Author Notes: It is hard to believe this story is now eight years old. When I first started this story all those years ago, I never would have imagined that I would still be writing this story. This update has been a long time coming, but I have had difficulty with producing this chapter for a few reasons. The primary reason being the lack of review in the previous chapter.

As of this moment, there were only three reviews for Chapter Forty-Two. That was a massive disappointment since I figured a lot of people would love the Valentine's Day special between Kirita and Akio. While I'm proud of how it turned out, I just wish more people would have written reviews of that chapter.

Despite disappointments like this, I have every intention of attempting to see this story through to the end, but I hope you will provide feedback to help give some extra motivation. Your reviews are greatly appreciated, and I miss the days when I would receive more reviews per chapter. Here's hoping those days will come back someday in the near future.

Enjoy reading the new chapter. Happy reading.

/

The Kirita Chronicles

Story Arc V: A Well Earned Holiday

Chapter Forty-Three: New Setups – Part III

/

We need to press on

We all need to make progress

Let us keep moving

/

It was a waning Valentines' Day in a remote village on the fourth floor of Sword Art Online. The sound of sword clashes could be heard ringing at the village's training area. The sound didn't attract anyone's attention. To everyone else, it was another day.

The clashes of swords originated from Kirita and Akio engaging in a practice duel. In the area they were dueling, was the only area that was no covered in snow, so they had more freedom to move around. While both players were able to freely use their speed, Kirita had Akio on the defensive as usual. It didn't take long for Kirita to knock the rapier out of Akio's hand. Before he had a chance to react, Kirita kicked her leg out and knocked him to the ground.

With Akio on the ground and Kirita pointing her blade at Akio's throat she declared, "Looks like I win again, Akio-san."

Akio sighed, "Don't act like it's a surprise."

"Heh." Kirita chuckled as she held out her hand, "Of course not, but are you gonna just stay on the ground there, Akio-san?"

Without the need of anymore prompting, Akio accepted Kirita's hand.

"I have to say." Akio dusted himself off as he told Kirita, "If someone told me last year, I'd be getting Valentine's Day chocolate from a girl then get challenged to a duel by that same girl, I would've told them they were crazy."

"Meh." Kirita shrugged, "I totally saw this coming."

Akio couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "What?"

"I was gonna spend a lot of time in Sword Art Online. I was probably gonna make a few friends and do some kind of Valentine's Day event with them. Maybe I would've given chocolate, or I would've gotten some. Who knows?" Kirita then clarified, "Anyway, I didn't except to be trapped here, but I did expect to be here."

"Huh …" Akio almost sounded amazed as he remarked, "Sometimes I forget how much of a gamer you really are."

"That's just who I am Akio." There was no shame in Kirita's voice. In fact, she was proud as she told Akio, "Don't be surprised if I'm helping make games after we get out of here."

Akio inquired, "You want to make games?"

Kirita answered, "Believe it or not, I've got a real thing for computers. It is definitely something I can pull off."

"I believe you. So um …" Akio couldn't help but feel grimily curious, "Do you think we'll be here next Valentine's Day?"

Without hesitation, Kirita answered, "Yes."

"…" Akio blinked as he was taken aback as he flatly asked, "What?"

Kirita repeated her answer, "Yes. We'll still be trapped here next year."

Akio wasn't sure how to feel as he repeated in a deadpan tone, "It didn't take you long to figure that, huh?"

"Actually," Kirita massaged the back of her neck as she told Akio, "It's something I've been think about for a while. Ever since we started taking out bosses."

"Oh?" Akio couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Kirita explained, "Sword Art Online has one hundred floors. Things have been going pretty well lately, but it wasn't that long ago we spent an entire month trapped on the first floor."

"Huh?" That was something that Akio almost forgot about. Regardless, he knew there was no denying this fact.

"Besides," Kirita pointed out, "even in this world, humans like us aren't machines." Kirita pointed at herself and Akio, "Just look at us. We're taking a break from fighting on the frontlines, and it looks like we're not the only ones. It seems like others guilds are taking it easy too. The pacing we had before basically came to a standstill."

Akio scratched the back of his head as he sheepishly replied, "You got a point."

"Hell even machines will break apart if you don't allow them to rest and give them maintenance." Kirita then said, "The way I see it there are gonna be times we're going to make a good pace at clearing floors and times when it slows down."

"I see you really thought things through." Akio couldn't help but sound impressed.

"Yeah." Kirita then remarked, "Chance are it's gonna take two to three years for us to get out of here."

"I see two to three ..." Akio stopped where he was and flatly asked, "What?"

Kirita didn't need to think too much on the answer, "It'll take two to three years for us to get out here, and that's being generous."

Akio asked in a dumbfounded tone, "But … how …"

Kirita finished Akio's question, "How'd I come to that conclusion?"

Akio merely nodded in response. Kirita answered, "It'll depend on how things go for the next few months. If I'm proven right, we'll be on track to getting out of here in three years."

"Hmm …" Akio didn't say anything else on that.

"Anyway," Kirita offered her input, "Things may seem really scary, but as long as we don't do anything stupid we have a chance of pulling this off."

"Thousands of players not doing something stupid?" Akio scoffed, "I think we all know how that's gonna go."

"It's our best bet, but let's just focus on us. Those idiots can screw up all the time if they want, but we won't." Kirita reiterated, "As long as we continue doing what we need to do, we'll escape from this world one day. In the meantime, let's try to stay focused on the good times. This is turning out to be a good day. A good Valentine's Day. Definitely better than any I went through back in the real world."

"…" Akio's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't say word. Instead, he closed his mouth.

"Sorry …" Kirita sheepishly stated, "I might've been projecting. I get you want to go back more than me, but I want to get back to the real world too. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that happens."

"We'll make sure." Akio finally spoke up to correct Kirita, "You know you won't be fighting this alone, right?"

"Right." Kirita nodded.

Akio held up his rapier, "I still need some work, but I'll do what I can when I can."

"In that case," Kirita grinned, "would you like to get a little more training done?"

Akio accepted, "Sure."

/

While the duo continued with their training session, the Rat of Sword Art Online was conducting business of his own. A potential business transaction he wasn't expecting from a little girl. Regardless, he has a feeling he should take it seriously. Serious in his own way.

"Before we start discussing business," Argo held out one of the chocolates that Kirita had sent to him, "perhaps you'd be interested in help yourself to some of this delicious chocolate?"

"Hmph …" The girl sitting across from him crossed her arms and looked away as she complained, "Do I look like some little kid you can bribed with chocolate?"

Argo held up the chocolate as he playfully answered, "Are you saying you're not? Then you have my most sincere apologies."

It was then that Argo began waving the chocolate like a fan which caused the girl to get a whiff of it. That was enough to cause her head to move, and her mouth began to slightly open. He could see that Silica's eyes were following the chocolate. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she was forcing herself to remain silent.

Argo grinned, "Wetting your appetite, Silica-san?"

Silica felt as if she was momentarily hypnotized by the aroma before Argo's words caused her to snap out of her stupor as she furiously shook her head. She indignantly replied, "No!" She looked away again.

Argo fanned the chocolate more as he marked, "Okay. Now you're just suppressing your desire. It's not a good look for you. It's just not."

Silica silently turned her head toward Argo who was still holding the chocolate. Her eyes felt drawn to it.

"There's nothing wrong with having a snack." Argo held out the chocolate. "Especially one as delicious as this when it is being offered to you freely with no strings attached. Sometimes a little snack makes these boring moments pass by a lot faster. My mom always did tell me life is a lot better with chocolates, and she was absolutely right."

"…" Silica stared at Argo's outstretched hand for a few moments before reluctantly accepting the chocolate. She held it in front of her mouth. She smelt it again. As soon as the smell hit her nostrils, she took a bite, and her taste buds thanked her.

As soon as Silica swallowed her first bite, she exclaimed, "Oh my!" She then took another bite followed by another and another. Her mind became fixated on heating this chocolate she almost forgot about the company she was keeping who looked at her with a look of amusement.

Argo salvaged the potentially awkward situation by eating a piece of chocolate of his own. He never imagined a piece of chocolate shaped like one of his knives would taste as appetizing as this.

Silica was the first to finish. When she was finished she seemed eager for another, but she closed her mouth before she could make her request.

Argo causally handed Silica another piece while he was finishing his, "Save it for after."

"Okay." Silica accepted the chocolate and placed it in her inventory.

"The chef will be happy you liked it." Argo grinned as he informed his potential client, "She worked really hard on it."

Silica replied, "Tell her I thought she did a wonder job."

"You can tell her yourself." Argo grinned, "The chef is the same player you're looking for. The masked swordswoman."

To describe Silica as being stunned would be putting it mildly, "What?"'

"I'd say this successfully broke the ice." Argo's voice then sounded far more serious, "Let's get down the business. Shall we?"

/

The following day, Kirita and Akio were at the training field again. Kirita was working on the setting of the field at per Akio's request. She did her best to accommodate what he desired while not overdoing it.

"Okay, Akio." Kirita closed the menu as she warned, "If you get hit once in the course, you will fail it. Got it!"

Akio declared, "I'm not gonna fail it!"

Kirita grinned, "Good answer. Now get ready!" As Akio got into position, Kirita held up her hand as the countdown began. When there were only three seconds left, she shouted, "Ready! Set! Go!"

When Kirita swung her hand down, Akio began his mad dash across the seemingly empty field that laid before him. He had to pay attention to his surroundings. When he saw something that stuck out in the ground in front of him, he would put on the brakes. He dung his heels into the ground to coast himself to a stop, and he dashed to the right. On que a few pickets shot up from the ground where he was running to.

A few moments later, Akio then saw a red outline in the ground. He forced himself to stop again, and the wall of fire shot up. Akio could feel the heat of those flames as he ran parallel to them. If he had gotten any closer, his sleeve would have been scorched. It felt like he was running alongside a bonfire.

The training field was basically a glorified maze with invisible walls the player needed to anticipate before it was too late. As per his request, if one obstacle made contact with him, it was 'Game Over'. Luckily, Akio cleared most of the obstacles as the goal was in reach. As Akio was this close to reaching the finish line a rope popped up to trip him, but Akio managed to jump up and avoided the last minute trip up. With that, Akio crossed the finish line.

/

Once Akio made it across the line, Kirita exclaimed, "Finished! A new record! Just under one minute!"

Akio was nearly breathless, "Seriously?"

Kirita replied, "Fifty-seven scones to be exact."

"Really?" Akio could hardly believe it.

Kirita grinned, "Would I lie?"

Akio shook his head, "No, but it felt a lot longer than that."

"Well, I guess you would feel like that, but rest assured, you made it in fifty-seven seconds." Kirita's voice was filled with pride as she told him, "You're really starting to zip through this course."

"Just talking your advice." Akio held up his foot as he proclaimed, "Speed seems to be more my thing."

"In that case," Kirita suggested, "we may have to crank up the difficulty a little."

"Um …" Akio hesitantly replied, "Maybe next time …"

"Sure." Kirita concurred, "Better to end the day on a good note."

Akio nodded, "I can agree on that."

"Here." Kirita handed Akio a whetstone. "It should come in handy for your weapon maintenance."

Akio marveled at the whetstone. As he held it on the palm of his hand, he could feel how useful it would be, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is this really for me?"

"Sure is." Kirita smiled, "You earned it."

"Thank you so much." Akio placed the whetstone in his inventory.

"You know …" Kirita looked out to the field "After seeing that, I'm really gonna have to step up my game too."

Akio replied, "I wouldn't think you needed to."

"You kidding?" Kirita scoffed, "If I don't keep my skills up, Delano and Heathcliff will leave me in the dust. Even if we're on vacation, I need to make sure to keep them up like you."

"Okay." Akio couldn't help but feel curious, "What do you have in mind?"

Kirita answered, "I'm setting it up for something a little more combat oriented."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "You can do that?"

"Sure." Kirita answered as she scrolled through the menu and adjusted the settings. "This thing does more than just obstacle courses." After she was satisfied with the settings, "Okay, that should do it."

Akio logically asked, "What are you gonna do?"

Kirita answered, "A little game to see if I can stop myself from getting hit for a minute."

Akio inquired, "What happens if you do?"

Kirita curtly replied, "Failure. Utter failure."

"I see …" Akio cleared his throat, "Good luck."

Kirita drew her sword, "I won't need it."

As Kirita stepped onto the training field, Akio dared not make a sound. Kirita had her eyes closed as she perked up her ears. She could clearly hear every footstep she took, but she couldn't hear anything else.

Kirita knew that the sixty second countdown wouldn't begin until after the first strike was made against her. With every moment that went by, she could feel herself gripping onto her sword more tightly. She did her best to remain calm as she took a deep breath.

When Kirita breathed out, she heard something click behind her. She opened her eyes and spun around. A crossbow emerged from the ground and shot the arrow at Kirita at high speed. Kirita held the hilt with both her hands as she held up her sword to brace for impact.

Kirita was able to block the arrow, but she could feel the force of the shot pushed her sword back. Kirita had some time to reflect as she hear another click to her side. She was once again able to intercept the arrow's path with her sword, but she received push back again. She had no chance to reflect as she heard another clicking sound as she turned to face it.

Akio remained on the sidelines as he watched. To him, it looked as if Kirita had this down. The moment a crossbow emerged from the ground, she'd turn to face it, and she'd block it. They would repeat the process each time, and it looked like the arrows couldn't touch her.

When Kirita blocked another arrow, it not only forced her sword back, but her foot felt the need to move back to compensate. Kirita barely had enough time to register other clicking sounds. She swung the sword with one hand. When she blocked the arrow, she felt her hand's grip loosen on the hilt right before the sword swung away from her.

Before Kirita had a chance to reach out for her sword, there was another clicking sound. She didn't turn to look. Instead, she jumped away from where she believed was the arrow's intended path. She then saw the arrow whiz passed where she thought it would be.

It was then Kirita heard multiple clicking sounds. When Kirita looked toward one, that crossbow was empty. Kirita's eyes widened as she said out loud, "A diversion!"

Kirita saw from the corner of her eye an arrow coming her way. She managed to move her head back to avoid it. She bent her back to the point it looked as if she was participating in a game of limbo. Before she could straighten herself up, she felt something hit her side. It was another arrow that had been shot from the opposite direction of the arrow she dodged.

When the arrow made contact with her, it bounded off her despite having the arrow having a sharp arrowhead. While Kirita was on a training ground, she was still in the safety of the village territory. Rather than having an arrow lodged in her leg, she got a sense of mild discomfort along with a side of wounded pride.

Kirita was informed by the system her training session ended in failure. The display screen showed she managed to reach forty-eight seconds. Kirita sighed before picking up her sword and returning to outside the training area.

Akio assured her, "You did really good out there, Kirita-san. That machine had to send so many arrows at you before it could get you."

Kirita smiled upon hearing that, "I'm glad you think that, but it was a bit of a mess out there."

"A mess?" Akio repeated in a dumbfounded tone, "If that was a mess, then I'm looking forward to what's a good one for you."

Kirita sighed as she scratched the back of her head, She held up her sword in front of Akio as she told him, I messed up when I was trying to block the arrows. They were coming at me so fast, they knocked me back."

"I see …" Akio glanced at Kirita's sword hand, "So that's why you lost your grip."

Kirita sheathed her sword as she answered, "It's one reason."

Akio tilted his head, "Any other?"

Kirita glanced to the side, "I'm trying to figure that out. I'll probably need to try this again a few more times before I figure it out."

"Don't worry." Akio sounded encouraging, "You'll figure this out in no time. I'm sure of it."

"Heh." Kirita chuckled, "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

Akio offered, "You want to take a break before trying again?"

"Nah." Kirita shook her head, "I'm gonna go for it."

Akio replied, "Be my guest."

/

The following training sessions ended in failure, but Kirita got a bit closer to completion. She reached fifty seconds on the second try, but the sword had been knocked out of her hand again. During the third attempt, Kirita decided that rather than holding out her sword to block the arrow, she should swing her sword. When she did that, the force of her swing went against the force of the arrow that was heading straight for her.

By taking the offensive approach, Kirita was able to avoid any push back, and she could maintain her ground along with her momentum. There was only one problem. The type of defense required precise timing and accuracy. As good as Kirita's reaction speed was even she could miss her strike.

During one training session, Kirita's swing was too low, and an arrow hit her should. For another arrow, she swung and missed, but she moved her head out of the way to avoid the arrow. It missed her cheek by a few centimeters. Unfortunately, Kirita had no reprieve. Another arrow was shot at her, and she wasn't able to block it.

After a few attempts of utilizing this offensive measure, she managed to reach fifty-three seconds. Kirita was on her knees as she silently looked at her sword. It was difficult to guess what she was thinking as she stood up. She then put her sword down into the ground began patting herself down

After dusting herself off, Kirita picked up her sword, and she took a deep breath before finally conceding, "I think that's enough for today."

Akio assured her, "You got real close, Kirita-san."

"Maybe." Kirita held up her sword as she stated, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of it. I just need to really work on the timing."

"I know you're getting there." Akio held up his fingers, "You're this close."

"Well …" Kirita felt the need to apologize, "Sorry if what happened brought down the mood."

Akio was taken aback, "What?"

"That was a moment of victory or you." Kirita bowed her head, "Sorry if that little display ruined it for you."

"No." Akio reflexively assured her, "I wasn't thinking that at all. I thought were pretty cool."

Kirita sheepishly scratched her cheek, "You really think so?'

"Of course. Not to mention even though it didn't go your way you didn't let it get to you." Every word Akio spoke with complete sincerity as he told her, "You kept trying, and I know you'll get it right. Mark my words, that challenge will be a cakewalk for you."

"Maybe it will." Kirita stated, "Then, I can raise the difficulty on this thing to push myself even further."

Akio inquired, "What difficulty was it on?"

Kirita answered, "I put it on a mild 'Level Five'."

"Five?" Akio's eyes were wide open, "Are you serious?"

Kirita nodded, "Yeah. I figured going any higher wouldn't be a good idea."

Akio suggested, "Are you sure you don't to try it on a lower difficulty and go up?"

"Nah." Kirita plainly stated, "I like to start things on normal and go up from there."

"I see …" Akio cleared his throat, "I have to say, Kirita-san you are a lot better at handling setbacks than me."

Kirita sheathed her weapon as she asked, "You really think so?"

"Yeah. I was not that great handling things myself before Sword Art Online. I was a little whiny when thing didn't go my way. I may not have made a scene, but I definitely wasn't a …" Akio briefly trailed off, "Well I was a doormat, and I complained about it."

"Try not to put me on a pedestal, Akio-san." Kirita was legitimately pleading with him, "Please. Just don't."

"I …" Akio hesitantly replied, "I know I probably should, but you do a good job setting an example."

"It's not like I don't complain about things." Kirita pointed out, "Everyone complains about things."

"True, but um … I guess I don't really know how to put this in words … I guess it's just how you kept going at that training field. You carried yourself in a way … I guess … Ch. …" Akio sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "I kinda suck at this. I think you're just better about it than me. Let's go with that."

"Okay …" Kirita reminded Akio, "Okay just so you know you really, really don't need to put me on a pedestal. It's really not a good idea."

Akio softly replied, "I know …"

"I was frustrated with how that training session went." Kirita rubbed her virtual neck, "I was hoping to clear it through in like three or five tries. Can't say I'm not disappoint by how this turned out, but I did get something out of it. I saw how I really need to work on how I parry projectiles."

"That's the right kind of attitude to have." There was a sense of admiration in Akio's voice.

"Don't sell yourself short, Akio-san." Kirita reiterated her previous words to him, "You managed to make a lot of progress yourself. You've worked hard ever since I've know you."

Akio replied, "I'm glad you think that, but it's all thanks to you I made this progress."

"I know." Kirita cleared his throat, "Anyway, how about we try talking about something else."

Akio was up for it, "Sure. You got anything in mind."

"Well," Kirita suggested, "I was wondering you might be interested in coming up with a new move."

"Um …" Akio put his hand on his rapier, "I do work on my skills a lot."

Kirita remarked, "That's fine, but what about a move that isn't necessary a skill."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Kirita explained, "You've seen how when you active skills how your body moves in a certain way, right?"

Akio took a moment to consider Kirita's words before nodding his head, "Yeah?"

Kirita stated, "Well you would see a skill being activated."

Akio replied, "Only someone with your speed could do something about that."

"Not necessarily." Kirita reminded her companion, "Some skills are slower than others, Akio-san. Anyway, it might be a good idea to mix things up a little. If you can pull off a good move that isn't a skill, you could catch your opponent by surprise, and get the win like that." Kirita snapped her fingers.

"Hmm …" Akio nodded his head, "Sounds interesting. Could you tell me how you'd do that?"

Kirita told, "I'll show you next time."

It was then that Akio's virtual stomach began to rumble. His cheeks became red as he sheepishly replied, "Yeah … I guess we should save this whole talking about new moves later, huh? I'm getting pretty hungry, and we can have a vacation to enjoy."

"You're right." Kirita nodded, "We are on vacation. Might as well do our best to have some fun."

Akio began to walk ahead, "That's more like it."

"Speaking of fun," Kirita spoked up, "before we eat, there is one thing I'd like to do first."

"And that is …" When Akio turned his head, he was hit square on the forehead with a snowball before he could finish he question.

"Snowball fight!" Kirita threw another that nailed Akio in the nose, "Come on, Akio! This might be something you can beat me in!"

Akio grinned, "Oh you are gonna regret challenging me!" No sooner did he make that declaration he was hit on the forehead again causing his head to move back and nearly lost his balance.

"You aren't gonna hold back! You're on! Jus- Whaa!" Kirita moved her head to dodge that counterattack.

"There's more where that came from!" Akio quickly reached down and gathered up enough snow to throw another one in Kirita's direction in one smooth motion. "Retreating already!"

"Just a tactical one!" Kirita threw another snowball at Akio and hit him on the face as if he was a bullseye. "Surprise!"

With a face covered in snow, Akio declared, "Oh! Now you've done it!"

/

About a half hour later, Akio's face was red, and his hair was covered in snow as he looked dejected. Akio sighed as he kicked the snow on the ground, "I just can't win anything again you, can I?"

Kirita stuck her tongue out.

Akio replied with an annoyed tone, "Fine act like that. I'll get you next time."

Kirita patted Akio's shoulder, "That's more like it, Akio. You can get me next time. Like they say, 'If at first you don't succeed. Try, try again.'"

Akio sighed and shrugged, "You go from bragging to comforting? Talk about a mood swing."

"Hey." Kirita protested, "Just wanted to have some fun. Anyway, you've come a long way, Akio. I know I've said it before, but you're a lot different than the Akio I met a couple of months ago. You're already pretty good now. Give it more time, and you will be awesome."

"Hmph." Akio replied, "After what's happened, it does seem more believable."

"Because it is. Anyway," Kirita walked ahead with both her hands behind her head, "I think we really worked up an appetite now. It'll be my treat. I'll make us something good."

Akio began to ask, "Are yo-"

Before Akio could finish, Kirita cut him off, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Akio-san!"

Akio nodded, "Right."

/

As usual Kirita's cooking was a treat. The meal wasn't even ready yet, but the aroma alone was enough to warm the room. Akio couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Kirita. You said you could cook in the real world too, right?"

Kirita decided it was best to downplay, "I'm decent at it."

Akio continued his inquiry, "Is it like a real world hobby of you have when you aren't playing video games?"

"Hmm …" Kirita considered her answer, "I wouldn't exactly call it a hobby as a necessary."

Akio tilted his head, "Oh really?"

"It's true I did get into it at first because it was fun, and it was satisfying to eat something I made, but I knew I'd need to cook more on my own." Kirita stated in a matter of fact tone, "I was thinking about how I'd need to know how to cook on my own when I leave my house."

Akio couldn't help but feel taken aback by this, "You were already thinking about leaving your house? You are a teenager, right?'

"That doesn't matter, right?" Kirita sounded defensive as she pointed out, "I'm just think about the future."

Akio was taken aback, "Um right, of course you were."

Kirita glanced away, "Anyway, cooking is a skill that everyone should learn. Going to restaurants or fast food places all the time isn't gonna cut it. Not for me."

Akio simply replied, "I see …"

Kirita offered, "Do you want to learn?"

"Well … I don't see why not." Akio stated, "It's not like I'll lose out on anything if I learn to."

"Exactly." Kirita stated, "There is nothing to lose and plenty to gain. It'll be a good way to gain independence."

"Independence, huh?" Akio smiled and nodded, "Well I'm sold."

Kirita stated, "We can start working on it today. You can help me make dinner."

Akio was willing, but there was one issue, "Okay, but don't I need to work on my cooking skill like you did? If I did something, couldn't I accidentally burn it or something?"

"You're not wrong." Kirita then stated, "That would be true if I had you take care of main course. However, if you take care of prep, it shouldn't pose a problem for someone who just equipped himself with the cooking skill."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yes. We'll build you up." Kirita stated, "One day, you'll make me dinner"

"Huh …" Akio nodded his head, "That's be something."

Kirita smiled, "Something to look forward to."

/

Author Notes: Hope you enjoyed reading the update for the eighth anniversary. As you can see it picked up directly where the previous chapter left off. I hope you will all leave a review along with it being a meaningful review.

In addition to the lack of reviews in general, I will state I have been a little annoyed at reviewers who only post about how Kirita isn't a girl's name. At this point, I can't help but roll my eyes and say, "I get it already." Eight years ago, I didn't know about certain things. I looked up a few things about Japanese culture, but I didn't think about looking up names that ended in 'ta'. I went with Kirita because that was the name the original author I inherited this story named her as such. I didn't question it.

This is something I have mentioned before, but I do feel I will mention it again. This is a 'fanfiction'. I'm not being paid to do this. I am doing it because I enjoy writing it. While I will do my best to provide quality in my updates, there may be things that slip through the cracks. Anyway, I've come to enjoy writing her game name as 'Kirita' regardless of how some reviewers have written reviews specifically imploring me to change her name rather than say anything else of value. This story is more than forty chapters in. I'm not going to change the main character's name at this point. Even though it was technically a mistake, I'm sticking with this name to the end because I like her name like this.

At this point, calling Kirita by this name has a charm to it. She is a tomboy, so I could totally picture her going by this name as her in-game name. Regardless, while this was a mistake, it is a mistake I don't feel like correcting because I like it. While it is a mistake I would try avoid repeating in the future with a different character, I'll be sticking with this one for Kirita.