"I never imagined you all played ALO," Kirito said.
Hachiman shot him down. "You'd have noticed if you were here. It was that obvious."
The four girls—Yukino, Yui, Komachi, and Iroha—grimaced, clearly stung. Yukino recovered first, clearing her throat.
"Ahem. Let's exchange info," she said. "We'll start with introductions. I'm Yukino, a healer, Undine race."
"Yuiyui! Heavy warrior, Sylph!" Yui chirped.
"Komachi! Kettshi, scout!" Komachi said.
"Iroha, Kettshi, attack mage!" Iroha added, glancing at Hachiman.
Hachiman raised an eyebrow. "Cool. And your in-game names?"
"Huh?" Yui said.
"Uh…" Komachi faltered.
Awkward silence filled the room.
"Um…" Iroha mumbled.
"Hachiman, you didn't just…" Kirito said.
"Onii-chan, read the room!" Komachi scolded.
"Oh… got it," Hachiman said. "Same as me, huh?"
Kirito grinned. "Exactly."
"Sorry," Hachiman said, scratching his head. "Didn't expect you all to use your real names. I'm guilty of it too, so my bad."
"It's fine," Yukino said. "We realized it ourselves after starting. It's a bit late to change."
"ALO's avatars hide your face, so it's not a big deal," Kirito said. "For us ex-SAO players, though, our faces are known. One slip, and we're exposed."
"True, but only to the frontliners," Hachiman said. "We're probably fine."
"Fair point," Kirito said. "Sorry, continue."
"Let's move on," Yukino said. "There's not much to share, though."
"Hold it, Yukino-chan," Yui-no-neesan interrupted.
"What, Nee-san?" Yukino asked.
Yui-no-neesan pointed at Hachiman. "Silver Shadow."
"Guh…" Hachiman groaned.
She pointed at Kirito. "Black Swordsman, Hero."
"Bit embarrassing when you say it straight-faced," Kirito said, scratching his head.
She pointed at a photo of Asuna on the wall. "The Flash."
Finally, with a radiant smile, she pointed at Yukino and froze.
"What's this about?" Yukino asked.
"You know, Yukino-chan," Yui-no-neesan teased.
Silence fell. Hachiman broke it. "Yukino, you've got a nickname too, don't you?"
Yukino launched into a rapid-fire retort. "What are you talking about, Hikitani-kun? I thought you'd gotten better at reading people, but I was wrong, Hikitani-germ. Why would I have a nickname? Your weird thinking never changes, does it? I'd demand an apology and compensation, but given the setting, we'll table it. This discussion's over. Just because you've gotten a bit cooler—no, very cool—doesn't mean you should get cocky. Well, occasionally is fine, but every time is embarrassing for me. Just… figure it out!"
"Hey, you're back to calling me Hikitani," Hachiman said. "And that second half made no sense. Calm down."
"What? There's nothing left to discuss. Let's move on," Yukino said.
"Yare yare…" Hachiman sighed, then patted her head.
"What are you doing?" Yukino said, startled.
"It's fine," Hachiman said. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. It means you're a badass player, right? Having someone that strong helping us? That's huge. Thanks, Yukino."
"Th-that's unfair, Hachiman-kun…" Yukino mumbled, torn between joy and embarrassment. She whispered, "…Zero."
"Huh?" Hachiman said. He wasn't playing the dense protagonist; he genuinely didn't hear.
Yukino trembled, then declared, "Absolute Zero. That's my nickname."
"Nice," Hachiman said. "Ice magic expert?"
"Hey, Hachiman!" Kirito cut in.
"What?" Hachiman said.
"Yukino said she's a healer," Kirito reminded.
"Oh…" Hachiman said, glancing at Yukino. Her face, previously flushed with shyness, now burned with anger. He cursed his blunder.
"No, wait, Yukino, it's not like that!" Hachiman said. "I just got mixed up because of, uh, stuff. It's not my fault!"
"Onii-chan, that excuse is weak," Komachi said.
"Senpai, take the punishment like a man," Iroha said.
"Yeah, Hikki, you messed up," Yui said.
"Hachiman-kun still needs work," Yui-no-neesan teased.
"Yui-san, calm your sister down!" Hachiman pleaded.
"Sorry, no can do!" Yui-no-neesan said.
"No way…" Hachiman groaned.
Kirito patted his shoulder. "Hachiman, brace yourself."
"What's with that smug grin?" Hachiman muttered.
Yukino raised her hand. Hachiman shut his eyes, clenching his teeth. But no blow came. Instead, something soft brushed his cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw Yukino's face close to his, smirking triumphantly.
"Your guard's weak," she said. "Full of openings."
"Damn it, I let it down again…" Hachiman said.
"Eek! Watching Onii-chan's kiss scene is so embarrassing!" Komachi squealed.
"Nice one, Yukino-chan!" Yui-no-neesan cheered.
"Yukino's a mastermind!" Yui said.
"Yukino-senpai's on fire…" Iroha said, then gasped. "Wait, Yui-senpai pinned him earlier, and I'm falling behind?!"
Iroha lunged for Hachiman's other cheek, but he grabbed her head, stopping her.
"Not happening," Hachiman said.
"Ugh, meanie, Senpai!" Iroha pouted.
"You're not there yet, Iroha-san," Yukino said. "This guy's guard doesn't break that easily. You need a perfect sneak attack, like me."
"You weren't even mad?!" Hachiman protested.
"What are you talking about?" Yukino said. "I accounted for your slip-up. Planning around it was simple."
"That's Hachiman's trick," Kirito said.
"True, but… I'm done. I surrender," Hachiman said.
"You need to realize you're always a target," Yukino said.
"My iron guard's supposed to be unbreakable, but I'm off my game," Hachiman said.
"That's fine," Yukino said. "It just means you trust us."
"Guess so," Hachiman said. "Alright, let's talk plans."
Kirito spoke first. "When's the meetup?"
"The day after tomorrow," Yukino said. "We're in a neutral city in Spriggan territory. Getting back to Alne will take all night, even pushing hard. Tomorrow, we'll head your way."
"ALO's travel is such a pain," Kirito said.
"It's the realism," Yukino said. "Inconvenient, but true."
"Could we head to Alne tonight?" Hachiman asked.
Yukino shook her head. "Players can't fly above a certain altitude, and there's an impassable mountain range between you and Alne. You'll need to go through the Lugru Corridor, a cave system. You're starting strong, but you don't know the terrain."
"Fair," Hachiman said.
"So, I've asked a contact to guide you," Yukino said. "First, head to Swilvane, the Sylph capital, to gear up. Starter equipment won't cut it. Master free flight, and you'll be set for long-distance travel. Even if you fight Salamanders, you should be fine unless it's a huge group."
"Got it," Hachiman said. "We'll do that tonight."
"Right," Yukino said. "By the day after tomorrow, your guide will help you through the Lugru Corridor. We should reach its exit around then, so we'll meet there. But…"
"Something bothering you?" Hachiman asked.
"You're planning to tackle the Grand Quest to reach the top of the World Tree, right?" Yukino said. "Even if we join up and head to Alne, our current team would just die pointlessly."
Hachiman and Kirito fell silent at Yukino's blunt warning.
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