WARNING: This story contains mature elements such as manipulation, Non-Con, humiliation.

Chapter 15: An Unlikely Lesson

Underworld, Centoria —16th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

The trip back to the Cathedral was long, but Quinella was just glad that she was able to take the carriage back, or else she would have been far more exhausted by now.

Thankfully, someone back in the village had been willing to drive her home, and she took the offer immediately, though she hoped that he wouldn't mind the second trip back.

She had him sent her just as far as the outskirts of Centoria, and so she would walk back to the Cathedral from there. Her walk back home shouldn't be too much, and as she stared at how the tower just seemed to dwarf her and every other building around her, she agreed with Kirito; it was kind of intimidating, to be honest.

'Still, it would be useless to simply leave it as it is and not use it,' she sighed. 'Generations of people have spent their resources to build this, so I may as well honour their work by properly making use of it.'

Of course, this tower had so many other things; different floors were necessary for a myriad of things, such as the great bath, a prison, a rose garden, a field for dragons to land, and a number of other things. Although it was still kind of tiring to move up and down the tower sometimes…

"Hmm… Perhaps there's a «Sacred Art» for teleportation," she thought to herself. "It would at least save some time for… Hmm?"

Now that's a surprise. Sitting on a bench at one of the plazas here in Centoria on her lonesome was Cardinal herself, who seemed to be reading some sort of book while several people just walked here and there.

It was an odd sight, really. She thought that Cardinal was busy with being the headmaster of the academy in North Centoria, and she might have other duties to do. So to see her out like this… well, she doubted she could call her out on that. She did technically go to visit Rulid Village.

Curious, the woman walked up to her from the front, having the decency to at least allow herself to be seen without scaring her. When she was at least a foot away, she merely glanced down on the contents of the book before sitting down beside her, sighing.

The only noise there was to fill the silence between the two was the usual bustling of people here and there, the sounds of shouting of the shopkeepers to attract any patrons, the gushing of the fountain behind her and pigeons fluttering about.

Thankfully, the silence didn't last for very long. "What are you here for, Quinella?"

"Hmph. It would be nice if you could at least greet me nicely, you know," scoffed the older-looking woman as she crossed her arms. "And here I am, trying to at least be civil with you."

"I would have assumed that you said that in jest if you had your sword against my neck, yet here you are, with all the decency of a normal human being it's almost impressive," the shorter girl, though just as important as the other one was, certainly knew what buttons to press, a tic mark forming on the silverette's head. She promptly closes her book, simply staring forwards. "I heard that you visited Rulid Village. I pray you didn't cause any problems?"

Offended, the woman shot her a glare. "As if! I would have you know that I behaved myself. And I'd prefer if you didn't treat me like some sort of child."

"Yet you act like one," her tone now is no longer meant to aggravate, but rather, it's just pure curiosity. "You're different, Administrator. You—"

"Please, not Administrator. I go by Quinella now," shook her head the woman. That, alone, took the younger-looking being by surprise, though she manages to regain her composure quickly enough.

"I see… Very well then. If you're adamant about that, then I shall at least humour you in doing so, Quinella," nodded the girl. "But it's odd. Truly, you seem to have changed. You no longer impose me so, and your bloodlust has all but gone. And you now focus on your people, rather than your own ego."

"Right, right. Spit on me all you want. Funny, isn't it? The cruellest woman that exists in this world who stands at the pinnacle is no longer all-powerful, but reduced into some child," she really couldn't stand Cardinal sometimes. How is it that she manages to vex her so? "So what? I've changed. Is that so bad?"

"Quite the opposite, really. I much more prefer this new version of you, for as odd of a change it is," shrugged the girl. Some people walk by the two and either ignore them or wave at them, and they'd return the gesture. "Quinella, what happened, if I may ask? I can't entirely discount the fact that you've become a new you, and while it's certainly a wonderful surprise, my mind can't comprehend this turn of events. So tell me… what did you do?"

Quinella went silent immediately after, knowing just what sort of situation she was in. Though with her once-was enemy, she knew that she could at least trust her to an extent.

And the fact that she hated her so much made it work too; they did not understand one another very well, even if they're technically two halves of the same program. No, they just really hated each other, and wouldn't hesitate to kill the other.

But… But, well, she just didn't know. Something about Cardinal did not strike her as bad, and she genuinely felt like she could at least trust her to a certain extent.

"…Kirito," she began, and she could tell that Cardinal was attentive. "And his friend, Eugeo. Both of them were to kill me because you told them about my motives, had you not?"

"Of course I did. And your Integrity Knight would have killed them had I not intercepted," scoffed the girl.

"Water under the bridge," shrugged the woman. "Anyways, despite what you've told him… well, he didn't try to kill me. It was, admittedly, odd at first, and yet… well, he's different. He was trying to avoid doing what the both of us wanted. You, complete erasure. Me, a massive sacrifice. He, the middle road; to save us."

Her words were hardly poetic, but Cardinal had gone silent at that, understanding just what the boy had been able of pulling off. She was right. He had done what none of them thought possible and changed fate.

With such a dangerous situation that they were in, he had somehow defied every form of logic and possibility to write his own future for the people, and that alone was worthy of respect.

"If the both of us could had the opportunity to accomplish what we sought to do, I think we would have. But he wouldn't have allowed us to," continued Quinella, leaning back a little. "I don't know how, but he changed my mind. He wanted me to stop being what I was… and become a human again. And I think that's why…"

"That's why?" She prodded, curious.

She doesn't seem like she's hesitating, but she certainly didn't look comfortable. She did, however, suck her gut and spilled her words. "That's why I'm in love with him, Cardinal. I love him."

Such a heartfelt confession shocks Cardinal to the very core, unable to believe her ears.

Quinella, the being that which should be the last person to even understand what the basic concept of love was, whom had lived with a twisted understanding of it, fuelled by her own desire to rule and to destroy, was actually in love?

That was… wow. That was unexpected.

She was still trying to reboot while the other woman continued speaking. "And you know, I've been a little too stingy. I've kept relying on him all this time, I need to learn to stand on my own two feet now. Every single day, he's working so, so hard… And what have I really done, Cardinal? I… I can't keep leaning on him forever."

"…You know he doesn't think that, nor would he mind," sighed Cardinal. "He would lend his shoulder to anyone who would ask for it. And even if you didn't, he would."

"Yes, I know. That's why…" She paused for a bit, and when Cardinal looked back at her… and for a second time, the emotion of shock overrides her operating system. The entity that should have been unable to feel, up until now, was crying, spilling tears onto her lap "That's why I was afraid to let go. He'd reach for me…"

He reached out to her, and reached out to so many people.

She knew she had to get away, or else she'd pull him down…

Underworld, Rulid Village—16th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

'What happened?' Had been the single question that had been on Kirito's mind, moving around his empty mind like the DvD screensaver icon.

Everything had been a blur. From the conversation up to her suddenly leaving, with her words making it sound like she was trying to leave him…

Why did it sound so wrong?

What was she trying to say?

He hadn't been bothered by a lot of things in his life. Being labelled a 'Beater' and being discriminated by the other players back in 'SAO' hardly meant anything to him, but to hear Quinella like that back there… So many words could be used to describe it, but for simplicity's sake, it just felt wrong.

Had he done something to her? Had he made a mistake towards her? He doesn't remember doing or saying anything remotely plausible to be considered a wrongdoing, but something definitely happened to have spurred that sort of conversation.

He closed his eyes, probing his mind in his attempt to recall everything that's happened between the two of them; his first meeting with her (that was definitely wrong, but he doubted that would elicit such a response as she had towards him), him trying to teach her a number of things, their few interactions between here and then, last night… but nothing clicked. No amount of digging through the recesses of his mind was enough to answer his lingering worry.

He looked back down to his hand. His left hand. The hand that held the sword she gifted him. The hand that weld Ivory Apostle.

…He's been ignoring her these past few weeks, and now, he's paying the price. She wants to leave him.

'But it can't be that simple… can it?' He groaned to himself, rubbing his face as he thought about it. 'Is there something that's going on here that I don't get?'

The way she spoke to him made it seem like she was trying to make him sound like her hero. And, well, he supposed he is, but he highly doubted it should mean so much to her. And then she's talking about 'needing to stand on her own', so that she 'no longer relies on him'.

Clearly, that's not what he wants.

"What do I do..?" He groaned, burying his face in his hands before treading his fingers through his hair. "…I don't know."

He doesn't know what should be done. That genuine fear in her eyes back then must have meant something, and that just…

He's not sure. And out of all the fights he's gone through in his life, this one is definitely the hardest one yet.

"…I need to clear my mind first," he finally decides, knowing that none of this will get him anywhere. He looks past his shoulder and towards the church, taking a deep breath and marching in there.

There was only one way to settle this.

And only one person suitable to help him.

"What? You want to fight?!"

"Yes. Can you spare me a duel?"

He was definitely barking up the right tree. Or, in this case, requesting a duel with the right sort of person. "Kirito, I would be more than happy to!"

He isn't sure if he should feel afraid or just as happy that she was so willing to entertain him for even a bit.

The ravenette grinned, knowing that she loved nothing more than a good match. Plus, it would kinda' be a good way to pay her back for all the hard work that she's done without complain, so that's that.

The sound of duel catches some other people's attention, with even Eugeo who, sickle in hand, stared at his brother figure with a little smile. "Seriously? Now? You don't have anything to do?"

"I'll take care of things later when I feel like it," he says in turn, unsheathing his two swords as he faced off against the young swordswoman, who was stretching herself and looking excited. "Right now, I think I need a little fight. Just to get my mind off of things."

The two of them noticed how his voice turned slightly morose for a fraction of his second, but his smile and eyes manage to mask them well, keeping them unaware of the truth.

But Yuuki doesn't let that bother her, simply deciding to go for it properly. "Well, you've asked the right gal, cause' I'm going to show you that I won't lose too!" Snickered the girl as she pulls out her sword. It may not be the same as back from 'ALO', but it'll have to do. "Let's go!"

He nodded back, steadying his posture as he lowers himself, just enough so that he felt like he was able to stare directly at the point of her sword. She, in turn, takes her usual fighting stance and blows through her nose, trying to calm herself.

In truth, this battle was just a means of distracting himself long enough before he did something… regrettable. And he really needed time to think, because that was just so wrong. What happened with Quinella earlier this morning—he needs to understand that, but for now, he needs to let loose of some tension.

Everyone watched with bated breaths as the two stare one another in deadly silence, and Eugeo is silently curious. He fought Kirito before, but he would prefer witnessing the spectacle this time.

Without a single hint of warning—

"Hyah!"

"Hmph!"

Both swordsmen launched themselves forwards, Kirito swinging himself around to meet Yuuki's blade with his own and entering a stalemate before he knocked her back, moving to force her back through strength alone.

But he knew mere strength wouldn't make the cut, as Yuuki's speed was making it hard for him to catch up. In turn, he matched her with his reaction speed (even if she technically exceeds in that field, more so than he does) and his ability to adapt, flicking his wrists and intercepting her fast sword movements, deflecting them and close to hitting her, yet never making the mark.

Kirito sharpened his perception and sidesteps an attack, initiating a «Final Revolution» that manages to stop her attempted assault. She leaps back before charging in again with a «Sonic Leap», slashing his blade and causing sparks to fly.

The two stood against one another in a face-off, gritting teeth but still smiling before they were knocked back.

They return to clashing blades, and he attempts a «Double Circular» to get her off of him, but she returns with vigour. As expected of Yuuki, the Zekken.

'Time to pull out a surprise,' he thought to himself.

He has to find a proper moment, however, as he blocks attack after attack and strikes her sword with a well-timed overhead blow, though it's not enough to disarm. She staggers back, translating the momentum into a roll that allows her the proper time to raise her sword and block his attack.

She pushes back and she leaps to the side, regaining her footing and then lunging forwards with a «Rage Spike». He readies his swords—

*Clank!*

"Eh?"

'Got her!'

His sword swung in the simple motion of «Slant», while his other sword is willed into a «Vertical Arc», striking her sword once from the left and then a powerful upwards blow—

*Thonk!*

Before it ultimately sends her weapon out of her grip, landing on the ground. He spins himself just in that moment to activate a «Horizontal» with Night Sky Sword, stopping short before it cleaved her neck apart, and she's left to freeze on the spot.

Everyone watching exploded into a fit of cheering and whistling, some clapping along. Eugeo, too, was amazed by the display, an interesting question already on his mind.

"You weren't using techniques for dual-wielding in that last one," he said in surprise, crossing his arms. "That was a «Slant» and «Vertical Arc». And that last one was a «Horizontal»."

"Exactly. Good eye, Eugeo," snickered the boy. "That's another part of «Skill Connect»; to actually make use of two different swords to overcome the post-motion delay after initiating a technique. I don't necessarily have to use Dual-wielding «Secret Techniques» when using two swords. It's the same how you turned that «Vertical» into a «Vertical Arc» against Deusolbert."

"You got that one right," chuckled the boy, having made use of that ability countless times. He's glad that Kirito taught him that. The purplette isn't upset by her defeat, but instead smiling a large one as she skipped over to their side. "So, Yuuki, how're you feeling?"

"It was awesome! I'd say you've beaten the Zekken, but we can't really say that since it's not an official fight," snickered the girl, and the black-haired boy rolls his eyes. "Come on, let's go at it again!"

"Again? Umm… sure."

"Oh well, there you go again."

Well, even if this doesn't entirely help him calm down and ascertain just what was going on, he supposed it was better than to do nothing. And so, he picked his swords once more.

Underworld, Central Cathedral, Floor 95, Morning Star Lookout—21st September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

"Explain to me what we're doing here again…"

"Because, for as much as we are unable to work together at times, I respect you enough to wish to help you through your issue."

Quinella shot her a look of confusion, and the other pontifex simply shook her head. "You're not deceiving me whatsoever. Something is wrong with you, and I shall act as a mediator of sorts."

"Oh, joy. Exposing my problems to someone I hate. That should work so well," sarcasm. She wishes she could meet whomever introduced such an aspect to humanity so that she could thank them for at least coining such a term.

Nonetheless, the two sat at a table, facing one another with different expressions; Cardinal of her characteristic poise and calm that only she could ever do, and Quinella of a silent anxiety that she attempts to mask with her usual annoyance that everyone knows only shows up when she's forced to converse with Cardinal.

Admittedly, she had gotten over whatever problem had been plaguing her five days ago, and she had somewhat gotten over her obsession with Kirito that she's had all these months. Well, she supposed she has, since she hasn't been thinking about him so much as she had these past few days.

Maybe this is just the beginning, and maybe it doesn't show so much, but she truly hoped no one would figure out anything. She's probably done a pretty good job since no one had noticed it yet.

But Cardinal here… she was difficult. Both of them are essentially two sides of the same coin, so if anyone in the world was the one who understood her the best, it would be Cardinal.

Quinella shifted her gaze towards the side instead, and she's gifted view to the massive blue sky. The few columns here and the lights make this floor seem like some sort of fancy restaurant, and she actually likes it. There were few clouds that drifted by, and they looked so close, so in reach…

Cardinal cleared her throat. "Following our conversation a few days ago, concerning your decision to… well, that's what I'm most confused about. You make it seem like you wish to sever your connection to Kirito, and that's what I'm worried about. Have the two of you recently fought or something?"

"What? No! Of course not. He and I have never gotten into any argument," retorted the woman, seemingly taking a little too much offense to that.

Cardinal took a moment to gauge any other reaction or expression out of the other woman before she resumed. "So… you two did not fight. Am I to assume you wronged him and you felt guilty, or vice versa?"

"No, it's… It's complicated," sighed the woman.

Well, that's new. For the almighty being to admit that something was out of her hands was wholly uncharacteristic of her. Her pride wouldn't allow her to say such a thing. The Quinella she had tried to kill all these centuries ago would go something like 'Pah, who do you think I am?'.

"Complicated," she repeated, almost as if she couldn't believe what she's just heard. And even now, it's hard to believe what she's just heard. "Very well, then. Let us both try to pick apart the problem and get to the roots of it. Tell me, when you visited his village, what happened?"

"Well… nothing so unusual. I went there, and we had lunch. He did some training with Alice. At night, after he returned to the church to sleep, I had a talk with the rest of his companions. We… shared stories about him until it was daytime, and by then, everyone returned to their abodes," she listed off, momentarily wondering about why she was so willing to tell her everything before shaking that thought off. "That's all. Nothing more."

A long pause afterwards has her beginning to fidget on the spot, though it was only the matter of her fingers tapping on the table and her gaze focused on her lap.

She wasted not too much time later before she looked back up, right into Cardinal's deadpanning gaze.

The single word uttered left her reeling in shock. "Bullshit."

"W-Wha—Cardinal?!"

"Forgive me for my bluntness, but knowing you, that couldn't have been the end of it. I firmly believed something else transpired between the two of you that lead to what happened."

The lady flinched in shock, turning her gaze away and gulping. Cardinal really saw through her, and her swearing out of the blue was just unexpected. Where did she learn that?!

"If you wanted to know, I learnt it from Kirito," her response elicits a look of surprise from the other woman, who simply shrugged back. "I explained to him what your initial plan was, and he couldn't help it."

"Seriously? I-I see…" Well, knowing the sort of person Kirito was, and the age that he is, it shouldn't be too odd for him to swear. Then again, the image she had of Cardinal was that of a polite, if not silent and unresponsive person at best. She definitely did not expect her to swear of all things.

"Now then. With that out of the way, please recount to me what just happened," asked the young-looking girl, adopting her professional stance once more.

She knew there was no backing out of this, and she simply gave up. She knew what a lost cause was, and trying to get out of this conversation was one. "Well… I visited him at the church. We talked for a little while, and I had to get something off my chest. I told him what I told you. That's it."

"Mmhm… And you seem quite guilty about it. Why is that?" Her voice was softer now, and Quinella was genuinely surprised.

"…Why do you care?" She asked back, biting her lower lip. "You have so many other things that you can do, and yet… you seem to worry so much about me. What good comes out of it?"

"Your own wellbeing, Quinella," she sighed back. Countless centuries and she's still so reserved, trying to keep herself away from others. "So many people would be worried if you're suddenly not yourself. Begrudgingly, I admit that I too worry about you. So does Kirito."

Right, of course. It's natural for humans to be worried about others that they care for. And in such a tense situation like this, with a war on the verge of happening, everyone's going to be even more concerned for one another. They'll look out for each other.

And if anything happens, they'd do whatever it takes to protect and save each other. No one was to be ignored, no matter what.

She supposed Kirito was a perfect example of that sort of person. "Yes, I suppose he would…"

"What do you feel towards him? Or perhaps, anything at all regarding this entire matter," asked once more the short girl.

She barely lasted another minute of complete silence before she gave in, letting out a sigh. "I just… I feel awful. Ever since we became friends, I don't know. I feel like I've been letting him do all the work. It's like I'm not even trying anymore… I'm worse than I was."

"If that be as it may, then why is it that morale is higher than before?" Her retort easily shut her down, but in a way that was meant to help her. "You're much better than before, Quinella. I would know so, because I know you from centuries prior. You weren't a good sort of person, but you have changed to become a better person. I think you should at least give yourself credit for that."

"Perhaps…" She sighed once more. "I don't know. I don't know what I should do anymore…"

"Talk to him," she says, and this time, it's with a commanding tone that's meant to leave no room for arguments. "You both must be able to talk it out together, and find a proper solution."

"But… I don't want to trouble him," she mumbled, rubbing her arm and looking sheepish. "I wouldn't feel comfortable…"

Cardinal rubbed the bridge of her nose, finding her a little hard to manage, but she pushed nonetheless. "Please, he'd be worried sick. In fact, you've probably never heard but he recently contacted me. He was asking about you and, because of that, here we are, conversing."

The revelation of such has the ruler blinking in surprise, actually taken aback. He… was worried about her.

She felt touched, and a little bad all over again. But that part of her, the one that appreciated his thoughtfulness, made her feel comfort.

"That's… Thank you, Lycoris."

"…Only for now, shall I allow such a name to be used."

The two women smiled at one another, no animosity between the two whatsoever as the world around them shifted. There's so many things that's going on right now, but in this moment of comfortable silence, they simple allowed themselves to be alive and smiling.

Perhaps, that's all that being human required. And they supposed that's okay.

Yeah. That's okay…

"Promise me that you will speak with him."

"I… I promise. Someday, just… not now."

Well, she supposed she could hold her to that.

Underworld, Rulid Village—28th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

Suguha Kirigaya lived as a girl like any other, and she had known countless moments in her life when she had experienced absolute grief that nothing else in the world could ever compare to.

She understood that she and Kazuto were mere siblings by paper, that they didn't share the blood that pumped in their veins, but the day that he had fallen into a coma that would span a total of two years from playing 'Sword Art Online' twisted a dagger in her gut that subjected her to despair she had been dealing with in that timespan.

When he woke up, she was overjoyed. She didn't think that she could have ever been happier, but to be hugging him again, crying into his shoulder as the groggy, long-haired and tired Kazuto simply returned the gesture, she knew she was happy.

And now, once more, she had felt such pain.

That night, when Asuna had sent a quick text to all their friends, telling them about the incident at the street and Kazuto getting attacked, she had been the most worried of them all. Her heart had all but stopped and she rushed to the hospital, almost breaking down in tears when she spotted Asuna waiting outside of the emergency room with dried trails of tears of her own.

So to be able to dive into this world, to finally be able to see her own brother again… even if it's only been a few days at most, she just couldn't deny how happy she was.

And for him, it's been two years. Two years that he had been separated from his family and friends, as if 'SAO' had repeated for him all over again.

'Well, at least he has friends here to look after him,' thought the blonde as she tied her hair into a single ponytail, sighing as she patted down her gown. Truly, she worried about him being all alone in some foreign world, but at least his charm allowed him to easily make friends with people.

Even if that same charm may or may not have accidentally bewitched countless girls, herself included.

That thought made her eyebrow twitch, a building headache that she's had to deal with anytime she's thought about the countless antics that her brother had gotten himself into. Truly, his luck knows no bounds, and that luck of his just seems to have drastic mood swings; from being at an all-time high that it saves him from death, to an absolute low that almost gets him killed (too many times, at this point).

'Seriously, Onii-chan, can you not try to get yourself into anymore danger in the future..?' She hardly doubted the day would ever come, but she supposed that it was fine to dream every once in a while.

Talking about that, she had wanted to reveal herself as his sister, but their lack of similarities were definitely not going to make the cut. Oh, of course, she could just spill the beans about the both of them being adoptive siblings, but for now, she'll just wait.

She left the house that she was residing in, deciding not to bother Premiere and Tia who were sleeping in the other room. Those two had been quite busy the night prior, having assisted some of the villagers with building—they were needing a new barn to store the cows, as there were so many new offspring.

Thankfully, none of the cows had gone wild and started a stampede. That would have been difficult to deal with.

And considering Eugeo's and Kirito's tales about their experience with horses and manure, told with fear in their tones, she didn't really want to think about it.

"Huh?" The girl blinked, noticing how there was a figure sitting at the dining table with a cup of tea in their hands. "Lady Cardinal?"

"Hmm? Ah, you must be Leafa, Kirito's sister," the young-looking entity said, taking a sip from her tea. "Do forgive me for the intrusion. I wished to speak to him, but I required a quick drink, and felt this was the most comfortable place to do so."

"Oh… Umm, it's fine," she looked around, finding no one else in the dining room. "Did you make the tea on your own?"

"I did, yes," and with a wave of her staff, a cup floated in front of her. The kettle tilted and poured into the cup, and brown liquid was now inside of it. "Would you like some?"

"Umm, sure. Thank you," she accepted the cup of tea and sat at the table, blowing on the edge of her drink for a bit before taking a small sip from it. It was mild, with a comfortable aftertaste that made her want to drink it again, but stopping herself short due because of how hot it was. "So, Lady Cardinal, I want to ask. Did Kirito mess up something?"

"You could, in a roundabout way, put it that way, but not entirely," her cryptic answer got a small sound of confusion from the blonde. "To put it simply, I'm just here to pass on a message from Quinella to him. She wasn't keen on speaking to him face-to-face, so I've decided to step in to help."

"Ahh… I see," she hummed, sipping more from her drink. 'Wonder what it is… Well, I just hope nothing bad happens.'

Knowing Onii-chan, things do tend to take a turn for the worst.

A lot.

The bed creaks beneath his weight as she shuffles around, trying to get himself to wake up as he thinks of the upcoming day and his plans.

So many things that has to be done, so many things that require his attention and so many more that he knows can't be ignored or else it'll put a jam on things. And understanding the sort of person he was, he couldn't afford to procrastinate, or else he might end up ignoring it altogether.

Perhaps he was overthinking things, but he really had a lot on his plate today; he was planning on doing some reading in Cardinal's bookshelf to find any information that he could get on this world, especially the 'Final Load Test'. After all, her library had books that were rich in lore, and that might just hold the answer that he needed.

'And I'll need to get to the academy to teach soon enough,' he thought to himself, closing his eyes as he lets his body naturally rid itself of its sleep. 'I've been doing a fine enough job these past few weeks. I don't plan on breaking that sort of record.'

Well, the students respect him enough to not treat him like a criminal. Ronye and Tiese are super nice too, and he can't help but appreciate them for all the help that they give him whenever he felt lost and the like. Even Frenica helped him around the academy at times, and what could have been trying duties became simple.

He's so grateful to the girls. He really needs to do something for them.

He lets out a small yawn and moves through the church, muscle memory alone helping him reach the bathroom. The water is already in the tub, possibly thanks to Selka. He smiles at that and dips himself into the lukewarm water. He would have liked if it was a little warmer, but this was good enough too.

His body had submerged beneath the water's surface before his mind wandered to Quinella, and just like that, his earlier smile drops.

'What is she doing..?' He thought. A whole week has passed since he asked Cardinal to go check up on her, and he hadn't been too pleased when he hadn't heard news from her. 'She's avoiding me on purpose, she has to be. What else could explain that?'

He hadn't been able to keep his head in the game sometimes, but he had been able to regain himself at times, understanding that it was really important that he focused on the task at hand. And at least he hasn't messed anything up. He supposed that's one good thing.

He had attended a meeting once, and thankfully, her head hadn't been up in the clouds. But she was… distant. Listless, sometimes, and she barely responded to any questions he gave her. And she never made eye contact with him.

But she seemed more active in the conversations, presenting countless opinions and ideas when it came to planning their army and predicting the enemy's movements. It felt like she was different, now; more hardworking than ever, yet not acknowledging him. Distant.

It was upsetting, to say the least, and he knew that it must've been his fault.

'I've been a bad friend to her…' He began at first, toes curling. 'But can we even call ourselves friends?'

Certainly, friends don't have just have sex with one another for fun. And friends don't treat each other like strangers, just like they're doing right now.

'I really need to talk to her… I've gotta' make up to her somehow,' he closes his eyes and dips himself lower, just until his nose was barely above the water surface. 'But… what do I do..?'

This was hardly new to him. He'd gone through this exact problem in the past, and quite a few times actually; the first time was with Asuna. Well, that was normal—he had been arguing with her nonstop throughout the two years in 'SAO', and he wasn't sure whether their constant bickering was normal or not.

Although, Klein and Agil often teased them as a couple because of all the bickering, so he supposed that's foreshadowing… And he found that creepy.

The second time was with Suguha. After waking up from his coma, it had been a bit awkward for him at first, and it was certainly bad considering the fact that he hadn't been talking to her for the past few years. But her enthusiasm and her forgiving nature allowed them to reconnect once more, and he appreciated that so much.

The third time was with Yuuki. Well, that was mostly because she was afraid of him discovering her secret of being a cancer patient. He, at least, managed to calm her down enough, and that allowed them to continue being friends.

This was just another problem on his plate, and there were still so many more that were at the back of his mind, but he really couldn't bother. Right now, he needed to think about how to deal with the issue. And he wanted to be really careful about handling it.

If he made it worse, well… it's on him. And he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

He rose up, letting the water drip off his body as he looked at his left hand. And he clenched it.

One way or another, he was going to come face-to-face with her, and he'll talk with her. He'll fix their relationship, and… and he'll bare his heart. He won't let his insecurities and fears stand in between them.

He's fought a lot of battles, and this was going to be one of the scariest ones.

"She isn't ready to speak with you yet."

"Eh?"

Well, there goes all his confidence.

Kirito stares at her dumbly, with every drop of certainty in him being blown out of proportions, similar to a child that just got told that their favourite mascot was not actually what they seemed to be, but in truth a human being in disguise.

That… has got to be the worst thing to ever happen to a child, second only to having their favourite toy snapped in two.

He's just lucky that never happened to him… sort of.

Cardinal looks at him and nods, frowning. "Indeed. She had been adamant about not seeing you, and though I've spoken to her about things, she still isn't willing to face you. You must forgive her for that, Kirito. It seems that she's still stubbornly determined to keep this distance."

"Is… Is that so? Huh…" He wasn't sure what to feel, but he does end up chewing on his bottom lip. "I see…"

"You shouldn't worry too much about her. I've been keeping her company for some time, and she has been busying herself with work," sighed the young-looking girl. He could only imagine just how difficult it had been to just talk with her. "She wishes that you do not come to the Cathedral to meet her. During meetings, then there is no avoiding it, but she wishes not to converse with you whatsoever."

Yeah. Just like how they've been doing this for the entirety of these few days.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing between the two of them, simply going on with their work and exchanging no words or looks.

That worried him to no end, of course, but he… no, there's no but's. Just… he doesn't know anymore.

"Kirito-kun?" The boy looked over his shoulder, his eyes making contact with Asuna's own. She had a look of curiosity, hands behind her back as she leant forwards to stare at him. "Is something wrong?"

He thought about it for a while before nodding. "Something like that. Lady Quinella… is being distant. And I thought about trying to talk to her about things."

"Seems to me like you made a mistake or something," her words were spoken loudly in a way to tease him. At his glaring, Sinon simply smirked back. "Knowing you, that's probably true, isn't it?"

"…Yeah, something like that," he nodded back, a little too easily that it surprises her in turn. But the guilty look that makes his expression for a second… it was genuine. "I was just worried about her, and needed to talk to her. That's all there is. Well, not really all there is, so to speak… But she doesn't want to talk to me at all. It's frustrating."

"Do you need to talk about it?" Asked Silica, her question brought forth innocently.

The others that were there simply nodded back, staying quiet and patient for him that it flattered him. He smiled back, and looked back down at his hands.

"Well… I'll admit, both she and I are in a weird point here. Friends, in a way, but there's just some miscommunication between the both of us that we're kind of not able to see each other eye-to-eye with one another," he says, with a small hint of regret in his tone nearing the end of his statement. That disappears quickly, now replaced with a calm determination. "So I need to talk to her. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?"

'Friend…' Simultaneously thought everyone in the area, save for a few like Selka, Cardinal and Eugeo, with sweat-drops, some almost wanting to facepalm.

He's so dense and innocent it was cute, but also a little frustrating.

Then again… he is that sort of person. After all, even committing small mistakes had him on guilt's blade; leaving behind Klein, even if he technically didn't mind, suggesting that Asuna join the Knights of Blood, his broken relationship with Suguha—he had a lot of pressures weighing on his mind, and all because he wanted to.

There was simply no reason for him to worry, but that was just how he was.

And it was because of this that she could tell that the one she loved was genuinely upset, feeling concerned for yet another 'friend' in his life. That's just how he's going to be, after all.

It's why even Asuna couldn't help but smile.

"Well Kirito-kun," he blinked out of his reverie, staring into the chestnut-haired girl's gaze. She was smiling at him with conviction, the same sort of smile that, no matter how times she's given, still is enough to inspire him and so many others. "I know that you really do care for her. You do, don't you?"

"I… Yeah, of course I do. Just the same with you and everyone else," nodded the boy, back straight and shoulders raised.

She smiled wider now, nodding in turn. "Someday… when she's ready, she'll wait for you. I know she will. So by then, Kirito-kun, just go. And don't worry so much. Just do your best and I know you'll get to her!"

Just as he pushed past her recklessness and helped her see that there was a future worth fighting for.

Just like how he's fighting for the people of this world now, reaching out his hand to seize a better life for everyone.

And everyone here, to some extent, had taken his hand. So this time, they'll be sure that he'll do what he does best—well, other than fighting, that is.

To be a hero.

"Yeah, go give her what's for!"

"You'll do great, I know so."

"Definitely. Knowing you, you're going to make her your friend, she'll never want to hate you again."

"L-Liz! D-Don't say that!"

"Be kind to her, alright? And be patient with her."

"Kirito resolving a situation by talking? Well, good luck nonetheless."

Rounds of wishing him the best leaves an optimistic effect on him, and his chest feels warm. The black-haired boy doesn't know what to say or do, but he does know how to smile, and lets the corners of his lips tug upwards.

He knew that there was no way he'd fight his fights alone. He's always had help, no matter how big or small it was, and he's grateful all the same.