Chapter 140: An Old Acquaintance Under Haruno's Command
"Hey, Kirito, is my hairstyle weird?"
"It's fine, totally normal. That said... are you a little girl or something?!"
The two of them had asked Haruno to let them wait outside the interview venue.
This was partly to avoid mixing personal and professional matters, and also because they didn't want Haruno to know who they were looking for.
However, Haruno had already made up her mind: as long as the people summoned today didn't do anything outrageous during the interviews, she intended to hire all of them.
So their request was ultimately meaningless. Still, out of respect for their wishes, she let them be.
"Say, Hachiman, how should we greet him?"
"Hmm… I think just keeping it casual is fine."
"No time to prepare some dramatic surprise now anyway."
"I think just being yourself is already plenty shocking."
"...That so? Yeah, fair enough."
Finally, the person they were waiting for appeared at the building entrance.
The two of them rushed toward the figure.
"Mr. Nishida!"
"Mr. Nishida~!"
"Oh! Isn't it Hachiman-kun and Kirito-kun!"
The person Kirito had found was Nishida.
Apparently, Nishida had decided to start a new chapter in his life under Haruno's employment, and the two absolutely wanted to see him again—hence they had asked Haruno to bring them along.
"It's really great to see you both safe."
"Yeah, though Asuna is still hospitalized, everyone made it through safely."
"I see... that's such a relief..."
"Ah, it's a bit inconvenient to talk here—let's go somewhere else."
"Kaorumi-san, I've got something to discuss with these kids. Please excuse me."
"Y-yes, Section Chief Nishida."
The two hadn't noticed that there was a woman standing beside Nishida.
After nodding politely to her and preparing to leave, Hachiman suddenly narrowed his eyes and stopped walking.
Turning back, he saw the woman—referred to as "Mi"—quickly walking away, almost like she was trying to escape.
"Mi... no way, is that..."
"What is it, Hachiman?"
"Sorry, you guys go ahead. I'll catch up."
"Hey! Hachiman!"
"Sorry! I'll contact you later!"
With that, Hachiman chased after the woman named "Mi."
Weaving through the crowd, he finally caught up to her and called out:
"Um... Kaorumi-san, right? Haven't we met before?"
The woman flinched but refused to turn around. Hachiman gently placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around.
"I knew it. Long time no see, Rosalia."
"..."
"Don't look at me like that. I promise I'm not here to do anything."
"R-Really?"
The once-intimidating orange-named player now looked completely timid.
"I promise. I just want to talk."
"...Alright."
"Let's go to that park over there. This isn't the right place for this."
"Okay."
They walked to a quiet park.
"Your real name's Kaorumi, written with the characters for 'rose,' right? No wonder you used the name Rosalia."
"Y-Yeah. So what?"
"Nothing. I think it's a beautiful name. I really do."
"I-I see..."
"After the prison area opened, a lot of dangerous people got sent there, right? You managed to avoid that."
At the mention of "that place," Rosalia immediately understood.
"Yeah... a ton of Laughing Coffin guys were sent there. That was your doing, right?"
"Not just me. It was a group effort."
"Meeting them in prison... honestly, that saved me."
"You weren't allies?"
"Allies? The first thing they said when they saw me was: 'We were planning to kill you eventually anyway. Be glad you're alive.'"
"...I see."
"I admit I did unforgivable things, but I don't want to be lumped in with them."
"If that's how you feel, then I won't argue."
Hearing Hachiman's flat response, Rosalia looked at him in surprise.
"Is there something on my face?"
"No, it's just... I thought you'd completely deny what I said. Didn't you chase me down to scold me?"
Hachiman stared at her for a moment before speaking hesitantly:
"You've probably already changed, or you're under heavy surveillance. I've never done anything noble myself, so I don't have the right to lecture anyone."
Rosalia asked in disbelief:
"Why would you think that?"
"Because you're working for Haruno-san. She doesn't hire people with issues lightly."
Recalling Haruno's piercing gaze, Rosalia gave a small nod and explained in detail:
"She valued the intelligence network I built in SAO.
She hired me to provide special intel.
The compensation's decent—not enough to live lavishly, but better than nothing.
Someone like me wouldn't be accepted by normal companies."
"Normal companies wouldn't know your past."
"But I can't prove my innocence either. Applying for jobs requires a government clearance. People like me can't get that."
"I see..."
"That's when Haruno-san showed up. I accepted her terms immediately."
Hachiman once again admired Haruno's decisiveness.
"She really is something else..."
"But I'm grateful. Even if there were conditions, she saved me."
"I see."
"It's thanks to you guys arresting me that I'm alive. You cleared SAO too, right? So you're my lifesavers—twice over."
Though Hachiman hadn't seen it that way, he accepted the label.
"If we're talking results, I guess that's true."
"I want to treasure this second chance at life. I feel sorry for my victims, but what's done can't be undone. I'll carry this sin with me and keep living. Thank you for stopping me today. It felt good to thank the person who saved me."
As Rosalia turned to leave, Hachiman called out to her back:
"I also carry that same sin. Since you're working under Haruno-san, we'll probably meet again someday. Keep living with that guilt. It's not easy—but let's do our best."
Rosalia turned around in surprise, gave a deep bow, and walked away.
After calling Kirito, Hachiman hurried to the izakaya.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Took you long enough, Hachiman! We've gone through a few rounds already!"
"That's clearly oolong tea in your cup."
"Hachiman-kun, long time no see."
"Mr. Nishida, it's been a while."
The three of them drank happily together and promised to bring Nishida to visit Asuna soon. As they parted, Nishida said:
"I'm only standing here today thanks to you two and the clearing group. I never imagined you'd know Haruno-san. This must be fate. Let's stay in touch."
"Yes, Mr. Nishida!"
"I'm really glad we ran into each other today."
Shaking hands with both of them and smiling, Nishida added:
"Today is definitely one of the three best days of my life."
"The other two?"
"My wedding day and the birth of my grandchild."
"I see."
"Well then, take care, you two!"
"See you!"
"Take care, Mr. Nishida!"
After the farewell, Kirito asked about what had happened.
"The woman with Mr. Nishida was Rosalia."
"Seriously?"
"Looks like she's now working under Haruno-san as Nishida's subordinate."
Kirito asked with concern:
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine."
Receiving that clear answer, Kirito smiled.
"If Hachiman says so, I'll believe it. But if it were that Clive guy, I'd never forgive him."
"Agreed."
The two of them smiled at each other and began their walk home.