Chapter 1086 - Current Location
The man who looked like an intelligent Yakuza had introduced himself with his real name without hesitation. He ignored our surprised reactions and looked around the room.
"...Well, you look like a proper patient."
His gaze was calm and sharp. He looked at the luxury hospital room with a satisfied expression. Then he turned to me with a voice that didn't match his appearance at all.
"I heard you were doing fine, but are you actually struggling?"
He pointed to the bag on the table. It was clearly a high-end gift.
"No, I can stand up. I'm just being quiet because someone else would be worried if I wasn't."
"..."
I realized I might have said something I shouldn't have, but I figured I could blame it on the shock of seeing this stranger. I stood up from the bed and slipped into my sandals. The man known as Kakusuke, or Trakky, watched me with a faint smile.
"You like sweets, don't you?"
He poked the bag on the table.
...
"Whoa... this is... amazing."
"It's a limited-edition item from a hidden shop. Only ten are sold a day. Savor it."
The bag contained a high-end box, and inside that box were five incredible-looking chocolate cakes. If he was telling the truth, we were eating half of the shop's daily stock. I didn't have time to feel sorry for the other fans; the cake was just too good. Ashe looked equally happy as she ate hers.
"How are Sora and Nia-chan?"
"They're at home. Apparently, they're being kept in peaceful solitary confinement by their overprotective families."
"Solitary confinement... well, if it's peaceful... then you two can have another one each. The flavor drops if they sit too long. I'll tell you the shop's name later so we can share the experience again."
"This Yakuza is surprisingly kind..."
"Who are you...?"
"You two... Stop making fun of me after taking my gift."
So there were four cakes for a reason.
"So? You really have no abnormalities?"
He asked the question with a serious face. I guess he really was worried about me.
"Yeah, no problems. You got the results, too, didn't you?"
"Yeah, this morning."
"Same here. There were some unique points for me, but the conclusion was that there was no burden or damage. Sorry for worrying you."
I felt it would be rude not to give him a sincere answer. I pushed down my embarrassment and spoke honestly. A familiar smile appeared behind his glasses.
"That's good to hear. I'm glad for all of us."
His face finally matched the friend I knew.
"Tra... um..."
"Kakusuke is fine. Don't call me Ibaragi-san. And don't call me Kakusuke-san either. I won't forgive Kaku-san or Suke-san either. And try to avoid using my in-game name here."
He made his demands without hesitation. It was very like him. I had some reservations about calling an older man by his first name in the real world, but calling him 'san' would probably be even weirder.
"Got it, Kakusuke."
"Yeah."
And then I asked,
"Why did you use your real name right away?"
"Huh? I just wanted to be fair."
He looked completely serious. Ashe and I shared a look. He continued,
"It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one who didn't know the Princess's real name after meeting her in the real world, right?"
"Oh... right... I see..."
"...?"
It was a stupidly honest and serious kind of tiger logic. Basically, he felt bad about knowing Alicia White's name without sharing his own. I understood, but it was just so...
"It's almost..."
"...He's an interesting person."
Yeah. It was very like him. He might look like a rough person, but he was surprisingly polite and had a strong sense of duty. He really was the Tiger☆Lucky we knew.
"...Pff."
"Oh? What's that? You've got some nerve laughing at my face."
"No, it's just... that face and that name... they're a deadly combination!"
"The gap is too huge."
"Hey, Princess. You're being pretty mean with that deadpan look. Seriously, you two are exactly the same as in the virtual world..."
In that case, we didn't need to hold back. I introduced myself and then asked,
"So? You've already gone back in, haven't you?"
"Of course. I didn't see any reason to hesitate."
He really had just come to see me. I asked my first real question.
"So... have you found... any information about where he went?"
I was being vague, but he understood. He looked at me with a gaze that I wished he didn't have... one full of concern.
"Zero. I have no idea."
He gave me a blunt but honest answer. I was talking about my friend, Kendy-dono, who had vanished in many ways that day.
"What about your memories?"
"...Nothing."
"Still gone."
Ashe and I both shook our heads. Kakusuke nodded quietly. He seemed to share our certainty that there was nothing we could do. The fact that the memories of Kendy-dono during the raid had been erased was terrifying, but since the virtual world itself was so mysterious, we had to accept it.
"I did try to investigate a bit."
I looked up in surprise. He continued,
"I heard a rumor that someone was really worried about him."
"..."
I stayed quiet, silenced by his serious expression.
"And... well, I failed. Not only are our memories of the raid gone, but he's completely gone too. Usually, another NPC would know where someone is, but..."
He stopped talking, his message clear. He was missing.
"I see."
"Thanks."
I thanked him for the investigation I hadn't even asked for. The friend in front of me...
"...That's just the kind of character he is."
He gave a light laugh that sounded half-forced and half-sincere. The situation was just that a game character had vanished. Some might think, So what? And in a way, that was a natural response. But I was still struggling to process the fact that my friend was gone. Kakusuke seemed to be trying to comfort me.
"He'll probably show up again soon, laughing loudly."