"Nice to meet you! I'm Yui, Papa and Mama's daughter!"
"And I am Kizmel. I am an old comrade in arms to them both, though I suppose I am also treated somewhat like Hachiman's wife."
"Wh—Daughter?! Wife?!"
"These two are NPCs equipped with highly advanced AI, Sinon."
"Though, truthfully, none of us think of them as mere NPCs. They are our legitimate comrades."
"No way... They don't look like that at all."
"It is true. Look."
The two nodded to each other and shifted into their pixie forms. Seeing this, Sinon finally accepted that they were indeed NPCs. Yui fluttered down to sit on Sinon's shoulder, while Kizmel took her place on Hachiman's.
"ALO is amazing..."
Sinon murmured, gently playing with Yui using the tip of her finger.
"Well, these two are unique. Other guilds have House Maid NPCs, but autonomous types like them don't exist anywhere else."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Actually..."
Hachiman proceeded to explain the origins of the two AIs to Sinon.
"I had no idea..."
"Yeah. That's why, even if no one else is around, these two will always be here to welcome you home."
"I see... That makes me really happy."
"Sinon-san, we will be waiting for you right here."
"If there is anything you do not understand, ask us anything."
"Thank you, both of you."
Sinon smiled at them, though her expression turned slightly wistful as she spoke.
"But... for me to officially be in your care, it'll have to wait until I win the BoB—a tournament held occasionally in GGO."
"Ah, that is the game Papa plays secretly without telling anyone else!"
"Secretly... right. Yui, the other guys haven't found out yet, have they?"
"Yes, I believe it is still safe."
"Good. Let's keep it that way for now."
After Hachiman's confirmation, Yui turned back to Sinon.
"Then, allow me to rephrase. We will be waiting for you here, no matter how long it takes, Sinon-san."
"Indeed. We will always be waiting, Sinon."
"Y-Yeah. I'll definitely come back here, so please wait for me, Yui-chan, Kizmel."
Hearing their words, Sinon beamed with genuine joy.
"By the way, Shinonon, are you going to focus on long-range attacks here as well?"
"I suppose so... honestly, I'm not confident in my swordsmanship, so that seems best."
"In that case, Hachiman-kun, why not give her that? No one is using it, after all."
"True. Let's do that."
Hachiman led Sinon to the armory, picked up a bow featuring a luxurious, intricate design, and handed it to her.
"How's the grip?"
"It's my first time holding a bow, but it doesn't feel strange."
"Good. Alright, let's head to the arena outside."
Once in the arena, Hachiman began explaining the weapon's mechanics.
"This is the Arrowless Bow, a magic weapon. The arrows are generated infinitely by your own mana. Because of that, the raw power is slightly lower than firing a physical arrow, but in exchange, it can fire arrows with special functions."
Hachiman muttered a spell and drew the string. Three arrows materialized simultaneously, which he then loosed.
"Like this. You can multiply the arrows to three."
"I see."
Next, Hachiman had Asuna stand before him. He chanted a spell again and fired at her. The arrow struck Asuna's arm and instantly transformed into a rope-like tether. When Hachiman pulled back on the bow, which was still connected to the tether, Asuna's arm was yanked forward.
"You can attach it to an opponent's body like this to throw them off balance."
Finally, Hachiman chanted a different spell and drew the bow. A bolt of light appeared before him, growing larger and larger until he released the massive projectile.
"The power doesn't exactly scale with size; it's mostly for increasing hit probability. But if even a part of it touches, the enemy takes the full damage."
"That's an interesting weapon. Do the size and power depend on the mana used?"
"From what I've tested, yeah, seems that way."
"I get it. It probably won't be endgame equipment, but it's fascinating. Can I try practicing a bit?"
"Sure, practice as much as you like."
As Sinon began the trial-and-error process of mastering the Arrowless Bow, a player walked in through the entrance and called out to the group watching her.
"Helloooo there! The cute Fukaziroh-chan has come to bravely challenge you again!"
"Ah, it's Fuka-chan!"
"Oh! Asuna-ane-go! Been a while!"
"Looks like you're working hard, Fuka. Seems your skills have improved quite a bit since last time."
"Ha-Hachiman-san! Yes! Fukaziroh-chan is working hard every day to serve by your side! Feel free to fall in love with my efforts anytime now! Actually, please do!"
"You really never change, do you?"
"Are you saying you love how consistent I am? I'm fine with being a mistress, just let me into the bottom of the hierarchy!"
"You really are loyal to your own desires, aren't you..."
Hachiman smiled wryly, and the others couldn't help but do the same. Yet, everyone found Fukaziroh's brightness endearing.
"Huh?"
Fukaziroh noticed Sinon practicing with the bow and raised her voice.
"Umm... who is that unfamiliar face?"
"Ah, that's Sinon. She joined us recently."
"W-W-W-What did you say?! A strong warrior who passed the entrance test ahead of me?!"
"No, unlike you, she didn't take an entrance test. Or rather, she didn't need to."
"What?! W-What exactly does that mean..."
"Well, it means she's an acquaintance in real life."
"Ahhh!"
Fukaziroh immediately started muttering to herself.
"The superiority of a real-life acquaintance... I'll skip school, head to Cohy's house first thing tomorrow morning, beg her to let me meet Hachiman-san somehow, and then forcibly establish a relationship... Yeah, with my charm, I feel like I can pull it off."
"I don't know who 'Cohy' is, but however you think about it, that's a no-go."
"It's impossible, isn't it...? Ah, by the way, Cohy is a friend of mine! She's a tall beauty, like a model, but she has a huge complex about it!"
"Hmm? That sounds like someone I ran into at university."
"Oh? Oh? W-Where exactly was that..."
"Let's see, if I recall..."
Hachiman named the university he had visited that afternoon and described the woman's features to Fukaziroh.
"T-That is undeniably my friend Cohy!"
"Is that so? It really is a small world. In that case, tell her from me that she worries too much. You can even tell her she's genuinely beautiful if you want."
"Hachiman-kun..."
"You really are..."
"Say those words to me! Forget Cohy, say them to me!"
Asuna and Yukino launched a verbal assault on Hachiman, while Fukaziroh shouted something slightly different in intent. It was business as usual.
"No, look, just paraphrase it appropriately and say I praised her. She really seemed to have a complex about her height, so my conscience hurt a little."
"Your conscience... right. Well, I suppose it can't be helped."
"Indeed. Helping people is this man's life's work, after all."
"I don't recall ever making that my life's work."
Hachiman turned back to face Fukaziroh.
"We got sidetracked. But you aren't the type to run away to the easy option, are you? You've got guts—you want to join because we acknowledged your actual skill."
"Ha-Hachiman-san... You really do understand me..."
Fukaziroh looked visibly moved by Hachiman's words.
"I don't know how you interpreted 'understand,' but I do properly evaluate your hard work. Honestly, I could let you join right now, but you wouldn't be satisfied with that, would you?"
"Eh...? I wouldn't mind that at all, though..."
"You wouldn't be satisfied with that, would you?"
"Ah, no, damn it! Fine, I'm desperate now! Yes, yes! I wouldn't be satisfied!"
"Naturally. Alright, I'll be your opponent for a change. Hey Sinon, player substitution."
"Is something wrong? Oh, who is..."
Sinon returned to the group, looking at Fukaziroh.
"This is Fukaziroh-san. She's currently taking the entrance test."
"Oh!"
"Hello, hello! I'm Fukaziroh! Wow... you are seriously cute, Miss... drool."
"Wha..."
"Those adorable cat ears... mind if I give them a squeeze?"
"Absolutely not. These cat ears belong to me!"
Yukino suddenly interjected from the side, marched up to Sinon, and happily began stroking her ears. As if to compete, Fukaziroh started fluffing the ears from the opposite side.
"You guys..."
"I-It can't be helped! These cat ears are seducing me!"
"Man, this is the best... so fluffy..."
"U-Um..."
"Oi, Fuka. Get over here, now."
"Ah, wait, hold on! More fluff! Give me more fluff!"
Fukaziroh was dragged away by Hachiman, leaving Yukino to monopolize Sinon's ears.
"Do other Cait Sith players always go through this?"
"No, everyone else is good at running away. I think they were just starved for cat ears..."
"I-Is that so... Well, it's not much different from having my head patted, so I guess it's fine..."
Sinon said this to Asuna, then looked curiously at Hachiman and Fukaziroh.
"Alright. Whenever you're ready. Come at me."
"Okaaay! Fukaziroh, launching!"
Hachiman held a dagger only in his right hand. Fukaziroh charged, weaving feints into her approach. Hachiman calmly saw through them, moving ahead of her strikes to deflect her weapon.
"Wha..."
"Your feints are too honest. Pay attention to the angle of your step and your gaze."
"Roger!"
After trading several blows, Hachiman countered, slicing Fukaziroh's arm clean off.
"Make sure you can use weapons with both hands. That way you can adapt if you lose an arm."
"Waaah! You're telling me that after chopping it off?!"
"Idiot, that's basic stuff. All our members can do it."
"Ugh, I'm trying!"
Saying that, Fukaziroh suddenly attacked with her remaining hand, trying to catch Hachiman off guard. But Hachiman easily deflected that strike as well.
"Oh? You were pretending it was useless? Not bad."
"You say that, but you still countered it easily! Hachiman-san, you demon!"
"Well, your body moved in a way that signaled an attack was possible."
"Normal people don't notice that stuff..."
Once her severed arm regenerated, Fukaziroh glared sharply at Hachiman, gave a war cry, and charged.
"Ooooooooooh!!!"
"Oh?"
Hachiman's eyes widened. He took an intercepting stance and severed the right arm holding her sword. In that instant, Fukaziroh grabbed her severed right arm—still clutching the sword—with her remaining left hand and swung it at Hachiman with all her might.
The next moment, a metallic clang rang out. A dagger, which Hachiman had drawn with his left hand at some unknown point, stopped the attack cold.
"Dammit! Didn't reach!"
Exhausted, Fukaziroh collapsed spread-eagle on the ground.
"Do whatever you want with me! But if possible, please make it erotic, not painful!"
Naturally ignoring her request, Hachiman walked over to Asuna and the others.
"Were you unable to deflect that last one? Or did you choose not to?"
"Couldn't deflect it. It was a good attack. Well? Is that enough?"
"I think so. Don't you think it's enough, Yukino?"
"I have no objections."
"Alright. Hey, Fukaziroh."
"Ye~s! Hurry up and finish me off! If it involves making babies, even better!"
"You passed."
"Huh?"
"I said, you passed."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Seriously seriously?"
"You're persistent. Maybe I should cancel..."
In a flash, Fukaziroh sprang up, tackled Hachiman in a violent hug, and burst into genuine tears.
"Waaaaah! Hachiman-san! I love yooou!"
"I don't love you at all, but... well, good for you, Fuka."
"I love that cold side of you tooooo!"
"You'd probably say the same thing regardless of who the guy was."
"It's totally obvious, but I still love yooou!"
"Annoying..."
Asuna and Yukino ran over, offering their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Fuka-san. You're finally an official member."
"T-Thank you!"
"We have to celebrate, Fuka."
"M-Make it grand, please!"
Watching the members celebrate, Sinon suddenly spoke up, unable to contain herself any longer.
"I-I'm doing it too!"
"Doing it...? Doing what?"
"The entrance test!"
"O-Oh... I don't mind, but..."
"The conditions?"
"Land one hit on either me or Asuna."
"Got it. Leave it to me! I'll take Hachiman as my opponent!"
Sinon declared, breathing hard with determination. As everyone watched, she raised her bow and poured every ounce of her mana into it, creating a massive arrow.
"Wha..."
"Here I go!"
"W-Wait a sec, that's cheating!"
"Don't give me boring excuses just because you're a man!"
Sinon released the gigantic arrow. Perhaps because she had poured all her magic into the size, the damage wasn't severe—but Hachiman, unable to dodge the colossal projectile, definitely took the hit.
"Hit?"
"...Yeah, that definitely hit."
"I did it!"
"W-W-W-What the heeeeeeeeeell!?"
Fukaziroh screamed at the outcome.
"A total tactical victory."
"Well, Hachiman-kun did give her that bow, after all."
"In that sense, he lost to himself."
"Ugh..."
Sinon ran up to the slightly dejected Fukaziroh and hugged her.
"Oho?"
"Sorry, Fuka. I know it was totally cheating. But... I just hated the idea of being the only one to join without a test. My official entry is still a long way off, but when that time comes, let's be good comrades!"
"I-Is that it? But... I'm really happy you feel that way! I'll be waiting here for you until that day comes, Sinon!"
"Fuka!"
"Sinon!"
The two embraced tightly, promising to meet again. Incidentally, Fukaziroh was casually fluffing Sinon's ears during the hug.
Their reunion would take place in GGO, as Fukaziroh would temporarily convert her character to take Sinon's place, but that is a story for the distant future.
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