Stand Together and Smile

by KnightEstoc

Chance meetings can sometimes change a life. But who would have thought that just by meeting a cute girl at the train station, Kazuto's life would change this much? (Kirito/Harem)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

---

February 6th, 2024

Kirito - Kazuto Kirigaya - had, finally, at just under sixteen years old, had his first kiss.

Sure, he'd kissed his little sister on the cheek a few times, and the rest of the girls in the Royal Blades each got a kiss on the cheek for Christmas, though his cheeks still felt a little hot whenever he remembered that night. But this was the first time he'd ever properly kissed another girl. A girl that he'd met and then forgotten, back when he was still a kid; Sinon, the only archer in the game, who was also walking alongside him as the two of them returned to introduce her to her new guildmates.

It was safe to say that he was feeling a little complicated about the whole situation. On one hand, he definitely enjoyed the kiss. He was a boy, after all, and Sinon's lips had been very soft - no, don't think about it, he told himself. On the other hand, he'd only met her a few times, and spoken with her twice before this. She said she loved him, but he didn't really know her at all. Plus... she'd never met him before today, and what had happened to her was absolutely horrible. He had no way of knowing how healthy it was for her to have that kind of attachment to him, and he didn't want to hurt Sinon even on accident...

Kirito sighed, and Sinon looked over curiously. He smiled at her awkwardly, and the girl giggled. Yeah, Kirito thought as he scratched his cheek, this wasn't weird at all...

"It's okay, you know."

"Huh?" Kirito focused on Sinon, surprised by her words. She had a faint smile on her face. "What is?"

"If you don't answer right away. I don't mind waiting. As long as I need to."

"I, um..."

Sinon smiled gently before turning back to the road. "So, could you tell me about the Royal Blades? I only really know you guys from the Daily Argo."

Kirito accepted the topic change for what it was and hummed in thought. "Well... Our guild is pretty big, but Asuna and Argo handle most of the day-to-day stuff. I'm more of a figurehead, almost? At least when it comes to the guild. The six of us - seven, with you - are on the frontlines most of the time." He chuckled. "They usually make me be the party leader."

Along the way home, he told her as many stories about the Royal Blades as he could remember. Sinon laughed and smiled, gasped in shock, and eventually he was able to push that soft, warm kiss to the back of his mind and focus. In this case, while he told Sinon a story about one of the more famous pictures from the Daily Argo - Silica wearing that adorable Santa hat from two Christmases back - he tried to focus on exactly how to introduce Sinon as the seventh member of the main Royal Blades.

It wasn't like he expected them to refuse or anything like that. They'd all individually mentioned during January that they were okay with the invitation he'd extended. No, what he was worried about was something else. "Hey, Sinon?"

"Yeah?"

"How much do you want me to tell the others? You know... About our past."

Sinon took a deep breath, and then shrugged awkwardly, covering her right hand with her left. "I don't mind," she said. "You can tell them whatever you want, you know them better than I do."

"I don't want you to feel pressured," he said, shaking his head. "This is important to you."

She smiled at him. "That's sweet, but really, don't worry about it," she insisted. "And I'm not saying this because of how I feel, either. You know the others better than me. However much you think they should know, I'll trust your judgment."

Kirito hesitated, and then nodded. "Alright," he said. There was no way he could keep anything this big from his sister or best friend, and if he was telling Asuna and Leafa then he should just go ahead and tell everyone. It'd be better than trying to keep a secret from half of his close friends. They'd understand, he knew they would.

That decided, the two of them hurried to the Log Cabin. He couldn't wait to introduce her to everyone, if he was going to be honest. He was sure that they'd all love the black-haired girl. As they walked around the bend, Sinon gasped quietly when she saw the house and Kirito smiled. Yeah, he had a good feeling about this.

When they reached the porch, Kirito frowned. There was a young girl in a white summer dress, standing on the front porch next to Argo. Her hair was as long and straight as Asuna's, but the black color of his own. The info broker, for her part, seemed off-balance and rattled. What was going on? he wondered.

Argo looked over as the two of them approached. "Kii-boy, you're home," she sighed, and there was clear relief in her voice.

"Argo? Who's this?" he asked.

The young girl's smile widened until she was beaming. "Papa! You're home!" The girl rushed towards them, arms outstretched. Her bare feet barely made a sound as she ran and jumped, landing squarely in his arms; he caught her out of reflex, and the girl giggled as she threw her arms around his neck. "Ah! You brought Sinon-mama home too! I was fairly certain you were the one she was interested in, but there was only a 96.5 percent probability so I couldn't know for sure."

"...Papa?!" Kirito's voice was a strangled squeak. Desperately, he looked at Argo, but she just shook her head. Sinon, standing next to him, had turned red as a beet after being called 'Mama'.

"Ka-zu-to," Asuna said as she emerged onto the front porch, smiling sweetly, "I think you have some explaining to do." The rest of the girls spilled out after her.

"Yeah! What's with the girl calling you Papa, Kazuto?" Leafa planted her hands on her hips. "Who is she?"

Argo, Lisbeth, and Silica nodded in unison, letting out a stereo 'Mm-hmm!' as they demanded an answer from the poor boy. Answers he couldn't give, because he had no idea who she was or why she was calling him her Papa.

...

"You're an AI?!" Kirito exclaimed, heedless of the way a bit of sandwich spilled from his mouth. Asuna clicked her tongue and wiped up the small piece of food before tossing it away.

"Yes, that's right. I am Mental Health Care Program Zero Zero One. My codename is Yui!" the young girl chirped from where she sat on the couch, nibbling at one of the same sandwiches he was eating. 'The same as Papa!' she'd said when Asuna asked what she wanted for lunch and insisted on getting just that even after being warned how spicy it would be. "It's very nice to meet everyone!"

"Y-You too," Silica said.

Argo folded her arms. "So, yer an AI, huh? An' yer job's ta monitor the players' mental health in this game?"

"That's right, Argo-mama. However, at the beginning of the game, I was sealed away under Kayaba's orders. Cardinal forbid me from acting; all I could do is watch." Yui's smile weakened and she stared down at the sandwich in her hands. "I continued monitoring their emotional states as they gave up, little by little. Shackled by the system itself, no matter how much I screamed, I couldn't do anything to help the poor players. Since in any other circumstance I would immediately go to their side..."

Asuna covered her mouth in horror, and Lisbeth scowled at the ceiling. "That's awful," Leafa breathed.

"The errors and bugs started to pile up, little by little. But then I saw a special feed!" Yui said. "Papa was dueling!"

"That's your duel against Heathcliff, Kazuto," Asuna said. "Yui was watching?"

"Mm-hmm!" Yui nodded. "From where I was locked away, I could see Papa fighting. He was amazing, swinging his sword like fuah and slash and hyah!" The little girl swung her arms to mimic Kirito's signature Dual Blades style, unleashing her fearsome Sandwich Sword Skills. "And that inspired me to fight! I did everything I could to find a loophole in Cardinal's rules. Eventually, I succeeded and appeared in this forest! As long as I don't use any of my admin privileges, I won't be detected. So now I'm here to live with Papa and all of my Mamas!"

"Yeah, that's where I'm confused," Lisbeth sighed. "Why do you keep calling us your mamas?"

Yui tilted her head. "Huh? Isn't that what I should be calling you? According to my internal dictionary, Mama is the correct term for the woman my Papa loves! And since he loves all of you, all of you are my Mamas!"

That little announcement sent all of the girls into a coughing fit, while Kirito nearly choked on a piece of the sandwich he was eating. Desperate not to lose some of his delicious food, Kirito swallowed and coughed a few times. "Th-That's not quite right, Yui..." he said.

He glanced around; all of the girls were bright red, and Silica's eyes were spinning as she mumbled, "Kirito loves me... Kirito loves me..." over and over again.

"Oh? What's wrong? You're all clearly quite fond of each other," Yui said. It was so innocent, the way she said such dangerous words. "Do... you not want to be my Mamas?"

"No!" Asuna exclaimed, rising from her seat immediately. "Of course not, Yui. You just surprised us, that's all. But... Why us?"

Yui smiled. "Because Papa is amazing, and so are all of you! Even in this situation, you're so full of joy and peace every day. I've wished to get as close to you as I can... And that's why I want you to be my Mamas!"

Just like that, the immediate danger passed, and Kirito felt himself relax. Everything else could wait until lunch was over, as was natural and proper.

After finishing lunch, Yui fell fast asleep, curled up on the couch. Asuna fetched a blanket from one of the beds and draped it over her before sitting on the couch next to her and gently stroking the girl's hair. In her sleep, Yui smiled and giggled. Did AI even dream? Kirito wondered. "She's cute," Argo said from where she was leaning against the wall.

"Kinda like if Kazuto and Asuna actually did have a daughter," Leafa said.

Asuna blushed. "Sugu! Wh-wh-why would you say that?"

"Because look at her hair! And she has your cute looks, you know!"

"Actually, that's what I thought when I first saw her," Kirito added.

Asuna blushed and covered her face. "Uwaahhh... But to have a daughter, first we'd have to h-h-have..." The poor girl started shaking, bright red. Lisbeth sighed, shook her head, and started rubbing Asuna's back.

"You're all insane," Sinon said with wide eyes. "I've joined a guild full of crazy people."

"An' ya joined us, so what's that make ya, Miss Archer?"

Kirito coughed. "Back on topic, what are we going to do with her? She's not really a player, but..."

Asuna straightened up and adjusted her skirt a little bit. "She looks like she's just a child... But I don't want to leave her alone or refuse her. You heard what she went through." In her sleep, Yui smiled and reached out. The young AI slipped her hand into Asuna's, and the look on Asuna's face melted Kirito's heart.

After seeing that, there was no way any of them could possibly imagine abandoning Yui. The discussion didn't last much longer; the guild as a whole decided that they'd unofficially adopt the little girl. Argo said she had to go handle info broker business and took Sinon with her; Asuna and Silica went to fetch food for dinner; and Leafa went with Lisbeth to handle some of the blacksmith's orders.

Yui, eventually, woke up from her afternoon nap and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Hmm?" she mumbled, yawning. "Where did everyone go, Papa?"

"Out on errands, mostly," Kirito shrugged. "They'll be back soon."

Yui giggled. "Hooray! I get to spend the day with Papa!"

Kirito smiled and patted the girl's head. "Sure thing, Yui. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm... Let's go on a walk! Do you like flowers? I saw a bunch of pretty ones out by the lake!" Yui clapped her hands. "And then maybe we can go to town! There are shops with delicious snacks there, and I'd love to try those."

Okay... So maybe having a cute daughter wouldn't be so bad after all. And if he was being totally honest with himself, thinking of Asuna as the mother... It made Kirito incredibly happy to imagine. B-But that was years in the future! This was just like how Leafa called him her big brother. 'Papa' was just something Yui was calling him, that's all.

---

February 13th, 2024

"Papa? You should go talk to Leafa-mama, I think she's sad."

Kirito looked over at Yui and then out the window, where Leafa was swinging her wooden training sword with single-minded focus. It was still early in the morning, but she was usually done by this point, he thought. The look on her face was identical to how she normally looked when training, but something about her did seem a little... different. Maybe it was the way she was holding the sword, or the line of focus between her brows that normally didn't show up. He wasn't quite sure. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Yui," he said.

"Yay, I helped! Asuna-mama said she'd take me to get a treat, I'm going to go find her."

"Okay, have fun."

His little sister's hisses of breath each time she swung the sword greeted him as he approached. He waited patiently for her to finish the set; when she finally lowered her sword, he stepped into the ring. "Hey, Leafa," he said.

"O-oh, hi Kazuto," she said. "Here to practice?"

"I kinda wanted to talk to you, actually," he said. "Is everything okay? It kinda seems like something's bothering you."

Leafa looked away, puffing out her cheeks. "I'm fine," she lied.

He poked her cheek and made her giggle. "C'mon, tell me," he said. "If you can't tell me, then tell Asuna."

"W-Well, it's..." Leafa sighed. "Did Yui tell you?"

"She mentioned you seemed a little upset," he said, "but I'm your big brother. We've been together all our lives, of course I'll know when something's bothering you."

That claim made Leafa turn and stare at him flatly. "Uh huh," she said. "And what about when you forgot to get me a birthday present when I turned eight?"

"That was years ago!" Kirito yelped. "I already apologized."

"You spent all your money on games," Leafa huffed. "And didn't realize I was mad for a week."

Kirito crossed his arms, and the Kirigaya siblings stared at each other - before bursting out into laughter. Leafa chuckled and wrapped her arms around Kirito. "Kazuto? Don't go off somewhere all on your own, okay?" Leafa asked, pressing her face against his shoulder.

Kirito smiled softly. Of course that was what she was worried about, he realized. With the rest of the guild growing, and now with Yui joining them, it wasn't really just the two - three with Asuna - of them anymore. "Don't worry. I'll always be by your side, Leafa."

"Thank you."

Leafa sniffled and smiled, right before she stood on her tip-toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Huh, Kirito thought, she's not usually this close to me...

"Let's go get a snack!"

Kirito blinked, and then grinned at his little sister. "Sure. You know I'm never one to turn down something to eat."

Leafa let out a cheer before putting away her sword immediately. "Argo told me about this great snack cart in town," she said as the two of them walked down the forest path. "I know you like spicy things, but sweets are nice once and a while, too!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"And you're gonna pay for your wonderful little sister, right?"

"Fine," Kirito sighed.

"Yay!"

In town, the two siblings wandered down the streets looking for the cart in question. "Are you sure it's here?" Kirito asked.

Leafa grumbled under her breath. "I know it is," she muttered. "C'mon, where are you..."

"Why don't we make it a competition?" Kirito asked. He raised a finger and grinned. "First person to find the cart wins."

"You're on!" Leafa pumped her fist in the air. "I won't lose!" Kirito chuckled to himself. His sister was so competitive... But that was what made her a good swordsman, he knew. She wouldn't give up until she'd mastered whatever challenge she threw herself towards.

...

Kirito did his best, but his little sister had the better nose for sweets in the end. "Hooray!" Leafa cheered when they finally found the little shop tucked away in the corner of the 45th Floor. "I win!"

"Dang it," Kirito sighed. "I thought about looking over there, too. Can't believe I lost." There went his chance of getting Leafa to pay for her own snack...

"Oh, Kazuto, Sugu. What are you doing here?"

Leafa turned around and grinned. "Hi, Asuna! And Yui!"

"Papa! Leafa-mama!" Yui giggled and ran to give Leafa a huge hug. "Asuna-mama bought me a crepe!"

"We just finished up our snack," Asuna told Kirito and Leafa. "I'll see you two back at the Log Cabin."

"Bye!" Leafa waved as Yui waved goodbye.

Kirito tilted his head. "Huh. Yui said Asuna was taking her to get a treat before I came out to talk to you, but I didn't expect it to be here."

"Who cares about that!" Leafa's eyes were sparkling. "You owe me a crepe. Ooh, but I won our competition. You were going to buy me something anyway... so I want praise!"

"Praise?"

"Yeah," Leafa nodded. "Like when we were kids, remember?"

Yeah, he remembered, all right. But it was a little embarrassing, now that they were grown up a bit... Still, he had lost, and Kirito would never go back on an agreement. "Alright," he sighed, and reached out to place his palm on Leafa's head. She grinned and closed her eyes in pure bliss as he rubbed her head. "Good girl, Leafa. Good girl. You did a good job."

"Ahh... Being praised by Kazuto is amazing!"

It might be amazing, but he was getting some weird looks from the NPC running the stand. Were they programmed to give him that look? Kirito couldn't tell. After a second, he pulled his hand back and coughed. "A-Anyway, let's get something to eat."

"Okay!"

Kirito, like he'd promised, paid for both of their crepes. Together, the Kirigaya siblings bit down onto their sweet treat, and Kirito blinked in surprise. "Oh wow, this is good," he said.

"Mm! Sweets are the best!" Leafa squealed, taking another huge bite.

Kirito looked at his sister and chuckled. "Hey, Leafa, you got some cream on your cheek. Slow down and take your time, your dessert isn't going to run away."

"Huh?" Leafa swiped at her cheek, missing the dab of cream. "Kazuto, can you get it?"

"Yeah, hold still." Leafa, obligingly, closed her eyes and tilted her head; Kirito ran his finger along her cheek and collected the cream smeared across his sister before wiping it off on his shirt. "There you go, I've got it."

"Thanks," Leafa said. Then she looked at him and giggled. "Hey, you've got some on your cheek too! Don't move, I'll get it."

"Okay," he said. Leafa leaned over, getting maybe a little bit too close for just a second before he felt her finger caress his cheek. She leaned back, smiling victoriously, and popped her finger into her mouth. "Uh, Leafa?"

"What?" she asked. "I'm not letting it go to waste!"

Well, alright. Kirito decided it didn't matter anyway, turned his attention back to his own crepe. Heh... It'd been a while since it was just the two of them. This was fun!

...

February 16th, 2024

"Sinonon~!"

Sinon looked over at the cheerful sing-song voice and smiled as Asuna poked her head into the room. "Hello, Asuna. And Lisbeth."

"Hiya," the pink-haired blacksmith said from behind the long-haired girl. "What's going on, Sinon?"

"Not much," she said easily. All she was doing was reading an interesting book she'd found in the Log Cabin's library in her room, after all. "Did you need something?"

If Kirito had been there, he would have immediately warned her not to ask that question to those two girls or ever admit to not having anything keeping her busy. However, the boy she was in love with wasn't there; instead, he was out with his little sister and Silica running a quest that would power up Pina. Argo was out of the house too, dealing with the last bits of fallout from capturing Laughing Coffin, and Yui was tagging along to watch her Argo-mama at work. In other words, there was nobody around to warn poor Sinon that she had just made a huge mistake.

That being said, the archer's sense of danger, honed from a long time out in the fields as a solo player, was quick to react when Asuna and Lisbeth entered the room. "Actually, we could use your help with something," Asuna said. "Take a look!"

Sinon's face paled when the long-haired sub-commander held up a dress. No, she mentally corrected herself, that wasn't a dress. That was a torture device disguised as women's clothing. The pale blue item was mostly ruffles and ribbons. In fact, she was pretty sure it was ruffles and ribbons in the shape of a dress. "We'd love it if you could try this on for us," Lisbeth said.

"No way."

"But Sinonon," Asuna complained. "All you wear is that green blouse and grey skirt when you're not in the field. It looks good on you, but what about something nicer from time to time?"

Sinon shook her head mutely, already trying to figure out the fastest way out of the room she had suddenly found herself trapped in. They'd had that spicy pizza roulette the other day for dinner, and Asuna had definitely seemed upset she didn't win the absolute order - wait, was that her plan all along?! To force Sinon into that dress?!

"It'd look better on Silica," she protested. "She has natural cuteness! She could pull it off!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lisbeth waved away the complaint with a hand. "But we want to see how you look in it, not Silica!"

Both girls giggled as they slowly advanced towards Sinon, holding the dress out towards her. Sinon took a deep breath - and then bolted, jumping over the bed in a fluid motion. She hit the floor and slid on the wood before scrambling for the door. As soon as she was in the doorway, she ran for the stairs at a flat sprint. "Ah! Liz, she's getting away!" Asuna shouted.

"Get back here and try on these clothes, Sinon!" Lisbeth shouted.

Sinon didn't look back as she fled downstairs. She couldn't help smiling, though. When Kirito had told her he'd told the girls everything up front, she'd been worried that they would have run away, or refused to accept her, or forced Kirito to kick her out of the guild - but none of that had happened. Instead, Asuna had wrapped her in a huge hug the next time the two girls met and told Sinon in no uncertain terms that what happened was not her fault and that she had nothing to be ashamed of.

It felt nice, knowing that the six Royal Blades cared.

...

February 20th, 2024

It was the first boss fight since Sinon had joined the Royal Blades, and she clearly looked uncomfortable in the spotlight; her new equipment was gorgeous, but Kirito could tell by the way she semi-hid behind the others, staying in the center of the pack as much as possible. She also brought her arm across her chest, making herself seem smaller.

"Don't worry," he whispered to her.

"They're all looking at me..."

"They just want to see our newest member, that's all. So hold your head with pride, Sinon."

She gave him a quick thankful glance before straightening up. Her bow, hanging on her back, was really the main focus of the stares of the other members of the raid party. She was the first owner of a Unique Skill to appear for several months; the last one had been Kirito himself when he unlocked the Dual Blades Skill.

In any event, it was time for them to start the 60th Floor's boss raid. He nodded to Asuna and the long-haired girl stepped forward to draw everyone's attention. While she gave the players the usual pre-fight speech and rallying cry, Kirito walked over to where Yui was watching them with a huge smile on her face. "Hi, Papa," the girl said.

"Now Yui," he said, crouching in front of her, "you remember what you're supposed to do, right?"

"Uh huh! I'm going to be a good girl and cheer you on from the side, out of the boss's aggro range," she repeated back to him, and he patted her head with a smile. "But Papa, are you sure I can't help? If your HP gets too low, the margin of safety lowers dramatically, and you run the risk of a critical hit -"

"Hey, Yui, listen to your Papa, okay? He's just looking out for you."

Yui pouted. "Yes, Uncle Klein..."

Kirito grinned as he turned and stood up. "Hey, Klein."

"What's up, Kiri-dog?" the scruffy samurai said. "Man, I can't believe you guys adopted an AI... Talk about crazy, right?"

"Sometimes I can't believe it myself," Kirito said. "But... Yui's only been with us for a little while, but I can't imagine her not living at the Log Cabin." Yui hugged him, throwing her arms around his waist, and he patted her head with a smile. "Anyway, thanks for babysitting Yui while we go on quests when the Black Cats aren't available."

"No problem. I've always got your back, Kirito!" Klein said.

"Oh, that's right," Yui said. "Uncle Klein and I were talking, and a word he said wasn't in my stored dictionary. I could have looked it up, but I don't have access to any dictionary updates unless I attempt to connect to Cardinal."

"...Go ask one of your mothers," Kirito said steadily. "I need to talk to Uncle Klein." The samurai fidgeted.

"Okay," Yui chirped and wandered away. "Leafa-mama? What does 'fuck' mean?"

Kirito stared daggers at Klein. "W-Well look at that it's time to fight the boss let's go!" Klein babbled before running at a dead sprint for the boss door.

...

The boss fight went really well, in Kirito's opinion. Nobody lost their life, Sinon seemed to be having fun, and best of all, he managed to get the Last Attack Bonus! Of course, he did rush in with low health to get it... But it was okay, because the boss didn't use its AoE attack, and he was able to counter everything else without taking too much chip damage. He couldn't use the LAB himself, but it'd make a nice gift for Silica. He really didn't see anything wrong with what happened.

"Ka-zu-to," Asuna said sweetly, "can you explain yourself?"

If only Asuna agreed with him. Kirito held up the Last Attack Bonus like it would shield him from the Smile of Doom being leveled at him. Unfortunately, the rare heavy shield was useless against the brunt of her irritation, since it wasn't a physical attack. The menacing aura seemed to fill the room, attacking him from all angles. "I, um... I was pretty sure it wouldn't use an AoE attack?" he tried.

"And you're very lucky it didn't," Asuna said. Her smile didn't flicker. "Now why don't we discuss the rest of your reckless actions during that boss fight?"

Kirito gulped. Her sub-commander voice had come out, and even he obeyed her when she sounded like that. From the doorway to the living room, Yui peeked out at the scene with wide eyes. "Whoa, Asuna," Silica said from where she sat next to Kirito on the couch, "your smile looks really scary right now..."

"Is that so?" Asuna asked, still smiling at Kirito. The poor boy looked away from her total disapproval. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Silica."

In the end, Kirito had no choice but to listen to his best friend's lecture for the better part of the next ten minutes. He didn't mind, all that much. He knew it was just born from worry. Once he was finally free from her, he looked around for Silica; after a second, he figured out that she must be in her room. "Hey, Silica," he said, knocking lightly on the door. "Can I come in?"

"Kyui!" "Come in!"

Both of their replies reached him at the same time and he opened the door to see Silica on her bed, feeding Pina from her hand. "Hey, you two," he said. "Enjoying an afternoon snack?"

"If I feed Pina these sweet fruits, then her stats will go up a little bit!" Silica said. "And she really loves them. Isn't that right?"

"Kyui!" Pina chirped, flapping her wings.

Kirito chuckled, and then swiped open his menu. "That reminds me, Silica. Here."

The girl looked over at the trade menu, and then gasped. "Kirito, isn't this -"

"Yeah, but I can't use shields," he said. "So go ahead, take it."

"A-Are you sure?" Kirito just folded his arms, and Silica accepted the trade. "I feel bad, taking this from you," she muttered sheepishly. "You earned it, not me."

Kirito shook his head. "That's not true at all," he insisted. "I couldn't fight all-out without knowing you were there to back me up, Silica. You're really important to me, and I want to give this to you."

Silica giggled and smiled at him. "Thank you, Kirito. I'm always asking for your help, and now you're giving me this rare equipment..."

"If you ask, I'll always help. Every time, no matter what."

Silica ducked her head... and then threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. She looked up at him, eyes bright. "In that case, you have to promise! Please, ask me and Pina for help. We'll say yes too."

Kirito laughed. "Alright. I will."

"Kyui!"

Silica jumped, as if Pina had just reminded her of something. "Oh! To celebrate our victory against the boss, can we go get cheesecake?" Silica asked him. "J-Just the two of us? I know a really great shop on the 35th Floor!"

He grinned. "Sure thing."

...

February 24th, 2024

"Hah!" Kirito shouted as he slashed with his blade. The heavy strike cut off the Black Lily Panther's hand; the bipedal monster roared in anger as its greatsword flew away.

Sinon was focused on the fight, but she was still able to admire how intense Kirito's eyes were, how focused he was on the fight, how even though he looked a little effeminate his shoulders and back were still broad and strong. No, focus, she told herself when she realized her attention was wavering from her opponent, and fired an arrow. It flew forward, past Leafa and Silica, and sunk deep into the dungeon boss's chest. The Black Lily Panther roared again and charged her -

- but it had ignored Leafa and Silica; the tiny tank unleashed a Hate ability that stopped the boss in its tracks, and Leafa swung her katana in a vicious slash. The Sword Skill separated the boss's head from its shoulders, and the rest of the body shattered into blue polygons before it hit the ground.

"We did it!" Leafa cheered and raised a palm; Silica gave her a high-five. Sinon grinned as Kirito looked at her and raised a hand as well. She gave him a high-five as well. "Hey, Kazuto, Sinon, come check this out!"

Sinon looked over and sure enough, there was a chest in the center of the room. "It spawned after we beat the boss," Silica said. "Wonder what's inside!"

Leafa crouched down in front of the chest and popped it open. She leaned over, Silica and Sinon peering in over her shoulders, and inside they found - "...Cat ears?" Leafa asked, holding up a black headband with little cat ears on it. There were two other pairs in the chest - another black headband and a brown that would look perfect on Asuna, in her opinion.

With their treasure in tow, they went back home and showed them off to the others. "Hey, these look like the ones Liz made," Argo grinned.

Lisbeth chuckled and shook her head. "No way," the blacksmith said. "The ones I made were just accessories. These ones have some sort of effect, but I can't tell what..."

Stare...

Asuna studied the headband in her hands. "Some sort of effect? I wonder what..."

Staaaaaare...

Sinon fidgeted when she felt a piercing stare drill into the back of her head. "Kazuto!" Asuna wailed. "Stop staring at us like that!"

"Asuna, Leafa, Sinon, show me what you look like with those on!" he exclaimed. "I've only seen Silica with cat ears!"

"Huh? N-No way, that's embarrassing," Asuna said as she blushed and looked away.

Leafa held out her black headband towards him. "Why don't you wear them yourself, Kazuto?"

"What?! No!" he exclaimed. "There's no point to a guy wearing cat ears!"

His surprisingly vehement denial made Sinon giggle. "I don't mind wearing them," she said.

Leafa and Asuna looked at each other, and then both sighed. "Well, if Sinonon's doing it, we can't let her be the only one," Asuna said. "But only this once, okay?" The three girls put on their headbands and smiled at Kirito bashfully. Sinon curled her hand like a cat's paw; it felt right. "H-How does it look on us, Kazuto?" the long-haired girl asked.

"They look great!" Kirito said, smiling.

"Really? That's good, nya!"

Suddenly the long-haired girl doubled over, clutching at her stomach. "My body is..."

"Asuna?!" Kirito exclaimed.

Asuna cried out as a brown tail popped out from her rear, lifting her skirt. "Asunya!" Sinon exclaimed. "What's going... on!?" All at once, there was a strange feeling in her gut, like pressure building up and pushing through her stomach towards her spine. The archer whimpered and shook - before the pressure abruptly faded and she had the strangest feeling from behind her. Sure enough, when she looked over her shoulder, a black tail was waving lazily in the air.

"Si-nyan?" Leafa asked, before covering her mouth. "I can't stop saying nya!" Then the katana-wielder start shaking, her face going pale; a few seconds later, she had a black tail behind her as well, though it managed to poke through a hole in her skirt. Sinon's own tail was sticking out of her shorts, making it a little awkward to walk.

"Nya-t is this?" Asuna exclaimed, looking around at the rest of the Royal Blades. The three other girls were staring in utter surprise, though Argo's cheeks were a little red. Meanwhile, Kirito closed his eyes and hummed in thought. "Ah... I keep adding 'nya' to my words!"

"Kirito!" Sinon wailed. "Do something!"

Kirito tapped his cheek. "Well, for starters, let's see if we can take this off." While he was speaking, he grabbed Asuna's tail and gave it a firm tug.

"Nya-hn~," Asuna moaned even as she blushed bright red. She whirled and snatched her tail out of Kirito's hand, holding it gingerly and glaring at him. "K-Kazuto! Don't you dare! Do that again, and I won't forgive you!"

Leafa folded her arms in a huff, and Sinon heard Silica mutter, "I wish I had a tail he could tug..."

Later that night, Argo returned from investigating and sniffing out leads that might give them the answer to how to get the cat-eared headband off. "Alright, so I think I found somethin' reliable, though I can't be... Uh, A-chan? Leafa? Sinon? Why are..."

Sinon pouted - no, she frowned. She definitely frowned. The three girls were all sitting in cardboard boxes, and for some reason it was entirely too comfortable for Sinon. "I don't know," Leafa complained. "I cyan't help it! When we saw these boxes, we just couldn't calm down until we got in..."

"I see," Kirito murmured, sipping at a mug of tea. "A cat trait, huh? That's a problem..."

"Well, hopefully it won't be one much longer," Argo said. "Here's what I learned."

As Argo described the ritual needed to break the curse and detach the cat ears, Sinon and the other two blushed. "Do we really have to do all of this?" Leafa muttered.

"An' we're gonna have ta watch," Argo shrugged. All of them, even Kirito? Sinon blushed at the thought of the boy she loved watching her do something so... so...

"If you don't want the Royal Blades to be the Royal Cats, then we'll have to do this," Kirito told them.

"Ugh... Fine," Asuna sighed. She wouldn't let the guild's name be besmirched, Sinon knew. "Let's just... do the ritual tomorrow morning."

Of course, that was when Yui wandered into the living room and tilted her head. "Why are Asuna-mama, Leafa-mama, and Sinon-mama sitting in boxes? Oh, did you equip something with the Cat Curse? They're fun to play around with, but the way to remove the curse is very strange so I don't know why you put them on."

Argo sighed and palmed her face. "Right, forgot, coulda jus' asked the kid, she'd know th' answer. Spent 5 k col for nothin'..."

...

"Nyan~," Leafa meowed as she pawed at the air, kneeling.

"Nyan~," Asuna meowed as she rolled on her back, revealing her stomach.

"Nyan~!" Sinon meowed as she tilted her head, staring backwards while she bent over.

Suddenly, the cat ears dropped from her head into her waiting hands. When she stood up and looked over her shoulder, the black tail wasn't waving around anymore. They were free! "You did it, Asuna!" Kirito said with a smile.

"That's great and all," the long-haired girl said as she ran her fingers through her hair to straighten out tangles from the ritual, "but... what's up with that recording crystal?" Sinon looked closer, and sure enough, Kirito was holding a recording crystal in his hands.

"Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it."

Asuna folded her arms. "Kazuto... Why don't we trade that crystal for Sinon's cat-eared headband?"

Kirito shook his head. "No way. Like I said yesterday, cat ears on guys is -"

"Kazuto," Asuna said, smiling sweetly. Somehow, Sinon could see the specter of death looming over her shoulder, brandishing its scythe. "I said, trade it now."

"Eek!" Kirito whimpered. Sinon and Leafa grabbed his arms from behind to stop him from escaping the final boss, and Asuna's smile was serene as the cat ears descended.

...

"Argo," Kirito whined, "just delete it already..."

Argo giggled and smirked. "Nope~! C'mon gals, let's go watch Kii-boy sit in a box an' cry fer A-chan again. He's so cute with those kitty ears, nya hah hah!"

Sinon felt a little bad about this. On the other hand, she got to watch Kirito be cute... and really, it's not like she minded if he had a recording of her doing those ridiculous poses.

...

March 6th, 2024

"We're home!" Kirito heard Lisbeth call out.

"Welcome home," Kirito called back. He didn't bother getting out of his comfortable recliner, he could hear the girls walking down the hallway. "How was your quest?"

"It was a lot of fun! Hi, Papa!" Yui exclaimed as she ran into the room and gave him a huge hug. "Lisbeth-mama, Argo-mama, and Sinon-mama are really strong!"

He chuckled. "Are they, now?"

"Hey, don't doubt us," Lisbeth said, planting her hands on her hips. Argo and Sinon walked by, waving to Kirito as they went upstairs. "I'll have you know I'm the top blacksmith in the game, buster!"

"I don't doubt it," he said. "I can always tell a Lisbeth sword by the shine on the blade."

Lisbeth grinned. "That's because I put my heart into every weapon! No top-level build is complete without one of my babies."

"Oh, so the secret ingredient's love, then."

"Wh-what are you saying?" Lisbeth exclaimed. "...Are you up to something?"

Kirito shook his head. "What are you talking about? I've won a lot of battles thanks to your weapons. And I know that in the future, I can count on you to be there no matter what. I wouldn't trust my sword to anyone else but you, Liz."

Lisbeth fidgeted. "Man, compliments just pour out of your mouth, huh? Making weapons for all you guys... It's an honor beyond this lowly blacksmith." Kirito kept from snorting, just barely. There wasn't anything about her that was lowly. "But I won't stop making weapons for you. I won't ever stop getting better and making you proud of me."

"Thanks, Liz. For everything you've done, for me and the others," Kirito told her.

Saying that, it seemed, was enough to qualify him for one of Lisbeth's rare hugs; she leaned over the side of the chair and hugged him, though it was a little hard to hug back from the angle. He did his best though. After letting him go, the blacksmith turned around with a cough and smacked her cheeks for some reason. She took a seat on the couch and sank back into the cushions, though Kirito noticed that Asuna's repeated scolding about how to sit properly seemed to have stuck. "Man, it feels good to be back home, though. Yui's got so much energy, I could barely keep up!"

Kirito grinned. "Quit talking like you're an old lady, Liz."

"I don't want to hear it from you, Mister 'I'll just take a nap whenever I can'! If it weren't for Asuna nagging you all the time, you'd spend all day in that chair of yours!"

The two of them laughed. Once he managed to stop chuckling, Kirito opened his mouth. "And how'd -"

"Sinon did just fine," Argo said as she wandered back into the living room. Kirito smiled at her, and the info broker grinned back. "That's what ya were gonna ask, right, Kii-boy? Worryin' 'bout her so much, yer gonna make us think ya got ulterior motives."

Kirito kept the blush off of his face masterfully. While he'd told them all about the past the two of them shared, as well as the conversation they'd had on the edge of the cliff, there was no way he was going to tell any of the girls that Sinon had kissed him. "I just wanted to know how she's fitting in," he said. "It's been a month now."

"Nope, the gal's doin' fine," Argo said as she flopped onto the couch and lounged bonelessly. "She fits right in, no problem. 'S pretty great, havin' her at yer back."

Lisbeth grinned. "It's kinda like how you start wearing glasses, and suddenly everything looks so clear. We never knew we missed her until we got her, but now I can't imagine being in the field without Sinon there." Kirito and Argo stared at her, eyes wide, and Lisbeth frowned at them. "What? I wear contacts," she grumbled defensively.

"Well, that's somethin' new," Argo snickered. "Ooh, I wanna see what ya look like with frames! Maybe some red ones."

"Hey, Argo, don't..."

Kirito smiled at their squabbling and closed his eyes, relaxing again. His concerns assayed, it was time for that nap Lisbeth mentioned...

...

Giggling on either side of him was Kirito's wake-up call, and his eyes cracked open. All he could see was the backs of Argo and Lisbeth, the two girls heading out of the living room while laughing. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but it wasn't that big a deal. He didn't mean to actually sleep that long. Rubbing at his eyes, Kirito got up and stretched. Hmm, he thought, he should really go see Sinon and say hello.

After checking his menu to make sure she was at home, he walked up to her room and knocked on the door. She shared it with Silica, but the young Dragon Tamer was off on a quest with Asuna and Leafa, so the only one inside was the archer. "You can come in, Kirito," she said. "Yui and I are just talking."

"Pardon me," he said, opening the door. It had been a while since he'd been in Silica's room, but it was the same as he remembered. There were a few stuffed animals on the drawers, as well as a small basket for Pina to sleep in. The room was a lot fuller now that Sinon had move in, sharing the other half of the room. Speaking of Sinon, she was sitting on the bed, organizing her inventory from the earlier quest. Yui was sitting in one of the guest chairs, kicking her legs idly as she hummed to herself.

Sinon looked up and smiled at him as he walked in. "Hey, Kirito."

"Hey Sinon, Yui."

Yui jumped to her feet and ran over to give him a huge hug. "Hi Papa!"

Kirito patted her head. "Get anything good from the mobs today, you two?"

"Eh," Sinon said, waving her hand back and forth. "Mostly vendor trash."

He watched her tap away at her menu for a little bit. Ever since that day she kissed him, a month ago, Sinon hadn't said a word about her feelings; even still, looking at her like this, he got the feeling that she was just biding her time. Almost as if he was a monster at the other end of her bow, she had herself laser-focused on him and remained totally still.

She looked up from her menu, and her eyes focused on him; it was like he could feel her memorizing the image of him and burning it into her mind. Then she smiled softly, and the moment passed. "So did you want to say something, or just keep me company? You can sit on the bed, by the way."

"Then excuse me," he said politely, taking a seat next to her. With a giggle, Yui hopped up on the bed on his other side, leaning against his side. "Keeping you company's only one reason why I'm here. The other's so I can ask how you're doing."

Sinon smiled. "Everyone's really nice! I can tell you all care so much for each other. It explains a lot."

"Huh? Explains how?"

Sinon shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's sweet that you came to check up on me."

Kirito scratched his cheek. "Yeah, I just wanted to check to see how you were settling in, now that it's been a month. Nobody's bothering you about what happened?"

"Of course not," she said immediately.

Yui nodded firmly. "There's no way anyone would be horrible to Sinon-mama like that."

Sinon smiled from the young girl's declaration. "Yui's right. They were all really sympathetic. It was... nice. Warm, almost."

Kirito grinned. "Well, I'm glad. I didn't think any of us would do something so horrible, but Argo might have made a few tasteless jokes."

"Argo-mama wouldn't..." Yui trailed off, then blinked. "Actually, Argo-mama might say something like that. She can be really mean," she said thoughtfully. Kirito winced. Ouch, Argo. That had to sting, even if she couldn't hear it, he thought.

Sinon giggled. "Argo's been nothing but kind. Nothing like how she looks from outside the guild." Then she tilted her head, studying him carefully. "Kirito? I didn't realize you were such a fan of lipstick."

Kirito blinked. "Huh?" Wordlessly, she pulled a small hand mirror out of her inventory and handed it to him; when he examined his reflection, he was utterly baffled by why there were two lip prints in pink lipstick, one on each cheek. "That's weird..."

He rubbed them off with the back of his hand. Sinon just smiled. "Though, that reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask. A while back, there was an image of a black-haired girl in the Daily Argo. Supposedly, she's a secret member of the Royal Blades, though nobody knows much more. From what I heard, her name is Alice. Does that ring any bells, guild leader?"

Kirito looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Hmm..." Sinon, somehow, didn't sound convinced. "Is that so? Then Yui must have been mistaken. After all, you were so proud to see your Papa all dressed up, weren't you?"

"That's right!" Yui chirped. "Papa made such a lovely young maiden! And they didn't need much makeup to make him very beautiful."

"Guh..." Somehow, that didn't seem like a compliment! His male pride...

Sinon smiled at him, and he shivered. "See, I'm pretty sure you were the one to give Asuna and Liz the idea to get me to wear that... thing. So I just wanted to show my appreciation."

"What thing? Are you talking about that dress? I mean, yeah, I thought it'd look good on you..."

Without missing a beat, Sinon swiped open her menu. "That's quite the coincidence. See, I got this rare drop from a monster a while back, and I didn't have any girl friends to give it to... And I couldn't wear it myself. But I'm sure you'll love this present!" From her inventory, she pulled out something pink and frilly, and extended the pair of panties towards him. "Go on, Alice. I'm sure they'll suit you perfectly!"

Why me... Kirito groaned to himself.

"Is something wrong, Papa?" Yui asked, tilting her head. "Aren't you going to get changed? Judging by the calculated effect, equipping that Erotic-type item will increase physical attractiveness by at least fifteen percent!" The question-statistic one-two combo was utterly devastating, and now he realized how everyone else must have felt when they were on the receiving end.

After a second of hesitation, Kirito turned and ran from the room. When faced with an impossible boss, running away was always a good option!

"Why did Papa run, Sinon-mama?" he heard Yui ask from Sinon's room. "That was such a rare item, and you were giving it to him as a present!"

For such an intelligent girl, he thought, she really doesn't understand some things...

...

March 10th, 2024

The inn was exactly like every inn Sinon had visited in this game; crowded and filled with players eating, NPC waiters and waitresses delivering food, old hooded NPC quest-givers huddling in the corners and attracting players... If she didn't know for a fact that they were waiting in the front lines, the 63rd Floor, Sinon wouldn't have been able to point out exactly which Floor they were on.

She fidgeted with the end of her scarf, trying to ignore the subtle and not-so-subtle stares coming from every player in the crowded inn. What she wouldn't give to just tug her hood over her head and hide in the corner... But before she could withdraw, Argo's hand darted out and snatched her arm without looking up from her book. "Nope," the info broker said.

"But Argo," Sinon sighed.

"But nothin', I need ya here," Argo said. She looked up from her book and grinned. "'Sides, I'm not that bad company, right?"

Sinon grinned back. "No, of course not. Though you're really interested in that book of yours. You've had your nose in it ever since we sat down."

"Wanna know a trade secret? Free 'a charge," Argo said, her whiskers twitching. Sinon shrugged and gestured for her to go on, and Argo slid the book over to her. "Take a look. Any page's good."

Sinon watched her, but Argo just grinned in anticipation. The archer sighed and reached for the book anyway; Argo's smile widened, and Sinon sighed again. Why does she humor her, she wondered even as she opened the book and flipped to a random page like Argo had suggested. Her eyes scanned down the page, and she stared at it. Her brow wrinkled. "Um, Argo?"

"Yeeees?" the Rat drawled, dragging the word out.

Sinon pushed the book back over to Argo. "This literally says 'Something something DEEP MYSTERIES something' over and over again."

"I know, it's great," Argo snickered. "Had ta get it special-made, but toootally worth the col."

"If you absolutely have to bring a book, why not bring one that's actually readable?"

"Meh. 'S just a prop, really." The info broker leaned forward and Sinon caught herself doing the same. "Plus, it really irritates the guy we're meetin'."

Sinon really wanted to ask her if that's a good idea, but before she could get the words out a player sat down at the inn table across from them. "That book again, Argo?" the man sighed.

"Nya hah hah! It's so interesting, I jus' can't put it down," the info broker snickered. "Got any recommendations fer a new one?"

Heathcliff laced his fingers in front of him. "I'd suggest a history on ramen. Perhaps your chefs in the Royal Blades could make a feast of noodles."

"Ooh, 's a good idea~! I'll talk ta A-chan an' Liz, see if I can get 'em on board."

Sinon, meanwhile, was still reeling from the fact that the leader of the Knights of the Blood was sitting down across from them at the inn table. What was more, the stoic man was trading flat banter with Argo, all without cracking a smile or anything. She'd know that her new guild was important, and that she'd joined the inner circle, but... Th-this was beyond anything she'd ever imagined!

"Anyway," Argo said as she leaned forward, "fer the main reason I called ya out here. I jus' wanted ta check in person that if us Royal Blades were ta leave the front lines fer a bit, yer guild could take over an' not lose the momentum."

Sinon looked over at Argo at the question, not sure what she was getting at, and shivered as a chill ran down her spine. The info broker's lips were curved in an easy-going grin, but her eyes were sharp and narrowed as she stared at Heathcliff. There was an aura of intensity around her, but for the life of her Sinon couldn't figure out why the Rat was so focused.

"Of course," Heathcliff said, not so much as flinching. "My guild is dedicated to clearing each floor of Aincrad just as much as the Royal Blades is, and even if your group were to take a vacation the Knights of the Blood would be able to take over. The loss of such a powerful force would slow the rate of progression, but it would not stop." He leaned forward slightly. "Are you planning on taking a break?"

For a second, Sinon was convinced Argo was going to say yes - and then the info broker leaned back, and all of the tension vanished in an instant as she laughed. "Nya hah hah! Nah, jus' checkin' ta make sure things won't fall apart if we drop back. Ya never know what'll happen, right?"

Heathcliff nodded and his lips curved in a small smile.

"Anyway!" Sinon jumped as Argo's arm landed around her shoulders. "Onto the second reason I called ya out here. This here's Sinon, our newest member. Ya haven't had a chance ta meet her, right?"

Heathcliff nodded. "I've seen you in the boss fights, but I haven't had the chance to meet you face to face."

Wh-what should she do? Sinon wasn't sure if she should nod, or offer to shake his hand, or... In the end, she simply nodded - since Argo still had her arms around her, making it difficult to do much else, and the leader of the Knights of the Blood nodded back. "Sinon here's got one 'a the rare Skills herself, Archery," Argo said. "Unfortunately, can't sell ya th' info 'bout how ta unlock it."

Can't sell him the info? Oh, that's right, Sinon remembered that Kirito had idly mentioned that Argo would refuse to sell information if she didn't know. Something about her info broker's pride, he'd said. "Sorry," the archer said.

"Understandable," the man replied. "In any event, I believe it's time for me to return to my guild."

"Yeah, no prob," Argo said. "Thankies fer showin' up."

Heathcliff nodded and stood up; before he could leave, though, Argo made a whole display out of getting that nonsense book out and cracking it back open. Heathcliff shook his head and sighed before leaving the inn behind.

Sinon glanced over at Argo and then stood up herself. The Rat was already busy messaging others, hands tapping in the air. "I'm heading out, Argo," Sinon told her.

"See ya, Sinon," she replied and waved without looking up. "I've got more meetin's, so I'll prob'ly see ya back at the house."

Trying to ignore the stares and looks, Sinon walked out of the inn - and then lost the battle and tugged her hood over her head and pulled her scarf up to hide her face, hurrying down the street towards the Teleport Gate.

...

When Sinon returned to the log cabin, she checked her Friends List out of habit. Kirito and the others were all out on a quest for Leafa, and the only ones in the house were Asuna and Yui. "I'm back," she called out.

Yui poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled. "Welcome home, Sinon-mama! Asuna-mama and I are making something to eat!"

"Whatever it is, it smells good," she said. With her bow and armor stored in her inventory, she entered the kitchen. "What's on the menu? Something for dinner?"

Asuna smiled sheepishly. "Well... Not exactly. We're making a light snack."

"That's right," Yui chirped. She looked adorable in her pink apron, little ruffles lining the edge; Asuna was wearing her normal white apron, with a red bow tied in the back to keep it on. "And we won't ruin our dinner, either! It's still four hours until the average time we eat dinner, and in four hours the hunger gauges will have drained enough that eating will be mechanically useful again!"

Sinon smiled and patted Yui's head. "You just want to eat a snack," she said.

"Uh huh! It's really yummy!"

"So what are you making?" Sinon asked.

Asuna stroked the young AI's head and smiled. "Well, it's a little silly, but it's something Kazuto showed me back on the first Floor. You combine some of the tough black bread from the inns, and the cream from a quest near Tolbana. It's absolutely wonderful..." Asuna sighed, and Sinon could swear that her friend's eyes sparkled dreamily. "So, I wanted to make my own. The cream is ready, and all we have to do is wait for the bread to be finished baking. You're welcome to have some too, Sinonon."

Sinon smiled and dragged a kitchen stool over to the center table; as soon as she sat down, Yui ran over and hopped up on her laugh. The little girl giggled when Sinon folded her arms around her waist, holding Yui against her chest. It really was strange how quickly she'd taken to everyone... but at the same time, it was equally strange to Sinon how quickly she'd gotten used to thinking of the AI girl as her actual daughter. And it made her feel happy to think that the father was Kirito. But Sinon felt a small current of doubt. She'd talked to Kirito in her room a few days ago, but he hadn't said anything about his answer to her. She would wait as long as she had to until she heard his reply, but... was there a reason he didn't say anything? She was trying her best to catch up to the others, and she thought she was getting stronger. But maybe she wasn't fast enough? Was Kirito getting tired of -

"Sinon-mama, don't worry!" Sinon jumped and looked down to see Yui, her neck craned back to smile up at her. "You don't have to feel bad at all!"

"Sinonon, is something wrong?" Asuna asked. "Did Kazuto say something insensitive to you?"

"No, nothing like that, honest." Asuna planted her hands on her hips, and Sinon realized there was no way she was going to get out of this conversation. "...Asuna? Am I slowing you down?"

"What? Why would you ask that? Of course not," Asuna said immediately. She crossed the table and wrapped Sinon in a hug; Yui squirmed awkwardly with two pairs of arms around her. "Don't worry, Sinon. None of us think anything like that. Especially Kazuto," she added, and Sinon froze. D-Did she know? She was pretty sure Kirito hadn't mentioned her kiss to any of the girls, or they'd have said something by now - "We all think you're strong enough. You don't need to worry about that."

Sinon sighed and clenched her fists. "I've been trying to be 'strong enough' for the last two years. I'm tired of always aiming for 'strong enough'! I just want to be able to stand with him."

"Sinon-mama?" Yui asked quietly. "Papa will always be here. For all of us, no matter what."

"Really?" Sinon asked.

"Really really," Yui said.

The words warmed Sinon to the core, and she smiled. "Thank you, both of you," she said.

"It's no problem, Sinonon," Asuna said. "But... are you certain?"

Sinon smiled. "Yeah... With all of you, I- I don't have to try to hide, anymore. I thought I would have to live with what I'd done all by myself, but..." Asuna's hands crept down and the long-haired girl laced her fingers between Sinon's. "But now, I can just be who I am, and rely on you all."

"You can always come to me, you know? I'll listen to anything you want to say." Sinon's smile weakened a little bit. She wasn't blind, she could see how much Asuna loved Kirito - there was no way she could talk to the girl about her feelings for the boy like that.

Yui tilted her head and looked at Sinon. Before the young MHCP could say anything, though, a buzzer sounded and Asuna's face lit up. "Ah! The bread is done!" She let go of Sinon and hurried over to the oven, where she pulled out a tray of several small loaves of bread. They all looked bite-sized, and Sinon could barely stop herself from salivating at the delicious, freshly-baked bread smell. It swirled around the kitchen and Sinon knew she'd be smelling it for hours after the fact.

Asuna picked up one of the buns, Sinon and Yui following suit, and tapped the cream pot. Then, she dragged her finger down the top of the warm crust, leaving behind a trail of fresh cream. All three girls looked at each other, and then opened their mouths and bit down.

Homf.

It was as if that single bite transported Sinon directly to a farm out in the country, where the skies were blue and the farmers lived peacefully. The cows were fed and cared for, and the pastoral bliss filled her. She sighed and the others sighed with her, before they all giggled at how silly they were being.

---

March 14th, 2024

Kirito woke up a little early that morning and stumbled downstairs in search of the delicious breakfast he was smelling. It took his tired mind a few seconds to realize that there shouldn't be anybody making breakfast this early, but by then he was standing in the living room, where Asuna and his sister were enjoying some toast. "Oh, good morning Kazuto," Asuna said.

"You're up early," he said and rubbed his eyes. He sat down and grabbed a slice for himself, spreading some cream on top. Huh, he wondered, when did they get cream?

"Yep!" Leafa chirped. "Asuna found a cool dungeon on the front lines, and we were gonna go try it out this morning, before the other players get there."

Asuna nodded. "Supposedly, there's a delicious ingredient as a reward at the end of the dungeon."

"Yeah! And I'm gonna make lunch today," Leafa said.

Kirito blinked, about to take a bit of the toast. "Wait, you're making lunch? Doesn't that require the Cooking Skill that Asuna has?"

Leafa giggled. "Asuna said this recipe is super simple, so even I can make it! She's teaching me how to cook."

"Well, you couldn't ask for a better teacher," Kirito nodded. "Her Cooking Skill is maxed out, and everything she makes comes out delicious."

"I know! It's amazing how she can make everything so tasty."

"Hey, stop, you two," Asuna said. She was blushing brightly, cheeks practically on fire. "I-It's not that special... Even you could do it, Kazuto."

"Me?"

Leafa gasped and leaned across the table to grab Kirito's hands in hers. "You should cook with me, Kazuto! It'll be great to have us two in the kitchen together!"

"I, uh..." Kirito shrugged. "Sure, I guess. So, Asuna, what will we be making?"

Asuna smiled at him. "How about beef stew? I have most of the ingredients already. We just need to fetch the tomatoes from the dungeon, and then we can make dinner."

...

"Hah!" Kirito's slash cut through the boss of the dungeon, and the Desert Guardian golem split in half. The two pieces hung in the air for a second before it burst into blue polygons that scattered everywhere.

"Hooray, we did it!" Leafa cheered. "Now, where's those ingredients..."

"Over here," Asuna called. She knelt down by bushes at the edge of a sparkling blue oasis, one of the few colorful areas in this sandy ruin. The greenery rustled as she plucked a ripe red tomato from its vine. "There's enough here for all of us to collect the ingredients."

After getting their reward from the dungeon, they headed home. It was just in time for lunch, so the three of them headed straight for the kitchen. "Okay, so what's the plan, Asuna?" Kirito asked. He and Leafa were wearing their aprons - though privately he thought it wasn't very important, since clothes couldn't get dirty in the game, Asuna insisted that they follow proper procedure.

"Very good!" the long-haired chef said. "Okay, this recipe can't be simpler. First, you use your knife to chop the veggies into bite-sized pieces." Kirito and Leafa looked at each other, and then tapped the chef knife each of them was clutching against their collection of ingredients. Little lines appeared on the tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and onions, and both Kirigaya siblings gasped with awe as everything was diced in neat little cubes. So far so good, Kirito thought. "Next, cut the meat."

"Okay, cut," Kirito reported.

"Done over here too!"

Asuna smiled. "Now, put everything you just cut into the pot and turn on the stove. Then we add water, spices and red wine for flavor, put the lid on, and let it cook."

Kirito scratched his cheek. "Huh, this was a lot easier than I thought..."

"The system does a lot, so it's not as complicated as cooking in real life," Asuna told him. "Though personally, I'd prefer if it took a little bit longer. It takes away some of the feeling of cooking for people that are important to you."

"Huh?" Kirito asked.

Asuna blinked, and then blushed. Leafa giggled. "A-Anyway, I think it's almost done!" Asuna said. Kirito tilted his head, but didn't pry. There was probably some reason she didn't answer his question... But she was right, the smell of the beef stew was filling the kitchen.

"Mmm, something smells really good!" Silica said, poking her head into the kitchen. "Oh, hi Kirito! Is lunch almost ready, Asuna?"

"You have to ask Kazuto and Sugu," Asuna told the young pig-tailed girl. "They're the ones that made it."

Eyes wide, Silica gasped in shock. "Ooh! Can I try some of Kirito's?"

"Sure thing," Kirito said.

"Me first, me first!" Leafa exclaimed as she pulled the lid off of her stew.

Steam rose from the bubbling pot, and Kirito peeked inside. The food looked nice and tasty, with a thick brown sauce and plenty of veggies rising to the surface. "Wow, that looks great!" he said.

Leafa grinned and hugged Asuna. "Hooray, I did it!"

"Looks like you did a great job, Sugu," Asuna said. "Now, let's see how it tastes."

Leafa took a ladle and poured a bowl before handing it to Kirito. "Here you go, Kazuto!"

"Let's see here..."

"How does it taste?" Leafa asked after Kirito had spooned a few bites into his mouth.

"Mmmm, it's yummy!" he exclaimed. "The meat's perfectly tender, and it's got a rich flavor. Seriously, this is good! You have to make some for me again."

"I-I'll make you food whenever you want," Leafa said. "F-For the rest of our lives, if you ask!"

He smiled and patted his little sister's head. "Good to know I can rely on my little sister," he said as she giggled and preened with the praise.

Asuna smiled at the touching moment between siblings, before she clapped her hands. "Okay! Now, let's see how Kazuto's came out." Silica immediately held out her own bowl, looking into the pot - before both girls hesitated. Leafa went silent, and Kirito scratched his head. Instead of the dark brown color of Leafa's stew, his own concoction was nearly black. There was a strange red shimmer of heat above it. "...You did try to make stew, right, Kazuto?"

"I thought I followed the same recipe as Sugu," Kirito said.

"Um, I don't know if I've ever seen food like that," Leafa said.

Silica wrinkled her nose. "D...Do you think it's safe to eat?"

"It's not like I put anything inedible in there, so it should be fine," Kirito said. "I think."

"You think?" Asuna asked. "In that case, you go first."

Leafa nodded. "Yeah, you made it, you should be the first to try it, Kazuto."

Kirito glanced at them, then at the strange black food. "I guess you're right. Okay, here goes..." He took a careful spoonful and took a bite.

As he ate, Asuna fidgeted. "...Kazuto?" she asked him.

"A-Are you okay?" Leafa asked.

"Please don't die!" Silica exclaimed. Pina chirped her concern from where she was sitting on her master's shoulder.

"Hey, this isn't bad."

Leafa blinked. "Huh?"

"Actually, this is pretty good," Kirito told them.

"Huh?!" Leafa exclaimed.

"But it looks inedible!" Asuna exclaimed. "Seriously?!"

"Yeah," Kirito told them. It actually did taste pretty good, in his opinion. Maybe he had a new Skill to try out! "Here, try it for yourself."

Silica held out her bowl again, and he ladled a portion to her. "This..." she muttered. "But Kirito made it, so I'm going to eat it!"

"Don't push yourself, Silica," Asuna warned her.

"Here goes... Om!" The young tank of the Royal Blades stuck the spoon in her mouth.

"It's a lot tastier than it looks," Kirito assured the other two. "Really. It may not look like stew, but -"

"Mm? MMMMM?!" Silica immediately clutched at her mouth, eyes wide and face bright red. "Hot! Hot hot hothothot! Water! I need water! My throat is on fire! Uwaaah!"

In the end, Kirito was able to get the poor girl a glass of water and Silica guzzled it down. Her eyes were streaming with tears, and she kept sniffling and blowing her nose. They moved into the living room, where poor Silica all but collapsed onto the couch. Kirito sat down next to her and she crawled forward a little bit until her head was resting on his lap; he patted her head gently and smiled down at her. "Are you okay, Silica?"

"I felt like I was going to die," she whimpered.

"Why is it so spicy?!" Asuna exclaimed.

"I knew it tasted more like curry than stew," Kirito admitted, "but I didn't think it was that spicy."

Leafa planted her hands on her hips. "Maybe your taste buds didn't get replicated right," she told him.

"Even for a spice freak like you, that was above and beyond," Asuna said. "Poor Silica."

"I'm okay now~," the girl said. She giggled, a dreamy smile on her face as Kirito idly rubbed her back. "Ahh..."

Asuna and Leafa looked at each other, and then both girls sighed at the same time. "Well, you tried," Asuna said. "But maybe you should leave the cooking to me and Sugu from now on, okay?"

"If you say so," Kirito said. "I know I love eating your food, so I have no problem dropping my Cooking Skill for the Eating Skill."

The two girls smiled, and then they leaned over. Kirito blinked as Asuna pressed a kiss to his left cheek and Leafa pressed one to his right. "Cooking with you was fun, Kazuto," Leafa said. "Even if you made something that we could use against a boss, I had fun." Huh? But... why would that mean they k-kissed him? And the exact same way? Though, Kirito realized after a second, Asuna's was just a friendly kiss between best friends while Leafa was just showing how close they were as siblings. If she'd known he was her cousin, not her brother, he was pretty sure she wouldn't have done something like that.

"Okay, let's go get the other girls so we can sit down for stew, and not whatever monstrosity Kazuto made," Asuna said.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind eating more of mine," Kirito said. His best friend and his sister just sighed, shaking their heads.

...

Kirito fidgeted with the dressy button-up shirt he'd been semi-bullied into wearing by Argo. That was to say, she'd tossed the shirt and pants he was currently wearing and told him to go change, before tasking Lisbeth and Leafa to make sure he actually put them on. Still, looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn't say he looked bad. Argo definitely had an eye for fashion; the light-blue button-up with a white folded collar wasn't in his usual colors, but the navy-blue blazer and grey pants were more his speed.

He stepped out of his bedroom and allowed his two guards to take a look. Lisbeth whistled. "Looking good, Kirito," she grinned. "Maybe you should dress up more often."

"No way, Kazuto hates anything that's not sweat pants," Leafa giggled. "But you do look good!"

"They're comfortable," Kirito protested. He had to keep some pride as an older brother, after all. "I still don't know why Argo wanted me to wear this. We're just going to go do some business and then grab dinner. We've done it all the time before, but she's never wanted me to dress up."

Lisbeth raised her eyebrows, and then exchanged a wordless glance with Leafa. Kirito stared, baffled by the female conversation held in silence, and Leafa finally sighed. "He's hopeless," she admitted to Lisbeth.

"What? Hopeless for what?"

The blacksmith just slapped his back. "Argo's waiting for you downstairs," she told him. "Go get 'em."

"Seriously, what? Why am I hopeless? Leafa!"

His little sister refused to answer, no matter how much he asked, so eventually Kirito just gave up and headed downstairs. Seriously, this was a lot, just to meet with one of Argo's clients. In the end, he decided, it didn't really matter. Wearing the clothes made Argo happy, so he'd wear them. Besides, he'd already gotten changed - it would be weird to go up and get dressed in his normal clothes again.

When he entered the living room, his eyes were immediately drawn to Argo. He only realized that his jaw had dropped after a few seconds of staring, but he could be excused for that. Argo had ditched her regular hood and outfit, choosing instead to wear an orange and yellow dress that would complement his own clothes nicely. The girl had even found a necklace somewhere to highlight her smooth skin revealed; the dress had orange and white lace around the top with a similar pattern dipping around Argo's waist, and it flattered her chest nicely. She'd even found an orange ribbon to tie into her hair.

"Well, how do I look?" Argo grinned and twirled. The layered dress flounced around her and fluttered nicely around her thighs.

"Great," Kirito answered automatically. It was the truth, of course, and if his time with his sister and Asuna had taught him anything, it was to compliment a girl when she wanted to be complimented. "You look amazing, Argo."

"Aww, that's nice ta say, Kii-boy," she said. "Now stand still, lemme take a look at ya." She stepped over to him, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, and Kirito realized that even with the orange shoes on her feet Argo didn't wobble an inch. That was really impressive... Argo stopped in front of him and made a production of looking him up and down. With her shoes, she was almost up to his chin, Kirito realized. "Ooh, don't you look handsome."

"Thanks..."

"Though I gotta ask, did ya put that flower petal on yer shoulder ta look pretty? Maybe I should go get a petal accessory so we can match." The teasing grin didn't let up, even as she reached up and rested her hand on his shoulder. It sat there for just long enough for him to recognize the touch before Argo plucked the petal in question from his shoulder. It was from the flowers in the hall upstairs, Kirito realized. "An' there we go." The Rat patted his chest and spun around, making the dress do some... interesting things. "Let's get goin'."

...

"Ugh," Argo sighed. "What a loser."

"Something wrong?" Kirito asked her.

Argo rolled her eyes. "We've been waitin' fer five minutes, an' he jus' now decides ta message me an' say he doesn't need th' info anymore." She tapped at her menu and swiped it away.

The two of them were waiting in a park, just as dusk was falling. On the other side, Kirito could hear an NPC band playing faint violin-heavy music, a clear girl's voice rising and falling in accompaniment. It sounded sweet. "Do you want to go get dinner now? Or just keep talking," he asked.

"Mm... Let's go get dinner," Argo decided. "Not that I don't like the park, but I'm gettin' hungry."

Kirito nodded and stood up, naturally offering his hand to help Argo to her feet. The info broker smiled and accepted, placing her slender hand in his. Even after she was on her feet, Argo didn't tug away, and so the two of them ended up walking hand in hand through the city. The streetlights flickered on about halfway to the restaurant, and Argo slipped a little closer to Kirito, her upper arm occasionally brushing against his. The two friends chatted about idle things while they walked, trading gossip and making jokes.

Dinner was at a slightly more expensive restaurant, with a candle sitting on the side to provide a little bit of light. Kirito and Argo focused more on eating the heavy cream-based pasta dish than talking, but as soon as their plates only held the memories of the meal Argo leaned forward. "Alright, Kii-boy, spill. What's been eatin' at ya?"

"Huh?" Kirito blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't try ta play dumb," Argo said. She raised an eyebrow. "I doubt yer sis an' A-chan missed it either. You," she said, reaching out and tapping the tip of his nose with a finger, "have been thinkin' hard 'bout somethin' the last month."

Kirito hesitated, and then sighed. "What gave me away?"

"Ya kept sighin' a bunch, ya kept starin' at Sinon when ya thought none of us were lookin'... I mighta seen her kiss ya back in the forest... The normal reasons, really."

Kirito nearly choked from the nonchalant way Argo revealed she'd been spying on him and Sinon while he was mid-sip of ice water. The Cardinal system responded by simulating water going down the wrong pipe, and he coughed until he could breathe again. "Wh-what?" he asked. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Who do ya think yer talkin' to, Kii-boy?" Argo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right, I forgot..."

Then, Argo grinned and rested her head on her hands. "But Big Sis Argo's willin' ta put aside th' Info Broker Rules fer ya tonight, Kii-boy. Go on, ask yer question. I'll even give ya a pass on askin' a gal 'bout another gal while yer out with her."

Kirito fidgeted in his seat. He was close to Argo, though not as close as he was to Asuna or Leafa; still, some part of him really didn't want to talk about the subject. "Argo, I..." He looked away, staring out the window.

A pair of small hands reached out and grasped his head, gently but firmly turning his head back to the right. Argo stared at him, her hands still on his cheeks. Kirito's heart pounded in his chest; she'd leaned over to reach him, and her face was so close to his. The moment felt strangely intimate... "Kii-boy, I'm not gonna make ya answer if ya really don't wanna." Argo smiled at him, and it didn't have any of the teasing he was so used to, when it came to her. It was just... affection, pure and simple. She cared about him, it was clear in that smile. "But I really think ya should. We both know yer not gonna ask yer sis or our Princess, or ya'd have done that already."

Kirito stared into her eyes, and then reached up to place a hand on hers. Argo's cheeks colored pink as he smiled back at her. "Argo... Thank you," he said. "I really should have come talk to you about this a while ago."

"Eh, I might not have been so understandin', but I think I've come ta terms with it." Argo gently pulled away and stood up. "C'mon, let's pay an' then find someplace quiet ta talk.

That... was weird, but Kirito put her response out of his mind. While he paid for dinner for the both of them and then wandered down the street with Argo at his side, Kirito turned his thoughts over in his head. He needed to figure out exactly what to say - but the words kept slipping away from his grasp. Argo, for her part, sat by his side in the empty park they'd wound up in and watched him, waiting patiently. Eventually, Kirito just gave up. In the end, he'd always done his best when he'd spoken from his heart; Asuna, Leafa, Silica and Lisbeth, Sinon, even Argo herself. "I... I'm trying to figure out how to answer her," Kirito sighed. "This is the first time I've had to deal with this, you know?"

Argo blinked. "Huh? Yer tellin' me, you," she said as she pointed at him, "have never gotten a confession from a gal before? Huh. Woulda thought she'd..."

The info broker trailed off and shook her head, making her curls bounce a bit in a way that was entirely too distracting. Focus, Kirito told himself, before he shrugged. "It's just... This is the first time a girl's had a crush on me," he told Argo. "Having someone like me like that... It's something I'm not used to." He chuckled, scratching his cheek. "But it really made me happy that she said that, so... Um, Argo?"

The info broker's eyes had gone very flat while he was explaining, and she'd buried her face in her hands.

"Argo, are you oka-"

Argo raised a hand, still burying her face in the other hand. Kirito stopped talking. "Jus'... Haah." She let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Guess I gotta be up front about this sorta thing, huh?"

"What?"

The info broker turned to him, and her face was illuminated by the street lights. Her eyes were warm and expressive as she said, "I love you. We all love you, Kirito. All of us in the Royal Blades inner circle."

---

And there we have it, the big shocking confession that we all knew was coming.

This chapter is mostly little vignettes split between showing how the emotional interactions between Kirito and girls are developing (if you didn't pick up on it, he's nailing all of the Skill Checks for his Seduction skill), as well as show Sinon joining the Royal Blades and how all that's going. Really, I had two goals, here: make sure Kirito is clearly fond of all the girls, and make sure that Sinon doesn't feel like she was shoved in solely to feed the harem.

I kinda view Sinon as the voice of reason, more or less; Liz is close, but she's been a little bit corrupted by Asuna and Argo by this point, so she's willing to go along with ridiculous ideas like shoving Sinon in a cute princess dress. The archer, on the other hand, just joined the Royal Blades so all of their ridiculous shenanigans are new to her. Hopefully her point of view is unique enough that she feels like she belongs. (Also, this is the main reason I made it seven-character max parties. The fact that the Royal Blades only ever had six should have been a clue)

I wanted to make sure that the two viewpoint characters (Kirito and Sinon) interacted with each of the other members of the Royal Blades at least once, so that was the biggest reason for the vignette-style chapter.

The other major addition is the little AI, Yui! Yes, she's a little early – but that's another one of the butterflies from Kirito being a little more involved with everything. His duel with Heathcliff was what sparked her to fight instead of curl up and try to wait out the bugs, so she managed to get out and see her Papa and Mamas. Yes, they accepted the adoption of her easily, but no more so than in canon, I think. If anything, chalk it up to Yui's cuteness and move on, 'kay? The Black Cats are her babysitter when they're going out to the front lines. ('Aunt Sachi' is enamored with the little girl, while the guys try to get along with her with varying degrees of success. Still, the Black Cats run the Royal Blades' B Team more or less (the kids and weaker players), so Yui has plenty of playmates in the form of the other kids from the orphanage.)

Finally, Argo. I figure she'd be the one to lose her patience first, especially after Kirito proves he's been dense this whole time and not just being careful about their feelings to avoid rocking the guild boat. Either way, the secret is out! How the heck will Kirito deal with this without breaking up the guild, and breaking five hearts? Six, if you count Yui?

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