Chapter 6

December 22nd, 2022

"Kirito," Lisbeth called out, "are you free?"

Kirito grunted in response as he swiped at Asuna's exposed side. The long-haired girl's eyes narrowed and she side-stepped the blow, dodging out of the way and thrusting forward with her rapier. With a short gasp, Kirito brought his second sword up and parried the attack, the rapier sliding across the surface of his blade with a screech of metal and a few sparks flying. "They're almost done," Leafa said absently as she watched the mock-battle intently.

The three guild members were standing in a simple dirt ring, kept separate from the rest of the area that they owned by a simple wooden fence. As part of creating the Royal Swords guild, all six of them had pooled their money and purchased a house on Floor 8; it was large enough for all of them to fit comfortably, though the girls tended to share beds since there were only four bedrooms. Originally, the plan should have worked out: Asuna didn't mind sharing with Silica, and Lisbeth and Argo got along well enough. Leafa suggested slyly that since everyone else was sharing the bed, she and her brother should sleep together, but that was summarily shot down by all the girls at once. In the end, Kirito got his own bedroom, and the other girls split the rooms up among them; Asuna and Leafa slept together, Lisbeth and Argo shared a room, and Silica got a room all to herself.

In addition to a fancy kitchen - Asuna was thrilled - and a pretty nice living room with enough room for everyone to sit comfortably if they were friendly enough, there was a small training ring outside where duels could be initiated. That was what Asuna and Kirito were doing as Lisbeth walked over, looking for their guild leader.

Kirito pushed his sword, throwing Asuna off-balance, and shoved with his shoulder. Asuna was unable to respond properly and toppled over, hitting the ground. To her credit, she recovered well and rolled immediately into a crouch - before freezing, one of Kirito's swords at her throat and the other prepared in case she tried to counter. Asuna sighed and let the tip of her rapier fall. "I surrender," she said clearly.

As the duel ended and the system proclaimed Kirito the winner, he sheathed his swords and offered his hand to his defeated opponent. As he helped Asuna to her feet, Leafa came over. "Your form is awful," she told Kirito bluntly. "You have holes everywhere in your defense."

Kirito just shrugged. "I don't know what to say, Leafa," he said. "It works, right?"

"I know! And that's why it's so frustrating!" she exclaimed. "Rrgh... I have to train so hard not to let this game ruin my kendo skills, since the Sword Skills have weird activation stances."

Kirito grinned and patted Leafa's head. "I'm still impressed you're keeping up with that, Leafa," he said. "I know you work hard."

"Hey, stoppit," Leafa complained, but Lisbeth noticed she wasn't trying to duck away from Kirito's hand all that hard. Sibling love, she thought with a smile. They care about each other so much.

While Leafa and Asuna chatted, the black-haired girl offering suggestions to Asuna about her movement and keeping herself protected, Kirito approached Lisbeth. "Sorry I made you wait, Liz," he said. "What do you need?"

Lisbeth waved a hand. "Nothing major, but I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me. I'm going out shopping to see if they got any new ores!"

"You're always up to date on that sort of thing, Liz," Kirito said with a smile.

"Of course! I can't be the best blacksmith if I'm letting other people get ahead of me!" Lisbeth pumped an arm victoriously.

Kirito chuckled. "Sure, sounds like fun. Are we leaving right away?"

"I was hoping." She didn't expect the trip to take the entire day, but it was starting to get near the end of the year. It kinda got a little cold once the sun started to go down; sure, she had the fluffy pink coat and gloves Asuna had made her with her Sewing Skill, but that didn't mean that getting an early start would hurt. Plus, they could get the responsibilities out of the way, and then with the extra time browse some of the player-created goods. A craftswoman always had to know what the competition was putting out, after all.

Kirito nodded and swiped open his menu, storing his swords and swapping them for a fur-lined long coat that, what else, was black. Asuna had made that one too, using the fur of a mob from the tenth Floor to line the hood and cuffs. Still, Lisbeth couldn't help but needle her guild leader on his fashion sense. "Always black, huh?"

"Not always," Kirito protested as they started walking down the street towards the Teleport Gate. "Sometimes I wear blue."

"Only because Asuna and Leafa make you," she teased him. "They have you wrapped around their little fingers."

"It's not like that, Liz," Kirito complained. "I've just known them for a long time, that's all." Lisbeth hummed noncommittally. She was pretty sure it was because Leafa was his little sister and because Asuna was cute, no matter how much Kirito denied it. "Really!"

Lisbeth giggled. "I didn't say anything, doofus. C'mon, the popular shops are on Floor 12."

Once they were on the twelfth Floor, Lisbeth huddled in her warm coat and exhaled, watching the puff of breath float away. "It's so much colder here than it is on our Floor," Kirito said. "I'll be glad to get back to the fireplace."

"You just want to nap some more," Lisbeth accused him, though she was looking forward to a mug of Asuna's steaming hot chocolate herself.

The main town of the Floor they were on now was a popular one for the crafters thanks to how wide the central road running through the town was; Lisbeth herself would occasionally set up shop with her Vendor's Carpet if the guild was planning on taking the day off, though most of her blacksmithing projects were reserved for her guild members. That meant, then, that even though it was cold Lisbeth and Kirito had to wander all the way up and down.

Lisbeth studied a selection of the new ore available from one player's stall, and Kirito leaned over to take a look himself. "How does it look?" he asked.

She gave the ore another appraising glance and then waved her hand back in forth neutrally. "It's okay..." she said slowly. "But the ore is definitely a speed-type, so it wouldn't be any useful for you, me, or Leafa. Asuna, Argo, and Silica might want it for an upgrade, but I just upgraded their weapons last Floor, I want to hold off for another Floor or two before reforging the weapons. Besides, this one here?" She gestured at one unassuming chunk, and Kirito cupped his cheek as he looked at it. She knew he couldn't see any problem with it. "I guess my skill is higher than theirs is, because it's low-quality compared to the rest of the pieces for sale. The ingot it'd make would be two, three levels lower than we want, so it'd be useless for anything we want to forge."

"Do you think they know?"

Lisbeth shook her head. "I doubt it," she said. "Since everything else is pretty good, I think it's just an honest mistake. I'll leave a note and it'll be fine."

As she set a notification for the shop's owner whenever they came by to check on their goods - the person behind the counter was an NPC helper; useful, but not for this purpose - Kirito said, "That's really impressive, the way you know all that."

Lisbeth grinned at him. "I still can't keep track of all of the Sword Skills the way you can. This is nothing in comparison."

"I mean it," he said, and Lisbeth felt a little fluttering in her stomach at the praise.

To hide the reaction, she clapped her gloved hands twice and pointed imperiously down the street. "No time for chit-chat," she reminded Kirito. "Not if we want to get back before dinner."

"You're such a slave driver," Kirito sighed in good humor, following her on the way to the next stall displaying the new ore for sale. Lisbeth was pretty sure she wasn't going to pick up any of it, but there was no harm in looking.

After making their way down the street, they finally looked through the last shop and Lisbeth arched her back, stretching. "Alright," she said, pumping her fist. "Now let's go look at the other shops!" She was a little surprised at how well Kirito was taking the shopping trip. She'd honestly expected that the boy would have complained more. Then again, he was good friends with Asuna, and close to his little sister. Thinking of it that way, Lisbeth realized, they probably dragged him out regularly so he would be used to the trips.

"Ah! Kirito, look, look!" She was definitely a little too excited, but she didn't care. She was too busy staring at the glittering pieces of jewelry on display in one of the boutiques. She picked up a beautiful hairpin, a pretty flower with pink petals. "Check out this craftmanship! It's so pretty... It's almost too good."

Kirito picked up one of the pieces and looked it over. It was a ring that Lisbeth had noticed earlier, with a fine filigree and artistic design. A little emerald was set in the center of the silver band. "Hm... So these accessories are just pieces of equipment that don't give any stats. They're just ornaments."

Lisbeth put down the hairpin and moved on to examine a necklace that caught her eye. She let out a quiet whistle. "I definitely couldn't copy this. It's amazing." It really was beautiful, the way the artisan had been so careful to get the blue sapphire carved into the shape of a small hammer, just like the kind she used in her blacksmithing. It's a shame this wouldn't suit someone like her, she thought. She knew she was 'one of the guys', so to speak; the girls in the guild were too nice to say it, she herself knew that she was a tomboy compared to all the others, even Argo.

"You're really interested in that," Kirito said from right behind her, "but isn't it a waste of an equipment slot? It'll take up space without giving you any stats. Plus, it's pretty expensive."

"Kirito!" Lisbeth exclaimed, whirling to pin him with a stare. She planted a hand on her hip and pressed a finger into his chest, prodding him. "Is everything about numbers to you?"

"Huh?"

Lisbeth's eyes narrowed. "Can't you understand the amount of passion and practice that went into making something like this! It takes a high skill level to make accessories that can act as equipment, you know. I'm a blacksmith myself, so I know how much technique it would take to make this." Lisbeth put back the hairpin and looked over the goods again, her fingertips brushing the necklace she'd been looking at. "I think the creator of these didn't want you to think only about the stats equipment could provide. I think they wanted you to see the beauty of the piece, hoping it would speak to you."

Kirito didn't reply.

Lisbeth stared down at the necklace. She didn't realize it, but her expression went faint and a little wistful, and Kirito watched. "You want to eat Asuna's food because it tastes good, even though it doesn't boost your stats, don't you? You take naps, even though it doesn't give you stats. Leafa practices kendo, Argo will curl up on the couch late at night and read books, Asuna will brush Silica's hair. There's a million little things we do that don't really matter, right? We do them because they're fun." Lisbeth smiled. "Even if it's pointless... I think that this necklace could be the thing that makes someone really happy, you know?"

"Ah... I get it now," Kirito said. "Sorry, Liz. I spoke without thinking."

Lisbeth blinked, realizing how she'd spoken to her friend and guild leader, and hurriedly said, "No, no, I shouldn't have said it like that. Sorry about getting so worked up."

Kirito shook his head. "No, don't apologize. I think that's something I needed to hear. I think... it's so easy to get wrapped up in clearing this game, and I needed someone to tell me something like that. Thanks, Liz."

Oh, jeez, Lisbeth thought in a panic, why is he smiling like that?! She was yelling at him, and then he was thanking her for it! "Hey, don't thank me like that, or you'll make me blush," she said with a grin. "I was lecturing you, y'know?"

"Thank you for sharing your information, Professor Liz," Kirito said with a grin.

Lisbeth just crossed her arms and huffed playfully. "Let's get going, Kirito," she said. "It's starting to get late, and we still have a bunch more shops to look through!"

"Coming, coming..."

Lisbeth cast another glance at the necklace before shaking her head and heading away from the stall. Nah, no way, she thought. Maybe on someone like Asuna... Though wouldn't earrings fit the pretty girl better?

December 24th, 2022

It was definitely Christmas Eve, Kirito thought. The days were getting shorter, the temperatures were dropping, and on a few of the Floors simulated snow was falling to everyone's delight; all in all, Aincrad had been transformed for the festivities for about a week by this point, gaining festive lights decorating the streets of the towns and the occasional Christmas tree in the town squares.

Of course, as Kirito knew, with limited-time town changes came the most important thing, and the most definite sign that Christmas was nearly here.

He took aim carefully and brought his hand back, barely daring to breath. It had taken him this long, he wasn't going to screw up now. Long hours trudging through the snow that had started to pile up, even with his coat, meant that he was really, really cold and wanted to get back. He couldn't stop just yet, though. He only needed one more. With a quiet breath, he pulled his hand back just a fraction of a hair more, and it was enough to trigger the Throwing Picks he was holding. He threw the picks and they flew straight forward, glowing blue.

The picks slammed into the Present Snow Rabbit, and with an adorable squeak it shattered into blue polygons.

Yes, with any seasonal event came event-only mobs, and rare event-only drops. The Present Snow Rabbit was small and cute, dressed in a little Santa coat and belt, and Kirito almost felt bad about hunting down a bunch of them for the rewards they dropped. Almost. He was still a gamer, after all, and missing out on limited-time items was something that his soul couldn't stand. Asuna didn't understand the drive at all, and Leafa and most of the others were tolerantly waiting. Out of all of his guild members, only Argo knew and understood the drive.

Standing up from where he'd been crouched in the bushes and brushing the snow off, Kirito stepped over to the pile of festively wrapped presents and tapped them one at a time, adding them to his inventory. Once they were safely collected, he started opening them while he walked back to town. The third present held the item he'd been looking for, and he smiled victoriously.

"Nya hah hah!" Argo laughed. "Get something good?"

To his credit, Kirito didn't flinch as Argo melted from the shadows, falling in step next to him effortlessly. "You'll see when we get home," he said, trying to play mysterious.

Argo grinned "Ooh, color me intrigued," she said. "Lemme guess... A rare drop? A new weapon? Ooh, didya get some S Class ingredient for A-chan to cook for Christmas Eve dinner?"

Kirito just shook his head. "You'll see when we get home," he repeated.

"Bah, yer no fun sometimes, Kii-boy," Argo grumped, crossing her arms. Then a mischievous smile stole across her face and she quickly placed her hands on Kirito's shoulders. A quick jump and twist later, and she was safely clinging to his back, grinning like the cat that stole the cream. Kirito had already shifted to accommodate her weight, so there wasn't any risk she'd fall off. "Carry me home?" she whispered in his ear. "I don't feel like walkin'."

"Fine, fine," Kirito sighed. "You'll just be a pain otherwise."

Argo threw her head back and laughed. "Nya hah hah! That's no way to treat a delicate maiden, Kii-boy. Yer supposed ta say, 'It would be my pleasure, Argo.'"

"I don't see a delicate maiden anywhere," Kirito replied drily. Still, he didn't move to force Argo off of him. He was, well, used to this sort of thing. It'd started in the beta, and Argo had just never stopped or gotten tired of riding around on his back. At least she only did that when it was safe to burden him, Kirito thought with a resigned smile on his face.

...

Silica was sitting in the living room polishing her armor while Asuna practiced her Sewing skill when Kirito and Argo got back to the house. Leafa and Lisbeth weren't anywhere to be found, though Kirito was pretty sure his little sister was out practicing her kendo swings again. "Welcome home, you two," Asuna said with a smile.

"We're home," Kirito called out. "...Argo?"

The hooded girl refused to get off of his back, clinging tightly against him and hugging tighter. With a sigh, Kirito walked over to the couch and waited patiently. "Thankies," Argo chirped, acrobatically spinning around and landing on the cushion next to Asuna with a soft pomf. "Ahh, nothin' beats a good ride from Kii-boy." She blinked after that, a strange expression crossing her face before she smirked and winked at him. "Eh? Eh?" Kirito did his best to ignore the awkward phrasing - as did Asuna, though Silica either missed the comment entirely because she was too busy with her armor or missed the double entendre - and took a seat in his favorite chair, facing the fireplace.

Argo curled up on the couch, leaning against the arm and stretching her legs out across Asuna's lap. The long-haired girl simply moved her work until Argo got comfortable before resuming. "Where's Leafa and Lisbeth?" Kirito asked as he settled back in the chair.

"Sugu is out practicing her kendo," Asuna replied. "Lisbeth is... I believe in her room, working on something." Kirito knew that Asuna would know everyone's location off the top of her head. It was why she was second-in-command, sharing the position with Argo, after all.

"Actually, ya mind gettin' 'em?" Argo was the one to make the request, surprisingly enough. "Eventually, no real need ta rush, but I got some info ta share."

He nodded. "I'll probably go talk to Leafa in a little bit, let her know. You know how she is about practice."

After a good fifteen minutes of drowsily resting, getting warm as the heater in the corner continued making the weather bearable, Kirito pushed himself to his feet. If he didn't, he'd fall asleep and end up napping until dinner... Making his way outside, he shivered from the abrupt shift in temperature before pushing through. New snow crunched underneath his boots as he followed the familiar path to the training ring where, like Asuna had said, Leafa was running through a few of her forms from kendo. He even recognized a few.

Leafa swung her sword, halting it in the familiar kendo stance as Kirito leaned on the fence. "Kazuto!" Leafa said, smiling. "Are you here to help?"

"Actually, I came to get you. Argo had some info she wanted to discuss with us. Kinda like a guild meeting, but not as important."

"Okay!" his sister said immediately, sheathing her sword on her hip. "I'm coming!"

When the two of them returned, it was to see Lisbeth coming into the main room from the kitchen. "Hey, Liz," Kirito said. "Good timing."

"Oh yeah? Whatcha need?" the blacksmith asked.

"Argo wanted to talk to everyone," Kirito told her. "I don't know why, though. She wouldn't say, just that it was kinda important."

Lisbeth shrugged. "I wasn't doing anything, just organizing my materials. Let's go."

Once everyone was assembled in the living room, taking their seat of choice, Argo stood up and moved to face everyone. "So, I think everyone knows what day it is today, right?" she asked.

"Christmas Eve," Silica said, grinning. "Though... Santa won't be able to visit us in here, will he..."

Asuna patted the young girl's head. "We'll think of something, even if he can't," she said. "I'm certain there will be a party organized soon if it hasn't been already..."

She trailed off as Argo raised a finger. "Actually, that's 'xactly what I wanted ta tell ya. See, the DKB and ALS actually did set up a Christmas party. They've been plannin' it fer a few days now, an' everyone will be takin' a break from clearin' ta relax an' enjoy the evenin'. There'll be a buncha players with th' Cooking skill, an' I think there's a gal singer comin' up from the Town 'a Beginnings."

"Really?" Silica exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "Then -"

"Aaaaan', here's where things get a lil' messy," Argo continued. "See, everyone knew about th' plans since they were made."

Lisbeth frowned in confusion. "But we weren't told..."

"Yep," Argo said as Lisbeth trailed off, her frown twisting into an angry scowl. After a second, the others all realized what was going on. "We're not invited."

"What?!" Leafa exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "That's so not fair! We're clearers too!"

Kirito leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and lacing his hands together in front of his face. "This is probably because they're still upset that I... that we made a guild," he said. "I don't know." Argo just shrugged helplessly, not that he blamed her. She was good, but nobody could know everything, no matter how much Argo bragged. Sitting beside Asuna, Silica visibly deflated, her twin-tails drooping.

"Well, if we're not invited to theirs, then we'll just have to have our own."

"Eh?" Kirito looked over at Asuna, like she hadn't just declared something ridiculous. "Asuna, what..."

Asuna stood up and planted her hands on her hips. "I don't think any of us want to go to some flashy party, especially if they're going to be rude about it. It might be rushed, but I think it'll be fun, just the six of us. What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea," Leafa said, nodding. "Nothing beats celebrating Christmas Eve. And those guys are being jerks, so screw them."

"Language, Leafa," Kirito said automatically, but his mind was scrolling through the items in his inventory. He'd have to go out and buy presents for everyone... He had a few things in mind, of course, so it would just be a matter of sneaking off and buying them without anyone noticing. "But yeah, that sounds like fun."

"Guess we're havin' a party," Argo said with a grin. Silica let out a cheer, and Lisbeth laughed happily.

Asuna nodded. "Alright. Liz, let's get started planning this."

Lisbeth stood up, brushing off her skirt automatically. "We're gonna need food, definitely..."

While things kicked into high gear, Kirito slipped out to hit the town. It didn't take long for him to purchase everything, since he already knew what he wanted, but when he returned to the guild home he found Leafa waiting for him, Asuna standing next to her. "Hey girls," he said.

"Kirito, we're going to need more food," Asuna said. "Argo told us about the drops from the Present Snow Rabbits, the chocolate. How much do you have?"

"Here," Kirito said, swiping open his menu to move it to the guild storage. "Is this enough?"

Asuna studied her menu with a thoughtful expression, before shaking her head. "Almost. Do you think you two can go get me some more? ...Five should be enough, I think."

"Oh no, Asuna's turned into a quest-giver," Kirito said with a grin at Leafa.

His sister giggled. "Wonder what our reward is."

"A delicious dinner," Asuna said, smiling at the siblings. "Now get going, you two. And it's a timed quest, be back before six."

"Yes ma'am!" the siblings chorused. Collection quests might be boring, but Kirito knew which side his bread was buttered on - the side that got him Asuna's cooking.

Leafa hummed happily as she and Kirito trudged through the snow in search of the special mobs that dropped the chocolate Asuna wanted. Sure, it was annoying going after the small enemies, especially since they had good hearing and ran away if they were startled, but she was having fun! The snow was really fun to walk around in and hear it crunch underfoot; and as an added bonus, she got to hang out with her beloved big brother. So yeah, for Leafa, this was great.

"How many more do we need, Kazuto?"

Kirito swiped his menu open and glanced over the items. Combined with the few that Leafa had picked up, they had four of the five Christmas Chocolate items that Asuna had requested; their luck the last few Present Snow Rabbit had been abysmal, however, and none of them had dropped the last chocolate. Leafa just muttered under her breath about drop rates again.

They walked through the forests of Floor 13, mostly just going in circles to let the Present Snow Rabbits respawn. "So, Kazuto..." Leafa began coyly, "what did you get me? I promise I'll act surprised..."

Kirito chuckled. "Not gonna work, Leafa, you know better."

"Oh come on," she pouted. "Please? The anticipation is killing me."

Her big brother had opened his mouth to reply when he suddenly froze, raising his hand. Leafa crouched immediately, hand reaching for the throwing picks resting on her belt. She scanned the treeline, looking for whatever had caught Kirito's attention, and a splash of red caught her attention. The Present Snow Rabbit was foraging at the base of a tree, oblivious to their presence, but it was too far away to hit with the throwing picks from where the siblings were standing. "It hasn't noticed us yet," Kirito whispered.

"Do you want me to circle around, Kazuto?"

"No, we should be fine..." Kirito took a few cautious steps forward, careful not to rustle the bushes. When the Present Snow Rabbit stopped nibbling at the ground and looked up, head turning rapidly, he froze again. Leafa crept up the next time the Present Snow Rabbit got distracted by its idle routine. Like that, step by step, Kirito and Leafa crept up without the Present Snow Rabbit noticing a thing. With a silent nod, the siblings pulled throwing picks out, took aim, and -

"Eeeek!"

The sudden high-pitched feminine scream echoed through the forest, and the Present Snow Rabbit bolted immediately. Leafa let out a shout of surprise and threw her picks as fast as she could activate the Sword Skill, Kirito's picks joining hers in the air. They didn't even have time to see if they hit their mark - though Leafa dimly registered the cute squeal of pain, followed by a shattering noise - before the two front-liners were running through the forest, searching for the noise.

It wasn't hard to find who'd screamed. The loud crash of Sword Skills acted as a beacon to Leafa and Kirito, guiding them to the combat. When they rounded a hill, they screeched to a halt as they took in the sight. Leafa's kendo-trained mind kicked into gear, immediately picking out the important details.

There were five players to their right. One girl and four boys, most of them sprawled out in various collapsed poses. Only one, the boy with a shield, was still on his feet. They were fighting a rare mob that spawned in this forest, a large mantis with sharp teeth it used to bite at its foes. It was much tougher than the regular mobs in the area. They must have been surprised by the sudden jump in difficulty.

The Angry Mantis let out a screech and bit at the player with the shield. He clearly panicked and missed the good block; he deflected the strike but was knocked prone just like the rest of his party. Like that, the last hesitation in Leafa and Kirito's minds - 'Thou shalt not killsteal' - vanished and the two of them dashed forward. Kirito had kicked off just that slight bit faster, though, and his blade shone as he vanished forward with the Vorpal Strike Sword Skill.

As Kirito's blade dug into the Angry Mantis's unprotected side, slipping through a crack in the chitin, Leafa hesitated by the party. "Are you all okay?" she asked. Once she received a few stunned nods, she grinned and turned back to the mantis. "Sorry for jumping in like this, but it looked like you could use the help!"

"Th-thanks," the boy in red gasped.

Leafa didn't waste any more time on the pleasantries. "Switch!" Kirito called out, and she jumped in to counter a bite with a graceful swing of her sword. The kendo-trained girl struggled to activate Sword Skills at times, but with Kirito by her side there wasn't anything she couldn't do. She twisted the curved blade and slashed, spinning on her heel, and a spray of red polygons rewarded her strike. A quick side-step kept her out of range for the retaliatory bite, and Leafa brought her blade to bear. Then, with a shout, she drew it across her body horizontally, nearly bisecting the mob with the Wild Slash Sword Skill.

"Switch!" she called out as she spun away with the force of the blow, using the curved sword's natural movement style to her advantage. She still liked kendo better, but this sword style was okay too.

As she finished the spin, a black blur passed her and Kirito let out a shout as he slashed the monster with a powerful Vertical slash. He didn't hold back, either, and with all of the damage the Angry Mantis had accumulated to this point, Kirito's attack was enough to kill the elite mob. With the usual cheap sound of shattering glass, the bug mob exploded into blue polygons.

Kirito spun his swords and slid them into the sheaths on his back. Leafa shook her head at the unconscious flourish before sliding her own blade home into its sheath. After that, Kirito turned to Leafa. "Hey, Leafa, can you check your items?" he asked her. "I think the Present Snow Rabbit might have dropped something."

She shrugged and opened up her menu like her big brother had asked. "Oh hey, it dropped!" she exclaimed, cheering quietly. "We did it!"

"Great, Asuna would kill us if we were late..."

"Um, excuse me?"

Leafa and Kirito turned at the hesitant voice. The players they'd saved had picked themselves up and were facing them as a group; the one in red was in the front. He was the one that had spoken up. Leafa suddenly realized that they all looked like they were about her age. "Hey," Kirito said with a kind grin. "You guys okay?"

"Thanks to you!" the boy in yellow exclaimed, grinning at the two players. "That was amazing! You guys rock!"

"Ducker!" the boy in red hissed at him.

"What? They do! They were all 'slash' and 'wham' and 'slice'! They killed that thing like it was nothing!"

Kirito chuckled quietly. "Sorry. That was probably our fault, we've been farming this area for the event mobs. We should have been more careful so you weren't caught by the elite mob."

The boy in green shook his head. "We were having enough trouble with the regular mobs. You front-liners really are something else, huh?"

"Regular mobs?" Leafa asked without thinking. "But these are pretty easy, as long as your level is... high... oh."

She trailed off about halfway through the sentence as the expressions on the players' faces fell. "Um... What is your level?" Kirito asked cautiously.

"Eight." "Eight." "Nine." "Eight." "S-seven..."

Leafa stared at the players incredulously. With those levels, being on Floor 13 was... almost as good as suicide. "What?!" she squawked despite herself. And the girl wasn't even level eight! How did they think they were safe at all!

Kirito rested a hand on her shoulder, and Leafa swallowed the rest of her words. "What my sister meant to ask was, why are you up here on this Floor? It's probably better to be on Floor 5 or 6. Since you're a team, up to Floor 8 might be safe, too."

"We're gonna level up fast and join the front lines," the boy in yellow - Ducker? - said.

Kirito scratched his cheek. "Well, yeah, but there's pushing yourself and there's taking unnecessary risks. Why are you -"

"Ah! You're Kirito!"

The surprising interruption came from the girl. She had short black hair, and a mole under her right eye. Her armor was light, and she wore a light blue tunic. More importantly, she was pointing at Kirito, face having lit up in recognition. "Do I... know you?" Kirito asked.

The girl immediately lowered her hand, blushing. "Oh. I, um... You taught those classes on Floor 1, and I..."

"Oh, right!" Kirito said, clapping a fist in his palm. "I remember now. You were the girl that always came by herself... But I thought you used a dagger."

The girl shook her head silently, and the boy in red spoke up. "Actually, it was all of us Moonlit Black Cats," he said, Leafa quietly taking note of the name of their guild. "Sachi here didn't want to go at first, but your lessons really helped us learn how to fight. Thanks to you, we could handle the early Floors."

"Though I think we might have bitten off more than we could chew," the boy in purple said. "Thanks again for saving us, Kirito and... You're the Emerald Knight, Leafa, right?" Leafa blinked and then nodded with a grin, flattered that they recognized her. 'Emerald Knight', huh? She thought about it for a second, and decided she liked it.

"Say, we really want to thank you properly," the boy in red said. "Please, will you come to the inn we use as a base? We'll treat you to dinner!"

Leafa and Kirito exchanged a glance, before Kirito turned back to the boy. "Sorry, but we... already have dinner plans," he said. "Anyway, why don't we add each other to our Friends List? That way we can take you up on that dinner offer later."

"S-Sure!"

As they walked back to the nearby town to use the Teleport Gate and return home, Leafa scrolled through the new additions to her Friends List. "Keita, Ducker, Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Sachi," she repeated. "They seem like they've got a good team," she said, looking over at her big brother.

He studied the list himself, and nodded. "Hopefully, they take our advice and stay on the lower Floors until they're prepared," he said. "We can't afford to lose anyone... Hey, Sugu?"

Immediately, Leafa focused entirely on him. He never called her Sugu in SAO, even when it was just the two of them. "Yeah? Is something wrong?"

"...Because I taught those classes, that guild nearly... We were able to save them because we were there," Kirito said, "but what if we weren't? What if they get in over their heads again, and this time they..." He trailed off, but Leafa knew what words finished that question. "Did I do the right thing?" he asked her finally.

Leafa considered the question silently for a minute, the snow crunching underneath their boots. Finally, she decided on how she was going to answer her big brother. She looked at him, met his hesitant gaze, stepped forward, and bonked him smartly on the head with a chop.

"Ow!" Kirito yelped. She hadn't hit him hard enough to do damage, of course. "What was that for?"

That was when she executed part two of her answer and wrapped him in a big hug, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Of course you're doing the right thing, Kazuto," she told him. "You're teaching people the skills they need to survive in this game. Nobody could ever say that's the wrong thing to do. So don't you think you're doing something bad by helping them, okay?"

She felt his arms come up to return the hug. Smiling happily despite the cold and the serious subject, she snuggled closer. "Thanks, Sugu," he said quietly. "I think I wanted to hear that, especially from you."

"No problem, Kazuto," she said. "And if I think you're doing something stupid, I'll speak up, okay? Just so you're not worrying about this."

"I appreciate it," he said.

She realized how close his voice was to her ears, and abruptly it felt like her temperature spiked. She squirmed in Kirito's embrace until he let go, and popped away, doing her best to not look at her big brother. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire, and so did her neck and ears... "L-Let's go," she said. Her tongue tripped up, but she just hoped he blamed the cold. "Asuna's gonna be mad if we don't deliver the quest on time!"

Lisbeth kept stealing glances at Asuna as the two of them worked in the kitchen to set up the menu for dinner. "Let's see... Cream stew should work for the main dish," Asuna mused. "But what goes well with it...?"

"Uh, Asuna?"

"Hm?" She looked up at Lisbeth, blinking. "Is something wrong, Liz?"

Lisbeth shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I was just wondering something..." She trailed off, hesitating, and Asuna smiled encouragingly. "How come you're so interested in this party? I mean, it's just the six of us, and we don't really need something super fancy to have fun, right?"

Asuna smiled faintly, staring down at her hands as she tapped at the ingredients she'd pulled out of her menu. "Well... To tell the truth, Liz, I'm being a little selfish." She giggled. "It's kind of silly if I put it that way, isn't it? Me being selfish is throwing a party for all of us." Lisbeth chuckled. "It's... always been a dream of mine to have a really fun Christmas party. I grew up in a nice family, but we never had what you'd call a family party, just us. My mother would always drag us out to some social event or another, and I'd be forced to smile, acting the perfect daughter. No matter how much I begged, I'd never be able to go spend the evening with Kazuto and Sugu and their family. So, in a way, this is something I've always wanted. This party is my Christmas gift."

"Wow," Lisbeth murmured. "I didn't know. Sorry if I brought up bad memories, Asuna."

The beautiful girl shook her head. "Nn-nn. It's fine, honestly."

Lisbeth tapped her chin as she watched Asuna sweep everything she'd cubed into a stew pot. "Actually, there was something else I was going to ask you."

"Mm?"

"It's about Kirito and Leafa. They're... siblings, right? Or aren't they? I can't make sense of all that. Kirito and Leafa both say they're brother and sister, but I get the feeling something's weird about that." Maybe it was the way that Leafa seemed to care about Kirito a little too much that tipped Lisbeth off.

Asuna giggled. "Well, those two... Kazuto and Sugu have a complicated relationship. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything specific. I promised, after all."

"Oh, jeez, I didn't know," Lisbeth said, immediately waving her hands. "I didn't want you to break a promise or anything, I was just curious." If she really wanted to know, she figured, she could just go ask Kirito directly and find out. She was pretty sure he would tell her if she asked.

Smiling, Asuna waved away the apology, saying, "It's fine. Now, what do you think would go better with the cream stew, some stir-fry beef and vegetables, or some fresh bread?" Lisbeth blinked blankly at her. Why would she know? Eventually, Asuna settled on the stir-fry and started preparing the dish. As the food started cooking, Asuna set a timer and nodded. "Alright, that should take about five minutes," she said. "Now, where are those two? I need to get started on the cake..."

The door to the house opened and closed in the other room. "We're home," Lisbeth heard Kirito call out.

Immediately, Asuna brightened up. "Liz, watch the kitchen for me, okay? Thanks! Welcome home!" she called out, hurrying out of the kitchen to greet the two hunters.

Lisbeth flailed around. "A-Asuna?!" Watch the kitchen? Her?! She didn't have the Cooking Skill! She could barely pass Home Ec, let alone make enough food for the party like this! Ack, Asuna was already gone before Lisbeth could even get the long-haired girl's name out of her mouth, let alone form a complaint. Baffled by what she was expected to do, Lisbeth took another look around the kitchen.

The cream stew was simmering and bubbling in the stew pot... Was it bubbling too much? Too little? Lisbeth wasn't sure, especially since Asuna always made it look easy, bustling around the kitchen like she knew exactly where to be. She decided to leave it alone and take a look at the frying pan with sizzling vegetables and beef. It... it smelled pretty good? Did she need to add spices or anything? Lisbeth didn't know.

She picked up a knife and stared at it in confusion. There wasn't even anything left for her to cut, why did she pick this up!

Just before Lisbeth was about to give up in total confusion, Asuna swept back into the kitchen and started moving around like a force of nature, knowing exactly where to go and what to check. "Turn down the heat on the stew," she murmured, "stir fry is doing fine... Start the cake, and it'll be done in time for dinner..." She produced several blocks of chocolate from her inventory, the sweet treats landing neatly in a stack on the kitchen counter. "I need the knife to prepare these, where did it go..." Numbly, Lisbeth handed Asuna the knife. "Ah! Thanks, Liz! And thanks for watching the kitchen for me while I got the food from Kazuto and Sugu."

"Yeah, no problem," Lisbeth said weakly, doing her best to ignore how flustered she felt. "I'll just get out of your way while you work, then."

"It'll be ready in a minute!" Asuna called as Lisbeth left the kitchen.

When she entered the living room and collapsed on the couch, it was like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. Everyone else in the guild was already sitting around; Kirito in his chair and Leafa and Argo sharing their couch, a spot left open for Asuna. "Are you okay, Liz?" Silica, who was sitting next to her, asked. "You look tired."

"Asuna's a slave driver when it comes to this stuff," Lisbeth said with a grin. "It was all I could do to keep up with her."

"It smells good, at least, so ya did good work," Argo said with a snicker.

Kirito chuckled. "Asuna gets a little intense," he said diplomatically. "But usually things work out for the best."

"Yep," Leafa nodded seriously.

A comfortable silence fell across the room as the five of them enjoyed the delicious smells coming out of the kitchen, Lisbeth enjoying the chance to just relax, before Kirito sat up in his chair. "Oh, that's right," he said like he'd just remembered something important. "Silica, this is something important, okay? I need you to equip this."

"Sure..." Silica blinked in confusion, before a trade screen popped up in front of her. She accepted the item Kirito had sent her, opened her menu, and tapped the screen a few times. After the final press, a light appeared above her head.

When it cleared, Lisbeth's eyes widened in shock and amazement. "Whoa!" Leafa gasped. Argo's eyes had widened and then narrowed again thoughtfully.

"What? What?" Silica asked, looking around in confusion. "Is something wrong? What happened? Is the hat okay?"

Kirito chuckled. "Sorry, it's just that it was a rare drop, and I figured it'd look good on you. What do you think, everyone?"

"Perfect!" "Silica looks great, Kazuto!" "Man, I can't believe it... How did Silica get even cuter?" Argo, Leafa, and Lisbeth all gave their opinions.

"Everyone, dinner is -" Asuna started to speak as she came out of the kitchen before her words cut off abruptly. Silica let out a squeak of surprise as the long-haired second-in-command practically teleported to the couch to pick up the girl and squeal. "Aaah! You look so cute in that Santa hat!"

The rare drop from the Present Snow Rabbits, it turned out, was a purely cosmetic item, a Santa Hat that perched precariously on Silica's heads, tilted at just the perfect angle to enhance the youngest girl's cuteness factor by at least ten. It was totally unfair, especially with the way she cocked her head in confusion and the little puffball at the end of the red cap flopped around.

Lisbeth was... pretty sure that Asuna wasn't going to be letting go of the girl unless it was absolutely necessary, like if she needed to fight a mob or go to bed. Even then, she knew Asuna had the Martial Arts Skill, so she wasn't sure if either of those would be enough...

"Also, we hunted enough of the Rabbits that I got a bunch more," Kirito said, dragging the items out of his inventory and passing them around. "Enough for all of you."

And so that was how they celebrated Christmas Eve. All of the members of the Royal Blades, cute Santa Hats perched on their heads, clustered around a meal that Asuna had cooked with materials they'd all gathered together. Lisbeth laughed at Argo's jokes, Asuna and Leafa argued about who got to help finish Kirito's food - "I'm his little sister!" "I'm his best friend!" - while the poor boy tried to desperately eat without the two girls stealing everything on his plate. They did offer to feed him some of their food in exchange, but he kept refusing. Silica had managed to escape Asuna's clutches for the time being and was hiding on Lisbeth's other side, eating happily.

Eventually, the food was eaten and everyone was relaxing. "Ah, that was great," Leafa sighed.

"Yeah, prob'ly better than anythin' those other guilds could make," Argo hummed, patting her stomach in sated bliss. She'd sprawled out over the couch, one leg cocked over the end and her head in Asuna's lap. "This was definitely worth it. Thanks for the meal, A-chan."

"It was nothing," Asuna said, running her fingers through Argo's hair idly. Lisbeth squinted, not sure if it was the food coma she felt herself starting to slip into or just her imagination, but she could swear Argo was purring happily from the pampering. "I'm glad everyone enjoyed it."

"Yeah, this was a great Christmas Eve party," Silica said. "I'm really glad I got to share it with all of you!"

"Hey, we're not done yet," Kirito said, and everyone looked at him. The black-haired boy had a grin on his face, like he was just barely holding back a huge secret. "I know presents are usually handed out tomorrow, but I wanted to give you guys something nice."

Lisbeth laughed. "You doofus," she teased her friend gently. "You're gonna make us feel guilty. Trying to get your presents early?"

"Wha- no!" Kirito yelped. "I just wanted to... You're teasing me, aren't you?" Lisbeth was pretty sure the grin on her face gave it away, as well as Asuna and Leafa giggling under their breath. "Well, Lizzzz... Since you're asking, I'll give you your present first." Lisbeth pouted at him, puffing her cheeks out petulantly. He knew she didn't like it when he said her name like that!

He tapped in his menu for a few seconds before producing a small, rectangular present. It was even wrapped in a fancy, colorful paper. She stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out what he could possibly have purchased, before giving up and ripping through the paper. It shattered into blue polygons, but Lisbeth didn't care all that much as she opened up the black box.

She gasped as she looked at the beautiful sapphire hammer necklace that she'd been interested in. "Wha..."

"I saw you looking at it when we were shopping," Kirito said. "You seemed really interested, so I picked it up as a Christmas present for you."

B-But... Something like this, on her? "Hey, c'mon," Lisbeth tried to push the gift back at Kirito. "There's no way this would look good on me..."

"What are you talking about?" he said. "Of course it'll look good on a cute girl like you, Liz."

Cute girl like - Lisbeth felt her face erupt into flame, the blush spreading from the base of her neck to the top of her head. A... A cute girl like her? He thought she was cute? That was the first time anyone had ever said that... "I-I-I..." she stammered. After a second, she managed to get her tongue to untie the knot it'd found itself in, and she brought the necklace up to her neck. Her fingers felt a little numb and she fumbled with the clasp for a second before managing to get it in place. "How... does it look?" she asked, almost shyly, glancing at the other girls.

Asuna and Leafa were giving Kirito a firm stare, but at her question they turned to look at Lisbeth. "It looks great, Liz," Asuna said kindly.

"Nya hah hah!" Argo laughed. "Really, fer bein' a guy Kii-boy has pretty good taste when it comes ta jewelry, huh?"

"Argo," Kirito protested. "She's the one who picked it out. I just saw how much she liked it, and wanted to get Liz something nice. She deserves it."

Oh... Lisbeth suddenly realized why Asuna and Leafa, and maybe Argo too, had such blatant crushes on Kirito. If he could say something like that so easily, without even thinking twice... How could she not fall for him? "Thank you," she said, smiling at Kirito. So, maybe she was blushing a little bit, her cheeks felt a little hot, but that was okay, right? Because she was cute, right? Kirito said so. "It's great. I really love it."

After that, Lisbeth kept catching herself fiddling with the pendent around her neck while the other girls got their presents from Kirito. Leafa received a cute red scarf, and she promised to wear it the next time they went out; Argo unwrapped a few books to read and some notebooks to write in for her work, something she rewarded Kirito for with a big hug and a cheek nuzzle; Silica got a pair of hair ties, little red baubles that she immediately swapped with the plainer ones she had been wearing; and Asuna got a lovely, wooden-handled hairbrush that she immediately fell in love with at first sight. He really did have good taste when it came to presents, huh?

At some point during the evening, Kirito had shifted over to one of the couches for easier present-delivering. As such, the chair was empty and the couches were clustered. It was late, and everyone was starting to get tired; Lisbeth watched, holding her breath, as Silica's head nodded and drooped repeatedly, like the small girl was trying desperately to stay awake even when her body was refusing. And then, inevitably, she lost the battle and drifted sideways, landing against Kirito's shoulder as she fell asleep.

Lisbeth smiled as she watched their youngest member's shoulders rise and fall with the rhythmic breathing of sleep. When she was interrupted by a huge yawn of her own, she rubbed at her eyes and realized that she was exhausted herself. Well, her sleepy mind supplied, Kirito's other shoulder was available... Before she realized it, she was leaning against her guild leader's shoulder and feeling totally, incredibly comfortable. Yeah, sure, she'll just rest her eyes for a few seconds, she figured.

Asuna smiled as she looked at the other couch. Kirito was sitting in the center, fast asleep - before her, for once. On his left, Silica was slumped against his side, all but drooling on his chest; and on his right, Lisbeth's head was resting on his shoulder peacefully. The blacksmith had one of the most contented smiles she'd ever seen, one hand lightly gripping at the pendent around her neck. Kirito really was good at figuring out what would make people happy, wasn't he?

"Everyone else is asleep, A-chan," Argo said quietly. "Should we start movin' 'em up ta bed?"

Asuna looked over to where Leafa had fallen asleep against her side and smiled, gently patting the girl's hair. She was almost like a sister to the long-haired girl, cherished as though she was her own family. "That's not a bad idea," she said. It was a good thing that they could pick each other up without triggering the Security Code... "I'll take Sugu to bed. Can you handle Silica and Lisbeth?"

"Sure thing. Rock paper scissors for Kii-boy?" Argo grinned wider. "Or are ya pullin' rank, Miss Second-in-Command?"

Asuna raised a delicate eyebrow, doing her best to hide the blush creeping up her neck by using all of the skills she'd practiced as her mother's daughter and showing Argo exactly how unimpressed she was by the comment. "You hold equal rank as me in this guild, Argo," she reminded her archly. "And the 'rank' is mostly a formality in the first place."

"Nya hah hah! I was talkin' about yer best frien' status, A-chan," Argo said with a snicker. "Don't worry, I'll leave yer boytoy to ya. Don't do anythin' I wouldn't do~... Or maybe anythin' the Ethics Code prevents, yeah?"

Asuna shook her head as the Rat tucked Silica under her arm and started heading upstairs. It looked a little ridiculous, the short girl carrying a girl her size like a sack of potatoes, but Argo didn't even seem to be winded. A perk of being high-level, she knew. Either way, the info broker was an incorrigible tease, always poking at Asuna or Kirito.

On the other hand, Asuna mused as she carried Leafa upstairs and laid her down on the bed, she did say that she was going to let Asuna bring Kirito upstairs, which meant that she'd get to hold him in her arms and pick him up, cradling him close, and -

"No, no, focus, Asuna," she muttered, smacking her cheeks a few times to make the traitors stop blushing. "Focus."

"Mm… Kazuto…" Leafa murmured in her sleep, curling up and hugging her pillow. Asuna wondered what she was dreaming about, with the smile on her face. "…I do…"

Once she tucked Leafa into bed, she headed back downstairs, passing Argo as the info broker brought Lisbeth upstairs. Unlike Silica, she'd just thrown the blacksmith's arm over her shoulder and was supporting the girl as they went upstairs; a sleepy 'g'night' came from the freckled girl, and Asuna whispered a reply. She must have just been dozing against Kirito, then.

When she reached the living room, Kirito was lying down on the couch. She just took a second to watch his peaceful face, the way the slight tension in his face melted away in his sleep. It was always a treasure to see this sight; he went to bed after her even in the real world, and even on the rare occasions when she'd wake up before the Kirigaya siblings started their morning kendo practice, she was too sleepy to really appreciate what she was seeing.

"Thank you," she whispered, putting everything she was grateful for in the two simple words. "Kazuto..." She reached out with a hand and gently touched his cheek.

When he stirred at the touch, eyes fluttering, she snatched her hand back like she'd been burned. She wasn't embarrassed to touch her best friend like that, it was just... It was just weird since he was asleep! Y-Yeah, that was it. Definitely not because he'd almost caught her. "Mm... Oh, is everyone gone?" Kirito murmured. "Bed, then?"

"Mm-hmm," Asuna said quietly, smiling as he sat up. "Let's head up to bed, sleepy-head."

The two gamers went upstairs, hesitating at the landing. "Night, Asuna." With a yawn, Kirito waved sleepily before turning to the left and heading for his bed.

"Good night, Kazuto. See you tomorrow."

As Asuna got in bed, curling up next to the sleeping Leafa, she smiled happily. This, without a doubt, was the most fun Christmas she'd ever had.

Another one bites the dust… Kirito has captured another girl for his harem. Whoops, he's accidentally a lady-killer…

Most of Lisbeth's scenes in this chapter were indirectly inspired by scenes from Hollow Fragment. I knew I wanted to do a Christmas present scene, and tried to figure out what each girl would get, settling on the presents described in the chapter. Liz's, though, sparked an idea in me, and it spiraled into her going shopping with the idiot and then scolding him for being obsessed with numbers (like in the game). Either way, she's now fallen for him because of what he said so easily.

I imagine Liz, in this version, is like super tomboy-ish but also kinda sensitive about the subject. Like, the type to just flop down on the bed heedless of the fact she's wearing a skirt, and then get upset Kirito saw her panties (for example, this probably won't happen in the story. But if it does…) even though she's in love with him.

Other than that, we have the Moonlit Black Cats showing up. My favorite sacrificial lambs~… How shall I kill them off this time, I wonder? They're moving a little faster, and Sachi's a little braver, thanks to the classes Kirito taught. Of course, they still make bad decisions. It's almost like their stock-in-trade.

Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.