"Phew, I can't believe I saw that…"
Leaving the hospital, Suguha headed straight for the station, the scene she'd just witnessed seared into her mind, refusing to fade.
(Someday, maybe me and Onii-chan could… No, no, no, impossible! That's way too much for me to handle.)
Her face still flushed, Suguha reached the station, boarded a train, and made her way home, barely registering the journey. The hospital encounter had shaken her to her core. Once home, she bolted to her room and collapsed onto her bed.
"Finally, some calm…" she murmured. "Running into that scene? Total shock. Onii-chan was right—that guy really is a magnet for attention."
Settling into the familiar comfort of home, Suguha's nerves began to ease. But as her mind cleared, her thoughts drifted to her brother's expression—one she'd never seen before.
"That look on Onii-chan's face… I've never seen him like that. And that line he said… Does he have feelings for this Liz person? What am I supposed to do?"
Suguha replayed the moment, her thoughts spiraling without resolution. Before she knew it, the sky outside had darkened. Her mother called her for dinner, snapping her out of her reverie. She hurried downstairs, ate quickly, and tried to refocus.
(I've got Yukino's request today. Time to switch gears.)
After dinner, feeling steadier, Suguha took a quick bath, returned to her room, and logged into ALO, slightly late for her scheduled meetup.
"Running a bit late—gotta hurry, or I'm in trouble."
"Leafa-chaaan!"
"Hey, Recon!"
Recon, a sharp-eyed friend from school and a long-time ALO companion, waved enthusiastically as he approached. Leafa gave him a casual greeting in return.
"So, Leafa-chan, what's the plan today? Hunting with Sigurd and the crew?"
"Uh…" Leafa hesitated. She briefly considered asking Recon to help with Yukino's request but remembered its sensitive nature and decided against it.
"Sorry, I've got a prior commitment today."
"Aw, bummer. Catch you later then, Leafa-chan!"
"Yup, see ya, Recon."
Parting ways with Recon, Leafa took flight toward the designated forest meeting spot. For a while, her journey was uneventful, the virtual skies calm. But as she neared her destination, something felt off. She noticed an unusual number of Salamander parties roaming the area.
(This place is usually deserted, but today I keep running into Salamander groups. What's going on?)
A vague unease settled over Leafa, though she couldn't pinpoint why.
(What should I do? Hachiman-kun and Kirito-kun, right? They're supposed to be skilled but newbies. If they get ambushed by a party, they're in trouble… Alright, let's do this.)
Steeling herself, Leafa picked up her pace, staying vigilant. As one of the Sylph's five greatest magic swordsmen, she wasn't one to let her guard down. Flying swiftly yet cautiously, she soon spotted the landmark tree. But in her relief at reaching her destination, her focus slipped—just enough to miss the enemy scout who had spotted her.
The moment she arrived, Leafa was ambushed.
"Damn it, they saw me!" she hissed, wincing as the surprise attack dealt noticeable damage.
One of her attackers called out, his voice dripping with smugness. "A Sylph of the Five Greats, all alone out here? Talk about a lucky break."
"You know who I am, huh?" Leafa shot back, her voice steady despite her racing thoughts. "Then you should know I won't go down easily, even against six of you."
Inside, Leafa's heart sank. Yukino's request might go unfulfilled, and that gnawed at her. But she had no choice—she readied herself for a fight.
"Pretty bold for someone outnumbered six to one," the leader sneered. "We're not holding back. You're done."
The men charged as one. Leafa fought back fiercely, but the odds were overwhelming, and she was steadily pushed back.
(I'm sorry, Yukino. I might not pull this off. But I'm taking a few of them with me.)
Resolving to go down swinging, Leafa braced herself. But at that moment, a player zoomed in at breakneck speed, landing between her and her attackers. Without missing a beat, he spoke.
"Six guys ganging up on one girl? Not exactly a good look, is it?"
"Tch, another one?" one of the Salamanders scoffed. "Wait, look at that gear—a newbie? This is rich. Some starter-equip nobody's gonna lecture us. You're just extra prey, idiot."
The group laughed crudely, but Leafa's mind caught on something else.
"You…" she said, her voice tentative. "Are you the one Yukino mentioned?"
The player turned to her, and Leafa's heart skipped a beat, though she wasn't sure why.
"Yup, you're Leafa-san, right? I'm Kirito. Nice to meet you. Sorry we dragged you into this mess."
"N-no, you're helping me out," Leafa stammered. "Let's fight together!"
"Nah, we've got this," Kirito said confidently. "Focus on healing up, Leafa-san."
"What?" Leafa blinked, confused. Kirito's gear screamed beginner, despite his rumored skill. Was he that confident? She opened her mouth to insist on joining the fight, but the enemy lunged before she could.
"Kirito-kun, behind you! All six are coming at once!"
"Six? Nah, not quite," Kirito said, unfazed.
"Huh?"
As Kirito spoke, two of the enemy players vanished in a burst of effects, transforming into flames—Remain Lights, the game's indicator of a player's death. For one minute, a defeated player lingered as a flame, revivable without penalty if healed in time. Otherwise, they'd respawn in their home territory with a penalty. The appearance of two flames meant two enemies had been taken out instantly.
Leafa stared, stunned. "Kirito-kun, what just happened?"
"You heard we're a duo, right?" Kirito said with a grin.
"Then… that was Hachiman-kun?"
The remaining Salamanders were thrown into disarray.
"What the hell was that?"
"How'd two of us go down?!"
"Wonder what happened," Kirito said casually. "Shouldn't you be more worried about yourselves?"
"Damn it, let's go!" the leader barked, rallying his men to charge Kirito.
In a flash, Kirito vanished. The Salamanders froze, bewildered.
"Where'd he go?!"
"Too slow," Kirito's voice called from behind them.
Two more men burst into flames, gone in an instant.
"What… what are you?" one of the remaining Salamanders stammered.
"'You' is plural," came another voice. Hachiman appeared behind the next man, who turned just in time to see nothing before exploding into a Remain Light.
The last Salamander stood frozen, unable to process what was happening.
"What the hell… You're not newbies!"
"Who knows?" Hachiman said with a shrug. "The world's full of mysteries."
Kirito stepped forward. "Just you left. Ready to face the music?"
"Damn it, you'll pay for this!" the man shouted, turning to flee.
Kirito moved to pursue, but Hachiman held him back. "Hold up, Kirito. Looks like Leafa-san wants a piece of him."
"Oh?" Kirito glanced over, impressed. "Nice one, Leafa-san!"
Sure enough, Leafa had slipped behind the fleeing Salamander.
"Time to return the favor for all that grief," she said coolly, her sword flashing with deadly precision. The final Salamander exploded into a Remain Light.
Kirito clapped, and Hachiman let out a whistle. "Not bad!"
And with that, the three successfully united.
----------------------------------
Support me on Patreon - Advanced Chapters There!
patreon.com/Greyhounds