By this point, the two girls had grown reasonably accustomed to the board's mechanics, prompting Ix to dial up the speed on the way back, giving them a thrilling, rollercoaster-like ride. Time flew by in a flash, and before they knew it, they were arriving back in the city streets.
"Today was so much fun!"
"Yeah, it really was."
"What do you think? Want to grab a light bite to eat? My treat, as a thank you," Yukko offered.
"But..."
Sensing Ix's hesitation—likely over their differing factions—Haruka spoke up in a bright, cheerful tone.
"We might end up as enemies again in the future, but what's the harm for today? It's not like we actually hate each other."
"Exactly! It's just a difference in our in-game positions, and besides, the war is already over."
"In that case, I will gladly accept."
With Yukko leading the way, the three stepped into a nearby tavern. True to Yukko's knowledge of the city, the establishment was a well-known hangout where members of the former Heike army used to gather. But with the war concluded, there was no longer any need to worry about such rivalries.
"Alright, what should we order?"
"...Meat?" Ix suggested quietly.
"A total carnivore?!" Haruka joked, poking fun at the choice.
"Uh, no, that's not what I meant... Though when it comes to Shana-sama, even then..."
As Ix's cheeks flushed bright crimson at her own train of thought, the other two looked at her with affectionate exasperation.
"Ix, you really are head over heels for that guy, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"What do you even like about him?"
"...Everything."
"Everything, huh...?"
"Well, after seeing him perform like that on the battlefield, I suppose I can understand why," Haruka admitted.
"Yeah, fair point," Yukko agreed, their minds drifting back to the moment Hachiman had converted his character into their world.
"Speaking of which, I saw the video circulating after that fight."
"Oh, I saw that one too!"
Yukko and Haruka brought up the infamous clip where Richie the Lion King, Garrett, and Pale Rider had been thoroughly disciplined by Hachiman while he was still cradling Ix in his arms.
"You were being held up so high, like a little kid!"
"Ugh... y-yes. That caught me a bit off guard..."
"Haha, I bet!"
"But man, that guy was ridiculously strong..."
Using the memories of that wild battle as their appetizer, the three slipped back into high spirits, their laughter filling the tavern.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Rosalia had finally spotted the man she had been searching for. After quickly sending out a message to coordinate, she marched right up and confronted him.
"Excuse me. You remember me, don't you?"
"Wh-What do you want with me...? Wait... uh, R-Rosalia...?"
"Yep, no mistake about it. You're definitely the one who was acting as the lookout back then."
"No, look, I... that is..."
Without showing even a shred of resistance, the man instantly dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead against the virtual floor in a perfect, desperate dogeza.
"I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened back then!"
Faced with such an immediate and spectacular display of submission, Rosalia was the one who panicked.
"Hey, hey, stand up! We're drawing a crowd here. Let's take this to the back."
"A-Ah, right."
Rosalia led the trembling man into a quiet alleyway, only to find someone already waiting for them in the shadows.
"What—Y-Yamakaze?!"
Hearing his name called, Yamakaze completely ignored the man for a moment to greet Rosalia.
"Yo, Rosalia-chan. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Don't worry about it, Yamakaze-san. Thank you for coming on such short notice."
"No problem at all. So, you finally tracked this guy down, huh?"
Yamakaze stepped forward, peering intently into the face of the cowering man before declaring with absolute certainty:
"No doubt about it. It's him."
It turned out that the person Rosalia had contacted was Yamakaze, the only ally who could positively identify the lookout's face. Hearing Yamakaze's definitive confirmation, the man flinched violently, terrified of what the two might do to him.
"Hey, don't look so scared. As long as you hand over what we want, we won't touch you," Yamakaze said, trying to de-escalate.
"I-If it's money you want, I don't have any! I'm sorry!"
"No, no, we're not shaking you down for credits." Yamakaze waved off the misunderstanding, allowing Rosalia to take the lead.
"Hey. What's your name?"
"S-Sacrifice."
"Huh. As in a literal sacrificial offering? What a morbid taste in names. Well, whatever. Sacrifice, when you guys held me captive, you were recording a video of it, weren't you? We need you to provide that data to us."
"H-How do you know about that?!"
"I overheard you muttering to yourself back then," Yamakaze interjected.
"You've got to be kidding me..." Sacrifice murmured, utterly dazed. "B-But that's..."
"Don't worry," Rosalia assured him, her voice turning softer. "I promise we won't bring any trouble to your doorstep. The war is over, and you weren't the one who actually hurt me. Granted, it pisses me off that you just stood by and watched, but I don't hold a personal grudge against you. Who we really want to identify is the person who actually attacked me—the one who might very well be the mastermind behind the recent war."
"A-Ah... I see..."
"So, we have absolutely no intention of leaking it onto the net or anything. We just want to analyze it. What do you say? Will you hand the video over to us?"
"And what if I say no?"
"Oh? Are you saying no?"
"N-No... of course not..."
Sacrifice was deeply regretting his decision to come log in and register for the BoB today. It wasn't as if he had a snowball's chance of winning the tournament anyway. He had simply been swept up in the festive atmosphere of the upcoming event, assuming that enough time had passed for the heat to die down. He never anticipated that someone would still remember his face.
Fortunately, his interrogators didn't seem particularly furious with him, and they had promised not to expose him publicly. If I just cooperate and apologize honestly here, I can finally rid myself of this heavy burden from my past.
Making up his mind, Sacrifice silently brought up his console, transferred the video file, and sent it directly to Rosalia.
"There. Is that enough?"
"Thank you. With this, there's officially no bad blood left between us."
"A-Ah. I appreciate that."
"By the way," Rosalia added, "do you have any idea who that attacker actually was?"
"No. Their face was completely hidden, and they used a voice changer. I'd never heard that voice before in my life."
"I see..." Rosalia lowered her eyes, a trace of disappointment flickering across her features.
"You lucked out, pal," Yamakaze chimed in, clapping the man on the shoulder. "Now you don't have to worry about the Ten Wolves hunting you down anymore."
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