"So, where do we start?" Hachiman asked, settling into the quiet Arun meeting spot.
"Begin with the goal," Yukino suggested. "Then fill in the details."
"Right. Leafa, this might be confusing, so bear with me," Hachiman said.
"Don't worry, I'll ask if I'm lost," Leafa replied with a nod.
"Cool, interrupt anytime," Hachiman said. "Our real mission is to rescue Titania from the top of the World Tree."
"What?" Leafa blinked, thrown off by the sudden mention of Titania.
"Yeah, sounds weird, I know," Hachiman said. "Simply put, Titania's not an NPC right now. There's a real person inside."
"A real… person?" Leafa stammered, bewildered.
"Yup. Someone's trapped up there against their will," Hachiman explained.
"But Titania's the fairy queen, an NPC… isn't she?" Leafa faltered.
"Normally, yeah," Hachiman said. "It started with a screenshot Yukino's group took."
"Screenshot?" Leafa asked.
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "A while back, some players tried reaching the World Tree's top from the outside. That was Yukino, Yui, Iroha, and Komachi."
"That was you guys?" Leafa said, stunned.
"Indeed," Yukino confirmed softly.
"Komachi snapped a screenshot up there, and the person in it looked exactly like someone I know," Hachiman said. "To confirm, we needed to clear the Grand Quest."
"But you said the Grand Quest is unimplemented…" Leafa paused. "Wait, because it's unimplemented, no one would know Titania's not an NPC, right? So they cranked up the difficulty to make it impossible to clear?"
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Sharp, Leafa. That's likely it. The insane difficulty hides the fact it's unimplemented, and they're using that to cover up illegal—no, criminal—activities."
"Criminal?" Leafa echoed, eyes wide.
"Yeah, serious crimes," Hachiman said grimly.
"Who's trapped up there?" Leafa pressed.
"An SAO player," Hachiman said.
"SAO…" Leafa's voice trembled.
"You know about the hundred SAO players who haven't woken up, right?" Hachiman said.
"No way…" Leafa whispered.
"It's true," Hachiman said. "At least one is definitely up there. I spoke to her earlier when I flew up. It's her, no doubt."
"You talked to her?" Yukino interjected, surprised.
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "We got an ALO ID card, and Yui used it to briefly connect with her."
"I see," Yukino said. "So, we've got a shot at breaching the wall in the Grand Quest chamber?"
"Breach the wall?" Leafa exclaimed.
"Yup," Hachiman said. "Leafa, Yui's a fragment of SAO's Cardinal System. With an ALO ID, she can bypass the wall. ALO's server is a copy of SAO's, so that's why we're obsessed with the Grand Quest."
"That's… insane," Leafa said, reeling.
"I know it's a lot, but it's all true," Hachiman said. "When we logged into ALO, our skills were nearly maxed, probably from SAO data saved in our NerveGears."
"So… you're all…" Leafa began.
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "Me, Kirito, Klein, Egyl, and Silica are SAO survivors, logging in with NerveGears."
Leafa's heart pounded at "SAO survivors." Could they know Onii-chan? Or… She stared at Kirito, thoughts racing. If Liz is up there, maybe Kirito's…
"Um… who's up there?" Leafa asked cautiously.
"Asuna," Kirito answered. "She was married to Hachiman in SAO."
"Married? Hachiman's wife?" Leafa gasped.
"SAO had a marriage system," Kirito said.
"That's why I'm here," Hachiman said. "To save Asuna."
"You wore the NerveGear again? Weren't you scared?" Leafa asked.
"I'd be lying if I said no," Hachiman admitted. "But I had no choice."
"That's… amazing," Leafa said.
"Alone, I might've chickened out," Hachiman said, glancing at his friends. "But I've got reliable comrades."
The group nodded, smiling warmly. "Plus, we've got Argo helping from outside," Hachiman said. "She's the one who got the ID card to Asuna."
"The government's collaborator?" Yukino asked.
"Seems so," Hachiman said. "Shocked me too."
"How many comrades do you have, Hachiman?" Leafa asked.
"In SAO, seven," Hachiman said. "Kirito, Klein, Egyl, Silica, Argo, Asuna, and one more who's among the hundred trapped. We haven't confirmed their presence in-game, but freeing Asuna should prompt government action to save them too. For now, we focus on Asuna."
"Absolutely," Kirito said. "We'll save Asuna and Liz."
Leafa's heart jolted at "Liz." He said Liz. So Kirito's…
"Kirito-kun…" Leafa said softly.
"What's up, Leafa?" Kirito asked.
"Are you… maybe… Kazuto… Onii-chan?" Leafa ventured.
"Huh? Wait… Leafa, you're… Sugu?" Kirito said, stunned.
"Whoa!" Klein exclaimed.
"Your sister from the hospital?" Egyl asked.
As the group stirred, Leafa nodded. "Yeah, I'm Sugu," she said.
"No way… I had no clue," Kirito said.
"Yeah… I…" Leafa's voice cracked. "Wait… why am I crying?"
Tears spilled down her cheeks. Kirito floundered, at a loss.
"Sorry, I'm logging out," Leafa said, vanishing.
Kirito glanced helplessly at the others. The women, sensing the gravity, spoke up.
"Kirito-kun, go home and talk to your sister," Yukino said.
"It's not too late," Silica added. "Hurry."
"Go to her," Yui urged.
"Got it," Kirito said. "Hachiman, I'll be back."
"Go for it," Hachiman said. "Be safe."
Kirito logged out, secured hospital clearance, and headed home. Among the group, Klein remained clueless.
"What just happened?" Klein asked.
"I think I get it," Egyl said.
"Me too," Silica added.
"You guys figured it out?" Klein said.
"Klein, maybe Leafa had a crush on Kirito," Hachiman said. "Finding out he's her brother must've hit hard."
"Oh…" Klein said.
Hachiman's guess was slightly off. He couldn't know Leafa already knew Kirito was her cousin, having never spoken properly with Suguha in real life.
"That's for Kirito to handle," Hachiman said. "We can't meddle."
"Right," Yukino said. "Let's focus on the practical stuff."
On the train, Kazuto thought about Suguha. Her tears baffled him. (Maybe there's nothing between me and Suguha, but between Kirito and Leafa…)
Like Hachiman, he wondered if Suguha had feelings for Kirito. Lacking romantic experience, Kazuto was clueless about what to do next. (I just need to talk to her.)
At home, his parents weren't back yet. Taking a deep breath, Kazuto knocked on Suguha's door.
--+--
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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