(one month after the game started, current front line floor: 1)

Morning, town of Tolbana

Suku raised the fork to her mouth. Her newly created plate had a stack of pancakes and several strips of bacon and sausages. As she shoveled the food down, a weary-eyed Kazeshi with disheveled hair walked down the stairs, nearly tumbling down them. He collapsed on the seat opposite Suku, and she raised an eyebrow, still chewing. "Up all night getting ready," Kazeshi yawned out. "Didn't get a lot of sleep."

She swallowed her food. "No kidding." The circles underneath his eyes were almost as black as his hair. "Well, you've got a couple of hours to wake up. We leave for the dungeon at around nine."

"Oh, perfect." The restaurant's menu appeared in front of Kazeshi and he picked randomly. A bowl of hot ramen appeared in front of Kazeshi and his exhausted face fell into the bowl. Two seconds later, he shot up, holding his now burnt face. "Hothothothothot!" His eyes were still bloodshot, but he was fully awake. "Next time, I'll use cold noodles."

Suku almost choked on her bacon. She couldn't tell if he did it on purpose or not. "Nice. You gonna eat that?" She pointed to the bowl. Kazeshi pushed it towards her and Suku began to demolish the noodles. "So, where'd you go last night?"

Kazeshi shrugged. "Met someone, then went to a blacksmith."

"Who?"

"You remember Asuna?"

Suku stopped eating. "Yeah. The girl who helped us on day one?"

Kazeshi nodded. "Right. I saw her last night so I talked to her."

She didn't respond for a few seconds. "… Oh." She dropped her napkin on her plate and the food fragmented into pixels. "She's here?"

Again, Kazeshi nodded. "Yeah. She's wearing this weird red cloak now. Uh, don't tell her I called it weird. She thought it was a good fashion choice."

Shrugging, Suku said, "It probably was. She's the type of girl who has good tastes." She eyed Kazeshi for a few seconds, and he stared back, most likely because he was too tired to move his head. "So, why'd you go to the blacksmith?"

Kazeshi averted his eyes at this. "Sorry. Can't reveal that. Classified data."

Suku could read Kazeshi when he lied or withheld information; that much was easy. She could tell he wasn't the type use to lying. But this time, he openly admitted it, which threw Suku a little off. "Uh… okay." She stood up. "I'm going to go get ready. Try to not fall asleep."

Smirking, Kazeshi said, "No promises. I hear these tables are actually really comfy." He knocked on the wood table to show he was kidding.

Rolling her eyes, Suku ascended the stairs.

Before noon, Floor 1 Dungeon…

On the way to the boss room, Group F was trying to concoct a strategy. The group was supposed to be long range weapons, mainly spears and javelins. However, since not many people chose to use a spear in the earlier levels, the group was much smaller than the rest. Kazeshi and Suku were put in to fill the group more, regardless of their swords.

Suku was put at the head of the group, due to her status as leader, with Kazeshi standing to her right, acting more as a bodyguard than another group member. Since Suku was in charge, all the group members looked to her for a plan. Suku instinctively looked to Kazeshi for ideas, which gave the members second thoughts. The leader was supposed to have a plan, right? Whispers began to travel through the group.

Kazeshi wasn't any help, anyway. Suku was sure he noticed her turning to him, but Kazeshi kept his eyes straight ahead. He obviously thought she was smart enough to come up with a plan. Either that or he elected her to leader just to see her squirm.

Clear your head, Suku, Suku thought to herself. Let's see. If almost everyone has a spear, they'll have a disadvantage in close quarters, so…

She turned to address her group. "Alright, here's the plan. Since Kazeshi and I are the only ones with swords, we'll fight the Kobold Sentinels head-on. Then when an opening appears, you guys try to stab the enemy as fast as you can. Don't take any unnecessary risks. We'll distract the monster so it doesn't focus too much on everyone else. If that thing gets too close, run away, otherwise it will beat your brains out. Got it?"

Maybe it was the tone she'd said it in, but everyone yelled, "Yes, ma'am!" All doubts seemed to have been cast away. That left Suku a bit surprised, but she turned to Kazeshi to see if he had reacted. He was still facing forward, but now he had a grin on his face.

Noon, entrance to Floor 1 boss room…

The door loomed above the players. It wasn't especially tall, but the thought of what was behind made it seem more menacing. Kazeshi stood next to Suku and looked around. The scenery had gone from a forest dungeon to a dark cave. With so many people in such a small space, he was starting to feel claustrophobic. He began to impatiently tap his foot on the ground.

Diabel walked up to the door and turned toward the anxious crowd. "Everyone, I just have one thing to say. Let's win!"

Kazeshi saw several heads around him nod. He picked out a red hood amongst the crowd that was Group E. Asuna was standing next to a guy with black hair and a blue outfit. Kazeshi was a bit jealous. Having Asuna in the group would have made him feel more protected. One more ally can hardly ever hurt.

A creaking noise distracted him from his thoughts. The doors to the boss room opened and everyone began to move inside. The first step towards freedom began.

Hello, readers. Sorry this chapter is short and not as action packed as a few previous ones. I haven't had much time to work on more chapters, but I'll try as often as I can to finish new ones. I've been thinking too far ahead in the story lately, so I'm also trying to keep my head in the present. Anyway, thank you for joining me through this adventure in SAO.