopping. Without a word, Hachiman swept her up into his arms. He carried her inside, ignored her half-hearted protests, and laid her gently on the bed.
"Your avatar doesn't get tired, but your mind is clearly fried," Hachiman said softly. "Just close your eyes. Get some sleep."
"Yeah... I think I will."
"Was the pressure of facing me really that intense?"
"Extremely," she whispered.
"I guess I wouldn't know..." Hachiman mused, but by the time he looked down, Ai's steady breathing told him she was already deep in sleep.
He left her there and stepped back outside, where he ran into Yuu.
"Hachiman!"
"Hey. Were you watching the match with XeXeeD?"
"Yeah! It was amazing! Man... I wish I could have competed too," Yuu said with a playful pout.
"Sorry about that. Once this tournament is over and we've cleared up the 'truth' behind everything, I promise I'll spend a whole day playing whatever you want."
"Really? Yes! It's a promise!" Yuu cheered, her eyes brightening with childlike joy. Hachiman smiled and asked her to keep an eye on Ai.
"Ah, so Ai was exhausted," Yuu noted. "I thought she looked like she was pushing herself too hard near the end."
"You noticed? You've got a sharp eye."
"Well, we are twins."
Hachiman hesitated, looking at Yuu's expression carefully. "Do you think... I shouldn't let her play in the main tournament?"
"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just that her avatar felt... unfamiliar to her. She was struggling to make it move exactly how she wanted, and that mental friction is what wore her out."
"I see."
"But she seemed to get the hang of it at the very end," Yuu added. "I bet she'll move a lot more 'normally' during the finals."
Normally, huh? Hachiman thought, a chill running down his spine. If that wasn't her at 100%, I might actually be in trouble in the finals.
Even with the gap in their stats, skill could bridge the distance. He tightened his mental resolve.
"Anyway, stay with her. Wake her up in time for the main event."
"Got it!"
With Yuu heading inside, Hachiman made his way toward XeXeeD's location in the virtual infirmary.
"Yo," Hachiman greeted.
"Oh, Shana. Good work out there," XeXeeD replied, his tone weary.
"You catch the preliminaries?"
"Yeah. Hard not to, since the whole bracket is filled with your inner circle. It's annoying as hell."
"They've all been working hard. It was bound to happen."
"Tch. If I were out there, I would've knocked at least one of them out of the running," XeXeeD grumbled.
"There's always the next tournament. Just focus on getting better."
XeXeeD's face clouded with a complicated mix of emotions. "The next tournament... Hey, Shana. Do you think my body will ever actually recover?"
"I'm not a doctor, XeXeeD. I can't give you an honest answer on the medicine."
"I figured."
Shana's voice remained flat, but his words carried a heavy weight of sincerity. "But we'll find a way to fix it. And even if there are lingering effects... my company will hire you. You can do your work from inside this space."
XeXeeD blinked. "Your company?"
"Yeah. Soleil."
"Soleil? Oh... right. Now that I think about it, Soleil was all over the place during the last 'war'..."
"That's the one," Hachiman said. "Though, fair warning: your entire salary might end up going straight toward your medical bills."
"So... I'm destined to be a corporate slave?"
"Only if you don't get better. It's a safety net, nothing more."
XeXeeD looked away, a rare touch of vulnerability in his voice. "Well... I'll pray it doesn't come to that. But... thanks. For everything."
Hachiman actually flinched back a step. "What the...?"
"What?" XeXeeD snapped.
"Nothing. It's just weird hearing you be genuinely grateful. It feels wrong."
"Shut up, you idiot! Any man who keeps acting tough in a situation like this isn't a man—he's a moron."
"Fair point."
Shana shifted the conversation back to the tournament. "So, looking at the field, what's your take?"
"Yamikaze has gotten terrifyingly fast," XeXeeD admitted. "Honestly, if we fought right now, I don't think I'd win."
"You're being surprisingly honest today."
"I said right now. I'll surpass him again. Just watch."
"Good. Keep that fire."
They discussed a few other players until XeXeeD lowered his voice, looking troubled. "The thing that bothers me most, though... is that Spiegel wasn't there."
Hachiman paused. "Now that you mention it, I didn't see him on the roster either."
"That bastard... what is he doing? We were supposed to sign up together. He must have cancelled at the last second. Maybe some emergency came up?"
"Who knows? But don't let it ruin the show for you. It's a big tournament—find someone else to root for and just enjoy the spectacle."
"Yeah... maybe."
A voice called out from the distance, and both men turned.
"XeXeeD-san! We made it, just like we promised!"
"Let's watch the BoB together!"
"Yukko, Haruka..." XeXeeD muttered.
The two girls ran up to him, then noticed Hachiman. They waved at him with casual familiarity.
"I'll leave XeXeeD in your hands," Hachiman told them.
"Oh, right. Um... good luck in the finals," Yukko said, a bit shyly.
"I-I guess I'll cheer for you, just this once!" Haruka added, turning her head away.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Hachiman gave a casual wave and walked away. Behind him, he could hear the girls teasing XeXeeD.
"So, XeXeeD-san, have you learned how to make tea in here yet?"
"You look better than we expected! Now, come on—entertain your guests!"
Hachiman let out a small, satisfied smile as he logged out.
Back in the real world, Hachiman opened his eyes in the safehouse.
"Welcome back, Advisor! Congrats on making the finals!"
"Hachiman-kun, congratulations!"
"Hmph. Not bad, I suppose."
Jiyuu, Meguri, and Kiyomori all greeted him at once.
"By the way," Jiyuu said, "I had a call from Kikuoka-kun earlier. I assume you two are acquainted?"
Hachiman sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Kikuoka? What did he want?"
"He asked what you were up to. When I told him you were here with us, he said 'That's fine then' and hung up."
What's he playing at? Hachiman wondered. He pulled out his phone and saw an unread mail from the man in question.
Subject: Urgent
Red-Eyed ZaXa has appeared before Kirito-kun. He's definitely one of the finalists. I've already dispatched teams to the known addresses of ZaXa and Johnny Black for voluntary questioning. Please stay alert on your end.
"Red-Eyed ZaXa...?" Hachiman muttered.
Jiyuu's reaction was instantaneous. "A-Advisor, what did you just say?"
"Ah, right. It seems ZaXa might be among the tournament finalists. Kikuoka has already sent police to his house, just in case."
"I see... so that's why he called," Jiyuu said, his professional mask sliding back on.
"Don't you need to go help, old man?" Hachiman asked.
"Hardly. That's not my department anymore. It's best if the higher-ups don't meddle too much. I'll stay here and focus on my duty: protecting the Advisor."
"Fine. But be ready to move if things go south."
"Understood."
Hachiman turned to Kiyomori. "Old man, did the test results come back yet?"
"Should be any minute now..."
"No point in rushing it then. I'm going to lie down for a bit. Wake me up when it's time for the finals... actually, never mind. Meguri-san, could you wake me?"
"Sure! Leave it to me!" Meguri chirped, her aura practically glowing. "I'll wake you up as gently as a new bride!"
"Uh... thanks..."
Kiyomori immediately erupted in protest. "Why didn't you ask me!?"
"Because if I wake up and the first thing I see is your wrinkly, half-dead face, I'll probably have a heart attack," Hachiman deadpanned.
"How dare you! I am in my prime!"
"Are you really going to argue that you're a better choice to wake up to than Meguri-san?"
Kiyomori looked at Meguri's healing, angelic smile and then back at Hachiman. He slumped his shoulders. "Guh... even I am not shameless enough to claim that."
"Exactly."
Hachiman laid his head down and, true to form, was snoring within seconds.
"Wow, he's out fast!" Meguri giggled.
"The boy has been carrying the weight of the world," Kiyomori grumbled, though his eyes were kind. "Let him sleep."
Somewhere else...
"Welcome back, Kirito-kun."
"Natsuki-san. Where's Kikuoka-san?"
"He came back briefly to make some arrangements, then headed back to Valhalla Garden," the nurse, Aki Natsuki, replied.
"Arrangements? You mean for ZaXa?"
"Yes. They're bringing him in for questioning."
"He doesn't waste any time," Kazuto (Kirito) said, impressed.
Natsuki looked at him curiously. "Kirito-kun... this 'Red-Eyed ZaXa'... what kind of person is he?"
"He was a red player," Kazuto said, his voice dropping an octave. "A PKer. Someone who killed people because he enjoyed it."
"And you think he's the one behind these incidents?"
"We don't know for sure, but the probability is high."
"But how? How is he doing it?"
"I don't know yet. But Hachiman and I... we're going to drag the truth into the light."
"I believe you," Natsuki smiled. "Leave the backup to us."
She tried to lighten the mood. "Still, Kirito-kun... cutting bullets out of the air with a sword? Are you even human?"
"That's harsh, Natsuki-san! I'm perfectly human! Besides, I'm not actually 'cutting bullets.' I'm just tracking the red Prediction Lines and timing my swing to intersect them. It's purely a game mechanic. I couldn't do it in the real world."
"Tracking light-speed lines and intersecting them with a blade..." Natsuki stared at him with a mix of pity and awe. That doesn't actually sound any easier, she thought.
"But you were cutting through full-auto fire too, weren't you?"
"Well, yeah..."
"Do you have any idea how short the interval between shots is for a gun like that?" Natsuki started miming a machine gun. "Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! You're telling me you can accurately match your sword to light in that split second?"
"I... well... sorry?"
"Good, as long as you understand. That is absolutely, 100% impossible for an ordinary person!"
Kazuto scratched his head, then a thought occurred to him. "Oh, but Hachiman could probably do it too!"
"He could?"
"Yeah. So, if we can both do it, maybe 'ordinary people' can—"
"Hmm?" Natsuki hummed, her eyes narrowing.
"Wait, I mean..."
"Hmm... 'ordinary,' you say?"
Kazuto sighed, defeated. "I'm sorry. He isn't ordinary either, is he?"
"Exactly."
Natsuki clapped her hands together. "Now, let's take a break."
"Right. But first, I need to check in with Hachiman."
Kazuto tried calling, but since Hachiman was currently catching up on sleep, the call went straight to voicemail.
"Not picking up. I'll just send him a mail."
He thought for a moment, then typed out a quick message:
GGO revealed ZaXa's presence. Need to sync our intel. Let's meet up inside the main tournament.
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