Shido looked at the dumbfounded Lisbeth with an amused expression and asked, "Is that bad?"
Realizing she had reacted too strongly, Lisbeth laughed a little awkwardly. "No, no, of course not. It's just… I didn't expect that someone who always acts so mature was actually younger than me."
"I guess my mentality just matured quickly." Shido replied with a straight face. He couldn't exactly tell Lisbeth that his real age, counting his previous life and this one, was actually almost two times of hers age, right?
Hearing this, Lisbeth nodded and thought the same. After all, unlike Kirito, who could be quite childish at times and Klein, who look dumb, Shido was far more cool-headed than the two of them.
She didn't know if it was because of the confidence of the strong, or if he was simply that composed by nature.
"Anyway, forget about that. Setsuna, I was wondering… can we go out tomorrow?"
As Lisbeth said that, her cheeks turned pinkish while her fingers rubbed against each other. She was shy yet clearly expectant, looking into Shido's eyes with anticipation.
Lisbeth knew that Shido looked good in the game, but she was also certain he would be handsome in real life. And since he was her first boyfriend, she couldn't help wanting to see him offline as well.
Seeing the anticipation on her face, Shido couldn't possibly reject her request. He wasn't busy tomorrow anyway, even though it was a weekday, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let's go out tomorrow."
At his answer, Lisbeth's eyes lit up and she hugged Shido tightly and said excitedly, "Yey! We'll have a date tomorrow!"
Watching her celebrate so happily, Shido gazed at her with a warm smile. "Look at you, you're so excited. Do you really want to go on a date with me that much?"
Even though his words made her shy, Lisbeth didn't deny it. She nodded softly, her cheeks turning pink.
"Un… I want to have a date with you, Setsuna. I'm sorry, I'm just too excited. You're my first boyfriend, after all, and I couldn't help it. So… you don't dislike it, right?"
At the end of her words, Lisbeth trembled slightly, afraid that Shido might be annoyed by her excitement. But her worries were gently dispelled as Shido patted her head and said, "Dummy, there's no way I'd hate you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have kissed you and made you my girlfriend."
"Setsuna…" Lisbeth murmured, both embarrassed and happy at his words. A warm, sweet smile, one that even Kirito had never seen before, spread across her beautiful face, leaving Shido mesmerized.
Subconsciously, Shido gulped and gently cupped her cheeks, leaning forward slowly. "Lisbeth… you're so beautiful."
Lisbeth felt a rush of bashfulness at his words. Seeing him lean closer, her face grew even hotter, she understood what he intended to do. But instead of turning away, she looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Rika… Call me Rika. My real name is Shinozaki Rika, Setsuna."
"Rika, huh? That's a beautiful name." Shido replied softly, his gaze filled with warmth.
Hearing his praise, Lisbeth felt a warm giddiness bloom inside her. At the same time, she wanted to know Shido's real name. "What about you, Setsuna? I want to know your real name too."
Seeing her eager expression, Shido answered honestly. "My true name is Itsuka Shido. You can just call me Shido, Rika."
"Shido… Shido… Shido…"
Lisbeth muttered his name under her breath, as if wanting to etch it into her heart forever.
Yet, as she murmured Shido's name, Lisbeth suddenly felt his hands on her cheeks again, lifting her face to meet his. Understanding what was coming, her face flushed with shyness, but she didn't pull away, she simply closed her eyes, welcoming Shido's advances.
"Rika."
"…Shido."
Both of them looked at each other's eyes intently with unspoken desire. If ALO weren't so restrictive like in SAO, where more intimate acts were possible, Shido might have do more intimate acts with Lisbeth in that moment. But since such things weren't allowed in ALO, he could only restrain himself to kisses and embraces.
In the next moment, Shido and Lisbeth's lips met. Their shadows danced across the living room, illuminated by the warm glow of the fireplace.
Ding!
Just then, Shido heard the familiar sound of the system notifying him that he had completed another quest. But he ignored it for now, choosing instead to focus entirely on the girl before him.
...
After saying goodbye to Lisbeth and logging out of the game, Shido immediately opened his system interface to check the rewards he had earned this time.
[Quest 5 Completed: Make At Least One Heroine to Fall for you]
Rewards:
Aestus Estus (A+)
Hanny King Bloodline
190,000 EXP
30,000 SP
"..." Shido
The moment he saw them, Shido fell silent. Not that he was particularly surprised, after all, the rewards he usually received were often strange, though powerful.
Not that he was complaining, of course.
"Um… System."
[Yes, Host?]
"Ignoring the first reward since I'm a little familiar with it… the second reward, is that right?" Shido placed a hand over his chin as he asked the system.
[I'm not entirely sure what Host is referring to, but it should be that.]
Hearing the system's ambiguous reply, Shido fell silent for a moment. Still, he proceeded to view the description of the two rewards he had received.
Aestus Estus - It is a hand-crafted crimson longsword forged from rare meteor metal. Its blade carries a fiery glow, and an ancient inscription, regnum caelorum et gehenna ("the kingdom of heaven and hell") is carved along its length. Despite its elegant design, the weapon radiates overwhelming might and power. When wielded, it serves as the source for unleashing Nero's Noble Phantasm, allowing the user to channel the same destructive brilliance she commands as a Saber.
Hanny King Bloodline - A lineage linked to the Hanny King, granting its bearer superior magical potential while retaining the natural traits of all Hannies, Hanny Flash, a magical shockwave attack that bypasses defenses, and Absolute Magic Resistance, complete immunity to all magical attacks. Although physical strength and endurance still depend on training like any other Hanny, this bloodline greatly enhances the user's magical capability, making their Hanny Flash and related magic far more powerful than that of ordinary Hannies.
"…It's really that Hanny." Shido felt the urge to laugh, recalling their somewhat dumb tendencies, but he had to admit, their abilities were unquestionably powerful.
It was often said that they were weak creatures, but that was completely wrong. Hanny were truly strong, and even their leader, the Hanny King, of the same bloodline Shido had received, ranked only below the Demon King.
"So… I'm totally resistant to all magical attacks now?"
[Yes, Host. However, this only applies to magical attacks. If Host is attacked by a different kind of energy, it will be ineffective. But there's no need to worry, this bloodline can be upgraded to become resistant to all kinds of energy.]
Shido read the description while listening to the system and nodded, finding it reasonable. "I see. Well, I'm already grateful to have total immunity to magical attacks. I'll upgrade this bloodline when the time comes later."
After discussing the bloodline reward with the system, Shido scanned through the rest of the rewards. Besides the Hanny King bloodline, he had received [Aestus Estus], 190,000 EXP, and 30,000 SP.
Speaking of [Aestus Estus], Shido recalled that it should be Nero's weapon from Fate. From the anime, he remembered it as a crimson longsword. Now that he had it, Shido would be able to wield Nero's Noble Phantasm.
Once he finished reviewing all the rewards, Shido had dinner and took a bath before deciding to go to bed, preparing himself for the date with Lisbeth tomorrow.