Three days had passed ever since Lisbeth hired you. Working for her actually didn't feel too different than what you already did, except you had less choice on where to sell your materials. It was worth it, though. Lisbeth stuck to her word and kept your gear in top form. Not breaking your promise to yourself, you tried to find excuses to stop by at least once a day, either for equipment repair or for material delivery. Today marked a delivery of high-grade materials.
The Floor 65 Labyrinth was home to several variants of undead knights. Their armor was useless to most players, but they could actually be melted down and refined in the same manner as metal ores. While making one final mapping run before the raid, you gathered a hefty amount of Brave Steel scrap. It could be used for armors and weapons resembling those of ancient knights. Not your thing, but nice nonetheless.
From there, after providing the two major clearing guilds your maps, you used a Teleport Crystal to move to Lindarth. It wasn't much distance from the gate to Lisbeth's shop, at least, it didn't feel like it. Her shop was usually open, sometimes run by her, and sometimes by her NPC shopkeeper. Looks like she was in today, though. You could see her through the window taking an order.
You strolled into her shop, exchanged a quick greeting, then went into the back to drop off the Brave Steel. Occasionally you would bring in a material she's never seen before, and at this point you'd have to try your best to explain what effects it had and what kind of things could be forged from it. Considering you had zero experience with smithing, that usually went poorly. At the very least, she got the gist of things.
You usually stayed for a while and tried to catch some of the orders she was receiving, just to see if her attitude when you first met her was only for you, or for every customer. Turns out it was the former. That made you feel a little better about your odds with her.
Once during that time, Kirito came in for repairs on his equipment. When that happened, you had to devote a little more time to listening in. If she really was in love with the guy, what chance did you have? The more you listened, the more Lisbeth's demeanor around him interested you, though. You overheard that he was married to some other player named Asuna. Either he had a harem going on or Lisbeth really thought she could have a chance with him. Both of those options sounded really bad to you.
At least you knew you probably had a shot with Lisbeth. Even still, you couldn't read her mind. You might be totally right about her being madly in love with Kirito and not really caring much for you. She could easily just think of you as an employee right now.
Anyway, you were about to leave after dropping off your goods, but the front entrance was blocked by 4 people wearing matching uniforms. They had to have been part of a guild, and a powerful one at that. You could see it from the looks on their faces. They probably wanted a group order from Lisbeth, but even still, you felt anxious just standing in their presence. You then heard Lisbeth's voice behind you.
"May I help you?" She was as jovial as ever.
Lisbeth had finished her other order while you were in the back, so the only people in the building were you, her, and these 4 guild members. One of them, presumably the leader, stepped forward.
"The Divine Dragon Alliance wishes to place an order for a large stock of weapons." His voice had a commanding tone.
You had to excuse yourself upstairs before your anxiety became visible. The Divine Dragon Alliance was possibly the strongest of the clearing guilds, and now they wanted a large shipment of weapons from Lisbeth. You really hoped they weren't just asking her, since that was a lot for one person to handle. Listening in, though, Lisbeth seemed to be glowing about the order. The deal was definitely valuable, that was certain.
The most impressive part of it, at least to you, was how she was handling a five-way conversation. Granted, it was about business matters, but still, that was something you could only dream of doing.
Eventually, you heard them leave the smith shop, and a pair of footsteps coming upstairs. It was Lisbeth, looking somewhat drained. That was a stark contrast to what you just heard. It was enough to make you concerned for her.
"Hey, Liz, you okay?"
She reclined in one of the chairs in the room.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you hear that order downstairs?" The energy had been sucked from her voice.
"I did. Sounds pretty intense."
"Luckily, I'm not the only blacksmith that they're hiring. But whatever you heard, that's what they're paying me for."
"So you've gotta do all that by when?"
"2 days from now. Reinforcements, repairs, new forges, all of it."
"Shoot. Is that even possible for one person?" You were worried she might overwork herself.
"I think it is. Sleep isn't too necessary in this world, and I can work pretty quickly under pressure. If I can make the order, this deal could be huge for me. Tons of publicity, and tons of profit all in one go."
It seemed like she had regained some life in her after thinking about the payoff.
"Is there anything I can do to help you out? I mean anything."
"Anything, huh?" Lisbeth sounded like she already had a couple things in mind.
"I need a few materials sourced. Crystals, rare metals, that kind of thing. I'll get you a list. Second, getting a little more Brave Steel would be useful for the new weapons."
"Got it, I'll-" You got out of your seat, but Lisbeth interrupted you.
"And I need you to come with me right now for something."
That took you by surprise. Whatever this is, it must be pretty urgent, so you gladly accepted. The two of you exited Lisbeth's shop, leaving the NPC vendor to make sales. She wasn't heading towards the teleport gate, but rather the southern edge of town.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Don't worry about where we're going. I think you'll like it." Lisbeth let out a little giggle.
You really had no clue where she was going with this. In fact, you weren't sure whether to be reassured or worried right now. It seems like she was following the waterways out of town. Pretty far out of town, you noticed. At least none of the monsters were bothering you.
Lisbeth eventually led you to a large lake on the floor. It was mostly surrounded by forest, but there was a cliff facing toward the lake, far off from any trails. It only had a few trees, allowing it to act as a scenic outlook. You could see over the entire lake, as well as the forest surrounding it. Out in the distance, you could even make out the church tower. You could feel a light breeze running across your body, and the smell of the pine trees soothed your senses. The experience was truly mesmerizing, and it put you in a trance. One that wasn't broken until Lisbeth eagerly poked your arm.
"Enjoying the view?"
You snapped out of your haze and needed a moment to respond.
"It's beautiful. How did you know about this place?"
"I came across it while exploring the area outside of town. I don't think many people come here, so I declared it my own little secret spot."
"I can see why. I feel so relaxed here." Your voice was almost sleepy.
You sat down, reclining against one of the trees.
"Can I ask why you wanted me here, though?"
"Well… um…" Lisbeth seemed to be struggling for words. It took a moment before she continued.
"It's about the order I got earlier. I wasn't lying when I said I could do it."
She sat down next to you.
"When I get a large order like that, though, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming when I think about starting it right away. So I come to this place to clear my head and relax a little."
"And where do I fit in all that?"
"I just thought that bringing a friend like you along would help both of us out. You looked like you were freezing up when that group of guild members came in."
"Oh!" Your face got red. "Y-you noticed that?"
"I'm more observant than you think. Do you not handle groups of people well?"
Lisbeth was basically asking you to pour your thoughts out. The two of you were alone, and your heart was racing right now. May as well just get it over with, right?
"I don't. I'm not exactly a social butterfly to begin with, but spending time with groups of people is incredibly draining. A lot more than just one or two people. It's like an information overload to me. Trying to keep track of what multiple people are saying while thinking about how to respond to all of it, I mean."
"I get what you mean."
"Wait, you do?"
How could Lisbeth, the girl that handled a full party of fighters earlier, admit to struggling with group interaction?
"Yeah. It's hard to explain, but I get what you mean with all that info coming in all at once."
"How do you manage, then?"
"I kinda just follow every moment as if it was completely separate. A lot of the time, people are bouncing off of one idea, so if you just go with what the last person said, you'll usually sound just fine."
You thought about that for a bit. Just listen to each instance. First, she tells you to loosen up a little, now she tells you to live in the moment. Could you really get by in this world being so casual? While it was still on your mind, Lisbeth continued a tangent of hers.
"You said you go to the front lines often. Seems like a lot of people I know up there are the super serious type. I was just wondering, is it something you have to be to survive up there?"
Lisbeth just said exactly what you were thinking. You weren't sure how to respond, honestly. On the one hand, you always had to be wary, but on the other hand, a lot of social interaction was just raid plans, equipment and level optimization, or occasional territory war. Having a real heart-to-heart like this was rare. Lisbeth was giving you the opportunity right now, and you really didn't think you were doing well.
Maybe there wasn't even a well. The frontline way of thinking didn't work here. So instead of trying to think of a well-crafted response, you just said exactly what you thought.
"I didn't know that's how it was up there. I've even met a guy that was pretty free-spirited who was from the front lines. But if that's how things are with you, then I'm glad that I can be here with you."
She was enjoying this. Something you were doing was working. Maybe while you were here, you could learn about how life was on lower floors, long behind the front line.
"So what about you? You got anything on your mind? Anything like I do?"
"Well, I'm not quite sure if what I could vent about compares to that, but you'll still hear me out, right?"
"Of course."
If nothing else, you could lend an ear.
"Something I think about sometimes is how lonely it gets in my position."
"Lonely? Even dealing with as many people as you do?"
"Yeah. Thing is about most customers, I see them once or twice, and then never again. There aren't many people I can get close to like this."
"What you're saying is that we're sort of in similar situations?"
"Kind of? What you're describing to me is something you show off. The way you avoid monsters, it's kind of like the way you try to dodge groups of people. For me, that lonely feeling is something I keep under wraps. I always try to have a smile for my customers. I think you're one of the few people that I've shown this side to."
"Then, can I ask something?" You had to know the answer to this question that's been on your mind.
"Go ahead. Anything."
"If I'm one of the few people you can be open with, why me?"
"I could ask you the same, honestly. You don't seem like the type who pours their heart out often."
No point in dodging this. Not once you're this deep in. "There's a lot I admire about you. In the span of 5 or so days, my entire opinion of you went from just a hot-headed blacksmith to someone who was both relaxed and hardworking, stubborn and wise, and really damn smart."
This was where you had to make a big decision. Confess your full feelings now, or skirt around it and put it off? No, it hadn't even been a week since you met her. There's no way someone could accept your love after such a short time.
"I want to be someone who you can call a close friend. I think having a relationship like that in this world is really valuable. Especially since I play a role where my life could end in an instant."
Just saying that left your face cherry-red. You felt really hot right now, and you worried that Lisbeth could feel it. Lisbeth seemed more concerned with figuring out how to respond to that, though. It actually looked like she had moved closer to you.
"I answered. Now you."
"Don't put me on the spot like that. This isn't just something I can say without thinking, you know."
That actually eased your tension a bit. She was having the same kind of flustered feeling that you had around her. The same flustered feeling she got around… Kirito. Wait, was she…?
"I see someone behind that shell you're hiding in." Once again, Lisbeth interrupted your thoughts.
"I think that person is someone amazing. And I think I can reach that person. I want to find that person. Even now, I see someone who I enjoy being with. Just sitting here with them, looking out at a world made to be against us."
You completely forgot about the view during that conversation, and she reminded you that it existed. After she said that, you looked out onto the sparkling waters. The sun was beating down on the land in front of you, but the two of you were covered by the tree you were under.
"In a world like that, I want a friend like you. I want a friend that I can rely on, that I can talk about anything with, and that I can see grow with me. You… you're the kind of person I want to be close to."
This was real. You weren't asleep right now. Everything you had said, everything you had heard, it was real. Lisbeth was giving you the sweetest smile you had ever seen. From the way your face felt, you were probably returning the favor. From that point on, neither of you said a word for a bit. You didn't need to. There wasn't a true love confession at that time, but you felt as if something mutual was born. Her words mixed with yours gave you a great moment of clarity.
Everything that has been on your mind for the past few days about people, about Lisbeth, about yourself…
You were finally beginning to understand how it worked.