The Survival Logs || Sword Art Online Fanfic

PK Pandemonia Arc: Chapter 77 - Needless Debate

To be fair, the Roofpost itself presented a silent environment, except for the blowing winds, for one to listen to even a decibel of sound traveling through the cool, nightly air. It honestly wasn't hard to pick up on anything, especially when any sound around you seems to be amplified by a loudspeaker anyway.

Including the voice of Kira, as she went to welcome us again.

"Let's just continue where we left off."

"Then I'll start off with something that you might really want to hear," I gestured Kira back to the ledge. "Particularly, Kyozo's message for you."

Kira's back stopped as she paused her stroll back to the ledge.

"I'm listening."

"It's a simple message, really," I walked past her to treat myself to the view from the ledge. "He's worried about you. Thinks you can't take this burden of taking down Katalysis yourself."

Kira, without a tinge of hesitation, walked up beside me on the ledge and stared straight at me.

"Do I look like the type to give up on this mission at all? How long did you think I have lasted in this city until now?"

It wasn't a question of how long one can survive being in a city full of orange players. That felt like taking a leisure stroll in a park.

The tightrope walking begins the moment you join the Council itself. Falling off that tightrope results in devastating consequences. I could really imagine how such a domino effect would play out.

"Long enough," I gave my reply. "I'm simply passing on Kyozo's concern to you. But to be honest, I have my worries as well."

The usually bright-faced Rakuno sat down by the ledge on my right side, seemingly without anything to say to Kira.

"Someone has to take down this place from the inside, Xana," Kira faced herself to the view of the city. "And that will be me. When this infiltration succeeds, Kyozo will thank me when I return to him."

"......'When', huh......"

The keyword that caught my ear left my lips carelessly into the winds.

"I wonder about the success rate of your infiltration, though. You're confident about it."

It felt like I was giving her an interview, but I don't think any amount of interviewing could put me at ease, despite her optimistic attitude.

Kira's stare continued its sight onto me. "Are you not convinced of my capability to make this success a reality?"

"No, I'm not, actually."

The owner of those words stood up and walked passed me. In fact, before I could even decide to reply, Rakuno was already staring Kira eye-to-eye.

My desicion swiftly changed to letting Rakuno take the reins in the conversation. The amount of concern I had for Kira's undercover mission seemed to be at a considerable level, but I bet Rakuno had more than just that.

"I'll be honest. I think you'll be busted by the Council before KoB's invasion starts."

She couldn't be any more direct than this. Of course, I did agree with her claim, but shoving that pessimistic possibility into Kira's face never seemed to be a good idea to me in the first place.

As I leaned over slightly across the ledge to see Kira face Rakuno without ever so much of changing faces, I turned back to the view of the city discreetly while refraining to say another word.

I knew better than to interrupt a debate between individuals with talkative tendencies. As long as they can settle stuff out peacefully, I'm all in on the waiting-for-the-conclusion game.