So... A new chapter.
Here I thought that, for once, it would be rather short, but I was sorely mistaken. It's certainly not the longest chapter yet, but it's still about 7,000 words. *sighs*
Anyway, this chapter might actually be the closest thing to one of the actual ingame events that I've written so far. Okay, there are references to Sinon's training events in previous chapters, but they are adapted relatively loosely. To be fair, that's not so different in this chapter, but still.
Well, you'll see what I'm talking about, although the chapter title might give you an idea as to what's going on. ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
Clearing the 86th floor worked just fine, and the Assault Team proceeded to clear the game. Now it was early April, and they were currently exploring the labyrinth on the 87th floor.
The biggest recent trouble had actually been caused by Argo. When she had reported about clearing the 86th floor as part of her "Weekly Argo" newspaper project, she had delayed the issue, so it had been published on 1st April. As a weird April Fools' joke, Argo had claimed that the Assault Team had found a secret tunnel leading all the way up to the 100th floor, so the newspaper had announced that the game would be cleared very soon.
Frankly, Argo had been the only person in the entirety of Aincrad who had thought that this was funny. In fact, it had been so bad that Argo had gone into hiding for three days to avoid an angry lynch mob while the Assault Team Council had been taking care of this mess.
As a consequence, there had been a proposal to impose minor censorship on Argo. Argo was still the most important info broker in SAO, so that proposal had been overall reasonable as it had been meant to ensure both the safety of the Assault Team (and people who relied on Argo's information in general) and Argo's own safety (to avoid future lynch mobs).
The proposal had been rejected, though, as the members of the Council had figured that Argo had probably learnt her lesson by now. Asuna had made sure that this was really the case, and that alone was reason enough for Argo to never try something like that again.
Speaking of responsibilities of the Council, they certainly didn't have only shenanigans of Aincrad's "VIPs" on their hands. Among many other things, they had to decide which guilds and parties were allowed to join the Assault Team.
As a means of preselection, Akinym and Asuna were going through the list of applicants at a table at Agil's inn.
Akinym had expertise on the matter due to his former work as an instructor, so he knew how to assess the abilities of players, and as a former Assault Team member, he knew of the general requirements, too.
Asuna probably had the most insight regarding what playing at the frontlines was like these days, and she had trained many new recruits back when KoB had been a rather small guild.
To sum it up, these two were the best choice for this task. On top of that, Asuna welcomed it. For starters, she had to learn how to work with Akinym either way. Working on this was also a good way to distract herself from certain… worries.
So far, most of the candidates were somewhat promising, but overall not ready or unsuited for some reason. More and more small guilds came to the upper floors, and they were all quite experienced, but at the end of the day, they were easily ten floors behind the Assault Team when it came to what they could handle.
One of the more promising groups was a small guild called "Ascending Moon". They had entered the upper floors recently, shortly after the Council had been founded. They made good progress at catching up to the Assault Team. The odd thing was that the guild was so small that it didn't even have enough members for a full party.
Asuna took a sip of her tea while scrolling through the list to the next candidate. She was happy that she had swallowed before looking at it closely – she probably would've spat it out again if she hadn't.
Asuna: "Aincrad's Glory"? They are trying to get into the Assault Team again? [mutters] And what a decadent name is that anyway?
Akinym took a look at the list.
Akinym [slightly contemplatively]: Aincrad's Glory? Isn't that… What was his name again? Alberich? Isn't that Alberich's guild?
Asuna [slightly worriedly]: Yes, that's right. I know I've told them to apply again after they've become stronger, but judging from what I've heard, they didn't really work on their technique or anything. Not to mention that they're a bunch of troublemakers.
Akinym: I've heard about that. I doubt they'd be a good addition, and frankly, I'd rather not deal with them as a part of the voting members of the small clearing guilds at the assemblies.
Oh, right… Asuna had almost forgotten about it, but Akinym would also have to deal with all new members of the Assault Team. After all, they would join the faction of the small clearing guilds. Asuna had got really bad vibes from Alberich, and given all the rumors about him, she could understand Akinym's concerns.
On top of that, there was the question how the other guilds would vote about new members. Asuna figured that they'd probably be reluctant to accept more parties since that would diminish their own individual influence. She assumed that they'd only accept new members if these newcomers truly were a good addition to the Assault Team.
Aincrad's Glory was rejected, and they went on to the next candidate.
The usual silence between them bothered Asuna a little. They discussed the applicants, but that was about everything, and their comments were overall extremely brief.
Asuna wondered what would be a good way to start small talk. She'd usually not have a problem with that, but judging from everything her friends had told her, it was quite difficult to talk with Akinym about something that wasn't related to the matter at hand.
Just as she thought about that, Akinym said something that caught her by surprise.
Akinym [calmly]: You know, I think you don't have to worry about Kirito-san because of whatever he's doing right now.
Asuna was completely taken by surprise. This was indeed something she was worrying about. Maybe not at this very moment, but still.
Asuna: H-how do you…?
Akinym: Educated guess. I've noticed that something seemed to be on your mind, and you seemed lost in thought a lot. At first, I thought it might be about the applications, but I remembered that there were signs of worry even before we started work, so I guessed this isn't about the Council.
Akinym looked over to another table. Most of Asuna's friends were seated there.
Akinym: Given that almost all of your friends are here, I doubted that you'd be very concerned about one of them. It could've been something about your guild, but I couldn't imagine that you'd try to distract yourself with Council work rather than dealing with that issue first. The most likely source seemed to be Kirito-san. Judging from what I've heard, he's almost like a black hole for trouble.
Asuna [taken aback]: W-well, I suppose you're right. [worriedly] It's just… He goes to the Hollow Area a lot recently, and that's fine, but it's also a bit worrying since I can't help him there at all unless he takes me with him. Or anyone for that matter… It's usually not that bad, but he's already late, and I wonder if something might've happened. He hasn't even sent a message or anything… or replied to mine.
Akinym took a moment to think about this.
Asuna [hastily, slightly reassuringly]: You don't have to concern yourself with it, though! I know that this is only my problem!
Akinym didn't react to Asuna's statement. It wasn't that he hadn't heard it or anything, he simply kept thinking because he was on to something.
Akinym: I overall understand your concern, Asuna-san. Judging from what I've heard, you're Kirito-san's partner in clearing this game, so being unable to reach him if he needs it would be a reason for concern for that reason alone. However, I've noticed that Kirito-san seems quite enthusiastic when it comes to the Hollow Area, which I can understand to a certain extent. It might very well be that he just lost track of time, [slightly annoyed] almost like a demon of irrat… [clears throat, calmly] like a kid that gets lost in a fun game. He wasn't the most successful solo player in SAO for nothing, though, and while he is – as mentioned – a black hole for trouble, he also seems to be quite capable of dealing with that problem. He should be fine.
Asuna was quite surprised that Akinym would say that. If nothing else, she hadn't expected that he would… defend Kirito.
Given that Asuna didn't say anything, Akinym had the impression that his statement might not be convincing enough, though.
Akinym: I know this might not mean much to you if it's coming from me. I guess it's just that there's no point in worrying about something beyond your control. As you've said, there is nothing you can do when Kirito-san goes to the Hollow Area without you, so I guess you have to accept that. I know it's not that easy, and frankly, I don't know if I could shrug it off if I was in your shoes. [dryly] To be honest, I've never been in love with Kirito-san, so I can't relate to the feeling at all. [calmly] However, if you let him go, I'd say you seem to trust him enough to be there on his own, so I doubt I'm telling you anything you shouldn't know already.
While certain parts of Akinym's statement were bizarre rather than reassuring, it was overall still what Asuna needed at the moment: a reminder of what she had thought about the matter herself already.
Asuna [smiles]: I suppose you're right, Akinym-san. Thank you.
Akinym wanted to tell her to pay it no mind and to continue working, but there was a little… disturbance. There was some sort of commotion at the door, and a player tumbled inside.
When she saw that it was Kirito, Asuna immediately rushed towards him, and several of his friends followed suit. Kirito looked pretty haggard and was almost completely out of breath.
Asuna: Kirito-kun, are you okay?! What happened? You were away quite long!
Kirito: Asuna… Yeah, it's okay… I guess. It's just… [dejectedly] Something happened… with Philia. I… I have a lot to tell you.
A few minutes later, they all sat at a remote table. Fortunately, the restaurant had only a few customers at the moment, so they could talk in quiet.
Even Akinym was among the audience, although he had actually assumed he wouldn't be "welcome". Kirito, however, had said that he wouldn't mind him listening in, probably because he didn't care enough. Frankly, Akinym was curious what was going on, so he had decided to listen to the story.
As it turned out, Kirito had explored a dungeon called Shrine of the Pursuer in the area Driogeer Skycaves in the Hollow Area. Philia had accompanied him because she had found a hidden passageway.
At some point, however, Philia had suddenly stopped. She had started to talk about the "Hollows", AI recreations of players, and then, she had said the most bizarre thing Kirito – or anyone who listened – had ever heard. She had explained how she had killed "herself".
The situation had still become even more disturbing when someone had suddenly jumped out of hiding and pushed Kirito down a large hole in the ground, which led to a part of the Shrine of the Pursuer that was deep inside the dungeon. The culprit had said something to Kirito, and he was sure that the voice belonged to PoH, the leader of Laughing Coffin.
The worst part, however, was that Philia had seemed to know about this plan as she had asked Kirito "to forgive her" right before the attack.
After that, Kirito had fought his way through the dungeon. It had been necessary to proceed with great caution since there had been countless traps and groups of strong monsters, and if he had acted hastily, he would've been overwhelmed and killed easily. It had taken him a few hours, but in the end, he had come out alive.
When he had returned to the Administration Area, though, Philia had been nowhere to be found. Not knowing what to do, Kirito had returned to Aincrad, and he had come to the inn right away to tell them about it.
It took a moment for the whole story to sink in.
Asuna [sighs, worriedly]: Well, I'm just glad you came back in one piece…
Leafa [worriedly, slightly exasperatedly]: Yeah… You always get caught up in trouble no matter where you go, don't you?
Sinon [slightly exasperatedly]: I start to think he's doing it on purpose. Or I would if this wasn't so serious…
Lisbeth [annoyed]: You can say that again! He doesn't get caught up in trouble, he looks for it and dives right in! [slightly teasingly and exasperatedly] Gets lured into a trap by some girl, but lives to tell the tale… and makes a bunch of girls worry while he's at it. Kirito is honestly the only guy who can pull that off!
Kirito [slightly exasperatedly]: Give me a break, I don't choose to end up in these situations… [slightly dejectedly] But sorry for worrying you. I guess this could've gone really bad this time. [slightly tiredly] I'm just glad it didn't.
Silica [worriedly, slightly doubtfully]: I still can't believe it. Did Philia-san… really trick you?
Lisbeth [upset]: You bet she did! I mean, you heard the story. Why would she apologise if she wasn't in on the whole plot! I guess this orange cursor wasn't there for show after all.
Sinon [slightly nervously]: Well, leaving that aside… [slightly sternly] I'm with Liz on this one. I mean, you've said that there are many player killers in the Hollow Area, Kirito, haven't you? This… PoH seems particularly dangerous. It would probably be better if you don't go to the Hollow Area anymore, at least not for a while.
Leafa: Yeah, I… don't want you to go either. To be honest, it sounds way too dangerous, and we can't really help you over there, can we? You can't even take more than one person with you to help!
This was the overall agreement. However, Kirito's expression turned quite gloomy.
Most of the girls figured that he was just beat and that he was disappointed that Philia had betrayed him. Asuna had a different idea, though.
Frankly, she was conflicted. Asuna actually agreed with her friends, and personally, she didn't want Kirito to put himself in danger again, but she couldn't ignore how he felt about it, could she? Deep down, Asuna knew that this wasn't what Kirito wanted.
Asuna [softly]: Kirito-kun, what do you want to do?
The majority of the people at the table looked at Asuna in surprise.
Kirito: Asuna… [slightly contemplatively] I… want to find out what's really happening. [slightly apologetically] I'm sorry, everyone, I know I'm worrying you, and I understand what you're thinking, but I… just can't believe that Philia is a bad person, let alone that she's involved with Laughing Coffin. [slightly determinedly] There has to be an explanation for all this.
As if Asuna's question wasn't surprising enough…
Lisbeth [exasperatedly]: You can't be serious! What could possibly explain what she did?! She let you get pushed into a murderous dungeon! That was clearly attempted MPK, and almost masterfully executed at that!
Kirito: I don't know, but that's exactly why I have to go back. There is so much about the Hollow Area and Philia that I just don't know. This whole "meeting another version of herself and killing it" or how she got involved with PoH of all people to begin with… I can't abandon Philia without knowing the answer to a single one of all the mysteries surrounding the Hollow Area, not after everything we've been through!
Asuna: I see. I thought you'd say that. [slightly cheerfully] Well, as to be expected of you!
Lisbeth [slightly shocked]: Asuna! You can't be serious! Are you seriously okay with Kirito going back to the Hollow Area?!
To be perfectly honest, she wasn't, but Asuna remembered what Akinym had told her earlier. She was worried every time Kirito went to the Hollow Area without her, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about it.
Just as Akinym had said, Kirito was a "black hole for trouble", and Asuna didn't like that one bit. However, she had come to the conclusion that their relationship would only work if she accepted that this was just a part of who he was.
She couldn't have the guy who fought for the safety and happiness of his comrades without him doing the crazy things he did to fight for everyone's safety and happiness.
Therefore, once again just as Akinym had figured, she had already decided to trust in Kirito's ability to pull through and make his plans work.
Asuna: Well, what could I even do? Even if I tried to stop him, he'd go anyway, so I might as well try my best to support him, right?
Lisbeth [taken aback]: This is crazy… [looks around] I mean, is there nothing I can…
Lisbeth only saw a mixture of exasperation and resignation in the faces of the other girls. In the end, she saw only one person who could help her knock some sense into Kirito. She couldn't believe herself what she was going to do, but desperate times called for desperate measures…
Lisbeth: Hey, Akinym, don't just sit there in silence! Say something! You can't tell me that you're okay with this crazy idea!
Akinym had sat on his chair with his hands folded in front of his face since Kirito had begun his "report". He hadn't moved an inch. The entire time, Akinym had seemed to be deep in thought, which was true to some extent, but he had also listened to everything.
Akinym: I think you should go, Kirito-san.
And the surprises just kept coming, although this one was a real shock, to be honest. Especially Lisbeth couldn't believe that Akinym of all people would say that.
Akinym: I mean, you are right about something. There might be more to this than it seems. There is, for instance, the question why Philia-san would cooperate with PoH of all people. Admittedly, it is a possibility that she really is just a player killer, but given everything I've heard here and before, I'd say that isn't even likely.
Leafa [surprised]: Huh? What makes you think that?
Akinym: Well, there are things that are hard to explain if that's the case. Like Philia-san's story about killing her doppelganger or whatever you'd call it. Why would she say such a thing? And why would she apologise for the MPK attempt if she really wanted Kirito-san to die?
Lisbeth: Well, to deceive him, obviously! That weird story was in order to distract him, and the apology was meant to avoid distrust if the MPK failed. [looks at Kirito] I mean, it worked, [mutters] the idiot seriously wants to help her!
Akinym: Say, Lisbeth-san, if you wanted to deceive someone, would you seriously tell them such an absurd story?
Lisbeth [surprised]: Huh?
Akinym: I mean, would you really tell them something that's so hard to believe? There would've been more believable cover stories. Judging from what I've heard, Philia-san attacked Kirito-san out of panic when they first met. Why not say that she got the orange cursor in a similar way? As we've noticed, there are many player killers in the Hollow Area, and if she was one herself, she could just claim that she was afraid of them and attacked everyone on instinct. If one of the unfortunate people she ran into happened to have a green cursor, it would explain why her cursor turned orange.
Lisbeth: Well, I guess I can see where you're coming from…
Akinym [slightly exasperatedly]: Not to mention that she's supposed to work together with PoH of all people. That man is too good of a schemer to come up with something so bizarre. [calmly] No, it's more likely that this strange story is at least partially true, and that Philia-san was just honest.
It was an interesting explanation, and everyone could at least follow to the extent that they had to acknowledge Akinym's reasoning, especially Kirito. Kirito didn't have any opportunity to think about the events and what could be behind them yet, so he was actually glad to hear Akinym's thoughts on the matter.
Akinym: There's also the apology. The way you've described it, Kirito-san, it was too sincere to be a deception. I mean, you said she even cried. As far as I know, it's almost impossible to force oneself to cry in VR.
Yui considered this to be her cue.
Yui: Yes, that is correct. The system reads every players emotional data, and certain actions such as crying are directly derived from that data. As a consequence, it is almost impossible to fake tears. That would only be possible if Philia-san tricked herself into genuinely being sad.
Sinon [slightly doubtfully]: To trick oneself into genuinely feeling something? Sounds like a plain contradiction to me…
Akinym: Pretty much. A really good actor might be able to do that, or maybe not, I don't know. Either way, as far as I can see, Philia-san seems to be at the age of a high school student, and it's quite unlikely that she'd be such a good actor at that age. [slightly exasperatedly] If she was, we'd probably know her as a movie star…
Lisbeth [slightly at a loss]: Well, okay, you have a point. But what do you think happened if that's true?
Akinym continued thinking about it. He hadn't got to the point to develop a complete theory about that yet. Frankly, he would've welcomed more time to think this through.
Akinym: Hm, I'd still go with the theory that Philia-san might've been tricked into participating in PoH's plan, or maybe she was threatened to participate. I mean, as I said, PoH is a masterful schemer, and he might know something about Philia that allows him to have a hold on her. Maybe it has something to do with this story about killing herself. [slightly dejectedly] How exactly that might've led to Philia-san actually cooperating with PoH is a question I can't answer, though.
Now that he thought about it, PoH's involvement in this issue was particularly strange. How did he even get into the Hollow Area?! Did it happen in a similar way to Kirito's arrival?
In a sense, it would be great if PoH really was in the Hollow Area now. He was the only member of Laughing Coffin who hadn't been apprehended, and the Hollow Area might be a good prison for him, at least if he (still) had an orange cursor. The only way to come back to Aincrad would be to use the teleport gate to go to Arc Sophia, but… Let's say the NPC guards wouldn't take kindly to that.
PoH would be out of commission for good, but Akinym had a hunch that nothing so convenient was going on. There was the part about the "AI copies" Kirito had talked about. Apparently, even Kirito didn't know very much about it, and Akinym certainly knew even less. However, if Philia might be one, there was also the possibility that this "PoH" happened to be one, too.
Speaking of which…
Akinym [contemplatively]: There is this… "Hollow AI" thing going on. If I understand you correctly, Philia-san assumes that she is a copy of the "real" Philia, and that she has killed the actual player. Is that correct?
Kirito [doubtfully]: I mean, that's how I understand her story, but I don't know if it's actually true.
Akinym: Well, if that's the case, it would be a reason why she might think that there's nothing left for her to do. She might not be able to leave the Hollow Area ever again if these AIs are not able to, and she wouldn't be able to return to the real world if the game is cleared. That could be a weakness PoH might exploit. [slightly dejectedly] Furthermore, if it's true, there is – for the same reason – nothing you or anyone could do for Philia-san… as she'd actually be dead already.
Frankly, Kirito didn't like that thought for this exact reason. He had considered the possibility that Philia's story was true, but it would mean that there was nothing he could do for her anymore.
Akinym [contemplatively]: However, I'm not sure if that's actually the case. I mean, if I understand this correctly, Philia-san only mentioned running into a different… version of herself, fighting it, and the other "her" disappearing in the end. There is no telling if the one that died was the real one or the copy. I don't know what might make Philia-san think that she's the copy. It might be plain pessimism, or it could be something specific, maybe something odd about her orange cursor or the issue that she might be unable to return to Aincrad at all. I don't know.
Kirito [curiously]: So… What do you think has happened?
Akinym: It's just a vague theory, but you've mentioned that you entered the Hollow Area for the first time when you were exploring the seventy-sixth floor, is that correct? [Kirito nods] That would mean it wasn't too long after clearing the seventy-fifth floor. You said that you ran into Philia-san immediately after arriving in the Hollow Area, and that she had been there for a while already. If I understand it correctly, it's unusual for players to be in the Hollow Area to begin with. We certainly would've heard about it a long time ago if that wasn't the case. So how did she end up there? [hesitantly] I mean, couldn't it be that this is all because of the huge system error after clearing the seventy-fifth floor?
Kirito thought about it for a moment. He had never really thought about that, but it actually was a possibility. What if that system error had somehow teleported Philia into the Hollow Area? What if it had messed up her data in a way that would make her believe that she wasn't actually the real Philia?
He couldn't tell if that was the case, but it was a theory he should consider in his investigation.
Akinym [contemplatively]: If that's actually the case, abandoning Philia-san might very well sacrifice a player that could've been saved. There's also the fact that the issue with PoH in the Hollow Area can't be left unchecked if you still want to use the advantages of this map. Well, that's why I think it would be better to return to the Hollow Area and search for answers.
That was a lot to take in. Anyway, it really left room for only one solution, and everyone had to acknowledge this to some extent. Lisbeth even raised her arms as a gesture of surrender.
Lisbeth: Alright, I give up! You guys are set on this, aren't you? [slightly curiously] So, what's the plan?
Kirito thought about it for a moment.
Kirito: Well, I guess I have to find some answers first, [slightly dejectedly] and I think I searched for them the completely wrong way so far. I tried to find out more about the Hollow Area by exploring it, but a mystery like this might require an investigation on a… higher level. [slightly contemplatively] That said, I think Yui might help.
Everyone turned their eyes to Yui. She, on the other hand, was just surprised.
Yui [slightly insecurely]: M-me? But I can't fight any of the enemies there or…
Kirito [slightly reassuringly]: No, I don't want you to fight or anything, Yui. Don't worry! But I wonder if there's something in the system I've overlooked, maybe something like a database or a system file that might explain certain things about the purpose of the Hollow Area or some things that are going on over there. Or maybe what exactly might be behind the whole "Philia copy" thing.
Yui [seriously, slightly contemplatively]: I see. You are right that there might be information about the system, Papa. You said that there was a console in the Administration Area. If I check that console, I might be able to find data that could clear up certain questions. [slightly dejectedly] However, I cannot guarantee anything, and I will not be able to say what kind of information I can find before taking a look.
Kirito [slightly happily]: Great, I'm counting on you, Yui!
The conversation quickly came to a close after that.
It was certainly over the moment Asuna mentioned dinner. Kirito had had a long day trying to… well, survive, and he welcomed a warm meal. It lifted the mood in a strange way. Sinon called it "a certain someone's gluttony being a sign of normality amidst all the mystery". At the very least, nobody thought that the situation could be too dire if Kirito seemed to be back to his "usual self".
Once Akinym considered the matter to be settled for the time being, he stood up and walked towards the stairs. Asuna was busy with something else now, so Akinym couldn't continue his work as intended, and he didn't feel like continuing anyway right now, so he wanted to return to his room.
Kirito: Hey, Akinym! Wait a moment!
Akinym stopped and turned around. Kirito had stood up from his place at the table to walk over to him.
When he stood in front of Akinym, it turned out that Kirito didn't really know what exactly to say, and he began to rub the back of his head while trying to find the right words.
Kirito: Thanks for you help, I guess. I wasn't sure what to expect, especially when Liz asked you to talk me out of this, but you turned out to be a great help there, so…
Akinym: I think you're giving me too much credit here, Kirito-san. I merely tried to judge the situation objectively… [mutters] this time.
Akinym remembered how he had judged Philia at first. He had merely seen her orange cursor, much like Lisbeth had seemed to do during the discussion. She had only considered what Philia had done, and the orange cursor provided a convenient reasoning for her accusation.
Once he had thought about it, however, Akinym had come to the conclusion that this behaviour wasn't different from the way he had judged Kirito or Asuna originally. With that in mind, he had figured that he had to see Philia as an individual with her own intentions and secrets, even if he had no idea what they might be. It was the only way to remain objective.
It had been similar with his "advice" for Asuna earlier. Akinym had merely accepted the fact that Asuna had seemed to worry, probably about Kirito, although he had no idea how she had really felt about it. At the very least, Akinym had learnt by now that Kirito seemed to have a strange habit of worrying others. This, however, meant that he and Asuna would need some kind of understanding as to how to deal with that in order to make their relationship work, which seemed to be the case.
Once again, Akinym hadn't had any idea what exactly Asuna might think about the issue, but he could try to see things from her perspective and speculate what might make her act the way she did. Doing the same thing with Philia had led him to his theory about her, although he knew so little about her that Akinym had major doubts as to how good his theory actually was.
Akinym [slightly sternly]: Anyway, if you really are thankful, you better make the best out of it.
Kirito [slightly cheerfully and determinedly]: Heh, you bet!
Akinym just nodded approvingly in response. He walked up the stairs.
Akinym [flatly]: Have a nice meal, I guess. [dryly] And leave something for everybody else.
Kirito [upset]: I'm not that gluttonous! [mutters, slightly annoyed] Seriously, why does everyone keep mocking me like this?
A few days later, Akinym sat at his office at the castle at Arc Sophia. Yep, he had one. Every member of the Council had an office there, although Akinym used it more frequently than the representatives of the KoB and the DDA.
He was checking protocols of the recent Council meetings. Those were also a thing. Their purpose was to inform the other players about the exact proceedings of the meetings, so the members of the Assault Team could check if their representatives were really doing the job they were supposed to do.
Fortunately, there was a player on the upper floors who was good at stenography, so he was a pretty good minute taker. The protocols were published in the "Argo Weekly", so Argo took care of that. Yet another reason to keep her from being murdered…
Anyway, Akinym examined the way he had dealt with the other representatives during the meetings. He hoped to improve his negotiation skills or at least to understand the way the other representatives would argue better, so reading the protocols was almost like revising a test.
A knock on the door surprised him a bit. He wasn't actually expecting anyone. That didn't have to mean anything, though. There could always be someone having business with the members of the Council.
Akinym: Come in, please!
The door opened, and the visitor turned out to be Klein.
Klein: Yo, Akinym!
Akinym: Klein-san? Do you need something, or…?
Klein closed the door behind him, but he didn't bother taking a seat.
Klein: Well, I'm more here to tell you something. I've heard you were there when Kirito told everyone what had happened with Philia?
Akinym just nodded in response.
Klein [happily]: Well, the good news is that he managed to save the girl. [mutters, slightly annoyed] Figures, actually… [seriously] Anyway, it turned out that this PoH over at the Hollow Area had tricked her into believing that she was only an AI and that the only way for her to survive would be to stop Kirito from clearing the Hollow Area, so that was behind all that. [slightly confused] There's also some… stuff about AI copies of players, some "Hollows" or something, and PoH actually seemed to be one of them, but Kirito took him out.
So this theory had turned out to be true. Frankly, Akinym was a bit disappointed and worried since that meant that the real PoH was still somewhere out there, probably causing trouble. Well, at least "Hollow PoH" seemed to be taken care of.
Klein [worriedly]: The bad news is that PoH apparently did something in the Hollow Area, and now we might all be replaced with AI or something.
Akinym raised an eyebrow and just stared at Klein in confusion.
Klein [defensively]: I know that this explanation sucks, but I'm not Kirinoji, okay?! This whole IT gibberish is beyond me! All I know is that some sort of update has been started that might replace all players with AI versions of themselves.
Akinym [worriedly]: I see. That might indeed be a problem. Is there some sort of plan how to deal with this? Maybe something the Council is supposed to do, such as informing the other players?
Klein [seriously]: Well, the thing is that Kirito and Yui have an idea how to stop it, but that can only be done in the Hollow Area, so there's not much we can do. [slightly cheerfully] Don't get me wrong, though! I'm sure Kirinoji will take care of this! [doubtfully] But telling everyone else might be a bad idea. You know, it could cause quite the panic.
Akinym [slightly contemplatively]: Yeah… I can see where you're coming from.
Klein: Right? Anyway, we've also figured that keeping this a secret from everyone might cause some issues later down the line if anyone else ever hears about it, so we've decided to tell the council members. You know, that way we can at least say that the people in charge were informed. Asuna is talking with the DDA right now, and I thought I'd do some work, too, and tell you about it. [slightly contemplatively] Well, and now that this is done, I guess it's up to Kirito, Leafa and Philia to deal with the mess at the Hollow Area.
Akinym [surprised]: Leafa-san? He's not taking Asuna-san with him for that? Given the importance, I thought he'd bring her instead.
Klein: Hm, you're not wrong, and I'd say he wanted to do it with her at first. However, Asuna said that we should keep clearing the game as usual if we don't want people to suspect anything. The solution they have in mind will probably take a few days to be realised, and that would collide with the next boss raid. Asuna has to be there after all.
Akinym: I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for telling me, I guess.
Klein: No problem! Gotta keep all this politics stuff in mind if you want to benefit from it, right? [slightly contemplatively] That reminds me… [slightly awkwardly] Hey, can we, like, establish a rule that info brokers have to refund their clients if the information they sell turns out to be useless?
For a moment, Akinym wasn't sure if he should ask about this. He had the feeling that Klein had done something incredibly dumb, and it might be better not to know the details.
However, there was still a chance – admittedly a small one – that he had a good reason for suggesting that.
Akinym [slightly sternly]: Is there a particular… scenario you have in mind?
Klein: W-well, you see, there is this tip about a super special quest I've bought, and rumor has it that it rewards you with an amazing Sword Skill.
Akinym [curiously]: Rumor has it?
Klein: Yeah, you know, nobody has completed that quest so far. [at a loss] It seems to have some strange requirements since nobody can even accept it. There is a quest NPC, so it's definitely there, but that old geezer just goes on and on about how he used to be some kind of legendary warrior. [exasperatedly] Honestly, it's the longest, most boring story in the history of RPGs. [dejectedly] In the end, I couldn't start the quest either. Man, what a waste!
Akinym [contemplatively]: I see. I'm actually more concerned that there's some mysterious quest like that. Does the NPC say nothing that might hint at the requirements?
Klein: Well, he only tells his story, something about taking out a dragon. There is a lot of stuff about marksmanship, so I thought it might be about throwing weapons and stuff, and one of my pals has that skill, but he couldn't start it.
Akinym thought about it. Something had caught his attention. Marksmanship…
Also, taking out a dragon, huh? Given the usual depiction of dragons, it was probably a flying dragon, so it had probably been taken out by ranged attacks.
It was a bit odd, though. SAO's combat system was melee-oriented, yet the reward for this quest was said to be a powerful Sword Skill. It made sense to believe that it was a Sword Skill for throwing weapons, but these Sword Skills weren't exactly what you'd call "powerful".
There was probably a different secret behind it, and given that no player had been able to start this quest yet despite the fact that there had probably been a bunch of different players trying to do that, it was more likely that this quest required something… unique.
Akinym: You know, Klein-san, I think I have an idea how to solve this riddle.
Klein [surprised]: You do?!
Akinym: Yes, I think I know what this quest requires, and there's only one person who has it.
Klein gave it some thought, and while thinking about the things he had told Akinym and the people they knew, his gears slowly started turning.
Klein: Ah, I get it! Sinochi's Sniping skill, right?
Akinym: Exactly. I'd like to try showing her that quest. If possible, it would be good if she'd complete it to get that skill.
Klein [cheerfully]: Hehe, yeah, that would be great! I, Klein, the envoy of love and justice, and Fuurinkazan will make sure that she gets that awesome skill!
Akinym thought about something for a moment. A little plan began to form inside his head.
While he appreciated Klein's enthusiasm and shared his intention to help Sinon to acquire this new Sword Skill – provided that the plan would work as intended – Akinym had something else in mind for Klein.
Akinym: Klein-san, if you don't mind, there's something else I'd like to do. We might finally be able to deal with a little problem while doing this quest.
Klein [confused]: Huh? Problem? W-what do you have in mind?
Well, Klein gets his answer right away, but you, dear readers, will have to wait for the next chapter. ;)
The little "side story" about Argo trying to prank all SAO players is something I came up with around 1st April this year (well, a few days before writing this chapter) when I realised that the events here would take place at some point in early April 2025.
Also, I don't know if the "Argo Weekly" was an anime-original thing, but I overall like the idea, so I've included it.
Among the list of applicants, the guild "Ascending Moon" wasn't mentioned as a mere, otherwise pointless example. You should keep your eye out for them, and they'll probably join the story in chapter 25.
On a related note, to my knowledge, the name of Alberich's guild has never been stated, so I've made one up. "Aincrad's Glory" seemed fitting given Alberich's... personality.
On another note, Philia is coming. Don't expect her to play an outstanding role, though. She'll get her "screen time" just as everybody else, but she won't be as important as some others.
Little Preview: Akinym and Sinon are working on a quest to give Sinon a new Sword Skill. Two other players will tag along. When unexpected problems occur, some people might play a double game, but two can play at that game!