A/N:

Just gonna address one thing I noticed in the reviews before we get started. Asuna's Unique Skill, ((Arcing Lightning)), does create a thunderclap sound effect when it's used, and the intensity of the sound starts as a crackle but increases as more and more skills are added onto the chain. If memory serves, the first time we saw this was during the 50th floor boss fight back in chapter 65. The skill is an intentional nod (by Kayaba) to the player he created it for.

Kayaba plays favorites.

Shoutout to Quality of Quantity for the idea behind this chapter! This chapter might seem like filler, but you know how much I like character development.

Enjoy this calm while it lasts; many of you know what's coming next…

Mama had the best ideas!

Yui didn't get many opportunities to take one, but baths were amazing. It was too bad that there weren't any in Nelluon Arael. Then she could take baths whenever she wanted to!

And then Mama had Uncle Agil build one!

Uncle Agil didn't seem too happy about the cost.

Anyway, because of Auntie Kizmel's suggestion, they were something called "communal baths." It was a really weird way of saying baths you could share with other people, but Yui chalked it up to just more grown-up talk. Yui heard a little bit of the conversation those two had about these communal baths, and apparently Mama put her foot down and said that there would be a boy's side and a girl's side. Auntie Kizmel was stubborn, though, and wanted a third pool for mixed bathing.

It took them almost two weeks to finish building the baths. It probably would have been built sooner if her family didn't have to keep fighting scary ice zombies for almost a week straight out of those two weeks. Yui didn't get to see one, since it was "too dangerous" - she was getting better with her sword and rapier though! - but she did get to watch the boss broadcast, where they fought something called a… what was it called?

A witch? No, it didn't have a pointy hat or a broom.

A snitch? She didn't see any stitches on it – or skin, for that matter – and Uncle Mako always said that snitches had stitches, so it couldn't have been a snitch.

A bitch? She wasn't sure what a bitch was, actually. Every time someone said that word, Mama or Papa would always cover her ears. She still heard it, of course, but if they didn't want her hearing it, it couldn't have been good. In fact, she was pretty sure she heard Mama say that word when she was yelling at Papa for getting his hand cut off.

Oh, a lich! Auntie Argo told her that a lich was a scary wizard who summoned zombies and skeletons. It sounded really spooky, and the fight against it had a lot of zombies. In the end, though, her family beat the scary lich up and saved the town of Wintertide from more zombie attacks. In any case, she got to see the zombies and the lich during the broadcast and she would admit they were pretty scary looking.

A stiff, warm breeze wafted across her face, instantly distracting her from thoughts about frostbitten zombies. Oh right, the baths!

The baths were arranged in a triangle, more or less, with tall walls dividing the circular pools from one another. The walls connecting the girls' side to the mixed, and the boys' side to the mixed; each had a discreet door embedded in it so that travel was easy to and from the mixed baths. This also made it impossible to directly pass from the boys' side to the girls', and vice versa.

The entire structure was built just downstream from the natural hot springs on the upper terraces of Nelluon Arael, so the natural warm stream fed the baths and kept them steamy at all times. The boys' side and girls' side were more or less enclosed entirely by walls, which were either the artificial dividers or natural stone walls. The mixed side, on the other hand, had a clear view of the valley below.

That was where Yui found herself - in the mixed bath, that is - alongside Mama and Papa. Auntie Kizmel was also in the mixed bath. Thankfully, everyone was wearing a towel for modesty's sake, though she could tell Papa was still a little flustered by being in the same bath as Auntie Kizmel.

Yui thought the whole thing was silly; it was probably another grown-up thing she didn't understand.

"Yui, please don't splash." Mama reminded her.

Yui looked down, only now noticing that, from her perch on the rim of the bath, she was splashing in the water. She begrudgingly stopped, shooting Mama a pout.

"We're trying to relax, Yui." Papa said, offering her a smile. "Hard to do that when you keep splashing."

"But there's nobody else here besides Auntie Kizmel! Oh, can I splash if I go to the other side?"

"No." Mama said.

"Aww…"

Auntie Kizmel chuckled, then sighed. "Ah, to have such youthful energy again."

Papa looked a little confused. "You make it seem like it's been forever, Kizmel. Just how long has it been since - "

Mama promptly splashed him with the warm bath water.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Were you about to ask a woman her age?" Mama asked pointedly.

"...I'm an idiot. Thank you."

"My pleasure, Kirito." Mama smiled smugly, before turning to Yui. "I only did that because your Papa was about to do something stupid."

"So I get to splash Papa if he does something stupid?"

Mama shook her head. "Nope. That's my job."

"Yes, queen!" Silica shouted, her voice echoing over from the girls' bath. "You keep your man in line!"

"Hey!" Papa cried out indignantly.

"Women are scary, dude…" Klein muttered, his voice barely audible. A chorus of 'amens' sounded out from the boys' side.

Kizmel sighed as she looked over the edge at the valley below. It was strange; Yui could pick up on both contentment and disappointment. How perplexing.

"Something wrong, Kizmel?"

"I suppose you could say that, Kirito. I had hoped more would take advantage of the mixed baths, but I suppose it was an exercise in futility. It would seem that I, once again, underestimated human modesty. Thank you both for joining me, at least."

An awkward silence followed, and Yui looked back and forth confusedly between the adults. Why was this a problem? Sharing a bath with her family sounded fun!

"Why doesn't anyone else want to take a bath with us?" Yui inquired. "We're family, aren't we?"

"Err… yes, we are, Yui." Mama stammered. "It's just… most adults are very hesitant to do something like this together."

"So you and Papa aren't hesitant?"

"Sort of?" Papa guessed. "Your Mama and I are comfortable around each other like this, and we know Kizmel is, too. We trust each other."

"Do the others not trust us?" Yui asked.

"We do, Yui." Liz's voice rang out from across the wall. "It's just… it's a big leap. That's a big step for… oh, what the hell, fine! I'll go in there. Babe!"

"Yeah?" Leonn answered.

"If I'm going in there, so are you!"

"...Okay then."

"Whipped!" Ducker cackled.

A splash, followed by the sounds of gurgling and thrashing.

"Ignore him. Go on, Leonn." Keita said.

The doors to the boys' and girls' baths opened; Auntie Liz and Uncle Leonn stepped out. After closing the doors behind them, the couple entered the bath and settled in. Both looked a little apprehensive at first, but soon enough the two relaxed.

"This isn't so bad. Yui's right. I trust you all." Liz said, her eyes closed in relaxation. Her right eye peeked open as she looked over at Leonn, who was sitting to her right side. "I also trust you won't ogle the others."

Leonn chuckled. "You're the only one I have eyes for, you know that."

Yui giggled. Her auntie and uncle could be so sweet sometimes! She wished Mama and Papa would be more like that sometimes, but then again that just wouldn't be them. They didn't need to be overly sappy.

"Ugh, get a room already!" Dale chuckled.

"Already did!" Leonn shot back.

"Anyone else going to join us?" Mama asked after the laughter died down.

"Naut, let's go."

"You sure, Yun'?"

"Do we just wanna rename the mixed bath to the 'couples bath'?" Klein joked.

"Dude, you would be right there with them if Kuroi was around." Kunimittz snarked. "Don't think we haven't seen you two checking each other out."

Yui giggled again, this time at her Uncle Klein's spluttering. She did notice that her parents' self-appointed bodyguard, who was decidedly missing at the moment, had been growing rather close with the redhead recently. Auntie Sinon said it worked because they were both two dorks. According to Sinon, Klein was a dork just because of his personality, but Kuroi was a dork in a different way. Something about her dedication to her character.

"You're lucky Kuroi's out with Argo right now." Papa chuckled. "She'd probably turn you into a pincushion if she heard that."

The laughter on the other side immediately halted, and Yui couldn't blame them.

Auntie Kuroi could be scary sometimes.

"Well, I don't know about you all…" Agil rumbled. "...but I think I'll head over, too."

"Wait, seriously?" Klein asked.

Agil chuckled. "I'm already married, and Kizmel and Yui got a point. We trust each other with our lives. Everyone's covered by a towel, anyway. Think of it as a bonding experience, so long as you remember to be respectful."

That seemed to spur everyone else into action. Slowly, one by one, everyone who was currently bathing in the boys' side and girls' side trickled over into the mixed bath. Yui couldn't help but squirm in excitement. She got to share a bath with her family!

Maybe they'd be willing to have a splash fight. Surely they now outnumbered Mama and Papa. Although they'd have to get past the awkwardness first.

Oh boy, was it awkward.

"So…" Klein trailed. It was obvious he was looking everywhere but at the others, specifically avoiding looking at the girls. "...This is nice, though I'm honestly surprised you girls were on board with this."

Yuna shrugged. "I thought it would bother me at first, but then I remembered Naut and I used to do this all the time growing up."

"WHAT?!"

"Context, Yun'!" Nautilus was quick to interject. "We grew up together. Like, very young, so sometimes we'd bathe together when we were toddlers. We stopped once we reached primary school, though!"

Klein turned to the other couple in the bath. "Liz? Leonn? You two just did just start dating a while ago."

"I knew Leonn would be hesitant to even suggest it, so I had to be the one to do it first." Liz explained. "He's got this really irritating inferiority complex I'm trying to break him of, and I know he probably feels like there's nothing worth showing."

"I'm sitting right here, Liz."

"Yes, in all your hunky glory." Liz purred.

A flurry of simultaneous coos, wolf whistles, and groans of disgust echoed out, much to Liz's amusement.

"Alright, alright… I'll stop." Liz relented. "This is nice, though. Thanks for suggesting this, Kizmel."

"My pleasure. Though it may be artificial, I wanted to give you all a taste of how my life was growing up. It may seem silly, but I want to share my story before the day comes when everything here fades away into oblivion."

"I'll bet it was a hell of a team-building exercise." Agil chuckled, eliciting a round of giggles and chuckles around the bath.

"Indeed. It was a place of not only bathing and relaxation, but it also carried a deeper significance. Just as the steam and vapors wash and waft away filth and impurities, we believe it also aids in cleansing the soul of heavy burdens. Anything said within a bath was to be met with acceptance and support. A sanctuary free of judgment and filled with healing."

"That's… profound." Nezha commented. "So, like therapy?"

Something clicked in Yui, and she felt something deep within stir. She wanted to have her family talk like that. Something deep within her soul urged her to listen… and comfort. Relieve them of their woes, regrets, and pain. She wasn't so naive as to think her family didn't have their share of negative experiences here in SAO. Maybe this would help.

"I think that's a good idea!" Yui exclaimed. "If you can't share your troubles with your family, who can you trust them with? Papa! You go first!"

"Me?" Papa stammered. After a moment, he calmed himself and looked hesitant. Yui gave him an enthusiastic nod. He looked towards Mama. "What should I say?"

"Whatever's on your mind, dear." Mama said in a soothing voice. "You've told me about a few things that bother you; you could always share one of those."

Papa looked pensive, his eyes downcast in deep thought. "Well… I guess I'm worried about my sister."

"You have a sister?" Silica asked. Even Pina and Fafnir had settled down, both dragonlings watching and listening intently.

Meanwhile, Yui was ecstatic. She had an aunt! Sure, she had plenty of aunties in here, but now she had a real auntie out there!

"She's about your age, actually, Silica." Papa nodded. "After I learned I was adopted, I sort of… drifted away from her. I want to mend our relationship, even if she is my cousin and not actually my sister. Asuna's told me that she'll probably want the same, but… what if we've changed too much?"

"Kirito…" Mama trailed softly.

Papa shook his head. "We're fighting a war in here. Many of us are underage, which technically makes us child soldiers. There's no way we're going to be the same once we get out of here. Actually, that's not true. We will be the same… just not the same as when we first got here. We'll be the same people who fought battle after battle, day after day just to survive."

"That may be, Kirito…" Kizmel said, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "...but she is your sister, your family. The bonds of family are strong. So long as both of you are willing to make the effort, I have no doubt you'll be able to rekindle that connection and build it until it is stronger than before. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen. Trust in yourself, and trust in your sister."

"That… helps." Papa smiled. "Thank you."

"Okay Mama!" Yui cheered, pointing a finger. "You next!"

Mama suddenly looked very flustered. She also took a moment to compose herself. "My relationship with my mother isn't what you'd call… loving. Father says she cares for me, but she certainly has an interesting way of showing it."

Papa looked at her consolingly, but didn't say anything.

"I know she wants the best for me, but what she thinks is best for me is different from what I think is best for me." Mama clarified. "She tells me how to live my life; where I go to school, who I associate with, and even how I spend my free time. The only reason I'm here to begin with is I wanted to try out my brother's copy of SAO."

"Hell of a decision there." Ducker muttered, which prompted a smack from Sachi.

"No, no. He's right." Mama said. "Putting on that NerveGear changed my life forever, but I wouldn't take it back for all the money in the world. SAO changed me – for the better I hope – but I worry that the way I am now will clash with my mother when I get out. I know she's going to clamp down and try to control my life more now that I'll have lost at least a year or two of academic progress."

"I mean, that doesn't sound too bad." Yuna hesitantly said. "We'll all be there to help each other catch up. I'm sure so long as we work hard, well - "

"If it were only that simple." Mama interrupted with a sigh. "I've only told Kirito this, but… I'm engaged."

"No, you're married." Liz corrected.

"No, I mean I'm engaged in real life." Mama admitted. "...More or less."

"More or less?!" Liz cried out. "What does that even mean?"

Papa decided to clarify for her. "She's arranged to marry someone else in real life."

"Do you…?" Liz carefully asked.

"No."

Everyone's faces kind of… screwed up and twisted themselves. Oh, that was confusion alright. Pure confusion, and Yui couldn't blame them. How could Mama be married and engaged at the same time? Unlike those novels Wolfgang and Mako tried to hide – Yui knew their hiding spots – people couldn't be married to more than one person. In a relationship with more than one person was possible, but marriage was different.

"Oh, that is some bullshit." Leonn finally said. Sinon smacked his shoulder, upon which she glanced pointedly over at Yui. "Oh… err, I mean… that's not right."

"Nice recovery." Liz said sarcastically.

"Thank you." Leonn answered with just as much sarcasm.

"I kind of feel bad saying this, but hopefully it takes us longer to get out of here then." Yuna said, earning her many shocked looks. "Think about it. If she's a legal adult when she gets out of here, they can no longer decide that for her."

"That doesn't solve the whole helicopter-mom thing, though." Liten said. "No offense."

"None taken."

"I can think of no solutions to your predicament, my friend, but know this: I will stand by you, for all it's worth." Kizmel declared. "I'm under no presumption that my presence in your world will be looked upon favorably, but know that you have my support."

"When we get out, I'll talk with Grandma!" Yui exclaimed. "I'll convince her to let you stay married to Papa."

Mama smiled fondly and patted Yui's head. Ooh, she forgot how much she liked headpats from Mama. "Thank you, Yui. I appreciate it."

Silence washed over the group, many simply digesting the burdens their leaders carried on their shoulders. Yui, the little empath that she was, noticed that a few others looked like they wanted to say something, but something or other was holding them back. Maybe they just needed a little push. This therapy thing was working wonders, after all.

"Lok?" Yui broke the silence. "You look like you wanna say something! You should share!"

"Yui, he doesn't have to share if he doesn't want to." Mama scolded her.

Yui frowned. But sharing was helping! Mama and Papa already looked a lot better and they shared. She had a point, though. The last thing Yui wanted was for someone to feel uncomfortable. Yui would share but she didn't have anything to share, so somebody else needed to!

"If you do, Lokuss…" Kizmel added. "Know that we will not judge, no matter what it is. I will personally throw anyone out who decides to cast judgment in this safe space."

A round of nods, which warmed Yui's heart. This was good! Bonding!

"I guess since we're on the subject of family…" Lokuss began. He looked the most pained and uncertain of those that already spoke. "I'll start by saying that I consider all of you my true family. The people who raised me aren't my family, not in the way it matters."

Silica, like everyone else, looked either touched and horrified, a most perplexing combination. No one interrupted him, though.

"My sisters bullied me, growing up. Not going to sugarcoat it, I'm pretty sure they resent me on some level." Lokuss continued. "I won't go into detail about why that is, or we'll be here all night. Suffice it to say that they took every opportunity to make my life a living hell."

"That's terrible!" Silica said, looking particularly inflamed at the idea that Lokuss was tormented growing up. "Didn't your parents do anything?"

"Dad… tried. I didn't really know he cared until recently, though. Mom's a manipulator. Pretty sure she's the one who turned my sisters against me to begin with; they weren't like that at first. She sure tried to convince me that Dad didn't care."

"What changed?" Silica asked.

"When they divorced, Dad took custody of me and we moved to Japan. I think he wanted to get me as far away from them as possible, but I didn't realize just how much he was trying to protect me until the past couple of years. Since then, he remarried but now even his new wife isn't too thrilled with me. Still, what she thinks doesn't bother me as much as my relationship with him does. Honestly, I'd rather it was just me and him. I'd gone so long thinking he didn't care, and now I wish I had more time to repair things."

"You can repair it when we get out." Mama said with absolute certainty. "I'm sure he's worried sick about you."

Lokuss shrugged. "Maybe. No way of knowing, though. That's why I appreciate you all so much. You've been nothing but sincere and welcoming ever since we met. I just wish it was that way with my blood family."

"Screw your mom and sisters." Liz spat. "They don't deserve you."

Lokuss shook his head. "Is it wrong I want to make things right by them, though?"

"One step at a time." Papa said. "Start with your father, then see if your stepmom, mom, and sisters are… salvageable."

"Kirito!" Mama scolded. "He's not wrong, though. I would have worded it differently… but yes, start with your father."

Lokuss smiled softly. "Thanks."

Another moment of silence passed, and the matter was dropped. Yui scanned over everyone intently, waiting to see who would be brave enough to go next.

"Ducker." Keita said suddenly. "Something's been bothering you lately, hasn't it? Sachi and I could tell. You can tell us, you know. Lok's right. We're practically family."

"I…" Ducker started, looking very caught off guard and very close to crying. "I just… I feel guilty."

"What for? You've got nothing to feel guilty about."

"Yes I do!"

The sudden outburst seemed to shock Keita into stunned silence.

"Yes I do…" Ducker muttered. "They're dead because of me."

Yui knew exactly what he was talking about. Tetsuo and Sasamaru. She was there when they explained everything, and she could easily see how Ducker blamed himself. She frowned, wanting nothing more than to swim over and give him a great big hug and to tell him that everything was okay. She knew better than that, though. Tetsuo and Sasamaru weren't ever coming back, so it would never be okay.

"Duck, you're not responsible for what happened." Keita tried to assure him.

"Yes, I am! I'm the one that said we should keep going after that stupid pitfall trap. I'm the one that ignored the warning signs, the red flags. I was too cocky, and they died for it."

"That's on all of us, Duck. I could have vetoed it, too. Between Sachi and I, we could have convinced everyone – yes, including you – to turn back. No, instead we all decided to keep moving forward. Their deaths aren't just on you, dude. It's just as much my fault."

"Still…" Ducker growled with tears in his eyes, his uncharacteristic anger stunning many in attendance. "When I find out who's responsible, I'm gonna kill 'em."

"We'll avenge them together, Duck." Keita said, reaching out towards Sachi. She gave a pained smile and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "I won't rest until we do."

Someone scoffed, and everyone's head whipped over to see who thought so little of what just transpired.

"Don't say you're going to kill them." Sinon spoke up. "Saying and doing are two different things. Trust me."

"Sinon…" Leonn trailed, cutting in before anyone could respond. "Are you…?"

"I… wasn't going to." Sinon admitted, looking as if she regretted speaking up. "Should I?"

Leonn had a very serious expression. "If you do and they're not okay with it, we'll leave this guild right now."

There was a very visceral reaction to that. Yui gasped, a sentiment shared by many. No! She didn't care what deep, dark secret they were talking about. She didn't want to lose her Uncle Leonn or her Auntie Sinon!

"That's not funny, Leonn." Liz said.

Leonn shook his head. "No, it's not. I'm fully serious. If she decides to share what I think she's going to share and anyone decides to give her crap about it, so help me I will throw you out of this pool myself and leave on the spot."

"Leonn, you don't need to do that." Sinon protested.

"No." Leonn responded firmly. "Anyone who would give you flak for it is not the kind of people I want to associate with."

"This must be truly serious, then." Kizmel said. "If it is any consolation, know that nothing would ever make me think less of you, Sinon. You are a strong young woman who I view as a sister. No matter what it is, I will stand by you."

"I…" Sinon stammered, and Yui saw a vulnerability leak out of the cracks in her otherwise stoic expression. She took a deep breath. "Okay. I can do this."

Sinon took a few more deep breaths. Liz maneuvered herself around Leonn and sat down next to Sinon, rubbing circles on her back comfortingly.

"One day, when I was eleven, my mother and I went to the post office. I don't remember why, maybe we were mailing off holiday cards… I don't know. That's not important. I remember sitting on a bench, waiting for my mom to finish whatever she was doing. I was reading a book… I… I don't remember what book it was, but I remember I liked it."

She gulped.

"The next thing I knew, this man walks in through the door carrying a duffel bag. I was too young to know for sure, but I could feel something was wrong. He had this sort of… glazed look in his eyes, and his mouth was drooling. I didn't think anything of it… I just thought he was tired or something. Then he pushed my mom to the floor, opened up his bag, and… and…"

Sinon shivered.

"...then he pulled out a gun."

Mama gasped, and Yui found herself pulled into a hug. She probably would have resisted a little more, but Yui wanted to listen more to Auntie Sinon's story. This was very serious, and Yui couldn't help her auntie if she didn't know everything. It was scary, but she needed to know.

"A gun is like a small, handheld cannon." Lokuss whispered to Kizmel, his voice low enough where Yui had to strain to hear it. "Incredibly dangerous, and also illegal to own without proper permits and licenses."

"It was a robbery. He warned the clerk not to hit the alarm, or he'd shoot. Somebody must have hit the alarm, because the next thing I knew… he fired. It was loud. I'd never heard a gunshot before. I wasn't expecting it to be so loud. The clerk fell down, and then the guy started pointing his gun at other people. Then he pointed the gun at my mom."

More gasps, and Yui felt Mama's hold on her tighten.

"What happened next was a blur. I remember biting his hand… the one holding the gun, that is. He slammed me into the counter, but ended up fumbling the gun. I knew I had to keep it away from him, so I grabbed it. I thought he would freeze like they do in television shows since he wasn't armed anymore."

Sinon seemed to stare out into nothing.

"I was wrong. He tried to take the gun back from me, and… then the gun went off. I shot him. He started bleeding, but he didn't stop. I shot him again, this time on purpose, and hit him in the shoulder. When he fell back, I thought maybe this time he'd stop. But he didn't. He started to get back up and… I panicked. I shot him again, and then he stopped moving."

A shuddering breath this time. Yui looked up and saw Mama with tears in her eyes.

"I'll never forget the look on my mom's face. She looked so… horrified. At first I didn't realize why she was so scared, but then I looked down. I was…"

A few more deep breaths. Yui couldn't see her, but she could hear water moving towards where she knew Sinon was.

"...I was still holding the gun. Gods, there was so much blood. I can't even look at a handgun, or even someone holding their fingers like a gun, without a panic attack setting in. I've tried to get over it, but… I… I…"

"That's enough, Sinon." Mama said softly. "Now I understand. Your classmates found out, didn't they? They started bullying you because of that."

"Yes." The response came, so soft Yui almost thought it was a trick of the wind. "They called me a monster. A murderer."

"They're wrong."

Papa's voice cut like a knife through warm butter. "You're not a monster, Sinon."

"...Wha…?"

"That guy already shot once, and he was probably going to shoot again. You stopped him before he could hurt or kill anyone else. You saved lives. Look at me, Sinon."

Mama's grip loosened, and finally Yui could peek out. She saw Sinon slowly look up towards Papa.

"You. Are. Not. A monster."

"Yeah!" Klein shouted, slamming his fist down in determination. Unfortunately, that had the side effect of splashing those around him. "Sorry. I'm with Leonn on this. Sinon's a damn hero! Anyone who thinks otherwise can go to hell!"

"Yeah!" Many among the Renegades cheered.

"Sinon, when we get out of this, if any of those jokers start hounding you again… you just let me know." Klein said. "Big Bro Klein'll set 'em straight."

"Pretty sure that'd be assaulting a minor, Klein." Kunimittz remarked.

Klein grumbled and started to mutter under his breath, thinking of ways he could 'teach those delinquents a lesson'. Yui looked back over at Sinon, and saw something she almost never saw her auntie do.

"You're smiling!" Yui said, breaking Klein out of his rambling and startling Sinon. "You should smile more, Auntie Sinon! You look even more pretty when you smile!"

Sinon's face turned red in embarrassment, and the laughter that followed helped ease the tension of the previous conversations. By the time all was said and done, Yui could tell that everyone in the bath felt much better. Their pains, grievances, and traumas weren't gone by any stretch of the imagination, but having the support of others did wonders for their state of mind. They were happier, and that made Yui happy in turn.

Yui now knew with absolute certainty how she could contribute to the clearing effort. She was never going to catch up with Mama and Papa in time for the 100th floor, but she could keep everyone in their best mental state as possible. She could keep them happy.

Plus, therapy meant she could spend more time with them!

Win-win!

"Hmm…" Papa hummed, looking at his menu with a serious expression on his face.

Mama perked up. "What is it, Kirito?"

"We're going to have to cut this group therapy session short." Papa declared. "That was Argo. She's calling for a meeting."

"Is it about the 55th Floor boss?" Klein asked.

Papa shook his head.

"No, it's about Laughing Coffin. They found their hideout."