"A hunt? You already promised someone, didn't you? It feels a bit like I'd be intruding if I barged in."
"It's fine. The target today is the PK Squadron, and they seemed a little worried about not having enough manpower. I'm sure they'd welcome you with open arms, Shana."
"Even so..."
"What? Are you saying you don't want to be with me?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
(Mmm, he's stubborn... They say even married couples hit a slump when things get repetitive. I need to try a different angle today...)
Sinon looked up at him through her lashes, her expression the picture of heartache.
"I just want to be with you, Shana... Is that... not allowed?"
Seeing this, Shana suddenly looked flustered, panic flashing across his face.
"N-No, I didn't say it wasn't allowed."
"Then, you'll go with me?"
"Yeah. Of course."
"Thank you, Shana."
Sinon sat back on the sofa, smiling happily. Internally, however, her thoughts were quite different.
(He was easier to crack than I thought. But taking advantage of his kindness like this feels a bit underhanded, so maybe I should seal this technique away... Well, I got to see a rare side of him, so I'll call it a win.)
Rosalia, watching from a short distance away, was astonished by Sinon's rapid evolution.
"Sinon... what a terrifying girl..."
This was a byproduct of Sinon suddenly gaining more female friends. By interacting with schoolmates and the women in Shana's circle, Sinon had unknowingly absorbed their various social tactics and was now learning to wield them with some proficiency.
Incidentally, these tactics were only ever deployed against Shana. When facing other men, Sinon remained an impregnable fortress. Even Spiegel was no exception; while his wall was slightly lower than others, Sinon maintained a clear, rigid distinction between her attitude toward Shana and her attitude toward everyone else.
"So, what time is this planned for?" Shana asked.
"Eight tonight, I think."
"Got it. I'm going to catch a nap until then. Wake me up when it's time."
"Okay... Wait, I have to wake you up?!"
"I'm joking. See you later."
But Sinon leaped at those words with spectacular enthusiasm. The reason was simple: she still didn't have Shana's contact information.
It seemed surprising, but the only person Sinon had exchanged numbers with so far was Pitohui—or rather, Rosalia. Since they could communicate without issue once they were in GGO, and there had been no inconvenience, they had simply forgotten to swap real-world contact details.
Realizing this, Sinon didn't want to seem too eager or desperate, so she tried to keep her voice as natural as possible.
"No, I'm the one who asked you to come, so it's only natural I do that much. But now that I think about it, you haven't given me your contact info yet. Do you mind teaching me, just for this occasion?"
"Oh, really? Was that the case? Well, since you're offering, I'll take you up on it..."
Shana readily gave Sinon his number.
"Okay. I'll make sure to wake you, so sleep tight."
"Right. counting on you."
Once she confirmed Shana had logged out, Sinon threw both hands up in a victory pose. A silent scream echoed in her heart: 'I finally obtained Hachiman's contact info!'
Witnessing this, Rosalia averted her eyes as if she had seen something forbidden, and resumed her work of identifying the names of the players she had photographed.
Sinon then headed toward Dyne to confirm if Shana's participation was acceptable. She didn't think they would turn him away if she just brought him along, but she felt it was proper etiquette to let them know in advance.
"Dyne-san, got a minute?"
"Oh, if it isn't Sinon."
Sinon found Dyne in the usual tavern. He waved at her, then crossed his arms.
"Actually, hearing someone way more famous than me call me 'Dyne-san' makes me itch. From now on, could you just call me Dyne?"
"Is that so? Alright then, Dyne."
Dyne nodded with satisfaction; that felt much more natural.
"So, it's still early for the meetup. Something happen? Don't tell me you're too busy dating Shana to come today?"
Dyne teased her, but Sinon replied with complete composure.
"If it's a date, we already finished it earlier. And actually, the business is about Shana."
"About Shana? If it's love advice, I can't say anything clever, you know? Or are you saying Shana is going to join the fight today?"
"Oh? Judging by that tone, you have no problem with him joining?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? Is there anyone more reliable than him?"
"Then it's settled. Thanks."
"Settled? Hey, wait, don't tell me..."
Sinon grinned at him.
"Exactly. Shana is coming."
"Seriously?! Well, that solves any firepower issues we had."
"That's all I needed to say. See you later."
"Yeah. ...You know, you've really changed."
"Eh?"
"You probably don't remember, but before Spiegel brought you around the other day, you and I ended up in the same party once."
Sinon stared at Dyne's face, searching her memory, but she couldn't recall it at all.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember."
"Well, I figured. I was in a separate detachment that merged with your main squad later."
"Come to think of it, I feel like something like that happened a long time ago."
"My impression of you back then was of a silent, gloomy woman who showed almost no emotion. But looking at you now? I don't feel a shred of that."
"I suppose I really was like that back then."
When she first met Shana, she had been emotional because she had just lost a weapon she spent a fortune on, but normally, Dyne's description wasn't far off.
"Well, I guess this is the real you, right? Good for you. I'm glad you met Shana."
Hearing Dyne's words, Sinon felt a heat rising behind her eyes. In this world, she couldn't hold back tears, and a few actually spilled over. She wiped them away and smiled at Dyne.
"Yes. Every day is truly fun now."
Sinon returned to her base and logged out, taking a short nap until the appointed time. Several hours later, awakened by her alarm clock—'Hachiman-kun'—Shino dialed the number she had been given.
"Hello, Hikigaya speaking."
The moment she heard that slightly sleepy voice, Shino's heart gave a violent thump. Even though it was the first time, and all he did was answer the phone, Shino's heart played a melody of joy completely independent of her will.
(Oh no. Since when did I become such a hopeless romantic?)
Thinking this, yet feeling a flutter of nervousness, Shino spoke her momentous first words to Hachiman over the phone.
"Hachiman? It's me. Shino."
"Oh, Shino. Thanks for waking me up. I'll log in right away."
"Yeah. I'll be waiting."
It was a brief exchange, but Shino felt closer to Hachiman than ever before. She told her alarm clock, "I'm heading out, Hachiman-kun," and logged back into GGO.
The 'Hachiman-kun' clock sat nestled under her pillow, as if protecting her.
"Welcome back, Sinon. Off to the hunt?"
Rosalia called out to her. She was still in the same spot as when Sinon had logged out, still organizing her data.
"Rosalia-san, have you been at it this whole time?"
"Yes, well, this is my job. And your job is to fight alongside Shana. Though, with him there, I'm sure you'll be fine. Just be careful."
"Yeah. Thank you, Rosalia-san."
Soon after, Shana logged in. The two greeted Rosalia and headed for the tavern.
"Dyne, I brought Shana."
"Sorry to barge in on you. I'm Shana. Let's have a good run today."
"Shana-san! Thank you so much for today!"
Dyne greeted him with immediate deference, causing Shana to frown awkwardly.
"Nah, we're just fellow players. No need to be so stiff."
"I-Is that so? Alright then... Shana, counting on you today!"
"Yeah, likewise."
Shana took a seat near the edge of the room, and Sinon brazenly sat right next to him. As the squad members gathered in the tavern, one of them noticed Sinon and called out.
"Sinon-chan! Long time no see."
"Ginrou-san..."
Ginrou was a veteran player, and Sinon had fought alongside him a few times in the past. He had a habit of indiscriminately asking any female player he saw to meet up in real life, making him someone Sinon found difficult to deal with.
"By the way, Sinon-chan, after the hunt today, how about just the two of us go somewhere..."
Here we go, Sinon thought. She prepared to turn him down flatly as usual, but just as she opened her mouth, Shana interjected from beside her.
"Hey. What do you think it feels like to be sliced in two with a dagger?"
"Huh? Don't interrupt when I'm— Ah... Shana-san..."
It seemed Ginrou hadn't noticed Shana's presence. The moment he realized who it was, his face drained of color, and he stumbled backward.
"There won't be a second time. And just so we're clear—I count it as a strike even if I'm not around."
"Y-Y-Yes! My apologies!"
With that, Ginrou fled toward his other teammates, only to be forced into a kneeling position and lectured by Dyne and the others.
"Ginrou, are you an idiot? Saying that to Sinon right now... are you trying to sign your own death warrant?"
"If Shana and Sinon had gone home because of that, how were you planning to take responsibility?!"
"Forget that—what if you got us designated as Shana's enemies?! What then?!"
"Die! Just die right now!"
"Ah... uh... sorry."
Watching the scene from afar, Sinon glanced sideways at Shana. He was feigning ignorance, eyes closed with his arms crossed behind his head. Sinon giggled and gently leaned against him.
"Thanks."
"Yeah. He won't bother you again. Now get off."
"No way."
"Look, seems your friend is here. Seriously, get off me."
"Friend?"
Sinon looked around the tavern and spotted Spiegel standing at the entrance, looking around anxiously, likely searching for her. She stood up and waved.
"Spiegel! Over here!"
"Sinon!"
Spiegel rushed over to her, coming right up close, but the moment he noticed Shana, he froze.
"Eh... Shana... san?"
"Yep. I asked Shana to come today, so you don't have to worry about the combat side of things."
"Ah... r-right..."
Spiegel spoke with a dejected voice.
"What's wrong?"
When Sinon asked, Spiegel hurriedly tightened his expression.
"Nothing at all, Sinon. I'm Spiegel. It's a pleasure to meet you, Shana-san."
"Sorry for crashing the party. Nice to meet you, Spiegel."
It seemed all the members had assembled, as Dyne walked over to them.
"I want Shana, Sinon, and Spiegel to form a team. We'll start with sniping from you two. Spiegel, you're on guard duty for the snipers. After the initial engagement, Sinon continues sniping, while Shana and Spiegel will move to join us depending on the situation."
"Eh..."
"What is it, Spiegel? Something wrong?"
"N-No... Understood, Dyne-san."
And so, the three of them formed a team, and the group finally departed for the battlefield.
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