"Wow, our names are really engraved here."
"Mm, they really are."
Lisbeth and Silica were amazed and overjoyed to see their names carved into the Monument of Swordsmen in the Town of Beginnings.
Even Leafa was smiling as she looked at her name alongside her friends'. It was an impressive achievement to have their names engraved on the monument with such a small number of participants.
Of course, it had only been possible thanks to Shido's help.
It was the first time the three of them had managed to get their names listed with just the four of them, without the usual help of Asuna and Kirito.
Thinking of Asuna and Kirito, especially Kirito, the three girls felt a slight pang of guilt. They felt they should have at least invited him to help fight a Floor Boss. Instead, they cleared it without him and ended up partying with Shido, whom they had only recently met.
However, even though the three of them felt guilty, Silica was actually the only one who dwelled on it. As for Lisbeth and Leafa, while they felt a little sorry for Kirito, that was it. The reason their attitude toward Kirito had changed was because someone else had been occupying their thoughts these past few weeks, causing Kirito's presence in their hearts to slowly fade.
Besides, Kirito couldn't really blame them, could he? After all, he had been enjoying dates with Asuna, leaving the three of them bored and feeling a bit sour.
Since that was the case, it should be fine for them to have fun with someone else too, right?
"Are you girls satisfied?"
Shido, who stood beside them, asked upon seeing the smiles on their faces.
"Un! Very happy!"
"Kuuu!"
"Looks like Pina feels the same," Silica laughed childishly as Pina fluttered above her head, celebrating along with her master.
"We've got a totally cheating player with us after all, so it was guaranteed that we'd get our names on the Monument of Swordsmen."
Although Lisbeth said it as if she were complaining, the curve on her lips completely exposed just how satisfied she was with the result.
Then, as they glanced at the left side of the monument, they saw Shido's name appearing multiple times, indicating that he had cleared those floors entirely on his own.
This caused Lisbeth's lips to twitch while Silica laughed at her reaction.
"It feels good seeing our names up there, but it's also a bit embarrassing when people stare at us so much." Leafa said with a wry smile as she looked around at the players whispering and pointing at them in awe.
"Huh?"
Lisbeth and Silica, who had been dancing in delight, froze when they heard Leafa's words. They quickly turned to look around as well, only then noticing the crowd of players that had gathered without them realizing it.
The surrounding area was now filled with players of various races. Unlike before, back when the recent patch hadn't been released yet, players would only form parties with others from the same fairy race. But that changed when Aincrad was added to the game, allowing players of any race to join parties together.
"Amazing, they managed to clear the 9th Floor with just the four of them."
"Damn, who are these people?"
"Idiot, look at the guy with them and the name of the leader on the monument."
"What?"
Hearing his friend's reminder, the player who had been talking turned toward the monument. When he saw the name at the top, his eyes instantly widened.
"Wait… that's Setsuna! The Sword Demon and the current leader of the Imp Race!"
It wasn't just that player who recognized Shido's identity, many others did as well. It wasn't really surprising; after all, Shido had been a hot topic in the recent ALO news, whether for his feat of defeating two armies of the fairy race or for fighting for the throne of the Imp Race.
Some players even considered him the strongest player in ALO, surpassing even Eugene, who had long been regarded as one of the most powerful player in ALO.
Hearing the chatter of the players around them, Lisbeth grinned and nudged Shido on the side and said. "Well, well, looks like someone's very famous."
Shido felt her action but ignored it, casually shrugging as if to say, What did you expect?
Still, even though he decided to ignore Lisbeth's teasing, she wasn't about to stop. She continued to tease him with a smug grin, causing Shido's lips to twitch as he rubbed his forehead helplessly
Watching his reaction, Leafa and Silica giggled in amusement.
Meanwhile, seeing Shido's closeness with the girls, the crowd of players began to whisper among themselves about them.
"But… who are the three cute girls in his party?" one player asked curiously.
"Hmm? I think I've seen them before… with the Berserker Healer and the Black Swordsman." another player replied.
"Eh? Then why are they in a party with the Sword Demon?"
"Dunno."
The players in the crowd continued talking among themselves about Shido and the others. Meanwhile, Silica was starting to feel a little embarrassed and awkward, unable to handle so much attention.
Leafa and Lisbeth, on the other hand, didn't care much about the stares. Leafa simply ignored the whispers, while Lisbeth, instead of feeling shy like Silica, became smug, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest as if she were proud.
Seeing the girls' different reactions, Shido could only shake his head. It was getting crowded, so he decided to suggest something to them.
"Say."
"What the matter Setsuna?"
"What is it, Setsuna?" Lisbeth asked, looking at Shido curiously. Silica and Leafa were the same, both subconsciously ignoring the crowd of players in the surroundings.
"Why don't we have a celebration?"
"..."
"Let's do it!" 3x
At his words, the three girls fell silent before their eyes lit up. Excited, they eagerly agreed with Shido.
Shido watched their reactions and felt a little amused, seeing them so happy made them look undeniably cute.
...
Lisbeth, Leafa, and Silica sat quietly inside Shido's house located in YGGDRASIL City. They were fascinated with the interior of Shido's house and they look around to see if there's anything interesting.
Unlike Kirito and Asuna, who only rented their lodging, Shido had become wealthy enough to purchase a residence outright.
While the house wasn't very large, its warm and cozy atmosphere made anyone who stayed there feel comfortable.
Now, the three girls were relaxing on the couch in their casual clothes, the same ones they usually wore when hanging out at Asuna and Kirito's lodging.
"Mmmrrpp! Ah, this feels so comfortable~"
"I know, right? It's been a while since I relaxed this much,"
"Hey, didn't you just laze around in my shop earlier?"
"..." Silica.
Lisbeth and Silica stretched their arms before slouching back into the soft seats, continuing their playful bickering.
Meanwhile, Leafa simply sighed and shook her head. She was already used to their usual squabbles and could only think that they were truly good friends.