Yui and Kizmel spent the afternoon reminiscing about the "old" Hachiman.
"Back then, Papa was..."
"I had no idea," Kizmel replied, her eyes wide. "When I first met him, he was already..."
"Exactly!" Yui chirped.
Their conversation was interrupted as Hachiman burst into the room. His expression carried a
weight they hadn't seen in a long time—a look of grim, singular determination.
"Papa? Is something wrong?"
"Hachiman, what has happened to put that look on your face?"
"Sorry, you two. There's someone I have to go pick up," Hachiman said breathlessly. "I'm
temporarily converting this character to GGO. I need you both to look after my gear and credits
while I'm gone."
Without waiting for an answer, Hachiman began dumping items from his storage. A mountain of
legendary loot and astronomical sums of gold piled up on the floor.
"P-Papa! You can't just leave rare items lying around like that!"
"Haha, it's fine, Yui," Kizmel laughed, already moving to gather the hoard. "We'll keep everything
safe. Just go."
"Thanks. If anyone asks where I am, make up some excuse."
"You got it, Papa!"
"Take care, Hachiman."
As Hachiman's form dissolved into the light of the conversion process, the two girls shared a look.
"Did you see his face, Yui?"
"Yeah! He looked just like he used to—desperate to save someone!"
"It's nostalgic, isn't it?"
"It really is!"
A few minutes later, in the gritty, metallic streets of GGO...
Hachiman strode through the city center with Musketeer X held firmly in a princess carry. He made
no effort to hide; he simply marched toward Mount Kurama. Such a blatant display of affection—or
perhaps abduction—naturally drew the eyes of every player they passed.
"Well, well. Look at this guy, showing off in the middle of the street."
"Tch. Some of us are actually stressed out here, and we have to look at this?"
"Wait... is that Musketeer X? I've never heard a single rumor about her. Since when did the 'White
Valkyrie' have a boyfriend?"
Three players stepped out to block Hachiman's path. It was the "fallen" stars of the Heike Army:
Lion King Richie, Stinger, and Pale Rider.
Recognizing the dangerous trio, Musketeer X's heart sank. She instinctively tightened her grip
around Hachiman's neck, burying her face in his shoulder.
"Man, I'm jealous," Richie sighed dramatically. "Here I am, a lonely bachelor, while you're parading
her around."
"How long do you plan on showing off?" Stinger growled.
"One day... I'll do this with Misaki-san..." Pale Rider muttered to himself.
A crowd of onlookers began to swell, sensing a confrontation.
"Hey, isn't that the Heike Army's loser brigade?"
"They got wiped out by Shana and now they're acting like tough guys in the safe zone?"
"I feel bad for the guy they're harassing. But wait—is that really Musketeer X?"
"No way! The ice queen finally found a man?"
"I was a fan of hers... Damn that guy! I hope they kick his ass!"
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