I was changing into my shirt when I thought about the conversation I had with Nagata.
Nagata:But....have you thought about what you're doing Lea-
Sugu:Grr!
Nagata:I-I mean,K-Kirigaya!It's just so far away,and you guys'll be sleeping together and-
The thought of this pissed me off so I took my kendo stick off my shoulder and jabbed him in the stomach.
Sugu:DON'T GET ANY WEIRD IDEAS ABOUT IT YOU JERK!!!!!
He fell to his knees holding his stomach.
Sugu:Look,I made up my mind and that's that.Say "hey" to Sigurd and the others for me.See you later!
.....
Sugu:....All i'm doing is showing him the way....That's all i'm doing.
I shook my head and lied down on my bed and put on my Amusphere.
Sugu:Link Start!
Sylvain,Sylph Territory
January 21,2025
I was sitting in the tavern and saw Leafa walk in so I waved her over as Kirito logged in and appeared next to me.
Maverick:Hey,hope you weren't waiting long.
Leafa:Not at all,I just walked in.Actually,I was out shopping for gear.
Kirito:Oh,that's right.We should upgrade our equipment,too.I don't think this is gonna be enough.
Maverick:Yeah that baby sword is gonna do you no good.I still only have starter gear so i'll get some new stuff too.
Leafa:Okay.I know a good weapon shop in town.But do you have enough money?Because they are not cheap.
Maverick:Oh right,money...
I looked around the menu until I found something that looked like currency Yui informed me of.
Mavetick:Yeah we should be good.Alright,let's head out.
Kirito:Hey Yui,wake up.we're heading out now.
Yui popped out of his shirt.
Yui:*yawn*Okay.....
......
We were at the weapons shop and after we got our weapons I looked over to Kirito and started laughing while I heard Leafa chuckle a little but he didn't notice.
Kirito:What?
Maverick:You look just like back then.
Kirito:What can I say?It fits me.
Maverick:Uh-huh.....Edgelord.
Kirito:You know what?I don't even care anymore.....
I glanced at my armor did a couple stretches and gave my sword a few practice swings.
Maverick: Hm....
Kirito: We good?
Maverick: I believe so. Lead the way.
We headed towards the tower again which didn't leave good memories on me.
Maverick:Why are we here?
Leafa:Well when flying long distances,its better if you start from higher altitude.That's what the towers here for.
Maverick:*sigh*Yep.
Maverick:TRAITOR!!!
Maverick:Why...........?
We went inside the tower and Leafa started dragging me.
Leafa:C'mon!Let's go!I wanna get past the forest before dark.
Maverick:Ok.
Leafa:This way,slowpoke!
???:Leafa!
We turned around to some tall guy with henchmen.
Leafa:Oh,.....hello,Sigurd.
Sigurd:What's this I hear about you leaving the party.Is that true?
Leafa:Well......,yeah it is.
Sigurd:Do you have any idea how much that's going to upset the other members?
Leafa:You said it wouldn't be a problem if I joined only when I have time.You also said I could leave whenever I want to!
Sigurd:Yes,I know what I said.But you've been with us for awhile now.Everyone in the party knows you.If you leave us now,it's going to damage the reputation of the party.
Leafa:......
Maverick:Who cares about your reputation?
Leafa:......huh?
Sigurd:What did you say?
I walked up to Sigurd.
Maverick:You heard me,but since you must be hard of hearing I said who cares about your damn reputation?Not everyone is gonna be on your beckon and call whenever you feel like it.There not your sword and shield,your subordinate,their supposed to be your friends.Not some piece of property that you think of them as.
Sigurd:You son of a.....!I bet that big mouth of yours got you and your friend kicked out of your own territory!Let's see what you got,you piece of Spriggan trash.
Sigurd drawed his sword and was pointing it towards me.
Leafa:Okay,that's enough!These two are my new partners!So leave him alone!
Sigurd:What?Leafa,you are abandoning us?!To be a renegade like them?
Leafa:...Yes,I am.And,i'm not coming back.Ever!
Sigurd turned his attention back towards me with pure anger on his face.
Sigurd:I don't give a damn about you buzzing around my party members.But,if you think you can steal them,then that's another story!If you are stupid enough to waltz in to another races territory,then it's your own damn fault if you get killed Spriggan!
Maverick:Oh,go blow yourself.I don't think I've ever seen such an asshole before.
Henchman:This isn't the time and place Sigurd.If we gank this guy in front of all these people,we're gonna look bad...
Sigurd quickly looked around and saw everyone in the tower staring at him.After seeing this he put his sword back.
Sigurd:Once you cross our border,you better run and hide,Leafa.I've never expected you betraying us like this.But you'll regret it soon enough.
They started to walk away.
Maverick:Have a pleasant day!Make sure you don't choke on all that di-
Leafa:Maverick,please.
He stopped and tensed up before he kept going.I turned my attention towards Leafa.
Leafa:Ugh.....i'm sorry I got you two dragged into all that
drama.
Maverick:Hey,It's all good.I'm worried about you though,are you sure about this?I mean,making fun of a heavy RP guy like that is great.I've never thought I'd see a guy who fails so hard at intimidating.
Leafa:Um.....
Leafa grabbed my arm again and started dragging me again.
Maverick:H-hey!Could you stop dragging me around?!
Kirito:Guess we're going....
Top of the tower
We were at the top of the tower admiring the view looking out into the distance.
Kirito:Wow...This is an amazing view.The sky is so close.It's like I can reach and touch it.
Leafa:I know,right?Whenever I look up at that sky,everything feels so small.The timing couldn't be any better.I've been thinking about leaving for awhile now.
Maverick:If you say so,but I still feel bad because it's kinda my fault you left on bad terms with those guys.
Kirito:Yeah,this all because I need to get to the world tree.
Leafa:It's not that big of a deal.Besides,I don't think it could have happened any other way.
Maverick:By the way,what did Sigurd mean by "renegade"?
Leafa:A "renegade" is a player who abandons their territory.If you get branded as one,everyone looks down on you.
Maverick:Everyone?Man this game has some weird rules.Leafa,are you sure you're okay with that?
Leafa:Yeah,I don't really care.But I don't understand why everyone's so quick to tie each other down like that.I mean,what's the point in having wings,you know?I guess,I wanna be someone like.....you.
Maverick:Me?
Leafa's face turned slightly red.
Leafa:Well yeah.You don't really seem like the person who would settle down in one area for the remainder of this game's lifespan.You seem more like a person who craves adventure and isn't tied down by anything....
Maverick:That so?Huh.Never thought about it like that.
Yui:You humans are so complicated.
Yui popped out of Kirito's shirt pocket again.
Yui:Honestly,your psychology's confusing.Why do you act so horribly to each other,when all you want is companionship.
Leafa:What do you mean?
Yui:If it were me.....
She went up to Kirito's cheek and kissed him.
Yui:I'd do that!It's simple,straightforward,and efficient!
Leafa:....That's an amazing AI.Do all private pixies act like that?Or just yours?
Kirito:No,just mine.But she's a weirdo.
As Kirito said that he stuffed Yui back into his shirt pocket.
Leafa:I guess,you would know.All we want is companionship...huh.
Recon:Leafa!
Recon ran up to us or more specifically ran up to Leafa.
Oh boy....I don't wanna mean or anything but, this kid is annoying.
Leafa:Hey,Recon.
Recon:How could you do this?!Are you gonna at least say something before you left?!
Leafa:Oh sorry,didn't really have much time.
Recon:Oh,why did you quit the party all of the sudden like that?
Leafa:Well...I didn't really think too hard about it.I just did it.What are you gonna do though?
Recon:Leafa,it doesn't matter where you go.My sword belongs to you,and you alone!
Recon drew his dagger with pride.
Leafa:I don't need it,but thanks.
SHOT DOWN WITH AN M60!
Recon:Oh,uh.....
Maverick:Pfft!
Recon:What I meant by that was,I'm gonna go with you.Wherever.That is,i'd like to go,but,there's something that's bugging me.
Leafa:What is it?
Recon:I can't really prove anything yet,but there's a few things I wanna look into more.So,i'm gonna stay in Sigurd's party for a little longer,Hey,Maverick!
Maverick:Yessir?
Recon:She has a habit of getting herself in trouble.I'd appreciate if you keep an eye on her.
Maverick:Alright,I'll do my best...
Recon:And just to make sure,and be absolutely clear!Leafa is my-
Recon couldn't finish as Leafa stepped on his foot and he
started hopping around.
Leafa:We'll be in the neutral zone for awhile.Message me if you need anything.
......
We just started flying and Maverick started talking.
Maverick:So i'm just clarifying, he's your friend?
Leafa:Yeah.....something like that.
Maverick:Suuuurrrre.
Leafa:What did you say it like that?
Maverick:Oh,no reason.
Yui:Now there's a person's feelings I can understand.He must like you a lot!Wouldn't you say,Leafa?Do you feel the same way about him?
I started turning slightly red.
Leafa:I-I don't know!Jeez!
I turned around to look at my old home one more time which made me feel a little sad but then I saw Maverick with Kirito trailing behind him.He was smiling at me which made me feel happy.
Leafa:Hurry up guys!Let's try to make it all the way to the lake without stopping!
Maverick:Alright!
Kirito:Okay!
World Tree
January 21,2025
It was another day where I had to deal with Oberon trying to get me to give up my body to him.
Oberon:Are you afraid you're going to be corrupted somehow?Because if that's the case,you definitely need to take things a little less seriously while you're here.
Asuna:Oh,i'm not planning on staying in this cage forever.You'll see,he'll come and save me.
Oberon:Really?Who will?That hero boyfriend of yours?Goes by the name of Kirito?
Asuna:?!
Oberon:Please,you think I didn't know?His real name is Kirigaya.I met him the other day in the real word.
Asuna:......
Oberon:I couldn't believe he was one of the boys who beat Sword Art Online.It took me a second to collect myself....By the way,where do you think I met him?In your hospital room!As you were lying there,I told him I'd be marrying you next week.My god!You should've seen his face.It was like all the color was drained out of it.I could barely contain myself from laughing!Do you wanna know what I think?I'll bet you anything that brat won't have the guts to put on the nerve gear ever again!
He started laughing but stopped as he remembered something and he started mumbling.
Oberon:Of course maybe I should watch out for that other kid........
Asuna:?
Oberon:When I was telling Kirito about my plan his friend came in.I tried to do the same thing to him but the son of a bitch started beating me up.I swear if I see him again,i'll have him arrested on the spot!
The thought of who he talking about made me smirk a little.I think I know who he's talking about.And if he's talking about him,then I can expect Kirito and Maverick to come and help me.
Oberon:That reminds me,I promised Kirigaya I would send along our wedding invitation.I'm pretty sure he'll come.He's going to want to see you in your wedding dress.I know,i'm generous,the least I could do is the leave the little hero a few clams!Hahahaha!
Asuna:........
Oberon:Well,I have to get going now,I hope you don't miss me too much.
While he was opening the door I used my mirror on the bed to look at the code.
Asuna:8-1-1-3-2-3-2....9.
Neutral Territory:Ancient Forest January 21,2025
We were taking out some enemies I saw Kirito take out one while Maverick took out two at the same time as one tried to run away.I used a spell on it and got it and we regrouped.
Maverick:Alrighty then.
Leafa:Nice job!
Maverick:Thanks for the backup!
Kirito:Yeah,that backup really helped!
Maverick raised his hand I gave him a high five.I noticed our wings were getting darker signaling we have to land.
Leafa:Our wings aren't gonna last much longer,I think we should land down there for a bit.
Maverick:Alright.
We landed in a small clearing in the forest.And when we did we started stretching.
Leafa:Hey,you guys getting tired yet.
Kirito:Nope.I'm good to go.
Maverick:Yeah,this is nothing.
Leafa:Ok,tough guys.I hate to break it to you guys,but flying is out for all of us for a little while.
Kirito:How come?
I pointed towards the mountains in front of us
Leafa:You see that mountain way over there?It's above the flight limit,so we can't fly over.The only way anyone can pass is to go through the caves.It's the toughest part of the trip between South Territory and Arun,as so i've heard.I've never even been this far myself.
Maverick:Looks like we're gonna have to walk.So these caves,they long?
Leafa:Pretty long.There's a mining town at about the halfway point.It's neutral territory so we can rest there.And that reminds me,are you guys good for time until we have to get back?
Maverick:What time is it?
Kirito:It's 7 at night in the real world.Yeah,I can keep going for awhile.
Maverick:Same here.
Leafa:Cool,I can too.So let's keep going.But,since we're here we should rotate out.
Kirito:Wait,rotate?
Leafa:Yeah we take turns logging out and resting while the other keeps watch.You can't logout in the field remember?So we have to tale turns logging out.The person who stays behind guards the other's avatar.
Kirito:Okay,sounds like a plan.Lady's first...
Leafa:Okay don't mind if I do.See you guys in about twenty minutes.
Maverick:Have fun!
.......
I opened my eyes and started to head outside of my room until I remembered what I was wearing so I ran back into my room and put on some more clothes.After that I walked over and knocked on Kazuto's door.
Sugu:Hey!Kazuto!What do you wanna do for dinner?!
I got no response.
Sugu:I wonder if he's asleep.....
I was about to open his door but then I remembered last time which ended in me sleeping in his bed so I just left and went downstairs.When I went downstairs I made me some food and left some out for Kazuto and then took a shower.As I was taking a shower,I started thinking about Maverick.When I first met him, when we were talking at the inn,to when we high fived each other today.I can't wait to get back there.....Maverick....It's not that i'm in love with him or anything.Or that I have someone to go on adventures with.But it's....something else.When I adventure with him,it's like,i'm playing a whole new VR game.
.......
I looked around and saw Kirito laying down and Maverick was sitting next to him rocking back and forth.
Leafa:Hey,i'm back.Did you guys see any monsters?
Maverick:No,it's been pretty quiet.And pretty boring.
I noticed they both had something in their mouth.
Leafa:What are you eating?
Kirito:I bought a bunch of them at the shop before we left Sylvain.I don't know what they're called,but an NPC said you can only get them there.
Leafa:I've never seen them before.
Kirito passed his towards me and I caught it.I put my mouth on it and it was hot.I yelled and started coughing.
Kirito:Sorry to leave you like this,but it's my turn.Keep me safe,okay?
Leafa:*Cough**Cough*....Get out of here before I hurt you! *Cough*
Kirito left and it was just me and Maverick.And Maverick sat next to me.
Maverick:Here,this should help.
He handed me a drink and I gulped it down.When I finished it I stopped coughing.
Leafa:Thanks.
Maverick:No problem.
Maverick lied down on his back and put his hands behind his head.He didn't say anything he just looked in the sky and smiled.We didn't exchange a word but the silence felt peaceful and serene.
Kirito:All right,i'm back.
Maverick:Looks like it's time for me to logout.Watch my avatar for me Leafa?
Leafa:Yeah.
Maverick's Avatar closed his eyes and wasn't moving.
Kirito:Oh crap!I forgot to go to the bathroom!I'll be back!
Leafa:Wait!
But Kirito already logged out.
Leafa:*sigh*
I got closer to Maverick's avatar and when I turned my head I saw Yui in my face.
Leafa:Ahh!No way!You can move when your master is logged out?
Yui:Well of course, I can move!You know,i'm my own person!And for your information,he's not my master,he's my daddy!
Leafa:DaddyWhy do you call him daddy?Did he,you know,um,set you that way or something?
Yui:He didn't do anything to my settings.He saved me.He told me I was his daughter.That makes him my daddy.And he said Maverick was his brother so he's my uncle.See how that works?
Leafa:Yeah,I guess.....
Do you,you know,like him?
Yui:I'm sorry.I don't understand what you mean by "like"?
Leafa:Ar-are you serious?It...means you wanna be with him all the time,and when you're together,you get excited about being near him.Or...something like that.
I don't know why I started thinking about Kazuto.Which made start to freak out.
Yui:What's wrong Leafa?
Leafa:Nothing!It's nothing!
Maverick:You okay?
I turned around and Maverick was sitting up and was right in my face with a concerned look causing me to jump back.
Mavericm:Everything alright?You look like you seen a ghost or something.
Yui:Welcome back,Uncle!Leafa was just explaining to me what it means when someone-
Leafa:NOOOO!I said it's nothing!It's nothing!Y-you weren't gone for very long.I hope you got something to eat....
Maverick:Oh yeah my mom just finished making it when I logged out.
Leafa:Oh sweet.
Kirito:I'm back.
Maverick:You were gone?
Kirito:I forgot to go to the bathroom.
Maverick:Idiot.
Kirito:Shut up!I forgot okay?!
Leafa:Come on,let's get going.
Maverick:Lead the way....hm?
It looked like Maverick was looking for something.
Leafa:What's wrong?
Maverick:You guys ever get that feeling like someone's watching you?
Kirito:Hey Yui,There any players nearby?
Yui:No,i'm not sensing any other players.
Leafa:It's possible someone put a tracer on us.
Kirito:What the heck is a "tracer?"
Leafa:It's a kind of tracking magic.It looks like a small animal,or an insect.It will tell the caster a target's position.
Maverick:Can we dispel it?
Leafa:Sure,if you can find it.The thing is,if the caster's magic skill is high enough,the tracer can track you far away.And if the field is this size,it'll take forever to find it.
Maverick:*sigh*Perfect....
Maybe i'm just being paranoid.Let's go.
Leafa:Okay!