"Argo-san!" Asuna called out.
"Hey, A-chan! You look kinda pissed—did Hachi-boy stir up trouble again? And, uh, why're you here?" Argo replied with a grin.
"I could ask you the same thing, Argo-san. What, are you one of Hachiman-kun's old classmates?"
"Nah, I'm just here for the drama," Argo said, shrugging.
"Oh, got it."
Spotting a familiar face among the trio, Asuna addressed Argo before glancing at Elsa and Rose. Maintaining a bright smile, she turned to Hachiman with a pointed tone.
"So, Hachiman-kun, care to introduce these two to your precious girlfriend?"
Emphasizing precious girlfriend, Asuna's voice carried a clear edge. Hachiman, sensing she was still in full-on fury mode, scrambled to defuse the situation. He started by directing Rose.
"Oi, Rose, take those two to that empty table over there and wait."
"Uh, got it!" Rose nodded.
Asuna caught the name and realized that's Rose, her tension easing slightly. Seizing the moment of her softened guard, Hachiman slipped behind her, wrapping his arms gently around her.
"W-What? Huh?" Asuna stammered, blushing.
Even in a place like this, he's such a sap, she thought, her cheeks flushing. Hachiman leaned close, whispering in her ear.
"Asuna, that's Pito over there. I don't know why she's here, but it might be because I didn't explicitly tell her not to come when we met earlier to pick up that souvenir."
"Wait, that's Pito? She looks… familiar somehow…"
"Yeah, 'cause she's Kanzaki Elsa, the singer."
"What!?"
Asuna's exclamation echoed, and she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. The crowd, hearing only her outburst, exchanged puzzled looks, clueless about the context. But from the shift in her expression, they sighed in relief—Asuna's anger seemed to have dissipated.
"So, Asuna, we've got an emergency. Join those three and make sure Pito doesn't use our GGO names. It's fine if she knows ours—her name's out there already, and I trust she won't sell us out. Can you handle some intel-gathering while you're at it?"
"Got it. Leave it to me," Asuna said, heading toward the trio's table.
With Asuna occupied, Hachiman found himself facing Yukko and Haruka again. He tried reasoning with them calmly, hoping to end the conflict, but their anger—likely fueled by Asuna's earlier verbal thrashing—made them immovable.
"Look, all you wanted was to vent at me, right? That's fine. Can we just call it quits?" Hachiman said evenly.
"What, you're just gonna run away?" Yukko snapped.
"Seriously…" Hachiman sighed.
The two had devolved into what could only be called professional complainers, seemingly unaware of their own actions. Their former supporters had backed away, leaving them isolated. Meanwhile, Asuna, who was supposed to be gathering intel with the trio, was instead cheerfully introducing herself.
"Rose-san, nice to meet you. I'm Yuuki Asuna."
"Y-Yes, pleasure to meet you!" Rose replied, visibly nervous.
Unbeknownst to Asuna, Rose was a massive fan, which explained her jitters. Asuna then turned to Elsa, studying her face closely. Elsa mirrored the scrutiny before blurting out, "You're Shizu, right? Wow, you're gorgeous! No way I can compete—this is, like, totally hopeless! And Shana's got other beauties around him too, huh? Hey, Rose-chan, maybe we're better suited as mistresses?"
"Are you kidding? No one in the world could outshine Asuna-sama!" Rose shot back fervently.
Asuna blinked, caught off guard by Rose's "-sama" honorific. She recalled hearing that Rose idolized her, and in this chaotic moment, she chose not to address it directly. Elsa, visibly thrown, stayed silent, while Argo, used to Rose's antics from work, didn't bother commenting. With no one to rein Rose in, Asuna regrouped and addressed Elsa with a mix of caution and warmth.
"Just call me Asuna, okay? And don't call me Shizu here, Elsa-san."
"Got it!" Elsa said, thumping her chest. "So, what do I call Shana?"
"His name's Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hachiman, huh? Nice, nice!" Elsa giggled, clearly delighted to learn his name.
"By the way, you knew who I was?" Elsa asked.
"Well, kinda," Asuna said, pulling out her phone to show Elsa a playlist of her songs.
Elsa's face lit up. "My music! You actually listen to it!"
"Yeah, for some reason, your songs always remind me of fighting in SAO."
"That's 'cause I wrote 'em with SAO in mind!" Elsa said proudly.
"What?" Asuna gasped.
"No way!" Argo exclaimed.
"Seriously?" Rose echoed.
The trio was floored by Elsa's revelation.
"Half my songs are inspired by that vibe," Elsa continued. "Oh, and my next single's based on the Four Heavenly Kings!"
"R-Really?" Asuna said, a mix of joy and embarrassment washing over her at the thought of being a muse.
"You better listen to it, Asuna—I'm pouring my heart into it!" Elsa urged.
"Deal! I promise!" Asuna replied, her smile genuine despite the whirlwind of emotions.
Curious about their presence, Asuna pressed further. "So, how'd you three know to come here? Why are you even here?"
"Well," Elsa began, "earlier, I gave Hachiman a souvenir, and he mentioned this reunion. He didn't tell me not to come, so I thought, why not? I went to the place where I first met him, just to see."
"That'd be our company," Rose interjected.
"Oh, I see," Asuna said, the pieces clicking into place.
"And then I spotted Rose-chan there," Elsa continued.
"And that's when my name got outed," Rose added sheepishly.
"Uh, well…" Elsa faltered.
"It's all Zaimokuza's fault, honestly," Rose sighed. "He was there and spilled everything without a second thought."
"Oh!" Asuna exclaimed, connecting the dots. Zaimokuza, of course, would know about the reunion.
"Zaimokuza's, like, a huge Kanzaki Elsa fan," Argo chimed in. "Answered every question she had like it was his life's mission. I just happened to be there too and tagged along 'cause it sounded fun."
"I get it now," Asuna said, glancing at Hachiman, who was struggling with Yukko and Haruka. Her anger flared again, a chilling smile crossing her face. Elsa, misreading it as enthusiasm, leaned in eagerly.
"Hey, Asuna, you're gonna take those two down, right? I've got a killer idea!"
"What's the plan, Elsa?" Asuna asked, intrigued.
"A-chan, at least deny the 'taking down' part…" Argo muttered, trying to inject some reason.
"Eh, close enough," Asuna replied nonchalantly.
"Don't go committing crimes, okay?" Argo pleaded, a hint of worry in her voice.
"No worries, my idea's way more… out there," Elsa said with a mischievous grin.
"Alright, I'll bite," Argo conceded.
"Rose-chan, Argo-chan, you're in too, right?" Elsa urged.
The two hesitated but, intimidated by Asuna's aura, reluctantly agreed.
"Great, we've got their buy-in!" Elsa declared.
"Wait, hold on—what are you roping us into?" Rose protested.
"Here's the plan—lean in, you three," Elsa said, beckoning them closer.
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