Progressive Factor

To the Second Boss Raid

“I’m not two-timing them!”

“It’s all right. I understand.”

“No, you don’t!”

“Don’t be so cold, Kii-boy. Remember how I took off my whiskers for you?”

“Explain.”

“You liar! I stopped you before you did!”

“Ohh? I guess you did, nya-ha-ha-ha.”

“Explain.”

“Give me a break…”

Nezha looks pleased with himself, then faces the leading pair of the group, Jaymes and Koharu, who either ignored the entire discourse or pretended they weren’t listening to not get called out. “Wait. Koharu and Jaymes, I’ve heard rumors about you two as well. You’ve been together since the game began, right? And there’s been rumors that you’ve seen Koharu in the nude as well, fresh from the bath. They say Koharu’s beauty also inspired the previous raid, and if Asuna has a commanding goddess of goddesses, Koharu is a gentle one, like a full moon at night. Actually, there’s a rumor that you Jaymes have been with another girl who fed you once befo--”

Steel rings out and is pointed at Nezha’s face. Joshua’s face is smiling, but even Asuna can tell there’s a murderous intent behind it. “You want to tell me more about these rumors?”

“...N-No.”

“Didn’t think so.”

xxxxxxxxxx

Present day

Joshua sighs and crosses his arms. “Goddesses, huh? Like the goddess of goddesses and a gentle moon? Sounds like Stacia and Lunaria to me.”

Asuna beams like she did years ago. “I guess it was fate.”

“So,” Kotone slowly says, “aside from the late night incident--which is partially true--which of those rumors are true, because I heard many as a treasure hunter.”

Kazuto crosses his arms. “At the time, none of them. It was all misconceptions. What I don’t understand is that the four of us were together, why weren’t--”

“Don’t finish that statement,” Koharu interjects sternly.

“Huh?”

“Think about what you’re going to say, and what it may sound like.”

“...Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that’s worst… Anyway, none of them were true for me and Asuna, and wouldn’t be close to the truth for another two years about us being a couple.”

Nijika sighs. “Right… So who was the girl who fed you, Joshua?”

“Hmm… If it who I thought it was, it was Sachi when she gave me and Koharu lunch one time in exchange for monster data. Well, Ko made that deal, lunch was free of charge before you took on her request.”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Whatever… You know, we’ve spoken much about us, what the heck were you three doing?”

Kotone crosses her arms. “What Keiko, Nijika, and I were doing is not important nor will be as important as four of the most popular names in Sword Art Online. my dear Crimson Warrior.”