First Verse

I exhaled slowly, centering my weight. The music playing in my ears was just noise, really; I only had it playing to keep the beat while I exercised.

As soon as the intro to the song finished shifted to the main melody I dropped to the ground and started my warm-up routine. It was second nature by this point, after doing it every time I trained in the Kirigaya dojo. I was glad Sugu and Kazuto let me use their dojo for training - even though I didn't use it often, it was still an open space I didn't have back home.

Make your Hi-Fi feelings ring with a heart-pounding, super-dimensional melody~

The music swelled and I grinned, singing along to the music while smoothly finishing my push-ups and swinging into sit-ups without much of a break to catch my breath. Obviously, my voice was tight and uncontrolled, thanks to my exercising, but it was still a catchy song to sing along to.

It helped that I didn't have to worry about earbuds or headphones or anything like that. No, this music was coming from somewhere else, even though it sounded like it was coming from inside the room. And it was all thanks to the little half-moon shaped piece of plastic and metal hooked around my left ear, secure against my cheek and the back of my head. The Augma - the first Augmented Reality device.

Apparently it had been in development for a while, though it had only recently been released. Only a few weeks had passed since its release, and already I could see the little thing on a good minority of the people wandering around outside. It made sense that it was more prevalent than the AmuSphere and the NerveGear; after all, since it was AR, people could walk around while using it. That made it really convenient for day-to-day activities, like chatting with friends and maintaining awareness of fitness and other activities.

Or, like I'm doing, make exercising more than just routine.

I stood up from my stretches and rolled my shoulders, cracking my knuckles. "Begin Target Practice," I said out loud to the thin air.

"Beginning," the Augma answered in a pleasant feminine voice as I drew back into a guard position. "Three, two, one, start!"

A multi-colored ring flashed up in the corner of my vision, and I stamped my foot before lunging for it. My fist rushed forward and slammed into the center of the bulls-eye, earning me a satisfying crunching sound as the target shattered around my fist. Grunting, I turned and smashed my elbow backwards against another target before extending my fist in a backhand aimed at the target above it.

The next target was a little too far away for me to reach in time with a punch, so I took a step before drawing my knee up and kicking out. My kick landed on target, dead center of the ring, but this time the target didn't shatter. Instead, it buzzed and flashed red before disappearing. "Tsk," I clicked my tongue, taking the small delay in target appearances to regain my balance, bouncing on the balls of my feet in time with the quick beat of the pop music.

Need to work on my form... If I didn't strike correctly, the target wouldn't shatter. That's why I was using this little game as part of my training, after all - I didn't have an instructor watching over me most of the time, so I had to make sure I didn't slip into bad habits.

"Hah!" I spun and snapped out a roundhouse kick to the target I'd heard appear behind me. This time it crunched satisfyingly, and I grinned fiercely before immediately slamming my foot down and launching into a combo that took out two more targets.

Five minutes of target practice. That's how long I had to last. By the time the buzzer rang and the program ended, I was sweating heavily, panting for breath. Staggering over to the wall, I grabbed a drink and wiped off the worst of the sweat.

"Heya, Nick."

I looked over and smiled, absently killing the pop song playing as background music. The voice had come from the brown-haired girl entering the dojo; she was wearing a loose brown shirt that left her neckline bare, revealing the strap of the dark shirt she was wearing underneath. I think I remember my sisters calling it a camisole? She also had shorts on, covering her thighs and not much else. "Kana!" I took another swig from the water bottle and approached my girlfriend.

"Ack!" She took a step away, pretending to hold her nose. "You're sweaty, don't hug me."

"But I love you!" Still, I stopped a few paces away. "I'm not late yet, am I? I set my Augma to remind me, but I might have missed it."

Kana grinned. "Nah, you're good. I just couldn't pass up the chance to see you shirtless." Her eyes roamed up and down my body, and I had the strangest feeling I was being objectified. "Mmmm..."

"Guess I'll put on a show," I said with a grin. "Your Augma's up and running?" Kana nodded with a smile, her messy hair bouncing a little bit. As soon as I had confirmation, I cracked my neck before kicking up the music again. Same song; I'd put it on loop. "Begin Target Practice, Level Five."

"Beginning!" the Augma chirped.

Normally, I ramped things up slowly, starting with the lowest setting, the targets, and then clearing each progressive stage. It was designed to test the user and push them until they can't possibly win.

"Three!"

That being said, I was in a hurry. That's why I was exercising now instead of later tonight, and why Kana had come by the Kirigaya home.

"Two!"

So, I mean, it's okay if I skip three levels, right?

"One!"

A harsh breath ripped out of me and I forced myself to relax. A tense body reacted slower than a relaxed body, and I needed to have quick reactions here.

Echo with an upbeat rhythm! Your heartbeat is compelled to accelerate~

As soon as my first enemy appeared I was already moving, smashing my right fist against its face. The punch was strong enough to register and the black-clad ninja shattered like glass, falling apart as its feet went forward and what remained of its head went back. I didn't hesitate, spinning on my foot to add more momentum to the backfist I unleashed on the next closest ninja. The attack smashed into its stomach - hard enough to stun it, but not enough to kill - and I turned away to deal with the other attackers.

Hands flashed towards me from my left, and a foot from my right; I blocked both attacks simultaneously, feeling the jolt of vibration run up my arms before dismissing the sensation and grabbing the ninja's arm with my left hand. A quick twist and I had the arm in a lock, pinned up against the shoulder. I exhaled harshly and pulled up abruptly, hearing a faint crunch over the sound of the music. I shoved the ninja with the now-broken arm into the path of another attacker closing you before rushing forward, taking advantage of the blocked sightline to close in. I punched the broken-armed ninja, killing it, and stepped forward to put my fist through the chest of the second one.

The Augma made fighting like this fun. With every punch, I felt the feedback of my fist hitting a person's body, even though I knew I was just punching the air. I was able to better judge the strength of my blows on something I didn't have to worry about hurting - because that was the entire point. The best part -

"Gah!" I grunted as a fist slipped past my guard and struck my ribs. The sensation was fleeting, I lashed out and knocked the head off my opponent seconds later, but it was still unexpected and distracting.

- was that the Augma worked both ways. Thanks to special clothes designed to work with the Augma I could feel the impact as if I'd actually been punched, even if it was just the AR collision, so mistakes were punished; but, there weren't any lasting effects like a cracked rib that would last for a long time. The Augma would be able to simulate a cracked rib, but the second I shut down the training program or whatever game I was playing, it would disappear.

Level Five of the Target Practice game was something I'd never managed to clear, despite my best attempts. Even when I was relatively fresh, like right now, the sheer number of opponents meant that sooner or later I'd end up being overwhelmed. And that happened again this time; taking one blow distracted me and I lost ground, ending up fighting two at once. That would slowly spiral out of control, into three, then four, then six.

Exactly what happened this time.

By the end, I was pinned to the ground, unable to fight back as the ninjas pummeled me. "Training end!" the Augma chirped, and my assailants vanished, along with the nonstop vibration of the impacts.

Groaning and rubbing my neck, I rolled my shoulders. "Ugh... One of these days," I muttered, ignoring the small addition of points to my score. It was enough to push me up a rank or two, but that was it. When you're as high as I am, there were huge gaps in score.

Kana approached, tossing me a towel and holding out the water bottle. "It's okay that you lost, I still love you," she assured me, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Oh ha ha," I grumbled, wiping off the sweat that had accumulated from the five-minute fight against infinite ninjas. Cliché enemy choice, yes, but it was a good workout. "How much time do I have?"

"Enough time to take a shower," Kana told me in a firm voice. "You're kinda gross right now."

I gulped down some cold water and lowered the bottle. "Okay, got it. I'll go ask Sugu if I can borrow theirs." Driving home would be a pain and definitely put me behind schedule. But Kana was right, I felt gross. My hair was plastered to my forehead from sweat, and my skin felt sticky.

Kana grinned. "You do that. Since you're picking up Shino, I'll use the extra time to make it to the mall."

My returning smile was apologetic. "Sorry, Kana, I'd give you a ride -"

"But Shino needs one, and your bike only seats one, I know," my girlfriend waved my apology away with a hand. "I've told you a thousand times I don't mind, silly boy."

I grinned and reached out, resting my hand on my girlfriend's head. She grinned wordlessly and lightly pushed against my hand before I left the dojo, dragging my shirt and the towel with me. The April air was a bit brisk on my exposed skin and I hurried to cross the small distance between the dojo and the Kirigaya house proper, sliding the door open and slipping inside.

Sugu was already waiting for me with another bottle of water. "My beloved little sister," I said with a grin, accepting the water. "Anticipating my every need."

"I figured you'd be thirsty when you only brought one bottle to the dojo," she said. "I saw Kana come in, are you leaving?"

"Soon," I said, "but I kinda need to take a shower before I leave. Can I..." I trailed off and just pointed upwards.

Sugu smiled. "Sure. Go ahead and use the soap, too, it's fine."

"You're the best," I said. "Oh hey, where's Kazuto? Did he already leave?"

Like always when I mentioned her brother, she brightened up and then immediately sighed. "Yeah, Kazuto already left," she said. "And I was looking forward to spending my last day here with him..."

I ruffled her hair playfully. "Don't worry, your kendo camp won't last too long." Sugu complained but suffered through my affection until I was finished patting her head. With a chuckle I let her get back to what she was doing and headed upstairs to the bathroom.

A quick shower later, I was munching on a protein bar as I prepared to leave to go pick up Shino. Need to refuel, after all. As I drove, I saw the occasional drone flying overhead, acting as network supporters for the Augma as a whole, and the main AR game in particular. Ordinal Scale... An AR game where everyone that played was ranked as a matter of course. A lot of things earned points to go up in rank, and ranks came with bonuses; usually it was in terms of discounts at stores all over the place. Of course the game would be popular, if just playing it earned you free stuff.

The song on the radio switched, and I grinned. And there was that, too. Yuna, the game's mascot, acted as an idol; the songs she sang were wildly popular with everyone in my little family. Keiko and Sugu in particular were huge fans - I think Keiko knew all of the songs by heart by this point, with how often she listened to them. Yuna was popular, and her first concert was scheduled for the end of the month. I was looking forward to it, actually, despite roundly despising social events.

Who knows. Maybe I was growing up a little bit. Heh.

My bike purred quietly as I parked outside the mall. As soon as I killed the engine, the arms wrapped around my waist let go as my passenger got off the bike. I watched with muted amusement as Shino pulled the helmet off and shook her head, briefly running her fingers through her hair. "Remind me why I ride on this deathtrap of yours?" she asked me.

I grinned wider. "Because you're an adrenaline junkie that can't get enough? Because you love pressing yourself up against my strong, muscular back? Because you need a ride from your school and Kazuto wasn't available?"

Shino glared at me briefly. If we were in ALO, her Cait Sith ears would have twitched in irritation. "Watch it," she grumbled, tossing me the spare helmet. I caught it easily, locking it on the bike with my own and following her inside. "I can still leave, you know."

"What a shame," I sighed dramatically. "My little sister, acting so distant from me... She's running hot and cold today."

"Grrr," Shino growled. I just laughed, the bright sound doing a lot to break Shino's feigned irritation. With a small smile on her face, the black-haired girl walked towards the mall, and I followed her inside.

It didn't take long to find Kana; my girlfriend was waiting by the entrance, her purse resting on the bench beside her. As soon as she saw the two of us, she rushed over -

- and hugged Shino tightly. I blinked in surprise, having expected the rush to be for me. Shino noticed my surprise and grinned at me over Kana's shoulder; in return, I just stuck my tongue out at her. Clearly, I am the model of a mature high-school graduate in how I respond to a girl the same age as Sugu.

"I'm glad you two made it," Kana said, pulling away from Shino. "I was starting to get bored."

"I got here as soon as I could," I said with a shrug. "Not my fault Shino lives so far away."

"Taking the train is sounding more and more attractive," the girl sighed. I just grinned; we all knew she didn't really mean it. She was my friend and I was hers, even if we constantly squabbled.

Turning to Kana, I asked, "So where to first, catling? You and Shino were the two that put this together, I'm just here for holding bags."

"You're here for more than that," my girlfriend assured me with a kind smile. "Now c'mon, bag holder, our first stop's over here."

'Over here' turned out to be, naturally, a clothing store that dealt in... well, basically anything a girl Shino or Kana's age could possibly want to wear. I sighed the long-suffering sigh of every boyfriend ever and followed the girls inside, before pulling up a simple game on the Augma and playing that while I followed them around. I mostly tuned out their conversation and did my best to solve the math puzzles in my head; the first few were easy and rewarded me with point totals in the single digits, but as the puzzles grew more complex the rewards scaled to match.

"Nick?" Hm, if I put a three there... "Nick." And then I just fill in the blanks and - "Nick!" Kana all but shouted at me.

I blinked in surprise; a few other shoppers looked over at the commotion and giggled before returning to what they were doing. Refocusing on my girlfriend, I realized Kana had planted her hands on her hips in front of me, with Shino standing behind her, arms folded. "Uh..." Whoops. I think I've screwed up. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying, we need to go to the changing rooms," Kana said with admirable patience. "C'mon."

Eh? I guess they found something already... Though I don't see Shino or Kana holding anything. Most likely, one of them will run out to grab whatever they picked out while the other is getting changed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," I said, tapping the last few answers in and dismissing the completed puzzle. I followed Kana and Shino to the nearest changing rooms, glancing around almost curiously as we entered the first open door. I glanced around curiously; they were bigger than the rooms in stores I visited, with more room for clothes to hang. The full-length mirror and the bench along the side of the wall were the same, though. It'd been a while since I'd actually gone shopping for clothes, since I didn't need anything new.

"You sure I can be in here?" I asked idly as Kana put her purse down and started going through it. "I'm a guy, after all."

"Just sit," Kana waved at the bench. "We need you here anyway."

I did as she requested. "What for?" I asked her. "You're going clothes-shopping, I can take a look just as easily outside the changing rooms. Besides, you know what I'll say already -"

"That you don't know how to judge clothes but that I look beautiful, I know, I know," Kana grinned at me. "But we definitely need you here. After all, you're the star of the show!"

"Eh?"

My confusion was short-lived as Kana smirked at me, pulling a bag out of her purse. The contents of the bag made what she had planned a little more obvious - a nail file and a bottle of nail polish, along with way too many brushes and tubes. I glanced at Shino in mild panic, and my sister just grinned. "While you're doing that, I'll go purchase everything," she said before slipping out of the room. No! I've been betrayed by my own family!

Despite it, I didn't actually resist as Kana took my hand in hers and started working on my nails. "Shino told me about how you let the girls dress you up at Asuna's," she said. "Naturally, as your girlfriend I couldn't leave a challenge unanswered."

"I don't think it was a challenge," I sighed. Finished with shaping my nails, Kana had me splay them out in the air while she got to work with the polish, each stroke leaving more of my nails a crimson red. "How did you get Shino to go along with this? These clothes aren't cheap."

"Nya hah hah," Kana laughed smugly. "This store offers discounts if your OS rank is high enough. Turns out Shino has some points to spend, and so everything on our agenda today is half off or more."

"That's right," Shino added, returning with clothes draped over her arm. "Oh, good, Kana finished with your nails."

Kana glanced up at the dark-haired girl and smiled. "Get started with the extensions while I work on his makeup, okay?"

I just sighed and resigned myself to another half hour of this.

...

"You look great, stop fidgeting," Kana scolded me.

"I can't help it," I muttered. "I'm not used to... this."

'This' might be referring to the padded bra I was wearing underneath the pale grey blouse they'd chosen for me. 'This' might also be referring to the red skirt; it was loose and frilly, falling to my knees with a slit on the side, but still easy to move around in. 'This' might be referring to the brown boots with a tiny heel on my feet, my legs in black leggings. 'This' might also refer to the makeup - some eyeshadow and blush, along with light lip gloss - or the ponytail I was sporting.

Actually, no, yeah, it was all of those things.

The three of us were sitting at a cafe, enjoying some treats; both Kana and Shino had ordered a coffee with names I couldn't remember or pronounce, while I was nibbling at a chocolate muffin. I might be eating a lot, but I burned a lot of calories; I was able to eat basically whatever I wanted. I had my Augma keeping track of what I'd eaten every day, but I never received a warning for it. What a charmed life I lead.

At least the clothes the girls had chosen for me were easy to move around in. "You look surprisingly at home in it," Shino noted as she sipped at her drink. "I'm not quite sure what that says about you."

"That I don't think what clothes I wear defines my gender," I said easily. "And that I've been cursed to be surrounded by girls that seem to always want me to crossdress. And maybe that this has become distressingly normal over the past few months." Shino cracked a smile, and I counted that a small victory.

"You still love us," the glasses-wearing girl noted. Beside me, Kana giggled and snuggled up against me, letting my arm fall from her shoulder to her hip. "Even when you look pretty."

I just scowled at the both of them, not that I really cared all that much. I enjoyed spending time with Kana and Shino, and if that came at the price of dressing up as a girl, well... Eh, it could be worse.

After we finished the snacks, we just kinda wandered from store to store for a while, browsing. One of my choices was a used bookstore that all three of us got lost in for a good half hour before the Augma alarm Kana had been thoughtful enough to set went off. She managed to convince me to leave, and then it took both of us to drag Shino away from the book of Arthurian myths and legends she'd been devouring. I should have known that shop would be a trap, but I couldn't help it, the smell of old books was calling to me!

As we wandered around the lowest floor of the mall, I could hear music playing in the background. My Augma helpfully identified it and told me where it was coming from - a virtual stage, generated by another Augma user. I glanced at the girls, and they looked just as curious as I felt, so we abandoned the circuit of the floor we'd followed earlier and headed towards the sound.

We found the circle of people easily enough - and the voice of the singer was familiar to all of us. Keiko was dancing around in a circle of virtual spotlights, singing her little heart out to the song - one of Yuna's, I recognized it. It was actually the same song that I'd been working out to. This world has the strangest coincidences.

I tapped Kana on her shoulder and caught Shino's hand while they were busy watching Keiko and started moving around the outside of the crowd to where I saw Kazuto, Asuna, and Rika watching our friend with smiles on their faces. I even saw Yui in her ALO Nav Pixie form, cheering happily.

We stood beside them; they looked our way before their eyes locked on me in surprise. Rika and Asuna grinned after that, while Kazuto stared at me in total confusion. When I just shrugged, he blinked a few times before looking back at Keiko.

Soon enough the song came to an end and Keiko posed cutely, winking to the crowd - before her adoration of Yuna was overcome by the realization of exactly where she was and exactly what she was doing, and she hurried toward us, snatching her bag up as she went. Everyone was applauding, but Keiko didn't hesitate before throwing her arms around me. "Big Sis, that was embarrassing," she wailed, hiding her face in my chest.

"I'm still a guy, Keiko," I reminded her, absently stroking her hair.

"But it'd be weird to call you a boy when you're dressed like this," she mumbled into my chest, before muttering something about how life wasn't fair and I was a boy, not that I knew what she was talking about. I just chuckled and let her hide in my chest while the public was still clapping for her performance. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Kana and Shino decided they wanted to go on a shopping trip," I replied. Beside Rika, Kana grinned smugly at me. "I didn't expect that they'd be shopping for me, though."

Asuna smiled. "You look good, Nick. ...Ah, should we call you something else?"

I just sighed. "Nick is fine, I don't really care... But it's a surprise to run into you four. Was Rika bullying Keiko again?"

"Hey!" the freckled girl protested. "I wasn't bullying her! And what do you mean 'again', anyway?!" I just grinned at the blacksmith, and she clenched a fist. "Why, you..."

The four of them were all wearing their school uniforms, just like Shino. Out of all of us, Kana and I were the only two in casual clothing. Which made sense, since Kana and I were the only two that had graduated. They must have come here directly from school, just like how I picked up Shino from the gates of her school. Finally, the applause from the strangers that had been watching died away and they went back to their regularly scheduled shopping. Keiko pulled away, cheeks red. "That was embarrassing..." she mumbled.

"You were great, Silica!" The happy praise came from an unsurprising source - the small fairy that flew out from behind Kazuto's back and landed on his shoulder. Yui... Another reason the Augma was so popular. Since Yui was virtual data, it could render her as if she was in the real world with us. And she wasn't the only one... "Oh, Uncle! Aunt Argo! I didn't see you arrive!"

"You were too busy watching Keiko," Kana grinned.

Yui paused and tilted her head. "...Where's Din?"

"Sleeping," I shrugged, before tapping through some of the Augma's menus. After I selected an option, I cleared my throat. "Hey, Din, wake up, your girlfriend's here."

Yui blushed a little bit, and I grinned at the look Asuna and Kazuto exchanged. "Nn..." From behind Kana's back - where I knew he hadn't been five seconds earlier - another small fairy flew out, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Yui's not my girlfriend, Dad..." Din mumbled.

I just poked his forehead lightly. "It was time to get up anyway, kid. Go play."

Din nodded and flew over to Yui, before the two fairies lifted off and started flitting around. "He sleeps so much," Shino observed.

Asuna giggled. "Just like his uncle. But I know he got his appetite from his father."

Kazuto and I sighed in shared suffering as the girls giggled from the teasing. After she got herself under control, Keiko looked up at Kazuto with pleading eyes. "K-Kirito?" she stammered. "You're gonna come to the concert with us, right?"

Kazuto blinked, then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wasn't planning on it," he admitted. "I'm not much of a fan if you wanna know the truth."

That's right... I'd graduated just a month too early. If Kana and I hadn't graduated, we would have been able to get an Augma and a ticket to Yuna's concert for free. Instead, we both had to buy them; I still don't know how Kana was able to secure two tickets, but I'm glad she did. When I asked, all she did was grin, throw up two peace signs, and say something ridiculous about not underestimating a girl's connections...

"What?!" Keiko exclaimed, looking for all the world like someone had told her Santa wasn't real. "Y-You should go! It'll be fun!"

"Well... I dunno, maybe?" Keiko hung her head at Kazuto's non-answer, and I gently patted her back while a small current of amusement ran through the other girls. "Anyway, I gotta admit, you can do a lot of cool stuff with this gadget," he said, placing a hand on the Augma resting on his cheek. "Still, I think Full Dives are more my thing."

Rika put her hands on her hips. "You're kidding," she said.

Kazuto smiled faintly. "No," he said. "I guess I just got used to living in different worlds."

I looked around, taking in the people around us. Old and young, man and woman, I could see plenty of people standing and walking around. The biggest difference, of course, was the Augma I could see on a good half of them. A father with two young kids was looking at a virtual koala climbing on a tree, and a young couple were sitting on a bench together, playing with a little flying creature that resembled a cute rat with four wings. Beside them, a grandfather was playing with his grandson, an AR dinosaur roaring on his lap and snapping at the kid's fingers.

"You doofus," Rika sighed, glancing at Kazuto. He seemed almost nostalgic when he talked about the virtual world, which... I couldn't exactly blame him, but I'd already confronted that particular conflict a few months ago. "You sound like you wanna go back."

The silence hung over the seven of us for a second, before Keiko clapped her hands. "Oh! Speaking of Aincrad, do you think that rumor about Ordinal Scale is true?"

Shino frowned. "Which rumor?" she asked.

Wonderful! My sister's confusion would swiftly be ended by the most appropriate person here. Naturally, Kana waved a hand. "Don't worry, Shino, I'll clear things up for you!" she chirped. "Just treat me to some cake later and we're good."

"Alright, fine," Shino sighed. She didn't even try to barter with Kana; we all knew it was pointless to get between the infamous Rat and her payday.

Kana grinned. "Deal. Now, the rumor Keiko here mentioned is about the boss fights in Ordinal Scale." She raised a finger. "It seems that old boss monsters from SAO have been popping up over town! They're classified as event battles, but I think there might be something more to it."

I glanced around to check where Yui and Din were. As soon as I spotted them flitting around in the air, I turned my attention back to the conversation. "Really?" Asuna asked. "Is it some kind of promotion?"

"Nobody knows," Kana said, shaking her head. "But if I knew, I'd tell you. They only started appearing last week, and I haven't been able to make it to a fight yet."

I could tell the incomplete information bothered her, and I put my arms around my girlfriend. She blinked up at me for a second before happily snuggling against me, pressing the back of her head against my chest. It felt a little weird, what with the bra, but I got used to the weird sensation. "I feel you," Rika sighed. "I've missed out on all of them too! The locations are super secret until the last minute, so it's hard for folks who don't have a car to get there in time."

Shino looked at Kana. "I'm surprised that you haven't managed to make it to a fight," she said slowly. "If all you need is a ride..."

She trailed off, meeting eyes with the other girls. Asuna hummed in thought, and Keiko nodded twice in agreement. Silently, I watched Kazuto turn around and try to sneak away - before he froze as a notification appeared in front of him. A message appeared in front of all of us, and I scanned both mine and Kana's; it was from Klein. 'Let's do an OS boss raid together!'

Asuna reached out and placed a hand on Kazuto's shoulder. "Ki-ri-to," she, Rika, and Keiko chorused simultaneously, all of them smiling innocently.

I glanced down at Kana, and she stared back up at me, before sighing. "Man, this sucks," she grumbled. "You better tell me everything, got that?"

"Din will record it," I promised her.

Meanwhile, the three girls aiming for a ride from Kazuto were in the middle of a rock-paper-scissors competition. With a wail Rika was knocked out, and I watched with a small smile as Keiko did a little happy dance, her pigtails bouncing. Then, it was just her and Asuna, both girls concentrating like losing here would suck out their souls or something. Simultaneously they threw out their hand -

- and Keiko drooped as her opponent clenched a fist in victory. "Yes!" Asuna cheered.

Rika and Keiko turned to me. I also had a bike, so I was their second chance - but I shook my head, dashing their hopes. "Sorry," I said with a regretful smile, "but I'm Shino's ride, so she comes with me." Shino smiled faintly, and I grinned at her. "Taking her home means I have no chance to pick anyone else up after dropping her off. Better luck next time?"

"Man," Rika grumbled.

She, Keiko, and Kana said their goodbyes before heading off for home. Meanwhile, Kazuto, Asuna, Shino, and I made our way down to the parking lot. "Are you going to get changed?" Shino asked me as I tossed her the spare helmet on my bike. "It'll be hard to fight, wearing that."

"I could fight in this," I said absently, moving an arm and throwing a few punches experimentally. It felt a little restrictive, but not too bad. "But yeah, the plan is to drop you off and let you get changed, then drive to my house and I get changed, then we head out to wherever the boss is gonna spawn."

"Sounds good," my little sister said, before buckling the strap around her chin. After I'd deliberately embarrassed her in front of her school a few times, she'd insisted she learn how to put it on herself.

I started to put on the helmet, and then paused when my fingers touched the extra-long hair that I'd been saddled with thanks to the hair extensions Shino had used. "Uh... Actually, I might need your help getting this stuff off, so could you..."

Shino sighed. "Yes, I'll help you take the makeup and everything off, just take me home already."

"Yes ma'am."

I parked on the sidewalk, right beside another familiar bike. As soon as I killed the engine, the arms wrapped around my waist let go as my passenger got off the bike. I watched with muted amusement as Shino pulled the helmet off and shook her head, briefly running her fingers through her hair. "Three times in one day, and I still have to get home..." she grumbled.

"You can always walk to the next one," I said mildly.

She scowled at me. "You know I won't turn down the ride. These boss fights sound fun."

Grinning faintly, I led the way across the street to where the other players were gathering. It was a fairly open space ringed by apartments on all sides of the streets, except the corner store with a large digital screen displaying the time in the old-fashioned analog way. Combining the collection of players and the fact that the roads around us had been blocked off, I could tell we were in the right place. There was another clue, too; a pair of players with their backs to us, one male and one female, and a small group of familiar faces.

Shino and I strolled up to them. Klein looked over for a second, and then grinned. "Hey, Rythin! Sinon! Ya made it!"

"Hey, Klein," I said, waving hello to the scruffy-looking man and his five accomplices. Looks like Fuurinkazanazan was out in force tonight - they were even wearing matching hoodies, which... Cool? I guess? "We're in time?"

"You're good," he grinned. "This thing doesn't start 'til nine."

"We're just in time," Kazuto said, turning to look at me. He hesitated for a second, eyes glancing at me, and I just grinned.

Asuna smiled. "Oh, you changed. That's too bad..."

I just chuckled. "I'm still shocked you managed to drag Kazuto along, Asuna." He wasn't exactly the type to be playing this game; he'd mentioned it earlier, but the rank I could see above his head was in the six digits. Yikes.

Klein grinned and clenched a fist. "Alright, guys," he said, turning to Fuurinkazanazan. "We've got two beauties here to watch us, so let's show them how badass we are!"

"Yeah!"

I felt the strangest surge of protectiveness towards Asuna and Shino. Ah... Is this what it means to be a protective big brother? I won't give them to you, Klein! Even if one is already taken and the other isn't mine to give away! "It's time to start," Asuna said, nudging her boyfriend. I glanced at Shino, and she nodded up at me.

Digging my hand in the pocket of my jacket, I fished out the little plastic wand I'd need. The rest of my family pulled theirs out as well, and we spoke the activation phrase simultaneously. "Ordinal Scale, activate!"

Our bodies flashed as the game system took effect. When the light cleared, we were all wearing something completely different. I knew what I was wearing; it was a simple grey jacket, with black starting at my shoulders and acting as the sleeves. Golden buttons dotted up the front, a black strip going up the center, with dark red trim along the edges of the black sleeves. My belt was also dark red, and a dagger was sheathed on my back, designed for easy drawing. My pants were the same color scheme; dark grey, with blood-red boots. The only modification to the default outfit I'd made was a pair of armored gloves on my hands, for use in punching things.

Standing next to me, Sinon was wearing mostly the same outfit, with only a few color changes; instead of grey, her coat was an olive green, and the color of her trim was a muted ivory color. There were a few other differences, mostly thanks to the fact that she was a girl - her coat flared out and dipped lower, acting almost as a skirt, and she was wearing some black leggings. Naturally, instead of a dagger, she was carrying a sniper rifle.

To my right, I saw Kirito and Asuna. Like me and Sinon, they'd chosen the default look as well - Kirito with white and dark blue, and Asuna with white and red. Kirito had his sword sheathed over his shoulder, while Asuna was equipped with her trusty rapier on her hilt.

The weapons weren't real, of course. We'd just be swinging around the little plastic wands, kept on our wrist with a little loop. They were just the D-Weapons, the game's representation of what we were going to be swinging around.

All around, I saw other players flashing with light as they activated the system. Unlike the four of us, they'd apparently decided to spend some of their points to customize their appearances; I saw a cat-man with a tiger fur pattern, a maid with a battleaxe, and all kinds of players in armor. Klein and Fuurinkazanazan had heavily customized their look as well, choosing samurai-esque equipment in red and gold. It reminded me of what they wore back in Aincrad, actually.

The clock clicked closer to nine, and Sinon waved to us before heading off to the high ground, where her sniping would be put to best use. "Don't choke out there," she warned me with a light teasing tone.

I grinned. "C'mon, this is playing to all of my strengths. Just watch your big brother, I'll make sure to impress you."

"Whatever you say, Rythin," she sighed, but I could hear the amusement in her voice. She jogged off, and I watched until she started heading up stairs to get a sniping perch.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to the task at hand. The fight. "Din," I said lowly, and my son appeared with a flash of light. Now that it was nighttime, and that I had a request, I knew he'd be alert. "Keep a good eye on everything that goes on, okay? Stick with Sinon, she'll have a good vantage point."

"You got it, Dad. I'll go find Aunt Sinon." With a small salute Din flew off into the sky, the four wings on his back beating rapidly.

There we go. Sinon's seen off, Din is recording everything so Kana can see it when I get home... And now all that I have to do is fight.

My grip on my dagger's hilt tightened as the huge analog clock displayed on the big screen clicked one more minute, the big hand pointing straight up and the little hand making a ninety-degree angle to the left - and then the screen flashed, displaying the time. 21:00...

Right on schedule, the world warped and changed with a deep bass rumble. A rippling wave swept over everything, replacing the soothing sounds and sights of the city around me with something completely different. Cars and non-players at the edge of the arena were replaced by props and NPC-esque aliens milling about. The buildings and nearby trees were transformed as well; they maintained their nature, but the architecture was radically altered into some sort of... classical, gothic architecture? I don't know the right term for it, but there were ornate wrought-iron decorations along the nearby bridge's railing, and the tall store in front of us was transformed into a castle that looked straight out of a video game.

Guess it was appropriate.

The night sky was lit up in sullen red and oranges, helped by the twisting orange neon lights acting as lamps and light sources and I licked my lips. Let's do this.

A circle appeared at the far edge of the ring, right by a few other players, and erupted into flames that were nearly purple. The boss was appearing! I grinned fiercely as I unsheathed my dagger, aware of Kirito and Asuna doing the same beside me. Sure, there was lore describing what was going to happen and what our objective was in game terms, but it was pretty simple in execution:

A boss spawned. We killed it.

Let's be about it.

The column of fire roared in the air for a few seconds before bursting apart, little embers raining down and flickering in the air as they faded away. In its place, kneeling in the center of the circle, was a figure I knew pretty well. Let's see... A samurai helmet, with two long spikes poking up in front and a red, grinning demon mask for a face? Red armor on the shoulders, with a breastplate covering the chest and greaves covering the legs? A spiral pattern wrapped around the left arm, and a katana in the right hand? A scarf flapping in the wind? Yeah, I recognized this guy.

"That's..." Asuna gasped.

The kneeling boss rose to its feet, scarf flapping in an intangible wind. "The boss from Floor 10 in Aincrad... Kagachi The Samurai Lord!"

"He looks exactly like him, doesn't he," Asuna murmured.

Kirito's grip on his sword tightened. "Too bad we can't use our Sword Skills here. I wonder if he's gonna use the same attack patterns... Rythin?"

"Worth a shot," I said, mind already flicking through the memories of Aincrad. My right hand's fingers twitched as I slid past the bosses that didn't matter, bringing up everything I remembered about this boss. It hit hard, and like its name suggested it was the lord of the samurai. It had tended to switch aggro easily, targeting whoever had struck it last in some sort of mockery of the samurai's honor.

Movement behind the leering demon mask caught my attention and I glanced over at the bridge; right now, it wasn't moving, so the fight hadn't started, and I could afford to take my eyes off of the boss. A drone was floating around, hovering just over the bridge, until it suddenly started emitting a beam of violet light. A familiar, silver-haired girl descended from nowhere, landing lightly on the stone bridge.

Yuna, the mascot of the game. She was dressed in an idol's outfit, all red and black; the short skirt and her stockings revealed just a bit of her thigh, while the top of her dress hung just below her shoulders. The AI girl dipped into a tiny curtsey, smiling as her flying mascot... thing flew around her. "Y-Yuna?!" Klein yelped, grinning like a loon.

Yuna grabbed a trail of light that was attached to her belt and it formed into a microphone in her hand. "I hope everyone's ready!" she called out, waving cheerfully. "It's time to battle! So, start the music!" She snapped her fingers, and one of her songs started playing. I realized with a start that she was actually singing, and that it wasn't just pre-recorded tracks. Neat!

"Oh, awesome!" somebody said, and I looked over to see the tiger-cat-guy holding a bazooka. "Yuna's singing! It's a special stage with a bonus!" As he said that, the little mascot bird thing started dropping a trail of green sparkles and flew around. As the sparkles touched us, our bodies glowed green with the sign of a buff. Two crossed swords - an attack buff, huh? This stuff kinda reminds me of pixie dust, so maybe if I think happy thoughts I can fly...

At the center of the stage, hovering where everyone could see it, a bright red timer started counting down. The ten-minute time limit to beat the boss had begun.

Concurrent with the timer beginning to count down, Kagachi's eyes flashed, and I immediately focused on nothing but the boss. With a low grumble it leaned forward and started stomping forward, gaining quickly despite the almost ponderous running speed. The players around us mumbled to themselves in excitement and immediately rushed forward, eager to fight this new boss and kill it.

Fools.

As soon as players reached Kagachi, brandishing their weapons, the boss stopped running forward. It grasped its sword with both hands and sliced; the blade flashed with bright light as it cut the air, killing a player instantly and smashing them into the ground, a cloud of dust and pulverized concrete filling the air. Another player approached foolhardily and Kagachi moved smoothly into the second strike of the combo, killing him instantly as well with a vicious horizontal slash. The third player to arrive stopped in time, but it still wasn't enough; as a samurai, a lot of the attacks included movement to close distance. Kagachi's sword flashed again as it stepped forward, smashing into the ground and killing the player instantly.

Less than a minute in and three people are already dead. This is going wonderfully.

Kagachi didn't stop, though. Planting the katana in the ground, it raced forward, ripping the massive blade through the concrete. Anyone that was caught in the path of carnage was slaughtered instantly. As soon as it reached a group of players, Kagachi ripped the sword out of the ground with a blast of accompanying wind, knocking them away and covering the field with dust.

Turning around, Kagachi The Samurai Lord roared, its forked tongue flickering from its mouth.

"Do you remember the patterns yet?" Asuna asked me quietly. I shrugged, tilting my hand back and forth. I had a few of them back in my memories, and the familiar feeling of the boss was slotting them into place faster than I expected, but it wasn't enough to be certain.

Kagachi was swiftly surrounded by players, and I had the strangest sensation of watching moths flock to a flame. The players screamed as they were swiftly erased, one sword slash at a time. "I'm gonna piss myself!" "How do we beat this thing?!"

They were getting slaughtered, and it was clear none of them had any experience with a boss like this before. Kirito shook his head and glanced over at us. "What do you say, Kiri-dude?" Klein asked with a grin, hefting his katana.

Before either of us could reply, I heard a player scream and saw Kagachi chasing someone. The poor bastard made the mistake of trying to hide in the overhang of the nearby wall, but it didn't help. "Wait, wait! Time out, time out!" he screamed desperately as Kagachi reared back and slashed, the katana sending up a spray of sparks as it smashed into the ground.

The guy's appearance fuzzed before his virtual equipment broke apart with blue light, fading away to reveal him in just his regular casual clothes, holding the wand in his left hand. He'd been eliminated, and couldn't fight anymore, so had been ejected from the game.

A heavy shot rang out and crashed against Kagachi's back, followed swiftly by more gunfire. Players in the buildings had opened fire from a distance, trying to take advantage of the fact that Kagachi was a swordsman; the first bullet had been from Sinon, and I spotted her up higher than the rest of the players, using her sniper's longer range to her advantage.

Memory flickered through me and I exhaled sharply. "Long-range is countered," I murmured.

"Eh?" Asuna asked me. "Oh! You mean -"

It wasn't very relevant, so I hadn't remembered until just now, but if Kagachi was attacked from a distance, or players ran to gain ground, the boss had more options to respond than just using its mobility to approach. The gunfire was keeping the boss pinned in place, and Kagachi raised an arm to block the worst of the bullets. Another of Sinon's bullets crashed off of its helmet, but I knew it wouldn't be enough to interrupt what was coming. The spiral pattern around Kagachi's left arm glowed and squirmed, rising off of its body and taking the form of a white red-eyed snake.

Kagachi gestured its hand forward and the snake lunged, extending further than thought possible to smash into the building where gunfire had been coming from. Almost lazily, Kagachi moved its hand to the side and the astral serpent followed, squirming in the air and slamming into the building on the other side of the road. The snake ripped through the building and -

- Oh crap! Kirito, Asuna, the Fuurinkazanazan, and I had just been watching to see how other people handled the boss for the first time, but a glowing coil of the snake was coming straight for us. We scattered, splitting up to dodge the attack; Klein and his friends went left, while Kirito, Asuna, and I jumped right, and the snake's body slammed into the ground between us.

I snarled in irritation as the three of us had to keep running, thanks to Kagachi pulling the snake towards us. "Don't let your HP hit zero!" Klein called out helpfully. "Your rank will get docked!"

"I know that!" Kirito snapped in irritation.

Kagachi was using the snake like a whip, snapping it around to pick off the players too cowardly to approach, and I decided enough was enough. Brandishing my dagger, I split off from Kirito and Asuna and moved inwards to get into its sword range; I could handle that part. Kagachi turned slowly and whipped the snake towards me. My eyes narrowed as I determined the path of the attack and prepared to dodge -

- only for a sniper rifle round to echo out and smash into the snake's head, driving it into the ground. I didn't hesitate in jumping over it, landing without losing too much speed. I had to remember to thank Sinon later for watching my back! The damage to the snake had been enough to trigger Kagachi's aggro switch and I frowned as he looked up at the building where Sinon was sniping from. My instincts surged, and I snarled. No, you don't!

Kagachi swung its hand back and sent the snake streaking towards Sinon, and I struck, swinging my dagger. The blade flashed with a satisfying slicing sound and passed through the spectral snake, severing its whip easily. Good, that'd take time to respawn. I didn't have time to do more than glance to the side, where the snake had disappeared just a few meters away from smashing into the building, before I was right up in Kagachi's range.

My dagger didn't have much range, which meant I was best directly in front of Kagachi, taking advantage of my mobility against its larger and slower blade. Desperately I swung, digging the point of my dagger into its leg and slashing out before instinctively activating my Acrobatics Skill -

- except my body didn't move the way I expected, and I gritted my teeth before hitting the ground and scrambling to the side to avoid Kagachi's retaliatory blow. Gah, I'd been fighting this thing like it was an Aincrad boss without thinking... I didn't have my unnatural gymnastic abilities, or the ability to see into the future. What I did have, though, was physical fitness. I rolled and pushed myself to my feet in a smooth motion before kicking forward and driving my dagger into the boss's side. Who knew martial arts would come in handy here? I twisted the dagger and ripped upwards, leaving a vertical slash in Kagachi's body.

"Rythin, switch!"

I jumped back without thinking twice, letting Fuurinkazanazan rush past me. I backed up cautiously, not taking my eyes off of the boss, until someone placed their palm on my back. I glanced to the side to see Asuna smiling at me, and I stepped to the side so that I didn't run into her.

"Come on, you guys," Klein shouted, before raising his katana in the air. "That bonus has our name on it!"

"Yeah!" the rest of his guild shouted, brandishing their weapons.

They engaged the boss as it swung its katana down in a two-handed swing that could and probably would kill any of us almost instantly. They were expecting it, though, and... Dynamm, that's his name, the one wearing a bandana. He met the downwards slash with his small buckler, the impact ringing out with the sound of steel on steel. "I got it!" he shouted through gritted teeth, struggling to match the weight.

"Nice block!" Klein called as he and... Dale? The heavy one with the two-handed sword, at any rate... both slashed the boss. I relaxed a little bit when I saw the lines of damage; that was definitely enough to shift Kagachi's attention off of me. Sure enough, as Klein and Dale kept running, Kagachi turned and started chasing after them, its heavy footsteps closing in on them. "Tank!" Klein shouted.

"I'm on it!" The tank of the group, a black-haired guy I think called Harry One, jumped in. He used a hammer and a tower shield to fight; in this case, he raised the tower shield over his head protectively. Kagachi's blade crashed down in a shower of sparks, the shield ringing out hollowly, and Harry One gritted his teeth. Shoving forward, he knocked the boss off-balance, making it take a stumbling step back - and the other two members of Fuurinkazanazan, Issin and Kunimittz lunged from the side, slashing through the boss.

There was a reason Klein and his guild survived without a single loss in Aincrad. They were good.

The heavy blow sent Kagachi flying, smashing the boss into the side of a building. A cloud of dust obscured my view for a second, but when it blew away I gritted my teeth. Kagachi had been actually smashed into the building, rubble surrounding its body, and it broke free after a few seconds, chunks of the building falling from the crater it had created. The problem was, they'd done enough damage to trigger the automatic regeneration of its snake tattoo. Normally that only happened at the halfway point of the fight, so... I guess we're making good time, since the timer hasn't passed five minutes yet. Free from where it had been embedded, Kagachi let out a screeching hiss at Fuurinkazanazan before rushing forward at them.

As it ran, its arm snapped out and... What?! "Shit!" I yelped, jumping to the side and landing in a roll that left my side feeling a little roughed up. I just barely managed to dodge the boss's snake whip, which it decided to attack us with for... reasons?! Maybe the aggro reset after it went to phase two and it prioritized the distant players over the ones that had surrounded it for... reasons?! The snake whip gouged a hole in the concrete floor before crashing into the building behind me, Kirito, and Asuna, sending shards of stones spraying everywhere. Asuna landed next to me as I rose to a crouch, gripping my dagger, but Kirito was on the other side of the whip.

"AR sucks," I grumbled, rubbing at my side. The pain was tolerable and swiftly fading.

"Be careful," Asuna told me, sparing a glance.

Kagachi screeched again, dismissing its snake tattoo and took off running forward, ignoring Fuurinkazanazan and the other fighters. What are you all doing! Hit the stupid thing! "Watch out, he's comin' for you!" Klein shouted oh-so-helpfully.

Asuna and I hurried over to where Kirito was crouching. "Kirito!" Asuna began.

That was all she had time to say before Kirito launched himself forward, closing the distance between him and the boss rapidly. He was still slow, though. It made sense, this was AR, not VR. Still, his skills should roughly cross over. He's fought this thing before, too, so that means -

Kirito suddenly tripped on a raised piece of cobblestone, falling flat on his face and then rolling onto his back as he slid forward. He came to a stop right in front of the boss, and it just looked down at him.

...So that means he'll just eat shit immediately, got it. I smacked my forehead with my free hand, sighing under my breath.

Kagachi's sword glinted and Kirito barely managed to parry the heavy downward smash, knocking it to the side. With a yelp he scrambled to his feet and took off running. The boss growled and chased after him, and naturally Asuna and I moved to run alongside him.

"Holy crap it's hard to move," he gasped. I could see a little red spot under his bangs where he'd fallen.

"You're just a little out of shape, is all," Asuna said.

"I'm not outta shape!" he yelped as we rounded a corner, leading it down the main corridor. My head flicked left and right - Yuna was singing on the bridge to our left, and more players were to the right. My hesitation only lasted for a heartbeat before I bolted right, Kirito and Asuna following my lead.

I grimaced. "You're out of shape!" I snapped at him, before glancing up to see a glint of light. "Sinon!"

There was no verbal answer, but a bullet smashed into Kagachi out of nowhere, snapping one of the spikes off of its helmet. Grinning fiercely, I turned on my heel, sliding a little bit, before moving towards the now-staggered boss. A quick slash to the back of one leg and I hamstrung the boss, making it take a knee.

"Watch it! I've got the kill shot!"

I turned around and yelped in surprise, jumping backwards and just barely managing to clear the line of fire of the bazooka aimed at the boss. It was Tiger Man again.

He pulled the trigger and an orange projectile of energy streaked forward, aimed towards the boss's head. If it connected, it would count as a critical hit and probably kill it - if it connected. Unfortunately, Tiger Man was clearly underestimating the boss's speed; the projectile was quick, but the boss's recovery was faster. It managed to jerk its head out of the way, just enough to let the explosive streak by without colliding.

It kept going, heading straight for the bridge - and the figure standing on it. Yuna.

"Uh oh," Tiger Man muttered.

Suddenly, a black blur appeared from nowhere and slashed the projectile back, hitting it like this was a volleyball-esque minigame and Kagachi was some sort of pig-monster with a trident. The shot detonated against Kagachi's back, making the boss monster drop to its other knee and then fall flat on its face limply, back smoking. The player that had saved Yuna landed lightly in a runner's crouch, right hand holding a sword and left hand splayed on the ground.

...Wait, did he just jump from the top of the bridge and then land on the ground without rolling to break momentum? No. I refuse. That's not possible, something is wrong, that would have shattered his kneecaps. This is AR, not VR. He straightened up, and I scowled. I don't care that he has cool purple glowing lines on his coat, I don't care that the icon over his head does label him as the second-place player on the leaderboard, that's not physically possible.

I took advantage of the brief lull in attacks to move up and stick my dagger in Kagachi's left eye a few times. Might as well get what damage I can while it's stunned. "Nice save," Tiger Man muttered.

"Rank Two?" Asuna asked, a little out of breath from our desperate run. Kirito was panting a little heavier than that, and my own breaths were roughly on par with Asuna. I was in better shape than she was, but I'd also been fighting for a little bit longer than she had.

Kagachi rumbled and I hurriedly backed off. As it pushed itself up, I stopped my retreat next to Kirito and Asuna, safe knowing they were at my side. The boss pushed itself up from the cloud of smoke and screeched, raising its left hand. A blue glow appeared in its hand and flashed, resolving into a katana that matched the one on its right. Final health bar, here we come. Now it was just attacking non-stop, replacing the snake whip with energy blasts from the sword attacks.

It's amazing how quickly I remember these things.

"It's using its killer move!" Rank Two shouted, running forward. My eyes widened as I watched him move at speeds he had no real business moving at unless he was secretly an Olympic champion or something. "Tanks, follow me!"

With a roar, Kagachi turned away from us and whirled to face the new threat. The blade in its left hand glowed bright white as it slashed vertically, sending out a rippling wave of energy. Rank Two shifted to the left, letting it pass by him just barely. But the wave was a two-hit combo, and Kagachi's right hand sword swung horizontally, sending out a beam of energy. The first one was dodgeable by shifting out of its path, but the horizontal slash needed to be jumped over or ducked under. In this case, since this was the real world, ducking would be easier -

- but because he had already broken physics twice, Rank Two decided to go for the hat trick. He jumped... No, that's too simple a description for what he did. He vaulted over the second beam in a no-lead up cartwheel, landing on one hand and pushing off of that to complete the flip and not lose any speed. Because apparently this guy is just some sort of gymnast sprinter athletic gift from the gods.

Kagachi was stuck in its attack animation and Rank Two didn't hesitate to stab forward, ripping a gash in the boss's side that sprayed orange sparks. I could see him for a second before he kept moving - grey hair, or silver, something like that.

"Nice hit, man!" Klein cheered before waving his guild forward. "C'mon!"

"Yes!" Asuna laughed, before running to join the fight. "Wait for me!" Shaking my head, I glanced at Kirito; he was holding his right arm at the elbow, and as soon as he caught my look he grinned ruefully. Seriously...

With a shrug I ran forward to join Asuna. Kirito was out of the fight if he couldn't swing his sword, so...

Simultaneously Asuna and I landed heavy blows on the boss, ripping through the simulated flesh. Asuna's rapier slashed up and I slashed down, our two damage lines crossing in the middle of its chest and forcing it to slide back. Before Kagachi could retaliate, though, Klein struck its unprotected back and forced it to whirl on him. Harry One moved in front of me and Asuna to counter its next attacks, while Dynamm acted as the blocker for Klein.

Kagachi unleashed a flurry of blows on Dynamm, each one ringing hollowly on the shield he held on his left arm. I counted the strokes, and after the fifth one I shouted to Harry One, "On us!"

He nodded but didn't have time to say anything else. Kagachi whirled and slashed with its katana, sending a wave of energy that broke harmlessly on Harry One's shield. I still had to brace myself from the force of the blow, but I was uninjured. The expected second, horizontal slash broke as well, and I relaxed. I was remembering how this fight went, like it was a foggy memory getting clearer by the second. But we didn't have long, only fifty seconds left.

Kagachi turned back to Dynamm and Klein for another series of blows, but I'd seen that coming. I broke from cover to slash at its unprotected back leg, my dagger biting heavily into the boss. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sever it completely before the boss whirled finished its next five-slash combo, and I had to keep moving. Since it had just done a close-range move I was safe to run towards Klein; behind me, Kagachi unleashed a sword beam towards the left, at Kunimittz and Issin.

"Retreat! Move!" Klein shouted. Dynamm and I were right behind him, running for our lives.

I heard the expected one, two, three sword slashes before Kagachi let out another hiss, and I turned to know which way to dodge -

- only to have a black and purple blur rush by me. Rank Two, breaking all kind of speed limits today... Kagachi hesitated as Rank Two closed rapidly, and the swordsman didn't miss the chance. He stabbed forward, piercing the boss's gut before ripping the blade out and slashing diagonally. His charge led him through the boss's legs and behind it, where he unleashed a third heavy blow. The red lines looked like an upside-down capital A.

The damage was enough to stun Kagachi, and the samurai boss fell to its knees for the second time that day.

Behind the boss, I saw Asuna grin and run forward. "Alright!" she gasped out. Passing Rank Two, the watching players let out a cheer as she drew her rapier back and, using her left hand to guide the blade...

...plunged it into Kagachi's heart, the tip ripping through its breastplate and emerging from the front of its chest.

A blue light, almost like lightning, blasted from the wound, blinding me briefly. When my vision cleared from the sudden bright light, I watched Kagachi explode in a multi-colored spray of confetti and a bass rumble, before the confetti reversed course and rushed together like someone had hit rewind on the explosion. With a crackle of blue flame it popped, imploding in on itself.

I sheathed my dagger as everyone cheered, stepping forward to pat Asuna on the back. I ignored the list of promotional rewards I'd won; I could examine those later. "Congratulations on beating the boss!" Yuna cheered from where she was standing on the bridge. "I just boosted everyone's points!" The cheer from that announcement was even louder than the one from earlier, mixed with the groans of everyone who had fallen in battle. "And, I have a special reward for the player that worked the hardest!"

Asuna sheathed her rapier, turning to look behind her as the warped cityscape faded away to show the real world again. Ordinal Scale hadn't de-activated, so everyone was still dressed in their battle outfits, but at least I could see the real world. Tapping Asuna on the shoulder, she looked over at me and grinned. The two of us tapped knuckles.

A figure landed behind us and we both turned to see Yuna approaching for some reason. I took a step to the side, not sure whether she was approaching me or Asuna, but she didn't even glance my way. She just confidently strode up to Asuna, raised up on her toes, and pressed a quick kiss to Asuna's cheek.

My eyes widened and I looked at Kirito in surprise. He was standing with Klein and Fuurinkazanazan, all of them staring in surprise as well. Hells, everyone around us had recoiled in shock. "You were this battle's MVP," Yuna said cheerfully to Asuna. "Congratulations!" She gestured, and Asuna received a bonus ten thousand points. My sister didn't really react, though. I think Yuna's kiss short-circuited something in her brain.

"See you at the next battle!" Yuna said, waving cheerfully before disappearing in a purple stream of light, just the same way that she'd arrived.

Asuna pressed a hand to her cheek, blushing a little bit, before turning around and staring at the city streets. Kirito approached from the side. "Nice job, Asuna," he said. She didn't reply, and just kept staring. It seemed like she was trying to remember something. Kirito stopped by her side and cleared his throat. "So, that guy's number two... He's a powerful player, that's for sure," he said. Asuna nodded.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Sinon approaching us. "Good job out there," I said, raising my hand. She grinned and gave me a high-five.

"Not so bad yourself," she replied, standing next to me in easy camaraderie. "Wish I could say the same about Kirito's performance."

"I know, right?"

Kirito sighed. "I'm standing right here, you two..."

"Oh, we know," Sinon and I said simultaneously, before sharing a quick grin. Kirito just winced.

Now that everyone was here, we all migrated over to one of the nearby 'benches', though it was really just a metal railing protecting a small tree planted in in front of the shops. Still, it had a bar running in a circle that was perfectly placed for people to sit on, so if they didn't want us to sit on it, maybe they should have designed it differently. I took the chance to scroll through all the new discounts I had available, not that any of them really interested me. Still, I could use a new pair of wireless headphones... "Think it's a good idea?" I asked Sinon absently, pointing at the half-off item.

"Go for it," she muttered.

"You didn't even look."

"Oh, fine," she sighed. She took a few seconds to look at the headphones, then gave me a studying look. "Yeah, they'll look good on you."

"Cool." Now that I had an opinion I trusted, i.e. not mine, I tapped the headphones and bought them. Hey, neat, two-day delivery. They'll get here... Sunday, then. Awesome. "Thanks, Sinon."

She smiled faintly. "No problem."

"Dude," Klein said to Dynamm, "my rank shot up from this one battle! Look!"

I glanced over my shoulder at the other side of the railing, where Klein and the Fuurinkazanazan members were leaning. "Man!" Dynamm said. "Those SAO bosses pay out!"

"If the other users find out, this game's gonna get crowded," Harry One said.

Movement beside me caught my eye, and I saw Asuna scrolling through the rankings list. Beside her, Kirito rubbed his head. "Ah..." Klein said smugly. "Looks like you barely went up in rank, Kiri-dog." I glanced over his head, and Kirito was ranked... 82382. Yikes.

"Like I care," Kirito muttered. He totally cares. "I'm leaving the AR ranks to you guys.

Klein chuckled and nudged him with an elbow. "Make sure you get the lady home safe," he said.

"Of course I will."

"Hey, Asuna," Klein said to Asuna, "if the kid here gets fresh with you, give me a call. I'll come save ya."

Asuna smiled. "You got it!"

Kirito frowned while the rest of us chuckled at him. The teasing didn't last too much longer; it was just past quarter after nine, and it was time for everyone to get home. Goodbyes were said and we all split up; Dale went one way and Klein and Dynamm went a second, while the rest of Fuurinkazanazan went another. We waved to them before the four of us - me, Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon - headed to where our bikes were parked.

"See you in ALO later," I said to Kirito and Asuna as Sinon hopped on the back of my bike. "Hope you're ready for Keiko to fangirl about Yuna." With the couple's chuckles, I waved goodbye and started up my bike to drive Sinon home.

So. Ordinal Scale. This is a thing that's happening!

I actually really enjoyed watching this movie. Possibly because I'd been waiting for like… a year and a half to see it when it finally came out dubbed? Meh, whatever. It's fun! Plus I got to goof off with the first few chapters of this story, so that's fun. The title... I just chose it more or less at random, so any accidental references to anything (like Angel Beats or something, to pick a name out of a hat for no reason at all :3) are just that, accidents.

Anyway, we're just gonna knock the crossdressing requirement out right now and get things rolling. Once per story, remember. Nick's exercise routine (with the Augma) is something I wish I had, if only so that I could keep up my technique. C'mon, all these shitty crossfit gadgets and we still can't come up with AR fighting. (crossfit is awful for your body unless you're doing it 100% perfectly (newsflash you're probably not), don't do crossfit just exercise and eat healthy like a normal person)

And then we get to Kagachi after Nick, Kana, and Shino join up with the main crew. I got to have fun with the snark a little bit, since obviously nothing bad's gonna happen and this is just a light-hearted romp through Memory Lane.

Something else I'm trying to work on is Nick's interactions with Shino being reminiscent of his interactions with Kana. If you're reading this after reading Nightblade IV, then you probably know why. Otherwise, don't worry about it, go read Nightblade IV after reading this story and then you'll know.

Let's have some fun with this, okay?