(Katsumoto)
The next day 2PM, Akihabara
Last night, Violet had told me that I could wear anything I want when I go visit her home in Setagaya. Because of that, I came here to look for cheap clothes that suit my style since my current clothes are all old and no longer fit Akihabara probably wasn't the best choice for clothes shopping, but I managed to find a few things that I liked. As I shopped around, I noticed an electronics store that was about to close. Almost everything was on sale and even the most expensive of items were affordable. I found a high-quality security camera set that was less than ten-thousand Yen, and it provided me with at least ten weatherproof cameras. I heard there was this robbing spree in Saitama prefecture, so I thought I may as well get it. I paid the cashier the money and exited the store, holding my bag of clothes and electronics.
I walked down the crowded streets of Akihabara, and headed towards the parking lot where my car was located. As I walked, I looked around and noticed a jewelry store on my left. Part of the store provided real, expensive accessories while the other part had some more creative, and more artistic goods. I looked at the items displayed at the window and saw the cheap price tags. I took out my wallet and looked at my money left inside.
"Less than twenty-thousand Yen…" I mumbled to myself. "Oh, I forgot to get my allowance from Oba-san. Oh well…"
I saw no harm in entering the store, and so I did. I pushed the doors open, and walked into some sort of entryway. A door on my left led to the real jewelry store, while the door on my right led to the artsy side. I headed to my right and noticed that the store was rather empty. Two customers were currently inside along with a single staff member. I turned to look at the jewelry store and noticed the greater number of people there.
"Well, makes sense…" I thought to myself.
I browsed through all the different items in the store. Not only were there rings, earrings, necklaces and other accessories, but they were also selling otaku-themed items. Props, costumes, video games, music, and even more. However, the item that caught my attention was this one silver ring. It was a simple silver band with a black center. Intricate designs were engraved in the black area to make the plain ring more special. Because it was in a glass case, I had to ask the cashier for permission to see the ring up close. He gave me the ring, and I began to observe it carefully. The engraving depicted a thicket of thorns wrapped around the ring. Small crystal-clear gems that were probably fake were embedded into the main thorn that circled around the entire ring. At the other side of the ring however, I noticed its most defining feature. A single silver skull with red gemstone eyes stared right at me whilst biting down on the thorn going through its mouth. I inserted my ring finger through the ring, and noticed that it didn't fit. However, when I used my middle finger instead, it was perfect. Detailed, symbolic, edgy, and fits well. I like it…
"How much for this ring?" I asked the cashier. I gave him the ring, and he began to run a price check. Not a moment later, the man frowned.
"Weird, this ring is supposed to be sold in the other store," the man stated. "I don't know why it's here, but our stores are partnered. Please follow me to the other store."
The man walked out from behind the counter, and motioned for me to follow him. We exited the otaku store, and entered the real jewelry store right beside it. A few more customers were browsing inside. All of them wore fancy outfits, such as suits and dresses. The cashier made his way to one of the lady staff members, and asked her about the ring. The two of them searched it up on the database, and motioned for me to come to them.
"Okay, so this ring is two-hundred and seventy-five thousand Yen."
"Two-seventy-five?! Why is it so expensive?!" I asked bewildered.
"As I said, this item is supposed to be sold in this store, which contains the real jewelry. The ring itself is made of platinum, and the black inlay is of tungsten. The thorns and the skull are made up of platinum as well, and those jewels are all real. Those small gems on the thorns are real diamonds. There are twenty-five diamonds in total with a total weight of half a carat. The eyes are made of rubies, with a combined weight of half a carat. It's on sale right now. The original price was three-hundred and twenty-five thousand Yen."
"Jeez… And here I thought those gems were fake…" I said, scratching my head in the process. "When does this sale end?"
"Unfortunately, it ends this Saturday," the lady informed me. "Will you buy it now?"
"Damn… That's too bad then. I can't afford it."
I gave the cashier back the ring who then handed it to the lady staff member. She checked the database once more, and placed the ring at its correct location next to a bunch of other artistic rings. How could a ring that expensive end up in some otaku store? With that, I sighed and walked out of the store.
"A three-hundred thousand Yen… It'll take me months to save up for that ring, and Ill likely regret buying it later…" I muttered to myself. "Let's just see how it all goes."
(Mortifer)
Three hours later, Yggdrasil City
I returned from Akihabara almost two hours ago. Because I knew nobody was online at that time, I decided to use that time to set up the security camera system I bought. I tried my best to use the cameras efficiently, and scattered all ten of them around the house. I placed two cameras on the columns of the front gate to overlook each side of the street. A third is located inside one of the bushes of our driveway. I placed the fourth on top of our family dojo with a view of the gate, driveway and front yard. The fifth is placed underneath the roof of our house's front porch. I angled it to make sure that the entire front yard and a little bit of the porch is in view. The sixth, and final exterior camera was at the back of the house. Because it was blocked off by a stone wall and a neighboring house, I thought I wouldn't need as many in the back, but used one to make sure. As for the other three, I placed one in the front foyer, the second in the living room, and the last one in the hallway of the second floor.
By the time Kazuto and Suguha arrived from school, I finished with the preparations, and connected the cameras to my computer. I finally found a use for my third monitor which I had left inside of my closet to pile up dust. I hooked up the security cameras to be displayed on the third monitor while the other two remained normal. When I told my siblings about the new security system I installed, Suguha simply laughed while Kazuto said nothing. That all took me about an hour to complete. During that time, I also learned that basically everyone in the SAO Survivor School has a big test tomorrow, so nobody has logged on. With that, I logged into the game alone.
For the past hour, I've been sitting at the top of the city's cathedral, writing contracts, and observing the players below me. Because of our growing popularity, we now have to hide when there are many people around. Although, I am usually the only one who does that since I'd rather not be around so many people. The ones who are comfortable with the frenzy include Aqua, Zed, and Violet. Trish is also quite popular, but she is still trying to break out what's left of her tiny bubble. I can't even begin to talk about the number of male players who lust for Aqua, or the number of female players who cry out for Zed. I hear it is far worse in school from Kirito and Violet.
As to why we became so popular, it's all thanks to Verity and Nozu. During our fight with those players who ambushed us, Nozu had recorded the entire thing with a special Video Recording Crystal. We weren't aware of his actions then, and he had posted it on the MMO Tomorrow, where it reached the front page in a matter of hours. People commented on my fighting skills and "bad-assery", and I became well-known. Nozu had linked our mercenary forum post next to the video, and advertised our group to the whole community. Because of that, our popularity rose, and people began to hire us for missions.
In the past three days, we had received ten missions total. Seven of them were quest-assistance missions. Two of them were "protect and escort" while the last one was an assassination. Yesterday, I had told the guild that as of now, only Zed and I are able to take on the assassination missions, which disappointed ViVi to an extent. Luckily, the non-assassination missions we received were easy, meaning anybody could take it. Although, I made it a requirement to never go on missions alone. Of course, I was the only exception to this rule, and nobody opposed.
Right now, I am writing up the contract for the first quest-assistance mission that ViVi, Konno and Violet will be taking. I will go with them to meet with the client in Zumfut in two days, but I won't go with them on the actual quest. Our client is asking us to help him in the Guild Formation Quest at the 3rd Floor, which should be easy for those three. Being an easy quest, fifteen-thousand Yrd should be a reasonable price for our services.
With that, I rolled up the piece of paper, and stored it inside a cylindrical case. I proceeded to jump off the cathedral, and summoned my wings mid-air. I flew towards Zed and Paradox's home in a brisk pace and arrived there in a matter of seconds. I touched down, and pulled out the keys to the house. I inserted the keys into the keyhole and unlocked the wooden door. I opened the door and made my way inside. I closed the door behind me, and pulled down my hood along with my mask. I made my way to the living room, holding the scroll in my right hand. Before I turned the corner, I stopped in my tracks because I heard noises inside of the living room. I furrowed my brows, as I didn't expect anybody to be on at this time. After all, they have some big test to study for. I leaned my back against the wall, and silently listened to the noises.
I hear the sound of lips smacking and heavy breathing coming from the living room. Because of the dirty sounds that are reaching my ears, I let out a long, heavy sigh. Did Zed and Paradox really just log on to make out with each other? Either way, they will probably keep at it for a while. My patience will run out if I wait too long, so I have no choice but to interrupt their private session.
I closed my eyes and let out yet another sigh. With eyes still closed, I moved away from the wall, and turned around the corner. I scratched my head as I said:
"You know Zed, if you're going to have such an intimate meeting with Paradox, you should probably hold it in your bedroom."
The noises of kissing and breathing stopped, replaced with silence. When I opened my eyes, they opened to the point where my eyeballs could have popped out. The shock I experienced at that moment caused my brain to malfunction. What I saw in front of me was not Zed and Paradox making out on the couch, but Trish and Aqua instead. Trish was underneath Aqua, half-naked and completely shocked. Aqua was on top of Trish with her friend's white blouse still in her hands. The three of us stared at each other for several seconds before we snapped back to reality.
Trish quickly grabbed for her blouse and covered her chest. Aqua got off Trish, and stormed her way towards me. Aqua raised her hands up and prepared to slap me. I made no movements to stop her, and her hand made contact on the right side of my face. Her slap caused me to stumble even though I felt no pain. I felt a numbness on my right cheek, but it quickly disappeared. I fully deserved that slap, which is why I made no effort to stop her. I slowly recovered myself and turned my head to face the two of them. Trish had her blouse on once again, but her face was visible red. Aqua also had a red face, though she was more pissed off than embarrassed. Her body shook as she panted continuously. I looked down to the ground out of shame.
"I'm sorry…" I apologized to them. "I thought you guys were Zed and Paradox… I didn't bother checking to see if it really was them…"
"You… You can't tell anyone about this, got it?" Aqua shakily demanded of me. Her eyes began to tear up. "You can't tell our classmates, our friends, the guild, and especially our parents… Promise us that you won't tell anyone!"
Aqua's voice is filled with desperation. She's on the verge of bursting out into tears while Trish simply sat on the couch, contemplating about what was happening.
"I promise…" I told her in an empathetic tone. After I did so, I quickly changed back into my normal voice. "But, can you tell me one thing?"
"W-What?" Aqua sniveled.
"Why are you guys so embarrassed about me seeing you like this?"
The question caught the two of them off-guard. They stared at me blankly, as if the question I asked them hadn't even registered. I placed my hand on Aqua's shoulder and gently squeezed it. She looked up at me, confused.
"Are you embarrassed because I saw you guys making out, or because I now know of the relationship between you two?" I asked them once again.
"I-I don't know…" Aqua stuttered. "Both?"
"I understand being embarrassed about being seen making out like that, but why should you be embarrassed about the two of you being together?"
"Well…" Trish began to speak up. "It's not normal… Our classmates will see us as weirdos. Other Japanese people will likely think the same. There aren't laws that ban or discriminate against our kind, but I heard you can't marry someone of the same sex here in Japan. Not that I'm thinking about it…"
"Weirdos? Your kind?" I asked her, bewildered. "You're scared of being viewed as weird people? Of being called lesbians? You're seriously going to let other people determine how you live your life?"
"We're not like you Mortifer…" Aqua whimpered. "We're not as strong as you are, both physically and mentally…"
"I understand that you guys aren't like me, but at least let your parents know how you feel about each other. Same thing goes for the guild. You can't keep hiding it forever, although, some in the guild may suspect you guys are lesbians already…"
"We're planning on telling them, eventually. Right now, though, I want you to keep this a secret from them… We've kept your secrets hidden from others, even if it is something that should be told. You need to do the same for us…" Aqua pleaded. "Until the two of us are ready, it must be kept a secret. Do you promise us?"
I looked at Aqua's puffy eyes. They fumed with rage, but also with desperation. I sighed and nodded my head.
"Fine… I promise…" I told them. I pulled out a piece of cloth and began rubbing the tears off Aqua's face. "You guys should tidy up, and compose yourselves. The game's engine will keep creating these tears until you calm down."
Aqua took the cloth into her own hands and sat down. Trish was seated right next to her. She had a pillow wrapped in her arms, and was utterly crushing it to death. Her body shook from fear while her face was still red from embarrassment. No tears fell from her eyes, unlike Aqua. Trish proceeded to lie down, resting her head on the pillow she had. Aqua did the same, but instead lied down towards the opposite side of the couch. I left the two of them there, and made my way towards the office desk towards the corner of the living room. I opened the drawer containing the other contracts, and placed the cylindrical container inside. It rolled into place in between the other scrolls, and remained still. I proceeded to close the drawer, and pulled up a chair for me to sit on. I peeked over to check on Trish and Aqua, and noticed that they had fallen asleep. If I don't wake them up in half an hour or so, they will automatically log out, though I doubt they would care if I wake them up or not.
Since the two of them were asleep, I opened my Inventory and took out a blank scroll as well as an ink pen. Cayonz, Rizer and I started working on the second floor of our project, but we don't have enough funds to finish even a quarter of the floor. It was probably because we kept buying the most expensive and highest quality stone we could find in Kalifa.
If we accomplish all of the missions we currently have without fail, then we can probably finish the second floor. That leaves the rooftop and the towers. Oh, but we still have the interior stuff to deal with. Rizer can make the furniture, but the wood he needs to make them is quite expensive on its own as it is much like ebony. We can try cutting down the trees with the help of Paradox, but the yield and quality would be low as her Lumberjack level isn't high enough. Everything needs to be of the highest quality because that is the only way I will be satisfied with this project of ours.
Anyways, with the time I have now, I can start making the plans for the arena that we can place next to the entrance. I am thinking about placing it towards the right side, but I feel like a forest on the left side won't balance out the enormous building. Putting it in the middle will block the view from the entrance, while placing it on the left will only create the same imbalance. I don't think the back of the valley contains enough space for this arena, so I can't place it there either. We're going to need to terraform the landscape if we want to build it, but it seems like we really can't place this thing anywhere inside this valley I own. Although, if I can create a flat region even higher above the garden, then that would be an ideal location for the arena…
I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, disappointed by the fact that I could not make the arena. We planned on a huge training area at the ground floor, but the way we created it resulted in it being too small for aerial combat, and a bit cramped up for ground combat. I rolled up the incomplete plans for the arena, and stored it inside another cylindrical case of a different color from the rest. I put it inside the same drawer, and pushed it back into the large desk. I opened my menu and checked on the time.
It is currently five-thirty in the afternoon. Everyone will likely get on at around six or so. When that happens, I need to converse with them about how these missions are going to work out, and who will be taking which mission. I hope nobody complains since I've already written down the contracts. We'll just have to wait and see.
(Violet)
Half an hour later
I was the last to log on in the group. According to everyone else, Mortifer, Trish and Aqua were amongst the first people here. Mortifer was understandable since he has no school, but I expected Trish and Aqua to be one of the last ones. It was unusual for them to be so early, especially with the test coming up tomorrow.
We were gathered around the dining table. Mortifer was the only person who was seated while everyone remained standing. Ten scrolls lied on the table in front of Mortifer. Based on what he had told me yesterday, those scrolls were the contracts he had written for the missions. It seems we were finally getting our first missions.
"Okay, I want to make this quick and easy, so save any questions you have for later," Mortifer requested as he began our meeting. "In case you forgot, we received ten different missions from different clients. While you guys were at school, I took the time to create the contracts which we and our client will have to abide to. As I told you guys, Zed and I will be the only ones taking the assassination missions for now, and I reserved the first one for me."
"I wouldn't have wanted to do it anyway…" Zed mumbled.
"Anyways, I'll assign you guys the missions now, but since you have a test tomorrow at school, you will take your missions Thursday and Friday. For each mission, I have assigned a team captain who will be responsible for leading every guild member participating in the mission."
Mortifer picked up three of the scrolls and gave it to Zed. Zed mumbled something I couldn't hear, and took the scrolls from Mortifer's hands. Trish and I received two scrolls each. Mortifer took the final three for himself.
"I suggest you guys read the missions now, along with the people going along with you. If there are any mission details that needs discussing, then come to me as soon as possible. That's all I really have today, so this meeting is at its end."
Mortifer stood up from his chair, and left everyone at the table dumbfounded. We had expected more to this meeting, but Mortifer simply left the room, and exited the house. Everyone looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. Curious, I followed Mortifer outside, and spotted him walking down the streets of Yggdrasil City. He heard me as I walked down the front steps of Zed and Paradox's home, and he turned around to face me.
"Yo… You want to talk to me?" Mortifer questioned.
"Sort of… I just thought it wasn't like you to do such a short meeting with nothing super important to tell us," I told him.
"Yeah… Well, not much is happening in the game, especially since you guys have school. But I guess you could say I'm much too worried about me coming over to your house this Saturday… Oh, and did you confirm with your parents about the formal attire?"
"They told me that you can wear whatever is comfortable with you," I informed him. "Specifically, what you would wear every day, and not on dates or important events. They really want to know every single thing about you."
"I feel like I'm indirectly disrespecting them if I come wearing a black hoodie and pants… I don't feel right dressing so informally in front of your parents," Mortifer responded.
"Well, in the end, it is up to you. I'm nervous about it too, since I have no idea why my parents would suddenly want to meet you. Usually they would search you up online or through contacts. Maybe they already have… Either way, I just hope nothing terrible happens…"
Mortifer slowly approached me, and grabbed my shoulders with his two hands. He moved his hands downwards, and wrapped them around my body, bringing me into a hug. I hugged him back, trying to take in as much of his warmth as possible to remove the cold fear I had inside of me. I tried looking up to his face, but his mask prevented me from seeing the entirety of the face I wanted to see.
"Well, I'm going to go work on that surprise project now. If you need me later, just message me through the game," Mortifer told me. He broke away from our hug, and turned his body back towards the house where everyone was standing outside of. "Rizer! Cayonz! Let's head out!"
"All right then," Rizer responded. "Let me get something first."
"Same here," Cayonz added in.
The two of them entered the house in a hurry while the rest of the group headed off to the plaza, reading their contracts.
"Speaking of your project, how long do you think it will take you to finish this project?" I asked him, crossing my arms in the process.
"I want to finish before your summer break ends, but it's highly unlikely with the prices of our missions. At the pace we're about to set on, the project will be done by December. I wish something can happen to drastically speed up the process, but I don't want to ask from you or the rest of the guild. Everything has to be done legitimately."
"I would call you stubborn, but as Zed said, even we don't have enough funds to finish your project," I whimpered.
Cayonz and Rizer emerged from the house's doorway. Rizer closed the door behind him, and locked it using the key Zed and Paradox gave to everyone. The two of them made their way here, stripped of most of their belongings. Wherever they're going, it must not have many monsters if they removed all of their equipment.
"Well, this will be goodbye for tonight Violet," Mortifer told me.
I opened my mouth to say goodbye. However, before I could even respond, Mortifer wrapped his right arm around me, placing his hand on the small of my back. He quickly pulled me into a kiss that lasted for five seconds. When he broke off, I was left in a mild daze since Mortifer's actions hinted aggression. And before I could say anything to him, he summoned his wings, and flew off into the skies. Cayonz and Rizer looked at me momentarily, shrugging their shoulders while doing so. They then followed Mortifer's lead, and took off to the skies as well, leaving me all alone in the empty street. I stood there in silence, trying to understand the meaning behind the kiss since it was unlike Mortifer to do something like that. I touched my lips with my right hand, and felt an ominous chill on my fingertips. While it may have been the cool weather of Yggdrasil, I got the feeling that it was something else.
"Are you really that scared Mortifer?"
(Mortifer)
Half an hour later, Misty Valley
"Well, from what I've seen in the "upper-upper" class here in Japan, and likely other countries such as China, parents want their children to be with people who they know will be successful, or be able to help them in some way, shape or form," Rizer told me as he worked on the floorboard of the second floor. "If you want proof of that, then look at Asuna. She was about to get into an arranged marriage with the head of RECT Progress. Back when I was still in college at the United States, my Indian friend in the senior year had an arranged marriage."
"Though that doesn't necessarily mean Violet's parents won't allow you to marry her. From what I've seen in Violet, I don't think her parents would be that strict," Cayonz added in.
"Well, she told me back in SAO that she was a rather studious student who focused on her studies as well as doing her job as the student council vice-president," I told them. "Also, just like Asuna, she joined SAO by mistake since she was curious as to what the game was like. I guess the only thing that makes her a bit unique from your typical hard-working student is her dyed hair, but even that's a stretch."
As I spoke, I reached my hand out for a stone brick, but noticed my stack had ran out. I hurried over to the enormous pile next to Cayonz, passing by the man as he was putting down his own stack of bricks.
"She said her parents want you to dress however you normally dress, right? It'd be best to listen to them, otherwise they may think you're disobedient and rebellious," Cayonz pointed out.
"I guess I'll do that then…" I sighed out.
"Wait, what do you wear when you're neither at home nor school?" Rizer asked.
"Black jeans, white shirt, black jacket, and black shoes…" I answered.
"Ah… Should've known that…" Rizer mumbled. "Well, good luck on that then. So, how much more Yrd do we need to finish this floor?"
"Maybe twenty thousand or so? Compared to the first floor, there are more walls on this floor, but they are a bit smaller," Cayonz determined. "Where will Paradox's lab be located again?"
"It'll be on the left side if you view the building from the front, next to the left staircase," I told him.
"And the doors?"
"One in the eastern corner, and the other on the west."
"Uh… Where is north in this place again?" Cayonz asked, slightly embarrassed for asking so many questions.
I dropped the stone bricks I had in my hands, and stood up. I searched for the front of the building, and faced in that direction. I then raised my left arm, and pointed it forty-five degrees from where I was facing.
"It's roughly in that direction. So basically, the right corner closest to the front points towards the north," I informed the two of them. "I should've drawn a compass on the blueprints."
"It's fine. If we keep studying it, we'll figure out where everything goes, eventually. Then, we won't even need to look at the blueprints to figure everything out," Rizer spoke as he placed down another wooden beam to support the second floor. "Also, I don't have enough wood to complete the support for the floor. We'll get more when we can, but as of now, I'll help you guys with the stone placement."
"That's also going to be a bit of a problem… We're running out of mortar here," Cayonz stated.
"And we've run out of funds… At this rate, it'll take us several months," I sighed out.
"Well, it's better than taking an entire year. Plus, only the 1st through 10th Floors are open at this time. The money we get from there won't even come close to what we need to finish this," Rizer stated. "Let's be optimistic about this, and just finish what we can."
"Yeah… Let's…"
The next day, Wednesday 4 PM, Cait Sith Capital Freelia
We suddenly received four more missions over night, and all of them were assassination missions. The numerous amount of assassination missions we were receiving made me a bit nervous since I wasn't aware of how popular this kind of mercenary work is. Fortunately, all of them were in different dates and times, which allowed me to take all of them. The first assassination mission I received was supposed to be today, but my client hasn't arrived yet. I had been waiting in this NPC café for some time now, but nobody has entered.
That's when I spotted four players walking outside of the café, wearing brown cloaks that covered their heads and bodies. The four suspicious looking players entered the café, and spotted me instantly as I was the only one here. I avoided eye contact, and crossed my arms across my chest. Secretly, I was moving my hand to grab the handle of Lux, preparing myself to draw the blade out.
"Aw, you don't have to be so suspicious, Mortifer-kun," a familiar voice spoke out to me.
I tilted my head to the side out of confusion. That voice, I've definitely heard it before. I looked at the player who spoke, and noticed that she was a girl. Her apparel looked oddly familiar, as well as the feline smile she had on her face. The girl then lifted up her hood, and revealed herself to be Alicia Rue, the Cait Sith Lord.
"You… What are you doing here?" I asked. "How did you even know I was here?"
"I'm your client dummy!" Alicia exclaimed, giggling loudly. Her three guards brought down their hoods and took seats near the entrance as if blocking any means of escape. Alicia took a seat right next to me, but I moved my chair to create some distance. "So, you let Sakuya kiss and be near you, but you won't let me? That's not fair…"
"I don't want any more annoying female Lords in my life. Especially ones who are sluts or whores…"
Alicia's guards all turned their heads and looked at me with angered expressions. Alicia simply smiled at me, and motioned for her guards to calm down.
"You really are brutal Mortifer-kun… I really do like your guts. Anyways, let's get down to business. I'm sure you're aware of the growing conflicts between the races, despite the end of the first Grand Quest. With the removal of the Safe-Zone Areas in cities except for inns, Sakuya and I fear that the Salamanders will launch an all-out attack on our capitals when we least expect it. We haven't been able to help you guys search through the Labyrinths because of the ever-growing threat."
"Just tell me what you need me to do…" I grumbled back, tired of the long backstory.
"My spies learned of a meeting between high-ranking Salamander officers and a mafia-like Imp group. The Salamanders are trying to buy weapons from the Imps, and we want you to stop them. The meeting will be held in an hour in Harth, a town on the Salamander-Imp border. I already contacted the Imp Lord Ferrin to send soldiers to assist you."
"Well tell him that he won't need to. I'm going alone…" I declared. Alicia frowned at my response.
"This is not a simple assassination mission Mortifer-kun. I'm asking you to take out more than one person here," Alicia cautioned. "If they realize it's you, Eugene and Mortimer will surely realize that you were hired to do the mission. Plus, your chances of succeeding are even higher if you have people assisting you."
"I'm an Imp, and I can easily change the appearance of my hair in this game. I'll dress up as a normal Imp, change my hair, and take them on. The only problem with it is that the relationship between Salamanders and Imps will diminish even further. If you guys are going to task me to hinder the Salamanders multiple times, you yourselves will have to make sacrifices. For this mission, the Imps will be a scapegoat."
"I need to check on Ferrin to see if that is okay. Luckily, he's online right now," Alicia stated.
I sat back on my chair, and watched as Alicia configured her Communication menu. She scrolled through her friends list before stopping at the name Ferrin, and selecting it. She began typing up her message, and sent the details of the mission I was going to embark on. The two of us waited for a minute before the Imp Lord finally responded. Alicia smiled, and nodded her head.
"Ferrin agreed to your terms. However, if you happen to fail, he won't be happy," Alicia said. "He won't send in soldiers to help you directly, but he'll have a few people surrounding the town to prevent anybody from escaping. Is that fine with you?"
"Yes. They can apprehend anyone who is trying to escape, but they can't interfere me when I am in the middle of the mission. Now, as for the price, a mission like this is going to be costly. I hope you know that…"
"Oh, I do. Don't worry about that. How does a hundred and fifty-thousand Yrd sound?"
"Seventy-five thousand above the base amount… You have a deal. I would ask you for more money, but I too am not fond of these rising conflicts. Plus, you are less annoying than Sakuya, so I'm willing to make that deal."
"Thank you, Mortifer-kun," Alicia smiled brightly. "I hope you succeed! I'll be waiting in my office here in Freelia then!"
An hour later, the town of Harth
The town of «Harth» was a rather odd town, especially in this game. Reason being, it was designed like one of those old western towns you see in American Cowboy movies. It was in a barren plain of hardened soil, at the very edge of the desert that covered most of the southern regions of ALfheim. NPC stores and Inns made up only a tenth of the buildings in the town with the rest being unusable buildings for aesthetic purposes. Being a school day, the place was like a ghost town. Even though that was the case, I remained hidden in an alleyway.
Anyways, Alicia told me that the meeting was supposed to start soon, but I haven't seen a single person in the town yet. The lack of players was making me regret all of these cosmetic changes I did to myself, especially my hair. Since actually changing my hair in terms of length, curliness and color costs money, I instead split my hair down the middle, and brushed it to two different sides. To make sure that my identity won't be compromised, I even put on some make-up I bought back in «Freelia». I looked like a completely different person, but the temporary make-up said that it only lasts for an hour, which should be enough time for me to finish this mission. I hated myself for changing my appearance, so I had wished for the mission to be over soon.
"Oi, oi, oi… Where the hell are those Imps?!" a voice grumbled out.
"Shh! Lower your voice!" another voice silenced the other. "Don't you remember that this is a secret meeting?!"
"That's also not something you should be saying dude…" the earlier voice responded.
I peered out of the alley I was in, and saw a group of Salamanders a few buildings away from me. Because of my «Straining», I could hear their whispers even from this far away, allowing me to stay in the alley for a bit longer. The group appeared to consist of three fighters, three tanks, and a single mage. A total of seven Salamanders for me to kill, and three of them are tanks… This will prove a bit troublesome.
"Where the hell is that inn we're supposed to meet at?" a Salamander complained quietly. "Also, this place is so barren."
"Makes it better for us. That means we don't have to worry as much if someone eavesdrop or interferes," another claimed.
I scoff to myself, silently laughing at the Salamander's claim. A town being completely empty only makes it more suspicious that someone, or something is watching. In this case, that someone watching is going to be their worst nightmare…
"Ah! There it is!" one of the Salamander fighters exclaimed, pointing to the building that made one side of the alleyway I was in.
The Salamanders began to make their way over to the inn, forcing me to go deeper into the shadows of the alley. When I saw a small balcony above me, I proceeded to climb up to reach the higher viewpoint. Afterwards, I scaled all the way to the top of the building, and peeked down below me. However, when I noticed that my shadow was visible on the ground, I resorted to using my hearing figure out the best time to go down and eavesdrop. The door of the inn opened, and I strained my ears to pick up every sound possible.
"Ah… You guys are here… That's good. Negotiations can start now," a new voice spoke.
The door of the inn closed with a bang, and I wasted no time. Despite my possession of wings, I decided to manually climb down the side of the building. I positioned myself next to a window, and peered inside. A group of six Imps were waiting in the center of the inn for their Salamander allies. Four of the Imps were fighters, and they all sat at a large round table with three vacant seats. Two of the Imps were tanks, and they stood in front of a long wooden table near the back of the inn. Three stacks of weapons and armor laid behind the tanks. Just their appearance alone told me they were of high quality. Three Salamanders occupied the vacant seats while the other four remained standing.
"Go on and check the goods…" one of the Salamanders commanded.
Both of the Salamander tanks who remained standing headed over to the table. They inspected the equipment with caution as the two Imps guarding the pile of items were glaring at them with threatening eyes. After a minute or so of inspecting and counting, the Salamanders turned to face their peers, and nodded their heads.
"You inspected the goods, and confirmed it. Can we do business now?" an Imp asked.
"Yes.. Let's…" the same Salamander responded. From the looks of it, it seemed to be that the Salamander captain was the mage, and the Imp captain was the fighter who directly faced the front of the inn.
"Oh, but a quick question… Why are you in need of equipment of this level? Is it for clearing the floors of New Aincrad?" the Imp captain questioned.
"Unfortunately, that information is classified, but I can say that it is not for that reason," the Salamander mage responded.
"Oh… Could it be that you Salamanders are planning on attacking the Lords of ALfheim and their capitals?"
"Like I said… It is classified… Can we move on?!" the Salamander growled.
"Fine, fine…" the Imp raised both of his hands up in a surrender-like fashion, and stopped asking questions. "Like we agreed upon, thirty sets of ancient-class quality equipment for a sum of fifty million Yrd. Now, hand us over the money."
The Salamander captain materialized a large brown sack of what I assumed to be Yrd. Two of the Imps reached for the bag, and heaved the sack closer to them. All four of them began to inspect the contents of the bag, and faces filled with greed could be seen in their faces. A Salamander inspected the bag using the system, and confirmed that the sack contained a total of fifty million.
Now that I think about it, if I can distract them even for a moment, I can steal that bag of money. I'm strong enough to carry its contents, so all I need to do is to get the upper hand. It's risky, but if I pull it off, they'll be too focused on trying to get the money back from me that they won't run away. High risk, high reward… I like it…
I quickly moved to the front of the door, and began to recite the incantation for the Smokescreen spell. As I muttered out the last few words, I used my free hand to open the door enough for just a little bit of light to leak in. I reached for my sword, and muttered out the final word of the spell. Black smoke began to spew out of the palm of my right hand, and I ran inside the inn with Sanctus in my left hand. The Salamanders and Imps jumped out of fright, and I saw the bag of Yrd still on the table. I put more power into my strides, and spewed smoke right into the faces of my enemies, blinding them temporarily. They all began to cough loudly, and I blindly snatched the bag of Yrd away from them. I immediately ran off with the bag of Yrd in tow, and exited the inn with haste.
"He took the money! Get him!" someone coughed out from inside the inn.
I summoned my wings, and flew up to the top of the inn. With haste, I stored the fifty million Yrd inside my storage, and unsheathed Lux with my right hand. The Smokescreen leaked out of the inn door, and my targets ran out the building, coughing up black smoke. It took them a few seconds to recover and find me, but at that point, I was already on the offense.
I used my wings to tackle down one of the Salamander tanks who stood far from his allies. I grabbed the guy by the collar of his heavy armor, and dragged him a building away from the inn. I stabbed the guy's leg using Sanctus, and pierced it into the ground, disabling his movements. I proceeded to mercilessly hack at the guy with Lux before until he perished before my eyes. I waited to see if a new Voice would appear in my head, but nothing happened.
Good… As long as I differentiate between the game and real life, I should be fine. If I think of these guys as monsters in the game for me to farm, then it should be a little bit easier for my head. Or maybe I should just try to not think about what I'm doing at all. A bit cold-blooded, but maybe it works…
I pulled Sanctus out of the ground and turned to face the rest of my adversaries. All of the Imps and Salamanders now had their weapons drawn, so I couldn't do what I just did to that Salamander tank. Although, this should be easier with only four tanks remaining. However, the biggest problem was the Salamander mage who hid behind the rest of the tanks.
"Healer or damage-dealer, it doesn't matter to me," I taunted them. "Because I'll make sure to remove all of you out of my path."
"Who are you?!" the Salamander mage roared. "Are you part of the Imp's army?"
"Did that damn Ferrin send you here?!" the Imp leader shouted. "And I thought we were sneaky enough about this entire meeting..."
"Clearly not!"
I scoffed at them for arguing amongst themselves. I was about to answer, but quickly stopped myself. If I say I was hired to stop this exchange from happening, then the Salamanders would report to their leader that the Imps hired someone. Eugene should be able to figure out who I am if they reported this as such.
"Don't worry about it. If you turn yourselves in now, maybe Ferrin won't banish you from all Imp territories," I told them. "As for you Salamanders, you guys should stop with your ALfheim dominance plan. That's no longer part of the game."
"Just shut up and let us kill you!" the Salamander growled.
All of the fighters broke off into a sprint, and brandished their swords, axes and lances. The two Imp tanks joined the fighters while the two remaining Salamander tanks protected the mage. When I saw how closely packed they were, I sort of regretted not asking for back-up. I "danced" around my enemies before, but I shouldn't do that this time.
I summoned my wings, and hacked away at them as I flew by. I damaged three of them slightly while I narrowly dodged all of their attacks. After I flew by the attackers, I charged straight into the tanks guarding the mage, and chipped away some of their health. Before they could counterattack, I used their shields as a springboard, and jumped away from them. The Salamander and Imp fighters realize they can't match my speed on foot, so they all summoned their wings.
These guys don't seem to be that great at fighting. After all, most players in ALfheim are your typical otaku video gamers, or even NEETs. The extreme combat system will aid me since I am already an accomplished kendo practitioner, and quite athletic. From the looks of how they're flying and fighting right now, I can tell that they are indeed inexperienced when it comes to real sword fighting. It only hurts me to watch them even more when they are airborne.
While they were adept at flying, they had spread themselves out slightly as to not collide with each other. The disadvantage I was at before was now gone, for the distance they had put between each other gave me enough space to swiftly attack without many consequences. I rushed past the Imp fighter on my left, and sliced at his right leg while narrowly avoiding his axe swing. At the same time, I used his body as a pivot to swing myself right towards the Salamander next to him. The unexpected attack allowed me to kick him square in the face. The force of the kick sent him back into his own teammate who stumbled from the hit. This dangerous and reckless process of mine continued until I brought all of them to nearly half of their current health. In return, I lost a third of my own. I stopped attacking when I saw their mage begin casting a spell. I smiled mischievously, and I headed towards the well-guarded mage.
The tanks realized my plan, and they too summoned their wings. They flew up a few centimeters off the ground, and raised their shields in the process. The mage realized soon after, and a look of worry appeared on his face. Despite his worries, he continued his incantation as he knew he couldn't stop it. When his incantation was halfway done, I began the attack.
One of their tanks charged right at me. I ascended slightly, creating more space between me and the ground, and the Salamander followed along. However, it was all a bait as I quickly flew beneath him, and confronted the last Salamander tank. Knowing I would try to lead him away, he remained in place and raised his shield. Seeing no other choice, I increased my speed and rammed right into his shield. Since he didn't have the friction of the ground to stop him, the Salamander was hit back into his teammate. Unable to react in time, the Salamander mage was hit, and the «Spellword Fumble Effect» transpired in a violent explosion.
Thankfully, the Salamander tank whom I hid behind took the brunt of the explosion, allowing me to only drop to forty percent of my health. The explosion created a dust cloud, and I took my chances there. I found the mage in the grey smoke and hacked away at him. I imagined myself painting a picture with a paint brush as I dropped his health to zero and it proved to work as I didn't receive a new Voice. Three monsters down, ten more to go...
Suddenly, from the skies of ALfheim, numerous Imps began to surround me and my ten remaining targets. I estimated about twenty Imps total, though I counted them rather quickly. All of them were armed and dangerous. None of them seemed to be merciful people, especially with their rather intimidating glares. Judging from the reaction of the other Imp mafia and the Salamanders, these intruding Imps were not their friends. That's when an Imp in much more regal-looking armor landed behind me and took off his helm.
The Imp had milky skin with a hint of purple, almost identical to my own avatar's skin tone. He had dark purple dreads, black guyliner that only made his eyebags bigger, and a small golden circlet wrapped around his head with a red gem as the centerpiece. I glared at the man as assumptions already began to form in my head. He took note of this glare and simply nodded his head off to the side as if he was motioning for me to follow him. I sheathed both my blades, but I kept my right hand on Sanctus just in case. The Imp summoned his wings and slowly flew up to the top of the clock tower, the tallest structure in «Harth». I followed him along with two other Imps, whom I assumed to be his bodyguard. Meanwhile, down below us, the Imp army proceeded to capture the mafia Imps and their Salamander accomplices, disappointing me slightly since I didn't get their loot.
"Alicia sends her apologies," the Imp stated. "We stood our ground outside of the town, but she contacted me and told me to help you, despite what you told us earlier."
"Before we get there, you're Ferrin, right? The Imp Lord?" I asked him. He nodded his head. "Okay then... So, why exactly did she send you guys in? I thought I explicitly told her not to do so."
"It seems Lord Alicia cares about you greatly. She doesn't want you to die on the mission, nor for the mission to fail. It will greatly hurt us if you happen to die on such an important mission."
"I understand your concern, but I can take care of myself just fine. Since you have captured my prey, I can't get any loot from their bodies..."
"Would you like compensation for our interference?" Ferrin asked me, making me more relaxed due to his generosity and kindness.
"No... It's fine. I'd rather not drain the pockets of too many allies since I'll be asking Alicia for compensation later. Anyways, there are thirty sets of ancient-class equipment inside of that saloon over there. That should give you guys something to work with..."
"Thank you, Mortifer-san..." Ferrin bowed to me.
"Just call me Mortifer," I told the Imp Lord.
I materialized my magical wings and began to make my way back to «Freelia».
Half an hour later, «Lord's Mansion in Freelia»
"You already stole five million from the mafia Imps, yet you're still asking me for more money? How cruel..." Alicia whimpered as she made a face that imitated a helpless cat.
"I told you that I didn't need help. I don't care if it was for my own benefit... I need as much money as I can get right now," I argued back.
"If you tell me why you need so much money, then maybe I'll give you what you want..." Alicia purred.
I clenched both fists beneath my cloak and got up from my chair. I turned my back to Alicia and began to head for her office's exit.
"Good luck finding another mercenary then," I grumbled to Alicia as I stormed out of her office. As soon as I had one foot outside of the room, she immediately responded back.
"Okay! Okay! Just, please give me a minute or two..." Alicia cried out for me.
I stopped myself and slowly walked back to Alicia, who looked defeated. I had both hands in the pockets of my pants and I stared down at the Cait Sith Lord, waiting for her response.
"You know, your personality isn't something that appeals to other people that well. It's kind of hard to believe you are brothers with Kirito-kun. Are you not afraid that one day we won't hire you for any more high-paying missions because of your personality?"
"No... I'm not afraid," I told her.
"How come? I thought you want as much money as possible?"
"I do want as much money as possible, but I'm not afraid because there is one thing I know for sure..."
"This thing is?" Alicia wondered.
"No matter how much you try to avoid me and my guild, you guys will come crawling back to me, seeking my aid in helping to stop Eugene and the Salamanders' advancement..."
My statement was extremely prideful, but it was the solid truth. Alicia opened her mouth to argue but she too realized that she couldn't say anything to counter my statement.
"Look, I don't like Eugene at all, and I don't want to see that guy being on top, but these conflicts don't concern me, my guild nor my friends. Unless Eugene does something that directly affects us, I won't be cheap for hire. But as long as you are able to pay for the mission, I am willing to take on any and every mission you have for me."
"Okay..." Alicia spoke quietly, looking down at her desk. "How much do you want then?"
"Ten-thousand should be enough..." I told her. Alicia opened her menu and materialized a mithril Yrd coin. "This is a hundred-thousand... Even if I want money badly, I'm not going to accept this from you."
"Then what if I say it is a gift? For being on our side?" Alicia asked, looking up at me. Her eyes were apologetic and so I simply took the mithril coin and proceeded to exit the room. "Pleasure doing business with you, Mortifer-kun..."
"And the same to you, Alicia…"
Two days later, Friday Night, «Misty Valley»
Yesterday and today, my guild members went on their first missions. Though Trish and Rizer had already went on a mission with me before, this was the first time they did it without me. Fortunately, everyone completed their missions with relative ease, and there were no complications between us and the clients during negotiations. We earned approximately four-hundred thousand Yrd combined in those missions.
We can finish the second floor and parts of the third floor with the money we currently have, but even so, furnishing the place costs a lot more than building the actual walls. My punishment for wanting to make everything look pretty in this place. I believe the carpet alone is going to be a few million Yrd since it is made of the fur from «Evil-God» type monsters residing in the high-level dungeon of «Jötunheimr». The crappy part is that we have to get the materials ourselves and then pay a special merchant to make something out of it since that is the only way to obtain any item made from that fur. The only way around it is to find someone who has «Completed» their «Crafting». However, the only person I know who is near such a feat is Violet, who only has it up to somewhere around five-hundred.
"Why the hell is furniture more expensive in this world than actual building materials?" I grumbled to myself, though both Rizer and Cayonz overheard me.
"It's just how these games work. Heck, even the real world is like this. Ever heard of mercantilism?" Rizer asked me.
"Yeah… I know what you mean by that. But still though… Furnishing the first floor will be more expensive than actually building it. I'm pretty sure that is not how the real world works…"
"If you wanna complain, go speak with the guy who wanted dragon-leather couches and literal golden seats," Cayonz bellowed out. "We have yet to make the two residence towers on the side, which will cost us nearly a billion Yrd. And that tree you want to plant at that garden up there on that ledge? Does it not cost like a few million Yrd due to its extreme rarity? And that arena—"
"Okay, okay… Sorry…" I stopped him. "I won't complain anymore. I have more important things to worry about anyway…
"Ah right… You're meeting with Violet's parents tomorrow," Rizer noted.
"Did you decide what you're going to do?" Cayonz asked.
"Dress normally, act formally… Well, that's what I have in mind..." I told them. "Do you guys have any more tips on how to deal with her parents?"
Rizer and Cayonz looked at each other, then looked back at me. They looked down towards the ground and shook their heads slowly. I let out a sigh of stress and opened my menu. I looked at the time and noticed that it was eleven o'clock in the night. I thought about whether I should stay up like usual or go to sleep, and decided on the latter.
"I'm heading out so I can prepare myself well tomorrow. You guys can keep on building if you want," I told them.
"We'll finish what we can before midnight," Cayonz affirmed as he hoisted a wooden beam over his shoulders. Rizer looked at me and gave me a quick salute, saying:
"Good luck tomorrow Mortifer… Godspeed."
(Katsumoto)
The next day 12PM, Tokyo-Setagaya Ward, Yuzuki Household
Unlike many homes here in Japan, the Yuzuki household was separated from society by four tall, white, concrete walls. A black gate with a keypad prevented all unwanted visitors from entering the property. An elderly man in a black suit stood his ground behind the gate as if he were guarding it. He stared at me with cold eyes as if he knew why I was here. Well, I shouldn't be too surprised if Ai's parents sent the butler out to greet me.
I exited my car which was parked next to the black gate. I walked over to the front of the gate and stood in front of the elderly man. Now that I got a closer look at him, he only seems to be in his late fifties or early sixties. He was also rather fit for a man of his age.
"Is this the Yuzuki household?" I asked him.
"Yes, it is. Are you perhaps Kirigaya Katsumoto-kun?" he questioned. I nodded my head in response. "We've been expecting you. My name is Fumio Nagato. I am the proud butler of the Yuzuki family. Please, enter."
The man took out a remote control from his pocket and pressed the big blue button on the middle. The black gates began to open inwards, forcing the neatly dressed man to take a few steps back to avoid the gate. I stepped over the threshold and began to follow the butler who started walking to the house.
The Yuzuki household had garden smaller than ours, though their house was at least twice the size of our own. The junior mansion had two floors with more than enough rooms for a family of four people. The front portico held up a balcony and an extended portion of the roof. Two smaller porticoes were on either side of the mansion, surrounded by flowers. I barely caught a glimpse of a curtain moving on the second floor at the right side. I saw Ai's head poking out from behind the curtains, watching me as I approached the entrance of her home. I gave her a nervous thumbs up and she retreated back into her room. Nagato continued towards the door and we entered the shade of the portico. The butler pushed open the shiny wooden doors of the mansion and allowed me to see the interior of Ai's home.
I walked into a marble foyer, with two rounded staircases on either side. The hallway of the second floor could be seen from the front, along with a large doorway at the center of the hall. From its fancy appearance, I assumed that the door led to the master bedroom. I looked to the right side and once again saw Ai peeking around the corner. Nagato saw her as well and turned his body towards me.
"Ai-sama's parents will return from work soon. They will meet with you when I have finished preparing lunch. You are allowed to wait in Ai-sama's room if you'd like," he said, motioning for me to go upstairs. "Oh, but please remove your shoes and set them right here."
"Okay. Thank you, Fumio-san," I bowed to him.
I removed my shoes and headed up the staircase to my right. The marble floor caused me to take my steps much more slowly since my socks slipped easily on the smooth surface. I held on to the handrail which appeared to be made of ebony. A crystal chandelier dangled from the ceiling, right above a circular stone table with a rather large bonsai tree. When I turned to see what was behind me, I was astonished when I saw a replica of the Last Supper painted on the wall above the doorway. It covered most of the area above the entrance, making it look as big as the real one. The vibrant colors made it seem rather new.
"Your family isn't Christian, right Ai?" I asked her.
"Oh that?" Ai questioned. "It was my father's idea. He's not too interested in art, but he adores history, especially the Renaissance period. We have a replica of the Mona Lisa and the Rape of Proserpina in the library. The statues of Night and Dawn as well as the Creation of Adam are in the dining room."
"Just how big is this plot your home is in?" I asked, astonished at the sheer size of her house.
"Hmm… I think it's at least four-thousand square meters," Ai determined, causing my jaw to drop open. I've never heard of any sort of house or plot of land that big here in the Tokyo ward, especially in Setagaya. "My grandfather built this place by taking down three neighboring houses. They all got compensated with large sums of money as well as a job in the Ymir corporation when that happened."
"Oh… That's neat then…" I said, unable to find other things to say.
"Come on. I'll show you my room," Ai motioned for me.
"If your bed frame is made out of gold, I will seriously doubt my chances with your parents," I joked, though I still had doubts regardless. Ai knew this as well, which is why she didn't respond to my joke and made a worried face instead.
I reached the top of the staircase and stepped onto the carpeted surface of the second floor. Four doors were located in each hallway, totaling up to nine total doors if you include the big one at the center. Ai and I walked towards the end of the right hallway and entered Ai's room on our right.
Unlike the bright white color of the rest of the house, Ai's room had lavender-colored walls and a matching carpet floor. Her room wasn't as big as I expected it to be, but this mansion does have nine rooms on the second floor. Her bade frame wasn't made out of gold but wood instead. The black frame was filled with drawers and cabinets both underneath, on the head and at the foot-end of the bed, providing Ai with plenty of storage space. A black study desk was on the wall opposite to her bed and her computer was at the right corner next to her window. A nightstand on the right side of her king-sized bed had her purple AmuSphere as well as what appeared to be an internet router. I was going to say that I was surprised but even I have my own router I use for the ethernet.
"Is this the only colored room in the house?" I asked her.
"Nope," she responded. "Each of the rooms on the second floor have a certain color scheme. The master bedroom is brown, my room is purple, my brother's room is green, the bathrooms are blue and red, my brother's workshop is grey, Nagato-san's room is orange and the guest room is yellow."
"You have a maid as well?" I asked her.
"Yup, her name is Kyoko-san. Fumio Kyoko," she told me, making my eyebrows raise out of surprise.
"Wait, are they related?"
"They're married. They're one of the families that lost their homes due to the construction of this one. However, they became very good friends with my own family and reside here. Nagato-san is our company's Chief Human Resources Officer while also being our butler. Kyoko-san is just our maid. They have two children who have families that also work for the company and partnered companies."
"You're family is rather generous… I just hope it applies to me too…" I worried.
"Yeah… I hope so too…" Ai whimpered. "My parents will be here in less than an hour, so I'll get changed now."
Half an hour later
Ai put on a white collar shirt and black jean shorts. She kept wearing her white fur slippers and ankle-high white socks, and simply let her hair fall down like normal. The purple streaks glistened in the bright light of her room. The two of us remained sitting on the bed. We held each other's hands and leaned against one another, waiting for her parents to return home.
From outside, I heard the black gate outside as it began to open up. The two of us walked to her window and saw a black Rolls-Royce as it went down the driveway. The luxury vehicle stopped midway and Nagato came to open the passenger side door. A woman with brown hair stepped out of the passenger side, wearing a white office dress and black stockings. From the driver's side, came out a black-haired man wearing a black shirt and charcoal pants. As if he knew we were watching, the man looked up to Ai's window and waved. Ai simply closed the curtains and buried her face in my chest.
"Those were your parents, right?" I asked her.
"Yeah…" she whispered out. "You want to go and meet them now?"
"No point waiting if it's going to happen in a matter of minutes. Let's go."
Ai and I exited the bedroom and out into the white hallways of the house. We slowly walked towards the center of the second floor while the sound of the front door opening reached my ears. Ai was the first to step out into the view of her parents while I remained hidden behind the hallway wall. Parts of the Last Supper were in my view as well as one of the windows next to it, but not her parents.
"Ah... Ai-chan..." a manly voice greeted. "Is your boyfriend here yet?"
I saw Ai's throat move as she swallowed down her worries. She looked at me and motioned for me to come into view. I took a deep breath and placed my hands in my pockets. I stepped out of the shadows and came into view. Her mother and father had smiles on their faces which quickly disappeared when they looked at me. They were replaced by blank expressions that showed no emotion. I slowly began to walk down the staircase Ai. I had an urge to hold her hand but I refrained from doing so. I carefully walked down the slippery marble staircase and reached the ground floor where her parents and Nagato waited.
"I'm assuming you are Mortifer-kun?" her mother asked.
"Yes, I am," I answered as I bowed my head. "My real name is Kirigaya Katsumoto."
"We're pleased to finally meet you. My name is Alluka. Yuzuki Alluka."
"And my name is Shitori." her father greeted.
"Please... The pleasure is mine," I said, though I knew it was a lie.
"I'd like to talk with you right away, but my hunger has yet to be sated. Nagato, is lunch ready?!" Shitori asked.
"Yes, it is. I have already prepared the table as well." Nagato affirmed.
Nagato motioned for us to enter the dining room and Shitori did the same to me. I obliged and entered the room alongside Ai. I passed by the Statues of Night and Dawn, which stood on either side of the doorway. The Creation of Adam was painted on the ceiling of the dining hall, contrasting greatly with the maroon walls of the room. I walked to the grand dining table at the center of the room while I admired the intricate designs on the fabric-covered walls. My sixth sense alert system went off like crazy as I sensed her parents' eyes behind my back. They were definitely looking at me and my appearance.
Sets of plates and food were placed both in the middle and at the end of the table. Knowing where I was going to be sitting at, I sat down on a chair in the middle while Ai sat on the opposite side. Shitori sat down at the head of the table with Alluka next to him on Ai's side. The three of them proceeded to place their tablecloths on their laps, and I followed their actions. They clapped their hands together and said in unison:
"Thanks for the meal."
I quickly followed up by clapping my hands and saying:
"Thanks for the meal."
We all began to reach for our food which consisted of crab, lobster, sea urchin, caviar and more seafood items. I reached for my utensils, expecting to find chopsticks. Instead, I found a fork and a knife by my plate. I grabbed the two utensils and took a lobster tail for myself along with a sea urchin. Before I began to eat my food, the dining room's main entrance burst open, revealing a young boy with brown hair. He was wearing his pajamas and looked as if he had just woken up.
"Good morning..." he yawned out.
"It is afternoon already Hitori-kun. Did you stay up playing video games again?" Ai's mother questioned.
"No... I was doing my intern work..." Hitori paused momentarily as he set his eyes on me. "Eh? Who's this?"
"That is Kirigaya Katsumoto-kun... Ai-chan's boyfriend."
"Ah!" Hitori exclaimed, running over to my side and forcefully taking my hand which still had my fork in it. "So you're Mortifer-san! I'm Yuzuki Hitori, Onee-san's younger brother. Vitushi-kun has told me a lot about you! Man, you look so different from what I expected you to look like. So, why are you here?"
"Hitori-kun... You may dine with us but you have to be quiet. Otherwise, take some food and go back to your room," Shitori commanded. Hitori effectively quieted down and sat at the other end of the table, opposite to his father. "Now, Kirigaya-kun... Please tell us a bit about yourself."
"Well... W-What do you want to know?" I asked, not sure where to start.
"How about your past?"
"Well... I lost my parents in a car accident when I was four, the very day after my brother was born."
"Oh my… A tragic story… You have my condolences…"
"T-Thank you… That happened almost seventeen years ago..."
"So, you're twenty-one now? A year older than Ai-chan... I see..." Alluka mused.
"I practiced Kyokushin karate and became a practitioner of kendo. I quit after several years when I myself got into a car accident," I told them. Ai's eyes went wide open since I never told her I took Kyokushin lessons. "I was rank one in my high school and was amongst the top scoring students in my mock school. I got accepted into the University of Tokyo, though I never actually went there..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Shitori wondered. "How come?"
"I... Didn't know what to do with my life..." I told him.
Saying that I chose not to go to college to such a high-class Japanese family may be the stupidest thing anyone can do, especially if they want to be with a person from that family. However, it was not in my nature to lie about these kinds of things.
"That's... A bit upsetting... What do you do now?" Alluka asked. Ai looked at me with a worried expression, knowing that these questions were only making my image much worse, especially since I wasn't lying.
"I remain at home, taking care of my siblings and playing video games with my friends, including Ai..."
Ai's parents looked at each other as if trying to reach a silent conclusion about me. Hitori and Ai continued to eat their food slowly while I remained paralyzed from the questions I was being asked. This was not going well for me at all, but I needed to stay strong. I took my silver and proceeded to eat the feast that was laid before us by Nagato. After a minute of watching Ai's parents whisper to each other, Hitori's expression changed from one of boredom to one of absolute seriousness.
"I don't get why we have to make this all subtle looking, Otou-san, Okaa-san..." Hitori murmured.
"Hitori-kun?" Ai asked, bewildered. I looked at Ai's brother with puzzled eyes, confused by his sudden seriousness. A moment later, Alluka sighed out.
"I guess you're right... We won't figure anything out if we try to be subtle about this..."
"Kirigaya-kun... No, Mortifer-kun..." Shitori's voice rumbled. I saw an evil bloodlust radiating from the man's eyes, causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat. "Does the number eighty-nine hold any significance to you?"
"E-Eighty... Nine?" I repeated, unsure of how that number relates to me.
"Otou-san... What's going on here?" Ai said, standing up from her chair.
"Ai-chan, please sit down and remain quiet... This is a very important discussion," Alluka declared. "Tell us Mortifer-kun... What do you think that number means?"
Ai's parents and even her brother were giving me menacing stares as if I had pissed them off somehow. What made them so mad? Was it something I did in the past? If so, what? I tried to remember anything dealing with the number eighty-nine, but I couldn't find anything in my head.
"I-I'm sorry... I don't know what that number means... Well, maybe I do, but I can't remember it right now."
Alluka's expression quickly changed from threatening to one of shock. She moved her hand to cover her mouth and began shaking in her seat. Hitori moved his arm in front of Ai as if he were trying to protect her from me. Her younger brother held an expression of absolute hatred in his face. Shitori remained sitting but he gave me an ominous glare that sent chills down my spine. Even Nagato reacted to my answer as he was now behind my seat, glaring down the back of my head.
"Everyone, what's going on here?!" Ai shouted, desperate for an answer. I didn't know how to react since I never expected this lunch meeting to go so terrible. What the hell does eighty-nine mean?!
"Ai-chan... I can't believe you have stuck with this boy during your time in Sword Art Online," Alluka cried out in horror as she quivered in her seat. "How could you ever love him?!"
"H-He saved my life! He's done it five times now! And he's the only person I've met outside of my family who cares for me so much!" Ai shouted out, still confused as to why her family was suddenly so hostile towards me. "What's wrong?! What does the number eighty-nine mean?!"
"The number of people who died!" Shitori shouted, slamming his fist on the table and sending plates flying.
I froze in place, as well as Ai. I didn't notice it due to the shouting, but the Voices were screaming inside my head already. I grasped my head, unable to fathom the fact that I forgot my own sins. The very sins which had been haunting me ever since that damn night. I now realized why they all seemed so shocked when I couldn't recall what the number eighty-nine meant.
"When a murderer doesn't remember the lives he has taken, that's when that person has lost their humanity," Shitori stated. "Ever since we found out about Ai's girlfriend from Vitushi-kun, we have been doing research on you. We were considering on letting you be with Ai-chan but when we found your SAO logs, we were absolutely shocked. We contacted Kayaba Akihiko's assistant, Koujiro Rinko, Sugou Nobuyuki of RECT Progress and Kikuoka Seijirou of the «Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications» to confirm the data of your SAO logs."
"I won't let a murderer like you go near Onee-chan!" Hitori declared, now spreading both of his arms out to protect Ai. Nagato grabbed my shoulder and proceeded to crush it with his hand, giving me great pain.
"We've already made preparations for you Ai so don't worry about anything," Shitori said, standing up from his seat.
"W-Worry about what?! What are you planning on doing?!" Ai screamed.
"From this point onward, Nagato-san will be your temporary guard, both in the real world and the virtual one. Kirigaya Katsumoto-kun... I hereby forbid you from going near my daughter, ever again!"
