Entering the room Michiru looked around, she saw Asuna, and another man in armor but not Kirito. Michiru stepped out of the doorway to allow Usagi and Haruka to enter before looking at Asuna.

"So where did Kirito go?"

Asuna sighed, and shook her head.

"He saw a figure on the roof and went to chase after it. Honestly, he's so reckless."

If they weren't investigating a supposed murder right now, Asuna's behavior might have amused Michiru. Kirito and Asuna were close as they always had been. Even back in the beginning when they were a party together. They were oblivious to it, but it was clear to everyone else that they love each other. In fact it had become a running joke within the assault teams. Michiru had even heard a rumor that some people were betting if they'd ever get together.

It was quite surreal the fact that they had been stuck in this game for two years. Two long years, but she didn't think it was all bad. She had made friends and found another lover. But strangely enough even though they had been trapped in this game for two years this was the first instance of players dying in a safe zone. So it couldn't be a bug, because if a such a bug existed it would have been found out about and exploited long ago.

Something felt off about this whole thing, aside from the fact that this was a safe zone and you shouldn't be able to lose hp or die in it. Something else was just strange. For example Yolko's behavior earlier…before she died.

It was then the door opened, and Kirito walked in.

"Sorry, I wasn't able to catch up…uh who's this?" Kirito asked pointing to the shaking man, sitting in the chair.

Michiru found herself wondering the same thing as Asuna continued to glare at Kirito before sighing. Michiru also found herself wondering if Asuna thought glaring all the time would do anything. What was she trying to achieve with it? Setting a player on fire with her mind?

"This is Schimmit…the other guild member Yolko mentioned. Apparently Yolko messaged him yesterday. He just showed up a bit too late." Asuna spoke, and Michiru could hear the annoyance in the girl's voice. Whether it was annoyance at Kirito or the fact that Schimmit showed up late she wasn't sure.

Michiru turned to look at Schimmit who was shaking, and Michiru could hear his heavy armor rattling.

"He looks like he's seen a ghost." Haruka commented, and Michiru couldn't deny that the statement wasn't accurate.

It was then that Schimmit jumped up from the chair,

"A ghost! It must be Grisdela's ghost haunting us and messing with the system! She wants revenge for her death! She'll go after me next! Or Grimlock, he was her husband after all! Who knows when she could strike next!" Schimmit practically yelled.

A ghost. Really? A ghost? Is that really the first thing his brain jumped to? Okay maybe Michiru wasn't being entirely fair he was probably scared, and logic doesn't tend to kick in when you're afraid.

However a ghost was definitely not the cause of this situation. Definitely not. As that was just plain impossible. First off this was a virtual world that alone means a ghost could not exist here unless it were an NPC or a monster. Secondly all player data and their avatars were deleted upon death so it just wasn't possible for the ghost of a player to haunt anybody.

Michiru sighed, she really wanted to get to the bottom of this whole situation.

_

Usagi stood next to a bench alongside Haruka and Michiru. On the bench sat Kirito and Asuna. They weren't really getting anywhere with this investigation were they? Usagi stared at the ground, she really hoped it turned out to be untrue. People dying in the safe zone that is.

"Here. These are for you three." Kirito said, as a few wrapped sandwiches were shoved into her hands.

Usagi nodded and passed the sandwiches to Haruka,

"Thank you…" Usagi muttered before taking a bite of the sandwich. Wow, it tasted pretty good.

"Did you make these, Asuna?" Usagi asked after she swallowed the bite she took, really just trying to fill the silence with some conversation.

Usagi watched as Asuna looked at her,

"Yes. I've maxed out my cooking stats so I made these to save time."

Usagi blinked, Asuna had maxed out her cooking stat? That was not something she would expect of Asuna. Well maybe the Asuna of two years ago, but not something of Asuna now.

"Really? I'm surprised you spend time leveling up even more to max your cooking stat of all things." Haruka spoke, putting to words what Usagi had been thinking.

Usagi then glanced at Kirito who was about to take another bite of his sandwich, but then he dropped it.

Oh she guessed that was a bummer for him.

It was then as she watched the fallen sandwich burst into multi-colored shards that Kirito fell to his knees staring at where the sandwich had been.

Usagi raised an eyebrow, sure it sucked that he lost his sandwich but was this reaction really necessary? Seriously, it was just a sandwich.

Usagi was about to say something when Kirito looked up, and exclaimed something before she could speak.

"I've got it!"

Huh? Usagi was confused, what could he have possibly figured out by a sandwich breaking?

_

Schimmit kneeled in front of a large tree with a plack in front of it.

"Griselda, I'm so sorry." Schimmit spoke, his voice shaking.

"So it was you after all, you're the one who killed Griselsa, Schimmit." A voice came and Schimmit jolted, and looked up to see the figures of Yolko and Kains in black cloaks standing in front of him.

Schimmit's eyes widen in fear and he started to shake,

"Yolko, Kains…but you're…dea-" Schimmit started but then his mouth stopped moving and his body froze up, and he fell to the ground.

Schimmit could see Yolko and Kains on the ground too? What had happened? Were these two ghosts or not? Why had they frozen? It was then Schimmit noticed it, a little yellow icon with a black lightning bolt in the center, by his username. Oh paralysis. But who had?

Laughter is what Schimmit heard next and watched as three figures stepped in front of him. Three figures in ripped black ponchos. One of them had a large dagger type weapon that resembled a butcher knife.

Ripped pochos…and that weapon.

No, it couldn't be. Nonono.

Schimmit looked at their hands as he lay on the ground paralyzed. There it was. That symbol. Schimmit's eyes widened in fear. These people were orange players, and not just any orange players. They were pkers…player killers from the murder guild Laughing Coffin.

Schimmit could only watch as the player in the middle raised his weapon in the air.

He watched as the blade came down.

_

Haruka was relieved as it seemed they got here in just the right amount of time. Her sword was pressed against the large dagger of the Laughing Coffin member who tried to kill Schimmit who was paralyzed on the ground. This wasn't any Laughing Coffin member, no, the weapon gave it away. This was the leader of Laughing Coffin PoH.

Haruka pushed her blade forward and was successfully able to knock PoH's blade back, and as quickly as she did that as she held the tip blade against PoH's neck.

Haruka glared at PoH, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Usagi, Michiru, and Kirito were handling the other members of Laughing Coffin just fine.

Haruka started to press her blade down against PoH's neck and hoped that she could get him to retreat. If she drained his hp some, because she doubted she could manage a full on fight with this guy.

Haruka watched as PoH scowled and jumped away from her and waved his hand in the air and shook his head.

Afterwards the members of Laughing Coffin disappeared into the forest surrounding them.

Haruka turned and looked at Yolko, Kains and Schimmit who were paralyzed on the ground.

"How did you figure it out? How did you know we were here?" Yolko asked,

Haruka sighed, and looked at Yolko and Kains as Usagi, Michiru and Asuna gave the three paralyzed players cures.

"Well you were still in Asuna's friends list for one. Also I was never convinced you were actually dead because we had all been in the safe zone at the time."

Haruka watched as Yolko stood up,

"You don't understand we only did this because Griselda and Schimmit admitted-"

A voice then cut Yolko off,

"Schimmit didn't kill Griselda. Isn't that right, because we know you killed her, Grimlock."

Haruka sighed, and turned to see Asuna sword drawn as she pointed it at a man with black hair and nice clothes. That almost looked too modern for this game.

Finally she showed up. Haruka let out a sigh of relief as it seemed this was finally wrapping up.

"W-What? But Grimlock helped us. Why would he be the one who-" Yolko started but Asuna cut her off again.

"Why don't you tell us why you killed Griselda, Grimlock?"

Asuna was pushing her rapier into Grimlock's back, and Haruka could see Grimlock's hp start to fall.

Haruka heard Grimlock sigh before he began to speak, and Haruka braced herself for whatever twisted justifications this man had.

"Yes I did kill Griselda. As you see she was my wife in the real world too, and at that time we never fought. But then when we got trapped in this game she changed. She got so braver, and it was clear that she was no longer the woman I loved anymore. That's why I had to kill her in this world where killing is still legal. So she'd still be my wife!"

Haruka's stomach twist at Grimlock's words, and she could not understate how messed up his reasoning was. She glared at Grimlock angrily, and was about to say something but Kirito beat her to it.

"How could you if you actually loved her you would have never done something like that!" Kirito growled at Grimlock.

Grimlock then had the audacity to sigh like what Kirito was saying was wrong. It really infuriated Haruka.

"You'll understand when you're about to lose something you love oneday, kid." Grimlock chided, and bit her lip and fought the urge to go up and punch Grimlock. I mean there was nothing stopping her, they weren't in a safe zone.

Asuna walked out from behind Grimlock, glaring as she shelthed her rapier.

"No, Grimlock you never actually loved Griselda you just wanted to possess her." Asuna spoke, her tone cold and hard.

Grimlock fell to his knees shaking, and Haruka only thought that it served him right. He deserved to suffer and toil over the action he had committed.

Really the fact that he did something so heinous to his lover no less made Haruka furious.

"We're so sorry for the trouble we caused. We'll take Grimlock to the Black Iron Palace in your steed." Yolko spoke, and Haruka wasn't sure whether she should still be annoyed at her and Kains in this situation.

But she was glad things were finally wrapping up.

_

Usagi sighed, and slowly reached out grabbing Haruka's hand.

She saw Haruka look at her curiously.

"I'm glad that's over with. But…"

Usagi watched Haruka raise an eyebrow before she continued to speak.

"You don't think we'll ever end up with our relationship so broken like Griselda's and Grimlock's was…right?" Usagi asked, looking down at the ground.

Usagi felt Haruka's other hand under her chin, and allowed Haruka to lift her head back up. She saw both Haruka and Michiru looking at her.

"No, that won't happen. No matter what happens we'd never hurt you, Usagi." Haruka spoke her voice soft.

"Haruka's right. So don't worry about things like that okay?" Michiru added in, her voice was soft like Haruka's.

Usagi smiled, and nodded her head, and blushed as she felt Haruka lay a kiss on her forehead.

They were right after all. They would never end up like Griselda and Grimlock. Never.