Redemption Protocol: The Delegate’s Counsel
For Sora, the day passed peacefully—no strange signs or cryptic messages. For the first time in a long while, he felt calm.
Lunchtime had arrived, and to avoid running into the girls, Sora decided to retreat a few minutes early with Tomoki.
“So? Are you going to explain that bruise on your face?” Tomoki asked while eating a piece of sweet bread. “And more importantly, why are you ignoring those girls?”
Both guys had gone to their secret hideout, far from all people and noise.
Sora took a few seconds before answering. “This morning, when I woke up, I found both girls in the kitchen. Honestly, I don’t even know what happened, but the place was a complete disaster,” he said with a tired sigh. “I know they didn’t mean any harm, but I still ended up with a punch to the face and a destroyed kitchen.”
Tomoki finished eating his sweet bread, looking at Sora with an expression that mixed pity and amusement.
"So... it was a chive or something?" Tomoki asked, then let out a laugh that echoed throughout the place.
"It's not as funny as it sounds, Tomoki. I almost lost a tooth," Sora responded with an annoyed tone, though a small hint of a smile tried to peek through. "It's just that... Ever since both girls arrived, my life has changed a lot..." Sora declared while remembering every event that had happened not only with Mochi and Shiori, but also Airi and Mika.
"It's just that I'm teaching them a lesson. If I don't set a limit, tomorrow they'll burn down the entire building... They need to learn to work as a team without killing me in the process," Sora concluded without stopping looking at his juice box.
Tomoki stopped laughing and became serious, leaning his back against the hideout wall. He observed his friend in silence for a few seconds.
“I get your point, man. You want those two girls to get along before they destroy the house, right?” Tomoki said. “But you should be careful—not everyone handles silence very well.”
Sora clenched his fists slightly.
“I know…” Sora admitted with a sigh. “What worries me is that if I’m not strict now, everything could turn into a disaster later.”
"And how long do you think that wall of coldness you've built will last?" Tomoki shrugged. "What will you do if they find another guy they like? A Player 2 who doesn't ignore them, who doesn't give them this kind of lesson, and who simply accepts their punches with a smile. Are you ready to watch your guild join another game?"
Sora's mind went into total collapse. "That... that won't happen," Sora said, though his voice lacked the firmness of a guild leader.
"Not if you act in time, my friend Sora," Tomoki responded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You have to forgive them before they return home. It's awkward walking back that way."
With that said, Tomoki walked away, leaving Sora alone with his thoughts before returning to class—or facing the girls again.
While Sora struggled with his inner demons, the atmosphere beneath the tree in the central courtyard was so tense it felt like someone had cast a “Gravity x10” spell.
Shiori and Mochi were sitting under that tree. Mochi had her gaze lost on her untouched lunch, while Shiori had her laptop on her lap but turned off—for someone who lived on it, that was a sign of total collapse.
“The probability of my Tank forgiving me is low,” Shiori muttered quietly. “I’m sure he’s already removed us from his friends list.”
"Don't say that, Shiori..." Mochi sobbed, wiping away a tear. "Sora pushed us away... He never pushes us away! I feel like my HP bar is emptying with every second of his silence..."
Everything changed when Airi passed by and noticed the scene, feeling both annoyed and concerned. She crossed her arms and sighed, adjusting her glasses as she took in the absurd situation.
“They’ve been like this since morning? What happened to them?” Airi asked, confused.
Mochi looked up, eyes red, and Shiori barely closed her turned-off laptop a little.
"President!" Mochi sobbed. "Sora... Sora gave us a silent ban. This morning, because of an error in the kitchen, we critical-hit him, and now... now he won't even look at us! We looked for him everywhere, but it seems he activated his maximum-level stealth skill."
“Confirmed…” Shiori murmured. “The Tank has disconnected. My tracking system hasn’t detected him at all.”
Airi let out a long sigh and sat down next to both girls. For Sora, Airi was the bossy childhood friend, but for them, at that moment, she was the only one who had the user manual for Yamamoto Sora.
“Girls… listen carefully,” Airi said. “I’ve known that idiot since we were kids. Sora isn’t the type to hold grudges. He’s a Guardian, you know? Protecting people is in his nature… but he’s also ridiculously stubborn when he thinks something’s wrong.”
Shiori processed the words, adjusting her glasses. "Are you suggesting... he's applying a corrective patch to our behavior?"
“That’s one way to put it,” Airi nodded with a faint smile. “He’s not angry—he’s afraid the guild will fall apart without discipline. But here’s a secret: Sora’s actually very sensitive. If you stay here crying, you’ll only prove his point—that you can’t stand on your own.”
Mochi stopped sobbing and looked at Airi attentively. "So what should we do, President?"
“You have to prove you’ve changed,” Airi said, standing up and turning her back to them with a faint smile. “Show him you can be a great team. Sora can’t resist girls who truly try their best… I know that better than anyone.”
Airi’s words hit them like a spell. Both Shiori and Mochi jumped to their feet, filled with excitement.
"Understood!" Mochi exclaimed. "I'm going to prepare the ultimate redemption item! My cooking stats will not fail again!"
"Initiating trust recovery protocol," Shiori said, the gleam returning to her eyes. "Thank you, Administrator Airi. Your data has been very helpful."
After that incident, Airi watched them run off toward the home economics classroom and let out a long sigh, looking toward the place where she knew Sora was hiding.
"Yamamoto, you idiot... you're making even me have to work as support for your girls," Airi thought while feeling a small pang of envy in her chest. "I wonder if you remember our promise..."