The boys stood frozen. The woman before them was the literal definition of a refined, elegant beauty. Her poise and polite speech were the polar opposites of Nyan-Goro's "gangster-gal" persona. If someone had told them she was Shizuka, they would have believed it instantly.
"Wait... are you serious?"
"I am indeed Nyan-Goro."
"Your acting skills are terrifying, lady..."
"Is it that strange? I have a specific source material I use for reference, so it's not that difficult."
"You love that character way too much, Nyan-Goro-san," Tanaka remarked dryly.
Yukino (Nyan-Goro) puffed out her cheeks. "S-So what? I like what I like."
Just then, two more women arrived.
"Tanaka-kuuun!"
"Tanaka-saaan!"
"Ah, the rest of the crew is here," Tanaka noted.
Futa and Daizen turned to see a stunning, mature beauty and a younger, cuter girl walking toward them with wide smiles.
"Okay, this one I can guess! Shizuka and Benkei!"
"Yeah! There's no way they're that pervert!"
Asuna (Shizuka) and Komachi (Benkei) gave them a cheerful greeting.
"Correct! I'm Shizuka. Nice to meet you in the real world, Yamikaze, Tarako!"
"I'm Benkei! It's a pleasure to meet you both!"
Apparently, the four of them were heading out for a "girls' night." Hachiman had asked Asuna to invite Kurusu (Gunner X) along, since the girl had very few friends in the real world. He wanted her to have a social life outside of GGO and him. Anzu and Shino were scheduled to join them later.
"Well then, Tanaka-san, we'll leave the rest to you!"
"Right, have fun," Hachiman replied.
"Tanaka-sama, thank you," Kurusu whispered.
"You don't need to use honorifics for a lowly employee like me," Hachiman muttered.
The women all burst into laughter for some reason, though they quickly composed themselves when Hachiman gave them a flat, "dead-fish" stare.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," Shino waved.
"We'll be waiting, Shino!"
As the four women left, the boys turned back to Tanaka with tearful eyes.
"Tanaka-san, is it always like this? Every day?"
"The envy... it burns..."
Shino smirked. "Oh, he's like this 24/7. Popularity just follows him around, right, Ta-na-ka-san?"
"It's not like I asked for it," Hachiman grumbled.
"Dammit! If Tanaka-san is this popular, how much of a god is Shana?! What is wrong with this world?!"
"You guys just need to work harder," Shino teased.
"We're just ordinary guys... we don't even know where to start..."
Suddenly, a distant voice echoed through the hall. Hachiman flinched, his eyes widening in genuine terror.
"I just remembered! I have a very urgent errand! Excuse me!" He turned to bolt.
"Wait, what?! Tanaka-san, what's the rush?" Shino called out, reaching for his arm. That split second of hesitation was his undoing.
"Let go! Shino, let go! It's bad! It's really bad—!"
A shadow blurred past Futa and Daizen like a gale. A woman leaped through the air, tackling Tanaka and pinning him to the floor with the force of a tidal wave.
"Gufufufufu... Caught you!"
"Goddammit! I can't believe you're here now! Get off me! Hey! Don't touch me there!"
"Gufufufufu... Why not? It's fine, isn't it? Let's show everyone here a truly scandalous sight!"
The woman began to nuzzle into Tanaka's neck and ears, her tongue darting out as she tried to find a gap in his defenses to claim his lips.
"T-Te-Teme! I said stop!"
"I've been so frustrated because we haven't seen each other lately! I smelled Shana the second I walked into the lobby and ran all the way here! Shana! My Shana!"
""SHANA?!"" Futa and Daizen screamed.
"Hey! Stop it, Pito!" Shino shouted, though she looked more jealous than concerned. "Wait, I didn't mean... Shana is in trouble! Let him go!"
""PITO?!""
"...Ah." Shino froze, her hand over her mouth.
Hachiman buried his face in his hands. Shino stopped trying to pull Elsa (Pitohui) off and looked away, realizing she had just blown the secret.
"Wait... so Tanaka-san is Shana? And this pervert is Pito? Eh? EH?!"
"I mean, that level of perversion definitely fits Pito, but... Tanaka-san? Shana?"
Elsa finally noticed the two men. She paused her assault and looked at them with a tilted head.
"Hey, Shino-non. Who are these two background characters?"
"That's Yamikaze and Tarako."
Elsa gave them a dismissive glance. "Ah. That explains the overwhelming scent of virginity."
"W-W-W-Who says we're virgins?!"
"Yeah! We could be... experienced amateurs!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Elsa waved them off. "Back to the main course! Today, I'm finally going to carry Shana's baby—!"
"PITO! Stop! That is—that is legally and morally wrong!"
Elsa's hands moved toward Hachiman's belt. In that instant, a whip lashed out from across the room, wrapping around Elsa's waist and yanking her back.
"Kyaa! Is this my reward?! Not now, though!"
"That's enough, Pito!" Rosalia shouted, pulling the whip taut. "I'm first in line for that!"
"Don't use the chaos to put in your own request! You're late, Rosalia!" Hachiman yelled.
"I-I'm sorry! She was walking behind me and then she just vanished! I figured she'd be here, so I ran as fast as I could..."
Hachiman let out a long, weary sigh. "Well... so much for keeping it under wraps. Everything's out now."
He sat up and put Elsa in a firm bear hug to keep her from moving.
"This is all your fault, Pito."
"Aahn... Shana... more! This is great! Keep it coming!"
"Ugh! Don't lick my hands! You pervert!"
Futa and Daizen were staring, their faces pale with shock.
"T-This is Pitohui...?"
"She's even worse than the rumors... this is a world we are not equipped to handle..."
Hachiman finally managed to disentangle himself. He dusted off his suit, walked a short distance away, then turned back to the boys with a calm, refreshing smile.
"Yo. Sorry for the wait. I had some business to attend to. I'm Shana. Nice to meet you."
"There is no way you can act like that now!" Futa yelled.
"Yeah! Give us back our pure hearts! We actually respected 'Tanaka-san'!"
Rosalia and Shino just looked at the boys with pity.
"You tell him..."
"Yeah, there's no coming back from that."
Meanwhile, Elsa was rolling around on the floor, still tied up in the whip, panting with a look of pure ecstasy. The "Perverted Storm" had indeed grown more powerful in the real world.
And so, finally, Yamikaze and Tarako had their formal introduction to the man behind the legend: Shana.
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