Standing in front of the apartment door, Haruto was considering whether it would be wiser to sneak in more carefully, when—
"Um, excuse me… who are you?"
From the side came a timid voice, carrying a hint of fear.
Haruto turned his head, and saw—a girl in a JK uniform, with black hair and black eyes, thick glasses covering her face, staring at him with a mix of wariness, doubt, and hesitation.
His first impression was—she looked familiar.
"Excuse me, are you Shinkawa's friend? I'm his high school classmate. He hasn't been to school for three days now. I heard he's on sick leave, so I came to visit. And also, to deliver the notes he's missed over the past three days."
Haruto's lies came as smoothly as breathing, his eyes filled with nothing but sincerity, the level of skill not unlike that of Hoshino Ai herself.
Hearing his explanation, the girl, as expected, relaxed more than half her wariness.
"I see, you're Shinkawa's friend. Thank you for visiting him, really. Shinkawa seems to have suffered some kind of neurological trauma, and he's been unconscious since. And right now, he's living alone—government volunteers are taking turns looking after him. Sudden visitors… might not be welcomed, so let me explain for you."
She explained softly, then stepped forward.
Clearly, she was the kind of girl who, despite her caution, had a genuinely kind heart.
She knocked on the apartment door.
Soon, a caretaker opened it.
The caretaker's pay came directly from the family's bank account; the volunteers only checked in occasionally.
After all, no government could expect volunteers to tend to a comatose patient 24/7.
The girl spoke with the caretaker, and after a brief explanation, the caretaker nodded, stepping aside to let them in.
The apartment wasn't large, and the caretaker, nearly off-duty, didn't bother guiding them inside.She simply left, waiting for the next shift to arrive.
"My name is Asada Shino," the girl finally remembered to introduce herself.
Haruto blinked, then smiled faintly.
"I'm Haruto. Pleased to meet you."
So it was Shino—that explained why she'd seemed so familiar.
And that guy lying inside… the name was familiar too.
Shinkawa Kyouji—the very same villain.
As they talked, they entered the back room.
There lay Shinkawa, hooked to monitors, unconscious on the bed.
Haruto placed his hand on Shinkawa's forehead, letting the Blacklight Virus seep in.
The scan came back… strange.
No illnesses.
No neurological damage.
Even his bioelectric signals were perfectly normal.
The Blacklight's inspection was down to the cellular level, finer than any medical device. So if his body was fine, why was he comatose, like a vegetable?
Haruto's thoughts drifted toward cognition.
Maybe it was memetic, or even antimemetic contamination. Especially the latter, which lined up disturbingly well with the anomalies rumored in GGO.
Haruto's eyes glowed with rainbow hues.
With Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he saw Kyouji's lines of death—and they were fractured at the level of recognition itself.
It was indeed a cognitive issue.
Maybe if he erased those broken fragments with the Mystic Eyes, things might improve. After all, the Foundation's previous attempt with a Class-B memory wipe hadn't worked.
As he pondered, Asada Shino suddenly spoke up:
"Um, excuse me, but… where are the notes you said you were carrying? And also, isn't today a school day? If I remember right, Shinkawa's school requires uniforms on weekdays…"
Haruto dispelled his Mystic Eyes and turned.
By then, Shino had already taken a few steps back toward the door.
She had realized—he was lying.
Seeing her wariness, Haruto smirked.
"Shino, sometimes being too clever isn't always a good thing."
He stepped toward her, hand moving behind his back as if reaching for something.
Shino's face instantly went pale.
She spun around, trying to flee, but Haruto stepped in and slammed the door shut, his posture towering over her—like a wall slam.
Her body trembled, yet unlike an ordinary girl, she didn't squeeze her eyes shut. Her gaze darted frantically, searching for anything she could use as a weapon.
And then, Haruto slowly drew something from behind him.
"Ahh—! Ah… ah?"
Shino's scream of terror broke halfway, replaced with confusion.
What he held wasn't a knife, nor a gun.
It was… a badge.
On its cover gleamed a very familiar police emblem.
Her expression twisted into sheer bewilderment.
Haruto couldn't help but laugh softly.
Ah, the joy of teasing a girl— that never got old.
"My name's Takamine Haruto. To reintroduce myself properly—I'm a Superintendent in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I'm here investigating Shinkawa Kyouji's situation in secret. I apologize for the misunderstanding."
It was the same identity cover he'd used before.
Ever since Inspector Megure had been promoted, Haruto's own honorary police position in Japan had been bumped up as well.
Superintendent wasn't the top of the hierarchy, but in Japan's nine official ranks, it was already sixth—a high enough position to hold real authority and perfect for fooling people.
After all, any higher—Superintendent General, Chief Superintendent, Commissioner General—and he'd be too famous, constantly appearing on TV and in newspapers.
Shino studied the badge closely, checking every detail, comparing the photo with Haruto's face.
Finally, she sighed in relief.
It was real.
Still, her expression twisted again.
What kind of Superintendent does something like that?!
Clearly, he had deliberately scared her.
Even if he'd been forced to reveal himself, there was no reason to phrase it like some criminal's threat.
"Mr. Haruto, next time, please don't say things that make you sound like a felon!"
Shino snapped angrily.
"My surname isn't Haruto—it's just Haru. Japan pronounces it differently, that's all."Haruto replied calmly, correcting her.
Shino's lips twitched.
That's what you're focusing on?!
"Anyway, could you—uh… get off?"
She suddenly realized—he still had her cornered in a wall slam.
Haruto chuckled, pocketed his badge, and walked over to Kyouji's bed.
Shino, still fuming, stayed where she was.
"Then, Superintendent Haruto, may I ask… what's wrong with Shinkawa?"
Haruto shrugged.
"Didn't I just say? I only just arrived. Still investigating."
And with that, he began rummaging through the room. He quickly pulled out Kyouji's laptop and the full-dive equipment.
Watching him, Shino's lips pressed tight.
This guy really didn't look like a cop.
"Excuse me, Superintendent… do you even have a search warrant?" Normally, even a Superintendent couldn't just ransack a house.
"Take a guess."
Haruto didn't even look back, already booting up the laptop and examining the gear.
"I'm remembering your badge number. I'm going to file a complaint with the police department!"
Shino threatened angrily.
Too bad.
Haruto wasn't some honest detective from a drama.
He didn't care.
The laptop powered on, prompting for a password.
Shino actually had some idea of what Kyouji's password might be, but she wasn't about to tell Haruto.
In fact, she was secretly looking forward to him asking her for help—just so she could turn him down.
She wasn't normally one for petty revenge, but this guy had really gotten under her skin.
Yet, before she could enjoy that moment—
Haruto casually tapped a few keys, and the laptop flickered white, then unlocked itself.
Shino: ???