Chapter 113: Shiromeguri
Shiromeguri Meguri sighed in front of her phone again today.
"Thank you so much, everyone. I truly had a great time. This place is the best."
"I really want to call Hikigaya-kun and hear his voice to know he's okay... but I really want to talk face to face…"
For the past two months, Meguri had been wrestling with these thoughts every single day.
In such moments, people tend to spiral into all sorts of anxious imaginings.
"What if I call and he's forgotten about me? What if he finds me annoying? What if I suddenly show up and he thinks I'm some crazy woman?"
These kinds of unrealistic fears spun endlessly in her mind. Right now, Meguri was completely trapped in a spiral of negativity.
Today, once again, she sat before her phone, conflicted.
'Today will probably end like always—without me making the call.'
Just as she was about to set the phone down, a sudden incoming call notification popped up.
"Whoa! That startled me… Oh, it's from Miss Haruno."
Realizing it had been a while since they last spoke, and hoping to hear about Hikigaya's current situation, Meguri happily answered the call.
"Hello? Miss Haruno? Long time no see~!"
"Ah, Meguri? Can you talk right now?"
"Yeah, I'm free."
"Great. I have a favor to ask."
"Sure, what is it?"
"You've still got the AmuSphere and the ALO login tools, right? Could you log in at a specific time and help receive a few people?"
"I haven't logged in lately, but I think it should be fine. Did something happen?"
"Well, actually…"
Haruno began to explain the situation in detail, and Meguri was left stunned.
"Something like that happened…?"
"Totally understandable to be shocked. But really, everything came together so miraculously, I'm honestly starting to wonder if some god was secretly helping us."
"That someone important to Hikigaya-kun was found inside, and that SAO-era data could be retained via NerveGear login—that's definitely a miracle beyond logic."
"Whatever it is—miracle or not—I'm going to use whatever means we have to make sure Hachiman-kun finds happiness."
It was then that Meguri noticed: Haruno had started calling him "Hachiman-kun"
instead of "Hikigaya-kun."
"Umm… Miss Haruno, since when did you start calling him Hachiman-kun?"
"Just recently~. If you're jealous, want to apply for permission to call him that too? I bet he'd happily agree."
"Suddenly doing that is a bit… I mean, I haven't even had the chance to say 'Welcome back' to his face."
"That's exactly why—"
"Why?"
"Like I just said, I want you to help receive some people.
They're Hachiman-kun's comrades—important SAO survivors. And Meguri, I also want you to assist him directly. Be his strength."
"Be his strength… in ALO… Oh! That's right! Even if I'm overseas, I could still see him in person in-game, right? I could say 'Welcome back' properly. Right, Miss Haruno?!"
"Exactly! In ALO, we can meet any time, even across oceans."
"Got it! I'll do everything I can to support Hikigaya-kun!"
Realizing that she could be useful even from overseas, Meguri's heart began to race uncontrollably.
"I'm giving it everything too… honestly, this might be the first time in my life I've gone all-in like this."
"Miss Haruno… do you love Hikigaya-kun?"
Meguri, in her typically airheaded way, dropped a bombshell of a question.
"So direct! That's so like you, Meguri. Well… if you're asking whether I like him, I do."
"But more than romantic feelings, it's more like I'm worried about a little brother? Yukino always followed behind me, but she was never someone I needed to worry about."
"But he is… he makes you worry constantly. And that alone, strangely enough, makes me happy. I think it's the first time I've felt that way."
"Ah~ I totally get it, Miss Haruno."
"So, Meguri—take care of Hachiman-kun for me."
"Got it! I like him too, so I'll support him with 200% of my strength!"
"Thanks, Meguri. Now, let's go over the details."
"Yes!"
.
.
.
A few days later, Meguri, now under the alias Mobius, appeared in the streets of Silbain.
Following the intel provided by Haruno, she knew Hachiman and the others should be nearby. Wandering through the alleys, she eventually picked up the keyword "Leafa."
'Hikigaya-kun… no, I guess he's Hachiman in-game. I definitely heard his companion's name just now. Where could they be?'
Scanning her surroundings, Mobius finally spotted a trio that matched her target. But just as she eagerly approached them—
They all suddenly logged out.
"Just missed them… but I'll definitely see them tomorrow. Guess I'll save the surprise for later."
Muttering to herself, Mobius also logged out. The next morning, she arrived at the meeting point Haruno had specified.
"Miss Haruno said it's around here… Oh! Is that her?"
She spotted a Cait Sith (cat-like) female player appearing on the ground and approached her.
"Um, are you Miss Silica?"
"Yes! You must be Mobius-senpai?"
"Yes! Pleased to meet you!"
"Likewise!"
"Let's wait until we find the other two before getting into the details. I heard they'll appear in the sky—mind helping me look?"
"Of course!"
The two looked up, scanning the sky.
"Ah! Mobius-senpai, over there!"
"Got it. I'll go get them. Silica, wait here."
Mobius flapped her wings and flew up toward the falling duo.
"Waaaahhhh!"
"We're gonna fall!"
"You two! Calmly imagine yourselves flying!"
Mobius grabbed one in each hand to slow their descent.
"Agil, concentrate!"
"Klein, focus!"
The slowed fall seemed to bring back some calm. As they desperately imagined flying, their descent gradually eased, and they managed to float.
"Great, just like that—now land slowly."
They landed safely and reunited with Silica.
"Just to confirm—you're Mr. Agil, and you, the fire sprite, are Mr. Klein?"
"I'm Agil. Nice to meet you, Miss Mobius."
"I'm Klein! Great to meet you!"
"I'm Silica—nice to meet you again!"
"I'm Mobius. I'm Hachiman's senior from high school."
"Miss Haruno gave us a rough explanation."
"Didn't expect Asuna and Liz to get caught up in something like this…"
"No time to celebrate a reunion right now."
"Right, Silica—save the party for later."
"Let's start with flight training. We'll explain the rest during breaks."
"Please help us!"
After completing basic flight training under Mobius' guidance, the team waited for their wings to recover.
Meanwhile, Haruno's prepared weapons were distributed: Agil received a battle axe, Klein a katana, and Silica a short sword.
While exchanging information, Mobius was deeply moved by Hachiman's legendary SAO exploits but was also happy to learn about his past.
Once wings had fully recovered and gear was ready, the four began advancing toward the Ruguru Corridor.
"We'll be doing our first real battle here?"
"Supposedly… but something feels off."
"You notice anything strange?"
"We should've been attacked by now."
"Yeah, not a single monster so far."
"Looks like a large force passed through not long ago."
"You think it was enemies?"
"Most likely. Everyone, speed up!"
Breaking into a full sprint, they charged through the corridor and flew toward where Hachiman and Kirito might be, when suddenly thick black smoke appeared in the distance.
"Over there!"
"Is that where Hachiman and Kirito are?"
"Wait! That... that can't be... Agil, hold up."
"Klein, you see something?"
"Mobius, can we pause for a second?"
Klein stared toward the battlefield and asked everyone to stop.
"The elf fighting the fire sprite—that's probably Kirito. See?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"And that giant Santa Claus over there! Its movements are so weird…"
"That's probably illusion magic. Even though its appearance is different, the caster's real strength remains. Whoever cast it is powerful."
"If Hachiman isn't present… then that Santa is probably him."
Everyone stared between Klein and the Santa, comparing features.
"He's this strong...?"
"He and Kirito were called the Four Heavenly Kings in the SAO era."
"But why become Santa?"
"Speaking of which—Agil, Silica, have you heard of 'The Heretic Nicholas'?"
Silica looked blank, but Agil seemed to recognize it.
"Hey… don't tell me… that's the Christmas Event boss?"
"Ah! The one Kirito soloed? That was its name?"
"Exactly. I never saw it myself, but if Hachiman became Santa, that has to be the boss model."
"So that's what the SAO boss looked like. But Klein—what's worrying you?"
"I'm wondering if jumping in now would make us targets."
"That weird movement is definitely suspicious… Mobius, how does that magic work?"
"Hard to say. With my magic level still low, it does risk going out of control."
"So what should we do?"
"Let's intervene the moment the magic is canceled."
"Got it! Ready to charge anytime!"
"This time, I'm making up for the regret of not helping back in SAO!"
"Same here. I can't just be the one getting protected forever."
"For Asuna and Liz—let's go all in!"
A few minutes later, the moment Hachiman's magic was dispelled, the four charged into the battlefield like arrows loosed from a bow.