While Hachiman and Asuna waited for Kit, Elsa spoke to her minion, Emu—Goshi Asougi.
"Hey, Goshi, I've decided to go independent from the agency."
"What?" Goshi blinked, stunned by Elsa's sudden declaration.
"It'd be great, but…"
"Not 'would be'—I'm doing it. Why don't you get that?" Elsa said, kicking his stomach.
Goshi, thrilled by the kick, pondered why Elsa brought this up now. "We talked about it before, but didn't we conclude it was impossible?"
"Normally, yeah. But, Goshi, some people flip common sense with sheer force."
Goshi recalled Elsa's recent odd behavior—disappearing often, as if meeting someone secretly. He remembered the day he first noticed, when she took her driver's license, unusual since she rarely drove. That day, she seemed wary of being followed, unlike her usual carefree self. Someone must've instructed her to shake a tail, likely during her delayed logout. That person had to be someone Elsa respected enough to obey.
"Shana…" Goshi muttered.
Elsa's eyes narrowed, confirming his suspicion. Something happened with Shana.
Unable to act without knowing Shana, Goshi asked, "What should I do for you?"
"Nice, Goshi! You pass, as expected from Shana's call," Elsa said.
Confused, Goshi waited as Elsa explained. "I made contact with Shana."
"I figured."
"I learned something shocking. I'll tell you later, with Shana's okay."
"Got it."
"Point is, Shana's helping me go independent."
"Helping?" Goshi doubted it was that simple but stayed silent.
"It's a solid plan. Don't worry, just prepare for independence. That's Shana's order to you."
"Shana's order, not yours?" Goshi probed.
"Yep," Elsa confirmed.
Goshi pieced it together: Elsa was so under Shana's influence she'd let him act freely. Shana likely knew everything about Elsa's private life, and Elsa allowed it. Goshi, closest to Elsa, doubted she'd spill willingly—maybe a powerful info network? None existed, though. Argo only confirmed Elsa and Sinon had no shady ties.
Seeing Goshi's skeptical look, Elsa said, "Shana told me: if you just argued and didn't notice her, they'd ignore you and proceed. If you noticed but complained or pushed yourself, you'd get no role. You noticed Shana and didn't fuss— you pass. Good job, Goshi."
Goshi felt a mix of joy and unease. Elsa continued, "Shana said I can tell you everything since you passed. First off, I care more about Shana than you now."
Goshi was shocked—someone she just met outranking him? But her explanation convinced him otherwise.
"Congrats, Elsa. Your dream's coming true. That's incredible luck," Goshi said.
"Praise me more! I'm awesome, right?" Elsa beamed.
"Truly amazing. Shana's record is mind-blowing," Goshi agreed.
Elsa described Shana as a true hero, backed by credible witnesses. Goshi genuinely admired Shana and was thrilled she supported Elsa. A lesser man might've been jealous, but Goshi prioritized Elsa's happiness. Shana's involvement ensured it, and her character suggested no risk of losing Elsa. Relieved, Goshi agreed to follow Shana's lead.
"Got it. I'll move forward on that," Goshi said.
"Great! Oh, and Shana wants you—Emu, rather—to join her crew eventually. If possible, practice attacking without showing your bullet line."
"Me, in Shana's party? I'm honored!" Goshi said, heart racing.
"Exciting, right?"
"Once independence is settled, I'll train and tell Shana," Goshi promised.
"Cool! Let's keep at it!" Elsa said.
"Absolutely!" Goshi felt a bright future dawning, grateful to Shana and eager to fight alongside her. He reined in his excitement, focusing on his role.
Meanwhile, Yukko and Haruka, crushed at the reunion, trudged toward the station after university classes.
"Why'd we get so stubborn?" Yukko sighed.
"Thinking back, that guy's irrelevant to us," Haruka said.
"Will our job offers hold?" Yukko worried.
"Dunno…" Haruka replied.
They sighed deeply, anxious about their canceled offers. Walking silently, they passed a street billboard showing an AmuSphere ad. They stopped, watching absentmindedly. After it ended, Yukko turned to Haruka.
"Hey, Haruka."
"Yeah?"
"In a game like that, could we legally take him down?"
"Maybe, but he's supposedly hero-level strong, right?"
"Hmm, but listen," Yukko said, facing Haruka seriously. "If I had a sword and faced a samurai, I'd die, right?"
"Yep."
"But if I had a gun and faced a famous fighter with a gun, I wouldn't always lose, right?"
"Maybe not."
"So, in the right game, we might have a shot."
Haruka nodded after thinking. "Yeah, true."
"I'm gonna try something," Yukko said.
"Wait, those games are pricey, aren't they?" Haruka asked.
Yukko was firm. "A uni friend said they earned thousands in-game. We just need the right game."
"Make it back quick, huh? But does it work that easily?" Haruka doubted.
"Get some dumb guy to pay. Plenty of those around," Yukko suggested.
"Oh, right! I'll give it a shot too," Haruka agreed.
Naive about gaming, they impulsively headed to a game shop. The only game fitting their vague criteria was GGO. Without much thought, they withdrew savings, bought AmuSpheres, and purchased GGO.
"But he might not even play this game," Haruka realized.
"Then we shoot someone like him for payback. The clerk said it's that kind of game," Yukko replied.
"Yeah, okay," Haruka agreed.
Driven by shallow, dreamy logic, they dove into GGO, unaware of its harsh reality awaiting them.
-------------------------------
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