Unfortunately, they hadn't gained much useful information, but Hachiman was satisfied just having been able to hear XeXeed's side of the story. He made to head home.
At that exact moment, Hachiman sensed a suspicious presence and spun around in a hurry.
(What the...?)
However, there was no one behind him—just a lone monitor set up in the room. Hachiman stood guard, carefully observing the area for a moment, but it was completely deserted.
He turned on his heel to leave once more, but right then, an indescribable pressure weighed on him. He whipped back around again.
(Again...? Where on earth...)
Unable to endure the tension any longer, Hachiman called out toward the monitor.
"...Is someone there?"
"We've been right in front of your eyes this whole time, you know?"
"That's right, that's right! How could you ignore us and try to sneak off without saying a word?!"
From that distinct tone of voice, Hachiman immediately realized what the presence was.
Seeing that Hachiman had finally noticed them, the two of them frantically began preparing something. Right before the screen cut out, Hachiman caught a fleeting glimpse of Ai and Yuu appearing to take off their clothes, causing him to let out a heavy sigh.
Noticing Rinko watching him with a smirk, Hachiman silently lay down on the bed and addressed her.
"...I kind of forgot to play babysitter."
"Indeed. In a way, you really are those two's guardian, aren't you?"
"...Yeah."
Hachiman logged into their house, and in that instant, a cloudless blue sky, a white sand beach, and a vast ocean filled his field of vision.
On the beach, a beach umbrella and lounge chairs had been thoughtfully set up. Seeing the two of them lounging there in swimsuits, Hachiman muttered in utter speechlessness.
"...What is this?"
"Daru-kun made it for us."
"...So it was his doing."
"Here, take this."
"A swimsuit..."
Hachiman stashed the swimsuit in his inventory and swapped into it instantly with a single button press. Seeing this, Ai stared at him in utter shock.
"Hey! Isn't this the part where you're supposed to act like a man and strip completely naked right in front of us to change?!"
"That's way too much hassle."
"Tch..."
Ai clicked her tongue, then cleared her throat to regain her composure, offering a bright, beaming smile.
"By the way, Papa."
"Papa...? Ah, don't tell me you overheard me talking about babysitting?"
"We can turn off the video feed and leave just the audio on, you know. Keep that in mind, Papa."
"I am not your papa!"
Hachiman protested loudly as she repeatedly called him Papa.
"Besides, when you say 'Papa,' you're definitely using it in a sugar daddy way, aren't you?"
"Are you stupid, Hachiman? Given the age gap between us, calling you Papa goes without saying. Do I really have to spell it out?"
"Yeah, yeah, I was the idiot for asking."
Ai then proceeded to slip the shoulder straps of her swimsuit down as she spoke.
"Anyway, Papa, to check on my growth, try saying: 'Heheh, let's strip Ai-chan to see just how much she's grown!'"
"I'm not that kind of pervert. Also, put your shoulder straps back up."
"Could it be that you prefer the roleplay where you rub suntan lotion on me and 'accidentally' let your hands slip to the front?"
"Aaaand alright, Yuu, let's leave Ai alone and go for a swim. We'll race!"
"Eh? Ah, okay!"
Yuu looked slightly concerned for Ai, but receiving a quick nod from her, she immediately took off running after Hachiman.
Ai pondered what to try next, and once she hatched a plan, she began swimming toward the rock the two were using as their finish line.
"Goal!"
"Man, I give up. You're fast, Yuu."
"Ehehe, head high!"
It turned out Yuu was an exceptionally strong swimmer; Hachiman hadn't managed to beat her even once.
"Yuu was always a great swimmer when she was little, after all."
Ai called out to them from behind the shadow of the rock where she had been waiting.
"So that's where you were, Ai. Did you want to join the race too?"
"Unfortunately, no. Yuu, you remember what we discussed when this stage was implemented, right?"
"Ah, yeah!"
"Initiating Operation Moses. Prepare immediately!"
"Ah! Understood!"
"...What?"
The two opened their system windows and executed a few commands. Suddenly, they adopted gestures as if trying to hide their chests as they addressed Hachiman.
Since the water here was shallow enough to touch the bottom, there was no danger of sinking.
"Eek! My swimsuit got washed away! Hachiman, help me look for it!"
"Help us!"
"What kind of cliché trope is..."
Hachiman let out a sigh, wondering what on earth "Moses" was supposed to mean, but in that split second, a sudden realization struck him.
"Hey, don't tell me..."
"Heh."
It seemed his realization came a moment too late. Ai scoffed amusedly at him, and in that very instant, the sea abruptly parted, exposing the two girls who were completely bare from the waist up.
"I knew it!"
"Too late! Now, Yuu!"
"Yeah!"
The moment the two reached out to spread their arms wide, Hachiman spun on his heel and bolted like a fleeing rabbit.
"Ah..."
"Tch."
"Hahaha! Still too naive! If you'd pulled that where I couldn't reach the bottom, I might've lost my balance and been unable to move right away, but as long as I can stand, running away is child's play!"
Hachiman turned around on the beach with his eyes squeezed shut, laughing triumphantly.
In that very moment, Ai's voice whispered directly into his ear.
"Trying to outsmart me is a million years too early."
"What?!"
The next moment, four soft pressures were firmly pressed against Hachiman's back, causing him to freeze solid.
"How on earth did you..."
"This place is a VR space inside a VR space. So if we erase that sub-space, we naturally return to our original location—yes, right here in the yard of this house. In reality, Hachiman, you hadn't moved a single step from where you logged in. And we were waiting right at that exact spot, too. Closing your eyes was your fatal mistake."
"Going through all that trouble..."
"Ai is really good at coming up with things like this!"
"Dammit, I got sexual harassment-ed again..."
As Hachiman slouched in defeat, the two suddenly stepped away, completely clothed once more, and circled around to face him.
"So? Feeling a bit better?"
"Hachiman, did you cheer up even a little bit?"
Opening his eyes to hear those words, Hachiman looked at their faces in surprise.
"Y-You two, how did you..."
"I mean, right after an unconscious patient was brought in, you showed up with such a gloomy look on your face. Of course we'd figure something happened."
"When you came out, you had a somewhat satisfied expression, but no matter how you looked at it, your movements screamed 'I'm exhausted.'"
"So we wanted to cheer you up. How did we do?"
"...Looks like I ended up making you worry. Sorry about that, you two."
Hachiman scratched his head as he addressed them.
"Don't worry about it! We're your mistresses, after all!"
"Yeah! You give us so much love all the time, so we have to properly repay you at times like this!"
"Don't go talking like it's an established fact!"
Even as he protested, a faint smile had crept onto Hachiman's face before he realized it.
"Great! Looks like you've cheered up a bit!"
"Let's head inside the house for now. I'll pour us some tea."
"Right. Guess I'll take a short break, then."
The three went inside the house and chatted amiably over tea.
"So, what kind of case are you dealing with right now?"
"Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you two. What I'm involved in right now is..."
Hachiman proceeded to explain what was happening in GGO, showing them video clips as he broke it down.
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