Usshio Tarako and Yamikaze were nearly back at the skyscraper when they were suddenly blindsided.
"Whoa!"
"What the—?!"
Both men were slammed face-first into the pavement. Before they could scramble up, they felt the cold press of gun barrels against the backs of their heads. Looking forward from their prone positions, they saw a pair of combat boots and pale, slender ankles. They knew exactly who had found them.
"Those ankles..."
"Musketeer X..."
Tarako tried to lift his head to look up, but a sharp impact rattled his skull. X had slammed the butt of her rifle into the back of his head.
"Guh! What the hell was that for?!"
"If you lift your head any further, you will see my underwear," X said, her voice a flat, robotic monotone. "Permission denied."
"Are you serious?"
Yamikaze tried to peek as well, only to receive a similar strike to the dome.
"Dammit!"
The weight on their backs vanished as Musketeer X stepped away. By the time the two men sat up, she had pulled a long coat over her usual skimpy outfit, buttoning it to the chin. She was now covered from neck to ankle. The two men slumped their shoulders in disappointment.
"This is acceptable," X declared. "Only Lord Shana is permitted to view my skin. From this day forward, I shall only wear my combat attire in His presence."
That one sentence told them everything they needed to know: Musketeer X was on Shana's side.
"Wait... are you a Shana fan too?" Tarako asked. "You're always so quiet, I had no idea."
"And if you're a fan, why are you attacking us?!" Yamikaze barked.
"Yamikaze is collateral," X replied. "Today's target was Tarako."
"Me?!"
"Ah! Hey, partner—the rumors! The rumors!"
"Oh..." Tarako paled.
"Affirmative," X said coldly. "The rumors reached me."
Tarako began waving his hands frantically. "Wait, wait! Those rumors are a total fabrication! We're on Shana's side!"
"Yeah! We're literally on our way to his base right now to deliver intel we gathered!" Yamikaze added.
X stared at them, her eyes narrowing behind her goggles. "...Evidence?"
"Evidence?"
"Uh, evidence..."
The two men fumbled for words. They didn't exactly carry "Official Ally" ID cards in their inventories.
"W-we don't have any..."
"I see," X said, her finger tightening on the trigger. "Then perish."
"Wait, wait, wait! I'll call Shana right now! Just hold on—wait, he's offline?!"
Shana had indeed taken a temporary break to deal with things in the real world.
"Crap... is anyone else around?!"
"Oh! Tarako-san, good to see you... wait, is that Musketeer X? What's going on here?"
Luckily, Ginrou happened to be passing by. He had been pinged to act as an escort for Rosaria's upcoming scouting mission while M was busy. Though he usually acted like a goofball, Ginrou proved his worth as a loyal friend whenever Shana was involved.
"Move, Ginrou," X said. "I must execute this man."
"Well, first off, we're in a neutral zone, so you literally can't," Ginrou pointed out. "Second... what?! Stop! What is this about?"
X didn't blink. "Tarako harmed Lord Shana's companion, thereby wounding the heart of Lord Shana, who treasures His friends."
"And so you're gonna kill him? I don't think Shana-san would be happy about that," Ginrou said.
X paused. "Ugh... Affirmative. I lost my composure. You are correct."
"Besides," Ginrou added, "Tarako-san is an ally. Yamikaze too."
"...Truth?"
"Yeah. I was just talking with them and Shana a bit ago. They're clean."
"Accepted."
To the men's shock, Musketeer X knelt and gave them a formal, three-fingered Japanese apology bow. "I am sorry."
"Ah... no, it's fine. The guys spreading the lies are the ones at fault," Tarako said, scratching his head.
"Yeah, X-chan, you were just acting on what you heard," Yamikaze added.
"Thank you."
"Well, I'm in a hurry," Ginrou said. "Tarako-san, Yamikaze-san, see ya later. X, try to fact-check your targets next time, okay?"
"Understood. Reflecting on my actions."
Ginrou headed off, and Musketeer X turned her intense gaze back to the duo. "Requesting status report. Explain the situation."
"Right. Well, to put it simply..."
Tarako explained how he'd been invited to the secret meeting, how he'd witnessed Rosaria's kidnapping, and how he, Yamikaze, and Shana had staged the rescue. When X heard that they had tried to recruit her for the mission as well, she suddenly collapsed onto her hands and knees, head hanging low.
"Hey! What's wrong now?"
"I have lost another opportunity to walk beside the God..." she whispered.
"God? You mean Shana?"
"Naturally. Lord Shana is the One True God. There are no others."
Tarako and Yamikaze leaned away, whispering to each other.
"Partner... was X always like this?"
"She never talked, so we never noticed. I bet it started after the first BoB..."
"She's a total cultist..."
Yamikaze suddenly had a mischievous thought. "Hey, if Shana actually asked her for... you know, favors... what do you think she'd do? I mean, Shana would never do that, but still."
"Dude, what kind of question is that?! ...But now I'm curious. Should we ask?"
"Do it."
Tarako cleared his throat nervously. "Um... X? Can I ask a question?"
"Affirmative. Proceed."
"Do you... want to date Shana? Like, be his girlfriend?"
Tarako tried to be indirect, but X's answer was as systematic as ever.
"If you had a God you believed in, would you desire a romantic relationship with that deity?"
"Uh... so, that's a 'no'?"
"Correct. I do not desire such a thing."
Yamikaze, sensing a loophole, leaned in. "But what if Shana was the one who wanted it?"
"Naturally, I would serve at His side exactly as the God desires."
"Right... of course..."
"And," Yamikaze pushed further, "what if he only wanted your body?"
"Hey! Yamikaze, that's way too blunt!" Tarako hissed.
X looked down at herself. "Only this body?"
She pulled her coat open for a moment, revealing her skimpy sniper outfit. X had a slender, graceful build and pale skin that seemed to glow. In terms of aesthetic, she was very similar to Sinon.
"This body is a digital construct," X mused. "But if this body is what catches Lord Shana's eye, then it is all I have to offer."
"Well... yeah," Yamikaze stammered. "I mean, your real-world body might be totally different."
X looked at him flatly. "Fortunately, this face and body—with the exception of the chest—are nearly identical to my physical form in the real world. Therefore, if Lord Shana finds this body pleasing, my real-world self is fully capable of... meeting his requirements."
"Except the chest? Wait, does that mean you're actually... huge?"
"Yamikaze, stop! You're gonna trigger a harassment warning!"
X's current avatar was quite petite in that department, so the implication sent a shockwave through the two men. Yamikaze swallowed hard. "When you say 'meeting requirements'... you mean..."
"Naturally, if desired, I would surrender my entire real-world existence to Him."
Tarako and Yamikaze immediately mirrored her earlier pose, collapsing onto their hands and knees in defeat.
"What is the meaning of this sudden posture?" X asked.
"Please... don't say anything..."
"We just... we just felt something deep in our souls..."
"I see."
X nudged them to continue. "Proceed with the narrative."
They told her about Shana's solo raid on the top floor and his use of the photon blades. X's eyes widened to saucers.
"Unbelievable... Truly, the weapons of a God."
"Yeah, they were incredible."
"The Active Radar and Acoustic Locators... were their formal designations Kagemitsu X1 Acht-Right and X2 Acht-Left?"
X froze. "...Is this the truth?"
"Why would I lie about that?" Tarako asked.
"Truly... Acht?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"I see..."
Suddenly, Musketeer X performed a formal knight's salute to the two men.
"Whoa! What's with the sudden respect?"
"My gratitude to you both."
"For what?"
"I have now confirmed Lord Shana's true identity. Acht. Specifically, Acht Faust. That is the name of the weapon used by a Hero of SAO. This is the final proof."
The two men realized they had underestimated X's detective skills.
"Whoa, hold on. Confirming an identity just based on a weapon name is a bit of a stretch..."
"I have studied the footage of his time in ALO," X said, her voice dropping the robotic tone slightly. "The stance Lord Shana takes with a dagger is identical. And the sword skills of the Goddess at his side—those were unmistakably the techniques of the 'Berserk Healer.' One coincidence is a fluke. Two is a pattern. Three is a divine revelation."
Tarako and Yamikaze exchanged a worried look.
"Partner... did we just leak his secret?"
"Maybe... Should we apologize to Shana?"
"Unnecessary," X said firmly. "Lord Shana is not a man who would be angered by such trivialities."
"I mean, true, but still..."
"Furthermore, do not mention my name to Lord Shana. I intend to stand before the God through my own strength. I will reach Valhalla on my own merits."
The two men watched her, genuinely impressed. She wasn't just a fangirl; she had the spirit of a true warrior. Tarako whispered the name she'd used.
"Valhalla... you mean the Valhalla Resort?"
"Yes. The paradise of the Gods. I will reach it one day. And in the real world, I will become Lord Shana's personal secretary."
"If you're that determined, I guess we've got nothing to say," Yamikaze sighed. Then, out of a final bit of saltiness, he added: "But hey, what if Shana's real-world appearance isn't your type? Would you still give him your all if he asked?"
Suddenly, Musketeer X's face turned bright red. She started fidgeting, her robotic mask crumbling.
"W-well... Lord Shana's appearance is already my exact 'strike zone,' so that wouldn't happen... I mean, he was incredibly handsome... if anything, I'm the one who wants it... out of all the candidates, He was the ultimate result, and I'm just so happy—"
"Wait, that voice..."
"You can talk normally?!"
The duo stared in disbelief. Gone was the stoic knight; in her place was a stammering, head-over-heels teenage girl. X suddenly snapped back to attention, her face turning pale.
"Meaningless. Incomprehensible. You are experiencing auditory hallucinations."
"Uh... sure."
Yamikaze blinked. "Wait, you said you've seen his face? How? You only just figured out who he was!"
"Affirmative. Common sense," X said, regaining her cool. "I had already narrowed down the candidates. The facility where SAO survivors congregate is the 'School for Returnees.' I had already located a person with the same name as the God candidate and conducted thorough research."
"You did background checks?!"
"Her lack of malice makes this so much scarier..."
X ignored their concern. "Naturally, I have grasped Lord Shana's background. I have even begun my studies to ensure I am qualified to be His secretary."
"Secretary? What do you mean? He's a student, right?"
"That is confidential. However, despite being a student, Lord Shana has already been unofficially selected as the next President of a major corporation. He is, quite literally, a God walking among us."
"Wait... what?!"
"For real? He's a super-celebrity?!"
"Negative," X corrected. "Lord Shana's family is not wealthy. Research confirms he comes from an ordinary household."
"Then how—?"
"It is entirely due to Lord Shana's own merit and ability. You two would do well to follow His example."
After geeking out one last time over the recording of the sniper scene, Musketeer X vanished into the shadows. Tarako and Yamikaze watched her go.
"I had no idea she was that... intense," Yamikaze muttered.
"She calls it 'faith,' but she's just straight-up in love," Tarako said. "Her love is heavy, man."
"Pitohui, Sinon, and now X... Shana is on another level. I couldn't handle that much pressure."
"Yeah. Let's just stick to finding girls in our own league."
"Agreed."
And so, Musketeer X left a vivid impression on the two veterans. She would continue to lurk in the shadows, waiting for her chance to stand before her "God." That day was still far off—waiting until after the coming war.
But surprisingly, their first true meeting wouldn't happen within the digital confines of GGO, but in the physical world. And even more surprisingly, it wouldn't be long after that war that Tarako and Yamikaze would finally meet the man known as Hachiman.
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