After logging out, Shino found herself lightly dusted with sweat—a lingering effect of the adrenaline from the war. She headed straight for the bath. After a long soak, she emerged feeling refreshed and relaxed, only to be greeted by Hachiman-kun's mechanical voice.
"Hey, Shino. You've got mail from Konekoya."
Shino bit her lip, trying desperately to stifle a laugh. "You call her 'Konekoya,' too?"
"I get version updates every now and then," the toy replied.
"Oh? When was the last one?"
"Usually while you're asleep, drooling all over your pillow."
Shino's face flushed a brilliant red. "I do not drool in my sleep!"
Hachiman-kun shrugged his tiny shoulders with a theatrical sigh. "Good grief. The only reason you think that is because I'm here to wipe it off for you every single morning."
"Wait... what?!" Shino froze, then lunged toward him. "Are... are you serious?!"
"Don't you trust me?"
"I mean, I do, but..."
"Fine. Consider this a special privilege."
Hachiman-kun folded back the fingers on his left hand, pulled out a small cable, and plugged it into the TV—a device Shino almost never used.
"What are you doing?!"
"I told you, it's a special privilege."
Hachiman-kun grabbed the remote, toggled the input, and hit play. On the screen, Shino saw herself—mouth slightly agape, sleeping like a messy child with a distinct trail of drool. The footage was shot in a first-person perspective, showing a small hand carefully wiping her face.
"Eeeeeeeeh?!"
"Think of it like a dashcam," Hachiman-kun explained. "It's stored as evidence in case of an emergency. Normally, I'm not supposed to show this to anyone, though."
Shino slumped, her shoulders dropping in utter defeat. "Th-thank you... Hachiman-kun."
"You're very welcome."
He continued without skipping a beat. "Anyway, we got off track. Aren't you going to check that email from Konekoya?"
"Right!"
Shino pulled up the message from Rose. It mentioned that today's combat video had been uploaded, but as she scrolled down, she saw a postscript.
I've just uploaded today's battle footage to the Soleil site. Enjoy!
— From Konekoya-nyat!
WAIT! NO! Hachiman ordered me to write that! He said if I deleted it, he'd 'punish' me! This was absolutely, 100% NOT my idea!
Shino burst out laughing. "Ahaha! Ahahaha! Oh, that's perfect!"
"What? Something funny?"
"I... I can't breathe... Hachiman-kun, look at this."
The AI scanned the text and gave a cynical whistle. "Good grief. My original self certainly likes to play games. Well, let's see this video then."
The video opened with Shana's address.
"First, a teaser for tomorrow. We won't start moving until the evening. If the Heike Army wants to set up an ambush early, feel free, but make sure you bring something to kill the time. Now, enjoy today's show."
Suddenly, the screen filled with a close-up of Sinon.
"Whoa, that's close..." Shino whispered.
"Indeed. How was this filmed?" Hachiman-kun wondered.
"It's supposed to be the camera on the flag on top of Hachiman's head, but..."
"It doesn't look like a bird's-eye view."
"Wait, you're right."
The camera panned smoothly, focusing on the side mirror of an enemy jeep. A split second later, Shino's bullet shattered the glass.
"Incredible camera work," Hachiman-kun noted.
"Is that all editing?"
"No, I think the raw footage was just that good. My original self must have been moving with the camera angles in mind. He's a natural producer."
"When did he...? I didn't notice at all." Shino was floored.
"That just means you were that focused, Shino. And the results speak for themselves. That was a magnificent shot. You've clearly put in the work."
Shino puffed out her chest slightly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "You could stand to praise me a little more, you know."
"Don't push your luck."
Just then, Shino's phone emitted a delicate, music-box-style ringtone. Shino's expression instantly shifted from smug to nervous, yet undeniably happy.
"Let me guess," Hachiman-kun said. "A call from my original."
Shino jumped. "H-How did you know?!"
"It's written all over your face. Plus, you've clearly set a unique ringtone just for him. Answer it. Don't keep me waiting."
"Right." Shino gave up on the argument and pressed the button. "Hello? What's up? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing. I just figured you were getting a big head watching that video," Hachiman's voice crackled from the other end.
"Wh—How did you know that?!"
"Wait, really? I was just joking, but were you actually being smug?"
"Your 'jokes' are always impossible to read!" Shino snapped.
"Getting defensive now, are we?"
"Whatever! What do you want?"
"About that trip with the ABCs..."
Shino paused. "Wait. ABCs?"
"Eiko is A, Mii is B, and Shiina is C. Well, you have to stretch the reading for Mii, but you get it."
Shino snorted. "I see. So, what about them?"
"I was thinking of tomorrow. How does that look?"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"