"Hey, Shana, I kinda just went along with the vibe, but what's with this group? Why so many girls? It's like your personal harem!" Sinon teased.
"That'd make you part of the harem too, you know," Shana shot back.
"Don't you dare lump me in with your harem!"
"You're the one who said it…"
Shana sighed, exasperated. For the record, the seating in the Humvee was: Shana driving, Shizuka in the passenger seat, and in the back, from left to right, Pitohui, Benkei, and Sinon. Given this was the Japan server, the Humvee was right-hand drive.
"Just tell me what kind of group this is," Sinon pressed.
"Fair enough. Since we'll be sticking together for a bit, let's do introductions," Shana said.
At his prompting, Shizuka turned from the front seat to face Sinon.
"I'm Shizuka—call me Shizu. Like I said, I'm a total newbie, just started today!"
Despite her sharp appearance, Shizuka's warm demeanor surprised Sinon. Curious, she asked, "So, what's your deal with Shana?"
"Uh… we're, like… promised to each other?"
Even Shizuka hesitated to declare herself the "true wife" to an outsider, opting for a softer phrase. Sinon nodded, catching her meaning.
"So, you two are a couple…"
She didn't notice the faint tinge of disappointment in her own voice.
"Naturally, it's an adult relationship!" Pitohui interjected.
"An… adult…?"
Sinon's face flushed as her imagination ran wild, and she looked down.
"Hey, Pit, cut it out," Shana snapped.
"What? I'm pretty good at reading these things!"
"Shut it."
"Yes, sir!"
Shana turned to Shizuka, who, like Sinon, was blushing and looking down.
"Shizu, work on your poker face. You're embarrassing me too…"
His gentle tone made Sinon think, Yup, they're definitely a thing, though her expression soured slightly—she didn't notice that either. Pitohui, miffed at Shana's softer attitude toward Shizuka, turned away with a huff.
"My turn!" Benkei piped up. "I'm Benkei—call me Kei. Also a newbie! Uh, my relationship with Shana… we're… living together?"
Sinon's eyes narrowed as she glared at Shana.
"You…"
"No, Kei's my sister," Shana clarified.
"Sister?"
"Shana, is it okay to say that?" Benkei asked.
She'd been careful to call herself "family" since Shana never openly called her his sister. Whether "living together" was the right phrase was another matter.
"It's fine with these two," Shana said.
Pitohui's mood instantly brightened, and Sinon felt a spark of joy at being trusted.
"Well, if Shana says so, I'm his sister, Benkei! Nice to meet you both!"
With Shana's approval, Benkei dropped her formal tone for her usual bubbly sisterly vibe.
"Oh, Kei! My dear sister!" Pitohui exclaimed, suddenly hugging her, perhaps trying to win her over.
"Hey, Kei's my awesome sister—maybe the world's greatest—but that doesn't mean you get to call her that, Pit. Let go," Shana said.
"Onii-chan, you sound like a total siscon. Honestly, it's kinda creepy," Benkei teased.
"Ugh…"
Shana deflated at her blunt jab.
"And Pit, trying to win me over won't work. Lately, Onii-chan's been weirdly popular with high-caliber women. If you want in, you'll have to take down all your rivals."
"What? Other strong contenders I don't know about? Spill!"
"Uh, let's see…"
Benkei thought for a moment, then listed names.
"Obviously Shizu, then the Ice Queen, the Inferno Queen, uh… Ironclad Chest, Sly President… oh, and probably Rosalia too…"
"Ironclad Chest? What's that supposed to mean?" Shana groaned.
Benkei flushed, defending herself.
"It's the best I could come up with!"
"They don't have nicknames, so yeah," Shana conceded.
"That many rivals…?" Pitohui muttered.
"And probably a few more. Oh, I forgot the big one!"
Benkei glanced around to ensure no one else was listening, then whispered:
"The Demon Lord."
"The Demon Lord's here?!" Pitohui shouted, thrilled.
"You know about the Demon Lord?" Benkei asked.
"Yup, Shana told me about her!"
Shizuka and Benkei turned to Shana with half-lidded glares.
"…Do we need to report this to the Demon Lord?" Shizuka asked.
"Definitely," Benkei agreed.
"Whoa, hold on, let's talk this out!" Shana stammered, sweating.
Their glares didn't relent, so he nervously offered, "H-how about an all-you-can-eat cake deal?"
The two instantly lit up.
"I didn't hear anything," Shizuka said.
"Yup, nothing happened here," Benkei added.
"Thanks…" Shana sighed.
A burst of laughter interrupted them. The four turned to see Sinon, who'd been quiet until now, unable to hold it in. She'd been staring at Shana with exasperation during Benkei's list but lost it at their exchange.
"You guys always talk like you're in a comedy routine?"
"Rude," Shana said, deadpan.
"Only sometimes."
"Sometimes is plenty! And you're way too popular," Sinon laughed.
She rarely laughed like this, even in GGO. Surprised at how freely she was laughing from the heart, Sinon thought, Maybe sticking with this group a bit longer wouldn't be so bad.
Pitohui seized the moment. "Alright, next time, Shana's treating us all to a cake shop!"
"What? Don't just make stuff up, Pit," Shana groaned.
"I'm in," Shizuka said.
"Me too!" Benkei chimed.
Having overheard Shana mention knowing Pitohui's real identity, Shizuka and Benkei quickly agreed. Sinon, however, hesitated. Exposing real-life details in a game was risky, and while she was tempted to meet this group in person, one big issue held her back: Pitohui.
"…Hey, Pit, no offense, but your reputation's pretty awful," Sinon said bluntly.
"Whoa, straight to the point, Sinonon!"
"Sinonon?"
"Yup, cute, right?"
"I mean, it's not not cute…"
Sinon was thrown by Pitohui's overly friendly demeanor, so different from the rumors.
"Hey, Pit, did you once go hunting with a stranger, then use them as a shield to escape when a tough mob showed up?"
"Yup!"
"And did you laugh while shooting a player who pissed you off?"
"Yup!"
"So you are that Pitohui…"
"Only one Poison Bird in this game!" Pitohui grinned.
Sinon nodded, her suspicions confirmed.
"So that's the kind of stuff you've done…"
"Total villain vibes!" Benkei added.
"I'd never do that with you guys, though!" Pitohui said, smiling at them.
Seeing the stark contrast in Pitohui's behavior, Sinon struggled but spoke firmly.
"I've only known you guys a short time, but honestly, it's not bad hanging out with you. I'd even consider the cake shop idea if we keep real identities secret. It's all girls except Shana, after all. But I still can't fully trust you, Pit."
"Fair enough. But as long as Shana's around, you've got nothing to worry about, Sinonon."
"As long as Shana's around?"
Sinon tilted her head, unsure how that guaranteed anything. Pitohui could still act behind his back. Undeterred, Pitohui launched into her introduction.
"Oh, right, intros aren't done. I'm Pitohui—call me Pit. Hobbies: trapping people I don't like. Special skills: killing people I don't like. And I'm Shana's number-one lackey!"
If Rosalia were here, she'd have flipped at that claim, but Pitohui said it shamelessly, figuring first-come, first-served since Rosalia wasn't around. Sinon glared at Shana again.
"Lackey? Seriously, what's your deal…?"
"It's not like that, Sinonon," Pitohui clarified. "Shana didn't do anything. I just forced my way into his orbit."
"Really?"
"Yup. I'm totally into him. You could call it love! But Shizu's his number one—I'm just a lackey."
"What's that supposed to mean…?"
Sinon turned to Shana, exasperated.
"What can I say? Like she said, she took my joke seriously and latched onto me. She's a lackey who ignores me when it comes to this stuff."
"Forced her way in, huh? That doesn't exactly make it safe to meet in real life," Sinon pointed out.
"No worries there, Sinonon," Pitohui said, grinning wickedly before declaring:
"I gave Shana a copy of my driver's license. So he can boil me, roast me, or… oops, sorry, Shizu, kidding, kidding! Don't hit me! I mean, my real life's totally in Shana's hands. If he says not to mess with you, I'll obey completely!"
It was Pitohui's biggest revelation of the day.
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