On the way to their destination, Yamikaze suddenly spoke up while observing the Humvee's interior.
"By the way, this Humvee is definitely not standard. Where can you even rent a rig like this?"
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," Tarako added. "What's the deal, Shana?"
"It isn't a rental. It's my personal vehicle."
"Wait, you can actually buy these?"
"Yeah. Having a set of wheels is convenient, though they're incredibly expensive."
"Time is money, as they say," Yamikaze mused. "Cutting down travel time has always been the biggest hurdle in GGO..."
"Renting is fine for most people," Shana said, "but owning one allows for customization. Ikoma's put a lot of work into this one."
Ikoma puffed out his chest and began a proud technical briefing.
"The armor plating has been reinforced to the limit; it'll deflect almost any standard small arms fire. I've also installed a retractable minigun in the rear. It deploys with one switch, and you can man it through the hatch right above you. It's basically a rolling fortress."
"No way... that's insane."
"There's also a multipurpose launcher in the front. It can fire grappling wires or grenades. It ignores a few laws of physics, but hey, that's the perk of a game world. Oh, and it's amphibious. In reality, this thing would definitely sink, but with a few extra units I slapped on, the game engine considers it watertight."
"I had no idea you could push the crafting system that far," Tarako said, genuinely impressed.
"Most people only level their crafting high enough to maintain their own guns," Ikoma noted. "Finding someone who treats 'making things' as their primary gameplay is pretty rare."
Tarako and Yamikaze nodded in agreement.
"I might have to look into training some craftsmen for my squadron," Tarako muttered.
"The perks of being a big-shot leader," Yamikaze sighed. "My group is too small for that kind of luxury."
"Technically, we aren't even a squadron," Shana reminded them.
"It all comes down to motivation and getting the right materials!" Ikoma added cheerfully.
Following Tarako's directions, they soon saw a cluster of dilapidated ruins looming in the distance.
"There it is, Shana. That's the place."
"Which side?"
"To the right from here."
"Got it. I'll swing wide to the left to keep us out of their line of sight."
Shana found a parking spot in the shadow of a neighboring building that offered a perfect blind spot. He killed the engine.
"Alright, we're going in to scout. Ikoma, stay with the car and keep an eye on the scanners."
"Understood!"
"If things get hairy, just run. Don't wait for us. You can drive this thing if you have to."
"I've been practicing a bit lately," Ikoma admitted. "I can at least get it moving."
"Good. Use your best judgment."
Shana, Tarako, and Yamikaze moved stealthily toward the target building.
"That's the one," Tarako whispered, pointing.
"Okay. Tarako, you're with me. Yamikaze, circle the perimeter and see if there are any back exits."
"You got it. Recon is my specialty."
Yamikaze vanished into the shadows. Shana and Tarako crept closer to the main entrance.
"Only two guards?" Shana noted.
"Seems standard, but it feels fishy," Tarako whispered. "If they're actually planning to take you on, you'd think they'd have more eyes on the door."
"They're likely luring us into a trap inside."
Yamikaze reappeared a moment later. "Perimeter is clear. This is the only way in or out."
"So we're walking into a cage," Shana said flatly. "Rosalia is likely being held on the top floor."
"The top floor... hey, Shana," Tarako suggested. "There are several buildings of equal height nearby. Why don't we split up and try to get a visual on the interior from the adjacent rooftops?"
"Good idea. Let's do it."
Shana headed West, Tarako North, and Yamikaze East. The building's only entrance faced South.
A short while earlier, Rosalia was being transported in a vehicle. Blindfolded, bound, and gagged, she did the only thing she could: she thought.
(I screwed up. I got complacent... from now on, I'm carrying flashbangs at all times. Or maybe I should ask Ikoma to make me a Radiant Blade, even if I'm not great with swords. Those guys who jumped me... I definitely recognized them. They were from Tarako's squadron. There's no way Tarako-san ordered this, so it must be a splinter group acting on their own.)
Voices drifted into her hearing.
"Hey, is Shana really going to come for her? I heard a rumor that she's just being forced to follow him against her will. If that's the case, why would he bother? He'd just let her go, right?"
(Against my will?! Are you kidding me?! Losing to these idiots is going to haunt me for the rest of my life.)
"Nah, he'll come," another voice replied. "Guys like him are obsessed with their reputation. He won't come because he cares about her; he'll come because he doesn't want to look weak."
(That's just your own twisted logic! You don't know him at all! Shana doesn't care about his reputation—he'll come for ME. He'll come because that's who he is. But... I don't want him to walk into a trap for my sake. He'll be so sad if I die, but maybe I should just bite my tongue and force a respawn before he gets here... He's definitely coming. I know it.)
In GGO, taking a hostage was usually a pointless endeavor because a player could simply commit suicide to escape. This was why they had gagged her—to prevent her from biting her own tongue. In this world, life was cheap compared to the permanence of SAO. But for Rosalia, it was a fundamental truth that Shana would come.
The car stopped, and she felt herself being hoisted over someone's shoulder again.
(Ugh... the wonderful memory of Hachiman carrying me is being overwritten by these morons over and over again...)
She felt like crying. She heard the sound of boots on concrete stairs. Finally, she was dropped onto a hard floor.
"Alright, we'll stay here and watch her."
It seemed the men who had carried her were now her jailers. Then, she heard a different set of footsteps approaching.
"Is there a problem?"
"..."
"Wait, are you serious?"
"..."
"I mean, yeah, but still..."
"..."
"Fine. I get it."
(What are they saying? Their voices are too low...)
Suddenly, Rosalia felt a sharp, violent impact near her Achilles tendons.
(My legs... I can't move my feet. Did they just cut my tendons? Talk about thorough...)
Next, a similar sensation struck her wrists.
(Now my hands too... what is wrong with these people? Do they have a torture fetish? It doesn't hurt, but being unable to move is incredibly stressful.)
Finally, someone gripped her hair, tilting her head back. She felt a cold edge draw across her eyes.
(Wha—?! Did they just blind me?! Who goes that far in a game?!)
Her blindfold was replaced with a fresh one, and she heard the man walk away.
(I'm stuck. I can't even bite my tongue now. Shana... please, I know you're coming, but please... just wait. Let me bleed out and respawn before you get here...)
But the "Bleed" damage was minimal. It would take a long time for her HP to hit zero. She closed her eyes—not that it mattered now—and prayed that he would stay away.
"Is that her, Joe? Is it that same Rosalia?"
"Hard to tell. Avatars look so different these days."
"Well, the name is common enough."
"Whatever. I've cut her tendons and blinded her. When he sees her like this, he's going to lose his mind."
"He was already a freak. Just a different kind than us."
"Hah! Too true."
"Let's head back to the city before we get caught in the blast radius."
"Yeah."
"Shana! I've got eyes on her!" Tarako's voice crackled over the comms. "She's on the top floor of the North side! She's hurt—I can see the blood even from here. Dammit... those bastards... kicked out of the squadron isn't enough. I'm going to personally delete them."
"You'll get your chance," Shana said. His voice was terrifyingly calm. "I've heard enough. Let's head back to the Humvee."
"Copy that. I'll notify Yamikaze."
"Thanks."
As he moved back toward the vehicle, Shana's mind flashed back to his recent drive with Rosalia in the real world. Her voice echoed in his memory.
'Thanks for walking me this far. I can take it from here...'
(You always try to keep your distance, don't you?)
'N-no! Not mad at all! No problems whatsoever!'
(And yet, whenever I actually do something for you, you get so flustered trying to hold onto the moment.)
'Just sit here! And... and don't look around too much, okay?!'
(Acting tough, but embarrassed by the smallest things.)
'Wait... why are you still wearing that tiny skirt?' 'Because I hurt my ankle, it's actually easier this way!'
(Thinking you were being subtle with your obvious little appeals.)
'Wow... this is really good.'
(I finally got to see that gentle smile of yours.)
'Um... the kitchen was a mess, wasn't it? Th-thank you...'
(You were probably just being lazy, but it's true that I've been piling work on you lately.)
'So, you took it off. This is the first time I've seen the real you.' 'Y-yeah. What... what do you think?'
(Trembling while you asked me that... You really need to have more confidence in yourself.)
'Can we take a photo together? To commemorate it?'
(I would have taken a thousand photos with you if you'd just asked normally.)
'Yeah. Thanks for everything. Bye.'
(You said 'See you later.' But I failed to protect you.)
'Shana...'
For a split second, Shana thought he actually heard her voice calling him.
"...You've changed so much," he whispered to the empty air. "I can't even imagine my life without you anymore. You're the best subordinate—the best partner—I could ever ask for. And I know you... even now, you're probably thinking: 'I'm fine, don't come for me.' But you're wrong."
Shana reached out a hand toward the building and slowly, violently, clenched it into a fist.
"Wait for me, Kitten. I'm bringing you back with my own two hands."
-------------------------------
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