In the morning, Sachi had woken herself early with her alarm, so the only immediate confusion when everyone else woke up, was the appearance of another bed in the room. Seeing that made them confused. Kirito answered them that they had another member in their guild. He quickly equipped his gear back on, and made his way down the stairs. He sat down beside Sachi, and she looked up from a cup of black coffee. She had a bitter expression on her face, exclaiming that she didn't like the taste. He hadn't seen her drink any of it, but he choked back from giggling at the expression on her face.

"I like coffee black for different reasons, but most people have theirs with milk and sugar to stifle the bitterness. Good morning, Sachi."

She sighed and almost seemed tempted to pass it back to the npc on the other side of the counter. She looked back down at the cup of coffee in front of her, and it felt more to her like a challenge than just a cup of coffee she could ask to have milk and sugar added to. She picked it up, and Kirito didn't stop her since there was no steam effect. She took a big gulp of it, and sighed in exasperation.

"Black coffee is also an acquired taste, so if you drink it enough, you might come to like bitter things. At least, bitter tastes. There are some bitter things taste won't deal with."

Kirito giggled again. Somehow, he was more easily able to put up with being feminine around Sachi. It reminded him that he hadn't told her about him being male outside of the game. He would have to inform her at least before the rest of Beta would join them. Just as he was about to start talking, Kiin appeared. Kirito and Silica were keeping their feathery dragons in the safety of tamer cryst sometimes, but he and her weren't so fond of keeping their little feathered friends bound away. Plus, they would be extremely helpful in many situations.

Kiin grabbed Sachi's attention, landing on Kirito's shoulder and chirping at Sachi as if telling her something.

"Kiin, that's bad manners. You have to introduce yourself first if you're going to talk to someone, right?"

Kiin gave an expression of regret, the light pink eyes in contrast to the purple feathers giving a magical feeling.

"Sachi, this is Kiin. Myself and the younger of our guild both have one of these guys tamed. I'll let her introduce hers to yours, but you get to meet Kiin right away. The feathery dragon pet."

Sachi giggled and reached out to pet Kiin on the head gently. Kiin cawed a little in a happy tone like a bird. The both of them laughed.

"Sachi...I'm sorry I hadn't thought to bring it up last night, and you deserve to know like the rest of the guild. Outside of the game, I'm actually a boy."

She looked from Kiin's face to Kirito's and blinked a few times. At first, it seemed the words hadn't registered, then she grew flustered.

"But Kirito is just like a girl! And you were wearing that last night! And-"

"A lot of my appearance was properly rendered, but I missed the one important part during the calibration, so my body in Aincrad is female, but I'm really a boy. The others have no issues with it, especially with me being so feminine, but you deserve to know, and they would be talking about it as if you know, so it's better you hear it from me than from their banter."

She stopped being flustered and nervous somewhere along the way. She smiled and looked at Kirito in a way that she was worried her feelings would be conveyed, but Kiin caught on and drew his attention.

"It's fine, Kirito-san. I like Kirito-san just the same. Girl or boy, you're someone precious and important."

She blushed as she said it, and he had also become flush in embarrassment. Drama ensued as they were joined by the rest, all in their gear, ready for breakfast.

"So, is this the person Kirito meant with-"

"Stop that, Lisbeth! Sachi had joined our guild last night. She was having a difficult time with her old guild, friends from outside the game, and we came to the agreement it would help if she gave them space to figure out playing together without her. We can help her and such. Besides, the person I like I've known for a long time and I only met Sachi in the game."

He was giving away hints because of how persistent Lisbeth was at teasing him.

Sachi was a little flustered, but she shook her head and drank the rest of the coffee.

"Sorry to cause a commotion...My name, is Sachi... My old guild, the Moonlight Black Cats were friends of mine from school, our computer studies club. Last night...I was being silly...and wandering around. I was looking for a new spear like Kirito-san suggested to me yesterday before the boss fight. I...ended up in this seat and buying a cocoa, and Kirito-san joined me. Kirito-san seemed to understand my situation so much...he suggested I join everyone and now here I am. It's nice to meet you, and I hope I can be of help in the future."

She was nervous, and made small awkward pauses between a lot of what she said, but she managed to get everything out before bowing in the end. It was awkward for everyone to see her bowing on the stool of the bar.

"That was a very nice introduction, Sachi. Now, since everyone's awake and I missed out on cooking dinner last night, I'll make use of the kitchen behind the counter and make everyone some breakfast. Is that alright mister?"

Kirito turned to ask the question of the npc on the other side of the counter at the end, earning a happy nod. Kirito smiled and turned to everyone. Don't go saying anything to give Sachi the wrong impression of me.

Asuna followed him until he reached the point to cross the other side of the counter.

"I want to help with making breakfast, or is Kirito-kun being childish after last night's truth or dare?"

Kirito sighed and let her in with him behind the counter. Sachi sighed as she watched them.

"Kirito is a bit oblivious, isn't he Sachi-san?"

Those words came from Lisbeth, still stirring up trouble. Sachi panicked and nearly knocked the empty coffee cup from the counter, but the npc caught it on time.

"N-no! Kirito-san...Kirito-san is just...very focused. Set on clearing the game and bringing everyone home..."

Sachi tried to think of it as just Kirito being so focused on going home, but she was still brooding over the thought that he had someone else he liked. She meant every word she said before, even if he was being oblivious. That she liked him whether he was a boy or girl.

Kirito and Asuna tended to the kitchen while it seemed the rest had managed to calm down and start learning a little about each other. Sachi was able to Meet Pina as well, and Kirito smiled at some of the things he heard through the sounds he and Asuna generated in the kitchen from the cooking mechanics.

They didn't really do anything special for the breakfast, but it was something a little to make up for the lack of him being around the night before, and to introduce Sachi to his cooking. It was why he wanted to do it alone, but there was no harm in letting Asuna in.

"How is Kirito-kun holding up after yesterday?"

Asuna asked as she made some last bit of seasoning with a potato dish she had been preparing.

"I'm...exhausted."

Kirito sighed when he finished telling her. He truly was exhausted. He was still tired, and it definitely didn't help that he had been up part of the night when he met Sachi at the counter or with the whole truth or dare. Crying during that certainly didn't help either. For a few reasons he could think of.

"Last time you collapsed after a boss fight, it was more than a full day for you to recover, so I'm impressed you're up and about like this already. You really should get some more rest though, Kirito-kun. It's better to be healthy and ready for anything than pushing yourself too much."

He had to agree with her. She brought up a point that he always kept in mind during his kendo and archery training. To never exert too far. Because pushing too far will only dull the body from being able to perform as trained. Pushing too far could also further dull the body if the body becomes used to the actions beyond the limit the body pushes.

"Thank you, Asuna. You have been very supportive lately, and I appreciate it. Sometimes...it feels like I can't get a break. Like I have to push myself all the time. So that we can all get out of this together. It's already been more than a month, yet here we are only on floor eleven out of one hundred. It makes me nervous that we're looking at being out after ten months. It might even be much longer, depending on how difficult the higher floors are. In the beta, me and Sinon never made it past doing anything beyond the boss of the tenth floor. At that point, we were really curious what kind of difficulty spike we would face, but I'm...I'm scared at how difficult he made this to get home. Maybe he doesn't want us to go home. Trap us here and make us experience Aincrad for the rest of our lives... As much of a great fantasy it could be to just settle down and relax here, I'm reminded every minute with Sinon and Leafa here that there's a home to return to. Sinon has family she hasn't seen in a few years, and Leafa has parents to return to. With everyone else, the great friends I've made here, I know there must be things everyone is eager to return to. I'm a full supporter of keeping our real lives private and to ourselves, but sometimes I wonder what everyone else is eager to return to when they get out of the game, or what reasons people might want to stay in the game..."

Kirito sighed after mentioning his thought about people wanting to stay. He could imagine it. He almost wanted it for himself, but for everyone else' sake, he was ready to give that up and live a normal life with them back in reality.

"Kirito-kun didn't mention having something to return to other than a home, yet Kirito-kun seems a little younger than me. Surely Kirito-kun has family to return to as well?"

Kirito immediately had tears in his eyes, reminded of the one thing he was trying to push away. Asuna's well intended words ended up bringing him to tears, and she worried she brought up something she shouldn't have.

"Are you okay, Kirito-kun?"

Kirito rubbed the tears from his eyes, but the tears continued to fall. He sighed and looked at her with the tears still streaming down his face.

"I hate keeping it all to myself, Asuna. I hated being quiet ever since the accident. I hated becoming more feminine. I hated kendo and archery sometimes. I even sometimes hated my own feelings, what they made me do to someone important. Yet, everything I hate are things I love, because they're all things that made me who I am. Being quiet made me better at listening and understanding everything around me. I'll always treasure the things mom taught me, even if they're a large part of what make me feminine. Kendo and archery made me strong, as able to fight as I am. The feelings I have, are part of what make getting home so important to me. Without those, I might be one of the people trying to halt progression and keeping everyone stuck. That's just horrible though, and...even if it's a day we lose in reality, it's a day we live here so we have to make the most of it and try to enjoy this game as a game along the way. Sorry...Asuna. I just...I really needed to get that off my chest..."

He wasn't even seeing the expression on her face, but when he felt his tears still running and looked up to see her face, he realized that maybe he said too much. She had tears running down her face too. She had an expression which almost seemed she might be in pain. She hadn't cut a finger or anything lethal. She was crying just from hearing what he had said. Something he had said.

He walked around the stove they had been making breakfast on, and he gestured that he would give her a hug. He knew them from his mother and from Shino that they could really do a lot of healing. Asuna accepted, and he could feel the warmth of their connection, but he was reminded that reality and the game weren't the same, as there would always be a gap between everything the brain registers. Things were missing from the sensation of the hug. He couldn't think of them, but he knew it wasn't the same. Asuna let go after a little, and she sighed.

"Kirito-kun...must have been through a lot..."

Kirito took a deep breath and sighed.

"I would like if you drop the honorifics. Or would you like me to call you Asuna-san?"

He tried to lighten the mood. When she giggled in response, he smiled at the confirmation it worked.

"Alright...Kirito. Now, let's serve the miracle of your miso soup you somehow managed to figure out and these shredded potatoes. Everyone must be very hungry by now."

He nodded his head, turned and divided the miso soup into a bowl for everyone, and put all the bowls on one tray, while Asuna prepared a plate for everyone's shredded potatoes on a tray. The two of them rounded out and served everyone their meals and sat down next to each other at the end of the counter. Everyone was a little concerned about how puffy and red their faces were, but they also sensed the mood that there would be another time to ask what had happened in the kitchen.

Sachi was getting along well with everyone, and they all enjoyed the breakfast silently together. The npc on the other side of the counter like usual seemed to be polishing the one glass in his hand, and Kirito recalled a line from a movie a few years back. That it was like a tic. Something that served a purpose. A motion which filled the urge to be doing something, even though achieving nothing. The npcs could help them along, but really they were just like the character in that movie, doing something, though achieving nothing.

Breakfast ended silently, Kirito and Asuna went about doing the dishes, ensuring they didn't leave anything undone. Even though the game would clean the dishes on its own. It gave them a sense of relaxation and realism to the act of washing their dishes when done with their meals.

"Asuna. I'm going to concentrate on the crafting skills for a while. I want to be sure we're all completely ready for whatever we do next. Maybe I'll get back to the fighting again after. For now, I want us to be careful. I want everyone to be careful."

Asuna nodded her head and picked herself up. She finished clearing up after their crying before, and she was ready to take over in leading everyone in whatever they would do for the day.

Kirito took a deep breath when she left the kitchen a little ahead of him so to take the lead. He thought about how dangerous that could have been. Regardless how good of friends they had become or privacy matters, they were in a virtual space where actions could be mistaken for more than intended. He knew how everything could look or be interpreted by the others, and he knew that more people would only bring more drama, especially on a topic of romance. With his own feelings to account for, and then the feelings he was able to tell from the others, he was broaching very dangerous territory. He needed to be careful he wasn't leading any one of them on, and when he saw Asuna's eyes without being able to see like normal from Shino or Suguha, he had a feeling he couldn't confirm that she might be developing feelings for him. Even if she went on about seeing him as a girl.

He already knew he was in dangerous territory outside of the game with both Shino and Suguha's feelings, but he could also tell on a certain level that there might come trouble with Asuna, Lisbeth and Sachi. Silica felt too much like a little sister even with the kind of bond they developed to be able to refer her otherwise.

He finished checking himself over and ensured he had his best crafting gear on, so that he would be able to increase his crafting levels. He tried pushing the thoughts of romance and such out of his head, too much going on there and it would distract him from being able to perform as good as possible with the crafting.

He made his way out of the kitchen, only for everyone to still be there with expressions as if they were waiting for him to lead them like usual.

"I'm doing crafting stuff today. Unless everyone finally wants to pitch together in that?"

Asuna and Lisbeth particularly smiled to the question he asked, while Sinon, Leafa, Silica and Sachi simply smiled.

"We should all pitch in to being ready as possible. Kirito is reliable, but it would be better to all offer our own to progression aside from our levels and fighting the floors."

Kirito gave them sceptical looks, and started to contradict those words.

"I appreciate the thought, but it'll take a while to catch up and free up one of my crafts. I might as well just continue-"

"Kirito needs to share the load with us. We all want to help, and Kirito shouldn't be tired all the time from working so hard to make sure we're all safe. Kirito can work on your own, but we should work on our own gear as well. We'll all specialize in something. So Kirito should decide on the one thing he'll keep."

Silica said those words. It caught him a little off guard since she seemed just fine with relying on him before.

Lisbeth had the smithing skill she was working on before Kirito really started into crafting, so she could just stick to that, while he had ended up taking on wood working skill, tailoring, leather working, alchemy, additional effect enchantment, and accessory craft. Of course there was also cooking he wouldn't drop. There was effectively enough that he had taken on he could literally share with everyone. It would take some time for everyone to work up to the required level of crafting to reach the point he was at, but then it was fine. Then, they would each only be investing so much time and effort into one extra skill. Because of how the crafting skills worked with timing and use, he almost felt he had to keep the alchemy one as his main craft. But then, the additional effect enchantment couldn't be done without the skill in alchemy, they were directly connected. So he would have to keep at those two regardless, with the massive load of work that they posed to catch up on.

"Well...I highly doubt anyone has the nerve to take on the alchemy, and the additional effect enchanting is directly tied to that, so I'll hold onto that and work on it. There's the potions, dyes, and a variety of other things with the alchemy, so those will be something to keep at a high level. There's especially a lot of boost when I get alchemy to level fifty and can start crafting temporary stat boost potions we could use for dealing more damage and such in battle. Potions are so much more useful when crafted than crystals, so I suggest we stick to that and we can sell any crystals we pick up toward a guild fund. I'd like us to own a guild house together soon, but we should wait until we reach a floor where we can all agree on a place we really enjoy."

They continued to wait as if Kirito were about to suggest which of the crafts someone should go into. Instead of outright suggesting...

"Well, I had invested time into everything but the smithing skills since Lisbeth was working on that. Leather working ties in a lot with the smithing talent and wood working, so it's more meant for someone who would work well with both Lisbeth and whoever would take on the wood working. Wood working ties greatly into tools and parts for certain types of weapon as well of obviously Sinon's bows which I have been upgrading and crafting until now. This is a very varied type of skill, and has a lot of npc quests as well for progressing the level process faster than other crafting skills. Tailoring mostly works on cloth garments, so under clothing basically, like the pyjamas I crafted for all of us and not that silly pervert stuff Lisbeth picked up... Tailoring good under shirts and pants, gloves and such can be worn underneath leather and even further metal armours on top, so there's a lot of room for customizing when considering tailoring into the design of an outfit, plus adds to what I'd be able to add with enchantments. Tailoring is something that is good and deep to consider for giving us as many buffs as possible. Next and last to mention aside from cooking which all of us already have some investment into aside Asuna and myself already being quite high level both in it as our hobbies, is accessory crafting. I haven't put on any nor shown anyone this yet since I haven't brought it to a decent level, but accessories like necklaces, rings, wrist bands, anklets, circlets and tiaras can be crafted with the accessory craft skill. These can also take on enchantments which would further increase our abilities, but it takes high level accessories to hold an enchantment of even a low level. Now, barring cooking, Lisbeth's smithing and my focuses of alchemy and enchanting, what does everyone think?"

After his explanation on the crafts and where they tied in everywhere, everyone seemed ready to suggest they work on something. Sinon immediately spoke up and took the lead however, suggesting that she pick up the wood working skill. Mostly so that she could trust the quality of the bows falling into her possession, and she would feel better about the quality of materials going out to everyone if Kirito wasn't going to be producing it primarily.

After Sinon, Silica mentioned interest in taking up the accessory crafting, which she mentioned was something that felt like fun, and reminded her of playing with her cat in real life, also named Pina.

Next, Leafa spoke up about taking on tailoring, but she was unsure since leather working more suited her stats, with the higher strength than dexterity. In the end, she chose to go with the leather working. The only profession left would be tailoring, and two people didn't have solid professions left. Asuna did of course have cooking, but her level was matched with Kirito and it seemed habit they cook together at this point. With the addition that he had more than cooking on his plate regardless...

Sachi nervously spoke up, having been timid about speaking up since everyone else was so eager to claim the different positions.

"Uh-uhm...how about Asuna-san and I work on tailoring together? It could be fun?"

Asuna had just had an experience not long before with Kirito about formally addressing her, so she wasn't going to let Sachi address her that way.

"Sachi-chan, please drop the formality when addressing me, and I'll drop the honorifics for you as well. We're all friends here. I think it could be a lot of fun if the two of us and Kirito continues working together on tailoring when Kirito is all caught up with the alchemy and enchanting. Kirito seems to have an eye for fashion, and he even changed his colour scheme from mostly black since that was the base high gear type from the dungeons, to a very nice combination you see him wearing. He could coach us in it, and his level will be higher with it for a while. All three of us. How about it, Kirito?"

Everyone noticed the difference in how Asuna was addressing Kirito. Without honorifics. It was from their time in the kitchen, the close friendly moment. However, it was news to everyone else for her to have dropped the honorifics. Everyone noticed, but nobody mentioned. As if it had become taboo somehow to bring up outside stuff. Maybe Asuna had brought it up to them before he left the kitchen for the last time.

Kirito sighed and nodded his head. He wasn't opposed to continuing all of the professions as he had been anyway, so he was certain he was getting what he was investing time into. For the time being at least, he would get everyone started in outfitting them for beginning in the pursuit of their new crafts. They would have to start with the lowest level crafts, so he urged them to sell anything normal quality to the npc vendors, and high quality until they reached the gear he would give them would be sold out to other aspiring crafting players and such.

The guild positioned themselves on the street, a large line, and Kirito coached everyone to fine details on how to perform the crafts. From how rng could be handled, to increasing the chance of high quality gear which would equal or possibly reach beyond dungeon drops. He hadn't been keeping up his crafts as high as they could go, which was a problem. With everyone focusing on certain crafts, he had chance presented to him to get to those powerful potions for example, as well with the tailoring. He could soon be making clothes as strong and more upgradeable than the leather gear since he'd be surpassing his own level on it. He'd be able to expand on the colouring everyone could wear for their gear. There were a lot of things that he could do by concentrating on those crafts, especially since a little levelling into enchanting, which nobody else was doing yet in the game, would make their entire guild completely over powered.

Customers of other players started filling the streets not long after they began, and so they started, working their way up on requests and the basics. By lunch, everyone still had a long way to go to catch up with Kirito. He didn't get much sleep aside his knock outs after all.