"H-Hey, Yukino..."
"Why did you assume the conversation was over here in the first place? You were the one who suggested explaining the situation to me and asking for my cooperation, were you not?"
"Ah..."
Hachiman held his head in his hands, realizing he had completely forgotten about that part. Meanwhile, Shino was flustered by Yukino suddenly addressing her by name.
"Um..."
"Oh, you don't seem to understand why I called your name. Then I shall state it clearly. Among everyone present back there, you were the only one in love with Hachiman-kun."
"Is... Is that so..."
Shino muttered, then smiled boldly.
"So, you decided to crush the rival while you had the chance. Is that it?"
"...What are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
Shino's resolve-filled line was flatly denied, causing her to let out a confused sound. Immediately after, her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"You have already confessed your feelings to him, haven't you?"
Yukino suddenly dropped a bombshell that made Shino blush even deeper. However, Shino felt that denying it here would be admitting defeat, so she held her ground and nodded to Yukino.
"Honestly, this man... why does it happen one after another..."
Those words were only audible to Shino, but in that moment, she felt a sense of kinship with Yukino. She realized that despite her perpetually calm exterior, Yukino was just a normal girl like herself—full of emotions and prone to jealousy.
"Listen. You have confessed your feelings to him, yet you allow him to stay by your side. That fact alone makes us equals. If you were asked the same question I posed to those girls earlier, you would convert your account immediately, wouldn't you?"
"Yes. Of course."
"I thought so."
Yukino nodded with satisfaction at the answer.
"Well then, let's head back to my house for now."
"We're going back after all!?"
Hachiman couldn't help but retort.
"Because from there, all four of us can log into ALO simultaneously."
"W-Wait, don't tell me..."
"Yes. We are taking Shino-san to Valhalla Garden."
"Eh, is that okay? Doesn't she have to undergo the ritual?"
"Oh, that... That's just a pretext for randoms who apply to join out of nowhere. Incidentally, the condition is to fight the former Four Heavenly Kings of SAO and reduce their HP by 20%. In some cases, just landing a single hit is enough. In short, it's just a test to see how serious they are. Actually, there's one girl taking that test right now under the former conditions. I wonder how many months it's been? She's got guts, challenging them endlessly. I expect she'll be joining formally soon."
"I see..."
"Then let's get moving."
And so, the four of them headed straight for the Yukinoshita residence. In the car, Yukino suddenly addressed the three of them.
"By the way, Shana, Shizuka, Sinon... you seem to be making quite a splash in GGO."
"Eeeh!?"
"E-Even me...?"
"H-Hey, how do you know about that..."
"Once I knew you were Shana, the rest was easy to figure out. I do keep an eye on my sister's movements, after all, so I've already viewed every video she was watching so intently."
"You... you watched that...?"
"Well, from the first time I saw it, I certainly had my suspicions. Eventually, others will find out too, but for now, I'm likely the only one who knows about those videos."
"Right."
Hachiman sounded relieved to hear that.
"So, who is Benkei?"
"That's Komachi."
"I see... Then what about Pitohui?"
"Pito is... my servant."
"Servant?"
Yukino frowned for a split second at the word, but her expression quickly returned to normal.
"I see. So someone in a position similar to Bara-san, then."
"How can you figure out that much from just that? Are you actually the person inside Kit or something?"
"Of course not. Even I am no match for Kit. I simply overheard Bara-san discussing something similar with Argo-san recently."
Hearing that, Hachiman inadvertently used Bara's first name in front of Yukino.
"Koneko was talking to Argo?"
"Koneko? Why are you trying to butter me up in a situation like this?"
Seeing Yukino's eyes narrow sharply, Hachiman hurriedly made an excuse.
"N-No, that's a misunderstanding. Koneko is Bara's first name. It's kind of cute, so that's just what I usually call her."
Yukino looked blank for a moment, but then some strange switch seemed to flip. She spoke with a slightly heightened tone.
"Bara-san's first name is Koneko? I see... That is the first I've heard of it, but what a lovely name... Perhaps I should name our future daughter Nekono."
"There are no plans for a child to be born between you and me, but do as you like."
"See, Shino, did you hear that? This man always looks like he's spacing out, but his guard is incredibly high in crucial moments like this."
"Ah... It's true that he's surprisingly unguarded about hugs and such, but when it comes to that sort of thing... you might be right, Yukino-san."
"Oh my, you and I are equals, so just 'Yukino' is fine."
"Really? Then I'll call you Yukino."
"Fufu, you're four years younger than me, yet you have quite the nerve. I like it."
Hachiman felt a wave of relief seeing that Yukino and Shino seemed like they would get along.
"So, Koneko-san said this to Argo-san: 'I want to fulfill my duties as a servant properly, so please teach me the knack of gathering information.'"
"Ah, I remember hearing about that. I see, so that was when."
"Yes. That's why I have a strong association between 'servant' and Koneko-san."
"I see. That makes sense."
"So, who is Pitohui in the end? Is it someone I know?"
"You met her before. It's Kanzaki Elza."
Whether she understood everything from just that name, Yukino's eyes widened in shock.
"You... you're treating that person as a servant? Her fans will kill you."
"Can't be helped. It's what she wants."
Hearing Hachiman's explanation, Yukino asked Asuna and Shino with a dubious look.
"Asuna, Shino, is that true?"
"Yeah, it's true."
"It's a fact. If anything, she calls herself a servant happily."
"I see... honestly, this man..."
"Even I can't make excuses for this one..."
"Well, if it is her desire, then it cannot be helped. Let us bring her into the guild eventually."
"Her too...? Well, I guess we have no choice."
"So, why did you decide to play GGO in the first place?"
"About that..."
Hachiman explained the sequence of events leading up to this point in detail to Yukino.
"I see. So the rumored Laughing Coffin has finally made a move. Certainly, there shouldn't be any specific danger inside the game, but be very careful not to let your real identity leak."
"Yeah. That's the one thing we really have to watch out for."
"Asuna, Shino, you absolutely must not mention your real names or addresses inside the game."
"Yeah."
"Ah... The other day, during the BoB registration, I fully entered my personal information inside the game..."
"...What do you mean?"
"Actually..."
Hachiman explained the system for receiving prizes in BoB to Yukino.
"I see... That is quite a problematic system. Can someone peek from behind?"
"If someone was close enough, they might be able to see it. Though I think anyone doing that would get reported."
Normally, that would be reassuring, but Yukino's thoughts went in a slightly different direction.
"Which means... it is not invisible systematically."
"Yeah. In the previous case, there was definitely someone from Laughing Coffin nearby, but since I blocked their line of sight from behind, Shino's personal info definitely didn't leak to anyone."
"I see. That is good then, but you should refrain from doing it next time. The opponents are people skilled at poking holes in the system, aren't they?"
"You're right. We'll follow Yukino's advice on that. Is that okay with you, Shino?"
"Yeah. Sorry for making everyone worry."
"It's not your fault."
Yukino then efficiently decided on what needed to be done.
"For now, I will create a new character as well. The name should be something that doesn't raise suspicions about my relationship with you all. Shall we name it Nyanko-Sensei?"
"Oi, you idiot. While that is indeed excellent—truly excellent—you should probably avoid that one."
"Then Nyanko Teacher will do. However, please call me 'Sensei'."
"Sensei, huh... Well, I don't mind..."
"I will contact Koneko-san separately. I suppose I will need some level of strength..."
"In that case, just tag along on our hunts. Even at a starting level, as long as you can fire a gun, it's no problem."
"Make sure to protect my frail self properly."
"Yeah, yeah."
While talking, the group arrived at the Yukinoshita residence and proceeded to log in to ALO.
"Now then, Shino. Which race do you intend to convert to?"
"Ah, I looked it up before. Um, I was thinking of being a Cait Sith."
"What did you say!?"
Yukino suddenly raised her voice, causing Shino to think she had made a mistake. She tried to suggest another race.
"S-Sorry... I didn't know anything... Um, then maybe another race..."
"What are you saying!?"
Yukino spoke even louder than before.
"Eh?"
"Cait Sith—that is magnificent! Come, let us begin immediately. Hachiman-kun, the pickup is arranged, correct?"
"Yeah. With the recent update, travel between Alne and the racial capitals is instantaneous. We can link up immediately."
"Okay. Then Shino—no, Sinon. I'll be waiting on the other side."
"Yeah."
Shino stored all her items in her storage, and nervously converted her character from GGO to ALO.
She descended into the world of ALO for the first time. There, spreading out before her, was a vast fantasy world completely different in atmosphere from GGO.
"This is ALO... It really is totally different from GGO..."
"Oi, Sinon."
Suddenly hearing a voice, Sinon panicked and looked around, but there was no one nearby.
"Up here. Up."
Hearing that, Sinon remembered that one could fly in this world, and looked up. Three players were floating in the air above her. Sinon thought that she wanted to fly soon too.
"Nice to meet you here. I'm Asuna. Though around here, they call me the Berserk Healer."
"I am Yukino. I am called Absolute Zero."
"And I'm Hachiman. Here, they call me The Ruler."
Perhaps noticing the three due to their words, the surrounding players began to stir.
"Hey, look at that outfit. Isn't that a member of Valhalla?"
"No mistake, that's the Valhalla emblem!"
"Amazing! It's Asuna-sama and Yukino-sama!"
"Wait, if those two are following him, then..."
"Isn't that the rumored leader of Valhalla who rarely shows himself? The Ruler!?"
"Whoaaaa! First time I've seen him!"
Sinon was shocked by the clamor around them. She realized viscerally that the three people in front of her were legendary existences in this world.
"Just your outfits have amazing recognition. Almost everyone knows who you are instantly."
"Well, this much is normal. You'll be like this eventually too. How about it, scared?"
"I feel like I'm going to be crushed by the pressure, but... I'm also really excited."
"Is that so."
Hachiman took a Valhalla uniform out of his storage and gave it to Sinon.
"This is..."
"A spare uniform. It has auto-sizing, so it should fit."
"...Is it really okay for me to wear this?"
"You said you were excited, right? Just put it on."
"Okay."
The moment Sinon equipped the outfit, the surrounding players erupted in a massive cheer.
"Oi, don't tell me that's a new member?"
"Looks like it. She doesn't have the personal ID emblem yet."
"Seriously? Another girl!?"
"Crap, isn't the probability of encountering a scene like this astronomically low?"
"They rarely add members, after all."
"It'll be tough, but do your best, Rookie!"
Listening to their voices, Sinon felt a sense of disbelief.
(Valhalla Resort is this big of a guild...? My isolation at school until just a little while ago feels like a distant memory.)
Hachiman extended a hand to Sinon.
"Sinon, don't try to force yourself to fly. Just think about floating for now."
"O-Okay."
Sinon focused her mind.
(I want to lift this body up to where he is.)
In that instant, Sinon's body slowly floated up, drifting gently toward Hachiman. Hachiman firmly grabbed Sinon's outstretched hand.
"Welcome to ALfheim Online."
"I-I'm in your care from now on."
"Alright. For now, let's fly to Alne."
Hachiman and Asuna took Sinon's hands and flew at incredible speed toward the teleport gate.
"Whoa, amazing, amazing!"
"How is it? The feeling of flying for the first time in your life?"
"It's the best!"
"Good. Hopefully, you'll be able to fly freely on your own soon."
"But I have the goal of winning the BoB, so starting seriously will probably be after that."
"Right. Today is just a trial run. Okay, we're here. teleporting to Alne."
The four teleported to Alne and immediately soared upward into the sky.
"How high are we going?"
"There. Look up."
"That is..."
Before Sinon's eyes, a shining castle of steel revealed itself.
"That is our destination, Sinon."
"That is... That's the place where Hachiman and Asuna fought for over two years."
"Yeah. Welcome to Aincrad."
And so, in a completely unexpected turn of events, Sinon set foot on the land of Aincrad.
-------------------------------
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