[Chapter 31 {I}]
==========================
[ °●8th of January, 2026●°]
==========================
"THUMP-"
"CRACK-" I slammed the door of the wooden cottage with the force of a hundred men.
"ASUNA! KIRITO!"
"BlEEerghh! Shi- daMN!" The swordsman turned to me frustrated, "AKASHI TORIYU, IT'S 9 A.M! DON'T JUST COME BARGING IN HERE WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT!" Kirito scolded, absolutely enraged at my sudden arrival and lack of manners. So once again, more morning drinks spewed out from his mouth. The chain of ruined breakfasts continues everlastingly.
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, THEY'RE ALMOST HERE!"
A fork blasted through the kitchen door with a thundering sound, resulting in my instincts taking their course as I dodged.
"WOAH-HEY!"
The fork went right past the skin of my teeth, missing my head by only a few.
I held on to the wooden bearings and backed away from the door going outside, fear struck me as I almost lost an eye. It trembles me.
"You should've at least mentioned you were coming, Akato~" Sticking her forehead and eyes out of the kitchen door, Asuna gave me a devil's glare.
Uh-oh, it's the berserk WIFE!
Oh right, how unfortunate that I need to talk to her.
"Asuna, for all that is pure and holy, hear me out. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I need you to cook for me a whole party's worth of food as fast as you can."
"Hm?"
With her anger dying down upon hearing my words, a group of fairies landed shortly at the front of this snow-ridden lakeside cottage.
The first to come in was the orange-haired tank, his armour unequipped for easier comfort.
Wait, is that a... it's stuck on his head?!
"Mind telling me why there was a fork shooting out of this door?" Jun looked at me annoyed, pointing at the deep, deep hole on the centre of his forehead.
"T-That's my fault... ehehe... sorry..."
"Mmh..." Taking it out, he spared me for now. The scar healed almost instantly, given that we were in the safe zone.
Those who came after him were Talken, Nori, Siune and Tecchi.
"Pardon us~"
"Ah, you all must be the Sleeping Knights! Welcome!" Asuna's hospitality greeted the guild, a cheery smile carved on her face.
Wow, talk about a two-faced personality. Way to go with hiding your attitude, Asuna.
You just won an Oscar.
Kirito seemed to have changed his tone too, inviting them all inside to take a seat. Yui was sitting on top of his head, sleeping. I see, I just noticed she was there. What's up with these pixies and their sleeping habits? Scorchy has been sound asleep for an hour now too.
"Come in, and congratulations on yesterday's victory!"
"Thank you! Akato promised to set up a celebration with the best dishes he could find for us. To compensate for being late to the raid that is~" Nori rubbed the back of her head, sharing a gaze with the house owners. She's just making it painfully clear that it was my idea to bring them here.
I knew I should've told those two that I would be inviting people over to their place, but I was getting sleepy so fast that I logged off and slept with the Amusphere still on my head last night.
"You must be searching for a chef then, you're in luck!" The undine maiden revealed herself. Her hair was glistening in lake blue, paired with an apron fitting for the occasion.
The top beauty of SAO and ALO.
"Your local S-Class Chef, Asuna, at your service!"
SHE'S PULLING OFF A MAID AESTHETIC?! HAH!
"Pff-pff---"
"Shutty, please." Kirito once again warned me not to laugh or else our death looms nearer.
The last person to have come in through the door took her time to scan the house. Feeling a sort of nostalgia with the way her eyes lit all corners of the room.
"Waaahhh~ this place is so comfyyy! I love the atmosphere, it's so peaceful... it reminds me of the garden!" Yuuki clasped her fingers together, expressing her wonder to the couple.
"We're glad you like it. Please, take a seat. My wife will prepare the dishes."
"Aw~ so you two are married?" Siune light-heartedly adored.
"Y-yes. We are."
"They couldn't stand to stay away from each other." I jested, "Every day their love blossoms more and more. Almost everyone in ALO would be jealous of them sooner or later."
"Eheh..."
[The End of Chapter 31 {I}]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[Chapter 31 {II}]
The guild, myself, and Kirito had a warm drink before the food was ready. It's a great refresher for this quiet morning. I, for one, needed this, especially after all of yesterday's events. Ah... nothing beats a good tea for the right occasion.
I decided to tell everyone the reasoning behind my sudden disappearance, to tie the knot in their minds. It's a rather lengthy explanation, but it's quite overdue.
They sat in front of Kirito and me, holding their cups.
"I got a message from Kirito yesterday after going on a grinding session with Yuuki," I clarified, looking at the swirling flow of mild brown tea in my white decorated cup served for me. "He went to see the General not long after I logged back into ALO from passing out in-game."
Kirito continued for me, "The initial plan was to discuss with him regarding his match with Akato. As you all know, this guy right here is the Lieutenant of the Salamanders, a prideful, reckless, boastful-"
"They get the picture."
"-annoying and unreasonable high-ranking personnel within their ranks. He was, and I quote: 'sworn to the salamanders' due to his high status." He persists to finish his sentence despite my given point.
"Now you see, everyone in this game is allowed to challenge a boss at any time they wish so much so as they followed the game etiquette, whoever reaches first gets to challenge. If they are busy preparing, they must give the prepared parties to go in first or form a raiding party together. The General, however, was against the idea of having one of their kind aid other parties in sieges or boss battles, thinking that it's a sort of an act of treason for betraying the army..."
"Well, that doesn't sound fair." One of the members tilted their head.
"I was using my Alt-Account at the time, as Yuuki and Siune have seen. This was rather convenient given that the salamanders would recognize me better since I... well, once won a duel against Eugene with it."
Heh.
(When Leafa had a crush on ya, right?) I raised an eyebrow subtly. He only needed to glance at my face for a moment to understand exactly what I was thinking without even saying a word.
(Let's not talk about that) He replied, giving body language signals for me to interpret.
"Some of them noticed me and knew who I was, so they gave out all the info I needed..."
The party members nodded, listening carefully.
"They were rallying up mid to high-level players, making full use of the in-game social networking between players currently within Floor 20 and above. The markets were empty, guild bases were vacant, and the streets were lacking any customers."
He held his chin, going deep into college presentation mode. "I thought to myself, 'This has to be a raid.' but it just couldn't be. It's too early in the month for anyone to be prepared. Plus, we're nowhere near the scheduled 'Raid Time' the front lines had agreed upon. Long story short, there were a few weeks left before any of this would've happened."
OH, SO THAT'S WHY THE INN WAS ABANDONED!
Whew, thank god. If more people saw me and Yuuki in that predicament, I would've gotten the nickname Crimson Pervert for sure.
I'm hands down grateful for that!
He proceeded, "I also happened to persuade them enough to tell me who was the man behind the rally, and obviously, it was General Eugene. My guess is, he was most likely less than pleased to have lost a fight with an underling and had his legendary sword thrown out to god knows where."
Yuuki giggled to herself, "I saw it fall all the way down to the woods in Alfheim, must've taken hours for him to find that. Hah!"
"Serves him right!" I joked. The Imp and I shared finger guns, like toddlers making fun of the fat kid in school.
Kirito ignored our childishness, "What better act of revenge than to destroy your enemy's hopes, right? So, the man decided to ruin your plans by going for the boss first and eradicating all of you in the process."
"And FAILED! Up top!" She continued to bully with a smile on her face. I stood up and received her high five, likewise.
"Clap!"
"YEAH!" We rejoiced.
This is FUN! I should start mocking selfish people more!
"Despite his ego, he knew Akato would be there to stop him. For sure. Eugene is well aware that he's a force to be reckoned with."
I smugged,
"He even went so far as to call out Sumeragi for help, and with that undine's vendetta against both Yuuki and Akato, he accepted. Having caught wind of all this, I informed Akato through a message immediately, and that's when he had to leave."
I decided to continue the story from there.
"I was really upset knowing a whole army was about to cancel our raid, especially by force. Even though we could have tried next time, I still feel responsible for the problems I've caused and wanted to amend that."
The friends before me lowered their eyes and sighed silently, worried if I still blamed myself for risking it all.
"I met up with Kirito, and he told me to scout around the exterior base of the dungeon to the boss room. After a while dashing here and there, searching for the main raid party-"
"-We found the backup party instead. Fifty people, seeming to be around mid-level. After a good fight, I managed to stop them all from giving support to the frontlines." Kirito stated after cutting off my explanation, revealing the truth.
"Wait, didn't Akato take the backup party out? At least, that's what he said to the General."
He turned his head towards me, "Dude, you gotta be kidding me."
"I needed to find a way to make them panic, geez. Plus, it's not like you're the only main character in this universe." I looked at him slightly irritated.
I resumed ahead, "Having him handle those guys, I went into the dungeon. Some scouts noticed I was coming and quickly informed the General. I'm willing to bet that after being informed, he then told everyone about how to surround me when the battle starts. Hence, how they made a circular barrier so accurately while the two leaders healed themselves. I silently tailed them from behind, careful to not grab attention. Then, when they stopped, I made my way to the front as fast as I could with a sword skill release. The rest is history."
"Oh, oh, oh, question! Question!" Yuuki raised her hand, containing her excitement.
"Haha, yes, Miss Konno?"
"Eh?"
"Wait, WHAT?!" The guild was abruptly taken aback by my response, shocked in sync.
"D-Did I say something?"
Jun leaned forward, "How did you know-"
"Oh riiiiiight~" the Imp looked away pressing her fingers, "I sort of... accidentally told him my real name when we went star-gazing..."
"Star-gazing? Do you mean after the mini-boss? What on earth lead to that conversation?!"
"I was nervous talking to him, alright! Give me a break! I couldn't get my head straight and it just, SLIPPED!" She confessed, forcing her point across while squinting her eyes and shaking her arms.
"Hehe~." I decided to tease her. "No wonder you had an 'uh' in the middle of your sentence. That's when you realized you accidentally said your name, didn't you?"
-===============================-
==Flashback, Chapter: Vivid Dreams==
" Yuuki Konno, Absolute Sword, it's my uh... real name."
-===============================-
"HEY!" The swordswoman shouted as her cheeks turned red.
"Ooohhh, so she's like Asuna!" Kirito pointed out carelessly.
"HEY!" His wife shouted from the other side of the wall.
"Sorry!"
"Sorry!"
"Asuna used her real name for her avatar?" The Imp asked, somewhat glad she wasn't the only odd one out of us all.
"Yeah, I was a bit sceptical about it at first. But after attempting to find where she is in the real world, it so happens to be the truth." he continued.
"Ah~ That's nice to know." She sighed.
Siune gave a worried gaze at her guild leader, followed by every other member. Yuuki then peered at them in response, giving a soft but bitter smile.
As if she's... saying 'Sorry... It's okay, don't worry.'
I wonder why?...
"About the question!" She pressed forward at a moment's notice.
"Yeah?"
"What was that, by the way? Remember when the two of you arrived to save us? You were giving off different vibes! There were glowing eyes and everything! How did you manage to best an entire army just like that?! Didn't you at least hesitate?"
"T-That, right. Um..."
I looked over at him and even he doesn't know what to say.
"To be honest, we don't know how... exactly?"
"Aww, whaaaaat?!" The guild gave a disappointing stare.
"Come on now, I can't even explain it myself. Even if I tried, it wouldn't make much sense without some gaps. It has always been a difficult topic."
"Well, you've got our attention, so no turning back now!"
Yuuki... haih...
"Um... We both had these experiences, you see. Where sometimes we get into this state of mind where everything is hyper-amplified. It's often triggered when a certain level of concentration is put into an act, factored by the current condition we were in at the moment."
"Condition?" Tecchi raised a brow.
"Yes, some conditions tend to be high-risk situations. This of which, in turn, puts a strain on one's emotions. From what we've experienced, we concluded that it's tied to what we were feeling. The stronger the emotion or desire, the more likely we find ourselves within that state of mind."
"I thought you said you don't know much about it." Talken shook his head.
"I get why it happens, I don't understand necessarily know how it happens." I clarified.
Kirito gave his two cents, "This occurred time and time again in the past, but we can't seem to figure out an agreeable name for this phenomenon. To summarize, we believe it happens whenever we are in a pinch and feel strongly about a certain goal."
"Pardon me if I'm getting this wrong, by 'emotion', you mean anger and grief?" Siune gave a question.
"Something like happiness, maybe?" Yuuki followed.
"Exactly like anger. There's no denying that I was fuming when I saw Sumeragi and Eugene's faces amongst the army. All I could think about was to tear their faces off and get everyone into the boss's room. My emotions then led to me unknowingly harnessing this nature when I needed it the most."
"As for me, I was under the impression that I was tasked to protect and assist. I saw how desperate Akashi was to save all of you, and it was rather contagious. I suppose I felt strongly about the current situation, which allowed me to obtain it as well."
Having something in her mind, Yuuki asked: "Uh, so..."
"Yeah?"
"If you have a feeling strong enough, you can do impossible things in the Virtual World, right?"
"Precisely. Other than having glowy eyes, people who achieve this state of mind find themselves doing things one is normally unable to. Think of it as some foreign system breaking the natural order of the game. Sumeragi and Eugene showed signs of doing so aside from us, and they have proven to be much more of a challenge than before. Though, perhaps it's their sense of pride and greed that allowed them to muster a feeling strong enough to do so."
"I see, so is that how you were able to use that locked Extra Sword Skill of yours? The Dia-thingy?" Yuuki expressed her curiosity.
It looks like she's paying incredibly close attention!
"Indeed, that seems to be the case. I have to mention however that it's not quite something you can activate any time you want. There were many instances where I've tried to force it out, but it happens when it happens."
The guild nodded again, fully immersed in my explanation.
"Sumeragi ended up resisting to die when his health reached zero, Kirito achieved ludicrous speeds beyond the human eye, and Eugene magnified his heavy attacks exponentially. I, on the other hand, managed to gain temporary access to sword skills I don't have as well as having complete sensory awareness on the battlefield."
"That's so cooooool~!" Their eyes lit up.
"Last but not least, we have that one other person to talk about." I resumed with eyes pointing towards the next subject.
"Huh, who?" She tilted her head.
"You, dummy."
"W-what?"
Everyone now stared at her proudly, eyes narrowed.
"Your act of pure courage augmented your reflex and speed, your sword summoned lighting with every strike, and you became a spear sent down by the heavens. Your absolute style sent shivers down my spine."
"Yuuki, you've achieved higher transcendency beyond any of us."
"..."
She was speechless.
Her lips were shaking... her breathing was heavy.
There was stuttering in her words.
"I'm not... I'm nothing compared to Aik-"
"!!!"
Nori grabbed her arm, the knights changed their nature the instant her lips formed a familiar word. Worried, confused, careful, these were all that I could make sense of their faces.
Having snapped out of it, she couldn't end her sentence.
... No, she couldn't say a word.
...
Everyone is silent.
"Um."
"READY!" The kitchen door sprung open. There she came, the maid with her servings on both palms carried our meal to the table.
"Bon appetit!" The chef laid them smacked on the wooden surface.
"Here's the dish you've all been waiting for, something none of you will ever expect! The works of a max-level cooking skill player:"
She pulled the lid hiding the result of her hard work, and what lays underneath brought Kirito complete euphoria.
"IT'S RAGOUT RABBIT STEW, LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!"
Everyone was awed. Creamy and thick, dense in quantity and top in quality. The fresh and cooked meat was gourmet down to the last drop. Its spices and decorations were displayed professionally by hand.
"Wait, wasn't this the dish you had her cook for you in SAO?" I asked Kirito, remembering that one time he sent me a full-on essay about how good it felt to eat this godsend of a meal with his best partner.
Before I even finished asking, he had already taken a spoon and had the first taste.
His cheeks must've melted while his tongue ravaged all parts of his mouth, seeing the face he was making.
The others were dumbfounded at the husband's immediate reaction, and moved closer to see the detailed and perfected Gordon Ramsay-esque dish.
The smell got into their nose holes, pulled on their heads and shot itself right into their brains. The serotonin output skyrocketed beyond reason.
The joy and cheer returned to their faces as lips began to water.
"Meat!" Nori joyed.
"Alright!"
"Dig in!"
What a relief, the mood had returned with a stroke of luck. Asuna has done it again, reliable as ever.
I can't help but wonder, however, what was that?
I feel restless, I want to know what's going on with them.
"Akato, dude, you've got to try this." Kirito nudged my shoulder.
"Oh, r-right..."
I took the spoon readied for us and got some of the rabbit meat, flooded with buttery yellow liquid pouring off as I held it up towards my mouth.
With a simple breath, I gave it a taste.
...
"Hey, this tastes really go-"
[The End of Chapter 31 {II}]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[Chapter 31 {III}]
"BRuuuaaAaaauuugh!" Yuuki and I burped god-awfully loud out of tremendous satisfaction.
"Bruauugh-! Ah..." I ended mine with extra rainbows flowing out of my mouth into the atmosphere.
"Ahhh~ I want Asuna for myself~!" Yuuki says dazing her head around. Her cheeks were red in ecstasy.
Asuna chuckled with her back against the door to their bedroom, locking Kirito inside so that he doesn't accidentally take too much or finish the whole thing himself.
It's our celebration, not his.
"Asuna, sweety, let me out. Please."
"If you're planning on coming by here as often as Akato, then I'll cook for you as much as you want, Yuuki!" The maiden insisted, ignoring her husband.
"Really?! That's so nice of you! Tha-" She stopped mid-sentence, "Oh... hah. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
"Hm? Hey, is something wrong?" I asked her, concerned.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all."
Mm?
...
Now, I'm no stranger to this.
I have a sister. She's been in and out of relationships more times than the average girl should. I know a thing or two about noticing if something was wrong, especially with girls. Yorozu could take care of me, so I have to know how to take care of her too.
Over the past year, I've been keen on seeing someone's change of behaviour a lot. At present, from my observations, Yuuki's not doing any better.
"The food tastes delicious! It's unlike anything these taste buds have ever enjoyed. Thank you, Asuna." Tecchi gave his appreciation, feeling content that I kept my end of the bargain.
"This is definitely worth the trouble, I wouldn't have any other way to celebrate our victory!" Talken matched his guild member.
I looked over my shoulder, glaring at the chef. Her quick mind took a second to notice, and she nodded subtly after figuring out my unspoken words.
(If you don't mind, can I have a moment with everyone?) I signalled.
(Yes, of course!)
"You're all welcome! If you'll excuse me, I have some stuff to work on. I'll be back later, call me whenever you need me!"
She twisted the doorknob behind her and went inside, responding to my request.
"Are you letting me out?" The captured man plead.
"No."
The door shuts.
"I've been meaning to ask..."
The guild averted their eyes to me.
"I know I said I didn't really want any sort of payment for helping you..."
Siune gasped, "D-did you change your mind? We can give you the loot and money from the boss drops if you may!"
"No, no. That's not it, keep them. You see..." I looked away, embarrassed to even admit this while keeping a straight face.
"Well, I've... gah- I've had a lot of fun being with you, all of you."
The members widened their eyes.
"In all my years of gaming, I've never really had friends that sort of clicked with me. Kirito, Asuna and their group, sure, I am friends with them. I'm close to a few of them, actually... Although...-" I tilted my head more and more as I spoke. Then began to suddenly blush rapidly. "-they were, "Kirito's friends", you see. I never really approached any of them and neither did they, at least without the help of Kirito himself."
I looked down, expressing the reality I'm faced with the group I've associated myself with the most.
"They all knew me as a good friend of the Black Swordsman at first, except for a few of them. To begin with, I don't have the best first impression in their eyes. It only got worse once the PTSD issues started kicking in, and... they became afraid."
The guild casts sympathy towards me as I continued.
"It hindered me from making a genuine connection between them. They came to accept it soon, don't get me wrong, but it took them a while."
"I felt the sense of fear and dishonesty behind them, even though it's proven time and time again that they mean well and wish for me to get better... They didn't have to say anything, but I know it'll take a lot more to amend that hole in our relationships."
Their eyes shallowed.
"Only just yesterday, when I confronted all of you, revealing the truth, did I finally have been greeted with honest words. You all ended up supporting me when not many others would. I was sure at least some of you would've turned away."
"You forgave me for the risks I took, you never looked down on me even when I knew you all should. You saw me for who I am and not for who I... was. You didn't treat me like I was just another friend of Kirito. You treated me like I'm my own person... I was so happy with all of you. For the first time, I felt like I was a part of a group."
The ones before me seemed down, less enthusiastic than happy hearing my confession.
"I know I said I didn't want anything for my help," I forced myself to face them, "I know your guild is disbanding soon and that I'm only a temporary member," I poured my soul into these next few words, please, please say yes. "but if you don't mind... will you let me join the Sleeping Knights?"
...
...
...
This dark atmosphere caught me off guard.
"H-huh?"
"H-hey now..."
"Akato..."
"Hold on..."
Their faces were in a panic, each of them voiced concerns at once. Some of them physically pulled back at my request. The bright aura was gone, elapsed and disappeared.
What happened? Was it something I said again? Did I do something wrong?
Yuuki?
...
No signs of cheer enlighten me, she was just as shook as the rest. Her eyes were wider but her frown was a real one...
"... Um, Akato... I know we've been a great help for you, and..." Her words met with transparent tears slowly forming. "...we're all very grateful for your service, but we might be disbanding sooner than you think... probably before spring. We won't be playing much, if... at all... after that."
"I understand, but even so, we still have a lot of time before then, right? We can make as many memorable moments together every day, doesn't that sound-"
"Sorry, Akato..." Her fists clenched harder on her thighs, looking down, closing her eyes.
"I'm very sorry..."
"I'm so... very... sorry..."
Yuu...ki.
...
!
I recognize it, that face. The face of someone drowning under the weight of their thoughts...
To think someone like her, joyous and blissful, would be experiencing such a thing as I have... it makes my heart sink.
Sooner or later she'll turn out... like me.
I reached for her as soon as I realized before she fell deeper into that dark and cold sea. I held her tight and pulled her out from that chain of grief...
I couldn't be saved then, so I will save her now.
She snapped out of it, noticing my hand clasping hers.
I quickly twined our fingers ensuring a solid grip. Out of instinct, she proceeded to fulfil it in her palm wholly.
We held hands, and I was able to prevent her from sinking.
"A-Actually, you know what, it's fine! I'm sorry I asked something so unreasonable from you, Yuuki!"
She looked at me, the gloom was still shadowing her, but at least she won't be suffocating anymore.
"Akato... we..." Siune tried uttering words, it was painful to hear even a moment of it so I stopped her short.
"No, it's fine. I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make all of you uncomfortable! Say, why don't we go see our achievement? It'll make us all feel better now, wouldn't it!"
"Achievement?"
"My my, I can't believe you all forgot!"
The swordswoman took a second to figure out what I meant, the fact that she did tells a lot of how bothered she was at my request.
"The Monument of Swordsmen in the Black Iron Palace, of course!"
"Ah! That's right!" Some parts of her brightened as her thoughts cleared.
Jun got up with glee, "Yeah, let's go! We can take a picture together!"
"Great idea!" Talken agreed with a smile,
"Yeah, let's!"
"I'll clean up the dishes, come on!"
...
I crouched in front of her to see her face better. She's still sitting, looking down.
"Hey, let's go..." My hand tightened.
She lifted her head to me, and I simply gave her the same smile I'd given time and time again.
Surely enough, even when it's a mix of sorrow, she smiled back...
[The End of Chapter 31 {III}]