For readers, here is the list of Soul Pacts, Keyblades, and Team Attacks:
-SOUL PACTS
Kirito:
-Second Form (Max)
-Cloud Strife (Max)
-Snow Villers (Max)
-Deku
-Yang Xiao Long
Asuna:
-Second Form (Max)
-Tifa Lockhart (Max)
-Lightning Farron (Max)
-Cure Beat/Suite Precure (Max)
-Pyra & Mythra
Yui:
-Second Form
-Yuna (Max)
-Sakura Kinomoto
-Yuna X-2
-KEYBLADES:
-Kingdom Key (Sora)
-Elucidator (Kirito)
-Lambent Light (Asuna)
-Hero's Origin (Sora)
-Shooting Star (Sora)
-Dark Repulser (Kirito)
-Rising Legend (Kirito)
-Miracle Smile (Asuna)
-Changing Future (Kirito)
-Favorite Deputy (Sora)
-Ever After (Sora)
-Simple Soul (Asuna)
-TEAM ATTACKS & SOUL RELEASE:
-Donald Flare (Donald)
-Donald Meteor (Donald)
-Goofy Bombardment (Goofy)
-Yui Cyclone (Yui)
-Trinity Guard (Goofy & Donald)
-Trinity Bounce (Donald & Yui)
-Trinity Tower (Yui & Goofy)
-Donald Summon (Donald Lv. 1 Soul Release)
-Goofy Cooking (Goofy Lv. 1 Soul Release)
-Candy Shower (Candy Lv. 1 Soul Release)
Swiftwing
Back on the Gummi Ship, leaving the World of Remnant behind, the seven heroes were gathered around the computer, looking at the map of the open space. Asuna was the exception, as she had been given a new Keyblade keychain from Team RWBY, known as Simple Soul, and was examining it. The keychain composed of the four emblems of Team RWBY, ending with a medallion of a broken moon, which hung over the world.
"We have two more worlds left to visit here." Kirito noted.
"Yeah, and we still haven found the second Lost Princess, yet." Goofy added.
"Are we sure that none of team RWBY was a Lost Princess?" Donald asked the team.
"Pretty sure…" Sora answered, though this sounded uncertain.
"I didn't feel anything from them, kuru." Candy noted.
"Would you know if they were a Lost Princess if you were close to one?" Kirito asked.
"Dunno…" she answered.
"Well, I'm pretty sure it wasn't them, as well." Asuna stated, "They didn't seem to match any of the three clues we were left with in regards to who they are."
"Then maybe we should investigate the other two worlds, in case one of them is there." Kirito decided, looking at the monitor, "And while we're at it, we should also keep an eye out for Tears and the Organization. They could be out there, causing trouble, too."
Just then, the communication crystal started to glow, getting their attention to it. "It's a call from Mistress Gretinal." Yui noticed, before pulling it up, revealing the said Keyblade Master as a hologram.
"Hello, all of you. I am pleased to see how much progress you have been making since we last saw each other." Gretinal greeted.
"Meaning we're getting stronger, right?" Sora asked.
"In a way, yes." She answered, "However, you still have yet to achieve the level of strength you had before, or find your Power of Awakening, did you?" Sora felt gut-punched as he was reminded of this, and looked down, disappointed.
"Come on, Gretinal. Isn't that a bit harsh?" Asuna asked.
"But…she isn't wrong." Kirito argued, getting a glare from Asuna.
"I am not saying this out of cruelty." Gretinal defended her words, "But you must be awakened to that fact. The same can be said for you, Candy."
"Me, kuru?" Candy asked.
"You are adapting to your new role as a Lost Princess. However, you still have much more to learn about world traveling, and what your title truly means. Wisdom is an important asset to your mission as you travel the worlds. And coincidentally, there is a way to help you improve that."
"Improve…our wisdom?" Sora echoed, looking to Candy, who looked back, curious.
"Sora, I can't help but notice whenever I watch you that you feel like you fall behind Kirito, Asuna, and Yui in regards to strength in battle." Gretinal stated, "That is why I will help you improve your capability in battle; by getting you smarter."
"Making me smarter?" Sora echoed.
"Yes. You, Donald, Goofy, and Candy. I believe all four of you can learn and improve." Gretinal stated.
"We're excluded?" Yui asked.
"I think that would defeat the purpose of improving them if we were there, Yui." Asuna stated.
"Okay, so, how do you plan to help them improve their wisdom?" Kirito asked.
"With the help of Lost Lights that managed to appear in Resolute Oasis." Gretinal answered, "They hail from two different worlds, and they have incredibly smart problem solvers in each group. I have already tasked them in helping you when the time comes."
"That's helpful." Goofy stated.
"I already think I'm smart enough." Donald stated.
Sora thought for a second, before answering, "Well, it doesn't hurt to get better in some way. Let's take up on her offer!"
"Guh... Just please don't let it be too hard, kuru." Candy muttered, looking a bit hesitant on how much brainpower it would require.
"I guess we have our next destination!" Asuna told Yui.
"Setting coordinates to Resolute Oasis!" Yui told everyone, placing in the coordinates, before the Swiftwing took off back to that world once more.
(Insert 'Adamas Amalee ver.', TV version)
Music intro
(Rushing through black darkness, glittering shards of light pass by. As music starts, the three main Keyblades suddenly shoot forward like shooting stars, circling around from a distance, then crossing one another, shining brightly, forming the logo of the series.)
I'm trying to understand it but it's making me numb
(Left half of Sora's serious face, the other half hidden by the teeth of his Kingdom Key.)
This swirl of karma leaving such a bitter taste on my tongue
(Right half of Asuna's determined face, the other half hidden by the Lambent Light's teeth.)
'Cause I know the pain and sorrow, it has only begun
(The upper half of Kirito's face, with glaring eyes, the lower half hidden by the Elucidator's teeth.)
Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa, Who-o-oa
(Flashing through the faces of each hero; Donald, Goofy, Yui, Mickey, Riku, Leafa, Kairi, Axel, and Kayaba.)
Now I'm surrounded by my enemies, but luck's on my side
(In the dusty fields of the Keyblade Graveyard, the camera pans around the circle of the six main heroes as they ready their weapons.)
So I shatter through the walls and change the course of the tide
(In the same field, the camera pans the opposite way around the six other heroes as they ready their weapons.)
Can't stop this surging fate like a volcano set to break, Take a breath until you're set to
(Allies of the multiple worlds they will or have visited pan across the screen, finally ending with the silhouettes of the four Lost Princesses of heart, with the one in the center opening her hands to reveal a bright light.)
face that voice of fear. That god of death that's always looking down on you
(Philia stands on a lone green hill, staring at a card with the picture of Castle Oblivion on it. She feels a hand behind her, and looks to see Flair and Hinata standing behind her, giving assuring smiles, with Tinkerbell coming out of her pocket, and Samson giving a thumbs up.)
"Do you believe yourself?" I won't stop til I've won
(Maleficent and Dr. Temna stand together, with Pete and Tears next to them, and a swarm of Heartless and shadowed foes ready to strike.)
A glimpse of that bright future that's just begun!
(Xehanort's maliciously smirking face appears, as he and fifteen others float together in a circle. Screen splits in half as half of Heartless Oberon and Gouxus take the screen, their eyes shining from yellow to violet.)
Shining like a diamond, The emotions in your heart reflect like crystal
(The six heroes team up together, taking down Heartless, Nobodies and Unversed that come across their path with their weapons, skills and magic.)
As we vow an oath that will ignite your light and mine - And we will rise!
(A Demon Tower nearly falls on top of the six, but they get away, with Kirito, Asuna and Sora in the air, performing Soul Bursts and Keyblade transformation, creating Cloud's Buster Sword, Asuna's SAO Lambent Light, and Sora's twin guns, unleashing a sword beam, ice spears, and magic shots as one.)
So many times I've gotten back on my feet to make it to this moment
(A group of dark energy orbs shoots down the trio from a cliff above, hitting them into the ground. The attack comes from Xehanort, Heartless Oberon, and Gouxus.)
It's time our prayer that's waiting in the dark. Is set free so light the spark and let it shine!
(Sora, Asuna and Kirito get back up on their feet, shaking off their injuries, and raising their Keyblades as they charge forward, beams of sunlight shining upon each of them as they all take a leap at the Organization XVI, with their friends, the other heroes, including Roxas, Xion, Recon, Terra, Aqua and Ven, joining them from behind.)
Resolute Oasis
After a good half hour of flying, the team eventually made it back to the hub world of this dimension, landing the Swiftwing into the docking station in the world.
"What are you guys gonna do while we're here?" Sora asked Kirito, Asuna, & Yui.
"We'll check up on our friends." Kirito answered, "We want to make sure they are handling things fine here."
"We'll also check up on Light, Vaan, and everyone else." Asuna added, "Maybe meet some of the new Lost Lights that are around here."
"Cool. We'll come to meet you and everyone else." Sora answered.
"That's fine, but don't rush it, okay?" Asuna told Sora.
"Have fun with it." Yui told Donald, Goofy, and Candy.
"No problem there." Goofy answered.
"I hope it's fun, kuru..." Candy muttered. Donald looked at the two, wondering if they could learn anything.
"Let's just start by finding the place." Sora told the team, "I'm sure someone could help us."
They made their way into town. Since they left it, the place started to become a lot livelier than when they last left it. They could see many new civilians, and familiar faces among them, including Silica, Pina, and Penelo. According to Liz, the pair of girls ended up becoming good friends with one another, what with one being a guide around town, and the other being a delivery girl.
"Hey, you two." Sora greeted.
"Hey, you're back!" Silica greeted, with Pina chirping in greeting them.
"Glad to see you guys again." Penelo followed up, "What brings you back here, again?"
"Gretinal sent us back here to help improve our smart-iness." Goofy explained, "She said somethin' about a couple groups of Lost Lights that would help us here?"
Silica and Penelo looked at one another, before the latter answered, "Oh, yeah! There was a detective agency that opened up in town. I remember greeting the two groups of Lost Lights, who had detectives in each group. Ashe had a place set up for them."
"Detectives?" Sora asked.
"Could detectives help them get smarter?" Yui asked.
"It would certainly improve their problem-solving capabilities." Asuna admitted.
"Come on. I can show you guys the way." Penelo told the team.
"I'll join, too." Silica added, looking into her satchel, "I was taking a break to talk to Penelo, but I do have a package for them." With that, the team were guided by the girls to their destination.
Several minutes later, the team reached their destination. The building was rather conspicuous, with a hardwood building, two-stories, and something almost crossing between a Japanese residential work building and a British one. There was a sign hanging over it, with the name of the building on it, along with a symbol that looked like a top hat and a magnifying glass on it.
"This is the place." Penelo told the team, looking at the building.
Sora looked at the sign, reading, "The Layton-Mouri Detective Agency."
"I'm going to assume that Layton and Mouri are the two different groups?" Kirito asked Penelo.
"Yep. They were from two different worlds, but they came here at the same time." the dancer answered, "They're taking a bit longer to adapt to their situation. They aren't from worlds of fantasy or magic of any sorts."
"I guess. Mouri sounds like a Japanese family name." Asuna noticed, "Maybe they're from a traditional earth world."
Sora walked up and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened up fast and hard, knocking him to the ground. The person who opened it up was a middle-aged man, tall and fit, with short black hair and a short mustache. He wore a blue suit over a white shirt and dark maroon necktie, black pants, and brown shoes.
"Look, professor, I get you have your own way of doing things, but it doesn't really matter when I can't make sense out of those strange puzzles and whatnot you throw at me!" he argued with someone behind him, "The fact is I don't know why they put the two of us up together, and expect us to work together in this business!"
The man then looked to see Sora had sat up, massaging his head from the collapse. "Whoops. Did I do that?" he asked. He then noticed the crowd of heroes around him, before stating, "Great. More kids in costumes, and even ducks, dogs, and hamsters with human personalities!"
"I'm not a hamster, kuru!" Candy argued back.
Just then, another character appeared at the door behind him. She was a teenage girl, an athletic build that was about as endowed as Asuna was. She had bluish-purple eyes, long dark brown hair that had a stylized triangular point. Her attire was a brown vest over a yellow strapless top, blue pants, and yellow and white-sole shoes.
"Dad, you can't just go walking out!" she addressed her father, looking to the group, "And for all we know, these could be the clients Gretinal sent to us!"
"I don't care if these clients are sent by Nobunaga Oda. I'm going to find where the bar is in town!" the man replied, marching around the team and down the road, "There is far too much crazy in this town! It shouldn't even be real!" He was grumbling as he marched away from the scene.
The girl sighed in frustration at her father's actions, saying, "Really know how to make a good impression in this new place." She turned to the group as she said, "I'm so sorry about my dad. He's not use to this world, yet."
"It's understandable." Asuna assured her, "My parents were baffled when I magically produced my weapon to them."
After all, magic isn't something natural in our world." Silica noted, "At least, not outside of our games."
"Nor is it natural to either one of our worlds." said another male voice. Out came another man around the same age as the first, but he was more cleaned up and less irritable than the last. He had beady black eyes, slightly tanned skin, a thin but fit figure, and his short brown hair hidden underneath a black, tall top hat with a red ribbon over the rim. His attire was a dark brown coat with a high collar, an orange button-up, long-sleeved shirt underneath with white buttons, pants that matched his coat, and black lace-less shoes.
"I can see he's not one to deal with the odd and peculiar." the man told the teenage girl, "But you two seem to be handling it a lot better, Ran."
"I didn't say I'm completely coping with this." the girl answered, "And even Conan is still perplexed by it. If it weren't for you and Luke, we'd be in worse shape."
"It's a duty of a gentlemen to take care of those in need, no matter the situation." he answered, looking to the crew, "Speaking of which..."
"So you must be the detectives?" Donald asked.
"Not me. My dad is a detective." the girl answered, "I'm Ran Mouri. If you want a detective..." She looked to the man, who tipped his hat to them.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor Hershel Layton." he introduced himself, "I'm an archeology professor in a university in the world I hail from. And I take it you must be the group of heroes that Lady Gretinal sent our way, correct."
"Yeah." Sora answered, "I'm Sora. My friends, Donald, Goofy, and Candy all came here to gain wisdom from you, professor."
"I see. Well, it'll be my pleasure to assist in helping you out." Layton told them.
"We'll let you take things from here." Kirito told the professor.
"You aren't gonna stay around?" Ran asked. She looked rather interested in talking to Asuna.
"You can go with them, if you want." Layton assured Ran, "I'll have Conan and Luke here with me, so we'll take of Sora and his friends."
"Great." Ran sighed in relief, "I'll leave Conan in your hands." She turned to Kirito, Asuna, and Yui asking, "Would you mind if I come with you?"
"Sure, but why?" Asuna asked.
"Just curious, especially on what you said." the teen answered, "Besides, I'm a little nervous on meeting people around here."
"There's no need to be afraid." Yui assured her, "Everyone here is really nice."
"Hey, how about we have her meet Liz, Sinon and the others?" Silica suggested.
"Good idea. You'll definitely get along." Asuna assured her. The SAO team led Ran away, leaving the rest of the team alone with the professor. Penelo walked away from the scene, seeing that everyone was taken care of.
"Well now, shall we begin?" Layton asked Sora. He nodded, and they entered into the building.
They were led into a room, which looked like a study and a resting room. There, they saw a couple of young boys there, looking around the same age as Yui, if not younger, enjoying a cup of tea.
The older of the pair had black pupils, light brown hair that pointed in the back, hidden underneath a light blue cap, and an average build. His attire was a light blue cardigan, a white shirt underneath with a folded collar, dark grey shorts, brown fallen suspender straps, brown Mary Janes, and white socks.
The younger of the pair had blue eyes underneath black half-rim glasses, short dark brown hair with frayed bangs and a bit of hair sticking upwards in the back, and an average build, like the other boy. His attire was a blue blazer with a single gold button fastening it, a white shirt underneath, a red bowtie, gray blue shorts, red sneakers with white soles, white socks, and a wristwatch on his left arm.
Both boys looked up at the four as the Professor escorted the four into the room, saying, "Please, come this way."
"Professor, are these new clients?" the older of the boys asked, putting down his tea.
The younger of the boys looked at the four, before his mind mentally noted, in a voice older than his appearance, 'Are they real? They look like they should come out of an anime. I guess I should expect this much with being in another world, but it's really ridiculous.'
"As a matter of fact, these four are the clients Gretinal told us to teach." Layton explained. The four of them greeted the boys and told their names to them.
"A pleasure to meet you." the older of the boys greeted back, "My name is Luke Triton. I'm the professor number one assistant."
The other stood up and looked to Sora, saying, "I'm Conan Edogawa. I'm a detective."
"You're a detective, too?" Sora asked, amazed.
"But he's so young." Goofy noted.
"Despite that, he is rather intelligent." Layton stated, walking past the group to grab a tea tray with the tea set on it, "Far more intelligent than you would expect."
"Agreed. I am rather impressed by his analytical capabilities." Luke noted.
"I just keep an eye on what Uncle Kogoro does, that's all." Conan responded.
"That man?" Luke asked, a bit confused, "Is he really more capable than how he acts?"
"Now, Luke. A gentlemen does judge someone based on their initial meeting." the professor stated, putting the tea tray down on the main table, "Now, would you like some tea?"
Sora, Donald, Goofy and Candy all had some tea, with Candy wanting to have ludicrous amounts of milk and sugar in her cup, not enjoying the bitter taste of the tea.
"So, professor, would you mind telling us what kind of training we will be doing to improve us?" Sora asked Layton, "It can't be just sipping tea, right?"
Layton put down his cup, before answering, "No. But this brew will calm your nerves before we get started." Sora looked to the cup, realizing he was actually calmed down since he had this cup. Even Donald looked rather content since drinking the cup.
"Now, let me ask you this..." Layton started, "...when traversing different worlds, do you find yourself lost, dealing with a puzzle, or solving a mystery involving the people around you?"
The four looked at one another, before Sora answered, "Well...it does happen a lot."
"Yeah. Like gettin' to stuff we can't reach." Goofy noted.
"Or finding the right path forward." Donald followed up.
"And solving how to take down a monster quickly, kuru." Candy finished.
Layton smiled as he stated, "While there are many different worlds out there, as we soon found out, we can be assured of one thing; the puzzles of each world can be solved, as can the mysteries within them. Isn't that right, Conan?"
Conan smirked as he as he put down his cup, saying, "Indeed. There may be things like magic and other such phenomenon. However, in the end, one truth always prevails. There is no problem that can't be solved."
"That is why we will help you solve problems by looking at them from a different angle." Professor Layton stated, pulling out a tablet of some sort, putting in on the table, "Lady Gretinal has given us this device. With it, we can generate any puzzles we see fit. Here's a good one to start off with..." He activated the tablet, and a holographic play field appeared. In one corner, there was a game piece that looked sort of like Sora. The field was composed of 4x4 circular platforms with railings that had openings to different circular platforms. On the opposite part of the board to where Sora's game piece was at, there was a goal post.
The four heroes were in awe of the game board, as Layton started, "This one is pretty straight forward; have your piece reach the goal on the other side by going across the rotating platforms."
In an instant, a holographic arrow pad appear in front of Sora, with up, down, left, and right as its choices. Sora looked to his friends, who were confused, before tapping the forward button. His game piece went onto the open first platform, which rotated counter-clockwise. In fact all the platforms either rotated clockwise or counter.
"All the platforms move a different direction." Layton explained, "You must move to other platforms in order to cause them to turn. Some platforms have one route to take. Some have two or even three paths you can choose to take."
Sora looked at the board, very confused. He only had two directions to take on his current path. He decided to press forward, and hopefully he made the right path.
Meanwhile...
Kirito, Asuna, Yui, Silica and Ran made their way to Liz's Blacksmith shop, reuniting with her, along with Sinon, who was in to get maintenance on her bow. They were also introduced to Liz's new assistance Myne, Lutz, and Tuuri. They didn't mention anything that they learn from Argo's Record Spheres, just to keep it safe.
"So you hail from an Earth world like us, huh?" Liz asked Ran.
"Yeah. I was just an ordinary student, before my dad, Conan, and I ended up losing our world to the Heartless." Ran explained, "It was a real shock when we arrived here, learning of not just magic and such, but also that there more than just humans."
"Yeah. If it weren't for our experience in games, especially in Alfheim Online, we'd be in the same boat." Liz agreed.
"Just curious, but what's the level of technology like in your world?" Kirito asked Ran.
"The level of technology?" Ran asked.
"If you mean machines and such, then we don't have any." Myne explained, standing next to Liz as she held a book in her hands, "We're just barely past the medieval era, and the literacy rate is low."
"At least I am able to understand things here and there, and learn a little bit." Tuuri pointed out, "I'm amazed at how quickly you are learning, Myne." The blue-haired girl chuckled nervously in response. She was, after all, an older girl deep down, from a different Japan.
"What year are you guys from?" Ran asked Kirito and Asuna.
"The late 2020s." Kirito answered, deciding not to give an exact year, "In our time, virtual and augmented reality are becoming commonplace in our lives."
"All of us are VRMMO gamers." Asuna explained, "In fact, that's how we all met one another and became friend."
"That's incredible!" Ran stated, "My world isn't that advance just yet. But we do have smartphones and such, so we're not too far behind."
"At least they are making sure everyone that comes to this world will get use to things." Silica stated, "Though some things are still difficult to understand."
"That's why they just finished building a library here in the city." Liz explained, "They got all sorts of books from education to fun stories there. Myne's been bringing all she can to work while reading. Slowing down my business, sometimes." She gave a look to the said young girl, who averted her gaze.
"I just wanna read books. In fact, I have been asking to work as a part-time librarian." Myne insisted, "It's been my dream to become one! Surrounded by so many books!"
"But Myne, you also have to do the book-keeping here, too." Lutz argued.
"I can do that and work at the library!" Myne counter-argued frantically, "It won't be that hard!"
"And go to school?" Sinon added.
"School?" Asuna echoed.
"Yeah, they're making a school here, too." Sinon added, "In fact, Gretinal's the off-campus principle for it, and has all of us here going to it."
"All of you?" Yui asked, amazed.
"Yep. Me, Silica, Sinon, Argo, Myne, Lutz, Tuuri are going to it." Liz listed down, looking to Ran, "I'm sure you're going to it, right?"
"Yeah. Conan, Luke, and I have been told that we're going to school." the high schooler answered.
"And it's not just us." Sinon stated, "If they're age is below a certain age level, then they're suppose to go to school here."
"I have the list on hand." Said a familiar voice at the door, and everyone turned to see Argo appear on the scene.
"Hey, Argo." Kirito greeted.
"Hey, Ki-bou, Aa-chan, Yui-chan." Argo greeted, "You guys wanna know who will be going to school here?"
"Let me guess. It'll come with a price?" Kirito asked suspiciously.
"Nah. This one is on the house." Argo answered, walking into the room, "Since you guys are among my best informants. Besides, the Record Spheres are the ones that cost munny."
"Record Spheres?" Ran asked.
"Never mind about them." Asuna dismissed it.
"So, I got the list here." Argo started, pulling out a holographic list, "In regards to royalty, the only one going to school is that Princess Syalis. As for everyone else, apart from what you already said, the highlighted people we have are Vaan, Penelo, Hope, Dahj, and Vanille going, plus the DoReMi Magic Shop girls, Shirayuki from the Diced Apple, Shera and Rem."
"That's quite a student body." Asuna stated, "Not a whole lot, but a good amount."
"Bet more will join when more Lost Lights are found." Kirito noted.
"Of course, they're dividing it up based on age." Liz noted, "They also have a cram school program for those who want to take it."
"Who will be the teachers?" Asuna asked.
"They're doing an analysis on the people here, but I heard that the science teacher's gonna be Professor E. Gadd."
"Oh...the ghost specialist..." Asuna whimpered. She reminded herself not to go to his class.
"Can I go to school there, as well?" Yui asked.
"Aren't you already too busy saving the universe?" Argo asked.
"Why not? It wouldn't hurt for Yui to drop by and go to school." Asuna stated, "We were gonna have her go to school in our world, too."
"Plus, Kikuoka is gonna pull some strings, and have her attend a cram school, as well." Kirito added, "Given Yui's intelligence, it might work out in her favor. But then again, it could be his subtle way of analyzing Yui and how a former A.I Program is able to deal with studying IRL."
"Even so, I can't wait to start taking Yui to school." Asuna stated, looking delighted, "I know she is strong, but I want to just take her to and from school every day!"
"Agreed. At least one of us, if not both, should do that." Kirito admitted.
The others watched the pair, with Liz, Silica, and Sinon looking tired from witnessing this scene. "God, they're such parents." Liz muttered.
"They have to act like that every time they have a chance." Silica muttered.
"They are really like this?" Ran asked Sinon.
"Either being doting parents or being a lovey-dovey couple, practically anytime they can." Sinon sighed.
"They love each other and their kid, just like our parents." Tuuri pointed out to Myne.
"They do." Myne agreed. The two sisters then looked depressed as they remembered that their parents were no longer with them in this world.
Liz went around and placed her hands on their heads. "Now, enough of that." she intervened, "Looks like that will keep the customers away. Besides, those guys, along with other friends of ours, are the most reliable people I know. They'll get your world and your family back. I can guarantee it!"
Myne and Tuuri looked to her, before smiling. Lutz also smiled at Liz's positive reinforcement on them. She was a great and reliable person to all three of the kids. It has gotten to the point that she was pretty much their big sister.
Mouri-Layton Detective Agency
"Go back!" Donald ordered.
"No, go right, kuru!" Candy added.
"You're just gonna get stuck again!" Donald argued.
"No it won't, kuru! I can see it, kuru!" Candy argued.
"Would you guys knock it off?!" Sora demanded, pushing the two cramming characters aside, before taking the controls, "I notice the directions I need to take!" He looked to Layton, and asked, "Can I start all over again, please?"
"Of course." Layton answered, tapping something on the tablet, resetting the board again.
"Okay, here we go." Sora started, his hand on the controls, "Okay, we go forward. Then we go right, then up twice. Then, if we go right again, the platform turning clockwise would give me that path I need. Then I just need to go down, then left, then right back on it again, then another right, then up, and..." Sora hit the up again, and his game piece reached the end goal. "Nailed it!" Sora cheered. Donald, Goofy, and Candy whooped with joy at this.
"Well done." Layton told Sora, "You figured it out. The particular part is when you ended up back on previous platforms in order to find a new path forward."
"I wasn't thinking of that before." Sora stated, "I just assumed I wouldn't need to go back to them before. But when I tried to make a path on the ones I were on before, I ended up in a circle."
"A good detective is not only able to see what the path in front of them, but is able to backtrack to find new paths." Layton told him.
"Even Mr. Mouri couldn't figure that puzzle out." Luke pointed out.
'No surprise there.' Conan mentally noted.
"Now, Conan..." Layton spoke to the young boy, "I don't suppose you have any mysteries that you recall that can be used to help Sora and his friends, would you?"
"Oh..." Conan realized, "Well, I guess I can think of some..." He looked to the pad, before remembering one case, and tapped away at it. "Gretinal did mention that this pad could interpret memories and create them as scenarios. I can use that." He placed his hand on the screen of the pad, using his memory of a scenario to create a scene that showed up as a holographic image. It showed an office, a messed up scene with a person lying underneath a bookshelf that landed on top of him, a chess board with all of its pieces about, a book with a key right underneath it, a desk with a multitude of standard things on it, including a tape recorder attached to a phone, and the only door that led into the room was closed.
"I recalled this one." Conan started, "It's a locked room murder mystery. I remember the professor and I, along with another girl named Ai, going to visit this other professor for a disc of information he had. However, by the time we got in, he was already dead."
"He was?" Luke asked.
"Yeah. They initially set it up like the professor was killed by his bookshelf falling on top of him. However, I noticed that the damage to him was done by a bludgeoning weapon." Conan explained, "But the question is how the person manage to lock the room with the ONLY key inside of it, with the window all locked and secure, and none of them were broken. Look at the scene, and tell me how he did it."
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Candy looked at the scene, looking very confused. "So, all we have to do is figure out how they locked it with the key inside?" Sora asked, "What about the murderer?"
"That part isn't something you have to figure out here." Conan explained, "But I can tell you that the culprit did call the office with his phone AFTER he left the room, and that he did have the key on him AFTER he left the room."
"He called him AFTER he killed him?" Sora echoed, "But why would he do that? He know he was killed, so what gives?"
"I'm confused." Donald muttered, tilting his head.
"Same here, kuru..." Candy agreed, tilting in the same angle as Donald.
"Well, if he did try to kill him, maybe the phone call meant somethin'." Goofy interpreted, "Like maybe it was meant to do something to make it look like a locked room."
"Clever thinking, Goofy." Layton noted, "In fact, judging from the scene before me, I am starting to see the picture of how it played out."
"Analyze everything in the room, look at every angle, then figure you might figure it out." Conan told the four, "Remember, magic and such things are not real in my world. It's all about setup and laws of physics."
The four examined the room very carefully. They were very confused, but were determined to figure out the case before them. How did the person manage to lock the room with the key inside?
SAO team
Kirito and Asuna went to get their Keyblades upgraded from all the material they gave to Liz, with enough material to allow Sora to get his Keyblades upgraded when he was done. They also got some new accessories and armor with some materials they found. Once they were done, they left Liz's Blacksmith shop, with Ran hitting it off well with Liz, Silica, and Sinon, while telling Argo they would purchase the latest Record Crystals she had once Sora and the others were with them. They instead went to greet some of the other Lost Lights, starting with the self-proclaimed Demon Lord, Diablo, and his companions, Shera, Rem, and Rose.
"So you guys are the Keyblade wielders we heard so much about?" Shera asked, "We're so glad to meet you!" She bounced in excitement, making a certain part of her bounce, as well.
This caused Asuna to glare at Kirito, who averted his gaze, blushing from what was happening. "Kirito?" Asuna asked in a threatening tone.
"I wasn't trying to look." he defended.
"Is he okay?" Shera asked.
"He's fine." Asuna answered, "I'm making sure his loyalty is to me."
"In other words, stop advertising those things!" Rem argued.
"I'm not!" Shera defended, "They're just like that!"
Diablo approached Kirito, glaring down at him. "You're partied up on your adventures with your girlfriend and your daughter?" he asked.
"Is that a problem?" Kirito asked him, "Asuna and I met in-game, and became a couple during that time. We even adopted Yui there, too."
'This guys are suppose to be saving our worlds, and they're bringing their love life into it?' Diablo mentally asked, 'If I wasn't suppose to rely on them to get the job done, I would have roasted them now!' Then something Kirito said that caught his attention, "In-game? You mean, you were in a game together?"
"Yeah? It's a game called Sword Art Online." Kirito explained, "We have been in a couple other games together, but you wouldn't get-."
Suddenly, Diablo placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the black swordsman to see the intrigued look on his face. "Stop for a moment. Let's talk privately."
"Wait, wha-?!" Kirito demanded as he was pulled by Diablo almost frantically away from the girls, making sure they were out of earshot, and started to talk.
"What was that about?" Rem asked.
"My master seemed intrigued by that boy." Rose muttered, "If only I was pulled in such a manner by him."
"That seemed a bit excessive." Asuna muttered.
"You know..." Yui looked to Shera, "You kinda remind me of Leafa."
"Who now?" Shera asked.
"A friend, and Kirito's cousin." Asuna stated, "Although, she does kinda look like her. The blonde hair and green attire. Not to mention the pointy ears, and...her large chest."
"Really? There is someone who looks like me?" Shera asked.
"Great. Another one?" Rem asked, irritated by someone else like her with the same proportions, "What, is she an elf like her?"
"No. I mean, she is human, but..." Asuna wasn't sure how to describe it to fantasy characters who didn't know what VRMMO or even avatars were.
"Leafa is a human, but through circumstances, she ended up in a different body, and she has become a Sylph fairy." Yui explained.
'Thank you, Yui...' Asuna mentally sighed in relief.
"Wow! She's a fairy?" Shera asked, "I would love to meet her one day!"
"I couldn't care less." Rem argued, "One of Shera is enough. Please tell me she is at least smarter than her."
"Hey, I'm not dumb!" Shera argued.
"She is smart. At least, Kirito said her grades were pretty good." Asuna explained.
Just then, the girls heard Kirito and Diablo start to laugh, and they turned to see them walk towards the group.
"It would seem we are kindred spirits, 'black swordsman' Kirito." Diablo stated, "I would like to talk more about these game worlds you have gone to."
"Same. If at all possible, I would also like to sit down and talk strategy with you as well, 'demon lord' Diablo." Kirito responded, "And I would like to learn about 'Cross Reverie' when we have the time. I wanna know how you made yourself basically a boss character, despite being a Player."
"If you want, we should have a duel with one another." Diablo suggested, "I would like to see how fast your reaction speed is that got you that Dual-wielding ability, and see if you can cut my magic."
"You're on. Don't say I didn't warn you." he answered. With grins on their faces, they gave each other a fist bump, signalling their newfound friendship.
"Papa got pretty friendly with Diablo." Yui noted.
"Diablo being this friendly with someone? That's disturbing." Rem muttered.
"I know. He's not even acting like his normal Demon Lord self." Shera muttered.
"What did this scum say that made my master this pleased?" Rose asked.
"Hey! Who are you calling scum?!" Asuna barked angrily, before mentally thinking, 'But based on what I can see, the only thing that would get Kirito this excited is if he was talking about games. But...is this guy really a gamer?'
"Sorry for the trouble." Kirito told the group, "Looks like Diablo and I have some things in common."
"Indeed. A Beater and a Demon Lord. We're not too different from one another." he stated, looking between Kirito and Asuna, "As a matter of fact, the only issue I originally thought was you acting like a couple during battles."
"I'm sorry, what?" Asuna asked, looking to Kirito frantically, who muttered, "I'll tell you later."
"But it seems I was mistaken, when you described her ferocity on the battlefield." Diablo stated, "If at all possible, I would like to see how well your teamwork is personally."
"Ferocity, you say?" Asuna asked, and Kirito knew he gave poor choice of words when she gave a smile and her closed eyes were shaded over. She looked to her boyfriend, stating, "I think you should tell me now what you were talking about, word for word."
"Asuna, please. I didn't say that!" Kirito defended himself, feeling like he stepped on a landmine, and was afraid of taking his foot off of it.
Mouri-Layton Detective Agency
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Candy were analyzing the murder scene given to them very carefully, with Conan, Luke, and Layton watch them scrutinize their faces at the puzzle. It was quite challenging, but they were determined to figure it out.
"Try telling us what's going through your mind." the professor requested, "Sometimes, vocalizing would help you solve it quicker."
"Okay..." Sora muttered, "The trick we're trying to solve is how the culprit put the key back in the room, when it was already locked."
"And how they placed it under the book, too." Goofy noted.
"All the windows were locked and sealed, kuru." Candy followed up.
"And the culprit made a call after he left the room." Donald finished up.
"But why would they make a call after they left?" Conan asked, prodding them to think harder.
They all hummed in thought, trying to figure it out. Finally, Sora answered, "Maybe...to affect something in the room?"
"But what would be affected by making a call, kuru?" Candy asked.
"Oh!" Goofy gasped, making the others jump, "There's a recordin' machine in the office, right? That would be affected by the phone."
"He left a voice message?" Donald asked, "But why?"
"I think I know those machines." Sora recalled, "Back on the islands, I remember one of those at Riku's home."
"Yeah. It reminds me of one of those film players." Goofy recalled, "Got myself tangled up more than once in them."
Candy gave a squeak as he exclaimed, "I know, kuru! What if they used the tape to get the key in, kuru?!"
'Finally. They are starting to get it.' Conan mentally noted.
"Can that really be done?" Sora asked, intrigued.
"You bet. They could just pull out the tape, making it reach the out of the door." Luke answered, "Then they attached the key to it, made the call, and once the tape started recording the message, it would pull it back in!"
"Luke?" Layton looked to him, hushing him.
"Oh. Sorry, professor." Luke apologized, "I got a bit excited."
"Well, that was a big clue for them." Conan muttered, "But I can let it pass, since I didn't mention the narrow space under the door that would allow them to pass the key underneath the door."
"Okay, so they used the tape to slide the key under the door after they locked it." Sora understood, looking from the door's perspective, "And look; the door, where the key is at, and the recording device are in a straight line."
"But how did they get the key under the book?" Donald asked.
"They musta done somethin' to make the book fall on it." Goofy assumed, scratching his head, "But how did they do it?"
Sora looked at the book, before looking around the book, and saw the chess pieces about. The closest ones to the book were four pawn chess pieces. Finally, a thought occured to him. "The book could've been held up by those chess pieces." Donald, Goofy, and Candy voiced their 'ah-has' at this suggestion.
"They could've used the key and tape to knock one of the chess pieces over when it was being wound up into the recorder." Donald understood.
"That's how they got the book to fall onto the key to take it off the tape!" Goofy proclaimed, "Mystery solved!" The four looked excited at this victory.
"There's one more thing you are forgetting." Conan noted, "Even if you did take one of the pawn chess pieces out from under the book, it would only tilt, not collapse. Not only that, but the other three pieces would still be up, not spread about. There's one more trick the culprit did that made it look like this."
"I can tell you are on the right track." Layton assured them, "Just one more step will do it."
"One more step?" Sora echoed, as the four looked at the scene, visualizing the four chess pieces underneath the book. He thought hard about it, looking at the pieces strewn across the floor. Suddenly, his mind flashed, and he figured it out. "Upside down!" Sora gasped, "He put the pieces upside down!"
Conan smirked as he stated, "You solved it. First, After the culprit bludgeoned the professor and set it up to make it look like he was killed from his bookshelf falling on him, he pulled out the tape from the message recorder. Then, once he reached the midway point between the door and the room, he propped the book on the four pawn chess pieces, making sure to line up the tape so it would remove one of the pieces. After that, he turned the pieces upside down one at a time to make sure the book was balanced on all four of them. After that, he extended the tape out the door, and attached the key to it. One he made the phone, he pretended to leave a message. when the key struck one of the chess pieces, it caused all four pieces to lose balance and scatter, making the book fall on top of the key, detaching it from the tape, allowing it to slide neatly back into the recording device. That's the locked room mystery trick."
"A rather ingenious puzzle to solve." Layton stated, tilting his hat, "Conan Edogawa, I would love to learn more of these mysteries you have solved."
"Oh, I just help out." Conan defended, waving his hands to try to brush away the accusation.
"If you say so." Layton responded, smirking as if to say he knew there was something about Conan he wasn't telling.
"I'm impressed you figured it out." Luke told the four, who looked pleased at themselves.
"Here's a reward for solving both of our puzzles." Layton told Sora, handing him an elixir.
"Thanks!" Sora thanked him, taking the drink and pocketing it.
"You can always come back here if you want to challenge your minds and improve your wisdom so you can solve any mystery in any world." Layton told the four, "We'll concoct more puzzles and mysteries for you. We might even get inspired by other worlds you visited."
"My head is already killing me." Donald huffed.
"Still, it is kinda fun." Sora pointed out, "It takes a lot of brain work, but if we work together, we can definitely figure out any puzzle or any mystery they give us!"
"Yeah!" Donald, Goofy, and Candy answered.
Layton smiled at Luke and Conan, stating, "It is always a good feeling to introduce people to the fascination of puzzles and mysteries, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't say I am excited by it." Conan replied, looking to the group as they were talking with one another, "But they are willing to learn, and I hope they can help solve the biggest mystery of all; How to save our homes."
"I agree." Luke admitted.
"For now, this is all we can do." Layton told them, "In the meantime, let's make the best of the situation, so they won't have to worry."
SAO Team
The trio had left Diablo's crew after Asuna had a conversation with Kirito. After clearing any misunderstandings, Kirito explained that Diablo was very much like them; He was really a gamer in the body of an MMO avatar, but he ended up reincarnated into a world very much like the MMO called 'Cross Reverie'. Shera, Rem, and Rose don't know about that fact, and despite being a human, with his attire and his persona he gave off, he was able to fool his companions into believing he was a Demon Lord from another world.
"Guess there are all kinds of people like that." Asuna summed up, looking all about. She saw Lutz and Myne walking towards the library together, before stopping to greet Obi and Shirayuki, who were out to get supplies. They ended up conversing, with smiles on their faces. They then saw the DoReMi magic shop, where Dori, Reanne, Mirabelle, and Ellie were talking with Princess Syalis, who looked like she was searching for a sleeping potion. This got interrupted by Great Red Siberian, who raced up and grabbed her, demanding her return to the castle, which the princess was disinterested.
"I was worried at first, since there are constant new faces coming to this world." Asuna noted, "This isn't like SAO. Back then, while there were thousands of people stuck in Aincrad, we were still all from Japan. This is far less, but they are from multiple different worlds, suddenly just told to co-exist together. For how things could have gone, this is best case scenario."
"We can thank Gretinal for that." Kirito noted, "If it weren't for her, this place wouldn't have made such process."
"But we also have to thank Light and her team, Vaan and his companions, E. Gadd, and our friends for helping out." Yui added.
"Agreed. It's the hearts of many that worked together to make this place." Kirito stated, looking about, "It's kinda reminds me of what Kayaba wanted."
"What do you mean?" Asuna asked.
"You remember when we met him after he started working at Disney Castle? He said he wanted to create a new game; a set of worlds for all inhabitants from across the other dimension to convene to." Kirito recounted, thinking back to that time he was told this dream (Author's Note: see 'Sword Art Kingdom II: Dimensional Bonds' Ep. 1 'New Threat! Adventure in the New Dimension!').
"I remember that." Yui recalled, looking about, "And in a way, this place reflects that dream."
"But not everyone wanted to be here." Asuna pointed out, looking far off to see Kogoro Mouri getting dragged out of the Dicey Apple by one of Zen's attendants, Mitsuhide, with Agil exiting out, shaking his head at the drunk man. "Deep down, everyone wants to return home. They were forced to live this way."
"Agreed. We gotta find where their homes were at, and restore them back to normal." Kirito replied, "Then, we can do something where they can freely come and go to this world as they please, like Liz, Klein, and the others can with that transporter. A world that many others can visit and understand each other. That's the kind of world this place should be."
"We can make it happen, Kirito." Asuna assured him, taking his hand and holding it close, "We've done a lot of things that were impossible before. I bet we can pull it off here, too." Kirito smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I would like to see that, too." Yui agreed, "And if anyone needs help, I can just be the mental health counselor here."
"That sounds like a great idea, Yui." Asuna giggled, "You would do amazing."
"Hey!" Sora's voice called out from behind them, and they turned to see their other four companions racing up to join them.
"Hey, Sora." Kirito greeted.
"Did Professor Layton give you guys a mental workout?" Asuna asked.
"Yeah, he did." Sora answered, massaging his head, "We solved a puzzle and a mystery they gave us."
"It was really difficult to solve, kuru..." Candy muttered.
"But we were smart enough to solve it!" Donald declared.
"And it was a lot of fun, too." Goofy finished.
"That's great to hear." Asuna replied.
"Mysteries and puzzles, huh?" Kirito asked, "Sounds like a good way to challenge your mind and look at things from different angles."
"Yeah. There will be more for us to solve later on." Sora answered, "But for now, we're ready to keep going!"
"Same here." Kirito answered, "Let's swing on by Argo, drop some info, see some Record Spheres, and get back on track to the next world." With that settled, they made their way back to Argo's hangout spot to get what they wanted before continuing on their adventure.
Record Sphere #12: Detectives in Fantasy
Location: Main Plaza
In the large introduction area to the town, Penelo, Snow, Silica, and Pina were introduced to the two groups that arrived; Layton, Luke, Conan, Ran, and Kogoro.
"We welcome the five of you to Resolute Oasis." Penelo greeted the group.
"I know you must be confused, but we'll make sure to do our best to make it comfortable for all of you." Snow assured him.
"Now, hold on, buster!" Kogoro argued, "This feels like a whole lot of hooey that I don't buy! Is this some sort of renaissance place or something?"
"I have to agree." Conan followed, "I just can't understand how we ended up in another world?"
"And it is not the first time we've been fooled into believing we were transported into mystical and futuristic lands." Layton noted.
"I understand what you are getting at." Silica agreed, "But we can assure you it is all real. Right, Pina?" Her feather dragon sitting on her head sat up and chirped in response to this.
Ran looked amazed as she asked, "Is that real? It looks sort of like a dragon."
"Pina is a feather dragon." Silica explained, "You can pet her, if you want."
Ran approached Silica, and raised her hand hesitantly to the dragon. Pina sniffed her hand, before nuzzling her head into it, cooing with pleasure. Ran was amazed, before giggling as she stated, "She's so adorable."
"Can she fly with those wings?" Luke asked.
"Of course. Pina, show them." Silica ordered her partner, who spread her wings, and took to the sky, flying around the group. The five newcomers were amazed at the sight.
"I don't see any wiring holding her up as she flies." Luke noted.
"It can't be...it is the real thing?" Conan asked, quite shocked.
"I must be having a dream." Kogoro muttered, before pinching his cheek hard, making sure the pain went through, before seeing nothing changed.
"It's real, old man." Snow argued, holding up a fist, "Wanna cool down that pinch cheek with some ice?" He used a Blizzard spell in his open hand, before clenching his fist to freeze up his arm, much to the shock of the newcomers.
"Your fist is frozen!" Luke gasped.
"Let me see..." Conan requested, approaching Snow as he lowered his fist to him. He placed a hand on the ice, before realizing, "It is real!"
"Wait for it, kid." Snow answered, before breaking the ice off by opening his hand, the ice magically vanishing. The five were in awe at what they were witnessing.
"Something tells me you guys are not from a world where magic or small feather dragons exist, are you?" Penelo asked.
"No. We lived on Earth." Ran answered, petting Pina again, "We were actually going to our local coffee shop when suddenly, everything went black."
"Yeah, and the next thing we knew, we ended up here." Conan finished.
"The same happened to the two of us." Layton indicated himself and Luke.
"Yeah. Sad it is to say, your homes have been swallowed up by the darkness." Snow explained, "And thankfully, the light in your hearts guided you to this world to save you from that darkness."
"The light in our hearts?" Luke asked, touching his chest.
"But why us? Did anyone else appear with us?" Ran asked.
"Sorry. You were the only ones who appeared." Penelo answered. This made Ran and Luke look dismayed at losing so many people they knew.
"Okay, let's just say that for the moment we believe this crap you talk about." Kogoro told Snow, "You have any way of getting us back home again, or do we have to play a role in this joint?"
"We'll get you set up with all essentials to live here comfortably." Snow answered, "We'll also interview you and make sure we have an appropriate position for you in the Resolute Oasis."
"And as for getting back home, you don't have to worry about that." Silica assured them, "We have friends out there who are searching for a way for you all to get back home. You can count on them to help everyone in this world."
As they continued the conversation, Layton got himself closer to Conan, before asking, "You are looking rather disapproving about the situation, young man. You have something on your mind?"
"I don't want to believe that this place really is another world, like they said, until I have more evidence to prove it so otherwise." Conan started, "How he utilized the ice and the feather dragon have shown to be real, but in the end, one truth must prevail. So I want to find that truth."
"Indeed." Layton agreed, "This new land is far from normal, no doubt about that. But we'll figure out the puzzles this town has to offer, and solve this mystery."
The two mystery solvers looked at one another, before Layton stated, "I get the feeling you and I might work well together. What is your name?"
"Conan Edogawa. I'm a detective." he greeted.
"Professor Hershel Layton. A archeologist professor who dabbles in solving puzzles and mysteries." The two raised their hands to one another, and shook, signaling their newfound partnership.
Record Sphere #13: Meeting in the Library #1
Location: Resolute Oasis Library
Thanks to Team Keyblader's efforts and materials they sent, they created a new library in the city. It was a two-story building with rows upon rows of many books, with the central part of the library where they had receptionists at the desks to help people look for books or check them out of the library.
One such bibliophile to enter the library upon its grand opening, and one who was requesting to work as a librarian, was Myne. She was in awe at the multitude of different books all around her. "My sanctuary~!" She squeaked happily, before raising her hands up, balancing on one foot, "I give thanks to the gods for blessing me with this place in this new world!" She ran over to one of the book shelves that was labeled under 'Mythology'. She opened up the book and skimmed through it. "Wait...the words here aren't even from my world or Japanese." she noticed, "It's an entirely different language."
She then looked to one of the reading tables, noticing an odd yellow-glowing light on it. "Wait, I think someone at the front desk told me about this." she muttered, before putting the book on the table, underneath the light. Suddenly, the words started to morph, turning into kanji. "No way! The light can change it into a language I can understand!" she gasped, looking at the book carefully to make sure she could read it appropriately, "The magic in this world is very useful!"
For the next hour, she began reading the book she pulled out, before going back and finding a couple more books to read, going back to the table, and continue to read. She barely noticed the time flying by as she did so. It was peace and quiet in the library, just as she preferred it. That is, until someone arrived.
Conan Edogawa had also discovered the library, and was intrigued at all the books that were available. "It's obvious there are books that I can't even understand, since they are in a different language." he told himself, "But the receptionist did say that there are magic reading lights that allow the words to be translated into a language I can comprehend. This magic stuff is really throwing me for a loop. I still have a hard time believing it."
He reached the shelves full of mystery books, before looking up and down it, before gasping in shock. Sure enough, there was a certain set of books there, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, the person behind his first name. "They have the Sherlock Holmes series here, too!" he exclaimed quietly, "I am so glad they have them here. Better make sure it's the same."
He pulled out A Study in Scarlet from the shelves, and brought it over to the same desk area where Myne was at. He looked to her, and saw the complex mythology book she was reading. 'For a girl of her age, she is reading something quite complex.' he told himself, 'Then again, who am I to talk about appearances...' He sat down next to her, and started reading his book.
Myne briefly noticed Conan right next to her, narrowing her eyes. 'What is this child doing?' she asked, seeing the smile forming on Conan's face, 'Come to think of it, I've never seen him before. Is he new to this world?' She then noticed the book he was reading, and recognized the title of it.
"A Study in Scarlet?" she said out loud, getting Conan's attention, "I didn't know they had tales from my old world here, too!"
Conan looked at her in amazement as he asked, "You are familiar with this?"
"Yes. That's one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, correct?" Myne asked, "The first book that Sherlock Holmes ever appeared in."
"You do know it!" Conan stated, pleased at meeting a fellow Sherlock Holmes reader such as himself, "So you are from Japan?"
Myne froze up, realizing she made a mistake. She had forgotten that she was no longer of Japan, but of the country of Yurgenschmidt. She then gave a nervous chuckle as she answered, "It's...a complicated story. Anyways, you look new in town. How about I introduce myself. I'm Myne, I am a record keeper at Lisbeth's Blacksmith Shop, and trying to become a librarian here. What's your name?"
'She's deliberately diverting from the subject.' the detective noticed, 'Her attire and appearance doesn't give off the appearance as Japanese, yet the way she talks speaks broadly about her knowledge about things found on Earth.' He thought for a second, before deciding to talk normally to get more clues, and answered, "I'm Conan Edogawa. I'm a detective."
"A detective." Myne muttered, "Did your name come from Arthur Conan Doyle's name? Your family name sounds like it could've come from Edogawa Ranpo."
Conan was startled once again. She wasn't wrong, as his fake name did derive from both of those authors. This made his suspicions grow more about her, before asking, "Where did you come from? You don't seem to be from Earth, yet you are aware of authors from it."
"Um..." Myne looked very nervous, as she felt she was not gonna get away from his interrogation. It was so much easier to lie when it came to people like Ruuti, Lutz, her family and the people at the church. However, dealing with a boy from her home world made it more difficult. She couldn't say that she learned about the titles from reading the stories here.
"Is it something you are trying to hide from me, or from others?" Conan asked seriously.
"It's..." Myne started, not sure how to reply.
"There you are, Myne!" the voice of Lutz could not have come at a better time than now, as he appeared on the scene.
'You're a lifesaver, Lutz!' Myne mentally exclaimed.
"Lisbeth needs you back at the shop. You've been gone for a couple hours!" Lutz told her off.
"I'm sorry." Myne apologized, taking her remaining books, "I'll go to the counter and take them with me." She took the books out from underneath the light, before looking at them. "No! The language goes back to normal after I pull it out of the light!" She looked depressed at this.
"Nothing you can do about it." Lutz told her, "Now, let's go. Liz said to drag you back if I had to."
"Okay..." Myne muttered. Suddenly, a spark of an idea appeared in her mind, before gasping, "Of course! Maybe the receptionist would know! Or maybe there's a portable magic light to take with me! If not, I should really install one back at the shop. I'll go ask!" She raced to the receptionist, leaving Lutz behind with Conan.
"Myne, wait!" the blonde boy called out, before sighing as he knew once she was in this state of mind, there was no stopping her. He turned to Conan and said, "Sorry for the bother."
"Don't worry about it." Conan answered, "But I gotta ask; Does the term 'Japanese' mean anything to you?"
Lutz looked perplexed, before answering, "I am pretty sure. Myne isn't Japanese herself. However..."
"However?" the detective prodded.
Lutz paused, before he answered, "I'm pretty sure she would hate me to say it, so I can't say."
Conan thought for a second. Lutz knew something about her background that he swore to secrecy. He decided to try and coax it out of him, as he asked, "I promise not to tell anyone, on my word as a detective. Can you tell me about her, at the very least, since we are in a different world?"
Lutz looked to Conan, not sure whether to trust him or not. Finally, he answered, "I think it would be best for Myne to tell you. I shouldn't say anything. Excuse me." He bowed to Conan, before leaving him alone.
'Well, I am curious about Myne. However, I should investigate a bit at a time.' Conan told himself, looking at the direction the two left, 'She is definitely hiding something from me, and I can't, for the life of me, not think about it. And in this world, people might have some weird stories I wouldn't get back home.'
Record Sphere #14: Preparing for School
Location: Academy Boulevard
On a path formed near the airship docks, a school was in the process of being made, under Gretinal's orders. It was to make sure that the children and teenagers were able to get the education they needed while away from the schools in their world. It was gonna be difficult, as they had to modify the education based on the subjects that were taught, and if they were similar from world to world. However, once they got all the paperwork about each and every person, they were able to comprise a educational system for them.
At the entrance of the school in construction was Lightning, her sister Serah, and Mog. "It's been forever since I have seen a school." Serah stated, the sisters looking at the school, "Last time I saw one was when I was going to the university in Eden."
"Right..." Lightning answered, "It's been so long since those days. But everything involving those days. The l'Cie, the Cocoon, Pulse. Everything changed when we awoke in Yusnaan, and the Heartless appeared. None of that is here, anymore."
"Same goes for Vaan and their group." Serah noted, "Their home of Rabanastre is gone, too. Now, it's like we're given a fresh start in Resolute Oasis."
Lightning turned to her sister, asking, "You were studying history at the University, correct? Do you plan to be a teacher here?"
"I want to." Serah answered, "I wanna place in an application to be a teacher here. However, I don't know if I can. History differentiates between worlds, so teaching one bit of history is more talking about mythology or fantasy to another person."
"That is true." Lightning noted, "Still, you should at least place in an application. If not history, they would put you somewhere else you can help in."
"You're really dedicated to having me become a teacher here, aren't you?" Serah asked her sister, circling around to get in front of her, "What's this sudden drive to have me pursue this old dream of mine?"
Lightning paused for a moment, before she answered, "I just feel like I should be a better sister to you than I was back then. Not only that, but it'll help you stay away from the dangers outside."
Serah's grin fell a bit. She didn't tell her sister that she was training with Sinon and Shera privately in archery and magic so she would be helpful to her in case there was an attack. She wanted her to be a normal citizen like a lot of the people in town. At least, as normal of a citizen could be. But she didn't want to rely on her sister to risk her skin while she stood back and watch. She was doing the private lessons for her sake.
"Is this really the school we are going to?" said a voice from behind, and the sisters turned to see the young girls of the DoReMi Magic shop arrive on the scene.
"Blech... That's the one thing I was sort of glad to leave behind when we came to Yusnaan and then here." Dori moaned, "I didn't want to do any more homework."
"I'm actually happy to have it back." Reanne stated.
"Same. Kinda felt like a never-endin' summer vacation, but I got a bit bored out of my mind at times without school bein' part of my day to day life." Mirabelle noted.
"Especially since I haven't been able to do any of my pop idol work." Ellie agreed.
"Oh, hello again." Serah greeted, walking over to the girls, "Are you gonna be students here?"
"I know you. You're Serah!" Mirabelle recognized.
"You were really nice to us back in Yusnaan." Dori recalled, "Thanks for helping us back then."
Serah smiled sweetly at the girls. Back when the magic shop got sent to Yusnaan, the girls were crying in dismay from losing their home, and were unsure of what to do. However, thanks to Serah's kind-hearted nature, they were able to calm down before other people in that world helped them, Patina, and Laralie get their shop ready.
"Are you adjusting to this new world?" Serah asked the girls.
"It's a little dusty here and there, what with all the construction all around us." Ellie explained.
"But other than that, we have nothing to complain about." Reanne answered, "It's a very nice place, all in all. Plus, our magic shop is doing well."
"But I bet it gets bored from time to time." Serah assumed, "Well, we can fill up that boredom for you by going to school here."
"I guess." Dori agreed, "At least there is that to think about."
"I wonder who our teacher will be." Reanne asked, "Hopefully they'll be as nice as Seki-sensei."
"She is nice, but she always scolded Dori for a lot of things." Mirabelle pointed out.
"That didn't have to be brought up." the said red-headed girl muttered.
"It was rather entertaining at some points." Ellie giggled.
"Ellie!" Dori exclaimed.
"Sounds like you're a bad student, aren't you?" Serah asked.
"I wasn't that bad." Dori replied, "I just get lost in thought and have a hard time learning things."
Serah thought for a moment, before smiling as she turned to her sister, saying, "Maybe I should put in an application. If I can't study history, I can still be a teacher here. Maybe I can help these girls and everyone else on their studies."
"Have Serah as a teacher?" Reanne asked.
"That would be really awesome!" Mirabelle exclaimed.
"She is very nice." Ellie agreed, given that she knew her less than everyone else.
"It's be fun and easy in school if she ends up our teacher!" Dori proclaimed.
"Don't be so sure." Serah argued, bending down towards her face, "I may be nice, but I plan to make sure you all learn the right way. Got it?"
The smile mixed with the shadow over her eyes made Dori second-guess her previous statement. It looked like she could be a strict teacher after all.
Lightning watched the scene unfold, closed her eyes and smiled. "I can't wait to see how well of a teacher you are." she muttered to herself.
Next Time on Sword Art Kingdom III:
Hyrule! Cia & the Over-Confident Link?