Louise POV

The time of the contest is almost ready. The contestants prepares for their one chance of a life time performance in front of the princess. All but, me. My familiar is late and once again I might just have to punish her for misbehaving. I know that having her come up with a performance at the last second is harsh, plus the cleaning she needs to finish. But she is my familiar, a creature that must obey their master and perform all of what they were told to do. Kirito has already kicked that thought out of the window the moment I met her.

Every second are like needles penetrating my body. The deadline marches closer with the starting of the show, after the speech of the princess and the announcement made by the host. As the clock ticked and the decrease in the amount of of performers back stage, my hope of making a better image of my early life began to crumble. Was it wrong to place pain on a familiar to make them obedient? No, it can't be. I was taught by my mother and with some help from my older sister that this was the best way to show them who's boss. I peeked behind the curtains to escape the hell hole I am in. Instead of refreshing my mind, the disappointment meter drops to a new low. On stage is Kirche with her red lizard, providing a show that allows others to witness the strength and beauty of her familiar/pet. I hate to say it but it is impressive. Next up is Guiche with his mole. At least his gave me some hope that I wouldn't be the target of humiliation. Guiche surrounded his familiar with roses and himself, naked from the waist up. What still bothered me was that the person viewing the contest was my best friend and the princess of Tristain, Henrietta de Tristain . And the very fact that I won't be able to give her a moment to remember in this competition. I just wanted to hide in a hole and never come out. Forget everything and everyone.

My mind was still deep in thought when someone taps me on the shoulder. My heart skips a beat. Turning around, my familiar is standing before me in her usual black clothing, not the maid outfit hand made by the headmaster. Something about her looks changed. There was no chest plate, nor were there any knee pads and shorts. All of that were replaced with a jacket with a blob of dark blue near the shoulder area. The length of that jacket reached the lower part of her leg, near the feet. Her unusual style of shoes became boots made of some sort of leather. The shorts were replaced with black pants which seems to be made for a male from the shape and style. What stood out the most were the two swords on her back. One black and the other greenish blue or somewhat close to that. Where did she get the blades? There were still so many changes to my familiar. Right now that wasn't important. The one thing that was, was the fact that if she had planned something for the audience, it better be good.

Kirito POV

New doors opened after my latest discovery of the Alfheim menu. I can open the tab, get items-that magically appear-and replenish my armor and weapons. With the extra time I now have, I started experimenting. All the functions seem to be similar. But not all services that can be done in the game could be done here. Things like getting wings, using potions and other unrealistic materials are somehow unable to be activated. Some of the materials include weapons and boss drops. What I could savage were basic realistic items. Looking at the skills, the entire page was blank, no sword skills, no cooking skills, nothing. Well, I mean I am in a weird world where there's magic so why won't it work. There were times of sorrow when I couldn't call Asuna an the others, even though I have them on my friends list. On the bright side, I have something for the contest and some nice equipment.

Giving my blade a few swings, I started towards my destination. It isn't hard to find due to the enormous amount of signs and the screams of the crowd. Walking behind the stage, Louise-my self proclaimed master that I unwillingly formed a contract with-stood alone, looking past the curtains. I gave her a light tap on the shoulder. Her reaction is unexpected but reasonable. She gave me stare, half in anger and half in relief. Her eyes scanned my body, confused on my new looks and clothing.

"Where have you been? Do you know how worry I was?" Louise sounded terrible. But she said that she was worried. Was she worried about me? "That you didn't make it in time for the performance." Damn! So careless. I actually thought that she warmed up to me. Guess not.

"Give me some details on what your plan of action." Louise ordered. I didn't tell her, but showed her the item. It was about the size of her head, colored silver and cube shaped. At first glance, she was clueless. Her eyes demanded an explanation. Even after my deeply description, she still didn't get it. The host called Louise to enter the stage before she can understand the purpose of the contraption. Outside on the stage, Louise decided to believe in me and called me up on stage for the performance.

My plan is to simply place the device on the stage and let the thing do its part. But I can't just place I down. So I compromise and materialize a non stinky smoke bomb from monster drops on the 89th floor of Alfheim. This would act as my escape where people will think that I had used some sort of teleportation spell. Before running off, I will place the device on the stage. The timer that I placed on the item would hit zero and the show will begin.

I walked up the wooden stage. All eyes were on me. If I make a mistake here, I might actually die. Not from humiliation and accidents, but from termination and punishment from Louise(aka the final boss if in Alfheim, the whip queen). The starting bell rings, all was silent. I walked forward, one step at a time. At that moment, I no longer felt that I should do what was planned. I wanted to show off my talent. I wanted them to see my greatness. How did this get inside of my brain. In my life on Earth, I didn't want intention from anyone. I was a loner in SAO. Even so, I got friends that cared and worried for me. An AI for a daughter and my girlfriend, Asuna. Why are these images popping out of nowhere. Did the fact that I changed to a female has also changed my personality to these extremes. There were times that I noticed these occurrences. But how will it affect me in the near future. All of this are going through my head in just matter of seconds. To others it might seem that nothing was happening, but in truth, all of this thought has occurred without their notice. At my third step, my concentration was not on the device in my pocket, but on my two blades that so closely reminds me of home and love ones. The show starts with me swinging the swords in ways that's similar to my sword skills in the games. There are small sparks appearing from the clash of the mighty swords and small wind currents that can be felt just barely. I am covered in sweat and satisfaction.

The show was over in less than 3 minutes. Cheers were heard and flowers were thrown. I walked out of the stage to where my master is. At the sight of my presence, she have a thumbs up and from the looks of it, she was impressed. I nodded in return.

As time went by, the contest was over. The princess awarded the prize of the winner to Tabitha and her dragon. I never talked to her before or tried to. She isn't the type that opens up to others and is addicted to books. I don't disapprove of her choice nor am I dissatisfied by it. In fact I never wanted the prize to begin with.

Everything seemed at peace and once again I was dead wrong. Not before long, after I left the area. A crowd of boys and male knights, rushed forward with...pictures of me? Wait?! Picture of ME?! There was no time to think or escape from the army of fans. The crowd shoved and pushed, asking me for autographs. I totally regret doing the performance I did on stage. Now I can never find peace and times where I can be alone. But seriously, how did they get the pictures.

Normal POV

At a corner of the school, there is a stand with crowds waving money over their heads. Behind the counter is Guiche and his club members. After the day he fell in love with Kirito, he kept it a secret from his girlfriend. He also made a fan club with at least 10 members. Now, the numbers increase dramatically from her performance. The pictures he is selling are all taken using magic and some dry pieces of paper. He is making a fortune and in hopes of using this money on expending his Kirito empire.