"What did you do?" The scruffy looking guy that was sitting near Kirito all but growled at Argo, distrust in his eyes.

"Nothing, Ki-bou will return soon, so we should hurry. Thinker here was about to explain himself."

The Girl directed a glare at said man, who just sheepishly shrugged.

"When I got the Email from Argo asking for a meeting here, I got curious, and did a bit of investigating of my own. I stumbled on the news that the sub Commander of the KoB Guild was among the 300 still sleeping. A thorough check of the still unconscious SAO survivors revealed some troubling information, and the presence of the Black Swordsman, whom was close to Asuna, clinched it."

The Rat merely looked intrigued at him, as if trying to solve some puzzle.

While he haven't shown much reaction, the woman beside him, Yulier, seemed to tense. Already intend to hover protectively before her man, should there be violence, despite the well hidden, yet present fear from a 'little girl'. One obvious to said perceptive girl.

Though the nature of the two left her uncertain, as they failed to match with any of the creatures she has met, and despite her first hunch, Thinker demonstrated that they weren't Kine- the term normally used by her kind for what the fledglings today also called Vanilla mortals. Surely they aren't-

Thinker kept talking.

"I took a guess that Argo here found the same thing, and Decided that we best skip the formalities and deal with the issue at hand.

As I take both Argo-san, and esteemed Klein-san are aware of the 'World of Darkness' around us, I will get to the point.

Asuna-san, as well as the rest of the remaining players, are held by a something supernatural."

The young looking form of the girl waited a moment to allow the revelation sink in, before talking.

…

"Unfortunately, investigator-san here is correct; I care about Aa-chan, and was worried about her as well. So I investigated her current condition independently of Thinker-san, and reached the same conclusions. I have also failed to identify anything about whoever is behind it, or how it was accomplished.

But it's not all", she then put her right hand into a pocket, causing the other three sitting at the table tense a bit, before pulling a photograph, and handing it to Yulier.

She took a look at it, and, showing no visible expression, passed it to her companion, who seemed shocked at seeing it, and only after a second look, and a third, passed it to the last person sitting there.

It was a printed screenshot, of a golden birdcage holding an elfin figure looking disturbingly familiar, with a date and time in the corner.

Like an Elf Eared Asuna.

"..."

"This was taken from the fulldive game called Alfheim Online, ALO for short, where the players play Fearies. Popular due to an in-game flight ability.

I planned on informing Kirito of it, and watching who will react to his in-game investigation. He tends to stumble on such things when he goes looking.

"So, you planned on using him as bait?" Ryotaro was something between disgusted and angry.

"I had full intention of asking the other Clearer guilds' leaders to contact their people, and ask them to join the game, so that he will have in-game backup ready, as well as sending some of my associates to keep an eye on him IRL."

"Associates, leech? Were the parasites that left a stench in the kid's neighborhood yours as well? Did you hope to maybe 'rescue' him from this mysterious foe by offering to make him like you at the last moment?" Klein sneered.

"Nothing like that, I wouldn't do something like that to him anyway, I don't want to curse him. And you know that he will log into the game after learning about that potential clue regardless, and wouldn't appreciate having it kept a secret from him. I just intend to use it. "

"Damn, and Kirito will likely get involved in it at some point, somehow. But no way am I leaving you unsupervised! I will take care of securing Kiri-Bro and his family, so I don't want to even imagine any of your 'associates' nearby, and I will be keeping an eye on you. Kirito and Asuna-it is only for their sake that you aren't dust now.

Thinker-san, gather who you can to get accounts in that game, see about keeping your separate investigation, I trust you more than the Leech. And don't tell kirito anything about the darker aspects of this conversation- I don't want him in that 'World of Darkness'."

Ryotaro looked at the other three piercingly as he spoke the last sentence, daring them to contradict him.

Just then the subject of their talk, well, one of them, returned from his 'bathroom break'.

"So", Kirito asked, "what did I miss? And can we hurry this up, unless we finish and I leave soon, my Sister will worry, she has been particularly jumpy about me after SAO ."

Kirigaya Suguha was worried. Kazuto left some time ago, and it was already night-there were really suspicious people in the neighborhood in the last few days!

She vowed that when her Onii-chan will return, she will give him a piece of her mind. Really, making her worry so much.

And if they meet Tsuboi-san, or one of his friends, she will ask them about SAO, about Onii-chan.

Just as she nodded her head in agreement with her decision, there was someone at the door.

It was too early to be their mother, and their father wasn't scheduled to return that week, despite his attempts to persuade his bosses to allow a bit of leniency.

When she opened the door, it was a strange person that was waiting there.

A second glance confirmed that yes, it was a woman, even if a bit of a butch one that was built like a muscular man, and had a somewhat intimidating face, with short black hair cut in a masculine fashion, and a somewhat bulging forehead. She was wearing jeans and a blue shirt.

She also appeared to be in her late teens.

Suguha took in the sight, took a few moments to calm down, and tried to hide her uncertainty and nervous feeling she got from the girl before her by being polite.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"I look for Kirigaya Kazuto- he's here?" was the gruff answer.

Is that another one of your strange friends, Onii-chan? First that Klein fellow, and now this… Just what kind of people did you hang with while you were stuck in that game? "Oh, I'm sorry, are you one of his friends? He left a bit more than an hour ago; do you want me to give him a message when he returns? Who should I say was looking for him?"

The girl seemed to pounder for a bit, before replying.

"Fine, I'll be back tomorrow", turning around and leaving.

Emboldened by the lack of hostile intent, the sister called after the leaving figure.

"Wait, who are you? Whom should I tell him visited?"

She received no replies.