2nd of July, 2023

I've been spending more time with Takuma, well, when I say spend time I just go out in the field with him, practicing while Tarako and Masaki do their own thing. Takuma isn't the most consistent friend. I really don't know if he was really serious or just dropping a bomb and running that time we talked. Ever since that day, he's acted like a real clown, catcalling after Tarako and Masaki, kill stealing at our practices, everything I'd find completely annoying.

I put up with him though. I personally don't think anyone could fake seriousness and say things that deep, but I just can't stand his idiocy. I actually cornered him and asked, "Why are you acting like this?" but he just said something ridiculous and kept on killing zombies.

Apart from that, moving up with this group's satisfying. I don't know if it's just seeing that Tarako will do anything for Masaki and vice-versa, or if it's the knowledge that these three will never betray one another, but I feel content around them.

We're on the 34th floor, and we're clearing the floors faster than before. I can see civilization getting built little by little. There are newspapers, keeping up with the trivial events on the floors. It's not the big acts of pure-heartedness but the little things of just trivial significance that keeps civilization going. Some morsel of wisdom Takuma told me in between his bouts of idiocy. It takes time for me to take in what he says, mostly because he acts like a huge idiot right afterwards. He's right though. Civilization is built with flashes of inspiration but it's maintained with the little tokens of order and peace.

The merchant guilds have also been established, and they're working on implementing some tower-wide pricing. It's never going to happen, since the situation on the frontlines is just too different from the situation below, but it's nice to see the effort being made.

The NPC' are also giving up their jobs for the players, so it's not that rare to see players in charge of smithies, or the inns. There are less and less people on the frontlines, and more and more just living a typical life, earning money and hanging out with friends. I can see why it's so much more appealing now. The temptation to just sit and live out your life in this new world, I don't feel it but I can understand it.

I asked Takuma why he's a clearer, and he said "Have you asked Tarako? She's the primary reason I'm going up. Of course, if she wasn't here I'd still go up but my resolve would definitely be much weaker."

That made me wonder why Tarako and Masaki were going up. If they really loved each other so much, why would they risk each others lives?

So I went to ask Masaki, but he just looked at me like the whole thing was trivial. "Tarako wants to go up badly, so I'll do everything I can to help her."

I really couldn't believe that Tarako's motives hadn't occurred to him. I didn't go to Tarako first because she was more perceptive, but was Masaki really that oblivious?

So, I went to see Tarako. I was a little nervous, I mean, I haven't talked to any girls for almost a year. I'm just more comfortable around guys, they're so much more predictable. OK, well, they're not, I've just been stereotyping guys more. I was still nervous though, around Takuma and the rest I started listening and paying attention to the world of Sword Art Online, and you hear all about the swindling women who use their charms to get what they want, or the promise of a little time alone with ethics mode off. I know there's no way in hell Tarako's anything like that, but old habits die hard, especially habits that are drilled into my head by hatred. Isn't fear a wonderful thing?

It was hard to get her alone. I only got Masaki alone because Tarako wanted to spend a little brother-sister time with Takuma. I was reluctant to play the let's-go-to-the-toilet-together trick, but I didn't see any other way to get her alone. She really seems reluctant to be on her own, something I wouldn't have noticed before. I literally had steam coming out of my ears (emotions are exaggerated in the game) when I asked if she needed to go to the toilet. In retrospect I really should have asked her in front of Masaki. I had thought that it would have been awkward in front of him, but when I said it in front of Takuma he fell off his chair laughing. There goes my theory that he throws verbal grenades and runs, he knew exactly what I was up to.

Tarako looked at me weirdly, but we both went out. When I said I had used going to the toilet to get the two of us alone she actually backed away. Yeah, there were definitely better ways that could have come out. Anyways, I asked her why she wanted to be a frontliner. I had to repeat it because it came out in a gabble the first time. When she understood, she looked thoughtful.

"I...I never really thought about it." She said. Glad to know that obliviousness wasn't an anomaly here. She thought for a little bit more, then said, "Isn't it normal, to want to see your friends and family again?"

I asked her if she thought going up would be dangerous to Masaki. Her eyes widened and she looked thoughtful. "Well, Masaki knows what he's getting into, doesn't he?"

I hope I didn't end up wavering her resolve, but did she really not think about anything? I quickly said that I was just thinking about a friend of mine, and that seemed to reassure her. It was a lie, of course, but Tarako seemed to use friends to disillusion her, so she could obviously believe it if it happened to me.

All the talk about friends made me think of Daniel again. Did he really know what might happen after he left? I sometimes feel a little guilty about enjoying myself like this when Daniel's on his own. Of course, there's no guarantee that he'll be alone. Thinking about it he'll almost certainly be in a guild to live and survive. I know that now, and I don't need any proof or facts, I just take it on faith. It's a nice thing, even though I know full well that it's unrealistic and will never add up to anything.

A/N: So, that's the next chapter and the last one I'll be posting in a while. I'm going to somewhere with no wifi for a month, so I won't be able to keep on posting. Thanks again to Desdendelle for proof reading. Enjoy this chapter, and see you all back in July!