Night.
After furiously pounding away at his keyboard, Sato finally leaned back and stretched with a big yawn, stepping over to the window to enjoy a bit of cool evening air.
He soon returned to his chair, satisfied, and looked proudly at the densely written text on his computer screen.
"Finally done."
He saved the document to his desktop, then messaged Eriri from his computer.
[To: Kashiwagi Eri-sensei]
Your script is complete.
A reply came quickly.
[Eriri]
Finally! You're so slow, Satoshi!
After waiting a bit and not seeing the file come through, Eriri sent over a string of dramatic question marks:
[???]
So? Where's the script?!
Sato chuckled and began typing again.
[Don't be in such a rush. What about that thing I mentioned before, have you given it any thought, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei?]
[???]
[?????]
[…]
YOU DARE THREATEN THIS LADY?!
[Me? Never! I wouldn't dare threaten the great Kashiwagi Eiri-sama.]
[Hmph!]
Seeing that hmph made Sato smile. He could already picture her gritting her teeth and grinding her little canines on the other side of the screen.
If he were standing in front of her now, she'd probably be ready to pounce and bite him.
[So… have you thought about it?
Even just to give it a try?]
After a long silence, Sato finally saw her reply:
[Fine. Let's set a time for the weekend.]
[I'm free anytime, and I don't know the area well, so you pick the place, Eiri-sensei.]
[Saturday afternoon at 2. Meru Café in Hanamachi. I'm going there for research anyway.]
[Sounds good.]
After wrapping up the conversation, Sato sent her the script file. In return, he received an angry, puffed-up emoji.
He smiled, then moved to shut down his computer.
Ding!
You have a new email.
"Huh?"
What now?
Curious, Sato opened the email. What unfolded before him was a sleek, black-themed message that looked unusually high-end.
"Congratulations! You've been selected as a beta tester for Sword Art Online.
SAO is an unreleased, fully immersive virtual reality MMORPG. The game device will be shipped to your address within seven business days. Please be ready to receive it."
"Your account and initial password are as follows…"
"Immersive virtual MMORPG?"
Sato raised an eyebrow, his voice filled with skepticism.
He knew full well what that meant. These kinds of stories were common in light novels these days.
But in reality, such technology was still way ahead of its time.
"So... the latest scam attempt?"
He frowned at the email. It was sent by something called the Sword Art Online Production Committee, but there was no other useful information.
Oddly enough, there was no request for money. No account numbers or shady links. Instead, it claimed they'd send him the device.
"Could this be one of those shady business tactics? Like sending COD packages people feel pressured to accept, and then can't return?"
Sato stroked his chin, lost in thought.
He tried searching online for any information about Sword Art Online, but as expected, nothing came up, not a single result.
That only made him more suspicious.
"Are scammers getting this elaborate now?"
He muttered under his breath and promptly deleted the email.
Saturday afternoon.
Hanamachi - Chiba's own version of Akihabara. Posters for games, anime, and light novels covered every wall. Girls in maid uniforms handed out flyers on every corner.
Following Eriri's directions, Sato arrived at Meru Maid Café.
"Welcome home, Master!"
At the door, a cute maid with glasses greeted him with enthusiasm.
Youthful, pretty, and most of all—energetic. No wonder maid cafés were so popular.
Coming in here really did feel like coming home. Sato was instantly charmed.
The maid's enthusiasm only grew as she noticed him. She stared wide-eyed, not blinking.
"Master, are you alone?"
"I have a reservation."
Sato glanced around the café and replied politely.
"Well, if you need anything, just call me anytime."
The maid looked a bit reluctant to leave. It wasn't every day someone like him walked through the door.
Nodding, Sato headed to a corner of the café.
"Wah!"
Hidden away in that corner, Eriri jumped in surprise. When she saw it was Sato, she let out a breath of relief.
"How did you recognize me?!"
She sounded annoyed.
At the moment, she was wearing large sunglasses, her signature twin tails tied into a ponytail behind her head, and a slightly oversized baseball cap.
Appearance-wise, it was a complete 180 from her usual self.
Given that she was a glamorous public figure but also a hardcore otaku and an R-18 doujinshi artist, she absolutely hated being recognized like this.
It was a bit self-deceptive, but still.
Sato sat across from her, thinking a moment before answering, "Well… no matter how much you try to hide, I can always spot the real Kashiwagi Eri-sensei."
"Is… is that so? Hmph!"
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she gave her usual tsundere huff.
Kashiwagi Eri-sensei really was adorable.
Sato couldn't help but smile. For someone so shy, she sure was a little tsundere firecracker.
Then, noticing where she'd been looking earlier, he glanced toward the back of the café and asked curiously, "Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, what were you looking at just now?"
"I told you not to call me that!"
The petite, deadly doujin artist glared at him, flustered and fuming.
That was one identity she absolutely, positively had to keep secret!