During the drive to the Old Capital, Hachiman laid out the situation for Rosalia.
"...And so, I felt I couldn't just leave her there. I had to go pick her up myself."
"I see," Rosalia said, leaning back. "If that's the case, I suppose I can't complain."
Hachiman glanced at the girl in the passenger seat. "By the way, Max. I'm planning to make you
my personal secretary. Are you up for it?"
"Eh?! Me? The secretary to the CEO of Soleil? Are you sure?!"
Hachiman smirked. "I knew it. You applied to Soleil specifically because you knew I'd eventually
take over the company. Fine by me. But you'd better start preparing yourself for the workload."
"I will serve you with every fiber of my being! I'll work my hardest!"
Hachiman then turned his attention to Rosalia, performing a formal introduction. A very formal one.
"Max, this is Rosalia. Her real name is Koneko Bara. She's eventually going to be your superior, so
make sure you two get along."
"Hey! Why do you have to use my full name?!" Rosalia snapped, her face flushing. "Just the
surname is fine!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm the boss, so I decide what's fine."
"Wait... so 'Koneko' isn't just a nickname? It's your real name?" Max whispered, looking at Rosalia
with wide eyes. "That's... that's incredibly cute..."
Rosalia turned a brilliant shade of crimson. "W-well, I think 'Kurusu' is a perfectly cute name too!"
"Thank you, Chief Secretary Koneko."
Max paused, a thought occurring to her. "But Hachiman-sama... how did you know my real name?"
"You were stalking me at the school for SAO survivors, weren't you? You tripped one of my
security filters, so I had you looked into."
"Oh... I-I'm so sorry..." Max slumped, looking genuinely ashamed. "That was... that was creepy of me, wasn't it?"
Hachiman sighed. "It was a bit much, yeah. But honestly? I was more impressed that you
managed to find me in the first place."
"I gave it my all!"
"Right... well, let's try to channel that 'effort' into something more productive from now on."
"Yes, sir!"
"Also," Hachiman added as an afterthought, "about the nickname 'Max.' Since your name is
Kurusu, and 'Cross' is an X... I figured Mamiya Kurusu becomes M.A.X. Just thought you should
know."
Max's face lit up with pure joy. "I love it! I'm going to make all my friends in the real world call me
that!"
Hachiman immediately felt a sense of dread. "Actually, don't do that. If there are GGO players at
your school, they might connect the dots between 'Max' and 'Musketeer X' if they hear me call you
that."
"Would they really figure it out from just that?"
Hachiman thought for a moment, then remembered a report from Argo. "Nyngoro is in your grade
at the same school, isn't he?"
"He is?!"
"He's terrifyingly sharp. He'd probably figure it out in seconds. Plus, you're one of those rare cases
where your avatar looks almost exactly like your real self... except for the chest."
It was a joke, but Max took it with deadly seriousness. She leaned toward him, nearly vibrating.
"Hachiman-sama! What is your preferred bust size? Do you prefer women who are... well-
endowed, like the Flash?"
Hachiman nearly swerved the car into a ditch. He tried to keep his voice level. "D-don't worry
about things like that. Just stay the way you are."
"I see. That's a relief."
"Don't let him fool you, Max!" Rosalia chimed in, puffing out her chest. "Hachiman loves big
breasts! Just look at how he treats me!"
Max looked at Rosalia analytically. "Chief, what is your exact size?"
"At the very least, a bit larger than yours."
"Understood. I shall begin mandatory bust-enhancement exercises immediately."
(See? This is what happens when she starts bragging...) Hachiman thought, shooting Rosalia a
dry look before addressing Max.
"Listen, Max. There are plenty of women who worry about their size. You don't need to be one of
them. Just be natural."
"Yes! Understood!"
Hachiman couldn't help but ask one more thing. "Just out of curiosity... what if Koneko's chest
was smaller than yours?"
"I would have developed a bust-reduction routine," Max replied instantly.
"Does that even exist?!"
"No. But I would have invented it through sheer willpower."
"Good grief..."
Fearing for her health, Hachiman decided to lay down the law. "Max, listen carefully. I know what
you look like in the real world. Your physique is perfectly to my liking. Therefore, any attempt to
artificially increase or decrease your size, or any extreme dieting, is strictly forbidden. Your health
is the top priority. Understood?"
"CRYSTAL CLEAR!"
-------------------------------
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