Aincrad 2

  “What is this?”

  Kirito gave her a wry smile. “NPC restaurants let you bring in your own bottles. This is an item of mine called Ruby Ichor. A cup of it will raise your agility stat by one.”

  “B-but that must be so valuable…”

  “Hey, keeping liquor stuffed in your inventory doesn’t make it taste better with age. Besides, I don’t know many people, so there are few occasions to open it up…”

  He shrugged theatrically. Silica giggled and took another sip. The strangely familiar flavor seemed to loosen her heart, shrunken and hard after a day of much sadness.

  Even after the cup was empty, she kept it clutched to her chest, trying to savor its warmth. She looked down at the table and muttered, “Why…would she say such awful things…?”

  Kirito’s face turned serious. He put down his cup.

  “Have you played any other MMOs aside from SAO?”

  “It’s my first.”

  “I see. Well, lots of people change personalities when they take on a new character in an online game. Some turn good, some turn evil…That’s the basis for the term role-playing game, see. But I think things are different with SAO.”

  His eyes hardened for an instant.

  “I mean, even trapped here…I do realize it’s impossible for every single player in the game to work together toward the goal of clearing. But even then, there are far too many who delight in the misfortunate of others, those who steal…even those who kill others.”

  Kirito stared right into Silica’s eyes. Within the rage, she could see the color of an intense sadness.

  “I think those who commit evil here are the ones who are truly sick in real life,” he spat. But then he noticed the intimidated look on Silica’s face and apologized with a smile.

  “Then again, I don’t have much room to talk. I’m not out there saving people left and right. I’ve even abandoned my partners to die before…”

  “Kirito…”

  Silica realized dimly that the black swordsman before her had to be harboring some incredible anguish. She wanted to share her sympathy but cursed her shallow vocabulary for not having the words she sought. Instead, she found herself grabbing his fist on top of the table with both hands.

  “You are a good person, Kirito. You saved me.”

  He tried to pull his hands back briefly, surprised, but stopped just as quickly. A gentle grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  “And now I’m the one being cheered up. Thanks, Silica.”

  In that instant, Silica felt a painful throb deep in her chest. Her heart began beating faster for no apparent reason. Her face was hot. She hastily let go of Kirito’s hand, then clutched hers to her breast. But that deep ache would not disperse.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked, leaning over the table. She shook her head vigorously, trying to summon a smile.

  “I-it’s nothing! I’m just hungry.”

  Once they’d finished dining on stew and black bread with cheesecake for dessert, it was already past eight o’clock. They decided it was best to get an early rest before tomorrow’s visit to the forty-seventh floor, so they headed up the Weathervane’s stairs. A long procession of doors lined the wide hallway.

  Kirito’s room just happened to be next to Silica’s. They looked to each other once more in tandem, and, laughing, said good night.

  Before she changed into her nightwear, Silica decided to practice some combos with the new dagger Kirito had given her. She tried to focus solely on the extra weight of this unfamiliar weapon, but the throbbing pulse in her chest wouldn’t leave her alone.

  Despite the distraction, she eventually managed to pull off a five-hit combo without a mistake. Silica opened her window and unequipped her gear, then flopped into the bed in just her underwear. She smacked the wall to call the pop-up menu, then turned out the lights.

  She thought she’d sink right to sleep, given her fatigue, but for some reason, that relief did not come.

  Every night since she’d become friends with Pina, she’d slept cradling that warm, fluffy body. Now her bed felt large and empty. After endless rolling back and forth, Silica finally gave up and rose to a sitting position. She looked at the wall on the left that separated her room from Kirito’s.

  I want to talk to him some more.

  She was slightly alarmed at the realization. She’d only known him for half a day, and he was a boy. She’d always been careful not to get too close to them, so what made this enigmatic swordsman any different? Silica couldn’t explain how her own mind worked.

  She glanced at the lower right-hand corner of her vision to see that it was nearly ten o’clock now. The footsteps of players passing through the street below her window had died out, and the only sound from outside was the distant howling of a dog.

  That would be silly. I should just go to sleep.

  But contrary to her thought process, Silica silently slipped out of her bed. I’ll just knock real quietly, she told herself. She checked her equipment menu and put on the cutest tunic she owned.

  A few steps into the candle-lit hallway, she hesitated before his door. Many moments later, Silica finally raised her right hand and gave two hesitant knocks.

  By default, all doors in the game are completely soundproof and do not let voices in or out. The only exception is within thirty seconds of a knock, and Kirito’s response came almost immediately. The door opened.

  Kirito had taken off his equipment and was wearing a simple shirt. His eyes grew wide when he saw her.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Um…”

  Silica panicked, just now realizing that she had no good excuse for coming over. Saying that she “wanted to talk” was just too childish to admit.

  “Um, well, uhh…you see…I w-wanted to ask about the forty-seventh floor!”

  Fortunately, he accepted her reason without further question.

  “Oh, sure. Want to go downstairs, then?”

  “Well, actually, I was hoping to talk in your room,” she answered automatically, then hastily added, “b-because we wouldn’t want anyone overhearing that valuable information!”

  “Uh…well…that’s true, but…”

  Kirito scratched his head uncomfortably but finally muttered, “Okay then,” and opened the door wide to let her in.

  His room was exactly the same as hers: The bed was on the right, and a single tea table and chair were on the other side of it. There were no other fixtures in the room. The lantern built into the left-hand wall was giving off an orange light.

  Kirito gave Silica the chair and sat on the bed, then opened his menu. He produced a small box with familiar ease.

  The box contained a small crystal ball. It glinted with the light of the lantern.

  “It’s so pretty…what is it?”

  “It’s called a Mirage Sphere.”

  Kirito clicked the sphere with his finger to bring up another menu. He hit some buttons and pressed OK.

  The orb began glowing blue, and a holographic image appeared above it. The picture seemed to be of an entire floor of Aincrad. The towns and forests were depicted in fine detail, down to the individual trees. It was nothing like the simple maps you could view from your system menu.

  “Wow…”

  Silica was spellbound by the transparent blue terrain. She felt that if she squinted hard enough, she might even be able to make out tiny people traveling the roads.

  “This is the main town, and here’s the Hill of Memories. We take this path here…but there are some tricky monsters around this area…”

  Kirito pointed out the various features of the forty-seventh floor with his finger, easily recalling all the pertinent information. His calm, steady voice filled Silica with a gentle warmth.

  “…and once we cross this bridge, the hill will be in sight—”

  Suddenly, his voice cut off.

  “…?”

  “Shh…”

  Kirito had a finger to his lips, his face stern. He cast a sha
rp glance at the door.

  Like a bolt of lightning, he burst off the bed and to the door, wrenching it open.

  “Who’s there?!”

  Silica heard thumping footsteps racing away. She hurried to the doorway, sticking her face around the frame beneath Kirito’s body, and saw a figure just before it rushed down the staircase at the far end of the hall.

  “Wh-what…?”

  “I think we were overheard…”

  “B-but…I thought you couldn’t hear voices through doors…”

  “If your Eavesdropping skill is good enough, you can. But few people bother to level it up that high…”

  Kirito walked back inside and closed the door. He sat down on the bed, lost in thought. Silica seated herself next to him, her arms wrapped around her body. She was plagued by looming unease.

  “But why would someone eavesdrop on—”

  “I think we’ll find out soon enough. Hang on, I’m going to write a message.”

  He gave her a dry grin, put away the crystal map, then opened a message window. His fingers flew over the holo-keyboard.

  Silica curled into a ball on the bed behind him. Memories from her long-lost real life were flooding back. Her father was a freelance news writer. He was always hunched over an ancient computer, tapping the keys with a grimace on his face. She had always liked watching his working form from behind.

  Her fear was gone now. As she gazed at the side of Kirito’s face, Silica was wrapped in a long-forgotten warmth and was asleep before she knew it.

  3

  Silica slowly opened her eyes at the sound of the ringing chime in her ears. The morning alarm was only audible to her. It was seven o’clock AM.

  She pushed the covers off and sat up. Silica was not a morning person, but she was in a surprisingly good mood today. Her mind felt cleansed and clear in the way that only a good, deep sleep could provide.

  Yawning widely, she turned to step out of the bed, then stopped with a jolt.

  The morning light streaming through the window illuminated a sleeping figure, seated on the ground with his top half propped up against the bed. She was about to scream, thinking it was an intruder, only to remember where she had fallen asleep last night.

  I dozed off in Kirito’s room and never left…

  With that realization, her face grew as hot as though a monster were blowing fire breath on it. Knowing the graphical engine of SAO tended to exaggerate facial emotions, she wouldn’t be surprised if actual steam was coming off of her. Kirito must have left her in the bed as she slept, then decided to take the floor instead. Silica covered her face with both hands and writhed in embarrassment and guilt.

  After half a minute, she collected her thoughts and slipped out of the bed. Tiptoeing around to the other side, she bent down to look at him.

  The dark swordsman’s sleeping face was so unexpectedly cherubic that Silica had to stifle a giggle. His hard glare made him seem much older when awake, but right now he didn’t look that far off from her own age.

  It was fun to sit there spying on her oblivious prey, but Silica knew they had more important things to do and gently prodded his shoulder.

  “Kirito, it’s morning.”

  His eyes instantly snapped open, then blinked rapidly for several seconds as he stared at her. His dazed expression suddenly turned to alarm.

  “Oh…s-sorry!” He bowed. “I was going to wake you up, but you were sleeping so peacefully. I tried to carry you back to your room, but the door was locked, so…”

  The game ensured that it was impossible to break into a room rented out by another player, so if you weren’t on the guest’s friend list, there was no way to force your way inside. Silica hurriedly waved her hands.

  “N-no, it’s my fault! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have hogged your bed…”

  “Don’t worry about it. You don’t wake up with aches and pains here, no matter how you fall asleep.” Kirito rose to his feet, cracking his neck in seeming contradiction to what he’d just said. He raised his hands and stretched, then looked down at Silica as though remembering something.

  “Well, first off…good morning.”

  “Oh! Good morning.”

  Together, they laughed.

  The pair went downstairs to eat a hearty breakfast in preparation for the Hill of Memories on the forty-seventh floor, then walked out into the bright sunlight of early morning. The daytime players who were just getting their daily adventures started and the nighttime players who were coming home from a long hunt crossed paths in the street with very different expressions.

  They stocked up on potions and the like from the item shop next to the inn before heading for the teleport gate. Fortunately, they were able to get there without the pushy suitors from yesterday harassing them. Silica stopped short just before jumping into the glowing blue portal.

  “Oh…I don’t know the name of the town on the forty-seventh floor…”

  She was about to bring up her map to recall it when Kirito held out his hand.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll lead the way.”

  Hesitantly, she took his hand.

  “Teleport: Floria!”

  A bright light flashed and swallowed them both. After a momentary tugging sensation, the visual effect wore off, and Silica’s vision was filled with a different explosion of color.

  “Wow!” she exclaimed with delight.

  The teleport square of the forty-seventh floor was full of countless flowers. Narrow lanes in four directions framed the open space, and the rest of the curved plaza was walled off into large brick flowerbeds overflowing with an infinite array of unfamiliar flora.

  “This is incredible…”

  “Most people call this floor the Flower Garden. The whole forty-seventh floor is covered with flowers, not just the town. If you’ve got time, there’s even the Forest of Giant Flowers on the north edge.”

  “Maybe some other time.”

  Silica smiled at Kirito and bent over a nearby flowerbed. She stuck her face into a pale flower that resembled a bluebottle and breathed in its scent.

  The flower was exquisitely rendered, with five delicately veined petals, white stamens, and a light green stalk.

  Of course, not every flower in this very flowerbed was so lovingly detailed, to say nothing of the countless plants and buildings that existed throughout Aincrad. The system simply didn’t have the sheer resources required to handle so much detail, no matter how high-functioning the SAO mainframe was.

  To avoid this overload but still provide its players with a feeling of realism, SAO employed a feature called the Detail Focusing System. If a player showed interest in an object and looked at it closely, the game would automatically adjust and render the object in finer detail.

  When Silica had first heard about that capability, she actually held herself back from squinting at everything in sight, feeling guilty about causing extra stress on the system. But here, she was unable to stop herself, flitting from flower to flower like a bee, adoring each one in turn.

  Once she’d had her fill of the sweet scent, Silica finally stood up and looked around the plaza again. Most of the people strolling the narrow paths among the flowerbeds were couples, hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm, chatting delightedly. So it was one of those spots. Silica snuck a glance at Kirito, who was standing idly at her side.

  Do we look like the others? she thought, then felt her face explode with heat. Silica tried to hide her embarrassment with a rousing rallying cry.

  “L-let’s head out into the fields, then!”

  “Uh, sure.”

  Kirito blinked once but quickly nodded and took off at her side.

  Even past the teleport plaza, the streets of the town were filled with flowers. Silica thought about her meeting with Kirito yesterday as she strolled through the exploding color. It was impossible to think that it hadn’t even been a full day ago—that’s how important the black swordsman had become to her.

  She threw a sidelong glance at him, wondering if he felt
the same way, but his face was that same placid mask that defied any reading. Silica hesitated but eventually spoke.

  “Um…do you mind if I ask about your sister, Kirito?”

  “Wh-why her, all of a sudden?”

  “Well, you said I reminded you of her. So I was curious…”

  The topic of the real world was the greatest taboo in Aincrad, for several reasons. Primarily, there was the fear that if you reinforced the “falseness” of SAO by harkening to the real world, it might subconsciously loosen one’s grasp of the true finality of death in this world.

  But even then, Silica still wanted to know about this sister she resembled. She wanted to know what he sought from her in return, whether it was to be a surrogate family member or not.

  “Well…we weren’t really very close,” he eventually mumbled. “She’s actually not my sister, but my cousin. She was raised in our family from birth, for…certain reasons, but she probably doesn’t know the truth. Maybe that’s why I’ve always kind of kept my distance from her. I didn’t even like coming face-to-face with her at home.”

  He sighed faintly.

  “Plus, my grandfather’s the strict type. He forced the both of us to start taking kendo lessons at a nearby dojo when I was eight, but I could never get into it; I quit after two years. Well, I got a good whupping for that one…My sister cried her eyes out and stuck up for me, saying she’d practice hard enough for both of us. After that I got heavily into computers, and she really did stick with kendo—she was placing highly in national tournaments right before Grandpa died. He must have been happy about that…Anyway, I’ve always felt inferior to her since then. That just made me more self-conscious around her…and here I am now.”

  Kirito stopped for a moment, then looked down at Silica.

  “So maybe I helped you because I’m just satisfying my own needs. I guess I’m doing this out of the guilt I feel toward my sister. Sorry, I know it’s weird.”

  Silica was an only child. She didn’t entirely understand the feelings Kirito mentioned, but she felt she could understand a bit of what his sister was going through, for some reason.

  “I don’t think your sister blamed you for what happened. I mean, you can’t work that hard at something without enjoying it. She must really love kendo,” she said, trying to find the right words as she went along. Kirito grinned.