Sheesh, she calls this all alone in a hotel room?
Hmm?
I got dropped? How come?
I guess these things happen once in a while.
Well, as long as I wasn't out grinding, that's okay.
Whoops!
Oh, no!
Towel, towel...
Wrong password
Did I mistype it?
Wrong password
Lately, some net games, including LA, have been rife with account hacking.
The beach was on the schedule, too.
Oh, we'll need swimsuits, huh?
Everyone take appropriate measures.
I-I guess so.
Don't tell me...
I've been had!
Wrong password
So right now...
...someone other than me...
...is on as Rusian!
I thought I was giving up being a net game husband?
Ako!
That isn't me!
It's an impostor!
Ako!
Rusian...
Rusian!
I'm sorry.
That must have been a shock, huh?
It's okay now.
I'm going to have a look at your chat log, okay?
Rusian...?
Um...
What, now?
The two of us are now all alone, aren't we?
So now...
...I want to exchange some couple's chat...
Hmm...
Couple's, eh?
Right, so we're married.
Come on, after all this time, what are you talking about?
You remember the day...
...when we had our wedding in the church, right?
When I think of that day, even now, I feel enraptured!
Hey, you're already good to go, aren't you?
Huh?
Well, let's get this started, then.
Um, what?
That "couple's chat" you were just talking about.
Y-Yeah...
Y-You're being unusually assertive, aren't you?
Don't you like that?
Don't you like me?
W-Well, I...
Are you... Rusian?
Of course I am.
Do I look any different?
But... But...
Come on, what's the big deal?
Hey, I know!
Before we start, send me a pic of yourself.
Something a little sexy that I can use on my end.
Ah, I'm not too concerned about your looks, so don't worry.
Chicks that play net games are all dowdy, nerdy losers.
Please stop!
Don't say things like that using Rusian's face!
"Face" nothing...
I am Rusian.
My beloved Rusian wouldn't...
Rusian wouldn't say those things!
Ako: Pease stop! Ako: Don't say things like that using Rusian's face! Rusian: "Face" nothing... I am Rusian. Ako: My beloved Rusian wouldn't... Ako: Rusian wouldn't say those things!
I'm... sorry.
What are you apologizing for?
Ako, you haven't done a single thing you need to apologize for.
This is something that isn't supposed to happen, but in net games, it sometimes does.
Ako, you're the victim here, being pressured by the nasty chat of some troll looking to hook up...
...so you did nothing wrong.
In fact, if anyone is to blame, it's me for being so careless and letting it happen to you.
I'm... sorry.
Like I said, there's nothing to apologize for.
But...
...I called someone who wasn't you "Rusian"...
...and just for a short while...
...I thought it was you.
I tried to be careful...
...but who would have thought we'd actually have an account hacked?
You can't laugh it off when it happens to someone close to you.
When connecting from a PC that anyone could use...
...we should have been more than sufficiently cautious.
I'm sorry.
This is my fault, since I set this up.
What are you talking about?
Master, you're not to blame.
First thing to do is contact the hotel and tell them what happened.
Yeah, please do.
So what's going on now?
I arranged to have my password reset, and got my account back.
Do you know where it was that you had your password stolen?
Probably the PC in the lobby.
I see.
The first time it didn't take your password,
it wasn't because you mistyped it.
Yeah.
Huh, what do you mean?
The page that was open on the lobby PC...
...was a fake login page that looked just like the official one.
When I logged in with it, it stole the ID and password I entered,
then forwarded me to the legitimate, official page.
A classic phishing scam.
So, how bad is the damage?
Character not yet created Create a new character
You can see for yourself.
Rusian has been erased, huh?
Rusian...
Take it easy, take it easy.
It's not like I disappeared, you know.
But my Rusian is...
My Rusian is no longer there!
Hey, he's mine.
He's my Rusian.
There's nothing we can do about him being erased, but I can make a new character.
But more importantly, I have to start looking for the things that I can't ever get back.
The items that Rusian was carrying, right?
He apparently realized what I was doing, and when I went to recover my items right away...
...a number of them were already gone.
This guy works fast.
Which means that it's a contest of speed for me, too.
He's probably sold off my items...
...so I'll buy back as much as I can.
You're going to give money to a hacker?!
It's galling to me...
...but I do want to at least get back... my keepsake items.
All right.
I'll go check out the shops and markets.
It can't be helped, huh?
I'll drum up some help.
Let me reach out to some people I know.
All right, everyone go back to the PCs in their rooms and hunt for the stolen items.
Rusian, what are you going to do?
Go consult with a friend of mine who knows the most people around.
An account hack, huh?
Having your gear taken away and your character erased is a dreadful thing to happen.
For the moment,
I'm logging in using a sub-character that I created a long time ago.
Oh, and my name is Piroshiki-kun now,
but please call me Rusian.
I'm more accustomed to that.
I have to say, you were careless.
One must protect oneself.
I believe self-defense is basic to net gaming.
I understand that quite well.
So... while this might sound brazen...
...I was wondering if you'd help find my stolen items—
Okay, you got it.
Of course no.
I didn't think—
Huh?
You mean you'll help me?
Didn't I tell you before?
We're all fellow game players here.
When a fellow player is in trouble, we help them.
That's what it means to be a net gamer.
As you wish, Nekohime-sama.
Hey, guys, you heard her, right?!
In the name of Nekohime's Elite Guard, we will find the stolen items!
Yeah!!
Sieg Nekohime!
Sieg Nekohime!!
Sieg Nekohime!
I-I'm happy that you will help meow,
Sieg Nekohime!!
Sieg Nekohime!
but you don't have to rile yourselves up like that.
Sieg Nekohime!!
Sieg Neko—
Well?
Does anything look familiar?
I think that... this assortment of items were part of what was in my inventory
I see.
This seller's name is... Rontan.
Then, this is the one that hacked my account?
It's a good possibility.
I'll submit a screenshot of this to admins, as evidence.
I've already taken one.
But he's charging a pretty penny for these.
Don't worry about that.
I'll buy them back for you.
Huh?
No, you don't have to go that far.
Let me do this.
It will help alleviate some of the guilt I feel.
Master...
You have mail.
It's from Cloud, of Nekohime's Elite Guard.
That's...
Attached item
Pair ring
...the ring I gave you, Rusian!
Apparently, he got it after slaying a monster.
It must have been thrown away, since it couldn't be sold, and that monster picked it up.
"Thrown away"?
How mean!
Indeed, it's mean.
But as a result, it came back to us.
This is a minor miracle.
Yes, it is!
This is the power of our love at work!
What are you talking—
You're right.
Staff Room
Well then, please excuse us.
Nishimura-kun...
I know that what happened may be a shock...
...but don't let it get you down too much, okay?
The school during summer vacation sure is a quiet place, huh?
Thanks for coming with me to explain what happened to the school.
Don't worry about it.
It happened during a club camp.
As club president, it's only right that I accompany you.
Master... I am...
...so upset by this, it surprises even me.
Naturally.
You had your items stolen...
...and the character you were so attached to erased.
That, too...
...but... even worse than that,
I can't stand that he posed as Rusian and talked to Ako like he did!
He stole Rusian.
And for a short while, he stole my Ako, too!
One of the drawbacks of net relations...
...is not always being able to confirm who someone is.
If you can take someone's account from them... it's easy to become someone else.
All the more so in net games.
Who knew the ties we had to each other...
...were so fragile and insecure.
You think so?
Huh?
Ako knew that Rusian was someone else from only a conversation in print.
How deep a relationship do you have
where someone else's identity can be determined from that tiny bit of communication?
I think it's safe to say that proves how solid your ties are.
It looks like you're starting to cheer up a little.
Yeah!
But as a result,
I want to get this bastard that much more!
I see.
I was out for blood right from the start, myself.
Huh?!
What do you mean, the admins aren't budging?!
We've got someone selling the stolen items as a set!
I don't care how you cut it, that guy's the culprit!
The guy who did the hacking had an IP that doesn't match Rontan, the one selling the items.
IP?
An IP...
...is a little like a personal number that everyone who connects to the net has set for them...
Net
...and if you do something bad, it can be used to identify you, and catch you.
Until we can identify them as being the same person,
we can't accuse them of any crime.
He probably normally plays the game from home...
but when he does account hacking or other dicey stuff, I'll bet he uses some other IP.
So what, we just smile and wave?
Please excuse me for interrupting you while you are talking.
The Black Magician!
I've discovered some somewhat bad news.
Would you take a look at this URL?
"LON's Scam Blog"?
LON's Scam Blog
What is this?!
The blog of a famous swindler who runs scams on all sorts of games.
He jokes about when he hacked your account on there, as well.
Damn it!
Screw that [oink] bastard!
I'd like to mash the [oink] out of that guy!
Hey... it's not printing those words in the chat window.
This guy really is a nauseating piece of [oink].
He's a show-off miscreant who can't help...
...but announce his misdeeds, huh?
There are lots of these types on the net.
On top of which, he also apparently dabbles in RMT.
Though he seems to be careful enough not to get caught.
RMT?
You don't know what that is, either?
Real money trades...
...is the act of exchanging in-game money or items for real-life cash.
In LA, it's against the terms of service.
That's it!
It sounds as though you had an idea.
I'm not sure whether it will work or not...
...but we might be able to at least catch that swindling bastard!
Nishimura is making us cook something like this up?
If this doesn't work, he'd better say his prayers.
I sure am sleepy...
I've been up overnight three days straight, after all...
Not to mention I'm getting hungry....
Huh?
Sounds like someone's here...
Yes, yes, I'm coming!
I just droppe—
Why did you close the door?!
Geez, what kind of treatment was that?!
Sorry, it was just reflex.
Your wife has come to the family home...
...so you might offer her a warm welcome, you know.
Wait, you're not my wife anymore, right?
Huh?
I mean, the moment Rusian vanished, our marriage was annulled.
We're divorced?!
You... didn't realize that?
Rusian disappearing was such a shock to me.
I can't believe we're not married now.
H-How could that phony Rusian do something like this to me?!
Who knew he was such a villain?!
It took you long enough to get angry!
Which means that right now...
What is our relationship, Rusian...?
Uh... friends?
No way...
Um...
...if we're no longer a married couple...
...then is this... no longer welcome?
Whoa!
I don't know exactly what it is you're up to...
...but you are working so hard...
...I thought I would make you something.
I was wondering what I would do about lunch!
Thanks!
All right, after I eat this, I'm ready for the final stretch!
Um...
Hmm?
I know that you're working hard...
...but please don't overdo it, okay?
Rusian, having you stay well...
...is the most important thing, after all.
Ako, of all the things you have ever said, that was the most wife-like.
"The Wanna-be-Famous Swindler's Blog."
I get an email from someone saying they found a blog better than mine,
and when I take a peek to see what it's all about,
what kind of cheap knockoff do I find?
From the Nekohime's Elite Guard membership fee collection scam...
...to swindling the Black Magician out of rare items...
This guy's not too shabby.
There's even a trading board here.
"Seeking RMTs in LA," huh?
These rates aren't half bad.
It's just about time.
Is everything ready?
No problem.
All right.
Let's get started!
Roger!
Target confirmed!
The character's name is Shoko.
"Shoko" is even more ridiculous than "LON."
Trade Request
Decline
Accept
The mission is proceeding to Phase 2.
Plan N, start!
Roger!
What's happening with Plan N?
Waiting for the admins to respond.
Another 30 seconds.
Master, how long?
Another 15 seconds.
He's not going to wait much longer!
Hold on.
A little longer...
Okay, there they are!
I am the Game Master Nyack.
Do you know why the two of you were transferred here?
The administrators...
...have received word that the two of you are engaging... in RMT activities.
What do you mean—
Yes, we are.
Huh?!
This person contacted me on a trading board...
...and was indeed about to engage in RMT with me.
You... set me up?
You're the one who set me up first.
Don't tell me... you're that guy...?
Still, what does an attempted RMT where no money changed hands prove?!
At most, it warrants a one-week account lockout, right?
No.
You have...
...also been accused of account hacking... via the character "Rontan."
Rontan?
Who cares about him?
Based on the IP submitted from the trading board...
...we have determined that you have committed illegal access violations...
...and are considering filing charges.
You can't buffalo me!
There's no way a site that dirty is going to turn IPs over to any administrator!
Or so you thought, and that's when you got sloppy.
Huh?
It was my site that I put up three days ago.
What are you talking about?
That site has posts going back for years.
Man, was it ever a lot of work, fabricating several years worth of authentic-sounding posts!
You... don't mean...
...you faked an entire site just to set me up?!
What are you, an idiot?!
You wasted that much time just to trick one person?!
Maybe I am.
Still...
Don't think that after you made my wife cry...
...you weren't going to pay!
So the reason you all stayed up nights was to make that fake site?
Yeah.
We have him logged responding to that trade request from home, not knowing it was a trap.
Rontan
Write Logs
Illegal Access
Then, he showed up as the character Shoko for the deal.
Shoko
Whenever he did anything dodgy, he was careful to use a separate IP.
Including, of course, when he hacked my account.
The admins took the gracious step of locking Rusian's—
I mean, Piroshiki-kun's account for three days for an attempted RMT.
I was ready for a much stricter punishment, though.
Not to mention that they also restored Rusian's character.
Yay! Yay! Yay!
Ah, that Nyack guy is seriously hot.
That means that my Rusian is coming back, right?
All's well that ends well.
No, there's still one last matter remaining.
Ako.
I know it's late to bring this up now, but when my account was hacked, I was honestly shocked.
It seemed like just by having someone else get on as Rusian,
the relationship that you and I have was also being taken away.
I don't ever want to go through that again.
I want to be closer, closer to you than before.
So...
...would you like not Rusian, in the game,...
...but me, in real life, just a little bit more?!
It's impossible.
After all... I can't like you a little bit more...
...because I already...
...love you so much now!
I thought if we stayed over, we would get along better?
After what happened, I came up with a foolproof anti-hacking measure.
What is it?
We just have to buy out the whole hotel!
You can't do that.
Then we'll buy up the net circuits!
You can't!
Even better, the admin team!
Stop it!