I said I wouldn't write another short before finishing my Fairy Dance story...yeah that was a lie. I personally want to thank dndkeg for the idea since it has been a long while since I've given Silica some spotlight.

Enjoy!

Jaymes

"Why do we switch shoes? It's pointless, in my opinion," I say as I trade my indoor shoes for my normal tennis shoes and place them in my shoe locker. I glance at the girl I'm talking to, Rika Shinozaki, my girlfriend, and continue complaining as I tug on my jacket. "Isn't it bad enough I got to wear this blazer? It's...so blue."

"One, the shoe thing is tradition, but I'm not going to explain it to you. Two, if the uniform was red, would you be moaning like this?"

"...I mean, it would help."

Rika sighs and closes our lockers. "You're incorrigible… Anyway, we got to stick around a bit and wait on Keiko. She has a request for us."

Keiko Ayano. 3 years our junior, but due to certain life-changing death-gaming, we're one happy family along with our friends from Sword Art Online. I met her, much like I met Rika, in that game during the early days of the ascent up the castle in the middle of a multi-floor quest, and since then, I've watched over the younger girl like an older brother. Upon our return to reality and joining this school, she's connected with Rika to the point I consider them lost siblings.

Because of that, I'm usually pulled into situations in which I have to attend to both at once (no different than a certain idol and treasure hunter pair I know), but why today of all days? "I thought we were going out after school."

"We are."

"I mean you and me."

"Oh. That's not what I meant earlier." Rika smirks as I turn around and walk with her away from the lockers to a nearby wall so Keiko can see us when she comes from...wherever she's at. "It might be a while, she's a little busy."

I adjust the strap of my bookbag on my shoulder and place my hands in my pockets. "How long is that?"

"Hmm, she said ten minutes or so."

"So long."

"Yeah. Ten minutes, five minutes, even one minute is too long for you."

I open my eyes and glare at the brown-haired beauty sticking her tongue out at me. "That...is uncalled for. You did too much beforehand. What happened to me is your fault, and you had to live with those consequences."

"More like you do. Not my problem Yuuki beat you that quickly."

Wait… I did fight Yuuki the other day, helping her get a feel for the sword Lisbeth upgraded. I wasn't trying to fight, not the first time, but it was that quick? "...That's what you're talking about?"

Rika giggles and shrugs. "Could be both, Josh. Could be both... Oh, hey, Keiko!" Ignoring my plight, Rika turns her attention to the light-brown younger girl of short stature. Her pigtails sway as she steps on the first floor and approaches us with a smile.

"Rika, Joshua, hi. Thanks for waiting."

"Gosh, what took you so long? Mr. Hotshot started talking like an idiot."

Keiko quickly switches her shoes apologetically. "S-Sorry! I had to talk to our teacher about something. I hope you didn't wait too long, Joshua."

I sigh and walk up to Keiko, petting her on the head and grabbing her bag. "It's fine, Keiko. Let's go...where are we going?"

Keiko suddenly blushes and plays with her fingers. "C-Can we go somewhere we can study? I… I wanted to ask you if you could tutor me."

Tutor, huh? I don't want to brag, but I know my grades are pretty good. In our friend group, I'm very close to Asuna, my only area of improvement being Japanese. Rika helps me with that while I keep her in check in the other parts of the curriculum. I point to the both of us, surprised by Keiko's request. "Me and Rika? I mean, there's Asuna, she's--"

"I'm more comfortable with you," Keiko says forcibly, grabbing onto the sleeve of my jacket. She shivers nervously in place, desperate for my help. I look to Rika, who nods her head.

I kneel and level with Keiko, smiling gently. "Okay. How about my place, then? We can study there and you can help me get rid of Rika's sweets."

"Huh? No! Those are mine!" I glance at Keiko and we both turn, giving puppy eyes to Rika. She clenches her teeth and sighs. "Err… F-Fine! But not all of them."

Rika

A few hours later, Rika stretches her arms and twists her back, feeling relief from the previous hours of studying. She looks over to her companions. Keiko sits right beside Joshua, the boy pointing out her flaws and advising what to do correctly. Keiko leans in close, hanging on to every word the boy says. She smiles at the determined little girl but can see Keiko's brain is running on fumes. "Hey, Josh, let's take a break."

"Break? Fine with me. Keiko?"

"Y-Yes."

"All right. Be right back." Joshua gets on his feet and heads out the living room, leaving the two girls to themselves. Rika smiles and faces Keiko, who continues in her studies. "So...did you really need help tutoring or are you trying to steal Joshua from me?"

Keiko's face floods with blush as her eyes shoot straight up to Rika. "Wh-Wh-What? I would never do that?"

"Oh? So you didn't realize that now you can't get Kazuto, that Joshua is the easier of the two to gain attention from, and you concocted this plan? Thinking your cuteness can win his heart over my feminine charms?"

"R-Rika!"

Thoroughly entertained, Rika giggles and waves her hands in front of her. "I kid. C'mon, Keiko, take a joke."

Keiko frowns. "That's a mean joke. And what do you mean by 'feminine charms?'" Keiko looks below Rika's neck and glares. "So unfair…"

"Hey, hey, we had this discussion back on the first day. He likes me more than for my boobs and legs."

"Like?"

"Hmm… That's something you'd have to ask him, honestly."

Keiko bows her head. "Oh… R-Rika, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"If you met him as Joshua, not Jaymes, would you love him still?" Rika, of course, reacts to the question, but the question is valid. They met as a budding warrior and a budding blacksmith under extraordinary circumstances, but if they had met as regular teenagers under ordinary circumstances… Even if they went to the same high school (which they would have, as Joshua's father is an alumni and Rika is in the neighborhood), there's no guarantee they would have known each other. But even if fate aligned them to be in the same class, to be friends… The Rika and Joshua of now are products of SAO. The pre-SAO versions of Rika and Joshua probably would not like each other the same way. But even if that was the case, it would be different still, right? And there was the few months before SAO. What if they had met then? No, they wouldn't have known each other until last year when they joined the survivor school post-SAO.

"Maybe, if it came to it, but not the way I do now." Rika sighs and glances at Keiko, who's grinning. "What?"

"You took too long to answer."

"Whatever… Besides, if it wasn't for SAO, we wouldn't have met as well. Though our introduction wasn't the best, huh?"

Keiko shakes her head. "Running around the 35th Floor for Pina's life and getting tricked and paralyzed by Morte was not fun. Joshua saved us then, as he had done for me since the beginning. Then meeting Kirito later on when I went back to the 35th and Pina did die… I hate that floor."

Rika nods. "Right… Though, if things went as they should, I wouldn't have fallen for Joshua, or, better said, he would be who he should be with. But hey, at least I would have my favorite person to tease, hehe."

Keiko cries out as Rika reaches over and grabs her, holding her tight and rubbing her head. As Keiko struggles to escape, Rika suddenly cries out and releases Keiko. Keiko returns to her former position around the table, seeing Joshua holding Rika's ear. "Apologize."

"What for?"

"Hurting and scaring Keiko."

Rika grumbles. "Sorry... Gosh, treating her like she's your sister or something."

Joshua smiles as he sets a platter of sweets and juice pouches between the three of them and sits by Keiko. He then brings Keiko into a gentler hug. "She is. No one hurts my little sister, not even the girlfriend."

"What? She's mine, so hands off!"

"I don't think so. You're too mean to be anyone's older sibling."

Rika frowns and looks at Keiko. "Choose. Choose wisely."

Keiko looks between Joshua and Rika, then blushes. "Well… Joshua always looks out for me. Whenever I'm in trouble or need anything, he always drops what he's doing to aid me. And, of course, I can never forget the 35th Floor or when he helped me in case Laughing Coffin came for me because of him… But that also applies to real life. He always defends and protects me, even if it is a bit overprotective at times. I know I annoy him all the time, though, like during winter break, intervening during the time you two should have had for yourselves, but he never says anything to not hurt my feelings.

"Then there's you, Rika. Like Joshua, you've been there for me and watched over me. I can't make as numerous a list of things you've done compared to him, but you do different things. You tease me a lot, but you don't let anyone else say anything mean about me. You always take me out to fun places and treat me to very unhealthy eating habits. I do look up to you, even wanting to be just like you in every way as a girl. I even started the pork bun shop just to be a little closer to who you are. And both of you, together, helped me set that up… So how can I choose? I belong to you both..."

Rika sniffs and wipes her eyes. "Keiko… Fine. You're our little sister. But I care for you more."

"How did you decide that," Joshua asks.

"Because it is more acceptable for me to have a sister complex than you. There. Argument settled."

"Rika…"

"That's your sister, Keiko…"

Several months later, a month after the War of Underworld…

"Koharu. Before we head out, let's get the elephant out of the room. I don't know what you're thinking, but I know you still love him. So do I. I spent two years partially feeling guilty that I had him in your place, feeling that I stole a right that was yours. Maybe that was true, maybe it wasn't. But the fact of the matter is that you're alive now, so the only thing that held me back is gone. I'll let you have your little honeymoon phase, but when that settles, I don't plan on losing..."

Lisbeth sighs as she walks up the stairs of the Market Square. Why did she have to go and say that? True, she didn't want to leave anything between her and Koharu left unsaid and misunderstood...well, what's done is done.

"Liz!" Lisbeth looks up to see a happy Silica and her familiar Pina positioned just a few steps up ahead. Lisbeth drops the conflicted expression and smiles, waving and running to the young girl.

"Hey. You ready?"

"Yes. Everyone else is at the gate. Koharu?"

"Going to Argo. We'll meet her at the teleport gate to Aincrad." Silica nods and the pair makes way for the Teleport Gate Plaza.

"Hey… Did you tell her?"

"Yes… Am I wrong?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's better she knows than not knowing."

"...What do you think?"

"Well, I like Koharu and all. Happy to see her again, and having her by Jaymes' side will make things feel like old times. But…" Silica steps over and grabs Lisbeth's arm, holding it tight and leaning her head on it as they walk. "She's not my big sister. So I'm rooting for you, Rika. Go get my my big brother back."

"Thanks, Keiko."