"How do I look?"
Klein, Sinon, Lisbeth, Leafa, and Silica stare in awe at Yuuki's blanketed body, the white cloth made from the watermelon enemies on the beach. They spent an hour or so collecting materials once the other girls arrived and learned of Klein and Yuuki's plan to incite some romance between the couples on the beach at a distance. But…
"It… It just looks like you're wearing a cloth."
"It looks kind of…"
"Lame."
"Lame is an understatement. It looks like a first-year grade-schooler made this."
Yuuki gasps. "What? I think it looks great!"
Klein sighs. "Well, it's the best we got. Let's get ready for the next phase."
Yuuki isn't paying attention as she yells happily. "Oh! It looks like I can upgrade the avatar by collecting more of those Refreshing Watermelon materials. I'll see you guys later!" Yuuki runs off towards the beach, the bottom of the ghostly avatar hovering off the sand, making it a horrible-looking floating ghost.
While they watch Yuuki, Lisbeth sighs and scratches her head. "She's too excited about this, huh?"
"She really wants to play the ghost."
"Well, we'll be doing the quest for unlocking the map…"
"Senja Castle Town. This is the closest area." Back in their standard armor, Klein and the girls (sans Yuuki) enter an Ancient Japan-inspired town, similar to the theme of the tenth floor.
"Let's find the quest NPC," Leafa instructs. "Any idea on where they are?"
"Of course. Let's see. Here's what I bought off Argo."
"How much that cost you?"
"Once she heard what I was planning, she made it free as long as I tell her the results in trade… It says she's a city dweller dressed in a kimono."
"A needle in a haystack," Silica comments. "But we have to find her."
"Huuuuuh?" Lisbeth leans down to Silica's height, a teasing smirk on her face. "I get why Klein's so gung ho about this, but you, Silica? You know if you do this, that fleeting chance you have with Kirito gets smaller and smaller. Just like your chest."
Silica reddens and glares at Lisbeth. "As if you're any different, Liz!"
"Um, guys…"
The two girls turn on the blonde girl dressed in green, who tries to separate them. "Oh, don't pretend you're doing this innocently. You came into this game looking for your beloved big brother, and here he is with some other girl in mind! Guess you won't get your forbidden romance."
"W-W-What do you mean? I don't like Kirito like that!"
Lisbeth narrows her eyes. "Your face says otherwise. Or maybe it is Jaymes you want? Your big brother's best friend? It sounds like a perfect doujin scenario."
"Says you," Leafa claps back. "Always saying how he's your number one customer! And we know you secretly don't make him pay Col. I wonder what 'service' he pays you with."
"Jeez, you three are so annoying," Sinon comments as she side-eyes the trio behind her and Klein. "They're taken. Get over it."
"Sinon."
"You have no right to talk."
"We know about your secret affections for Koharu's partner. Hoping to be Cupid and shoot an arrow of love through his heart?" Before Sinon can retort, Klein holds his hand up to silence the bickering (that, amazingly, he has ignored chiefly) and stops in the street.
"Did anyone else hear that?"
"Ooo, I will have my vengeance…"
"Yeah. Maybe it's her?"
"I can't believe it," Klein shouts in shock as he pinpoints the quest NPC by a shopping cart in a pink kimono. "She's so damn cute!"
"Hey, what's with that glare? I can't help that all these NPCs are so pretty! If Jaymes and Kirito were here, I bet they'd agree."
"The fact you believe Kirito would openly agree…"
"I wonder if they sell any ink and brushes around here."
"For what?"
"To write a love letter."
Lisbeth's jaw slacks in shame. "He forgot about the quest… Come on, let's deal with our quest first before Klein gets too unfocused. Hold him in place." Leafa, Sinon, and Silica grab Klein's arms to restrain him as Lisbeth approaches the quest NPC. She ignores Klein's shouts and engages in conversation with the NPC. "Excuse me."
"Just my luck. An issue with the system load in the first area I step into. Maybe it'll be deemed useless and marked for deletion."
"Excuse me, are you in trouble?"
"Yes, in big trouble." The NPC faces Lisbeth and realizes she's talking to someone else. "Oh! No! N-N-Nothing! There's nothing!"
"Let us know if you're in trouble. We can help."
"There's nothing you can do."
"Huh, the quest marker isn't appearing," a calm Klein says as he and the rest of the group joins Lisbeth.
"Maybe we should try something else?" Silica suggests.
Lisbeth shrugs. "Okay, I'll change my approach. Ahem. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
"I'm Okiku the Cute."
Sinon blinks, stupefied by the woman's introduction. "Did she just call herself cute?"
"Hnng! That only makes her cuter!"
"Uh huh, let's go with that… So, 'Okiku the Cute,' do you know where we can find a haunted attraction around her."
She sighs. "You're too late. Management said there was a strict cap on how many can go."
"What? But the flyer said…"
Leafa takes the flyer from Klein's hands and reads it thoroughly. "Klein, look closely. The fine print says it's a closed beta test only open to the first twenty."
"Arrgh! I can't believe I missed that!"
"Goodbye," Okiku says and turns away, but Klein stops her.
"Wait! My friends' lives depend on it."
"...That's hard to believe."
"It may sound unbelievable to you, but my friend Kirito has got a bad habit of ending up alone. Even though I know that, I missed my chance to help him. I want to make up for it. And Jaymes, for all the good he's done, has a horrible overprotective streak, especially for the one he cares for the most that makes him careful to do anything, especially romance. I...can't help him much there, to be honest, but I want to do something for him. That's just what friends do. So please, just this once!"
Klein hits a perfect ninety-degree bow, so stiff that the girls are surprised he does fall over. Okiku seems to be affected by his words as she looks at Klein and softens her face. "It's a pretty small map, so I don't think anyone is going to get attached to it. It'll be forgotten pretty quickly."
"It doesn't matter how big the map is! What's important are the memories you make! What matters most is the time spent together with those close to you, right?"
"I agree."
"Klein is right."
"So please, Miss Okiku…"
"Please help us help my brother and his friend!"
Okiku looks at the five bowing to her. "So this was my purpose… Fine. I'll be going against orders, but I'll do you a favor."
Klein straightens up in excitement. "You'll let us do the quest? All right!"
Sinon groans. "I can't believe his way of doing things worked…"
"Thank you very much," Silica says to Okiku.
"It'll take too much effort to explain the quest story, so I'll keep it short. All you have to do is defeat the Fallen Warriors and collect the Ten Broken Plates."
"Okay! We'll finish in no time!"
Meanwhile
Jaymes looks at Kirito in disgust as he takes a bite of a slice of (actual) watermelon. "Did… Did you just put salt on the watermelon?"
"What? Is that so strange?"
"Is that… Oh, half my ancestors are raging right now." Kirito shrugs and continues to consume his treat while looking out to the setting sun. Beyond them on the beach, Asuna and Koharu build a sandcastle together. With the sun hitting Asuna at the right angle, plus the cute blue and white swimsuit she's wearing… "Ooooh, someone is staring.'
"I-I-I am NOT staring!"
Jaymes chuckles and sets his chin on his knees. "Jeez, relax. It would be worse if you weren't staring at Asuna. I mean, I'm jealous. You get to eat her food, listen to her cry and complain, but all in all, she compliments you well as she always has."
"Why are you jealous? You and Koharu have had what we have now since day one. Honestly surprised it took you two as long as it did."
"Urk… She called me immature when I halfheartedly joked about a date back on the tenth floor. And considering we've been together since day one, somehow that hurt. However, the hell you managed with Asuna is beyond me. But I wouldn't trade partners. Not in a million years."
Kirito nods. "I agree with you."
"...Well, if Leafa weren't related to you, maybe that'd change."
"And if this was a normal game, I'll choke you with this watermelon."
