Author's Note: I've written this chapter a week ago and forgot to post it, so here it is.

December 2, 2022, over 2,000 players had died since the start of Sword Art Online and no one had defeated or even found the first-floor boss. During the past month, Kirito went solo but eventually partnered up with Asuna. Ryu, Yumi, and Leafa were helping a player named Diavel to find the boss room. It took some time, but they found it. They report it to Diavel, which he calls a meeting. Ryu tells Argo to inform other players at the Town of Beginnings about the floor boss and that it's possible to beat this game. The meeting was held at the amphitheater of Tolbana. A lot of players showed up. Most of them sat close to the orchestra while Ryu and his group sat in the back of theatron.

The green-eyed boy looked around to see a familiar face sitting far from the rest of the audience. It was Kirito, but he saw another person next to him. He couldn't see their face because of the red cloak but can tell it was a female. He turned his head back to the orchestra where a blue-haired man was standing.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. I'm Diavel and in this game, my role is a knight." Diavel made a joke to ease the tension.

Many people began laughing even as Kirito gave a small smile.

"Dude, there's no job system in this game," said a random player.

"Alright, jokes aside. Here's the deal. One party discovered the location of the floor boss at the top of the tower," said Diavel.

Everyone got serious, shocked, and surprised looks on their faces.

"To advance to the next floor, we need to defeat the floor boss and it's our duty, the most capable players here, to achieve that task. Do you agree?"

"I agree," shouted Leafa. Everyone was looking at her, then each other, and nodded, then they started clapping.

"Glad to know all of you are with me. Now we must discuss how to defeat the boss, but first, everyone gets into a party. We're going to need raid groups to defeat the boss."

"Let's see, there's only three of us," said Yumi.

"Four if you count, our little dragon companion," Ryu patted his pet.

"Of course we can't forget about Kanna," she strokes the dragon's head.

"We would have five if Kirito was here too," said Leafa.

"I'm sure he's around here," Yumi placed her hand on her shoulder, assuring her, which made Leafa smile a little.

While the two girls talked, Ryu was staring at Kirito, who was talking to his partner.

"What do you think of Wind Fleuret?" said Kirito.

"It's strong," said Asuna.

Yesterday, Kirito gave some battle tips to Asuna which not only helped her fight effectively but she was able to get a stronger weapon from a monster drop.

"Glad to hear that."

He then asked his partner if she knew about the switch technique, which she did, so the two continued discussing it.

"I'm glad to see that Kirito hasn't gone full solo," Ryu said to himself.

Everyone got into groups. Diavel then spoke, "Looks like everyone has formed a party." Before he could continue, someone interrupted Diavel.

Everyone looked up at the thearton and saw someone standing. The person jumped the stairs, then jumped into the orchestra.

The guy looked short but built, had sienna spiky hair and a small goatee. "My name is Kibaou. There's something I need to get off my chest before we fight the boss. Someone needs to apologize to the 2,000 players that died so far." he pointed at everyone.

Ryu can see that Kirito looked worried. They both knew who Kibaou was talking about, and so did Diavel.

"Kibaou, I know who you're referring to… you mean the beta testers right," said Diavel.

"Of course I am. Ever since this stupid-ass game started, the beta testers had ditched us. They took all the good hunting spots and snatched all the easy quests. Hell, I'll bet that one of them is here. Come out, you beta testers. We should make them apologize on their knees and give us all the money and items they have. They can't expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us. Why should we," said Kibaou.

After hearing that Ryu looked at Kirito, he looked more upset, but when Ryu looked into his eyes, he knew he wasn't worried about getting caught, he was feeling guilty. Ryu couldn't take this anymore, but he kept his cool. He stands up and walks down to the orchestra. "I have something to say."

"And who are you," said Kibaou.

"My name is Ryu. I want to make one thing clear." He pulls a book out. "This here is a guidebook someone was giving them for free. You have one, don't you?"

"Yeah, so," said Kibaou.

"That person who gave everyone this guidebook is a beta tester."

Everyone was shocked to hear that. Kibaou got annoyed.

"Everyone listen up. This guidebook was being given to every player, so everyone had equal access to this information and yet players died. I didn't come here to play the blame game. I came here to defeat the boss and show everyone that there's hope," said Ryu. He looks at Kibaou. The orange-haired man growled at him and took a seat at theatron. Ryu returned to his seat.

"Anyone else?" said Diavel. Everyone was quiet, and the meeting continued.

"Everything we know about the boss is in this guidebook. According to this book, the boss's name is IIIfang the Kobold Lord and his minions are the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. The boss is armed with an axe and a buckler, has four health bars, and when the last one is in red, he switches to a curved sword called the Talwar. He can also change his attack patterns. That concludes the boss, as for the money we'll be divided equally while EXP goes to the party that defeats the monster, and whoever receives the item gets to keep it. Any objections?"

"When do we fight the boss?" Ryu asked.

"We leave tomorrow at 10 in the morning. Everyone is dismissed."

Everyone leaves the area Ryu was about to call for Kirito until he heard someone shout his name. Kirito and the hooded figure left.

He turned his head and saw a massive bulky African-American with a brown goatee and brown eyes.

"You shouted my name," said Ryu.

"Yeah, my name is Agil. Thanks for taking care of that situation peacefully."

"It was nothing."

"I'm just glad I'm not the only one that cares about other players."

"Ryu," Diavel called him.

"Diavel."

"I just want to say thank you for finding the boss room. I would appreciate it if you and your party can inform everyone at the Town of Beginnings."

"Already taken care of, I had a friend spread the message before the meeting started."

"Good, then you might join us tonight to celebrate."

"I appreciate the offer, but I have some things to discuss with my friends."

"I understand. I'll see you in the battle then."

Ryu returns to his group and leaves the area.

It was nighttime in the town and everyone was celebrating while Ryu and his friends were walking to the teleport gate waiting for Argo. "I wonder if Kirito was at the meeting?" said Leafa.

"Yeah, he was there," said Ryu.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't think it was the right time."

"Where is he now?" she demanded.

"I don't know."

"I've been wondering," Yumi joined in. "You've been keeping in touch with Kirito, haven't you?"

His eyes widened. He said nothing at first but eventually spoke. "Yes, Kirito and I would talk from time to time, but eventually he stopped. He also watched us from a distance when we went on quests, fighting monsters, and when we chatted, but he stopped doing that as well. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys this, but for the past month since Kirito went solo, I've been trying to convince him to come back, but he refuses."

"Why," said Leafa.

He wanted to tell them, but he couldn't due to the promise he made with Kirito.

"It's because of me, isn't it?"

Everyone looked at Leafa. "It's because of what happened on our first quest."

The green-eyed boy was silent, which only confirmed what she said was true.

She walked away until Ryu grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?" he asked, but knew the answer.

"To find Kirito."

"We don't even know where he is?" said Yumi.

Ryu did plan on having Argo tell him where he was staying so he can try to convince him to come back, but knew bringing Leafa would bring unnecessary conflict between the siblings. He tried convincing her to stay, but what he didn't expect was what Leafa said when she was begging for him to let go.

"I have to talk to him. I have to let him know it's not his fault. I can't let him be alone again, not after what happened to his-" she cut herself out before finishing her sentence.

"Again? What do you mean again?"

Leafa grew shocked by what she almost blurted out. She swings her arm, making Ryu let go, then runs off. "Leafa wait!"

"I'll go after her," Yumi took off, leaving Ryu alone at the gate.

'I hope they'll be okay he thought to himself.

"I never expect you to be alone Ryu-bou."

He turns his head to see Argo. "Did you spread the word?"

"Sure did. I got friends to help with the objective."

"Glad to hear it."

The information broker with a smirk on her face was about to ask where the girls were but the Ryu cut her off saying it's none of her business.

"I see. It's about Kirito, isn't it?"

"Indeed, I was actually hoping you know where he is?"

"Indeed, I do. Follow me." she gestures to him to follow.

The black hair boy seemed baffled that she didn't ask for payment before giving the information. "What about the payment?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Three reasons you're not getting charged for the information." She raises a finger, "One considers this as a thank you for helping me with the guide books when we first met." She raised another finger up. "Two. I'm getting tired of being your guy's messenger bird. It's annoying to watch you two when one of you can't do it," Argo smirked but had an annoyed tone in her voice.

Whenever Kirito is doing a quest, leveling up, or anything that keeps him busy, he can't see how his friends are doing, so he gets Argo to watch them when he can't. When Ryu discovered this, he asked Argo to do the same to Kirito.

Ryu gave a small chuckle. "Sorry about that. I'm hoping this time I can convince him to come back." He then asked about her third reason, expecting to raise three fingers, but she didn't and noticed she didn't have a smirk on her face.

"As for the third reason. You're not the only one who's worried about Kirito," she said in a concerned tone.

While walking, the two were quiet for a while until Argo spoke. "I've known Kirito since the beta test. He's always been a solo player, but ever since the official game came out, he's shown to be a team player."

"Solo players can help other players too, you know. I've been solo a few times before." Ryu commented.

"Oh. Never took you as a solo player. That's intriguing, but the point is I've met solo players and they prefer to play alone, but Kirito thou. I don't know why, but it seems there's more to why he's a solo player."

"Have you ever tried to get to know him?"

"I tried some small talks with him, but he never talked about anything that's outside the game. I respected his privacy and besides, most players in video games don't talk about their personal life.

"You've got a point there," he gave a simple nod.

The rest of the walk was quiet. The black hair boy was wondering what Argo said about Kirito's reason for being a solo player. He knew Kirito wasn't really a sociable person, but he too was curious about the solo player.

"Well, here we are." Argo raised her arms to show a farmer's house.

Argo knocks on the door to see her beta friend opening it. "Hey Kiri-bou." she gave him a smile.

"Hey, Argo. What brings you here?"

"What? I can't check up on my friend."

"Knowing you, it's about business."

"How cold, but you're not wrong. So can we come in?"

"We?" He was confused until he looked behind to see Ryu.

"Hey, Kirito, it's been a while." Ryu gave a small wave.

Kirito gave a simple nod. "Well, come on in, you two."

They entered inside and took a seat. The blond hair girl noticed a light by a door in the hallway. "Is Aa-chan here?"

"Yeah, she's taking a bath," said Kirito.

"Aa-chan?"

"Her name is Asuna. You saw her at the labyrinth when you jumped in to help."

During the time of the labyrinth when Kirito fought the monsters and protected Asuna, he saw a hooded figure jump and slice one monster, shattering it into pieces. Without saying a word, the two finish taking the rest of the monsters out. The black hair boy was about to thank the hooded figure, but the figure was gone. After that incident, who knew right away who that person was.

"How did you know?" Ryu asked.

Kirito said nothing. He couldn't tell him he saw his cloak when Ryu, Yumi, and Leafa were gathering materials.

"I'm not the only one who helps in the shadows, you know," Ryu gave a smile, letting him know he knew they were being watched.

Before the two boys continued on, the blond-haired girl stepped into the conversation. "Kirito, may I have a word with you outside before you two have your talk?"

Kirito nodded, and the two went outside while Ryu waited at the table.

"What's going on?"

"The buyer still wants to purchase your Anneal Blade (6+). They would pay 20,000 cols."

"Seems like this person wants my weapon so badly they would increase the offer. Who is this secret buyer, anyway?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid I can't disclose that information."

"How much is this person paying to keep their identity hidden?"

"1000 col."

"How about 1100 col to tell me the identity of the buyer?"

"You seemed interested."

"I want to know the person who's trying to purchase the Blade."

She takes a moment to think about the offer. "It's tempting, but I'm afraid I can't take the offer," she shrugged her shoulders.

The black hair boy was a little disappointed but didn't seem to care too much, since he was going to keep his sword either way.

"Is there anything else?"

"Nope, that's all."

Kirito stared at the door, knowing what's going to happen when he enters.

"Good luck," the blonde girl gave a pat on the black hair boy's back with a smirk on her face.

He nodded his head, then opened the door and walked inside.

"I sure hope he can convince him," Argo whispered to herself.

Kirito can see Ryu at the dining table eating bread with cream while he was checking and sending a message to Yumi. The green-eyed boy's eyes moved away from the menu and focused on Kirito. There was a moment of silence. Kirito broke the silence.

"How are Yumi and Leafa doing?" he said awkwardly.

"Yumi is fine but Leafa," Ryu stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking again, "She's been depressed ever since you left."

"She hasn't locked herself in a room, has she?"

"There was one time she wouldn't come out of her room for a week." The green-eyed boy saw a worried look across Kirito's face. "Don't worry Kirito. Like I said, it was a one-time thing. She's been getting strong ever since."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that," Kirito gave a weak smile.

"If you're worried about her, then why don't you come back to the group?"

The black hair boy raised his head up to look at Ryu, who had a small smile on his face.

He turned his head away, avoiding looking at his friend. "I'm sorry but I can't."

"Why is that?" Even though Ryu knew the answer, he wanted to see what Kirito would say.

"If anyone found out I was a beta tester, you guys would get targeted and hated by everyone."

Kirito can see the anger in Ryu's green eyes. "It's bullshit how people are treating beta testers. It's not fair they got the end of the stick." Ryu clenches his fist. "We're all trying to survive and beat this game. We should be working together, not against each other, but besides that, there's more to why you won't come back."

The black hair boy hoped his excuse was a good enough answer, but he knew Ryu wouldn't buy it. Luckily, he has another excuse. "I'm a solo play-"

"You can drop the solo player act as well," Ryu cut Kirito off before he could finish his sentence.

"Argo must've told you about my time in the beta."

"Both Leafa and Argo told me although I had to pay a good amount of col to get that information from Argo."

"Then you should know that I prefer to play alone."

"That may be true, but you don't seem to mind being around other people."

The green-eyed boy waited for a response, but Kirito didn't say a word. "We both know the real reason you left the group."

Kirito turned his head away, knowing where this conversation was about to head.

"When Kiabou was talking about the beta testers, I noticed the guilt in your eyes. You still feel guilty leaving the group, don't you?" Ryu stared at the quiet boy with a serious look.

"You had the same look when we left Klein behind. If you're the solo player back in the beta, then why did you watch and help us from a distance?"

Kirito didn't know what to say about these accusations. "I'm a solo play-"

"Stop lying to yourself."

He was cut off again by the green-eyed boy, who placed a hand on his shoulder. The black hair boy looked up at Ryu, who was trying to comfort him.

"I understand why you went solo, but it's not your fault for what happened to Leafa. You shouldn't blame yourself."

Kirito's guilt kept eating him the more Ryu spoke. He wanted to stop the green-eyed boy but couldn't bring himself to it.

The two boys turned their heads where they heard a cracking sound and noticed a chestnut-haired girl who was listening to the two. She wore a dark red leather tunic with leather pants and boots.

"Asuna," said Kirito.

'This just proves my point,' Ryu thought of saying that out loud but kept it to himself due to the atmosphere he felt between Kirito and Asuna.

"How… How much did you hear?" Kirito stuttered.

"I heard everything and to be honest I'm surprised." She stared at Kirito, who looked away. "I had a feeling you were hiding something, but didn't want to say anything."

"Sorry."

"If you don't mind me asking what happened between you two?"

Kirito looked at Ryu. "It's your choice, Kirito."

Kirito was hesitating at first, but didn't want to keep her in the dark anymore. "Hey Ryu, do you still have more bread and cream?"

"Yeah, why?"

Ryu pulled more bread and cream out of his inventory while Kirito gestured for Asuna to take a seat. The chestnut hair girl takes a seat and munches down the bread with cream on it. "I believe you deserve to know the truth, Asuna, and Ryu." He turned his head to look directly at Ryu's dark green eyes. "I think there's something you need to know about me and Leafa."

Ryu was confused about what he meant by his relationship with his sister. Before the green-eyed boy could ask what he meant, Ryu noticed Kirito looking directly at the front door. "You might as well join us, Argo."

The front door slightly opens with Argo standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"I'm surprised you knew I was still here."

"I noticed you crack the door slightly so you can hear the conversation since you don't have a high level of listening skill to listen through close doors."

The girls took their seats. Kirito then told Asuna everything from the beginning of the game to when he first met her. Ryu then asked what Kirito meant by he needed to know about him and Leafa.

Kirito tells them how he and Leafa aren't actually siblings but are actually childhood friends. He can see Ryu was a little shocked while Argo was more intrigued by this new information, and Asuna didn't seem shocked since she didn't know Kirito that long.

He continues, "As I said before, Leafa and I are childhood friends. My father would force me to take kendo class when I was four years old, and that's how me and Leafa met."

"I see you guys must be close enough to call each other brother and sister," said Argo, while stroking her chin.

"Yeah," he gave a small smile, but it soon faded after Ryu mentioned what Leafa said to him.

"Leafa said something about you being alone again. What did she mean by that?" Ryu asked.

Kirito lowered his head and clenched his fist. He had hoped not to speak more about his past. The chestnut-haired girl noticed he was nervous. She gets up from her chair, saunters up, and places her hand on his shoulder. He looks up to see her smile.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell us," Asuna comforted him.

The black hair boy looked at Ryu and Argo, saying the same thing. 'Leafa probably told Yumi, so it doesn't matter if I tell them, but also…. (He raised his eyes to look at his three friends) Seeing their smiles, something tells me I can trust them.'

He takes a deep breath, still feeling nervous. The next thing he's going to say is something he's told no one except his childhood friend.

"My parents died in a car accident a year after I was born. I discovered this when I was ten years from an erased Juki Net record. After learning the truth, I distanced myself from my aunt, uncle, and even Leafa as well."

There was a moment of silence, since everyone was still processing the information. They all felt similar yet different emotions from Kirito's story.

Argo was bewildered by what she learned. She always wanted to get to know her beta friend, but this... This was too much for her.

Asuna can relate to Kirito of feeling alone, but she had her older brother she could talk to. That's why it also irritated her knowing he distanced himself from the people that obviously care for him.

Ryu knew something was up with Kirito, but just like Argo, he didn't expect it to be this bad. A part of him feels guilty for making his friend bring something from his past. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"There's no reason to apologize. Yeah, it was bad at first, but after me and Leafa got along again, she helped me to rebuild the relationship with my aunt and uncle. Even though they are not my biological parents, they are my real parents."

"Glad to hear that." Asuna was happy to hear he made up with his family.

"Me too," said Ryu.

Argo nodded in agreement. She then gets up and walks to the door. "Well, it's been a fun night, but I must go." She tried to keep her cool, but Kirito can see right through it. "I'll see you guys after the floor boss." She takes off.

"I should get going too. I need to find Yumi and Leafa." The green-eyed boy got up from his chair and was about to head out until Kirito called his name. He turned his head to the black hair boy who wanted to say something but couldn't say what was on his mind, which made Kirito turn his head away. Ryu knew what he was trying to say.

"Kirito," Ryu took a pause which got the black hair boy's attention. "You say you're a solo player, but I don't think that's true and deep down you know that as well."

The black hair boy felt like turning his head away, but this time he kept his focus on the green-eyed boy who continued on. "Let me ask you this. Are you a solo player or a team player?"

'What does he mean by that? Is there some kind of meaning?' before Kirito could say anything Asuna said, exactly what he was thinking.

"He needs to figure that out on his own." He opens the door and before he leaves, he turns his head and says these last words, "If you truly wish to stay on this path, I'll respect your decision. I want us to keep in touch, but if you understand my question then I hope you come back to the group."

The door shuts behind, leaving Kirito and Asuna alone. She ran out of the door to stop Ryu. "Ryu, wait!"

The green-eyed boy turned his head to the chestnut-haired girl. "What?"

"Why are you so fixated on Kirito?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been so determined to bring Kirito back to your group. I want to know why," the chestnut girl gave a serious stare.

He hesitated a little since he didn't think he would explain why. Besides being a friend, there was another reason. He didn't mind telling her, but just thinking about it makes him feel down a little.

"I see myself in him."

"Huh?"

"It's because I see myself in him."

He can see Asuna was confused, so he continues, "I was a very different kid from everyone. Most of them thought I was weird. I didn't have any friends because of how different I was. I was treated as an outcast. I didn't mind being different, but at the same time I didn't like the feeling of being alone. Years later, I saw my sister being treated the same way I was. It made me furious. I stuck up to the bullies. I learn not only to stand for others but for myself as well." He left some details due to him coming from another world.

"I see."

"Some of Kirito's excuses were reasonable, but I knew there was more to it. That's why I'm so determined to help him. It's because I understand the feeling of being alone and I don't want him to suffer that feeling." The green-eyed boy clenched his fist.

He turned his head to the chestnut hair girl. "I'm surprised he's with you. It just shows that he can be around people." He gave a small smile.

The chestnut-haired girl didn't know what to say, but eventually gave a small response. "He can be sociable, he just needs to put more effort into it."

Ryu can hear the annoyance in her voice but can tell she cares for him. "Watch over Kirito for me, well you," he continues walking until he's out of Asuna's distance.

The chestnut-haired girl returns to the barn to check on Kirito who was in bed. She assumed he was asleep and went to bed.

Yumi was searching for Leafa in the town. She couldn't find her anywhere, so she then used Search to find her friend. Looking around the town, she noticed green footprints. She followed the footprints which led to an alleyway and there she saw the short black hair girl sitting with her knees up to her chest. "Leafa."

Leafa looked up to see her friend. "Yumi… How did you find me?"

"I use the search skill to find you."

Searching is a skill that allows players to search for something (items, monsters, or players).

The short black hair thought of running away, but was too upset to do anything.

"Do you mind if I can take a seat?"

Leafa nodded, allowing Yumi to sit next to her. "You really care about Kirito, don't you?"

"Yeah." Leafa kept her eyes narrowed to her knees.

Yumi couldn't get what the short black girl said before running away. She wanted to ask what she meant, but felt it wasn't her business.

"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about what I said before I left."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Leafa was hesitating, but felt like she needed to tell someone. She eventually started speaking, "Kirito and I aren't siblings."

"What do you mean?"

"It's best to tell a little about myself."

One thing about gaming that Leafa learned from Kirito was to never speak about personal life, but she felt it was necessary.

"I'm an only child. My father died before I was born, so it was just me and my mother. My mother was good friends with Kirito's mom and that's how I met Kirito. The both of us attend the same kendo dojo. We got along for a couple years until one day he quit kendo due to being interested in computers. This made his grandfather so angry that he would give him a heavy beating. I made a promise to get stronger for the both of us."

She began struggling to say the next part, then she felt arms wrapping around her. She looked up to see Yumi, who was giving her a hug. "It's okay, take your time," she comforted her friend.

Leafa takes a small deep breath and continues, "At the age of ten Kirito began distancing himself from me. I didn't know why, but he did the same thing to his parents. When I take a break from my training in the backyard, I look at Kirito's bedroom window to see him playing on his computer. I always wondered why he enjoyed playing video games, so I tried some. The more games I played, the more I understood why he enjoyed them. I tried to play with him online. He still kept his distance at first, but slowly we started to get along again. After some time of playing together, Kirito then told me about his parents. He learned that his parents are actually his aunt and uncle. His biological parents died in a car crash."

"Why would he distance himself from them? I can understand his aunt and uncle, but why you?"

"I asked him that same question. "Back then it was because I lost trust in people, but thinking about it now I was stupid for treating you guys like that." That's what he told me."

"Did he make up with his aunt and uncle?"

"It took some time but yeah he was able to make up with them."

"That's good to hear."

"But I'm afraid this time he won't come back and it's all because of me." Leafa began to shed tears again.

"Leafa." Yumi gave a sad look to her friend.

"Hey, Yumi. We've only known you and Ryu for a month so why is he so determined to help Kirito?"

The long black hair girl tells how Ryu can relate to Kirito and how he doesn't want him to suffer the same pain he felt. Leafa was happy to hear she's not the only one who wants to help. The short black hair girl gets up, wiping her tears with her sleeve, and turns to her friend with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Yumi."

The two left the alleyway, and both Yumi and Leafa get a message from Ryu which saids to meet at the inn so they head there. They knock on Ryu's door and it opens and the two head inside. "Hey you guys," said Ryu.

"Hey Ryu," said Yumi.

"What's going on?" said Leafa.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for keeping you both in the dark," Ryu apologized. "I should've told you guys what was happening but I didn't want-"

He was cut off by Leafa, "I understand."

The green-eyed boy looks at Yumi who gives him a simple nod. He then tells them what happened from Argo to Kirito telling him of his past. Leafa was shocked to hear that Kirito talked about something personal but was happy to see that he trusted some people.

"If you think you can't fight tomorrow then it's okay to stay here," The green-eyed boy looked at Leafa. He was worried she would be distracted by her emotions.

"I appreciate your concern but I have to fight tomorrow. I have to prove to him he doesn't have to worry about me. I have to fight for both of us."

Ryu felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Yumi. "She's a strong person so there's no reason to worry," she whispered and gave a smile.

He nodded in agreement. The green-eyed boy turned his head to Leafa. "For the past month you've gotten stronger, it's time for Kirito to see that as well."

After the small talk, Leafa headed to her room while the two got ready for bed.

"Hey, Yumi."

"What is it?"

"What happened while I was gone?"

She told him everything that happened between her and Leafa.

"I see. She really cares for him."

"Yeah, she does."

"We should probably get some rest for tomorrow."

"Yeah. We have to be ready for the floor boss. Good night Ryu."

"Good night Yumi."

Author's Note: I had fun writing this chapter, but I would love to know what you guys think.