When we arrived at the designated meeting spot, we were a bit ahead of schedule; the group we were expecting hadn't shown up yet. While we idly watched the university crowds, Shino suddenly spoke up.
"Come to think of it, Hachiman, your entrance exams are next year, right?"
"Yeah. Looks like I'll be taking them the same year as you."
"Is that so? By the way, where are you planning to apply?"
"Haven't decided yet, but..."
"O-Oh, I see. Well, if you do decide... you have to tell me immediately, okay?"
"I don't mind telling you, but... wait, don't tell me you..."
Are you planning to apply to the same place?
Before Hachiman could voice the question, Shino cut him off, flustered.
"W-What are you saying? Isn't that a little self-conscious of you?"
"I haven't actually said anything yet... Though, I did think that if we went to the same place, college life might actually be fun."
"F-Fun!?"
"Hm? It's pretty normal to look forward to having people you know around, isn't it?"
"I-I suppose it can't be helped then! If you're going to say that much, I suppose I could aim for the same university. I'll have you know my grades are actually quite good."
"Is that so?"
Seeing Shino puff out her chest with such evident happiness, Hachiman's face softened into a smile, and he offered that brief acknowledgment.
"Ah."
Shino suddenly let out a small sound. Hachiman wondered what was wrong, but following her gaze, he spotted a wallet lying on the roadside. It seemed to have been dropped by a tall woman walking just ahead of them.
After excusing himself to Shino, Hachiman stepped out of the car, retrieved the wallet, and called out to the woman. When he handed it over, she bowed profusely in gratitude. However, immediately after, Hachiman seemed to think for a moment before handing her a slip of paper and saying something.
The woman's face instantly turned bright red. She looked incredibly happy, then turned and practically fled the scene. Wondering what on earth had happened, Shino asked Hachiman about it when he returned.
"Nah, I just thought it'd be trouble if anything was missing, so I gave her a note with my contact info. But... she seemed really self-conscious about her height. I thought it might be none of my business, but I ended up saying, 'You know, being tall makes you look really stunning.'"
"And?"
"And then she turned red, looked at me, and sprinted away."
Shino looked at him with exasperation. Why does this man unconsciously raise romance flags everywhere he goes?
Just then, a group of six girls who looked every bit like high schoolers came out of the entrance, looking around nervously. Shino pointed them out.
"Hey, isn't that Eva and her group?"
"Hm? Ah, looks like it... Though if that's them, the gap between their real selves and their game avatars is intense..."
"Yeah..."
The six of them were unmistakably high school girls, and one, perhaps mixed-race, had natural blonde hair. Hachiman hesitated on how to greet them but decided to be direct.
"Hey. That tall, cool lady from earlier—her face was bright red today."
"And was it just my imagination, or did she look incredibly happy?"
"Never mind that, come on, we have to find Shana-san."
"Right. I wonder who it is?"
Hachiman stood right in front of them, thinking 'It's us, we're right here,' while listening to their chatter. However, the six girls were focused entirely on people who looked significantly older.
"Is it that guy?" "No, I think that one over there..."
They glanced at Hachiman but showed absolutely no reaction. Hachiman began to worry. Do I really look like that much of a middle-aged old man in the game?
"Hey, do you have a sec?" he asked.
"What is it? If this is a pickup attempt, we're not interested."
"That's right. We aren't easy women, you know."
"Sorry, we're waiting for someone right now..."
"B-But, this guy is actually really handsome..."
"True, but we have to find Shana-san."
"Right, right. Oh, look at age-wise, isn't it that guy over there?"
"You guys... seriously... Why on earth did you assume I was that old?"
At his words, the six girls blinked blankly and stared at Hachiman's face. Then, gathering like a sports team in a huddle, they began whispering.
"Hey, could this be... possibly?"
"No, no, he's way too young."
"But the way he talks just now... wasn't that totally Shana-san?"
"Didn't Shana-san and Sinon-san say they were in their late twenties?"
"Huh? Wait, who said that...?"
"Ah, that was me."
At that moment, perhaps seeing the commotion, Shino stepped out of the car and walked toward them. Since the girls hadn't heard that Shino was coming, they immediately concluded that this newcomer couldn't be 'Shana' either.
"Look, a total beauty who looks like his girlfriend just got out of the car."
"Shana-san is supposed to be alone, right?"
"Wait, is this a premonition of a shuraba—a lovers' quarrel?"
"I-I've never seen a real lovers' quarrel before!"
"But doesn't that woman look about the same age as us?"
"You're right. A romance with a rich college guy... I'm so jealous..."
"Hey, you guys. What's taking so long? What exactly have you been doing?"
"""Eep!"""
Hearing that tone—which sounded entirely like a prelude to a scene of carnage—the six girls let out a collective shriek.
"'Eep'? What is that supposed to mean... Hey Shana, what's wrong with these kids?"
The moment they heard that name, the six girls spoke in unison.
"""Shana!?"""
"Oi, Sinon. Do I look like I'm pushing thirty inside GGO or something?"
"""Sinon!?"""
"Don't answer a question with a question... But, well, you certainly seem mature, though I wouldn't say you look that old."
"R-Right?"
"Why do you look so relieved? ...Anyway. You girls are Eva's group... right?"
The moment Shino addressed them, the six girls huddled up again.
"Wait, Shana was which one? And Sinon?"
"Leader, don't escape from reality!"
"Wait, who was it that spread the fake info that they were in their late twenties?!"
"Ah, that was me."
"Wh-Wh-What do we do? They totally heard us just now, right?"
"We have no choice but to apologize honestly..."
The six of them turned back to Hachiman and Shino and bowed their heads simultaneously.
"""We are truly sorry!"""
"No, well, I don't really care, so don't worry about it. Nice to meet you. I'm Shana. Twenty-one years old."
"""You care immensely!"""
"From the way you were talking earlier... did you think Shana was around thirty?"
"Just so you know, they thought the same about you."
"M-Me too?"
Shino glared at the six girls, then flashed a brilliant smile as she introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sinon. Seventeen."
"""We are truly, truly sorry!"""
The girls bowed again, causing the surrounding crowd to start whispering about what was happening. Hachiman, realizing this was attracting attention, thumbed toward the rental car and spoke in a commanding tone.
"We'll talk later. For now, get in the car. Hurry."
"""Yes, sir!"""
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