"Alright. Sinon, Pito, you guys head to the meeting point we decided on and wait for us."
"Okaaay."
"It's freezing out, so make sure you pick us up quickly, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you."
"Big Bro, I'm going to head over first and load the prizes into Kit."
"Ah, I'll help you out, Kei."
Having successfully secured a massive haul of materials during the Christmas event, the group was now scheduled to head to a rental space in Tokyo for a 'Victory Celebration'—or rather, a Christmas party.
Apparently, the food and cake had been arranged in advance, ready to be served the moment they arrived.
"Alright, see you guys later."
"Yup, we'll be waiting!"
"See you later."
"Ikoma, look after Kaede and the others for me."
"Will do!"
With that, the six of them logged out.
Incidentally, XeXeed and his group were holding their own victory party inside the game. Although they had finished in second place, the fact that Shana's team had hogged all the materials meant that XeXeed's team walked away with high-performance guns and a substantial amount of funding instead.
Yukko and Haruka, having completely forgotten the humiliation they had been wallowing in just moments ago, were simply delighted to have easily recouped the funds they had initially spent to start GGO.
"Hey Haruka, I never thought we'd hit our quota this quickly."
"Yeah. I guess quitting while we're ahead is one option, but..."
The two of them glanced over at XeXeed.
"...Maybe we should earn a little bit more."
"You're right. Just a little bit more."
In reality, this exact moment had been the biggest risk of the XeXeed team disbanding. However, seeing as the two girls had developed at least a slight attachment to XeXeed, they used the money as an excuse to remain on the team.
For the record, they held absolutely no romantic feelings for XeXeed whatsoever.
"Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"
"Nope. We just finished loading everything into the trunk, Big Bro."
"Is that so."
From a distance, Hachiman had spotted them loading something quite large into the trunk. Looking slightly concerned, he asked his sister about it.
"Hey, I saw some pretty huge prizes in there. You sure your wallet didn't take a hit for this, Komachi?"
"Yup! Everything was provided by Haruno-oneechan."
"...By Sis?"
"Uh-huh. So don't worry about it."
"Well, if you say so... but if you get into any trouble, tell me immediately, okay?"
"Okay!"
The fact that Haruno had provided the goods stuck in Hachiman's craw, but he figured even that idiot sister of his had enough common sense to behave on Christmas. He decided to let it slide and started Kit's engine to go pick up Sinon and Pitohui.
"Still, it really is cold this year."
"Yeah, it is."
Asuna answered him. When Komachi remained silent, Hachiman glanced in the rearview mirror. Komachi was wearing a coat he hadn't seen before, looking quite warm and cozy.
"Komachi, did you buy a new coat?"
"Hueh? Oh, this? Umm... Haruno-oneechan gave it to me."
"Sis gave you...?"
Hachiman felt a subtle, ominous premonition, but lacking any concrete evidence, he decided to ignore it.
The group picked up Shino and Elsa along the way and arrived safely at their destination.
Upon entering the room, they found a spread of food—not massive in quantity, but clearly high-quality and elaborately prepared. In the refrigerator sat a luxurious cake, perfectly sized for six people.
Shortly after, Rose arrived, and the six of them took their seats around the table. However, for some reason, the chair prepared for Hachiman was of a completely different design than the others.
Hachiman wondered why, but figured they were just short one matching chair. Deciding not to sweat the small stuff, he quietly took his seat.
It was decided that Hachiman would lead the toast.
"Right. Well then, to celebrate today's victory—Merry Christmas!"
"""""Merry Christmas!"""""
The six of them enjoyed the meal and conversation, reflecting on the day's battles.
"I have to say, Shino-non, your opening move today was flawless."
"Obviously. Who do you think I am?"
"Ooh, Shino-non is acting tough!"
Elsa teased, and Shino puffed out her chest as she replied.
"You feel like you just can't miss right now, don't you?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
Shino nodded at Hachiman's observation.
"Then all that's left is actual combat. Just keep shooting."
"Right. I've started mixing into random parties lately, but when I see players who look reliable, I'm trying to be more active about it."
"Must be nice. You should let me join you sometime!"
"Ah... sure, well, when it's possible..."
Shino gave a non-committal answer to Elsa's request. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Rose turned to Elsa.
"Come to think of it, isn't Christmas usually a busy time for your actual job?"
"Ah, yeah. It might get pretty hectic starting tomorrow, actually. I'm really glad the event wasn't tomorrow."
"I figured. Christmas is usually packed with live shows and stuff. Must be tough."
"Yeah, but it's fine. I love singing just as much as I love fighting."
Saying that, Elsa began to hum a certain tune.
"A lost, lost, little kitty cat~"
"Why on earth did you choose that song?!"
Rose snapped immediately, prompting Hachiman to grin.
"Why not? It's a great choice, Little Kitten."
"There you go again, calling me that..."
"What's the problem? I happen to like that name for you."
Told this by Hachiman, Rose wore an expression halfway between happy and bewildered, muttering under her breath.
"W-Well, if that's the case, I guess I don't have a complaint..."
"Man, compared to the old days, you really are a completely different person. My first impression of you was basically 'what a shitty woman with a nasty look on her face,' but now... how do I put it...?"
Perhaps he couldn't bring himself to say it directly, but the other four girls finished the thought for him.
"I think the current Little Kitten is incredibly gentle and cute!"
"Little Kitten, you are marvelous! Delicious!"
"Koneko-chan is fun to watch, so she's worth teasing!"
"I don't know what Little Kitten was like in the past, but I think the way she is now is wonderful."
"Well, that's about the size of it."
Rose blushed at her companions' words, looking down as she mumbled.
"T-Thanks..."
Incidentally, after this, the others had grown so used to the nickname that they continued calling her Rose, but Hachiman—only when he was in a good mood—would publicly call her "Little Kitten." It eventually became a barometer for gauging Hachiman's emotional state.
"Now then! It is time for the main event of the evening! We will now be holding a Game Tournament with magnificent prizes! By the way, Komachi is not participating, so good luck to the four of you!"
"Not participating? Four of us?"
Hachiman looked at her suspiciously, but Komachi just kept smiling.
"This is what it means, Big Bro."
Komachi pulled out a switch and pressed the button.
Instantly, belts shot out from Hachiman's chair, binding his body tight.
"Wha—"
Cutting off the shocked Hachiman before he could speak, Komachi continued her announcement.
"Okay! And with that, I hereby declare the start of the 'Brother Goods Struggle Bingo Tournament,' kindly sponsored by Haruno-oneechan!"
"I've been waiting for this!"
"Now the real battle begins."
"I wonder what the prizes are?"
"I-I don't particularly want them or anything, but I can't be the only one disturbing the harmony here, right?"
Since all four girls spoke in unison, Hachiman realized—albeit too late—that everyone except him had known about this.
"K-Komachi, what the hell is this..."
"Sorry, Big Bro. But it couldn't be helped. Komachi has already received her payment from Haruno-oneechan for MCing this event..."
With those words, Hachiman remembered the coat Komachi was wearing.
"D-Don't tell me... that coat is..."
"Yup. It's from a popular overseas brand that's really hard to get in Japan. When I was offered something this good, Komachi had no choice but to betray her brother. Sorry! Tehe!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded over 30 chapters of this story on Patreon.
If you're enjoying it and want to read ahead, feel free to check them out here:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thanks a lot for your support, it really helps me keep going.