Crossover PS 205 (Patreon)

Asuna sat on a bench, still holding a piece of half-eaten bread. Her gaze kept drifting toward the direction where Minoru had disappeared.

"Why hasn't he come back yet?" She muttered softly.

Erii was sitting next to her and heard it. "Minoru will be back very soon."

Asuna was taken aback and turned to look at her.

Erii's speaking speed was much faster than when she first entered the game, and her sentences were complete.

"Mahiru is here, Minoru will bring her to play together."

Asuna opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but didn't know what to ask.

Erii tilted her head. "What is Asuna thinking about?"

"No... nothing..."

Erii stared at her for a while, then showed an "I understand" expression. "Minoru is very good."

Asuna: "..."

"Many people like him."

Asuna's face began to heat up.

"Mahiru is also very good."

Asuna lowered her head. "Yeah, I can tell."

Erii nodded with satisfaction and didn't speak further.

Just then, a light shone at the spot where Minoru had disappeared and two figures appeared simultaneously.

Beside Minoru stood a girl who looked very gentle. She had flaxen long hair and amber eyes.

Mahiru curiously looked around at her surroundings. "Is this inside the game?"

"Mhm."

Mahiru looked down at the novice gear she was wearing, then looked up at the sky above.

"It's so realistic..."

"Get used to it first, I'll take you around in a bit."

Mahiru nodded, then noticed Asuna sitting on the bench. To be more precise, she only noticed Asuna after seeing Erii and Kiss-Shot next to her.

She smiled and walked over. "Hello, I am Shiina Mahiru. Minoru's girlfriend."

Asuna stood up. "He-hello, my name is Asuna... just now, we fought the Boss together."

"Really?" Mahiru's eyes lit up. "Then you're amazing. This is my first time playing, I don't know anything."

Asuna was stunned for a moment. "No... it wasn't me who was amazing, it was Mino—"

Mahiru interrupted her with a smile, "Minoru is indeed very amazing. But someone who can fight a Boss with him must also be very amazing."

Asuna opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

Mahiru looked at Erii. "Erii, did you have fun today?"

"Fun!" Erii nodded vigorously, "I hit many monsters and even fought the Boss."

"Wow, so impressive?"

"Mhm! Minoru said I'm improving very fast."

"Not just in the game, I feel you've made great progress in other areas too."

Mahiru stood on her tiptoes, rubbed Erii's hair, and then looked at Kiss-Shot. "Kiss-Shot."

Kiss-Shot crossed her arms and turned her face away. "Mhm."

"Thank you for helping to take care of them."

Kiss-Shot paused for a moment. "No need for thanks."

Asuna stood to the side, watching this scene, and that strange feeling in her heart bubbled up again.

That girl was so natural.

Naturally talking to everyone, naturally blending into this team, naturally standing beside Minoru.

Whereas she, just now, would blush even asking "what do you look like."

She lowered her head and gripped the corner of her clothes tightly.

Mahiru's voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

"Asuna?"

She looked up.

Mahiru looked at her and smiled. "Can you teach me? This is my first time playing, I don't know anything."

Asuna was stunned. "Te-teach you?"

"Mhm." Mahiru nodded. "Minoru said you also just started playing recently, but you can already fight a Boss. I think you're very impressive."

Asuna opened her mouth.

She was impressive?

She had just followed Minoru's commands the entire time. She hit where he said to hit and retreated when he said to retreat. It was Minoru who was impressive, not her. But the look in Mahiru's eyes was serious.

"Okay..."

"I'll teach you."

—

In the main street district, in front of an equipment shop.

Asuna was teaching Mahiru how to look at equipment attributes.

"This attack power is the base value, and that plus sign behind it is the enhancement bonus. For beginners, prioritize selecting agility, running fast makes it harder to die."

Mahiru listened intently, occasionally asking a few questions.

"And then this skill..."

Asuna was speaking when she suddenly heard people nearby whispering in discussion.

"Did you hear? The first floor Boss has been defeated."

"What? On the first day of the server opening? Who was it?"

"Don't know, but the Clearing Group's side has already exploded, saying someone took the First Kill on the very first day."

"You're lying, right? It's only been a few hours?"

"It's absolutely true, someone saw the teleportation array in the Boss room light up."

Asuna subconsciously looked at Minoru. He was leaning against the wall, watching Mahiru pick out equipment, his expression very calm as if he hadn't heard anything.

Mahiru looked up. "Minoru, are they talking about you?"

Minoru smiled slightly. "Maybe."

Asuna looked at him, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in her heart. This man had done such an incredible thing, yet acted as if nothing had happened.

Those discussing people didn't know that in the "First Kill team" they were talking about, there was also a novice who had just learned how to hold a sword that afternoon.

She lowered her head, looking at her LV 6 experience bar. Three hours ago, she was still LV 3.

In a corner, a figure in a black trench coat leaned against the wall—Kirito.

His hands were in his pockets, his expression complex. He had just gone to the Boss room to take a look. It was empty inside, only traces of battle remained on the ground.

Four people, on the first day of the server opening, finished the Boss?

He remembered that black-haired man he saw at the entrance of the Labyrinth Tower earlier. He had walked in with three girls. Then, just like that, they walked out, and the boss was defeated.

Kirito was silent for a while, then turned to leave. He decided to go grind levels first. In this game, it seemed an extraordinary person had arrived.

...

The other end of the main street district.

Klein was returning from grinding monsters in the field with his brothers.

"Guild leader, did you hear? The Boss was eliminated."

Klein was stunned for a moment. "What? On the first day? Who was it?"

"Don't know, apparently it was four people."

Four people?

Klein remembered that man at the entrance of the Labyrinth Tower, leading two girls who didn't look like high-level players at all. When he said "no need," Klein thought he was crazy.

Could it really be him? He finished it just like that?

Klein was silent for a while.

"Forget it, keep grinding levels. Others are others, we are..."

He paused.

"Never mind, say no more. Grinding levels!"

...

Mahiru finally finished selecting her equipment.

A rapier, light armor, and boots that increased agility.

"How is it?" She turned around to show Minoru.

Minoru looked her over. "It looks quite good."

Mahiru said, "I was asking about the attributes."

"The attributes are also not bad."

Mahiru glared at him, but with a smile on her lips.

Asuna watched from the side, suddenly feeling a bit envious. Not envious of Mahiru but envious of that kind of relationship where one could speak so casually.

No need to think about how to answer properly, no need to fear saying the wrong thing.

Asuna looked at those two, and a thought suddenly popped into her mind. She also wanted to become that kind of person.

Not the "daughter of the Yuuki Family," not "so-and-so's young lady," not "that well-behaved honor student who was all planned out."

Someone who could speak her own mind, someone who could be seen.

She clenched her fists and walked toward Minoru. "Minoru."

Minoru turned his head to look at her.

Asuna opened her mouth.

What did she want to say?

Say "I also want to become like Mahiru"?

That's too weird.

Say "Teach me how to fight"?

He had been teaching her all along.

Say "I think you're very amazing"?

Everyone knew that.

"Um... where are we going next?"

Minoru looked at her face, which was flushed from being unable to speak, and the corners of his lips turned up slightly.

"First, I'll take Mahiru to adapt to combat, go outside the city to grind some small mobs. You lead the way?"

Asuna froze for a moment. "I'm leading the way?"

"Yeah, you've been through here once, so you should recognize the path, right?"

Asuna naturally recognized it. Even though she had been following behind Minoru earlier, she remembered the route.

"Okay."

Asuna turned and walked toward the city gate. After a few steps, she looked back.

"Follow me."

Her tone was much more confident than before.