The one who locked her inside was the man she had promised her life to.
Her hatred of him was what kept her chained to this place.
Once all of the above information had been related, the ghost’s presence faded. Asuna still wouldn’t take her face out of Kirito’s jacket, so he carefully prompted, “Umm, Miss Asuna…?”
“…Did it go away?”
“Y-yeah, for now.”
“…And it won’t come back?”
“Y-yeah, for now.”
She let out a deep sigh and felt her shoulders relax. With the end of the ghost show, her fear was ebbing away, only to be replaced by a rising discomfort.
After all, she had screamed at the top of her lungs and buried her face into her partner’s chest, where it still rested. She had no idea how she could extract herself from the situation and maintain any face.
As she stayed frozen and downturned, she heard Kirito’s equally uncomfortable voice say, “Umm, well…sorry for not noticing that you had trouble with the…astral types…”
The unfamiliar term caused her to lift her head a bit.
“…Astral?”
“It’s a category of monster. Kobolds and goblins are demihumans, giant spiders and mantids are insects, golems and gargoyles are enchanted, and so on. Specters and wraiths like the one we just saw—basically, undead without solid bodies—are astral types. The other undead with proper bodies like ghouls and skeletons are classified as living dead.”
“Ahh…”
When he laid it out and explained it like that, it helped reinforce the concept that this was all just data on a computer, ghostly or not. Asuna counted to three and forced herself to pull away.
Once she had looked around to ensure the coast was indeed clear, she took a step away from Kirito—who was kneeling on the floor—put her hands on her hips, and announced, “I was only startled by how abruptly it appeared. That’s all.”
“…R-right…”
“Yes, I might not like ghosts…or astrals or whatever, but isn’t that true for most girls?”
“…R-right…”
“So let’s forget that ever happened and not bother with mentioning it in the future.”
“…R-right…”
Having agreed with her thrice, Kirito got to his feet. Based on prior experience, she took the twitching of his nostrils as a sign of an intense internal battle over whether or not to tease her, and she fixed him with a glare.
“And absolutely no childish pranks!”
“Yes, ma’am…” he replied like a scolded boy, and began to relight the candles. At last, Asuna felt comfortable enough to crack a tiny smile again.
They searched the area of the ghost’s appearance and picked up a gold pendant marked as a quest item, then returned to town. When they had an NPC identify the pendant, it turned out to be not a relic, but the signifier of a rich merchant family in Karluin. They headed for the family’s mansion.
After a brief argument with the guard at the gate, they were allowed to meet the fifty-something leader of the family, whom they showed the pendant from the underground chapel. He broke into tears and admitted to his past sin. He had grown tired of the girl he was betrothed to thirty years ago and lured her into the chapel under the guise of relic hunting. As he locked her inside, she tore the pendant from his grasp.
Asuna wanted to punch him right in the kisser, but Kirito warned her that it would cut the quest short, so she held it in and followed the man back to the subterranean chapel. They put out the candles again, the wraith girl appeared, and the merchant got down on hands and knees to grovel and apologize for his crime. The ghost vanished at last; they escorted the man back to his mansion, received some rewards, and had just closed the door to his office when a terrific rattling started. Upon opening the door, the man was nowhere to be seen…A rather chilling but satisfying end to the “Thirty-Year Lament” quest.
As they left the mansion for the center square again, Kirito idly checking out his quest rewards, Asuna remarked, “You know…that quest seems like a very bad example for children.”
“Hmm? Ahh…true. The NerveGear’s not for use for kids under thirteen, and SAO had a recommended age rating of fifteen and up, so there aren’t any actual children here…I think.”
“Yes, I suppose…”
Now that he mentioned it, Asuna had turned fifteen just a month before SAO launched, so she’d just barely made it inside the rating level.
If she was still fourteen on November 6, would she not have even played the game? Would she have given up on borrowing her brother’s NerveGear and successfully escaped the fate of this deadly trap?
…No, she ultimately decided. When she snuck into her brother’s room on the day he was unluckily—or luckily—on an overseas assignment and put the already-set-up NerveGear on her head, she hadn’t even bothered to glance at the game’s age rating.
But she had supposedly given up regretting the past when she left the inn room in the Town of Beginnings. Now the only thing to do was keep her eye on the impossibly distant hundredth floor…and push onward in an attempt to beat the game. And if any astral-type monsters appeared, she would simply have to make a brief detour.
“…Well, let’s get going with the next quest…There better not be any ghosts in the puppy quest. Are there?” she asked her partner.
This time, he couldn’t help but grin evilly.
“Probably not. But you never know, it might be a ghost dog.”
Once they had finished the other two underground quests (fortunately not horror themed) and wrapped up the others in town, it was the evening hour, and they had both gained a level—Kirito to 18, Asuna to 17.
As they walked the same path from the previous night to the restaurant and inn, Asuna grumbled to her partner, “For some reason, I don’t seem likely to catch up to you in level at all.”
“Huh…?”
“Well, the amount of experience needed to gain a level is higher for you than me, right? So how is it possible that you’re always exactly one level higher than I am?”
“Oh, right…” Kirito thought about how to answer the question and awkwardly scratched his head. “Well, there’s no party bonus to experience gained in SAO, so when multiple people beat a monster, its experience is split among them, but it’s not an even split…It takes into account the damage and debuffing inflicted, as well as time spent targeted and stuff like that. Our current battle pattern usually involves me pulling aggro all the time, so…”
“…Ah, I see…”
In that case, she couldn’t really complain. When they encountered a monster, Kirito always attacked first and used a sword skill; then, she switched in and did a normal attack, then finished it with a sword skill of her own. But since that order caused Kirito to be the one targeted, it was natural that he wound up with more experience. And given that he had much more knowledge, experience, and technique than she did, it wasn’t logical for Asuna to take over that role.
“Hrrm…” she grumbled, unable to accept this fact at face value.
Kirito eventually offered a weak follow-up. “H-hey, we’re getting to the point where one level hardly means any difference…And we’re both well within the safety margin, so you shouldn’t worry about it…”
“Rrrmmm,” she said, nodding despite her frown.
Kirito was right, of course, and she was not planning to lobby for a switch in combat duties, but she still felt miserable about it.
Ever since coming to the fifth floor, she felt like her worst qualities were on display. She let her greed come out when searching for relics; screamed at the astral monster; and even asked for a personal duel, only to surrender before either of them swung a single blow. She was at least hoping to catch her partner in level, but it only served to remind her that she was relying on him even in normal combat.
Yes, their partnership might be temporary, but she did not want to be the one always getting helped. She had to provide a benefit, something she could offer the o
ther.
…I need to think of what I can do.
No sooner had she come to that resolution than she walked right through the restaurant door Kirito was holding open for her and scolded herself for not realizing it.
Even on the third night within the fifth floor, the Blink & Brink restaurant was surprisingly barren. It was the height of mealtime, but there were no players on the outdoor terrace or inside the restaurant.
“Huh…?” Kirito exclaimed as he sat at the same table as last time, examining the menu.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well…that blueberry tart hasn’t sold out yet…I would have figured that by now they’d be lining up for it before the restaurant even opens.”
“That’s surprising…Especially since so many people are hunting for relics underground. Have they been doing it without the sight bonus, then?”
“I suppose so…”
Meanwhile, the NPC waitress arrived to take their order, so they stopped to handle business. They shared a toast of ficklewine for a good day’s work—white for Asuna, sparkling red for Kirito—and took a sip.
Kirito downed half of his wine in one go, then examined the bubbling flute glass and said, “I like the flavor, but I don’t think the sparkling red thing will take off…”
“Oh, that’s a real thing. There’s Lambrusco from Italy, and Shiraz from Australia, and so on.”
“Whaaat, for real? You’re so knowledgeable, Professor Asuna,” he replied, eyes wide with wonder.
She denied it with a smug smile, then looked down and added, “It’s not like that knowledge has any value here…”
“That’s not true.”
“Huh?”
She looked up at Kirito’s dead-serious expression.
“There are plenty of times where real-world knowledge comes in handy when solving quests and puzzles…Besides, Aincrad might look like a fantasy world at first glance, but it’s not a true otherworld. We and the NPCs all speak Japanese, and player interactions are all rooted in modern Japanese values. It’s a taboo to talk about the other side, but we can’t just completely ignore it like that…”
“…Mmm…” Asuna nodded. Her partner looked back at the menu, hoping to change the topic and mood.
“So anyway, knowing they’re still selling the blueberry tart makes me want to eat one. The buff’s great and all, but I like the taste.”
“I agree,” Asuna said, recalling the refreshing tang of the blueberries and the thick creaminess of the custard. “But I wonder why it doesn’t sell out. You wouldn’t find a better buff for hunting relics.”
“Maybe Argo didn’t put it in her strategy guide? Or, in fact,” Kirito noted, looking toward the teleport square, “I don’t think I saw the Rat’s strategy guide in the item shop at all. Maybe she hasn’t started consigning them yet.”
“Now that you mention it…until now, the first volume of her guide has always been out by the following evening after the floor opens.”
“Hmm. Well, I’m sure she has her own circumstances…Maybe I should shoot her a message.”
Kirito set down his fork and opened his menu, quickly typing out a message on the holo-keyboard. A few seconds later, he frowned.
“…It won’t send…”
“Maybe she’s on another floor?” Asuna suggested.
Kirito looked away shiftily and muttered, “No…that was a friend message.”
This came as quite a surprise to Asuna, who was his temporary partner but not registered as a friend of his. She let out a very long and pointed “Ohhhhhhh?”
Kirito hastily explained, “Er, it’s just…I buy lots of info from her and offer her my own from time to time, so it’s just more convenient to have her registered…”
“I didn’t say anything,” she noted with a smile, only to consider the new information for a moment.
A regular instant message could be sent to any player whose name you knew (and could spell properly in the Western alphabet), but the space restrictions were severe, and it wouldn’t arrive unless you were both on the same floor. Meanwhile, the more expansive “friend messages” could be sent to any registered friend, regardless of floor, as long as they weren’t in a dungeon or instanced map.
“So that could mean Argo’s in a dungeon right now,” Asuna suggested, to which Kirito nodded seriously.
“Yeah…probably. But I don’t recall if there was any information in this dungeon important enough to delay the release of her floor guide…”
“What do you mean, ‘this dungeon’?”
“Oh…” Kirito glanced down at the terrace floor. “The first level of the underground catacombs we were wandering around in today is within the safe haven, so the message would reach her there. But starting on the second level, it’s treated like a dungeon and is technically outside of town.”
“Oh…I see. How many levels are there?”
“Three, I think. There’s an area boss at the bottom, and if you beat it, that opens up a shortcut tunnel to the next town.”
“So it’s not just a minor sub-dungeon. I suppose it wouldn’t be out of the question for Argo to go collect information from a necessary dungeon…”
Kirito bobbed his head, still wearing an unconvinced frown. “Yeah…maybe you’re right. It’s a dungeon linked to town, so I’m sure she wants to cover it thoroughly in her first issue.”
“I’m sure she’ll just pop out of nowhere, like she always does.”
“Yeah…C’mon, let’s eat.”
With a grin at last, Kirito closed his window and picked up the fork again.
Since they weren’t sold out yet, the two decided to order the blue-blueberry tarts again and call it a night, renting a room on the second floor of Blink & Brink, which acted as an inn.
In the hallway, they agreed on a meet-up time for the morning, bid each other good night, and opened adjacent doors. Asuna paused for a second, but Kirito yawned hugely and disappeared into his room, so she followed suit and slammed her door shut.
She opened her window to her equipment mannequin, bashed the REMOVE button twice so that she was in her underwear, then dove into her bed. Once she’d buried her face into the big pillow, she grumbled a series of interjections: “Hmph! Fine! I don’t care anyway!”
Logically, she understood. There was no merit to friending Kirito at the present time. Given that they were currently a team working together, they wouldn’t possibly get split on different floors, so instant messages would serve if they needed to talk remotely.
But emotionally, she couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t just ask. All he had to do was phrase it like, “Well, should we register, too, just in case?” and she’d be fine with answering a simple “Sure, I don’t see why not.”
As she lay in bed, grumbling away, she played back the conversation with Kirito the previous evening.
How long are you planning to work with me?
Until you’re strong enough to not need me.
Maybe that was where Kirito wanted to draw the line. They were partners, not friends…so when the time inevitably came for them to split apart, it would be easier to do so if they weren’t registered as friends.
“…No. He’s just that inconsiderate and thoughtless,” she grunted, then relaxed at last and rolled over. She looked up at the ceiling—flickering with the play of light and shadow cast by the room’s lantern—and muttered, “Fine. One day I’ll ask you for that friend status…once I’m just as tough as you.”
She stretched her arms up, clutching the hands together, then rocked back and used the momentum to bound upward. Deciding to take a bath, Asuna looked around the room but saw nothing resembling a bathroom door. Tapping the wall brought up a reference window for the room, which showed on its map that there were no attached bathrooms; there was only a large one at the end of the upstairs hall.
She panicked briefly, thinking of the great bath hall at Yofel Castle, then realized that unlike that mixed bath, this one was properly separated by sex. However, it
wasn’t clear if that was actually a rule or merely a directive advising good behavior.
Just in case, she put on her casual wear and set it up so she could equip the swimsuit she’d crafted on the fourth floor if necessary, then headed out. She had just turned the first corner toward the bath, which was on the opposite end of the floor from the staircase, when she heard a door open and close behind her, and instinctually flattened herself against the wall.
When she peered around the corner, a figure was walking away down the dim hallway. She was momentarily relieved, but then her eyes bulged.
It was only a silhouette, but she couldn’t mistake that form. It was Kirito. He was outfitted in his usual full garb of long coat and boots, and she could make out the graceful hilt of his new Sword of Eventide over his shoulder.
It was already past nine at night. Maybe he was only leaving for a bit of gear maintenance, but there was something hard and resolute in his walk.
He was probably going to venture into the underground catacombs to search for Argo the Rat.
“…Why does he have to be so standoffish?” she grumbled, reaching up to open her menu window. On her equipment mannequin, she activated her breastplate, leather skirt, and Chivalric Rapier. The bath could wait—she was going to follow the man.
Yes, she’d briefly sulked about the friend registration matter, but Argo was also a good friend to Asuna. Aincrad might be big, but Argo was the only one who called her by a nickname like “A-chan.” If Argo was in danger, it only made sense to forego her own comforts to help her.
The hallway was empty. She raced down the stairs two at a time, darted past the NPC at the desk—who issued a generic “Have a nice trip”—and leaped out the front door of Blink & Brink.
5
SHE HAD LEFT ONLY A MINUTE AFTER HIM, but she didn’t see her partner at all on the straight path to the main part of town. He must have started sprinting as soon as he’d left.
If it weren’t for the fact that he would only pull farther ahead while she typed, she would send him an instant message. So the only option was to run. But no matter how many corners she turned, she never caught sight of Kirito’s back.
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