"Today was a great day, seeing you wield your cunning strategist skills to the fullest after so long."
"Hey, I didn't do anyth—"
"Hahaha, your humility is truly admirable!"
"No, seriously, I didn't—"
Once the atmosphere settled, Godfrey showered Hachiman with enthusiastic praise. No matter what Hachiman said, Godfrey seemed to take it all positively.
(Dad, you're way too obsessed with Hikitani…) Minami thought, slightly put off by her father's fervor.
"Like me, Minami seems to adore you, Strategist. Please look after her from now on!"
"Huh!?" Minami squeaked.
"What's with that weird noise, Minami?" Godfrey asked.
"N-nothing!"
(Don't lump me in with you, Dad! Though, well, I guess I do kinda like him a little right now…)
Minami bowed slightly to Hachiman, who seemed puzzled but responded to Godfrey.
"Well, Sagami and I don't really have much in common, so we probably won't cross paths outside occasions like this… but if we do, we'll just chat casually."
"Sure, if you're okay with it, Hikitani," Minami replied.
"I don't mind. You're not like Yukko or Haruka, right?"
"Yeah, I definitely don't want to be lumped in with them or turn out like that."
"Hah, you don't hold back, do you?"
(But back then, I probably seemed just like them to others… ugh…) Minami reflected, feeling a bit down, while Hachiman continued talking with Godfrey.
"So, Godfrey, what's your plan now?"
"Well, I don't have any pressing matters. Staying here might feel out of place, so I'll head home for now and come back if Minami calls."
"Got it. Hey, Sagami, wanna hang out and chat with us then?"
"Uh, sure," Minami replied, forcing a smile despite her subdued mood.
Suddenly, Haruno called out to Godfrey. "You don't have to rush off, do you?"
"Not really," Godfrey replied.
"Good. Hayato, a moment?" Haruno beckoned Hayama and declared, "I'm borrowing Hachiman, Asuna, and Minami for a bit."
"Any reason?" Hayama asked.
"There's a lot to catch up on. The three of them, me, Godfrey, and since we can't leave Elsa here, we'll head to another place for a bit."
"Sounds good," Hayama agreed.
Godfrey, eager to keep talking with Hachiman and Asuna, happily agreed. Minami, confused about being included, didn't object.
"Alright, Hachiman, since you're Elsa's guardian, carry her," Haruno instructed.
"I feel like I'm being unfairly labeled here…" Hachiman muttered.
"Am I wrong?" Haruno teased.
"Well… I am responsible for her. But, Asuna, perversion doesn't rub off, right?"
"Uh, I don't know…" Asuna stepped back nervously.
Hachiman swiftly grabbed her hand, as if to say she wasn't escaping. "Stop! You'll make me a pervert too!"
"Relax, I wouldn't mind if my girlfriend got a little perverted."
"Hikitani, that's kinda creepy…" Minami interjected.
"Hahaha, the Strategist's generosity knows no bounds!" Godfrey laughed.
"Dad, you're way too into Hikitani!" Minami shouted.
Hachiman gave a wry smile, sat down, and Asuna, despite her protests, helped prop Elsa onto his back.
"I'll assist, Vice-Commander!" Godfrey offered.
"Thanks, Godfrey," Asuna replied.
The group successfully escorted Elsa out of the shop and headed to Hachiman's car in the parking lot. They laid Elsa in the back seat, and Hachiman checked with Haruno about their destination.
"Got the location. How are you and the others getting there, Haru-nee?"
"This," Haruno said, showing a small microphone-shaped device with Valhalla Resort's emblem.
"What's that?" Hachiman asked.
"That's our guild's emblem!" Minami noted.
"It's a communicator," Haruno explained. "Keep it. It'll come in handy someday. I have my own, so don't worry."
"How do I use it?" Hachiman asked.
"Just speak into it, and Kit will come."
"Wow…" Hachiman, thrilled by the futuristic tech, eagerly spoke into it. "Yo, Kit, you there? Come to my location!"
"Understood, Hachiman," Kit's voice replied.
Hachiman buzzed with excitement, looking around like a kid.
"Asuna, what's Hikitani doing?" Minami asked.
"A car's coming to pick you guys up soon," Asuna explained.
Minami, expecting a driver, scanned the area and spotted a sleek black sports car approaching—driverless.
"Eek!" Minami gasped.
"What's wrong, Sagami?" Hachiman asked.
"That car… it's moving on its own!"
Spotting Kit, Hachiman waved excitedly. "Yo, Kit, over here!"
"Been a while, Hachiman," Kit's voice responded.
"Kit, long time no see!" Hachiman grinned.
"It spoke!?" Minami yelped, wondering if it was a ghost car.
Godfrey, trembling with excitement, stared at Kit. "Could it be…?"
"You know Kit, Godfrey? Watched it as a kid?" Hachiman asked.
"Of course! I'm a huge fan!" Godfrey exclaimed.
"Right? The legendary Kit, reborn in the modern age!"
"Amazing! I'll follow you forever, Strategist!" Godfrey declared.
Minami, stunned, watched the scene unfold. Everything about Hachiman's world shattered her sense of normalcy. Grasping at her remaining common sense, she mumbled, "Is this… legal under traffic laws?"
"Uh… didn't they recently update the laws for self-driving cars?" Hachiman replied.
"Yeah, the traffic laws were amended for autonomous vehicles, so it's fine now," Haruno confirmed.
"Okay…" Minami nodded, reluctantly accepting the bizarre reality.
Haruno, Minami, and Godfrey piled into Kit, while Hachiman and Asuna took Hachiman's car. The two vehicles headed to a private-room restaurant Haruno had reserved. Upon arrival, Hachiman gently slapped Elsa's cheeks to wake her.
"Mmm… Shana, more…" Elsa mumbled.
Hachiman's face soured. "Asuna, please."
Asuna shook her head vigorously, but then Elsa muttered, "C'mon, Shizu, join in and yell at Shana with me!"
"No way!" Asuna snapped, smacking Elsa's cheek.
Elsa woke up, and after Hachiman explained the situation, the group finally entered the restaurant.
"Phew, finally settled…" Hachiman sighed.
"Great work, Strategist!" Godfrey cheered.
"After all that…" Hachiman shot Elsa a resentful glance.
Elsa gave a thumbs-up, prompting a sigh from Hachiman. "I'm not into that kind of thing…"
"But I don't want people badmouthing you, Hachiman!" Elsa teared up.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Thanks for sticking up for me, Elsa."
Elsa nodded, looking down, but Minami caught her sly smirk and tongue poke. Minami considered speaking up but, after Elsa's charming wink, chuckled and stayed silent.
"Let it go, Strategist. Your charm is undeniable!" Godfrey said.
"Yeah, but… hey, Sagami-san," Hachiman turned to Godfrey.
"Call me Godfrey, Strategist."
"Right, otherwise it's confusing with Sagami," Hachiman said, glancing at Minami. "By the way, what's your real name, Godfrey?"
"I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Jiyu Sagami. Pleased to meet you!"
"I'm Hachiman Hikitani. This is Asuna Yuuki, my soon-to-be boss Haruno Yukinoshita, and our bonus, Elsa Kanzaki. Oh, and this is Minami Sagami, my former classmate."
The group exchanged nods.
"So, Godfrey, I get the 'Jiyu' part for 'free,' but what's with 'God'?" Hachiman asked.
"The 'gami' in Sagami sounds like 'god,' so God-Free became Godfrey. Just a play on words, Vice-Commander."
"Nice twist compared to Asuna and me using our real names."
"And that led to something great!" Godfrey added.
"Huh? Like what?" Hachiman and Asuna tilted their heads.
"It's why Minami thought the Strategist might be her old classmate!"
"Oh, yeah!" Asuna agreed.
"Guess so," Hachiman nodded.
The three laughed, but Minami froze at the mention of "classmate."
"You okay, Sagami? Something bothering you? I'm here if you wanna talk," Hachiman offered.
Minami, flustered, looked around for help. Haruno spoke gently, "Go for it. That's why I brought you here."
Her words gave Minami courage. "Hikitani, can you hear me out?"
"Sure."
"I… I want to apologize for back then!"
Hachiman and Jiyu were taken aback.
"Minami, what's this about?" Jiyu asked.
"I want Dad to hear too—how awful I was in high school."
Jiyu fell silent, arms crossed. Hachiman, seeing Minami's resolve, said calmly, "Alright, if it'll help you move on, I'm all ears."
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