Aincrad 2

  It was the second time I’d cried since I came to this world. After the very first day, when I’d cried from a panic attack at that initial shock, I swore I would never cry again. I didn’t want the game’s emotion system to force virtual tears down my cheeks. But even in real life, I’d never felt hotter, more painful drops run across my face.

  During our conversation, I’d failed to say the most important words to Asuna: “You know, I like him, too.” I don’t know how many times I’d gotten close. But I couldn’t do it.

  The instant I saw Kirito and Asuna next to each other in the workshop, I understood that my place was not at his side. I knew it because I had put his life in danger on that snowy mountaintop. Only someone with a heart as strong as his was meant to stand next to him. Someone…like Asuna…

  There was a strong magnetism between the two of them, a fit as tight as a sword and its custom-made scabbard. I could feel it clear as day. Asuna had spent months pining after Kirito, slowly closing the distance between them—I couldn’t possibly step in over the course of a single day and ruin all of that.

  That’s right…I’ve only known Kirito for twenty-four hours. My heart is simply shaken out of its usual pattern by going on an unusual adventure with a stranger. It isn’t real. This feeling isn’t real. If I’m going to fall in love, it has to be steadily, thoroughly, properly—that’s what I always told myself.

  So why are there so many tears?

  Kirito’s voice, mannerisms, expressions—everything I’d seen over those twenty-four hours floated up over my eyelids. The feeling of his palm, when he’d rubbed my head, grabbed my arm, held my outstretched hand. The warmth of him, of his heart. Each time my mind touched those memories, the pain jabbed deeper into my chest.

  I have to forget. It was all a dream. Let the tears wash it away.

  I dug my fingers into the branches of the tree, clinging to stay upright, sobbing. It was all I could do to keep my voice down. In the real world, you run out of tears at some point, but it seemed like the virtual teardrops would never dry up.

  And then I heard a voice from behind.

  “Lisbeth.”

  A jolt ran through my body. A gentle, soothing voice, high-pitched with youth.

  It must be an illusion. He couldn’t be here. I was so sure that I didn’t even bother to wipe my tears before turning up to look.

  There was Kirito. The eyes sheltered behind his black bangs told of his own troubles. I stared back into them for a few moments, then spoke in a trembling voice.

  “…You shouldn’t have come just now. In a few minutes, I’d be back to the usual, cheerful Lisbeth.”

  “…”

  He took a step forward, reaching out a hand to me. I shook my head, refusing to give in.

  “How did you know I’d be here?”

  Kirito turned his head and pointed back toward the center of town.

  “I went up there.” His finger was pointing to the steeple of the church bordering the teleport plaza, towering over the other roofs in the far distance. “You can see the entire town from that point.”

  “Hah…hah.” Despite the continual outpouring of tears, I couldn’t help but let an involuntary chuckle leave my lips. “You never stop being ridiculous.”

  I like even that about you…unbearably so.

  The wracking sobs were about to return. I desperately tried to stifle them.

  “Sorry, I’m—I’m fine. Go back to Asuna.”

  Having squeezed out all that I could manage, I started to turn away, but Kirito continued.

  “I…I wanted to thank you, Liz.”

  “Huh…?”

  I spun back to him. This was not what I expected.

  “You see…I used to be in a guild, and the other members all got wiped out because of me…Ever since, I swore that I would never let anyone get close to me again.”

  For a moment, his brows furrowed, and he bit his lip.

  “So…normally, I avoid partying up with anyone. But yesterday, when you said we should do that quest together, I said yes for some reason. It was a mystery to me the entire time. ‘Why am I walking with this person’?”

  For an instant, I forgot about the pain in my chest.

  That—that was how I’d felt…

  “Every time someone gave me a party request, I refused them. Watching people I knew—hell, even people I didn’t know—fight just terrified me. All I could think of was running from battle and never looking back. That’s why I hung out at the very farthest reaches of the frontier: to stay away from people. When we fell into that hole, and I said I’d rather die than be the only survivor, I wasn’t lying.”

  He smiled weakly. I held my breath at the bottomless self-loathing I saw behind that expression.

  “But we survived. Somehow we both made it, and that was such a joy to me. And that night, when you held out your hand to me, I understood. Your hand was so warm…I realized that you were truly alive. I understood that I, and everyone else here, aren’t running out the days until we inevitably die. We’re living in order to live. So…thanks, Liz.”

  “…”

  Now a true smile radiated forward with all of my heart. I was gripped with some strange, indefinable feeling.

  “You know…I’ve been searching for something, too. Something true in this world. And then I found it—the warmth of your hand.”

  It felt as though the dagger of ice stabbed into my heart was melting. My tears had stopped. We stood in silence for several moments, looking into each other’s eyes. For a brief instant, I felt that same miraculous feeling that had occurred during our flight brush my heart.

  I’ve been vindicated.

  Kirito’s words had scooped up the broken pieces of my brief love and kindly buried them someplace deep.

  I blinked hard, brushing away the small remaining drops, and gave him a smile.

  “You should tell Asuna the same things. She’s in pain, too, you know. She wants your warmth.”

  “Liz…”

  “I’ll be fine.” I nodded and crossed my hands over my chest. “The heat will stay here for a while yet. Please…you have to end this world. I can hang on until then. But when we get back to reality…”

  I grinned devilishly.

  “That’s when Round Two begins.”

  “…”

  He smiled back and nodded, then waved his hand to call up a window. Curious, I watched him remove Elucidator from his back and place it in his item list. Soon, a new sword took its place on his equipment mannequin. Dark Repulser: the white sword that contained so many of my emotions.

  “Starting today, this sword will be my partner. I’ll pay you back on the other side.”

  “I’m holding you to that. It’ll cost ya!”

  We laughed together and bumped fists.

  “Let’s go back to the shop. Asuna’s got to be sick of waiting around…Plus, I’m getting hungry.”

  I started off, leading the way. One final brush of my eyes dislodged the last remaining tear. It fell away, glittered with light, and vanished.

  4

  The next morning was even colder than usual.

  I was rubbing my hands together as I entered my workshop, and I wasted no time pulling the lever on the wall to stoke the fire. The water wheel thunked and clanked like always as I held my hands up to the warm furnace. Given the weather, I couldn’t help but worry about what would happen if the creek outside ever froze solid.

  After a minute, I came back to my senses with a start and checked my in-game scheduler. I had eight orders due today. I had to get working soon, or the day would be over before I knew it.

  The first order was a lightweight longsword. I stared down my list of available ingots, found one that matched the budget and specs of the customer, and tossed it into the furnace opening.

  My skills with the hammer and available selection of metals were so great these days that my work output was a constant stream of high-level weapons. Wait for the ingot to reach the right temperature, place i
t on the anvil. Select the hammer, swing it hard.

  But when it came to one-handed longswords…nothing I’d made surpassed the sword I made back in early summer. This made me both frustrated and happy.

  The sword I’d infused with all the pieces of my heart was likely on the front line today, cleaving foes left and right. Every once in a while, I got to hold it to the grindstone, and unlike normal weapons, it seemed to grow more translucent with use, not the other way around. It almost made me think that rather than losing numerical stats, it would eventually shatter like a crystal when it wore down.

  But that was likely far off in the future. The current frontier was the seventy-fifth floor. That sword needed to last much longer in its rightful place: Kirito’s right hand.

  I only realized that I’d reached the necessary number of strokes when the ingot emitted a red glow and began to morph. Watching the magic moment with bated breath, I reached out to appraise the brand-new blade.

  “It’ll do, I suppose,” I muttered, then placed it on the worktable. Time to find the right ingot for the next weapon. This one would be a two-handed ax with long reach…

  Well after lunchtime, I finally finished the last of the orders and rose to my feet. I rolled my head slowly and let out a great big yawn. A small photograph hung on the wall caught my eye.

  Me and Asuna, our shoulders touching, peace signs in the air. Next to Asuna and a half step behind was Kirito, smiling awkwardly. We’d taken the picture just outside this shop. About half a month ago—when they came to inform me of their marriage.

  Anyone could see they were made for each other, but it had taken them six months to reach that point. It was irritating to watch them stumble, and I’d had to lend a helping hand at several points. So, I was overjoyed to finally hear of their union…along with just a little twinge of pain.

  That night still pops up in my dreams all the time. That magical night, sparkling like a jewel amidst two years of doldrums. It was like an eternal fire keeping the warmth in my chest alive, even after five months.

  “And despite myself…”

  I muttered silently, tracing the photo with a finger. For considering myself such a pragmatic realist, I’d never realized what a romantic I was at heart.

  “…I’ve been in love with you ever since.”

  I gave the photo one last tap and turned around. It happened just as I was leaving the studio, wondering if I should fix myself a late lunch or just eat out:

  A sound effect I’d never heard before rang out far above my head, deafeningly loud. It was an alarm, ringing like a bell…I looked up at the ceiling first, but it seemed the sound was coming from much farther away, echoing down from the floor above.

  I rushed outside to see what was happening and was awakened to something even more unexpected: The NPC helper that had been manning my desk every single day since I’d opened the store had vanished without a sound.

  “…?”

  I stared at the space she normally inhabited, wide-eyed, but she showed no sign of returning. Whatever was happening was serious business.

  I fell out of the front door, only to be frozen in my tracks by something even more shocking.

  The flat, metallic gray lid of the floor above, several hundred feet over my head, was completely covered in giant red words. I could make out a repeating pattern of two different pieces of English: WARNING and SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT.

  “System…announcement…”

  I recognized this sight. I would never forget it: It was the exact same scene we’d all witnessed two years ago, on the day that this became a game of death. It had been plastered behind that massive avatar as ten thousand helpless souls learned the rules that would become their new lives.

  After a few seconds frozen still, I finally looked around and saw plenty of other players looking up at the warning in shock. Something about the sight struck me as off, and I quickly realized why.

  There wasn’t a single NPC walking the street or selling goods in the area. They must have all disappeared at the same time my storekeeper did…but why?

  The blaring alarm suddenly stopped. After a brief silence, a soft female voice emerged, just as loud.

  “This is an important message to all players.”

  Unlike the voice of Akihiko Kayaba two years ago, this voice was artificial, electronic. It was obviously a system announcement, but SAO seemed to be designed to remove all possible traces of human management, and this was the first time I’d ever heard it. I swallowed and listened up.

  “The game is switching to forced management mode. All monsters and items will no longer spawn. All NPCs will be recalled. All players’ HP will be fixed at maximum value.”

  Is it a system error? Some kind of fatal bug?

  My heart was gripped by anxiety. But then—

  “As of 14:55 on November Seventh, Aincrad Standard Time, the game has been cleared,” the system proclaimed.

  The game had been beaten.

  For several seconds, I didn’t understand what that meant. The other players around me were similarly baffled, their faces frozen. At the following words, they all leaped into the air.

  “All players will now be logged out of the game. Please stop where you are. I repeat…”

  An enormous cheer rose instantly. The ground—no, the entire castle of Aincrad—shook. Players embraced, rolled on the ground, thrust their fists into the air, and screamed.

  I didn’t move. I didn’t speak. I just stood in front of my store. In time, I lifted my hands to cover my mouth.

  He did it. Kirito did it. As crazy as he always was…

  I was certain it was him. The front line was only the seventy-fifth floor, so only Kirito could do something as insane, reckless, and impossible as this.

  Somehow, I thought I felt a whisper at my ear.

  I kept my promise…

  “Yes…yes…you finally did it…”

  Hot tears sprang into my eyes at last. I didn’t wipe them away. I lifted my right arm into the air and jumped up and down wildly.

  “Heyyy!!” I cupped my hands to my mouth, shouting at the top of my lungs, as though to reach his ears many floors above.

  “Let’s meet up again sometime, Kirito!! I love you!!”

  (The End)

  The Girl in the Morning Dew

  22nd floor of Aincrad October 2024

  1

  Asuna’s alarm was set to go off at 7:50 every morning.

  Why such an oddly specific time? Because Kirito’s alarm went off at exactly 8:00. She liked to wake up ten minutes early and, in the comfort of the bed, lay gazing at the man sleeping next to her.

  On this morning, too, after Asuna woke to the soft melody of woodwinds, she carefully rolled over and, her chin in her hands, considered Kirito’s sleeping face.

  She’d fallen in love half a year ago. They’d become adventuring partners two weeks ago. And they’d gotten married and moved into these woods on the twenty-second floor just six days ago. She loved him more than anyone in the world, but the truth was that Kirito still harbored many mysteries to her. This could even be said to include his sleeping face: the more she stared, the harder it was to tell his actual age.

  Due to his off-kilter, aloof nature, she typically thought of him as being older than she was. But when he was fast asleep, like now, there was a youthful innocence to his face that made him appear like a little boy.

  She knew she could just ask him how old he was. It might be taboo here to talk about real life, but they were husband and wife. Forget ages—they ought to be trading real names and addresses, things that would help them meet again once this nightmare was over.

  But Asuna was having trouble broaching the topic.

  She was afraid that the instant she talked about real life, their married life—this wonderful dream—would become virtual, fake. This everyday life in the woods was her only reality—the thing she cared about most. Even if they never escaped this world and her body was doomed to waste away without her, she would ha
ve no regrets as long as they met the end together.

  Which is why I want the dream to last a little longer…Asuna reached out and traced Kirito’s cheek. He really does look so young when he’s sleeping.

  She had no doubts about his strength at this point. He’d been stockpiling an astronomical amount of experience since the beta test, earned massive stats through countless battles, and had the will and judgment to use them expertly. He’d lost in his duel against Heathcliff, the leader of the Knights of the Blood, but Kirito was still the strongest player in the game, Asuna knew. No matter how dreadful the challenge, she’d never been worried in battle at his side.

  But gazing down at him sleeping beside her, she couldn’t help but associate him with a fragile, naive younger brother. She had to protect him from harm.

  She sighed softly, leaned over, and circled her arms around his body.

  “I love you, Kirito…let’s be together forever,” she whispered.

  He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. Their glances met at a close distance.

  “Whoa!” Asuna leaped backward. She caught her balance kneeling on the covers, face bright red. “G-good morning, Kirito. Did you…hear that…?”

  “Morning. Hear what?” he replied, stifling a yawn and waving to her.

  “N-nothing, nothing!”

  After their breakfast of eggs, black bread, salad, and coffee, it took only two seconds to clear off the table. Asuna clapped her hands together.

  “Okay! Where are we going to hang out today?”

  “Jeez.” Kirito grimaced. “There’s gotta be a better way to say that.”

  “But every day’s so much fun!”

  Asuna wasn’t lying in the least.

  Though it was painful to recall, until she’d fallen in love with Kirito, the first year and a half of being a prisoner inside SAO had left her heart frozen cold.

  She’d cut down on her sleeping time to raise her skills and level. Once she’d reached the rank of sub-leader of the Knights of the Blood, she’d attacked the game’s labyrinths at a pace that caused complaints from her guildmates. Her only purpose was beating the game and escaping. Everything else was meaningless to her.