"Um…" Leafa hesitated, her voice soft.
"What's up, Leafa?" Kirito prompted.
"Are you all… friends in real life too?" she asked, glancing at the group.
Yukino flinched, then hurriedly explained. "Sorry, Leafa, I should've mentioned earlier. Yes, we're all friends in the real world. Hachiman and Kirito were separated from us for a while due to some circumstances, but we've recently reunited."
"I see," Leafa said, nodding. "That makes sense."
"I didn't mean to keep it from you," Yukino added apologetically.
"No, no, it's not that," Leafa said, shaking her head. "It's just… I'm a little jealous, that's all."
"Jealous?" Yukino echoed, her mind drifting to another player. "Aren't you and Recon close in real life too?"
"Well, yeah, Recon and I go way back," Leafa admitted with a wry smile. "But it's more like we're stuck with each other. Compared to the bond you all share, it feels… different."
The group exchanged glances, a wave of sympathy for Recon washing over them.
(Poor Recon…) Hachiman thought.
(Man, Recon's got it rough…) Kirito mused.
(Someday, Recon, you'll get your moment… maybe,) Yukino reflected.
(Poor guy,) Lisbeth sighed inwardly.
(Definitely friend-zoned,) Klein smirked.
(Wait, who's Recon again?) Komachi blinked, confused.
"Oh!" Yukino gasped, snapping out of her thoughts.
"What's wrong, Yukino?" Leafa asked.
"I just realized," Yukino said, "all I asked of you, Leafa, was to guide us to reunite with Hachiman and Kirito."
"Yeah, that's right," Leafa nodded.
"Things are about to get dangerous," Yukino continued, her tone serious. "It wouldn't be fair to ask more of you—"
"No, it's fine," Leafa interrupted, smiling. "I've cut ties with Sigurd and his crew. From now on, I'm helping you all because I want to."
"Thank you, Leafa," Yukino said warmly.
"Thanks, Leafa," Hachiman added.
"We're counting on you!" Kirito grinned.
Leafa's heart skipped a beat at Kirito's smile, but she quickly masked it, flashing a grin at everyone. "Alright, then! Here's to working together!"
The group returned her enthusiasm, each chiming in with their own greetings. Yukino seized the moment to continue. "Leafa, you probably know this, but our party has always stayed neutral, avoiding any factions. That ends today. We've just decided to move forward with Hachiman as our leader."
"Really?" Leafa's eyes widened.
"You know I'm sticking with Hachiman too," Kirito said, clapping Hachiman's shoulder.
"You guys…" Hachiman muttered, caught off guard.
"So Hachiman's the one holding everyone together, huh?" Leafa said, smiling softly. "Not Yukino."
"Y-Yeah, seems that way," Hachiman said, scratching his neck awkwardly.
Yukino chuckled. "Why so hesitant, Hachiman? But, Leafa… what about you?"
Leafa paused, her gaze drifting. Kirito, picking up on her uncertainty, spoke casually. "You don't have anywhere else to go right now, do you? Why not stick with us until you figure things out?"
"Is that… okay?" Leafa asked, her voice tentative.
"Of course it is!" Kirito said. "Right, Hachiman?"
"Yeah," Hachiman agreed. "You said it yourself, Leafa—friends of friends are friends. If you're good with it, there's no need to hold back."
"Thanks…" Leafa's face lit up. "Alright, I'm fired up! Let's do this!"
"And so, Team Hachiman's influence grows ever larger," Kirito declared in a mock-narrator voice.
"Oi, Kirito, what's with the narrator shtick?" Hachiman groaned. "And 'Team Hachiman'?"
"That name's tragically lame," Yukino teased. "Come up with something better, Hachiman."
"Yeah, big brother, even Komachi's a bit embarrassed as your sister," Komachi piped up.
"I'm fine with it," Lisbeth shrugged.
"No way, Yui-Yui-senpai, that's a hard pass," Komachi protested.
"Look, we're planning to start a guild eventually, so consider it homework for later," Hachiman sighed.
"Make it a cool name, Hachiman!" Kirito urged.
"Yeah, yeah… I'm terrible at this stuff," Hachiman muttered.
Unable to stay quiet any longer, Yui burst from Hachiman's pocket, twirling through the air. "I'm here too, Papa! I'm part of Team Hachiman!"
"Oh, you must be the famous Yui," Yukino said warmly. "I'm Yukino. Nice to meet you."
The others introduced themselves in turn. "I'm Yui, Papa's daughter!" she declared, perching on Hachiman's head with her hands on her hips, striking a proud pose. Her smug expression was so adorable that the women in the group couldn't help but coo and chat with her excitedly.
As the group settled down, Leafa turned to Hachiman. "So, what's the plan? Take out the enemy, then head to the alliance meeting? I thought we were just escorting Yukino's group for their alliance gig."
"That's the gist of it," Hachiman confirmed. "But there's more."
"More?" Leafa tilted her head.
"First, we're offering the Sylph and Cait Sith leaders a hefty sum for their cooperation," Hachiman explained. "With that money, they'll gear up, and we'll head to Arun to tackle the Grand Quest. That's our immediate goal."
"The Grand Quest?" Leafa's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah. Leafa, have you ever felt something off about the Grand Quest's mechanics?" Hachiman asked.
"Like what?" she replied, curious.
Hachiman shared his long-held doubts about the Grand Quest's design, explaining carefully. Leafa nodded, realization dawning. "You know, I've always felt uneasy about it too. That might be why."
"Exactly. Doesn't it seem… off?" Hachiman pressed.
"Yeah," Leafa agreed. "It's almost like the game's developers don't plan to keep it running long-term."
Hachiman froze, her words hitting like a revelation. "Not planning to keep it running long-term…"
"Oh, sorry, just a gut feeling," Leafa said quickly. "Don't take it too seriously."
"No, that's a perspective I hadn't considered," Hachiman said, genuinely impressed. "That's super helpful, Leafa. Thanks."
"Uh, you're welcome," she said, a bit flustered.
"So, hear me out," Hachiman continued. "Instead of fighting among ourselves, what if different races worked together to clear the Grand Quest? Could be worth a shot, right?"
"Definitely," Leafa agreed. "That sounds promising."
"Yukino's connections made the Sylphs and Cait Siths our best bet for allies," Hachiman explained. "That's the starting point."
"I got burned by the Grand Quest before, so I'd love another crack at it," Leafa said, her voice tinged with excitement.
"It'd be ideal if we could get the Salamanders on board too," Hachiman added. "But if they're our enemies today, that's probably a long shot."
"Yeah, probably," Leafa sighed.
"Alright, let's hammer out the details," Hachiman said. "We're short on time."
The group nodded and dove into planning. Yukino's team would enter the corridor first, identify the enemy, and report back to Hachiman. To facilitate this, Hachiman and Kirito added everyone as friends. They'd stay in town, making their presence known, and join Yukino's group in the corridor once contacted to take out the enemy together. The plan was set swiftly, and Yukino's team donned hoods to slip discreetly into the corridor.
"Time to head out," Hachiman said.
"Wonder if the enemy's Sylphs or Salamanders," Kirito mused.
"Who knows…" Hachiman shrugged.
"I'm kinda hoping it's Salamanders," Leafa admitted. "No offense."
"Makes sense," Hachiman said. "If it's Sylphs, it might complicate things for you."
"No, I've made my choice," Leafa said firmly. "I owe Sakuya a lot, but I'm leaving the Sylphs. Honestly, sticking with you guys feels… exciting. Like I'll see things I've never seen before. That's thrilling, right?"
"Hell yeah, it's thrilling!" Kirito grinned.
"Totally!" Leafa laughed, matching his energy.
Just then, Hachiman received a message from Yukino. He checked it and turned to Leafa. "Hey, Leafa, you know a spot in the corridor with a bridge over a lake?"
"Yeah, that's near the exit," she replied.
"Looks like the enemy's set up an ambush there," Hachiman said. "If Yukino's team confirms no one's waiting beyond the corridor, we might have to deal with additional forces if they're out there too."
"Hmm, if the bridge is the battlefield, it's in the corridor where we can't fly," Leafa noted. "That limits large-scale maneuvers, which could work in our favor."
"Good point," Hachiman said. "As long as we avoid getting flanked, we're golden."
"Doesn't matter how many there are," Kirito said confidently. "Leafa and I will just plow through whoever's in front of us."
Leafa giggled. "You said it, Kirito. So, who's the enemy?"
Hachiman smirked. "Relax, Leafa. It's the Salamanders."
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