Chapter 30: Secrets

Her voice was calm, like a pool of still water without a single ripple.

On her clean, almost indifferent face, there was no surprise, no probing, and not the slightest hint of threat.

The question Kiyama Yune asked felt like something casually brought up mid-conversation — as natural as asking, “Do you want sugar in your coffee?”

The air conditioning in the NEKO COFFEE private room was turned up quite high.

Even so, that chill was pushed into a corner by another indescribable sense of dissonance.

I could feel the air slowly growing heavier.

My index and middle fingers tapped the tabletop alternately.

“…Yes, that’s correct, it’s just—”

The moment the words left my mouth, I realized I had already told the truth.

It wasn’t because I was being forced.

Nor because I had been seen through.

But the instant she posed the question, my brain felt like someone had pressed the clear button.

All my defenses, hesitation, and prepared excuses vanished completely.

“Mm, you’re surprisingly honest.”

Yune commented in a low voice, then, as if to stamp a seal of approval on this “honesty,” she turned her attention back to the croquette.

Her usual emotionless dead-fish eyes seemed to flash with a dangerous light the moment they landed on the croquette.

—Of course, that was probably just my imagination.

“Eat the croquette quickly, then confirm Yoruichi’s quality.”

“…Is there any necessary connection between these two things?”

What answered me was the familiar huff huff sound.

She blew on the croquette twice, then stuffed the whole thing into her mouth without hesitation.

Her cheeks puffed out, and her single ponytail swayed gently with the motion.

The happiness in that moment was almost blinding.

“Eat slower. I don’t want the evaluation ‘honest’ to come after ‘croquette’.”

“Mmm… mmm… But… it really… tastes so good.”

She was nearly choking from the starchy satisfaction and could only respond intermittently with sips of hot milk.

Honestly, I almost seriously considered calling an ambulance.

“Are you okay, Yune? Is the croquette… really that amazing?”

“Haa— Objection overruled.

Croquettes are an important step in the advancement of human civilization.”

She declared it solemnly.

—The KING of the N1 District.

—The creator of BHAO’s largest discussion community, the “BHAO Forum.”

A person like her had nearly been taken out by a single croquette the previous second.

If this story got out, it would probably be treated as a dark joke.

However, the slight look of dissatisfaction she gave me made me subconsciously shift my body backward, re-establishing my “psychological safety distance.”

“So… after learning that my real gender is male, you have nothing to say?”

“No.”

Her answer was crisp and direct.

“On the contrary, I think the current Yoruichi is quite cute.”

The croquette had disappeared.

Yune’s expression cooled along with it.

She returned to her initial rational, almost inorganic state, took out a white phone from her bag along with a black double-headed data cable.

“My purpose is very simple.

This is a data exchange.”

She pushed the data cable toward me.

“Please plug it in.”

“…A data cable?”

I couldn’t help frowning.

“Doesn’t this café have Wi-Fi?

Whether it’s through the plugin or messages, we can complete it using the public network.”

In this era where BHAO had nearly permeated reality,

the network had long been enhanced to handle charging, transmission, exchange, and most other functions.

In other words—

Data cables were already inefficient, troublesome, and obsolete relics.

“That won’t work.”

Yune interrupted without hesitation.

“It could be monitored.”

“…Monitored?”

I didn’t ask right away.

But my expression must have been too obvious, so she added:

“It could be hackers, or it might not even be human.

Moreover, I already confirmed before coming to this shop—there are no surveillance cameras in the vicinity.”

“…Is it necessary to go to this extent?”

Just to prevent so-called “real-world retaliation,” it seemed excessively meticulous.

“Yoruichi, don’t overthink it.”

Her tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable certainty.

“Once you see this information, you’ll understand.”

She pushed the data cable toward me once again.

I didn’t hesitate any longer.

—Not because I was convinced.

But because I realized this was no longer a question of whether to cooperate or not.

YOU GET A MESSAGE

It was the notification sound that only appeared in direct connection status.

When I opened the extremely minimalist message interface—

My doubts were shattered in an instant.

⸻

● Player 3475

(Name temporarily replaced by number)

Gender: male

— Affected by the “Collapse Catastrophe” BUG

— Replaced with lizardman virtual avatar

— Went missing 12 hours after the BUG occurred

⸻

● Player 8943

(Name temporarily replaced by number)

Gender: female

— Replaced with doll virtual avatar

— AR disguise discovered by family 6 hours later

— Contacted unidentified person in black 1 hour later

— Subsequently went missing

⸻

……

……

……

“…These are?”

The nerves under my skin felt like they had been swept by an electric current.

I could feel myself turning numb.

Close to a hundred records.

Over a hundred names.

Over a hundred different “ways of disappearing.”

“This is information I obtained from hacker channels.”

Yune’s voice remained calm.

“Even if it’s hard to accept, we must acknowledge—

AR cannot perfectly conceal ‘non-humanoid’ virtual characters.”

“…I see.”

I replied in a low voice.

No matter how precise AR was, it was only visual interference.

Touch, outline, presence—

Flaws would eventually appear.

Especially for characters that were never human-shaped to begin with.

“Some people disappeared, some chose suicide.

But the mainstream media hasn’t reported any of it.”

She paused for a moment.

“I control the BHAO forum and chose to remain silent for now.”

“…Silence, huh.”

The air felt like it had been compressed by one layer.

At this moment, I finally realized—

BHAO had far surpassed the category of a mere “holographic game.”

“So, by handing me all this—

What do you want to obtain from me in exchange?”

I picked up the mixed coffee that had just been served and took a sip.

The bitterness was heavier than expected.

Yune raised her eyes and met my gaze.

“I will provide you with a fake ‘Unknown Name Warrior’ ID.”

Her tone was steady, but carried an undeniable weight.

“You must ensure that your true identity is not exposed within the academy.”

“Yoruichi.”

“From now on, I will monitor you.”

“Until I uncover the truth of this world.”