Episode 003 Wait Asuna is a girl
With a death cry of "Rorrr!", the boar's huge body broke into pieces like glass.
Even though he's hasn't been playing for a while, Hachiman's skills is still pretty good.
Well, the way this wild boar is treated is like a slime,It remains unknown what will happen going forward.
Hachiman took a breather and looked around aimlessly, when he heard a loud shout, he could hear two people having a conversation a short distance away.
"Woah! Wow, I'm seriously the strongest, right? What do you think Kirito, don't you think I'm pretty stronge?"
"Congratulations on your first victory. However, that boar right now would be the equivalent of a slime in other games."
"What? Seriously?! I thought it was a mid-boss or something."
"There's no way that's the case."
(Looks fun~ Although one seems like Tobe and the other like Hayama. Wait, it's Hayama again, is this actually Hayamart Online? Well, I think the Tobe-like one is probably a newbie.)
Hachiman also found himself smiling.
(I was like that at one point too, but I was a loner and looked down on others, so it was way too early for me to do that. Sorry, please come back once your level has improved. So, I'm going to apologize to myself?)
With a little Iroha-style dramatization going on in his head, Hachiman pulled himself together and decided to continue his hunt.
(Can I do the Fad Edge move?)
A four-fold combo attack, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, and back, which he shouldn't be able to use with his current level of proficiency.
In conclusion, I was able to reproduce the movement. The power is decent but It's useless at this stage.
(There's nothing I can do about this lack of power… Well, it seems like the way my proficiency is increasing is better than normal, so I'll keep going for a little longer. By the way, it seems like that Kirito guy has been watching me for a while now...)
One of the characteristics of being a loner is that you don't mind doing simple tasks alone. It's definitely easier for loner like me to it by myseft. And loners are sensitive to the gazes of others. It's easy for them to sense this kind of gaze.
Hachiman tried out a series of moves with the dagger and saw that he had also gained a few levels.
I decided to end today's play early and head back to town.
The player known as Kirito continued to stare at my back as I walked away.
(From what I can see, he's a loner who can hold a conversation smoothly and goes his own way.)
Hachiman hesitated for a moment, but then, as a fellow loner, he decided he should at least give a nod in greeting.
He gave a nod to Kirito and then headed off into town.
(Now, I wonder what the food tastes like. Back then, there wasn't much difference between ingredients...)
Hachiman felt a bit hungry, and looked towards the food stall.
Then, I noticed a player up ahead, looking around as if he was confused about something.
Hachiman just stared at the player for some reason, but...
Perhaps because of that, my eyes suddenly met with the player.
(Oh no)
Thinking this, Hachiman hurriedly looked away, but it was already too late.
The player approached him and spoke to Hachiman.
"Um, um... sorry."
Hachiman was flustered and pretended not to hear for a while,The player had grown fed up and walked around in front of me.
"Um, excuse me, there's something I'd like to ask you."
Hachman decided it was probably just a question or something and responded to the player.
"Oh, yes, what is it?"
He must have been somewhat trained during the Christmas event. Hachiman was able to reply more normally than expected. Here, signs of growth can be seen.
Upon closer observation, the player is probably about the same age as Hachiman.
His slightly childish face somehow reminded me of Totsuka.
"Um, well, I want to log out, but I don't know how to do it..."
(This is typical of newbies, but it's a pain, but please contact the GM.
In the first place, I would never be able to abandon someone who has a similar vibe to Totsuka, even if the world forgives me, I would never be able to forgive myself.)
"Um, first of all, do you know how to get the menu? It's at the bottom here..."
Saying this, Hachiman looked at his menu again and was stunned.
I hadn't noticed it before, but there was no logout button there.
That impatience came out of Hachiman's mouth without him even thinking.
"Huh? I can't find it..."
"yeah..."
(Did Akihiko-san made such a bug? That would be impossible for him .That person is a demon lord class talent, even more so than Yukinoshita-nee.)
Hachiman thought about the reason, but couldn't think of anything. So he answered aloud:
"It's unusual for a game that has just been released, but there may be a glitch. There will probably be an announcement from the management soon."
Maybe it's because the other person is like Totsuka, Hachiman was a little surprised that he was able to converse more smoothly than usual.
I felt a little happy to see that I had grown in even such a small way. And Hachman, unusually for him, got a little carried away.
"Are you new here? If you'd like to come just for a short while until the announcement comes,I'll help you choose your equipment. Then I'll give you a quick lecture. Also, if it's okay, could we please stop using polite language when speaking to each other?Well, we are both men, and I'm not used to speaking poliely, so that's one reason."
Hachiman managed to say this without biting his tongue.
While inwardly shouting at his beloved sister for doing his best, Hachiman looked over at the other person, waiting for a reply.
The has boy has a puzzled look on his face.
The boy seemed to be thinking about something, but then he looked at me again and answered with a seeming understanding somthing.
"Yeah, nice to meet you!"
"Oh, yeah, nice to meet you."
Hachiman was a little happy to hear Tosaka person like words of acceptance, which sounded more like what he had expected.
First, I helped him choose his equipment, then explained the Harassment Code and the Anti-Criminal Code.
When choosing equipment, he decided to wear a matching hooded cape like mine.
It was definitely not done intentionally.
This is a piece of equipment that comes in handy when camping, so it could be said to be inevitable.
And so the two of them decided to form a party.
As his name appeared in the upper left corner of the screen, Hachiman realized something important.
(I was acting like a happy person in real life, but I haven't introduced myself yet. Big Brother is still a garbage boy after all, Komachi...)
Shocked at his own carelessness, Hachiman pulled himself together and spoke to the boy.
"Sorry, it seems I haven't introduced myself yet. Sorry, I'm Hachiman, Asuna."
"Ah... I'm sorry too, I'm Yuki Asuna. Nice to meet you. But why did you ask my name?"
The moment Hachiman heard Asuna's self-introduction, he quickly covered her mouth.
"You idiot, don't use your real name in a place like this! You never know what's going to happen, so don't reveal anything other than the character names!"
Hearing this, Asuna realized his mistake and hurriedly apologized to Hachiman.
"S-Sorry, I'm not used to it yet...Yeah, I'll be careful."
"Ah, well, I'm sorry for being so rude. Damn, I'm Hikigaya Hachiman. Now that we know each other's secrets, our relationship is equal. If that's the case, then there's no problem with what I just said."
Asuna tilted his head slightly, then noticed Hachiman's kindness with a big smile on his face.
"Yeah, nice to meet you again, Hachiman!"
(What is this, an angel on par with Totsuka? And a little cunningly cute... even though he's a boy...)
With these thoughts in mind, Hachiman decided to answer Asuna's question from earlier.
"Ah, about your previous question, when you form a party, the following will appear on the top left of the screen. The names of all your party members are displayed. Um, sorry for calling you by your name out of the blue."
"I see, that's how it is."
"Oh, now that we've finished introducing ourselves, let's give you a quick lesson on combat."
"Yes, please."
After moving to the hunting grounds, Hachiman began explaining the basics.
"Basically, sword skills are activated automatically. First, the initial motion is performed, then it is charged up a little, Once you sense the sword skill being activated, unleash it all at once, something like this."
Hachiman said, demonstrating some dagger sword skills.
Asuna seemed to have a good memory, and after getting into his initial stance, Hachiman touches and adjusts the position of Asuna hands and feet,Soon he was able to unleash the rapier skill, "Linear."
But Hachiman had something else on his mind during the lecture.
(What is this... It's not really Totsuka, is it? Why is it so soft… Am I stepping into a new world here too? Or am I still in with Totsuka?)
Hachiman was aware that his heart was pounding. But what really surprised him was what happened next.
"Hachiman! I'm getting used to it now, so it's time to get serious!"
"What? Seriously? What on earth are you talking about..."
Before I could finish my sentence, a flash of light appeared in front of me.
Although it wasn't as powerful as Hachiman's, it was still barely noticeable with the naked eye...
Yes, it happened in an instant, the only way to describe it was like a flash of lightning.
"Like this?" Seeing Asuna with a slightly smug look on his face, Hachiman had a foolish thought.
(I want to protect that smile... what is he a angle? Is he a angle like Totsuka?)
After thinking about those thing, the moment I was about to ask Asuna a question,
Sensing a menacing gaze from somewhere, Hachiman reflexively readied his weapon.
"Hey, what's that?!"
(What is this... Is it up above? Is someone watching us from somewhere...?)
At that moment, the sound of a bell rang out, "Ringoon, ringoon."
The two were enveloped in light and sent flying into the square. There were so many people that it seemed like all the players were here.
They were gathered in the square.
The square is filled with an incredible commotion. Of course, this was bad for a formal service.
Hachiman was feeling anxious, wondering what had happened to Kayaba.
(I don't think Akihiko was removed from the development team...)
Hachiman remembered his phone call with Kayaba last night.
~Flashback~
"I was hesitant, but I decided to start Sword Art Online. I have exams coming up so I can't play like crazy."
"...I see, I hope you can find something that's genuine for you."
"Akihiko, please stop that. It's really embarrassing..."
"Hahaha, by the way, are you really alone? When I hear the story, it's hard to believe."
At that moment, the faces of two female students came to Hachiman's mind, he erased the faces of those two from his mind, knowing that he had not yet officially become friends with them.
Hachiman didn't realize that he had just thought, "It's not official yet."
"Yes, that's for sure. Totsuka is my only friend."
"I, I see... Well, it seems the problem you were having has been resolved, that's good."
"Yes, thank you. As for what I think is genuine, it's still too vague to understand, From now on, I will try not to run away as much as possible and make an effort to get to know other people better."
To that Hachiman, Kayaba said something unexpected.
"...I'm a little jealous of you right now."
"That's not true. There's nothing about me that would make Akihiko envious."
"At that age, it's hard to pursue your dreams. But even so, I am creating SAO in pursuit of what is truly genuine..."
"Yes, I think SAO will be a work that will go down in history!"
"You think... huh? I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but I think it will go down in history."
"Yes, it absolutely will! I'll do it at my own pace, but I'll try my best to clear it too!"
"I see... If you can aim to clear it, then as a creator, I couldn't be more pleased."
Hachiman sensed that Akihiko-san wanted to say something but, I didn't think much about it, thinking it was probably because it was the day before the service started.
"Well then, Akihiko-san, I'm going to go to bed now to prepare for tomorrow. If it's alright, I'll talk to you again."
"Yeah... Hachiman-kun, no matter what happens, I believe you'll find your way to me, and I'll be waiting."
"I don't know if I can reach Akihiko's level, I'm a liberal arts student after all."
"Oh, I see, that's right. Well then... see you later... Hachiman-kun."
"Yes, see you later, Akihiko-san."
~ End of Flashback~
Hachiman was alone in his thoughts amid the noisy crowd.
(It was a strangely emotional, "See you later," right...? And that message... I'm not sorry. I'm sure you'll understand...)
At that moment, Hachiman sensed something and looked up to the sky,
There was a second layer at the top, dyed crimson checkered.
Hachiman was shocked, but then he thought to himself that this might finally be an announcement from the management.
Just like that, he relaxed his shoulders. And then, out of nowhere, "that thing" appeared.
What appeared was a giant, twenty meters tall, wearing a crimson hooded cape.
The moment he saw those eyes, Hachiman knew it was Kayaba.
And sure enough, I felt my eyes met Kayaba's for a moment.
"Welcome to my world, players."
Afterwards, the giant - Kayaba Akihiko - told the following
You cannot log out. If you die in the game, or an outsider tries to remove your NerveGear, The player will die from the NerveGear's high-power microwaves.
There will be a short period of ten minutes before the power is cut off and two hours before the lines are disconnected.
(Which means that in the meantime, we need to take our body in the real world to a hospital or somewhere.
That's a really good idea, Akihiko.)
Hachiman wondered why he didn't feel any anger, I was thinking about the people who were important to me.
(Komachi, I'm sorry for making you sad. Totsuka, don't get too friendly with the Zaimokuza people just because I'm not here… I wonder if Yukinoshita and Yuigahama will be sad. Good luck on your exams, Kawasaki. I could have become friends with Orimoto and Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm sorry for being a bad student. Finally, I definitely believe that Haruno-san will arrange for my body to be transported to the hospital.)
I can think about that later. Right now, I need to think about how to get through this situation.
Hachiman told himself, managing to stay calm.
Afterwards, Kayaba had everyone check their item storage and use the hand mirror that was there.
At that moment, the crowd was enveloped in light and their appearance changed.
Judging from the conversations around me, somehow, everyone had probably returned to their real selves.
But that didn't matter to Hachiman.
To be honest, I knew that my appearance hadn't changed much. But the biggest problem was...
(This is bad, if things continue like this, riots may break out and things will get out of hand. If it was just me I could handle it, but now that I've gotten to know him, I can't just leave him alone. This guy is new, so I have to be strong.)
Immediately afterwards, 213 people had already died.
The moment Kayaba presented the evidence, complete with video, the crowd erupted.
Amidst the tremendous commotion, Hachiman quickly pulled down the hood of the boy next to him to hide his face,
I grabbed his hand and ran as fast as I could.
(I'm sure there was an inn with a bath and unlimited milk. For now, I'll escape there and think about what to do next once things have calmed down. I can't just leave Asuna like this. I'm a siscon, but he feels like a younger brother to me, so just for today, I'll let my siscon status go.)
"Sorry Asuna, I'll think about it later. I know a relaxing inn that no one knows about. This place is dangerous. If things go wrong, I could lose my life here. Let's run there for now before we get caught up in it."
"Uh, yeah…" Asuna seemed dazed, but perhaps her survival instinct was kicking in.
He obediently let Hachiman hold his hand and they started running together.
At the same time, Kirito and Klein were running in the same direction where Hachiman went.
The story of two boys and one girl who hold the fate of Aincrad in their hands.
At this point they temporarily separated.
(But this guy, he can keep up with my speed... I can't believe he's a newbie. Is he a beta tester?)
Hachiman was running at nearly full speed, secretly praising the boy behind him.
However, Hachiman still couldn't relax, so he pulled himself together and kept running.
At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a female player with paint on her face.
Hachiman and the player did indeed meet eyes for a moment.
(Argo, huh... Since things have come to this, I can't afford to be too cautious.
It's a good idea to build some level of cooperation here.
But the person behind Argo is a girl...I'm sorry I thought you might be a guy.
Wait, there's paint on her face?! Did she take the time to paint it herself in such a short amount of time?
She really is a strange person... Also, the fact that she got here before me suggests she's quite fast.)
Thinking about such things, Hachiman said, "I'm going to the bathhouse."
A message with just one strange word in Japanese.
Despite running as fast as he could, he somehow managed to finish writing and send it to Argo.
There was the limit of what I could write while running,
Well, I thought she would understand. It seems a bit sexual harassment though...
To begin with, Hachiman isn't very good at sending emails in real life either, so she can't expect much more from him.
He was not able to unconditionally trust the abilities of an informant he had only met once.
It seemed that Hachiman was no longer the lonely man who kept people away,he himself does not seem to have noticed the change in himself yet.
Upon arriving at the inn, He quickly signed in to the inn succeeded in making it their regular lodging.
Thinking that this was a relief for the time being, Hachiman collapsed onto the sofa and spoke to Asuna while still lying face down.
"Sorry about that, I made you run for so long."
"……Yeah"
"By the way, this is a hidden inn that almost no one knows about. Not only is there all-you-can-drink milk, but this is the only room on the first floor that has a bath. And the price is only 80 corsairs a day. It's a very safe and comfortable environment on the first floor , a place where you can really relax." said Hachiman
"For now, let's use this as our base and think about what to do next. Since we are both men, I don't mind if our privacy is somewhat restricted." contiuned Hachiman
"………what?"
Asuna seemed to say something, but even Hachiman, who is not a hearing-impaired protagonist,The voice was so quiet he couldn't hear it.
Hachiman thought maybe Asuna was quite upset,So he continued to talk in an attempt to ease Asuna's anxiety.
"For now, once you've calmed down, let's discuss what to do next. What will happen in the future, whether we act together or separately,I'm going to support you as much as I can." said Hachiman saying laying on the sofa
"Also, I know it's a shock, and I'm shocked too, but for now, don't think anything bad about it. If possible, you don't have to think about it at all. The worst thing you can do is to be negative. I'll listen to as much as you want, so for now, let's try to stay positive as much as possible." encouraged Hachiman
While encouraging Asuna, Hachiman wondered, "Am I really that kind of person?"
This may also be due to Komachi's education.
Well, I guess it's also thanks to those guys, I thought to myself, thinking about the two members of the Service Club.
Hachiman tried to hold back the urge to cry and tried to stay calm.
"I would suggest that you take a bath to relax your mind and body."
As Hachiman was thinking this, those words suddenly came from Asuna.
"A bath! A bath! A BATH!"
(Oh, it's good that Asuna is more energetic than I thought, but what's with this bad feeling? Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to break out into a cold sweat...)
After much deliberation, Hachiman decides that he shouldn't keep Asuna waiting too long.
Trying not to sound unnatural, and somehow managed to speak.
"Ah, that would be good. A bath is super relaxing." he said while turning around his head
In front of him was a girl he didn't know, staring at him in confusion.
Hachiman couldn't help but stare, but he was confused and still managed to gather his thoughts.
(Oh, it's Asuna, no wait, Asuna is a girl, Ah, what? Ummm...)
Hachiman was still confused, but managed to speak.
"Ummm...Asuna?"
"Eh? Yes ………. ! but how?"
With a question mark in her head, Asuna once again looked closely at herself.
The boy he had seen moments ago was no longer there, and as Asuna discovered her true self, she came to her senses.
"Um, um, well... Hachiman, why don't you try sitting upright for now?"
Hachiman sat upright, desperately trying to think of why this had happened.
(No matter how you look at it, being alone with a girl is too much of a hurdle for me... How did it end up like this?)
"Hachiman-kun"
"Ah, yes."
Seeing Hachiman trembling, Asuna gave a wry smile but continued.
"I really appreciate you helping me out of that mess, but I wonder if it's a good idea to suddenly bring a girl to an inn?"
"Y-yes, I am reflecting on it..."
"But it seems like it's definitely safe, and I understand that it couldn't be helped in that situation. you taught me a lot and encouraged me a lot, so..."
Then, as if remembering something, Asuna said with a smug look on her face.
"Let's call it a day."
"How cunning…" Hachiman reflexively gave the familiar response, and froze, realizing that this was bad.
Asuna puffed out her cheeks and said to Hachiman.
"I'm not particularly cunning or anything."
""Pfft.""
They both looked at each other and then burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, Hachiman stood up and began:
"For now, let's take turns taking a bath. I'll change the lock to the room so that only party members can open it." said Hachiman
"Yeah, we'll discuss it later, but I'm sure there will be a lot of things that will make you feel down, There's been so much going on, I just want to calm down for now." replied Asuna
"Well then, please go ahead."
"Yeah, I'll go first."
Asuna said this and headed towards the bathroom, but then she turned around as if she remembered something.
"You know what will happen if you look, right?"
"I don't have the guts to do that."replied Hachiman
"That would be wise."
And this time, Asuna finally entered the bathroom.
Now that Hachiman was alone, he was finally able to calm down.
There was a lot to think about. Kayaba, the death game, and Asuna.
And the people I may never see again.
(For now, I'll aim to clear the game, but the problem now is Asuna. she certainly has potential. But in this situation where our life is at stake, As a mid-level player, it would be wise to maintain a margin of safety and protect ourselves life. First, we need to get through the first layer and get some martial arts skills. That will raise the overall level.)
That was when it happened.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh."
A loud relaxed voice suddenly rang out from the bathroom, and Hachiman froze for a moment.
(I was surprised... but it seems like she's relaxed, so that's good for now.)
Feeling a little warm and fuzzy, I remembered various things that Kayaba had explained to me when I was working part-time.
As Hachiman was thinking further, there was suddenly a knock on the door. He went to the door and called out to the person who had knocked.
"Argo?"
"Hey Haru-bo, what's that message? It's hard to understand. And it's sexual harassment. I'm going to sue you."
"Oh come on, you actually came all the way here... and I'm really sorry."
"Well, you see, a snake will always find its way. I guess I'll spare you jail time. For now, can I come inside?"
"Oh, I'll open the door now."
When I opened the door, there stood Argo, his face heavily painted.
After leading Argo to the sofa, Hachiman asked her the thing that had been bothering him the most.
"Hey, how did you do that paint job... you put it on right after that, right?"
"You have no tact, Haru-bou. It's a woman's secret."
"Seriously? Women's secrets are amazing."
Hachiman was impressed, so Argo asked him again.
"By the way, speaking of women's secrets, what happened to the girl with the rapier?"
"Uh, uh, no, what do you mean, a girl?"
"Huh? you were running at full speed with a girl just now, weren't you?"
"Well, I mean, why a girl?"
"I'm an information broker, so I can at least tell the gender just by looking at her, right?"
(This is bad. I need to explain properly so there's no misunderstanding.)
"Ah, ah, that's it..."
Hachiman glanced anxiously towards the bathroom.
Without missing a beat, Argo's eyes lit up and he charged towards the bathroom.
Before Hachiman could stop him, the door suddenly opened.
"Good evening, I'm the rapier user... Ah."
Hachiman looked up in panic and saw Asuna standing beyond the frozen Argo.
Fortunately, she wasn't completely naked, but there were parts of Asuna that shouldn't be seen.
Hachiman saw many things.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Asuna's loud voice rang out, and Argo hurriedly closed the door. Hachiman spoke to Argo.
"Hey... Argo."
"What is it, Haru-bou?" asked Argo
"Thank you?" said Hachiman
"...Ha-bou."
A few minutes later, Asuna came out of the bathroom with a red face. Hachiman and Argo were without even needing to be told by Asuna immediately sat upright on the spot.
"First, Hachiman." said Asuna
"Ah, yes." said 8man
"Did you saw anything?" asked Asuna
"Thank you" replied 8man
The moment she heard that, Asuna's cheeks turned red and she glared at Hachiman with a fierce look in her eyes.
"I'm sorry…" apologize 8man
"Can you just forget everything you just saw?" asked asuna
"………sure" replied 8man
Asuna then closed her eyes for a while and thought deeply.
Then he turned to Argo and began to introduce himself.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Asuna."
"I'm Argo, the informant. I look forward to working with you in the future, Ar-chan."
Asuna was taken aback when she heard Argo call her that.
"Ah-chan?" asked Asuna
"Since it's Asuna, it's Ah-chan. By the way, Hachiman's name is Haru-bou." replied Argo
"R-Really? So, why are you here?" asked Asuna again
"Oh, I contacted her on the way here. I wanted some information too." replied 8man
"I see." Asuna nodded in understanding at Hachiman's answer.
"So, what's going on outside right now?" asked 8man
"That information costs 100 Cor, but I'll give it to you as a service for today. So, the current situation is, frankly, not good. Outside, it is chaos and many people have died. Things will probably remain like this for about another week." replied Argo
Upon hearing that there had been deaths, Hachiman muttered with a pained expression.
"That's true after all... but why did Akihiko do something like this..."
"Akihiko-san? Kayaba Akihiko? Are you an friend of Kayaba Akihiko?" Argo didn't miss that word.
Hachiman thought to himself, "Oh no!", but he pretended to be calm and continued speaking.
"Yeah, I told you before, I had a part-time job before the beta. We met then and became fairly close. But I never thought he would have thought of something like this... but, well, I guess there is something I can think of."
"And that something is?" asked Argo
"Yeah, Akihiko was the same as me, he wanted something genuine and I've had conversations about this game where I can to get the genuine thing." replied 8man
Asuna, who had been listening to this, suddenly stood up and spoke.
"I mean, I don't understand that at all! What is genuine? Is that suppose to means?"
"Calm down. That's just what was said. I don't know the details." replied 8man
Asuna didn't seem convinced, but she sat back down
"Well, what has happened can't be helped. So, what are you two going to do now?" asked Argo
"I'm going to try to clear this first layer. Well, my life is important, so I won't push myself too hard." replied 8man
Hearing this, Argo narrowed her eyes and asked Hachiman.
"Really? Ha-bou was running while pulling Ah-chan's hand earlier. It didn't really look like what you said though."
"Well, you see... I thought you were a man, and even though it was just a natural progression, My sister taught me to take care of others until the very end." replied 8man
"You're little sister is a nice person." said Argo
"Oh, my little sister Komachi is the nicest and cutest in the world."
"Siscon!" Asuna, who had been silent up until then, suddenly spoke up.
"Well, of course, we're Chiba's siblings after all." replied 8man
"Chiba...is that so?"
"Well well, let's get back on topic. So, what are you planning to do, Ah-chan?" asked Argo
"I... I want to think about it a bit more." said Asuna
"Yeah, things were a bit too fast for a newbie like Ah-chan, so it can't be helped." Hachiman nodded in agreement and reassured Asuna.
"No matter what happens, I'll fully support you so don't worry. It's also the philosophy of our club."
"What club?" asked Asuna
"The Service Club." answered 8man
"Is the Service Club a naughty one?" asked Argo
"Not at all. I'm just repeating what my boss told me, but our philosophy is, It's like teaching a hungry man how to fish, rather than giving him a fish." replied 8man
Hearing this, the two of them seemed to understand.
"I see, it's a more serious club than I thought, it's a good club." said Argo
"Yeah, I think it's amazing." replied Asuna
"Oh, yeah...thank you. I'm really happy." said 8man
Hachiman felt his cheeks heat up, realizing that what he had done up until then had not been wrong.
"Well then, let's disband for now and continue exchanging information." said 8man
"Well then, I'm going home, Ha-bo, don't attack Ah-chan when my sister isn't looking." said Argo
"Well, there's a harassment code. I'm basically a loner, so just looking could get me sent to prison… I mean, you're a woman, so why don't you just stay here? It's dangerous outside, right?" said 8man
"I don't think you're feeling lonely at all these days. And I've already booked a place to stay, so it's no problem. See you then." said Argo
"I see. See you later." replied 8man
"See you later, Argo." said Asuna
The three exchanged greetings and the meeting was over.
It seems that Asuna and Argo have registered as friends.
"Hachiman, let's add you as friends. It will come in handy in the future." said Asuna
He is upset using the word "friend" carelessly, but I told myself that this was necessary, that it was just a ritual.
After taking a deep breath, I agreed to register.
"Nice to meet you, Asuna-san."
"Yes, nice to meet you, Hachiman."
After exchanging greetings again, Hachiman suddenly said the following.
"Well then, Asuna-san, I'll go find a place to stay and I'll contact you again tomorrow."
"Eh? Isn't it okay here?" said Asuna
Hachman responded to the suggestion with common sense. "Eh, that's a bit bad."
"Hmm, are you thinking of something weird? There's a harassment code so no real harm can come of it, right?" asked Asuna
"That's true, but having a boy and girl of marriageable age together is still…" said 8man
"Maybe we should just put up a partition? It's a little embarrassing, but there's no way around for it. It's kind of bad to kick you out in the first place. Besides, it's too dangerous outside right now." replied Asuna
Hachiman was a little worried, but he decided that Asuna had a point.
It seems he decided to obediently follow those orders.
"I see... Then I'll take you up on your offer. I'll sleep on the sofa, and Asuna-san will sleep in the bed."
"Thank you. Also, since you call Argo by her first name, you can call me Asuna, okay?"
"Well, you call me "Hachi" too, right?"
"Boys and girls are different!"
"Okay, I get it. Well then, Asuna."
"Yes, Hachiman!"
"Well then, I'm going to take a bath too, so you can go to bed first."
"Okay. Goodnight."
"Oh, good night."
Afterwards, while taking a bath, Hachiman reflected on the events of the day.