Seeing the still-oblivious Seiya, Sachi was about to say something, but Asuna stopped her.
"Sachi, thank you so much for helping me. I'm very happy with this result. Seiya's personality is just like that. After all, everything needs to happen step by step, right?"
Sachi noticed the meaningful smile on Asuna's face and blushed. She realized that she could only be a wingman and couldn't do anything more.
"Asuna-san, you're a perfect person. You're beautiful and kind. You're a shining star."
Friendships between girls are often sudden and inexplicable. After this incident, Asuna and Sachi became very good friends. Even after Kirito and The Moonlit Black Cats left, Seiya still looked at Asuna with a dumbfounded expression. He couldn't understand why the first meeting between the "official girlfriend" and the "first love" was so harmonious. There was no drama, and they even became good friends. It was simply outrageous!
"Uh... Asuna, what do you think of Sachi? Don't you feel bad about her and Kirito being together?"
What had just happened was completely unexpected, so Seiya carefully asked Asuna, who was still playing with her new Meteor rapier.
"Sachi is a great girl, and I think she and Kirito-kun are a perfect match. Anyway, Seiya, you're free, right? I'm itching to use my new weapon. Let's have a PvP. Of course, since you're the national kendo champion, you'll go easy on me, right?"
"Uh, actually..."
"Okay, since you have no objections, it's a done deal. You're not allowed to use any weapons, and there's no time limit."
Asuna cut him off and sent him a PvP request with completely unfair terms.
"What do you mean, no weapons? What's the difference between me and a lamb to be slaughtered? You're mad, aren't you? Even though you said you didn't care, you're mad about Kirito and Sachi being together, right?"
Asuna, who had been in a good mood after receiving the Meteor rapier, was now furious. She didn't care if Seiya agreed or not. She grabbed his hand and pressed "Accept" on the system pop-up.
After being forced into this one-sided PvP, Asuna thought she would be able to vent her anger, but Seiya summoned a flaming tiger and a giant bird. Without his sword, Seiya would have been no match for Asuna. But after sharing his powers, he was no longer the same person. He could now summon shikigami, and his martial arts skills were just as good as his swordsmanship.
Aincrad, Floor 55, Gransam
The main town here was built with black steel, which earned it the nickname "The Iron City." The strongest guild in SAO, the Knights of the Blood, also had its headquarters here. After a team training session, Asuna, the guild's vice-commander, was heading home early.
"Asuna, you've worked hard today. Did you talk to Seiya about it?"
Asuna was about to leave the headquarters when a man in red armor with gray hair called out to her. It was none other than Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Blood and the strongest player in SAO. It was said that Heathcliff had once held the front line of a boss fight on the 50th floor for ten minutes and that his HP had never dropped below 50% since the beginning of the game.
"Uh... I haven't had the chance to talk to him yet. But knowing him, he'll probably say no. I'll try to persuade him again..."
After saying goodbye to Heathcliff, Asuna sighed and went to the 50th floor, Algade. Algade was the most prosperous town in Aincrad, second only to the Starting City on the first floor. Although the streets were a mess, there were all kinds of shops and stalls. The players here were also of a higher level.
After arriving on the 50th floor, Asuna bought some edible monster materials from a few stalls and then went to her old friend Agil's shop.
"Agil, do you have any good ingredients today?"
Agil wasn't surprised to see Asuna, who was holding a basket like a housewife. 'The Flash' had been a regular customer for the past six months. Since they were both in the Assault Team and Agil was a close friend of Seiya and Kirito, he and Asuna were also very close.
"Asuna, you've come at a good time. A player was short on money and sold me a Golden Catfish here in Algade. I just got it."
When Asuna heard the name Golden Catfish, her eyes lit up. "Golden Catfish? The S-rank ingredient, one of the three delicacies along with Ragout Rabbit and Hexagon Honey?"
As a food lover, Asuna had maxed out her cooking skill and had memorized every ingredient in SAO. However, she had only ever heard of the legendary Golden Catfish.
"Agil, please! Sell me that Golden Catfish!"
A legendary ingredient was hard to come by, so Asuna, being a foodie, immediately tried to get her hands on it.