"Man, before coming here, I went to pay my respects to Uncle. But when I accidentally asked, 'Who are you?' he yelled at me just like he used to."
"Well, Father, that is only to be expected..."
It was hard to tell if he was joking, but Shozo related the story with a laugh, causing Asuna to look at him with exasperation.
"No, really, I honestly didn't recognize him at first. I mean, to think that Uncle would mellow out so much... Hachiman-kun really is something else."
"That was mostly because we managed to drag him into our arena. It was a tactical victory," Hachiman replied.
"Still, for the surgery on Kaede-chan to succeed—especially given the difficulty—I imagine the medical community is currently in shock over the potential of the Medicuboid," Kikuoka added.
"Well, I definitely feel that the average skill level of the surgeons involved is rising rapidly," Hachiman said, before shooting a sarcastic look at the man. "I thought you were just playing around the whole time, Kikuoka-san, but you were actually gathering intelligence properly."
"How rude. It was incidental. Just incidental."
Hachiman wondered which part—the playing or the intel gathering—was the 'incidental' part, but since Kikuoka had been the catalyst for his reunion with Komao, he decided not to tease him further. Instead, he inwardly smirked a dark smile, resolving to exploit the man thoroughly the next time an opportunity arose.
"By the way, Hachiman-kun. I'm currently laying the groundwork to see if we can provide government subsidies for Munemori-san's new project. If that falls through, please support him from your end."
As if reading Hachiman's mind, Kikuoka dropped that request out of nowhere. This is why I can't let my guard down around this guy, Hachiman thought, nodding in agreement.
Just as the conversation seemed to settle, Haruno dropped a bomb.
"So? Did really nothing happen between you two?"
"That's right, Asuna! How could you? Father is truly heartbroken."
"Indeed, Asuna. I don't recall raising you to be such a girl."
"Father! Mother!"
Shozo sounded genuinely disappointed, and Kyoko agreed with him, causing Asuna to panic. To the other passengers, it might have looked like a young couple being scolded by their parents, but the reality was the exact opposite. Both Shozo and Kyoko were desperate to see their grandchild's face.
"Shozo-san, wait a moment. That's not it," Haruno interjected.
Asuna's face brightened, thinking Haruno was coming to her defense. But Haruno continued with a deadly serious expression.
"Saying 'How could you do such a thing' is a bit off. To be accurate, 'Why didn't you do anything?' or perhaps, 'Why didn't you force the issue?' would be the correct phrasing."
"Nee-san!"
Asuna looked at Haruno in stunned betrayal. Shozo nodded in agreement with Haruno's logic, while Kikuoka looked down, stifling his laughter.
Hachiman, stepping in to protect Asuna, quietly interjected from the side.
"This time, unexpected things kept happening, and we were just too exhausted, so it was impossible. But... eventually, we will definitely show you two a cute grandchild, so please just wait patiently."
"I-Is that so? Well, life is long. No need to rush, I suppose."
"Asuna, until then, make sure to nurture your love with Hachiman-kun properly!"
"Y-Yeah. Thank you, Father, Mother."
Tch.
While Shozo and Kyoko seemed settled by Hachiman's words, smiling at Asuna, Hachiman did not miss the sound of Haruno clicking her tongue.
"Hey, you idiot sister. You weren't serious about that thing you mentioned before, were you?"
"Oh, shut up. Don't get in the way of a maiden's dream."
"Oi..."
"If it comes to it, we can just drug you with sleeping pills and get it over with... Just conceive the child... If necessary, I can cooperate with the other girls..."
"Hey! That is a crime."
"It's only a crime if you sue. And you wouldn't sue, would you?"
Hachiman was momentarily lost for words but managed to compose himself.
"A-Anyway, stop thinking about crazy things, got it?"
"Oh come on, obviously I'm joking."
"I don't trust you at all..."
While they bickered, the Shinkansen arrived at Tokyo Station. Shozo and Haruno headed straight to the office, Kikuoka went to Kasumigaseki to file a report, and Kyoko returned home.
Left on the platform, Hachiman and Asuna began to consult on their next move.
"I wonder if the luggage has arrived?"
"Let's head to my place to check."
"Sounds good. How are we getting there?"
"Wait a sec, let me check Kit's current location."
Hachiman contacted Kit directly. After confirming the location, he turned to Asuna.
"Apparently, he's in the garage at Soleil. Let's hitch a ride in Nee-san's taxi and head there."
"Okay, let's do that."
"While we're there, I need to pick up the DVD for Pito's souvenir from Argo."
The two of them, along with Haruno, headed to Soleil.
"Zaimokuza, Argo, Ko... Rose. I'm back."
"Hachiman! It is Hachiman! It has been a while!"
"Ooh, welcome back, Ha-bou, A-chan!"
"You just said... no, never mind. Welcome back."
"Sorry, you three. I shipped the souvenirs to my house, so I'll bring them tomorrow. Argo, is the DVD I asked for ready?"
"Yeah, of course. Here, it's this one."
"Thank you. I'll be back tomorrow."
Hachiman met up with Kit and drove straight to his house with Asuna. Fortunately, the luggage was already in the delivery box. Checking the tracking on the packages sent yesterday, they saw those would be arriving shortly as well.
The two decided to sort the luggage.
"First, separate the Yatsuhashi one by one and attach the name tags..."
"There's so many. I really gained a lot of friends since coming back to reality."
"That's true. How is it, Asuna? Is it fun having more friends?"
"Yeah! It really is."
"That's good then."
As they spoke, they efficiently sorted who would receive what. The doorbell rang; in addition to the box Hachiman sent yesterday, another package arrived. It seemed to be the box of souvenirs Asuna and Haruno had sent ahead for the others.
"I'll leave sorting this box to you, Asuna."
"Okay."
Hachiman placed the souvenirs onto the piles corresponding to the names Asuna called out.
"Hey, Asuna."
"Hmm? What?"
"With this amount, we'll have to take the car to school tomorrow, or we won't be able to carry it all."
"Right. We have to carry the ones for people outside of school too."
"Maybe I should deliver the ones I can today..."
"I promised to meet Yukino and the others after school tomorrow, so for Yukino, Yui, Yumiko, Minami, and Iroha-chan, that time works best."
"Alright. I'll drive you to the meeting place after school."
"From there, we can split up and distribute them efficiently."
"What about the rest..."
Asuna offered a suggestion.
"Since I'm staying over tonight anyway, I'll go buy ingredients for dinner. In the meantime, why don't you go to Dicey Cafe? Call Agil-san or Klein-san and give them their souvenirs."
Hachiman agreed and called Ryoutarou. Ryoutarou picked up immediately; since he was out on sales rounds, they decided to meet at Dicey Cafe later.
"Right. I should also swing by Shino's place and the Director's office."
"What about Pito?"
"Let's see... Shino can just wait in front of the school, but Pito... Hey Asuna, do you know Pito's contact info?"
"No. I thought asking a celebrity for her contact info was a bit much, and since I didn't ask her, I don't know Shino-non's either."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I'll log into GGO and see if Pito is there."
"Okay. I'm off shopping then."
"Do you need a ride?"
"No, it's close by, I'm fine."
"Got it. See you later."
Hachiman logged into GGO. He thought no way, but sure enough, Pitohui was right in front of him.
Hachiman looked at her with an exasperated expression.
"How exactly do your animal instincts work...?"
"Ehhh? If it's the power of love, isn't it obvious?"
"Your love is too heavy..."
"Aww, being praised like that makes making my love heavy worth it!"
Hachiman ignored her comment. Pito didn't seem to mind and asked:
"So, where are Shizu and the others today?"
"Today is a separate issue. I just got back a little while ago. I wanted to give you a souvenir, so I logged in to contact you."
"Really! Thanks, Shana! So, where should we meet?"
"Wherever is convenient for you."
"Hmm, then is in front of Soleil okay again?"
"Is that place okay?"
"Yeah. It's actually close to my office, so it's convenient."
"Is that so."
They decided on a time and logged out immediately.
"Guess I'll change plans and stop by Soleil again..."
Hachiman muttered to himself, loaded the necessary souvenirs into Kit, and headed to Dicey Cafe first. Upon arrival, he opened the door and called out to Agil, who looked like he had time on his hands.
"Yo."
"Oh, Hachiman. What's up?"
"You look bored, Agil. Is your business okay like this?"
"Well, it's just this time of day. Come a little earlier or later and it's packed."
"If you say so."
Hachiman handed over the souvenir.
"Asuna chose this. It's Yatsuhashi and an assortment of Kyoto specialties."
"Oh, lots of ingredients I've never seen. This will be worth cooking with."
"Klein should be here soon..."
Just then, Ryoutarou appeared at the entrance.
"Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"
"No, just got here."
"Okay, good. So, you got me a souvenir? Sorry to make you worry about it."
"No problem. Here."
"T-This is..."
Ryoutarou was captivated by the Shinsengumi haori Hachiman held out.
"Whoa! It really is cool! The Shinsengumi's pale blue haori with the mountain pattern!"
"I figured you'd definitely like it. And this one is for Shizuka-sensei."
"Ooh, as expected, you understand! Shizuka-san will absolutely love this too."
"Naturally. I've known her longer than you have."
"Thanks a lot, Hachiman!"
"Yeah. See you both in ALO. Sorry Agil, I'll come back to order properly when I have more time."
"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the souvenir!"
"Later."
Next, Hachiman headed to Soleil. Since there was still some time before his meeting with Pito, he went to see Zaimokuza and the others first.
"Yo."
"Huh? Hachiman, I thought you were coming tomorrow?"
"Plans changed slightly. Here, Zaimokuza, Yatsuhashi."
In truth, Hachiman had completely forgotten about Zaimokuza, but since Asuna had thoughtfully bought extra, he was able to hand over a souvenir without issue.
"This is apparently for Argo. A carving of a cat and a mouse."
"...Where did you even find something like this?"
"A mouse that acts like a cat. Suits you, doesn't it?"
"True enough. I'll display it gratefully."
"And for Rose, of course, a kitten."
"Yes, of course. I expected as much."
It was a hair clip shaped like a small kitten.
"It's a kitten hair clip made with traditional Kyoto techniques or whatever. You have long hair, so make good use of it."
"Th-Thank you."
"Since we're here, why not have Ha-bou put it on for you?"
"Eh? B-But..."
"I don't mind, but I don't know where it's supposed to go."
"T-Then, around here."
"Right here?"
"Y-Yes, that's fine."
Rose immediately went to the mirror, looking at her reflection and grinning uncontrollably. Relieved that she seemed to like it, Hachiman left Soleil, saying he had another stop to make.
He waited outside for a moment, and Elsa came running up, out of breath. She was wearing a hat pulled low and sunglasses—her attempt at a disguise.
"Hachiman!"
"Yo. Sorry to call you when you're busy. I got back today."
"Yeah, welcome back! So, what's the souvenir?"
"This."
Hachiman pulled out a single DVD.
"A DVD?"
"Yeah. I thought about getting something Kyoto-ish, but I figured this would be the best gift for you. It's a recording of the battle between me and Asuna against the old man."
"Ooooooh!"
Elsa couldn't suppress her excitement.
"You're busy, right? I'll tell you the details later, either in GGO or reality, after you've watched it."
Elsa looked disappointed at his words.
"Yeah, that's true. I have a lot to do to prepare for independence..."
"Speaking of independence, the deal with the main Yuki family is settled. Next time, I'm going to barge into Kura Agency to take you with me, so just be prepared for that. Tell M to execute the independence plan as soon as he hears from me."
"Wah! Really?! As expected of Hachiman, my beloved God!"
"Don't throw around words like 'love' and 'God' so easily. Go on, get back to work."
"Okay! Sorry, Hachiman. See you later!"
"Yeah, later."
After parting with Elsa, Hachiman headed to his school. Naturally, classes were still in session. Since he planned to give souvenirs to his classmates tomorrow, he went straight to the Director's office.
"Excuse me."
"Oh? Hachiman-kun, you're back. Are you here to report in?"
"No, that too, but I thought I'd give you this souvenir."
"Oh my, for me? My, what a lovely kanzashi."
"Yes. Since you often wear kimono, Director, I thought this would be good. I worried it might be a bit old-fashioned, but I chose it myself."
"You chose it yourself? I see... How does it look? Does it suit me?"
"Yes. Very much so."
Frolicking like a young girl, the Director twirled around in front of the mirror, and then, overcome with emotion, she hugged Hachiman.
"W-Wait, Director."
"Thank you, Hachiman-kun. I never expected to receive a souvenir myself."
"N-No, I'm glad you liked it. I will start attending school tomorrow."
"Understood. I will inform the staff."
Finally, worried that he might attract attention again, Hachiman headed to Shino's school. He parked the car in the lot and decided to wait for her to come out.
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