I don't own anything
Chapter 8:
"We're not getting anything from this Asuna!"
"How do you know Saki? We HAVE rescued some lost players you know"
I sighed. We were at it again, on a day off, we still go patrolling in dungeons looking for anyone that was lost, low on HP etc.
Oh I should repeat. On a day off.
"Or rather, you actually just want to go see Kirito-san don't you?"
I've found out, that Asuna has a serious problem: She just loves to tease me! Especially on this topic.
"H-H-How did you come to that conclusion?!"
*Fufufufu*
Hey... isn't that a strange laugh there?
"Fine~ If it's like this then I guess there's no helping it. Since you want to see him so much, then go chase after your love!"
Who's saying that I want to meet up with him here?! Okay, I'll try to handle this calmly.
"Hahaha... Asuna, actually I'm rather content already patrolling these areas with you. There's absolutely no need to go see Kirito-kun"
"You don't have to be so shy Saki!"
No no no, I'm pretty sure that's not it.
I looked up straight ahead, only to find the entrance. The place we came in from, which means: Sometime when we were talking, Asuna managed to direct us back without me noticing.
Since when was she so sneaky?!
Before I could protest, she pushed my out of the dungeon.
"If I see you coming back here then-"
"See you later Asuna!" I said dashing off.
There's no way I want to hear the end of that sentence.
But maybe it's not a bad idea to go see him, I mean we've relied on messaging each other to talk. So it feels like a really long time since I've seen him in person.
Checking his whereabouts, I teleported to Agil's shop on the 50th floor.
Walking into the little shop, I saw Agil talking with Kirito about something.
*Ahem* I said catching their attention. "Ah! Saki-chan, how rare to see you in a dump like this" Kirito...Greeted?
"Well, since I had spare time and was super bored, going to see you was an option"
"How rude..." He muttered.
Kirito seemed to be in deep thought before asking "What level is Asuna-san's cooking?"
"I'm pretty sure she maxed it out last week, why?"
"Oh, I just wanted her to cook something for me"
"But mine's also at maximum level..."
"Really? I guess you'll be fine then"
What the hell does that mean.
"I caught a Rageout rabbit, and I need you to cook it for me, of course in return you get to have a bite" He suggested putting his window on show mode so I could it.
"Only a bite...?"
I accepted but there was one thing that I couldn't tell him, that there was a small secret to my cooking skills...
Kirito turned towards Agil, "Sorry, but the deal's off"
"But we're friends right? Lemme have a taste..."
"You'll be getting a culinary review less than 800 characters in length" Kirito replied walking out the shop.
That was harsh...
"Cooking's fine but, where are we going to do it?"
I asked while we exited the shop.
"..."
"Do you even have the appliances needed?"
"..."
"Useless"
"I'm sorry!"
"Fine, we'll go to my house then"
I walked past and ignored Kirito who was frozen there in shock of something.
"Wait, is it fine for someone of high reputation like you invite me to their home?"
"It's fine"
Things like that seriously don't matter to me.
"Alright, let's teleport to the 61st floor, Selmburg."
Selmburg was a beautiful city, I have to say. The sun was setting when Kirito and I arrived, since most of the 61st floor was taken up by a lake, Selmburg was located in the middle of it all, so one could see the setting sun's reflection on it.
"Hmmm. It's large and has few people. I like how it feels so spacious" Kirito said.
"Just move here then"
"Nah, I'm way too poor for that" He answered with a shrug.
"So you live with Asuna-san?"
"Kind of, we live in the same house but, I also have a separate house right next to the one we live in..."
"Just how rich are you?!"
"It's nothing much,by the way, you're coming to my house. Since you'd probably go and look into Asuna's drawer where she keeps her panties"
"No way would I do that! WAIT, WE'RE IN A GAME SO WE DON'T NEED TO KEEP IT IN A DRAWER OR ANYTHING!"
"Hmph..."
A bell rang in the distance.
"We should hurry" I said speeding up, he followed suit.
As we reached my house he asked:
"Is it... Alright? You know..."
"I suggested it, and you already came all this way"
"Then, e-excuse me" He said walking in.
Wait, this is the first time a boy's been to my house, In-game or not... Oh well, not like he's going to harass me or anything.
I told him to have a seat and walked out of his range of sight.
I quickly changed my clothes. In SAO, we can just press a few buttons and we'll have changed clothes but if I do it in front of someone, there'll be that 1 or 2 seconds in which I'll be seen in my undergarment, since I changed my outfit completely.
I walked back into the room and led him to the kitchen.
"Oh yeah, you can change into more comfortable clothes if you want" I told him.
He took off his leather coat and sword, also bringing out the Rageout Rabbit meat while he was at it.
"How do you want it cooked?"
"Chef's recommendation" He answered.
Well it doesn't matter, since it's going to turn out the same way...
"I'll just make stew then"
Preparing in SAO is also more easier and quicker. With just a few touches, it would all be done. I put the stew into the oven, and started to make side dishes.
It was all ready on the dinner table ready to eat. It smelt good and looked good as well, but...
"Man! I really want to eat it all!"
Kirito said excitedly looking at all the food.
"You can, everything on the table, I'm not hungry at all"
"Really? Then, let's dig in!"
I'm really sorry Kirito...
*Cough Cough Cough*
Were they coughing sounds or choking sounds?
"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU MAXED OUT YOU'RE COOKING SKILLS?!"
"I did"
"THEN WHY DOES THIS TASTE LIKE, LIKE..."
"You should be very careful on how you end that sentence Kirito-kun"
I put my window on show mode to let him see my cooking stats.
"You're right! They are at the maximum level"
"See?"
"Then a bug?"
"Most likely"
"You knew about this before already didn't you?"
"...I forgot?"
"LIKE HELL YOU DID!"
I sighed, he was getting angry again.
"IF YOU ALREADY KNEW, THEN WHY MAKE ME WASTE A S-CLASS INGREDIENT?! YOU COULD'VE ASKED ASUNA-SAN FOR ME!"
"It's always Asuna..." I muttered.
"What did you say just then? Saki-chan"
"Nothing at all! KIRITO NO BAKA!
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"
"Nothing" I said calmly trying to gain my composure again.
There was silence for a while, but then he started up conversation.
"Lately, there has been some days where I don't even think about the outside world, and it's not just me. The number of people hell-bent on clearing and escaping from this game has been shrinking as of late. Now, there's fewer than five hundred players fighting on the front lines."
"Everyone's getting accustomed to this world" I said.
Should I be happy in a way? That people are able to live in this world I helped create. Or is it that they were forced to be-able to adapt to this environment.
"Do you miss anyone in the outside world?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I live with my aunt, uncle and cousin. I'm not that close with them any more but I still miss them"
He said 'anymore', so does that mean something happened? Well, I didn't want to pry into his private life.
"What about you Saki-chan?"
"No-one"
"No-one?"
"I live with my dad and a maid, my dad did something absolutely horrible so I won't forgive him and I'm not that close to my maid anyway"
"Maid? Does that mean you're rich in real life too?!"
"I guess you could say that, but even if I don't miss anyone, I have to clear this game, no matter what"
"We'll have to work our hardest then huh" He said.
"The floors have gotten a lot harder since we've hit the 70th floor, and enemies come out at random times too. So, I think you should at least join up with someone" I suggested.
"I always keep a solid safety margin, and in my case, party members are more likely to hinder than help me" He said that proudly?
"What about me?"
I'd kill him if he said I would be a hindrance.
"You're an exception I guess?"
'I guess'?!
"Hmph, then party up with me"
His shocked expression was pretty funny.
"It's been ages since we did"
I thought about the first time we met, he was asking to join me and Asuna, now it was my turn to invite him.
"Then what about you're guild?"
"It's not like we travel in this big huge group or anything"
"Asuna-san?"
"She can do without me"
"Oi, are you sure you should be ditching your best friend to party with me?"
"It's alright"
"Don't you treasure your friendship?"
"How rude! Asuna and Liz are my most precious friends! They made friends with someone like me..." They didn't know about my secret, but...
I looked up to see Kirito observing me intently.
"Stop it, all guys looking at me like that have confessed to me."
"YOU'RE WAY OFF THE MARK!"
I let out a little laugh.
Opening my window, I sent an invitation to party up with Kirito.
"The front-lines are dangerous" He tried getting out of it again.
"Are you implying that I'm some kind of weak heroine?" I said fingering a knife.
He accepted the invitation right away.
"I'd say I enjoyed the meal but..." He trailed off.
"Hmmm, actually, it's quite amazing that you were able to ruin a S-ranked ingredient with maximum skill!"
I moved my leg automatically.
"Oof, It's not good to kick people you know Saki-chan"
"Instinct"
"That's some strange instinct you got there!"
"Ano, you don't have to add 'chan' or any honorific to my name any more, I mean, we're good friends now right?"
"Ah really? Sure then, but you'll have to stop adding 'kun' to my name too then"
"Ok Kirito-kun~"
"Oi, you just said it"
"What are you talking about Kirito-kun~"
"You're just messing with me aren't you!"
"Tch, you caught on too quickly."
I'm on the 74th floor in Kamdet, quickly heading towards Kirito where he was waiting.
I seemed to be in a happy mood for some reason, was it because I could spend time with Kirito? Nah, no way.
"Hello Kirito! Sorry I'm late"
"I thought you were one of those people that were always on time, seems like I was wrong"
Since I was in a happy mood, I let that comment slide and instead gave him a smile. Until I heard some whispers.
"Hey, isn't that the Dry Ice Queen?"
"She's smiling isn't she!"
"And she's also with the infamous beater!"
"I'll seriously kill that guy, getting close to my Saki-sama!"
"I bet he's always thinking erotic stuff about her"
"Hey Saki, I think I'm getting a lot of glares from your fans..." Kirito told me nervously.
Really? Saki-sama? Am I worshipped or something?
"Alright, let's go then"
We travelled towards and into the labyrinth.
"Oh yeah, this morning when I came out of the house, Asuna's guard was standing right outside. The behaviour looked weird to me so I asked Asuna what was with him. She said that he was following her around everywhere and that she was creeped out"
"Are you telling me this because you want me to help get rid of him?"
"Of course not, I handled it with care and consideration"
"How so?"
"I crushed him"
"That's not 'with care and consideration'!"
"He was a creep"
"He was a bodyguard" He argued.
"Bodyguards don't wake up straight in the morning just to stand outside a house. He was a stalker"
"What's happened to him now then?"
"Asuna forcibly relieved him of his duties because she said she would take a break today"
"And what would you have liked to happen?"
"To have him killed and turned into mince meat"
He put both hands on my shoulders, and that's when I realised how he was taller than me by about 7cm?
"I know you were worried about your friend, but, that's a little too far"
I hate to admit it but, Kirito was a very skilled player, at first I thought him to be the same as Asuna but he's actually better.
"Switch!"
"You're right, it is much easier to work with partners" He said as I ran in.
"Told you" The monster shattered into pieces.
But I have a feeling that, if not for Asuna, I'd be going solo just like he has until now.
After a long while, with Kirito keeping a map as we went along, we reached a huge dark door which was no doubt: The boss room for the 74th floor.
"Bosses never leave the room they're guarding, so you want to take a peak?" He asked me.
"Sure, but then I have to report to Asuna, so that she can report to our leader"
"Can't you report to him directly?"
"I can but... Something about him makes me uneasy. Whenever I'm around, I feel like his eyes are constantly on me"
"I see, ready a teleport crystal just in case"
"Okay" I answered.
"Let's open it"
With me on the left side and him on the right, together we pushed the door open in sync. It looked really heavy but was actually surprisingly easy to open.
Both me and Kirito were anxious waiting for the boss to appear.
It was totally dark, but then on each end of the room, white-blue fires whooshed to life a little further in, then another pair and another pair.
This continued until it reached the center of the room, to which a terrifying monster appeared.
Its body had bulging muscles, dark blue skin and the head resting above its thick chest plates was not a man's, but a mountain goat's. Two curved horns towered on either side of its head. Bright red eyes, were locked onto us.
Its lower body was covered in navy-blue fur but couldn't be seen clearly behind the fire, but it seemed that it was also that of an animal.
This, was a demon. A demon whose name was «The Gleameyes»
I wanna be a beta-reader~
Thank you for reading this story, hope we can meet again soon.