Shido was unaware of what was happening with Suguha, her mother and aunt, as he sitting alone in his living room and watching television.
Suddenly, he sighed and glanced around his empty, quiet apartment. While living alone had its advantages, Shido couldn't help but think it was better to have someone around to keep you company. The thought reminded him of his time in Date Alive, Overlord, and the Neutral World.
"Sigh… I should finish this quest as soon as possible."
Saying that, Shido turned his gaze back to the television, which was showing the latest news about the newly established ALfheim Online under Ymir.
"They're doing a good job." he murmured.
Shido nodded to himself, pleased that public opinion was once again turning favorable toward virtual reality and ALO. Previously, due to the scandal caused by Sugou, almost all virtual reality platforms had faced the threat of being shut down, and they were only now beginning to recover.
Not only Ymir, but Kyouko had also put in a lot of effort, working hard to restore ALO's popularity.
Now that things were back on track, Shido no longer had to worry about the situation and could focus entirely on clearing his quest.
Turning off the television, Shido walked back to his room and grabbed his AmuSphere to dive into ALO once more. But before that, he picked up his phone, dialed a number, and made a call.
"This is Shido. Is the research finished?"
"We're reaching a critical stage, Itsuka-sama! We may be able to complete the research and develop the medicine within the next three months!"
An excited voice reported from the other end of the line.
Hearing this, Shido nodded and spoke with them for a while before hanging up. The call had been to his pharmaceutical company, which was conducting research on the blood sample he had provided earlier.
The blood he had provided was actually his own, infused with the effects of the [Fountain of Youth], meant for research to develop cures for illnesses that currently had no cure such as advanced lung disease, Huntington's disease, and even AIDS.
Even during this period, while Shido was busy completing quests, he hadn't forgotten about that certain someone. Of course, he could have cured her illness instantly himself, but he wanted it done the 'normal' way. So, he decided to let his pharmaceutical company handle the development of a cure and medicine.
There was no way Shido would let her die like in the original story, so he paid extra attention to her and decided to visit her later.
...
BOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!
The sound of the explosion shook the entire field, sending clouds of dust and debris flying across the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Shido collectively gave command.
"Now! Lisbeth, Leafa, Silica, use your Sword Skills!"
"Got it!" 3x
The three girls nodded excitedly and activated their Sword Skills to deliver the final blow to the Floor Boss, who had been sent flying by Shido. Their weapons glowed blue, yellow, and green, signaling that their Sword Skills were activated.
Slash!
Swish!
Fwoosh!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!!!
Another massive impact shook the field as the three girls' attacks struck the Floor Boss, causing it to shriek. But it could only watch helplessly as it shattered into countless fragments of light.
A second later, a notification reading [Congratulations] appeared in the Boss Room, prompting the three girls to cheer and high-five each other.
"Yey!" 3x
"We did it!"
"Fufu… I didn't realize I was this strong..."
"Silica, stop daydreaming. Setsuna was the one who took most of its HP. We were just the ones who delivered the final blow."
"Tsk! Can't you stop being such a killjoy for once?"
"Okay, okay, enough. We still have things to do."
Lisbeth and Silica began bickering again. Shido was already used to it, as the two often teased and fought like rivals. Meanwhile, Leafa was the one playing the peacemaker
Two weeks had quickly passed since Suguha and Shido's meeting in Shibuya. Now, Shido was on the same party with Lisbeth, Leafa, and Silica. As for how it happened, Shido came to Lisbeth's Arms Shop in YGGDRASIL City to see his newly made weapon, he previously asked her to make but he was met with a situation that lead to right now.
Earlier, when Shido went to collect his new sword, he ran into Leafa and Silica, who were hanging out in Lisbeth's shop and chatting with her.
As for Asuna, she and Kirito had somewhere to go in the game, leaving Silica and Leafa to loaf around in Lisbeth's shop. Silica couldn't help but complain about Asuna and Shido, feeling a little sour that they got to go on a "date" while she had to watch them act all lovey-dovey.
What she didn't realize was that, while Lisbeth and Leafa were listening to her, their minds were actually thinking of someone else which mad them secretly smile.
Today, Lisbeth was thrilled to have completed the weapon Shido had commissioned her to make, and now he was about to pick it up. She tidied up her shop and even made a small effort with her appearance to look her best.
Silica noticed this and immediately teased Lisbeth, suspecting that Shido might arrive since Lisbeth was dressed so nicely. Lisbeth, however, remained unfazed, smugly puffing out her chest causing Silica to take a critical damage.
Leafa on the other hand, chatted with her two friends but couldn't help the slight twitch of her lips as she watched Lisbeth subtly show off her closeness with Shido. Still she recalled the conversation she had with her mother and aunt, leaving her both speechless, shy and also curious, eager to see if she could try out their advice.
But before that, she have to see Shido.
Back to the present.
Seeing the three of them having fun, Shido walked toward them, sheathing his new sword, <
"Good job, you guys are getting stronger."
The three girls, who had been talking and laughing, turned to face Shido with joyful expressions.
"It's all thanks to Setsuna-san."
"Yeah, we wouldn't have been able to beat this Floor Boss without you."
Shido didn't deny their words since it was the truth, but being praised like that certainly felt good. "Well, enough of that. Did you get any good item drops?"
At Shido's question, the three recalled the items that had dropped from the Floor Boss. Since the 9th Floor Boss hadn't been defeated before, Shido's group was the first to take it down, which meant the item drops would be especially generous.
Looking at the system interface that appeared before them, the three girls scanned the items they had received. Silica and Lisbeth's eyes immediately lit up, and they cheered, while Leafa's expression remained mostly unchanged.
"You two got good item drops?" Shido asked, looking at the cheering girls.
Lisbeth was the first to respond. "Yes! I got a rare material that I can use to craft some high-quality equipment."
"Mine isn't a material, but it's still good." Silica smiled and showed Shido the reward she had received.
Shido looked at Silica's interface and at the item drop. "Oh, an item that can make Pina evolve further?"
"Yes, Setsuna-san! With this, Pina will become much stronger!" Silica said excitedly, hugging Pina, who let out a happy 'Kuu!'
Seeing the happy expression on her face, Shido felt content as well and patted her head. "That's great, isn't it? Now Pina will be able to help you even more in battle."
Silica, being patted by Shido, revealed a content smile and nodded.
Seeing their close interaction, Lisbeth couldn't help but snort and look away. Shido noticed this, shook his head, and let out a wry smiled before turning his attention to Leafa, who was the calmest of the three.
Knowing what Shido was about to ask, Leafa spoke first. "I just got normal item drops."
Shido was left speechless, staring at the girl who had beaten him to the question. Although it wasn't their first meeting since Shibuya, he felt that Leafa's way of interacting with him now was somehow different from before.
He didn't know what was going on in her mind, but he guessed it probably had something to do with… girls' things.
Shido could only nod and say, "I see."
As he spoke, he looked at Leafa as if silently asking what was going on. While Leafa normally wouldn't be bothered with such gaze, it was different when it came from Shido. She felt a little shy under his gaze, simply shook her head, embarrassed.
Seeing this, Shido raised an eyebrow, sensing he had an idea of what was happening. Still, staring at her too much might make things awkward, so he decided to continue the conversation instead.
Fortunately, Lisbeth and Silica, who had been talking in the background, spoke up to Shido and Leafa.
"Hey, Setsuna, our names should already be on the Monument of Swordsmen, right?"
Although their names had already been engraved for participating in the defeat of the lower Floor Bosses, this was the first time they had cleared a Floor with so few participants and even without Asuna and Kirito. Naturally, Lisbeth and Silica were excited.
Shido turned and thought for a moment before replying to Lisbeth, "It should be there now. Do you want to check it?"
"Yes!" ×2
The two excited girls agreed without hesitation. Leafa who was still feeling a little shy, couldn't help but be caught up in Lisbeth and Silica's enthusiasm and also agreed.
With that, the four of them decided to check the Monument of Swordsmen together on the 1st Floor.