At GGO's starting point, where new players first spawn, a man stood cloaked in a deep hood, his face obscured. It was, of course, Shana.
"Almost time," he muttered, checking the real-world time on his console.
Right on cue, two players materialized. One was a tall, long-haired woman with sharp, icy features that gave her a striking, cool beauty. The other was a petite, short-haired woman with freckles. Shana assumed they were Asuna and Komachi but, cautious of a mix-up, waited for them to make the first move. The two glanced at each other and erupted into excited chatter.
"You look so cool and sharp, Shizuka!"
"Benkei, you're tiny and adorable—nothing like the name!"
(Shizuka and Benkei? They picked names to match mine… Though Komachi doesn't exactly scream 'Benkei.' Guess it's random avatars, so no helping it.)
The two had agreed beforehand to use first names or short nicknames in GGO, regardless of who they were with, though they'd likely slip back to old habits with certain people. Next, they started looking around, clearly searching for someone. Shana, figuring they were after him, subtly lifted his hood to reveal his face. Shizuka spotted him, pointed, and the two jogged over. Shana stood but didn't wave, opting to wait for their greeting to confirm their identities. His caution was unnecessary—they called out as expected.
"Sha—"
"Shana, found you!"
Before Shizuka could finish, a voice rang out from behind, and someone tackled Shana's back. Caught off guard, he stumbled forward, nearly falling, but the figure behind him grabbed him with surprising strength, steadying him. Recognizing that force, Shana spoke without turning.
"Hey, Pit, let go already."
"What? I finally ran into you by chance—can't I have this much?"
"Let go, or you might end up dead."
"Huh?"
Pit tilted her head, puzzled, as Shana forcibly pried her off. He turned to explain to Shizuka, who was approaching, but she spoke first. Meanwhile, Benkei peeked cautiously from behind Shizuka, likely wary of getting caught in the crossfire.
"So, Shana, who's this?" Shizuka asked, her tone sharp and deliberate.
(Oh crap, that's her angry voice… And it's not aimed at me—it's at Pitohui.)
Shana scrambled to explain.
"This is Pitohui. I was gonna call her later to help with leveling, just a collaborator."
He emphasized "just," hoping to defuse the tension. Pitohui, overhearing, seemed to catch on to Shizuka's identity. But, true to her battle-crazed nature, she couldn't resist stirring the pot.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Pitohui, Shana's lackey and mistress candidate!"
"Oh?"
Shizuka's eyes narrowed, sizing Pitohui up with a gaze as sharp as a drawn blade. Pitohui shivered—not from fear, but from excitement.
"Shana's too nice, so the moment I look away, someone like this shows up. He's easy to misunderstand, which is part of his charm, but as his true wife, dealing with self-proclaimed mistresses gets tricky."
"Wow, that's some confidence," Pitohui shot back.
"Of course. Shana's head over heels for me. Not that I'm any different."
Benkei had slunk behind Shana, whispering, "Whoa, a real lovers' quarrel! Good luck!"
Hearing this, Shizuka turned to Benkei with a bright smile.
"Benkei, this isn't a quarrel. It's just… education. About hierarchy."
"Bold words. Wanna settle this?" Pitohui challenged.
"Fine by me. It's been a while since I fought seriously, but I'm sure I'll manage."
"Already making excuses before we start?"
"Nope. Just wondering if I've forgotten how to hold back."
Pitohui's eyes widened, then she burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
"Hahaha, that's some serious confidence!"
"Guns are still too much for me, so close-quarters combat, okay?"
"Works for me."
"Let's get to it. Shana, lend us two knives. That evens the playing field."
"…Fine, but your stats are still base-level, right? And you're not exactly a knife expert."
"Yeah, but this avatar's got long reach. If I step in a bit more than usual, it'll be fine."
"Alright…"
Realizing further argument was pointless, Shana silently handed over two knives. The group moved to a training area at Pitohui's suggestion.
"Shana, is this okay?" Benkei whispered, worried.
"If Shizuka says it's fine, it's fine."
"Really?"
"Listen, Benkei, what you're about to see is probably Shizuka at her most serious. Watch closely—it'll show you how crossing death's line over and over forces someone to grow."
"Uh… okay."
Benkei could only nod, vaguely grasping that even for Shizuka, nearly unstoppable in SAO, this fight would be intense due to the stat gap.
"Go, Shizuka!"
"Don't die, Pit!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
The two exchanged confused glances at their mismatched cheers.
"Wait, Shana, you…"
"Oh, right. You've only seen Shizuka fighting with healing magic. When she pours that focus into pure offense, just watch."
"Got it…"
(So Onii-chan doesn't even think Asuna-neechan will struggle…)
As Shana predicted, the battle—fueled by feminine pride—was utterly one-sided.
"Ready when you are," Shizuka said.
"Sure, come at me whenever—"
Before Pitohui could finish, Shizuka was in her face. She aimed a casual stab at Pitohui's heart, but Pitohui barely dodged with a desperate lunge.
(What's with that speed? She's a base-level character—that's cheating! That was close!)
Shizuka's speed stemmed purely from reflexes. While actual movement speed relied on stats, burst actions hinged on individual reaction time. Kirito, for instance, exemplified this—his near-STR-focused build still delivered blistering attacks for this reason. As Pitohui registered the close call, Shizuka's next strike was already coming. Pitohui tried to dodge again, but another attack followed instantly. She attempted a counter, but Shizuka's precise strikes targeted spots that made retaliation impossible, steadily chipping away at Pitohui's HP.
"This… isn't… any… knife fighting… I know!"
Pitohui gasped, barely managing the words. Switching knives between hands like a juggler was amateurish. A true soldier would strike without a stance, slashing the throat in one motion—stabs risked getting caught in muscle. Shizuka's style defied such conventions, a pure game-born flow. In GGO, stabs didn't snag on flesh or glance off bone. Despite learning real-world knife combat from Em, Pitohui couldn't land a single counter. She felt ashamed of her past arrogance, assuming reality held all the answers. Shana and Shizuka had spent over two years honing their skills in-game, racking up incredible feats.
Thrilled to face such opponents, Pitohui, pierced through the stomach by Shizuka, closed the distance herself and hugged her. Had she accepted the blow from the start and aimed for a mutual kill, her higher stats might've won easily—but her pride wouldn't allow such a cheap tactic.
"Incredible… Total defeat. You win."
"How about an apology?"
"Sorry."
"Good enough."
Shizuka pulled the knife out before Pitohui's HP drained completely from continuous damage. Pitohui injected herself with an emergency recovery kit, restoring her health.
"Wow, that's how you heal? You'll have to teach us a lot, Pit," Shizuka said.
Caught off guard by the nickname, Pitohui looked at Shizuka, then broke into a wide grin, fully submitting to her authority.
"You got it, True Wife-sama!"
"And from now on, you need my permission to hug Shana, got it?"
"Yes, True Wife-sama!"
"Call me Shizuka. That's Benkei over there. Nice to meet you."
"Shana's name comes from Shana-oh, so you went with Kamakura-era names!"
Pitohui, surprisingly cultured, caught the reference instantly.
"Oh, our cat's named Kamakura too. Maybe we'll call the team Kamakura," Shana said.
"What? Really?"
"Yup, just decided."
"Hahaha, that's great!"
Pitohui laughed heartily. After brief introductions, they settled on Shana, Shizu, Kei, and Pit as nicknames. The four then headed to a shop Pitohui recommended, using Shana's funds to gear up the newcomers. Everyone carried a knife, and at Pitohui's suggestion, Shizuka chose a P90—a hybrid assault rifle/submachine gun. Benkei, despite her name, was likely to take on scouting roles, so she picked the 9mm SIG Sauer M9, used by the JSDF, for its maneuverability. On Shana's orders, they all bought optical guns, emergency recovery kits, food, and other supplies. Fully equipped, Shana made a sudden declaration.
"Alright, this goes against GGO's usual playbook, but the four of us are heading out on an adventure."
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