In other words, this man monitored the state of chaos in the new VR world, as an agent of the State... or a potential scapegoat. Normally, I would feel bad if he did get fired from his position, but in reality, I thought it was highly possible. It is this unfortunate Kikuoka-shi who, having finally inhaled the last of the pudding into his mouth, looked up to reveal an innocent smile with pure bliss plastered over his face. “Yah, Kirito-kun, sorry for calling you out on such short notice.” “If you feel any remorse then you should not have called me to Ginza in the first place.” “The fresh cream here is the best. Maybe I should get a Cream Puff while we’re at it...” While wiping my hands with the citrus scented towel, I let out a sigh and said: “...and also, I don’t think you have the right to call me ‘Kirito’.” “That’s so cruel ~~ wasn’t I the first person by your side when you woke up a year ago?” ー Unfortunately, that was a fact. Waking up after having escaped that «Death Game», the first person to visit was Kikuoka, the acting home-side agent of the counter-measure team, at my bedside. Back then, I had used polite and courteous speech, as he had seemed well-meaning and genuinely concerned, but I soon realized that was not his only reason for getting close to me, and I started using a sharp tongued manner of speech. It could have been his intentions to exploit me from the start - but that might just be me over-analyzing things.