Meguri Shiro let out a sigh in front of her phone. "I want to call Hikki, to hear with my own ears that he's okay… but I'd rather talk to him in person."
For two months, Meguri had been wrestling with this dilemma daily. In moments like these, her mind spiraled into unlikely fears: What if he's forgotten me? What if I annoy him? What if I show up and he thinks I'm weird? Negative thoughts trapped her in a cycle, her usual confidence drowned out by doubt.
That day, too, Meguri stood frozen before her phone. (Another day where I can't bring myself to call…) She moved to set it down when it buzzed with an incoming call.
"Whoa!" she gasped. "Oh, it's Haru-san!"
Excited at the prospect of news about Hachiman, Meguri answered eagerly. "Hello, Haru-san? It's been a while!"
"Hey, Meguri! Got a minute?" Haruno's voice came through.
"Yup, I'm free!"
"So, I've got a few things to ask," Haruno said. "You brought your AmuSphere and ALO software abroad, right? I need you to log in at a specific time to meet some people."
"I haven't logged in lately, but I can do it," Meguri said. "What's going on?"
"Well…" Haruno explained the situation, leaving Meguri stunned.
"No way… all that's happened?" Meguri said, incredulous.
"I know, right? It's like a miracle," Haruno said. "Almost feels like some god's pulling strings."
"Finding Hikki's important person through an SS, logging in with NerveGear and keeping SAO stats… it's unbelievable," Meguri agreed.
"Miracle or not, I don't care," Haruno said. "I'm using every bit of this to make sure Hachiman's happy."
Meguri noticed Haruno now called him "Hachiman" instead of "Hikigaya-kun." "Haru-san, when did you start calling him Hachiman?" she asked.
"Oh, a while back," Haruno said playfully. "Jealous? Ask him if you can too. I bet he'd say yes."
"No way, I can't just… I haven't even said 'welcome back' yet!" Meguri protested.
"Exactly," Haruno said. "Those people you're meeting? They're Hachiman's allies, SAO survivors, and critical to the fight. I want you to help him too, Meguri. Be his strength."
"Help Hikki… in ALO…" Meguri's eyes lit up. "You're right! I can say 'welcome back' in-game!"
"Yup. Even from overseas, you can meet him in ALO," Haruno said.
"I'm in!" Meguri declared, her spirits soaring. "I'll help Hikki with everything I've got!"
"Full throttle, huh?" Haruno laughed. "I'm going all out for him too. First time in my life, maybe."
"Do you… like Hikki, Haru-san?" Meguri asked bluntly, her natural candor shining through.
"Wow, straight to the point! That's so you," Haruno chuckled. "Yeah, I like him. But it's less romantic and more like… a troublesome little brother. Yukino followed me around but never needed me. Hachiman? He's a handful, and I love looking out for him. It's a new feeling."
"I totally get that," Meguri said, nodding.
"So, Meguri, I'm counting on you for Hachiman," Haruno said.
"Got it! I like him too, so I'll go all out!" Meguri vowed.
"Thanks. Let me fill you in on the details," Haruno said.
"Okay!"
Days later, Meguri—now Meguri in ALO—stood in Swilvane. Haruno had tipped her off that Hachiman's group was here. As Meguri, she roamed the city, searching for clues. Then she overheard the name "Leafa."
(Hikki… no, Hachiman in-game. That was definitely his friend's name! Where are they?)
Scanning the crowd, she spotted a likely trio. But as she rushed toward them, they logged out. "Missed them…" she muttered. "Oh well, I'll definitely see him tomorrow. I'll save the excitement."
Meguri logged out. The next morning, she headed to the rendezvous point Haruno had specified. "Haru-san said around here… oh, there!"
Spotting a Cait Sith woman, Meguri called out. "Are you Silica?"
"Yes! You're Meguri?" Silica replied.
"Yup! Nice to meet you!"
"Likewise!"
"Let's wait for the other two before we talk details," Meguri said. "They're supposed to appear in the air. Wanna help me look?"
"Sure!"
They scanned the sky, searching for figures. "Meguri, there!" Silica pointed.
"Yup, that's them. Wait here—I'll grab them," Meguri said, taking flight toward two plummeting players.
"Waaah!" one screamed.
"We're gonna crash!" the other yelled.
"Calm down and imagine you can fly!" Meguri called, grabbing their hands to slow their fall.
"Egyl, imagine!" one shouted.
"Klein, imagine!" the other replied.
Their panic eased as their descent slowed. Focusing, they began to float. "Good, good!" Meguri encouraged. "Let's land gently."
The trio touched down, joining Silica. "So, you're Egyl, the Gnome, and Klein, the Salamander?" Meguri asked.
"Yup, I'm Egyl. Nice to meet you, Meguri," Egyl said.
"Klein here! Yo!" Klein added.
"Silica, again! Nice to meet you!" Silica chirped.
"I'm Meguri, Hachiman's old high school senpai," Meguri said.
"We got the rundown from Haruno," Egyl said.
"Hard to believe what happened to Asuna and Lisbeth," Klein said.
"No time to celebrate reunions," Silica added.
"Yeah, let's save that for later," Klein agreed.
"First, flight training," Meguri said. "We'll talk during breaks."
"""Got it!""" the three replied.
Meguri taught them to fly, and once they'd mastered it, she handed out weapons Haruno had prepared: a two-handed axe for Egyl, a katana for Klein, and a dagger for Silica. During breaks, they talked. Meguri was floored by stories of Hachiman in SAO but thrilled to hear them. Klein, Egyl, and Silica caught up, celebrating their reunion. Once ready, the four flew toward Lugru Corridor.
"This'll be our first fight, right?" Silica asked.
"Probably," Meguri said, frowning. "Hmm…"
"What's wrong?" Egyl asked.
"We should've run into monsters by now," Meguri said.
"Not a single one so far," Klein noted.
"Looks like a large group passed through recently," Meguri said.
"Enemies?" Silica asked.
"Likely," Meguri said. "Let's hurry."
Dropping caution, they sprinted through the corridor and took flight toward Hachiman and Kirito. Soon, they spotted black smoke ahead. "There!" Meguri said.
"Where's Hachiman and Kirito?" Egyl asked.
"Whoa, hold up," Klein said.
"What's wrong, Klein?" Silica asked.
"Meguri, can we stop for a sec?" Klein requested.
"Sure," Meguri said, puzzled.
Klein stared ahead. "That's probably Kirito fighting the Salamanders in front of the Sylphs and Cait Siths. See him?"
"Yeah, that's Kirito," Egyl confirmed.
"There's a giant Santa-thing!" Silica gasped. "It's moving so creepily…"
"Must be an illusion spell," Meguri said. "It changes your form but not your strength. Whoever's transformed is insanely strong."
"Since Hachiman's nowhere else, that's probably him," Klein said.
The others looked between Klein and the Santa, stunned. "Hachiman's that strong?" Silica whispered.
"Hachiman and Kirito were SAO's Four Heavenly Kings," Egyl said. "Top-tier."
"But why Santa?" Silica asked.
"Ever hear of Nicholas the Renegade?" Klein asked.
Silica shook her head, but Egyl perked up. "Wait, the Christmas event boss?"
"Right!" Klein said. "Kirito soloed it. I never saw it myself, but if Hachiman's a Santa, it's gotta be Nicholas."
"So it's an SAO boss form," Silica said. "What's your worry, Klein?"
"I'm worried if we jump in now, that thing might attack us," Klein said.
"Its movements are weird," Egyl agreed. "Meguri, how's that spell work?"
"It's hard to control fully, especially with low magic skills," Meguri said. "There's a chance we'd get hit."
"What do we do?" Silica asked.
"Let's get closer and jump in when the spell wears off," Meguri suggested.
"Prep to dive in!" Klein said.
"I couldn't help in SAO, so I'm going all out now!" Silica vowed.
"Same," Egyl said. "They always bailed us out."
"For Asuna and Lisbeth, let's do this!" Klein added.
Minutes later, as Hachiman's spell faded, the four charged into the fray.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
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