A woman stepped inside. Tailored charcoal-grey pantsuit, blazer buttoned tight over curves that screamed gym membership and diplomatic immunity. Black heels heels so sharp they probably had a kill count.

"Tsk, tsk… We're not terrorizing high school girls again, are we, Morozaki?"

Morozaki spluttered. "N-No, ma'am."

The woman turned to Akari, smiling like she just found a new favorite niece. "Ara, ara… You must be Kondo Akari. Poor thing. I'm sorry you had to deal with him."

She jabbed at Morozaki like he was expired yogurt.

"My name's Yuriko Hoshikawa," she added, sliding into the chair across from her. "National Security."

With a single snap of her fingers, Morozaki went rigid. "I'll… uh, handle the paperwork, ma'am."

They were soon alone in the studio apartment.

Yuriko leaned back, legs crossed.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, you'll be home tonight," she promised.

Akari almost asked for a hug.

"But... about your crush. Kenji Nakamura, right?"

"I-I don't like him anymore," Akari blurted.

Yuriko raised an eyebrow. "Mmm-hmm."

She snapped her folder open to reveal a black case file stamped IRIS-EXTERNAL-OBSERVATION #0549. Inside, a photo of Kenji, walking into a glowing portal like an idiot with zero survival instincts.

Baka…

Subject: Nakamura Kenji
Timeframe: Two Days Before Initial Disappearance
Incident: Accidental Reactivation of Legacy IRIS Node
Risk Level: Delta-Level Breach
Containment Recommendation: Hunt and Kill On Sight

Yuriko put the file back before Akari could finish reading.

"So, do you wanna join us for a summer internship? Top-secret fieldwork. Flexible hours. Government badge. Full dental. And… you'd be helping us bring Kenji back from the fantasy world he glitched himself into."

A summer job?

"He's really in another world?"

Yuriko nodded. "Yep. He's trapped in IRIS, or, Infinite Reality Integration System. Started as military tech, now a self-evolving virtual world. Nobody knows how it mutated."

She tapped the photo.

"If we don't pull him out soon… We may have a Delta-level Breach situation. Foreign governments won't let this one slide."

A Delta what?

"But I'm just a normal girl! You really think I can help?”

"As soon as you reached him, his signal stabilized. It seems you're his last anchor to the real world," Yuriko explained. "Plus, you're top of your class, except for gym."

"I have asthma, okay…” Akari blushed. “And what if I say no?"

"We send you home, memory-wipe style. You'll never know if you could've saved him."

Akari remembered Kenji's goofy smile, the dumb jokes, and the tired eyes he tried to hide. The way he always made everyone feel less alone.

"I… I want to bring him back," she whispered.

I'll probably regret this.

"That's my girl." Yuriko sprang up, checking her smart-watch. "Welcome to the IIRD. I'll drive you home."

Akari frowned. "IIRD?"

Yuriko closed her eyes from second-hand embarrassment. "Ugh…"

"Isekai'd Idiots Recovery Division. Don't ask me how the acronym stuck."