"Hey, Yui, quick question," Hachiman said.
"Yes, Papa?" Yui replied.
"Normally, a new game starts you in your race's capital, right? But Kirito and I spawned way up in the sky. What's your take?"
"Hmm," Yui said. "Where were you and Uncle Kirito at the end of SAO?"
"The end?" Hachiman said. "Oh."
"Got it," Kirito said. "That's the reason."
"What's up?" Yui asked.
"Your question cleared it up, Yui," Hachiman said. "We were in the boss room on Floor 75."
"That makes sense," Yui said. "The boss room was high up, and those coordinates probably map to this spot in ALO."
Hachiman and Kirito looked up, grinning.
"Hey, Hachiman," Kirito said. "I just had a funny idea."
"I know," Hachiman said. "We're not telling Egil or Klein."
They locked eyes and burst into exaggerated laughter.
"You're quite the villain, aren't you?" Hachiman chuckled theatrically.
"Oh, you're too kind, my lord!" Kirito replied, cackling.
"Papa, Uncle Kirito, what are you doing?" Yui asked, confused.
"Yui, this is called a traditional skit," Hachiman said.
"Traditional skit! Got it, Papa!" Yui said brightly.
"Anyway, we solved the sky-spawn mystery," Kirito said. "What now?"
Hachiman thought for a moment. "The plan was to grind skills near the Spriggan capital while waiting for Yui-san's contacts."
"But we don't need to grind anymore," Kirito said.
"And we don't even know where we are," Hachiman said. "Yui, any ideas?"
"Hold on," Yui said, scanning. "Got it. We're near the border of Sylph and Salamander territories."
"No way…" Hachiman said, alarmed.
"Problem?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "This is the opposite side of the World Tree from our rendezvous point."
"That's bad," Kirito said.
"Too irregular," Hachiman said. "Let's log out and check with Yui-san."
"Good call," Kirito said. "Let's do it."
"That's the issue, Kirito," Hachiman said.
"What's wrong?" Kirito asked.
"In ALO, logging out in a neutral field leaves your avatar vulnerable for a while," Hachiman said. "If we're attacked, we're dead. There's a 'rotate out' system where one stays to guard, but we both need to log out eventually. Let's head to a nearby neutral city or safe zone to avoid the risk."
"Got it," Kirito said. "That's how it works."
"Yui, any safe spots nearby?" Hachiman asked.
"About fifteen minutes east, there's a safe zone, Papa," Yui said, pointing.
"East is Salamander territory," Hachiman said. "No choice—let's go."
"Roger," Kirito said.
"Let's move!" Yui said.
They practiced flying en route, and by the time they reached the safe zone, both were maneuvering with ease, clearly naturals at it.
"Alright, let's log out," Hachiman said.
"See you soon, Yui," Kirito said.
"Okay!" Yui replied.
They logged out, returning to reality.
Yui-no-neesan lounged in the hospital room, sipping coffee as instructed. Only thirty minutes had passed since their dive.
"I wonder if they figured out flying," she mused. "There's a trick to it…"
As she stretched, she noticed Hachiman and Kirito stirring. Surprised by their quick return, she asked, "Back already? Something wrong?"
"Yui-san, we hit an irregularity," Hachiman said. "We came to report."
"Irregularity?" Yui asked.
"Yeah," Hachiman said, explaining the sky spawn, maxed skills, and their location.
"Wow, I didn't see that coming," Yui said. "The skill boost saves time, so it's a wash, right?"
"Pretty much," Hachiman said.
"I'll call my contacts," Yui said, stepping out.
"This kills today's plans," Kirito said.
"Half the day's gone, but oh well," Hachiman said.
"We're not out of tasks," Kirito said.
"What's next?" Hachiman asked.
"Memorizing magic spells," Kirito said.
"Oh, magic!" Hachiman said, excited.
"We're melee brutes right now," Kirito said. "Learning some combat-useful magic would help."
"No magic in SAO," Hachiman said. "Even basic spells could add versatility."
"Let's study the manual," Kirito said.
"Heck yeah, this is exciting!" Hachiman said.
"You said it!" Kirito agreed.
They dove into the spellbook. Meanwhile, Yui tried calling Yukino repeatedly, but no luck.
"They're still in ALO," Yui muttered. "I'll send an email."
She sent a quick explanation to Yukino, hoping for a reply. The Sobu group's enthusiasm had backfired, delaying contact until late that night.
Yukino, Yui, Komachi, and Iroha were racing toward the neutral city in Spriggan territory, skipping even rotate-out breaks to keep flying. Their determination paid off, reaching their destination just before midnight.
"Let's log out and rest," Yukino said. "I'll contact Yui-san."
They logged out. Yukino checked her phone, spotting Yui's email, and froze. "This is… beyond unexpected. It's too late to head back now. I need to tell everyone."
The others canceled their breaks, diving back into ALO. After regrouping, Yukino shared Hachiman and Kirito's situation, prompting pure gamer reactions.
"What the heck?!" Yui exclaimed.
"So, Senpai and Kirito-kun might be stronger than us?" Iroha said.
"Probably," Yukino said. "Their magic skills are likely zero, so they're pure melee fighters. I wonder how they'd fare against General Eugene."
"Comparing them to the top Salamander already?!" Komachi said.
"What's Onii-chan's fighting style like?" Komachi wondered.
"I'm dying to know as a player," Yukino said.
"What now, Yukino?" Yui asked.
"We'll ask Leafa to pick them up tomorrow," Yukino said. "We'll head back to Alne tomorrow and aim for Swilvane the day after. Sorry for the extra burden, everyone."
"It's fine!" Yui said. "No one could've predicted this!"
"Yukino-senpai, you're not to blame!" Iroha said.
"I'm free tomorrow," Komachi said. "I'll visit Onii-chan and snoop on his fighting style!"
"I'm curious too," Yukino said. "I'll go."
"Me too!" Yui said.
"I'm in!" Iroha said.
"Then we'll all go," Yukino said.
With plans set, the three logged out. Yukino stayed to message Leafa, explaining the situation and requesting help. Her description of two beginners with maxed skills was vague but unavoidable. Leafa, trusting Yukino deeply, agreed readily. Yukino sent a thank-you message and logged out. Leafa followed suit.
Waking in her bed, Leafa—Suguha Kirigaya—removed her AmuSphere and stretched. "Tomorrow's my first visit to Kazuto-nii's new hospital. Better bathe and sleep. Moving to Chiba made visiting tough, but the environment's great. Guess I'm grateful."
Muttering to herself, Suguha emailed Kazuto about her visit, then headed downstairs to bathe.
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