Author's Note: The last chapter was a little short, so I decided to make up for it with this one. I realized that the pacing was starting to drag a bit, so this one has a small time skip. The good news is that the remaining members of the cast will be introduced during this and the next chapter. What will follow will be a series of training events, monster fights, and some time to flesh out each character and tie up some romance plots. And after that, we can have the final confrontation.

Also, this next chapter includes a little treat for readers of one of my other stories...

Asada and Kyouji entered the Shinkawa house together and stepped into the remains of Shouchi's old room. Spiegel couldn't help but feel a little heavy-hearted, for it was also the site of his brother's final moments. Furniture, clothing, and other objects were all strewn about, indicating a potential scuffle. However, Asada was quick to find a piece of crucial evidence.

"Where's the body?" she wondered out loud. Kyouji's eyes widened.

"You're right! There's no way Death Gun could've disposed of it before we got back." He started thinking back through the rest of the house's current state. "There's no smell of flesh anywhere, and all the bleach is accounted for. And he couldn't have burned it; there would've been smoke and at least some ashes. And finally, if he had thrown it outside the house, then someone would've found it at some point.

Sinon seemed to pick up on what he was putting down.

"So, then the only way for Death Gun to kill Shouichi was to not do it in the first place!"

"So… my brother could be alive?" Spiegel started to get excited. Sinon suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint him.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Her eyes glanced around the room. The monitor was still plugged into Shouichi's computer, on which there seemed to be a message board app. The two of them stepped up to investigate further.

XaXa has joined the chat.

PoH has joined the chat.

Johnny Black has joined the chat

PoH: Alright, let's get this meeting underway

Johnny Black: You guys hear about what's going on?

XaXa: Yeah, it's a real mess out there

PoH: You might see a mess, but I see an opportunity

XaXa: Eh? Seriously?

Johnny Black: Let the guy talk, DG. Go ahead, what's our next move, boss?

PoH: As of today, Laughing Coffin will go down in history, not as an SAO murder guild, but as the world's most heinous criminal organization. All of you have obtained the abilities you had from the game?

XaXa: Yeah, and I also got this nifty gun.

Johnny Black: Yes

PoH: Then, I want you to find new targets in the real world. Make your mark, but don't let anyone catch on. And watch out for the NPC guards; they're our biggest threat right now.

XaXa: Don't worry, I'm way ahead of you. Got my first kill right here.

PoH: Excellent work. Johnny Black, I expect a similar effort from you

Johnny Black: You got it, boss.

PoH: It seems we are all informed. Are there any questions?

Johnny Black: Yeah, one. How come Death Gun hasn't changed his screen name yet?

Johnny Black: Uh… hello? Death Gun?

PoH: Darn it, he must've been followed! Can you erase this chat?

Johnny Black: Sorry, no can do!

PoH: Dangit, get out now!

PoH has left the chat.

Johnny Black has left the chat

"You're wide open!"

Suguha managed to hit Eugeo's left shoulder with the edge of her training sword. He yelped out as he raised a hand in surrender. As of now, the two were having a training session on the front lawn,

She took a deep breath as Eugeo dusted himself off. Then she smiled.

"You really held your own for quite a bit, but you should try and attack more often," she explained. "In fact, I bet you'll be ready for the frontlines any day now."

"Thanks a lot, Miss Kirigaya."

"Please, we've known each other for a while now; you can address me a little more casually."

"Oh, okay, Sugu."

"Not that casually!"

It had been two weeks since Eugeo and Selka moved in with the Kirigayas. Midori was onboard with the arrangement, given that they had nowhere to live for the time being, and Eugeo had begun training with his sword non-stop with Suguha.

"Let's go again!" said Suguha. The two of them took their stances. Eugeo took the offensive this time, striking three times in different directions, each of which Suguha successfully parried but was unable to find an opportunity for a riposte. She intentionally hopped back, so Eugeo stayed in place with his guard up.

"I'm not falling for that again," he said.

"Nice read."

Suguha swung in a sweeping motion, which Eugeo dropped to a low bend to dodge and successfully struck her torso.

She stumbled back in surprise but soon began to smile.

"Wow… you're a great teacher." Eugeo was genuinely surprised, but Suguha simply smiled with some knowledge that he lacked.

"It would seem so," she reached into her inventory. "It looks like you've made some great progress. Now, I'm going to show you my second form!"

"Wait, what?"

Midori was sitting in a lawn chair a couple feet away, flipping through a magazine.

"I haven't heard that reference since the 2010s…" she muttered.

Suguha ignored her and revealed the object. It was a small orange crystal that she held to the sun.

Outfit Crystal: #35792 Recognized. Applying loadout. Username Change Confirmed: Leafa. Class: Spellsword. Unique Skill: Wind of the Sylph. Transformation begins.

As the background faded into a glittering green light, Suguha dramatically held the Crystal aloft as many ribbons made of light sprouted from its center. Eugeo watched in surprise as she was promptly lifted in the air by an invisible force. The shining ribbons weaved all around her hands and feet, turning into the white fabric and forming dainty white sleeves, gloves, and boots. Other ribbons wrapped around her torso and became a bright green bodice in a burst of shining dust. Before long, Suguha was clothed in a tight-fitting green and white dress that left little to the imagination, complete with a plant-like aesthetic, a leather belt for her sword, and expertly tied ribbon.

As if nothing was weird, she let out a soft gasp and expertly bent over backward, her black hair turning yellow as the sun before tying itself into a long ponytail and hanging down her back. She opened her eyes, now a vibrant green color, as her sword gained a set of fantastical golden trimmings and a light green shade on the hilt. Suddenly striking a cute pose, she shouted aloud to some nonexistent audience. "The winds of the earth bend to my fingertips, Lefa, the Sorceress of Swords!"

The weird backdrop vanished as Suguha, or more accurately, Leafa, completed her transformation and dropped to the ground, leaving Eugeo dumbfounded.

"What the…"

"I've been working on this outfit for days, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it!" she excitedly rambled. "Also, I've always wanted to do a real Magical Girl transformation at least once! But don't tell my brother about this."

"Magical… Girl?" Eugeo tilted his head in confusion. Leafa shrugged.

"Eh, I'll show you my box set later. Now, get ready!"

Kirito was in a pretty good mood right now. He was walking back from Asuna's house after the two of them had enjoyed a lovely date together. Midori had recently permitted him to leave the house, as long as it was during the day, and Asuna's mother was really starting to warm up to him. It really felt like everything was going right that day. Well, almost everything.

He couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him. It wasn't as if he was paranoid, but it seemed to grow stronger and fade as he and Asuna walked through town. Asuna had noticed him being distracted and asked him if anything was wrong. He told her he was fine, of course, but he didn't really feel fine during. Every time he had gotten the feeling of being followed before, he had almost always been right.

Eventually, he decided to take a chance when he was in a quiet street with no one around.

"Hey! I know you're out there, so show yourself already!" he called out. Alright, are you gonna show yourself?

"Oh, you figured it out?" A gentle voice said from behind him. He turned around, and a girl walked out from a nearby alleyway. She was slightly taller than Kirito and had poofy lavender-colored hair as well as scarlet eyes. Her skin was pale, and she wore a bright purple dress that showed off her well-endowed cleavage, which Kirito couldn't help but notice that there was a beauty mark on her left breast. A massive purple sword was strung across her back. She smiled at Kirito. "Hello. My name is Strea."

Her Stealth skill is strong enough to override even my own Listening skill, which means she's probably pretty strong. And she's got a player cursor, which is honestly a relief.

"I'm Kirito," he said. "Have we met before, by any chance?"

"Nope, this is the first time." Strea smiled and shook her head. "It's nice to meet you, Kirito."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Kirito. Finally! I encountered something normal! I was starting to think that didn't happen anymore. "So… why were you following me?"

"I was just curious. You know how it is." Strea giggled and stepped closer to him.

"No… how is it?"

"Well, you're strong and famous so, I wanted to get a closer look at you…" she took a good long look from right next to him. "Also…"

"Also…?'

Strea let out a light chuckle.

"You're even cuter from up close!"

"Oh… hehe." Kazuto nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, you should really know that I'm currently-"

"Anyways, I'm here to kill you."

"Wait, what?"

Instead of responding, Strea promptly pulled her large sword out and held it in one hand while she still smiled just as cheerfully.

"Horizontal A!"

Kirito yelped and narrowly avoided a wide slash that would've cut him in two. Strea swung back again and started staring him down with fierce determination.

"Hey, wait a sec, how did we get from-"

"Vertical Arc!"

He hopped back to avoid another strike from her sword before drawing his own.

"You're a speedy fellow, aren't you?" Strea laughed. "Well, I suppose we'll be here for a while."

"Can't we talk this out?" Kirito asked as he crossed his swords to block Strea's next attack with a loud clang.

"Eh? Where's the fun in that?" Strea chuckled and suddenly started running on a nearby fence.

Well… so much for normal…

Kirito sighed as his opponent flanked him in a blink of an eye, so he turned on a heel to face her and lunged to meet her attack.

"...Good Morning, and welcome back to the news." The reporter fixed her glasses. "As you all know, there haven't been any more monster attacks for a good while now. As always, we are eternally grateful for the work of both SAO players and regular citizens for keeping the rest of us safe. Now onto more pressing matters, Death Gun's attacks have lessened significantly, thanks to the work of two extremely dedicated teenagers under the monikers of Sinon and Spiegel. However, we have evidence to believe that newer murder cases have been perpetrated by a former SAO murder guild known as Laughing Coffin. Here with me today is player Asterion from the major floor-clearing guild, the Knights of the Blood Oath."

"Thanks, Takahashi-san." The player said. "Laughing Coffin was everyone's biggest fear back in SAO. I can't count the number of times I've lost a beloved friend to one of their monstrous schemes…" he muttered. "So, when the KOB started plotting an assault on their base to put a stop to them, I jumped right at the chance. And… It was absolute warfare. People were dying left, right, and center; my own demise was set right before me, yet I still survived from either dumb luck or my own intuition. There were some pretty heavy casualties. And I can't help but admit, some of those were carried out by this very sword I wield."

"...I see. Thank you, and I understand if this is too painful for you to..."

"No, it's fine. As of now, I believe that three… yes, definitely three… members of Laughing Coffin managed to survive. First, there's Johnny Black. I don't know what he looks like at all, always wearing that damn hood, but he's one messed up fella. It's never for him to just kill his victim… he's gotta do it the most sadistic way possible. His weapon of choice is a poison dagger, so stock up on antidotes if you can. Next, there's Red Eyed Xaxa. That guy was always a little creepy, he never talked much, and he always wore a skull mask with red eyes, hence the name. His weapon was an estoc, pretty sharp but also heavy. Finally, there's the leader of Laughing Coffin. PoH, otherwise known as Prince of Hells, the absolute worst of the worst. The other members would just blame Kayaba for their murders to justify them, but not PoH. He just wants to kill for the sake of killing. The fact that he's still walking around and probably still carrying around that creepy cleaver knife weapon makes it even harder to find sleep. Anyways, that's all that I know."

"Thank you again, Asterion. Know that your efforts have not gone under the radar for all of us. You've helped make the world safer, and to that, we give you our most sincere thanks. Anyways, now onto the weather."

Spiegel turned off the TV and then faced Sinon.

"Huh, well, would you look at that. We're famous."

"Yeah, whatever." Asada finished up her notes. "I'm not doing interviews with you, you know? Alright, let's go over the evidence one last time. We can confirm that Xaxa was Death Gun's old moniker, right?"

"Right. And I bet Death Gun is working with PoH and Johnny Black to cause more problems. It's just that the other two are a lot more subtle with their killings."

"However, Death Gun left a document containing a list of victims on your brother's computer. And we know where he's going to strike next."

"In other words, right here.

The two of them were currently sitting outside of a TV store, the owner of which was the father of an SAO survivor.

"And we'll be ready for him." Sinon grinned. "Now, let's go over the checklist. Magical traps?"

"Check. Tripwires?"

"Check. Camera?"

"Check. Hecate II locked and loaded?"

"Check. MP at full?'

"Check. Alright, all we have to do is-"

"SONIC NAIL!"

Someone shouted from above them. The two teenagers glanced up and gasped before scrambling out of the way. Kirito landed right where they were, striking Strea into the ground.

"Gotcha now!" he confidently pressed down onto their weapons, forcing her lower.

"Don't get cocky." Strea waved a finger before she promptly vanished from sight. Kirito seemed to realize something and started running up the side of a nearby building and slashing with both swords. To his satisfaction, his blades met Strea's just as she reappeared.

"Nice trick, using Stealth to set up a favorable attack." Kirito struck away Strea's sword, and they exchanged a few more parries and slashes. "But you won't be able to escape me!"

"I bet I can!"

Before long, the two of them were running along the rooftops while sword fighting, seemingly in an attempt to outmaneuver or tire the other, whichever occurred first. Sinon and Spiegel watched in confusion.

"It's Showtime!"

"Shoot! He's here! Let's go!"

Strea relied on hit-and-run tactics to catch Kirito, and he was stuck trying to defend himself. As a result, their battle had shifted throughout a good portion of the whole town, and Kirito was pretty sure that they had destroyed private property in the process.

As they fought, a golden-haired girl in a suit of armor noticed them from across the street.

"Black Swordsman! I have finally found you!" she raised a golden sword at him as he swiftly repelled Strea's blade. "I, Alice Synthesis Thirty, shall-wait, are you even listening?"

"Yeah yeah, I don't really have the time to sign autographs right now!" Kirito said as he runs down the side of a building to evade Strea's strike, only for her to appear right in front of him.

"You can't escape from me, silly!" she laughed again.

"Why are you trying to kill me, for goodness sake. I have a family!"

"Yeah, right, where's your ring?" she slashed again as he ducked.

The ONE DAY I forgot to wear my wedding ring…

Oh, that's right, I should really buy Asuna an engagement ring. Wait, how the heck am I going to afford-

"Mavis Cutter!"

Kirito sidestepped Strea's skill before returning with one of his own.

"End Revolver!"

He spun around and managed to hit Strea in the stomach, but she simply shrugged it off and raised her sword again.

"You know, I honestly don't want to do this," she said. "But the thing is, I've got this REALLY bad headache, and the voice in my head says that the only way to make it stop is to kill you! You understand, right?"

"No, I don't understand!"

"Hey…" Aiko scratched her chin. "Was that tree always there?"

"Beats me," said Yuuki as they walked into the cafe. Behind the counter was an older bald man with a considerably bulky figure.

"Oh, hi Yuuki, hi Aiko!" Asuna waved from the tables.

"Hey there, Asuna!" Yuuki's expression brightened significantly as she immediately sat down next to her. Aiko giggled and sat down as well.

"I gotta tell you, the business has been doing great since you attached your name to this Dicey Cafe." Agil chuckled as he polished a glass. "What'll it be, ladies?"

"Hm…" Yuuki glanced over the menu. "I'd like the house blend, please."

"I'll have a 9-up," said Aiko.

"A what now?" said Asuna. Agil gave her a surprised look.

"What, you've never heard of 9-up before? It's the hot new thing!" He put a cup under a tap and started pulling out a brown liquid. "I mean, you know what they say about nine?"

Nobody replied as Agil put the drinks in front of the Konno sisters. 9-Up was a thick brown liquid that was visibly steaming.

"It's two more than seven." Agil finished.

"That sounds like some good math in my book." Aiko chuckled and took a sip. Her eyes widened in shock. "Yowch! That's burning!"

"Yeah, turns out you gotta boil it like crazy, or else it's hella toxic." Agil waved his hand. "But enough about that. How's Kirito doing?"

"I asked him to come here a couple of minutes ago, though he hasn't replied yet," said Asuna. "He's usually pretty quick when it comes to that. I wonder what he's up to."

"Maybe he's with another chick." Rika Shinozaki interjected from another table. Rika, or Lisbeth, apparently lived in the same neighborhood as Asuna and Kirito. Sitting beside her was Ayano Keiko, or Silica, as well as Tsuboi Ryoutarou, or Klein. For whatever reason, Silica was currently wearing a hood that covered the entire top of her head but left her face in full view.

"Oh, Kirito would never do that!" Asuna chuckled. "He's not the type to be easily led astray by other girls. And besides, if he ever does flirt with another girl-"

"Gah! I get the point, I get the point! Stop giving me the extra-scary look!" Lisbeth yelped.

"But she does have a point." Silica raised her finger. "While he's not exactly the kind who gets pulled towards other women, other women have a tendency to get pulled to him."

"You said it, Silica." Klein nodded. "Heck, I'll bet 5000 yen right now that he walks in with another girl."

"Done," said Asuna.

Just then, there was a crashing sound from outside and the sound of clanging metal. A few seconds later, the door burst open with Kirito all beaten, dragging the semi-unconscious body of Strea along with him.

"Hey there…" he said between pants. "I… made it… Asuna…"

He then proceeded to collapse onto the ground right beside the girl.

Everyone exchanged various looks of confusion.

"...Agil, gimme the most expensive drink you have," Klein said. Asuna groaned and handed over the cash.

The next thing that Kirito was aware of was a splash of cold water to the face.

"GAH! I'm awake! Who's in danger?" he stammered. Asuna was standing in front of him with an empty bucket and a stern expression. It was then that he realized the gravity of the situation. ALREADY, his wife was pulling out her sword.

"Kirito-kun… who is this girl, and why are you dragging her along in such a suspicious fashion?" she smiled, but her eyes exuded a demonic aura that filled the whole room.

"Wait, Asuna, this isn't what you think! She-"

At that very moment, Strea's eyes opened, and she slowly sat up on the floor.

"Oh jeez, that was pretty intense, eh Kirito?" she chuckled.

"I-Intense?" Asuna's eyes widened.

"I swear, that's nothing like how it went!" Kirito said. "It was more like… she was all over the place while I was just trying to hold out long enough for her to break."

The room was silent for several seconds.

"Quadruple Pai-!"

"No, I don't mean it like that!" Kirito waved his hands, desperately bidding for time. "Let's start back at the beginning. That's Strea; she was stalking me on the way home after our date."

"Nice to meet you!" Strea smiled warmly at Asuna. She got up onto her feet as Kirito continued to explain.

"Then she suddenly started trying to kill me for some reason, so we ended up fighting all the way over here before she finally passed out from exhaustion. That's everything that happened, I swear on my swords!"

"Is that so?" Asuna said before lowering her weapon. She sighed. "Sorry, I just got really nervous because… well… a girl like that-"

"Hey, my head doesn't hurt anymore!" Strea excitedly said as Kirito stood up. She suddenly took the Black Swordsman into a hug. "I don't know what happened, but thank you so much Kirito-kun!"

Unfortunately, due to their height difference and Strea's… body type, Kirito was smushed right into her… ahem, assets. Asuna's face went as white as her uniform.

"Anyways, it was fun meeting you!" she released a dazed Kazuto. "As well as your friend, Asuna."

Asuna shuffled over and intimidatingly muttered in Strea's ear.

"I'm. His. Wife. Got it? If you even think of touching another hair on his head, I will tear you limb from limb-"

"Oh, you are! Well, sorry for mixing that up!" She smiled obviously and caught Asuna into an identical hug as Kirito, eliciting looks of surprise, or horror in Yuuki's case, from the other people in the bar.

After Strea had had her fun, she casually ordered a drink from Agil, giving Kirito a chance to reunite with some old friends.

"Well, if it isn't the total chick-magnet?" Klein laughed as he and Kirito exchanged a friendly hi-five.

"Nice to see you too, Klein," he sat down next to his old friends. "Oh, Lisbeth and Silica, long time no see."

"And I see you and Asuna are still going strong, eh?" Rika smiled. "So, how was your honeymoon? I want all the details."

"Well, we had a daughter. Her name is Yui and-"

"D-DAUGHTER?!" half the bar let out exclamations of shock.

Yeah, I guess that is the standard reaction.

"Woah, congrats!" Rika gave him a thumbs up. "I figured since you and Asuna are so passionate as late, it would only be a matter of time before you could get her knocked up-"

"Hey, that's not what I meant at all!" said Kirito. Is everything I say that easy to misinterpret? "Anyways, what's with the hood, Silica, new look?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering that too," said Rika. "What, did you get a bad haircut or something? Or, maybe it's a special item."

"No, it's-" Silica's voice trailed off. She looked at her friends through her lashes. "Promise you won't laugh if I show you?"

"I promise," said Kirito.

"Cross my heart and hope to die. Man, it feels weird to use that figuratively now."

"You betcha!" Klein gave a thumbs up.

Silica gulped and gently pulled back her hood, and everyone gasped. On her head were two very realistic-looking brown cat-ears. There was only skin where her normal ears should be.

Silica's ears twitched as she blushed.

"I… I don't know what happened; these things just showed up after I took the NerveGear off. I've even got a tail-"

"Oh… my… gosh," Lisbeth squealed. "YOU ARE SO CUUUUUUUUTE!"

"Eh?"

Immediately, the blacksmith started petting Keiko's new ears.

"Hey, don't, that's sensitive!" she flushed even redder.

"Oh my gosh, they feel so real!" Rika just couldn't stop smiling. "Kirito, you have to try this!"

"I'm not sure that's ethical…" said Kirito.

"Hey, how come when she does it, she's quirky, but when I do it, it's degenerative?" Klein pointed out.

"Shut up, Klein; come back when you're the main character." Lisbeth retorted.

"Hey!"

Just then, Kazuto whispered in Lisbeth's ear.

"Get to me after this; I need another custom order."

"Eh? Your sword looks fine."

"No, not a sword. I'll explain later."

"Windblade!" Leafa slashed in the air, sending an arc-shaped magical projectile at Eugeo, who sidestepped and starting casting a spell of his own. At a certain point, they had begun using magic spells during their battle.

"System call, generate Cryogenic Element, Arrow Shape, Fly Straight, Discharge!" he launched a sparkling white arrow at her. Leafa simply raised her sword and shattered it in midair.

"Nice try!" She bolted ahead, and the two exchanged a series of parries. "But you're still not strong enough to defeat me!"

Just then, a small green object flew in Leafa's face.

"Huh? GAAAAAH! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF!"

She screamed in shock, and Eugeo slashed on reflex. With a loud clang, her sword flew out of her hands and stuck into the ground nearby. The object that had caused her defeat suddenly hopped away, revealing itself to be a grasshopper of considerable size.

"What the heck... " she muttered, transforming back into Suguha in a flash of green light. "Where did that bug come from?'

"Sorry, Auntie Suguha!" Yui came running out of the side yard with a sad expression. She was holding a bug net. "Selka and I were catching bugs, and we wanted to see how far a grasshopper could fly if we used a wind sacred art."

Suguha looked at Yui, then her sword, and then at Eugeo, before she started to laugh.

"All is forgiven, Yui." she smiled at her niece. "You really helped Eugeo-san."

"Ehehe, I don't think that counts." Eugeo picked her sword up and returned it to her. "Shall we resume?"

"No, I think it's time for a break. Yui, why don't we go out for a snack? I'll take you to my favorite ice cream stand!"

"...What's ice cream?" said Eugeo.

"I've never heard of that; what is it?" said Yui.

"Ice cream?" said Selka, peeking her head out from behind the house. "I've heard of that! It's some kind of super expensive dessert that only nobles can afford!"

"Wait, let me get this straight, none of you have ever tasted, and for the most part haven't even heard of the delicious concept known as ice cream?" Suguha was almost offended as they all shook their heads.

You know… it's times like this when you can't help but remember that I live with three people from different worlds. And one of them is my brother's daughter.

"Alright, you guys are coming with me. Now." she obstinately stated as she took Yui's hand in hers.

And so, our heroes went out for ice cream, the perfect end to a somewhat uneventful training session.

Oh yeah, what was going on with Alice?

"...And to recap, our forces were destroyed by this group of individuals." Oberon brought up images of each player. "Kazuto Kirigaya, or Kirito, Suguha Kirigaya, or Leafa, and Asuna. There were others, but these three are the primary attackers."

The Administrator crossed her arms.

"I do not like hearing about your failure Oberon."

"I-It will only be temporary, Administrator!" Oberon said. "The rest of the players stood no chance against Ugochi! We only need to take the Kirigayas back to the Central Cathedral, as well as Asuna as I planned. If you will allow it, I could send Synthesis Thirty to obtain them."

Quinella traced her chin for a few seconds before giving a wave of her hand.

"Alright, fine, but I want to see some results."

"Of course, Administrator. You heard that, Alice."

"I understand." Alice started walking to a nearby portal. "I will not return until I have completed my mission."