"What's your deal?"
"Just making sure you're the real Elsa Kanzaki," came the reply, casual but pointed.
Elsa's expression flickered with a hint of delight at his words.
"See? I told you it'd be obvious once we met."
"Fine, I'll admit you're way riskier than me when it comes to taking chances."
"Good. Glad you acknowledge it."
With that, Elsa grabbed the microphone and launched into a song, her voice syncing perfectly with the karaoke track. Naturally, she was phenomenal—no surprise there. When the song ended, Yahata clapped wholeheartedly, though he couldn't resist adding a jab.
"When you're like this, it's hard to believe you're that Pitohui."
"What're you talking about? My speech, my personality—it's all the same, isn't it?"
"…You seemed a tad more refined last time, though."
"Even I can muster some politeness when I'm asking for a favor, you know."
"Fair enough, I guess."
Elsa plopped back into her chair, rummaging through her bag before thrusting a piece of paper at Yahata.
"Here, take this."
"Oi, what's this…?"
"Can't you tell? It's a copy of my driver's license."
Sure enough, it was an unmistakable copy of Elsa Kanzaki's license, brimming with her personal details.
"I get that, but what's the point?"
"This way, I can't betray you, right? Consider it my show of good faith."
Yahata hesitated for a moment, then accepted it with a nod.
"Alright. I'll make sure this stays under lock and key, completely secure."
"Thanks."
Elsa flashed a shy smile, and Yahata caught himself thinking—rudely—that she'd be stunning if she just kept quiet, like a rose without thorns.
"So… can I count on you?" she asked, her eyes glinting with anticipation.
"I suppose… after this kind of sincerity, it's hard to say no."
Her face lit up, practically sparkling with excitement.
"Then…"
"But there are things I can't talk about, so don't push it. Believe me or don't—that's on you. I can't prove everything."
"Got it!"
"Alright then, first off—congratulations."
"Huh?"
Yahata started clapping abruptly, leaving Elsa bewildered, her expression blank with confusion.
"Uh… thanks?"
"You're welcome."
"Um…"
"Yeah, I know, makes no sense, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
Yahata took a deep breath, steeling himself, before continuing.
"The one you drew—it's not one of the thirty."
"Oh… I see…"
For a fleeting moment, Elsa's face fell, but she quickly replaced it with a bright smile.
"But like I said, just talking to you like this is already—"
She paused, realization dawning. "Wait, you said 'congratulations' earlier…"
"Yeah. It's not one of the thirty. It's number four."
"Four? Four? You mean…"
Shock gave way to understanding, her eyes widening with excitement as she waited for Yahata's next words.
"Looks like you've figured it out. I'm Silver Shadow. You know that name, don't you?"
"No way… that Silver Shadow? The Holy Sword, the Black Swordsman, the Flash… and Silver Shadow?"
"Well, this time it's mostly because I had the bad luck of running into a terrifying opponent, and someone recorded the fight. Plus, I hadn't logged in since that day, so yeah—beyond luck, it's pure fortune."
Before he could finish, Elsa lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him.
"I told you, don't just hug me like that! Let go already!"
"Nope, not happening!"
"This isn't the game, you know. I could pry you off easily."
And with that, Yahata effortlessly pulled her away. Elsa pouted, but undeterred, she plopped down right next to him. Her first words were defiant.
"Why'd you tell me? You could've just passed it off as one of the thirty, you know."
"Eh, didn't feel right letting you take all the risk."
"I see… so what I did wasn't for nothing. That's a relief."
"Don't ever pull something like this again, got it?"
"Got it! I won't do it to anyone but Shana!"
"Not to me either."
"Ugh…"
Elsa's pout deepened, but she nodded obediently, clearly unwilling to push Yahata further.
"So, what do you want to ask first?"
"Um, I want to ask about player conflicts, but since I've got Silver Shadow here… I don't know where to start. I didn't expect this, so I'm kinda lost."
"Before we go there, one thing: swear you'll never tell anyone what we discuss."
"I swear."
"Good. We're set."
Elsa nodded, then launched into her first question.
"Okay, here goes. What happened to the other three of the Four Heavenly Kings?"
"One of them… isn't in this world anymore."
"Oh… I see."
"But the other two are still around, together."
"Really? Can I ask who?"
"The Black Swordsman and the Flash."
"So it was the Holy Sword who's gone…"
"Yeah."
Elsa's gaze drifted, lost in thought, as if imagining something far away.
"I kinda wish I'd played SAO…"
"No way."
"Why not?"
"If you had, you might've ended up with Laughing Coffin."
Elsa tilted her head, puzzled.
"Laughing Coffin?"
"The ones you're so curious about. You know—murder guild."
Yahata gave her a brief rundown on Laughing Coffin, but Elsa, who'd been so eager to hear about them, grimaced.
"That's… not right."
"Hm? What's not?"
"I thought it was about epic, fair fights—life-or-death battles that pushed you to the edge. But from what you're saying, they're just criminals! That's not the soul-burning fight I wanted to experience!"
"Now you get why I was annoyed earlier?"
"Yeah… sorry. I was wrong about that."
Her sincere apology made Yahata reassess her slightly. But the idea of "fair fights" being okay would likely haunt her moving forward.
"So, here's the thing. I've got a favor to ask you."
"A favor? You're my lackey, you could just order me."
"Nah, I'm not certain yet, so a favor feels right."
"Really? Well, whatever works."
With her agreement, Yahata revealed his goal.
"There's a chance some of Laughing Coffin's members are in GGO."
"No way! Really?"
"Yeah, solid intel."
"Okay… so what's the favor?"
Elsa leaned in, clearly ready to back him fully.
"Keep doing what you've been doing—tracking down SAO survivors. Focus on strong guys only. If anyone seems suspicious, let me know."
"Why those conditions?"
"No women in Laughing Coffin's core group—just their lower ranks. The ones I'm after are their former leaders, and they're tough. I'd rather not let them run wild, just in case they cause trouble for us. Think of it as intel gathering."
Elsa nodded, her resolve firm.
"Got it. Leave the interrogation to me!"
"When you say that with that face, it's a little unsettling."
"I keep telling you, I'm the same inside! Or what, you falling for me and don't want me doing that stuff?"
"No way. Besides, you've got Em, your great 'boyfriend,' right?"
"For the last time, Em's not my boyfriend—he's my lackey!"
"Yeah, yeah, just shut it."
"Ugh…"
Elsa kept pushing, seizing every chance to get closer, but Yahata brushed her off. She looked a little frustrated.
"Look, I'm sure you've got tons more questions, but it's getting late—last train's soon. You're probably too thrown off to organize your thoughts anyway. Let's call it a night."
"Wait, I planned to stay over with you. I even brought a change of clothes!"
"Huh? Why would you think that?"
"I said earlier I'd deal with Em tomorrow, remember?"
"Now that you mention it… maybe. Still, no way."
"Come on!"
"Nope."
"It's fine!"
"I said no!"
Their back-and-forth dragged on until Yahata realized, with a glare, that the last train had already passed.
"You stalled on purpose, didn't you?"
"What? No idea what you mean~"
Yahata sighed heavily. "Fine. Guess I got stung by a wasp—or maybe you're the one stinging, Hachi."
"With that face, you're pulling dad jokes?" He waved her off. "Hold on."
Yahata made a quick call, and minutes later, a car pulled up. Without a word, he ushered Elsa inside and slid in beside her.
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