Crossover PS 198 (Patreon)

12:10 PM.

In the dining room of Infinity Castle.

Kiss-shot had already claimed the most comfortable spot. Before her lay an opened box of shiroi koibito. Her golden pupils were slightly narrowed in enjoyment.

Erii stood beside Minoru, earnestly learning the craft of cooking.

Minoru stood in the kitchen, apron tied, spatula flying.

Several dishes were already on the table. Braised pork, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a sweet and sour pork tenderloin that Erii loved.

"Almost done."

Minoru wiped his hands and took out his phone to open the chat window with Mahiru.

[Minoru: Coming to pick you up for lunch.]

[Mahiru: Mhm! I'll be out of class right away!]

Minoru glanced at the time, and sensed Mahiru's location.

With a casual wave of his hand, space rippled slightly.

The next second, Mahiru's figure appeared in the dining room. She was wearing her school uniform, a pen still in her hand that she hadn't had time to put down, and she froze for a moment.

"Eh?"

Kiss-shot looked up at her. "Just in time, lunch is ready."

Erii waved at Mahiru, and held up a small sign. [Mahiru, sit here.]

Mahiru blinked, then smiled. She walked over and sat down next to Erii.

"Minoru-kun, when did you learn this... teleportation skill?"

"Just learned it." Minoru said, walking over with the last dish. "It's quite convenient, isn't it?"

Mahiru laughed. "Convenient, yes... but a bit sudden."

"You'll get used to it." Kiss-Shot said, taking a bite of shiroi koibito. "Anyway, nothing that man does is strange."

Mahiru picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork, put it in her mouth, and her eyes lit up. "Delicious!"

Erii nodded, her cheeks puffed out.

Kiss-shot elegantly ate the braised pork, occasionally sipping some black tea.

Minoru watched them, a smile on his lips. "I went to Hakodate this morning and bought a lot of local specialties. See if there's anything you like."

"Hakodate?" Mahiru blinked. "Why did you suddenly go so far?"

"To handle some business."

He pointed to the pile of bags on the coffee table. "Shiroi koibito, cantaloupe jelly, and some other random stuff."

Kiss-Shot subtly nudged the third box of shiroi koibito closer to herself.

Mahiru saw it and couldn't help but laugh. "Kiss-Shot, aren't you afraid of getting fat eating so many sweets?"

Kiss-Shot raised an eyebrow. "I am the king of oddities, mere sugar is nothing to me."

Erii held up a sign. "Kiss-Shot has already eaten two boxes."

Kiss-Shot: "..."

"Traitor."

...

After the meal, Mahiru helped clear the dishes, with Erii helping her.

Kiss-shot continued to lounge on the sofa, eating dessert.

Minoru glanced at her. "Kiss-Shot, aren't you going to help?"

Kiss-Shot raised an eyebrow. "Help?"

She took a bite of a cookie, chewing it unhurriedly. "I am the king of oddities, responsible for holding down the fort. Such menial tasks as washing dishes naturally fall to you mortals. Besides, I'm supervising."

Minoru chuckled. "Supervising what?"

"Supervising whether you're slacking off."

Erii held up a sign next to her. "Kiss-Shot, lazy."

Kiss-Shot: "..."

"This isn't laziness, this is... rational distribution of labor."

Mahiru couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Kiss-Shot, you have so many excuses."

Kiss-Shot snorted and continued eating her cookie. But when Mahiru turned around, she subtly raised her hand. A bowl floated up by itself and settled onto the dish rack.

Another one, then another...

When Mahiru turned back, the bowls on the dish rack were already neatly arranged. She paused, then looked at Kiss-Shot. Kiss-Shot was nonchalantly looking out the window, half a cookie still in her hand.

"What's wrong?"

Mahiru smiled. "Nothing."

She turned back and continued cleaning up, the smile on her lips impossible to hide.

Kiss-Shot snorted and mumbled, "Just helping out so you don't clean too slowly and delay my dessert time."

Erii held up a sign next to her. "Thank you, Kiss-Shot."

Kiss-Shot turned her face away. "Hmph."

...

Minoru glanced at the time, then at Mahiru beside him.

12:45 AM.

"It's time for school again."

Mahiru nodded, a little reluctant. "Are you guys going to play that game this afternoon?"

"Yes, it opens at one."

Mahiru sighed, "I really want to go."

"Next time." Minoru said. "When you're on holiday, I'll take you with me."

"It's a promise then."

"It's a promise."

Minoru reached out his hand to Mahiru and the next second, the two of them were already standing at the alley entrance near Shiroyama High School.

Students were already walking into the school gate one after another.

Mahiru let go of his hand and looked up at him. "Then I'm going in."

"Mm."

Mahiru stood on tiptoe and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"See you after school."

Mahiru turned and walked towards the school gate.

At 12:50, Mahiru sat in the classroom, opening her textbook when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Minoru.

[Minoru: Preparing to log in.]

[Mahiru: Good luck! You absolutely have to take me next time.]

...

Infinity Castle, living room.

Minoru took out three NerveGear devices. "Here, put them on."

Erii took the white headset, examining it curiously.

Kiss-Shot, however, looked disgusted. "This thing has to go on my head?"

"Yes."

"Will it mess up my hairstyle?"

Minoru chuckled. "Probably... not?"

Kiss-Shot snorted, but still took it.

Erii had already put hers on. She looked at Minoru, waiting for the next step.

Minoru glanced at the time. One o'clock in the afternoon, sharp.

"Are you ready?"

Both nodded.

Minoru smiled. "Then... Link Start!"

When his vision refocused, Minoru was standing on a lush green meadow. Above was a deep blue sky, and in the distance were rolling hills.

[Welcome to Sword Art Online!]

A system prompt surfaced in his field of vision.

Minoru looked down at himself.

The system's default newbie attire: a gray top and brown trousers, with a rusty one-handed sword hanging at his waist.

Minoru flexed his wrists. "Feels pretty good."

The full-dive experience was more realistic than imagined. Physical reactions, touch, even the temperature of the air were perfectly simulated.

[Character creation complete. Skip the newbie tutorial?]

Minoru clicked "Yes" immediately.

Newbie tutorial? Not needed.

He came here to bring Erii and Kiss-shot to play but before that, he had tampered with the teleportation coordinates in advance.

At the moment the server opened, all players would be forcibly teleported to the Central Plaza of the Town of Beginnings.

Tens of thousands of people squeezed together...

Erii would likely be frightened by such a scene so he had pulled a few strings.

Two beams of light lit up beside him.

After the light faded, two figures appeared on the grass.

Erii blinked, looked down at her hands, and then looked up at the sky. She wore a set of newbie clothes, her red hair fluttering in the virtual wind. Her eyes were full of curiosity and surprise.

Subconsciously, Erii reached for her waist. There should be a small bag there, containing the sketchbook she never left without. But all she felt was the coarse texture of the newbie clothes.

"This... place..."

After a moment of hesitation, Erii opened her mouth and spoke slowly.

"It's really like... real..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she was stunned.

The feeling of speaking here was completely different from before. Her body didn't have that feeling of wanting to release her Yanking skill at all.

Erii raised her hand and touched her throat. She felt that no matter how loudly she spoke, there would be no violent winds to flip roofs.

Erii's eyes turned slightly red. She suddenly turned and threw herself into Minoru's arms.

"Minoru... I... can speak... freely now!" Her voice was muffled, with a hint of trembling.

Minoru was slightly taken aback. Then, he smiled and reached out to rub her hair.

"Yeah, you can speak freely. Say as much as you want. Even though it was the same in Infinity Castle, here, you'll feel even more like you can do as you please."

Erii buried her face a bit deeper but her shoulders were no longer trembling.

In the other beam of light, Kiss-Shot's figure fully appeared. She wore a set of black newbie gear. It was the system's default clothing, but on her, it somehow looked noble.

Her long golden hair draped over her shoulders, and her golden pupils surveyed everything around her.

"Hmph, so this is the virtual world created by humans?"

She stepped on the grass beneath her feet. "The touch is alright."

Kiss-Shot touched her face. "And... my face hasn't been distorted?"

Minoru nodded. "The feature of full-dive is high accuracy. What you look like in reality is what you look like in the game."

Kiss-Shot nodded with satisfaction. "That's more like it."

She glanced at Erii, who was still buried in Minoru's arms, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

"Little girl, you can speak freely here. Don't worry about hurting anyone. You can try getting used to it."

Erii poked her head out from Minoru's arms and nodded vigorously.

She took a deep breath and faced the sky.

"SO BEAUTIFUL!"

After shouting, she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents.

Kiss-Shot looked at that smiling face, a hint of softness flashing in her golden eyes. "Not bad."