While players continued advancing past the first round one after another, a single entrant quietly suffered a forfeit.
"Ah man, so XeXeed really did forfeit after all."
"Can't be helped. Probably an AmuSphere malfunction or something."
"Word is he hasn't logged in since that panel discussion, so that's likely it."
And with that, XeXeed's Bullet of Bullets ended in a flash. Considering it was originally supposed to be the end of his life, not just his BoB run, perhaps it was a mercy that things stopped there. What mattered was that XeXeed was still breathing; he'd have his chance at a comeback eventually. Incidentally, his opponent was Ginrou. With top contenders scattered across different blocks, this free win gave Ginrou a massive stride toward the main tournament.
"Still keeping my judgment reserved on Hachiman. I can't say for sure until I cross blades with him directly."
Sterben muttered the thought aloud after watching Achiman fight. Yet, right after witnessing Kirito's battle, even Sterben struggled to keep his composure.
"Is he... the real deal? If he is, then with my own two hands..."
Having faced Kirito face-to-face during the Laughing Coffin raid, Sterben held a unique grudge against Kirito that went beyond any interest in Hachiman. As if reading his mind, a transmission suddenly came through from Noir.
Noir was supposed to be waiting midway between Garrett and Pale Rider's houses—a situation where logging into GGO should have been impossible. Fearing something had gone wrong, Sterben grew concerned.
"What's wrong? Trouble?"
"Nah. I was watching the stream and saw that trash sword user pop up. Got worried, so I logged in as fast as I could."
Noir referred to Kirito that way, half-joking.
"Worried...?"
"Our goal is strictly PK. Don't go mixing up the priorities. Settling things with a sword? Screw that. The only reason we went at it in SAO was because the Head sold us out. Ah, but don't get me wrong. Being betrayed actually made me respect the Head even more. Doing whatever it takes just to survive—that's the Head for you."
"...Still, the fact that I'm Death Gun is going to be exposed during this tournament anyway. It's bound to end in a head-on clash sooner or later, isn't it?"
"If it comes to that, we just forfeit and bail. No one's caught on yet, but it's only a matter of time before the police come knocking. We'll flee the country before then, right? That's what we've been prepping for."
Naturally, their plan did not account for Kyouji, whom the pair had already abandoned.
"Even so..."
"Haaah..." Seeing Sterben still pushing the issue, Noir let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, I get it. You're way more of a swordsman at heart than I thought."
"...Sorry."
"Nah. Thinking back, I guess I was kind of like that when I first started SAO, too. This is probably the end of the line anyway, so go wild and do what you want. Just promise me one thing: never lose sight of our actual goal."
"Yeah."
With that, Noir logged off, leaving Sterben to murmur quietly to himself.
"...I'll go verify it in person."
Donning his Death Gun guise, Sterben activated his cloak's optical camouflage and vanished into thin air.
"Alright, looks like everyone made it past round one. Let's keep this momentum going!"
Yamikaze led the toast, and the group erupted into enthusiastic cheers. By now, everyone had given up on reaching Shana. No matter who tried to message her, Shana stubbornly refused to answer.
(Right, time to report to Lady Shana.)
Musketeer X, the only one who actually knew Shana's location, slipped away unnoticed—or so she thought. She was entirely unaware that a fellow player was trailing closely behind her.
"Lady Shana, it's me, Max."
"Max, is it? Come on in."
At the instruction, Musketeer X slid inside the moment the door cracked open. But right as she crossed the threshold, a hand shoved her from behind. Stumbling forward, she ended up tumbling straight into Hachiman's chest.
"Eek!"
Hachiman caught her firmly. Before Musketeer X could even process the sudden contact, she whipped around in panic. Standing right there was Misaki, beaming with a radiant, playful smile.
Musketeer X instantly realized her blunder. I messed up...
Believing she had been followed, she scrambled to apologize to Shana. Yet something felt off. Hachiman looked completely flustered, while Shana was merely watching Misaki with an amused glint in her eyes. It made sense, of course—the "Shana" standing before them was actually Shai in disguise.
"..."
"..."
With both of them staying silent, Musketeer X broke the ice first.
"...Misaki-san, if you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"
"Ufufu. There's no way little X wouldn't know where Lord Hachiman was hiding out. After all, you're his trusted right-hand girl, aren't you?"
"Ah... y-yes."
Misaki's praise left Musketeer X feeling conflicted—she was thrilled to hear it, but given the circumstances, she couldn't bring herself to celebrate. Trying to shield Shana from Misaki's pink, suffocating aura, Musketeer X stepped between them. But Misaki effortlessly slipped past her and, for some reason, clung straight to Hachiman's arm instead.
"You still have a ways to go, little X. Perhaps you're lacking in 'sexual experience'? The real target is over here."
"Huh?"
Confused, Musketeer X assumed Misaki meant she lacked a track record of "success."
"...How did you realize it?"
"My, my, ufufu! So my instincts were right after all."
Realizing Misaki possessed a sharp intuition far beyond her understanding, Musketeer X humbly asked for guidance.
"I'm sorry, Misaki-san. I don't quite get it. Please, teach me your secrets!"
"Sure, why not? I'll teach you through hands-on experience, so how about bringing Lord Hachiman over to my shop sometime?"
"Understood. Without fail."
"Hey, Max... don't go casually selling me out..."
Hachiman's protest only served as confirmation that Misaki was telling the truth, cementing Musketeer X's resolve to master these mysterious skills at all costs. Hachiman's words had completely backfired.
"Lord Hachiman, then the person over there is..."
"X-san, I am Shai."
"Ah, 'Shai' as in Shana and Ai, right?"
Seeing how quickly Musketeer X grasped the name, Shana chimed in.
"How did you get that so fast? What's with you people and having the exact same naming sense...?"
Misaki then turned her attention to Shai, looking thoroughly intrigued.
"I see, so your name is Ai-san. Pleased to meet you, I'm Misaki."
"Thank you for the polite introduction. I am Ai... Master."
"Master?"
Hachiman blinked in utter confusion at Shai's choice of words.
"Hachiman, I can smell a love master aura radiating from Misaki-san. There's no choice but to call her Master and beg for her teachings."
"Denied. I can't handle you getting any more annoying than you already are."
"You're actually happy about it, though."
"I am not."
"Do you hate me?"
"Of course I don't."
"Then do you li—"
"Hold it right there, Ai-chan," Misaki interrupted, putting a stop to Shai mid-sentence. She then leaned in and whispered directly into Shai's ear. "Those words are forbidden at a time like this. If you're going to say it, save it for when you've successfully dragged Lord Hachiman into bed—it's far more effective then."
"Y-Yes, Master!"
"Misaki-san, I can hear every word you're saying..."
"My, to think you wouldn't miss even a quiet whisper... You really are deeply fascinated by me, aren't you, Lord Hachiman?"
"No, that's not..."
"By the way, why did you two swap places?"
Before Hachiman could argue, Misaki cut him off and shifted the topic. Shai and Musketeer X watched in awe, taking mental notes on how to completely corner an opponent.
"...We wanted to throw Death Gun off, confuse him, and entice him into contacting us."
"Death Gun... I've heard the rumors, but who are they really?"
"I have a guess, but nothing concrete yet. Still, they're almost certainly participating in this tournament, so I'll definitely drag them out into the open."
Misaki nodded in agreement and offered her assistance.
"I see... In that case, I shall assist in gathering intelligence as well. Little X and I will keep an eye out for any suspicious contestants together."
"That... would be a big help, thank you. But please, don't do anything dangerous."
Hearing Hachiman express genuine concern for her, Misaki was internally ecstatic, though she kept her expression perfectly composed and replied smoothly:
"Of course. I couldn't possibly let a single scratch mar this body before receiving your favor, Lord Hachiman."
"Wait, my favor...?"
"Well then, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to you too, Ai-chan!"
"Yes, Master!"
Cutting Hachiman off once more, Misaki dashed outside.
"...I really can't deal with that woman. I feel like I'll never have the upper hand. If I push her away, she just gets happy; if I pull back, I feel like she'll grab me by the scruff of my neck and drag me right back."
"She's certainly a type we don't have in our usual group."
"You can say that again. She reminds me more of the board chairman at our school, honestly..."
Brushing the topic of Misaki aside, Hachiman turned to Musketeer X.
"Anyway, Max, didn't you have a report for us?"
"Ah, yes. Over on the other side, everyone has come to the conclusion that the Hachiman participating right now is an imposter. They're all revved up, saying they'll beat Lady Shana black and blue the moment they find her."
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