Chapter 178: Return to the Sanctuary (Interrogation Included)

The supermarket incident leaves a radioactive fallout zone in my social life. Rina and Haruka are now united in their laser-focused suspicion of Izumi, viewing her not just as a rival cosplayer's potential handler connection (their working theory regarding Ichigo), but as a direct, personal threat who uses charming banter and suspicious ramen knowledge as weapons. Aiwa seems torn between jealousy and a quiet relief that someone else is now the primary target of Rina and Haruka's intense scrutiny. Kenji keeps asking me for Izumi's gamer tag, convinced she is his "gamer girl soulmate" (a delusion I actively refuse to encourage). Miki just looks tired. Hana has baked three dozen anxiety-reducing muffins.

My life under the "Rui Hinamata Co-Management Treaty & Ichigo Threat Response Protocol (Now Including Suspicious Gamer Girl Izumi)" becomes even more unbearable. My "scheduled access" slots are now filled with not-so-subtle interrogations about Izumi.

"So, Onii-chan," Rina asks casually during our 'Mandatory Sibling Bonding Movie Night' (which I suspect is just an excuse to keep me trapped on the sofa). "That Izumi girl. You seemed quite… comfortable with her. Have you known her long?" (Translation: How deep does this betrayal go?)

"I told you, I met her at the cybercafe!" I insist, trying to focus on the cheesy sci-fi movie explosions. "We just play the same game!"

"A shared interest in MMORPGs," Haruka muses during my 'Intellectual Stimulation and Threat Analysis' session on Thursday, examining a printout of Izumi's (presumably fake) player profile I was forced to provide. "A common foundation for… rapport. Did she discuss strategy? Or perhaps… reveal any personal weaknesses?" (Translation: Give me ammunition).

"We mostly talked about how annoying the drop rate is for Wyvern Tears!" I say, exasperated.

Even Aiwa tries to probe, albeit much more gently, during our literature project meeting (now held in the crowded, noisy cafeteria for "maximum plausible deniability"). "Izumi-san seemed… very confident, Rui-kun," she says softly, fiddling with her pendant. "Is she… nice?" (Translation: Is she a threat to our fragile, confusing connection?)

"She is okay," I say noncommittally, feeling sweat bead on my forehead. "Just a friend. From the game."

I need to escape. Again. My apartment is a surveillance state. School is a minefield. The cybercafe… it is tainted now, potentially compromised territory. But it is the only place I have left.

Driven by desperation and a critical need to grind for a new Paladin shield before the next game update, I execute a daring escape plan involving a fake dentist appointment and Kenji creating a diversion (which involves him loudly arguing with a vending machine about its life choices). I make it to the cybercafe, my heart pounding, feeling like a fugitive from my own life.

I grab my usual corner booth, pay for three hours, and log in, half-expecting Izumi's party invite to pop up instantly. But… nothing. Just the familiar 'Aethelgard Ascendant' login screen. Relief washes over me, quickly followed by a strange, unwelcome pang of… disappointment? No. Definitely not disappointment. Just… surprise. Yeah, surprise.

I dive into the game, determined to enjoy my hard-won freedom. I head to a different zone this time, the 'Sunken City of Perpetual Dampness,' hoping to avoid any "coincidental" encounters. For a glorious hour and a half, it works. Just me, my Paladin, and an unhealthy number of angry murloc-like creatures.

Then, a familiar crimson-armored Warrior appears on my mini-map, charging headlong into the same group of elite murlocs I was carefully planning to avoid.

CrimsonBladeIzumi has entered the area.

My heart sinks. Coincidence? Or has she equipped a Rui-tracking radar in her virtual gear?

A voice chat request pops up. I hesitate, then accept, bracing myself.

"Well, fancy meeting you here, Sir Rui!" Izumi's husky, amused voice fills my headset. "Slumming it in the Damp City? I thought Paladins preferred sunshine and rainbows."

"Needed a change of scenery," I grumble, watching her character effortlessly decimate the murloc pack that probably would have killed me. "Trying to avoid… certain people."

"Ah," she says knowingly. "The Goddess Guard giving you trouble again? Did you survive the supermarket?"

"Barely," I sigh. "My life is now subject to treaty clauses and potential drone strikes."

She laughs, that rich, appealing sound. "Sounds like you need better security detail. Or maybe just a better disguise." She pauses, her tone shifting slightly, becoming more serious, more probing. "So, spill it, Rui. What is the actual deal with those three? Especially your sister. That level of… attachment seems… intense. Even for siblings."

Here it is. The interrogation I avoided at the ramen shop. But here, in the anonymity of the game, shielded by avatars and headsets, it feels… different. Safer, maybe? Or maybe I am just tired of lying.

"It is… complicated," I hedge, skillfully avoiding a direct answer while simultaneously acknowledging the weirdness. "Very complicated."

"Complicated how?" she presses gently, her character now standing beside mine, idly polishing her giant axe. "Forbidden love complicated? Secret identity complicated? Both?"

My blood runs cold. How does she know?! Did she overhear more than I thought? Is she just making wild guesses based on Rina's behavior? Is she psychic?!

"W-what makes you say that?" I stammer, my virtual Paladin probably starting to sweat.

Izumi just chuckles softly. "Call it gamer's intuition," she says cryptically. "I have played enough RPGs to recognize a protagonist with a ridiculously convoluted backstory when I see one. You practically radiate plot points, Rui."

She is definitely messing with me. But her casual mention of "forbidden love" and "secret identities" feels way too close for comfort. Is she hinting at Rina's feelings? Or Aiwa's LUNA secret? Or both? And what about her own secrets?

"My life is not an RPG," I grumble defensively.

"Could have fooled me," she retorts easily. "So? Forbidden love? Yes or no?"

I panic. I need to deflect. "Look who is talking!" I blurt out, immediately regretting it. "What about you? 'Izumi Sato'? Is that even your real name? Or are you secretly some famous gamer? Or a corporate spy? Or," I lower my voice dramatically, "Ichigo?"

There is a beat of silence on the other end of the voice chat. Just the faint hum of the cybercafe. Did I go too far? Did I hit a nerve?

Then, she laughs again, louder this time, genuinely amused. "Me? Ichigo? Please. Do I sound like a guy who spends hours perfecting his 'brooding hero' stare? Besides," she adds, her voice dropping into a perfect, charming imitation of Ichigo's stage voice, "'A true knight focuses on the battle, not on idle speculation, handler-kun.'"

The imitation is flawless. Chillingly accurate. My brain does another terrified backflip. It is her. It has to be. But she is neither confirming nor denying. She is just… trolling me. Expertly.

"Okay, fine," I sigh, utterly defeated. "You win. My life is complicated. Can we just kill some virtual monsters now?"

"Gladly," she says cheerfully, her normal voice returning. "But just so you know, Rui… secrets have a way of coming out. Especially the interesting ones."

Is that a threat? A promise? Friendly advice? With Izumi/Ichigo, I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that my supposed escape has just become another battlefield, and my one "normal" friend is potentially the most dangerous player in the entire game. My sanity is hanging by a single, frayed thread.