When Koharu returns to the guest room, Jaymes is immediately in her sights. He's seated on the windowsill, gazing at the dark sky outside the window. His arms hold the sheathed sword Imperial, letting it rest on his shoulders like a sleeping lover. Her arrival or approach doesn't sway his attention, but he knows it is her based either on the timeliness of her arrival or her steps.

She sits on the opposite side of the windowsill, bringing her legs to her knees and joining him in watching the starry night sky. She waits for him to speak rather than blurting out her thoughts. The longer the silence between them is, the more unbearable it becomes to the point that her girlish desire to speak up pokes her brain relentlessly.

"I'm fine, Koharu. Really, I am."

"I see. That's good you aren't beating yourself up anymore. But what's on your mind?"

"Well... If we can't find a counteraction to the poisons, I wonder what to do."

"We will," Koharu insists, to which Jaymes holds his hand up.

"No, I know we will. The game has to be balanced that way." His gaming logic normally would discard any other conflicting thoughts, so it is strange that he's caught up on this one. "But it's a question of if, but when. At this point in the beta, there weren't many poison weapons, or if there were, they were level-1 poisons, much like the poison we faced against the third floor's boss. So the antidotes we gathered there were fine. But this changes everything. So if we can't eliminate the cause or the effect, we have to eliminate the...middle."

Koharu feels her throat tense up. "You...don't mean..."

He closes his eyes and sighs. "That's the last resort, and if it comes down to taking off Morte and his friends...but there's one other way. The game is fair, Koharu, and it gave us something unexpected: Lore."

"Lore?" A fancy gamer term for 'background information,' Jaymes has told her that lore is a valuable resource when it comes to gaming. To both of them, it's the history of the world and helps it feel alive and real. For example, the story of the Great Separation is the history of Aincrad. But how Koharu sees that as plain history, Jaymes sees it in a gamer's light: it is an answer to question and births even more. It can connect all the dots of a quest and form more connections to be found.

He is right. They received two pieces of elven lore moments ago, one connected to the pick that Jaymes holds in his fingers. "Oh! You mean the story about Shmargor and Selm."

"Yes. Selm, a human, beat a dragon that spewed this very poison. The general did the same thing. I'm going to put my faith in that story, that there's a way Selm fought a poisonous dragon and it will be the key to how we beat the PKers. But if that doesn't work, I won't hold back on using violence as a deterrent."

So that's how it is. Koharu swallows and loosens her throat, feeling the tension in the room relax a bit. As much as she hates to admit it, Jaymes has a point. Morte and his gang are going to fight them without a care, so why shouldn't they do the same? But he hasn't said one thing - that Koharu should follow in his stead. That Asuna, Kirito, and Mito should adhere to the same principles. Jaymes has already decided he won't hold back on extreme measures if the moment calls for it and proved it earlier. But that doesn't sit right with Koharu.

She may be the only one who sees it, but Jaymes is not a murderer. He may be apathetic at times, blunt with his words, and in her case, overly protective. But simultaneously, he took a girl he didn't know in the other world under his wing and protected her. He took in a newbie and made her one of the most vital members of SAO in nearly three months. He gave her courage, blessed her with many reasons to smile, and took her on many adventures in their short time together as partners and as a team with Asuna, Kirito, Mito, and Argo. They even broke the taboo of virtual gaming, opening up about their real lives even if it was the most minute details. If he goes down this path...he might regress and become someone Koharu won't be able to recognize.

So in a single thought to prevent it, Koharu holds her pinkie finger out, extending it towards Jaymes. "Promise me."

"Huh?"

"Promise me that...unless push comes to shove, unless there is no other option afforded to you...and not in anger...you'll never..."

"Sure." Jaymes holds out his pinkie finger, intertwining it with Koharu's. Instinctively, she squeezes, holding it tight like it is her lifeline. On the other side, Jaymes lowers his eyes. He folds his lips as if he's choosing what to say, then speaks in a low, nearly whispering tone. "I won't promise not to hurt anyone, but I promise I'll never kill another player, even if push comes to shove. But if I start to fail in that part, promise you'll bring me back to my senses."

"Of course."

Asuna

While Jaymes and Koharu have a heart-to-heart, Asuna has a moment of her own with Kirito - if getting caught off guard by his sudden appearance in the then-unknown single bath (Asuna was aware of the separate changing rooms, but not that the bath was shared) then nearly going orange and drowning in the bath is a "heart to heart" moment. She is thankful he reacted to avoid her punch as they're outside the safe zone, and he too was unaware of the situation prior, but still...

She would have tried to knock him out again if Mito hadn't poured cold water on them.

While the three humans and their elven companion bathed, Asuna and her allies learned that Kizmel has a plan to counter the poisonous throwing picks. "If those throwing picks are indeed fashioned from the spikes of the dragon Shmargor, then the story of the human hero Selm fighting the dragon should be useful to consult. As I recall, Selm gained the assistance of an elven sage and constructed a tool to stop the dragon's poison…"

"Ooh…and how do you create that item?" Kirito asks while leaning forward, seated distantly from the three girls.

He might've inched closer in the interest of the conversation, in which Asuna would have glared at him to move back...yet her attention was tuned to Kizmel. "Was the sage a dark elf or a forest elf?"

Kizmel answers with a shrug. "I heard the story from my grandmother when I was a child. I'm afraid I don't recall the finer details. But I believe a dark elf storyteller would have a full and proper recollection of the story of Shmargor."

"S-storyteller? Where can we go to meet such a person?"

"There is a storyteller in this very castle. But as a general rule, they are very old and spend most of the day sleeping, so you will need to visit the library around the middle of the day."

While her companions cheer at the prospect of getting an answer, Asuna finds another interest. In her experiences, she's only seen elves as young as Kizmel to as comparatively old as her father, if the viscount isn't older than that. Given that elven lifetimes exceed humans, Asuna remembers that the viscount was a couple of centuries old and the dark elf queen has been alive since the Great Separation. The lord of Castle Galey even retains his youthful face despite his beard."elderly" for elves have to be sometime more than what Asuna thinks.

She faces Kizmel. "I've never seen an elderly elf before... Are they youthful in appearance, too?"

"Our elders rarely venture outside the city; that is why. As for their appearances…Well, I find that a difficult question to answer."

"Oh. Of course. I'll just look forward to finding out in person."

After that, the quartet finished bathing and got dressed again. Kirito, who left first, waits for them in the nearby lounge. He sits in one of the raffan chairs and hands them a cold cup of water when the girls arrive to help them cool off. Then the conversation picked up again, this time about another topic.

"You've got a busy life, Kizmel…You've got the, um…Jade and Lapis and Amber Keys stored in a safe location, right?"

"But of course. They are in the treasure repository on the fourth floor of the central hall."

"T-treasure repository, huh?"

"Don't sound so interested, Kirito," Mito quips, in which Kirito tightens his lips and glances away without a defense. Huh, so he was thinking about it.

Asuna shakes that thought off and continues the conversation with something far more important. "Kizmel…aren't you worried that the forest elves might attack in search of the keys again, like they did at Yofel Castle?" Castle Galey has its defenses, but Yofel Castle is surrounded by water. With some Fallen Elf aid, the forest elves tried to attack Yofel Castle and get the keys back. It can be said that players siding with the forest elves would be successful in the attack on the other side of the questline. But for the story that Asuna and her companions are a part of, it is a great concern.

"…No. You need not worry about that," Kizmel states with such certainty that the three humans could only stare at the elf's gloomy expression. Then it dawned on them why she was sure of it.

"Oh, I see. The area outside this castle…"

"That's right. The wasteland that surrounds us is so desolate and dry…that neither dark elf nor forest elf can last within it for long. Inside the castle, we are protected by the blessings of the spirit tree, but if that tree was to die out, we would be forced to abandon this place."

"But then, how will you get the key on this floor back? You can telep…er, travel through the spirit trees at the castles on the fifth and seventh floor, but the key is still far from this place, isn't it?"

"That's correct." Kizmel's face continues to present somberly, but once she looks up to Asuna and the others, her typical smile reappears. "But do not fear. This castle is equipped with a means to leave in the case of a sudden emergency. It will allow us to cross the arid wastes."

Asuna glances at Kirito and Mito. Nothing was said between them, nor did words have to be expressed. She thinks she knows the two not present well enough to say what comes out her mouth with certainty. "Kizmel, Kirito, Mito, Jaymes, Koharu, and I will retrieve the hidden key on this floor. We might not be as strong as you, but we're much tougher than we used to be."

Hesitation rests on Kizmel's features. "I do not doubt that, but I cannot expect you to do the job for me. The friction with the forest and Fallen Elves is our problem…And think of it this way. If you had not saved my life in the Forest of Wavering Mists, I would have been killed by that forest elf—or we would have fought to our mutual deaths, at best. How can I be allowed to stay safe and sound in a castle while allowing you two to do all the dirty, dangerous work?"

Asuna wants to tell Kizmel that it is fine, but Kirito beats her to speak. "All right…then let's go and get the key tomorrow. But don't take unnecessary risks. If any of it seems tough, you must promise to tell us at once." Kirito then raises his left pinkie finger, but Kizmel stares at it in confusion.

"What is wrong with your finger?"

"Oh, uh…It's a human custom. When you make a promise, you intertwine your pinkies."

"Ah. Like this?" Kizmel locks her right pinkie with Kirito, and in excitement, Asuna jumps in and repeats the gesture with Kizmel's other hand. Feeling awkward, the elf says, "It is a strange custom, but it feels fun. I promise not to take unnecessary risks, if you promise to prioritize your own safety."

"Of course!" Beaming, Kizmel releases them and faces Mito, holding up her pinkie. The scythe-wielder nods her head and locks her pinkie with Kizmel.

Jaymes and Koharu rejoined the others in the second-floor dining hall. It was full of feasting elves and even had a stage where lute and flute players entertained the hall with music. The meal didn't have the extravagance that Yofel Castle (and Asuna Yuuki's life) had, but it was still delicious.

After dinner, the groups returned to the guest chambers; Mito decided to spend the night in Kizmel chambers while Jaymes and Koharu were shown a room adjacent to Kirito and Asuna's. A similar arrangement to Yofel Castle's...except for one exception.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Asuna and Kirito entered their room. Finally alone, Asuna catches Kirito opening his mouth, but she silently signals for him not to speak of the earlier mishap in the baths. She understood he wasn't at fault and why he tossed her as he did.

It wasn't eight o'clock yet, but after a day of dealing with ALS and DKB, going through a small dungeon, and traveling the desert, Asuna is exhausted. Tomorrow will be another long day, so they decided to call it a day early. But...

There's only one bedroom this time, with one sizeable queen-sized bed in the middle of the luxurious chamber. That...poses a problem...on a normal day, that is. And if she knows Kirito...

"Um…I'll just sleep on the sofa, okay?"

"You're not going to get a good night's sleep that way." He didn't protest because he knew she was right - and they have proof on the other side of their room in the form of Jaymes and Koharu.

While the body is already in a sleep-like state while a person plays SAO, the NerveGear's signals reproduce all sensory signals from the virtual body to the real. This goes for sleeping too. Sleeping on the ground leads to discomfort and shallower sleep; at the same time, sleeping in a fancy bed like the one before them leads to greater comfort and quality of sleep.

Kirito's offer is kind to her, but she hates getting special treatment and he knows it. She also knows that while the couch is spacious and comfortable, the seat cushions take up space, making it uncomfortable to lay down on. And if she knows Kirito, the next thing he'll say is - "Listen, I can sleep anywhere. Don't mind me, just take the bed and—"

"We are game partners, aren't we?"

"Y-yeah?"

"So it would be wrong to place all the burden on one of us."

"…Y-yeah."

"Then this is the only option." Did Koharu have this much trouble convincing Jaymes? She pegged Jaymes as a good enough guy not to accept at the first chance (nor did he), but Asuna bets he wasn't as stubborn about not sharing a bed as Kirito is.

Taking the opportunity, Asuna grabs Kirito's sleeve and pulls him into the bedroom. She then reaches for the covers and peels it halfway back. Finger on the splendid white sheets, she draws a two-foot line with her finger. "This is the border."

Surprised by the words Asuna hadn't spoken since they slept in Kizmel's tent on the third floor, Kirito chuckles - which earns a fierce glare. "A-all right... I get it. I understand. Capisce."

Asuna scowls but decides not to push the issue further. It isn't optimal, but given the situation, she has no choice but to sleep beside the black swordsman. She surprised herself at her current fortitude, but she did say that she'd share a room with him if it meant keeping an eye on him at all times. If Koharu can sleep with Jaymes, she can deal with one night beside Kirito.

"Well... I'll sleep on this side," she says, claiming the side away from the window and sliding under the blanket. Turning her back to Kirito, she changes out her armor to pajamas, then slides further down under the covers until her head is the only anatomy outside of it. Her head remains turned from Kirito.

Trying to fall asleep as fast as possible, Asuna senses Kirito turning the lights off in the bedroom and living room. Then he makes his entry into the bed. As he does so, two thoughts pop in Asuna's head that prevents her from falling asleep. One is not really a problem, but it would be best for the boys to room together for the rest of their stay in Galey Castle while Koharu joins Asuna. Then again, if that happens, Jaymes isn't going to stop Kirito from being Kirito. As a matter of fact, it'll be a bigger problem if boys are to be boys and leave without a word to the girls. So scratch that for now.

The second is simple curiosity. Asuna always wondered how Koharu trusted Jaymes in the same bed. Then when the anti-harassment code first appeared in Mr. Romolo's workshop on the fourth floor after Kirito touched her, she wondered how Jaymes avoided it. Asking Koharu about it might embarrass the girl, and Jaymes wouldn't tell her. The fact that he hasn't been sent down to Black Iron Palace's dungeons proves he hasn't violated the code outside of Koharu's watch.

But it bugs her now that she's right beside a boy...a boy who also avoided it earlier today and can answer her now. "Are you still awake, Kirito?"

"…Ayup."

"You know how there's that anti-harassment code? The thing that came up in Mr. Romolo's workshop on the fourth floor when you tried to wake me up?"

"Y…yes."

"I was just thinking…you pushed me over when we were in the bath." "

N-no…I was keeping you from going orange."

"But you pushed me over."

"…Ayup."

"So why didn't the anti-harassment code activate?"

"Um…Does it not show up if you're in a party together…? No, because we were partied up on the fourth floor…Maybe it depends on the time of contact…? But no, I don't remember touching you for very long on the fourth floor, either…"

"It's not an issue of how you make contact. When you tried to wake me up, you just touched my shoulder, and it went off, but it didn't happen when you pushed me over naked."

"P-please don't say it like that…" Yet it was true. Asuna was naked when Kirito pushed her, and nothing happened. The warning appeared when she was fully clothed. And if she applies those conditions Kirito spoke of to Jaymes and Koharu, they also don't apply. They've been party members since day one, yet Koharu never reported seeing or hearing about the anti-harassment code until Asuna told her about it on the fourth floor. So if being in a party, the act of contact. or time of contact isn't a prerequisite, then what could be?

"…Ah," Kirito finally says, "When it happened…you were sleeping."

Her thoughts were pulling her to sleep, so when Kirito speaks his solution, it suddenly rouses Asuna from nodding off. "…What? The code activated because I was sleeping? You mean it won't go off if you're awake…?"

"…No, I don't think that's it…But that's the only thing I can think of…"

"Hmm…" Her inquisitive mind can't allow for this to remain a hypothesis. But how can they test this theory... Oh, that could work. "Pinkie."

"Eh?"

"Hold out your pinkie."

Kirito makes a small movement under the covers, but only for a moment. "But the border—"

"One finger's worth of trespassing can be overlooked. Hurry it up."

"Okay…" Kirito extends his pinkie close to the centerline. Asuna reaches out for it shortly after, and they lock the hold in. "So, um...what are we doing?"

"Just be quiet." The boy silenced, Asuna waited a few more seconds for the translucent holographic window to appear, alerting her of inappropriate contact. It didn't. "The window for the code isn't popping up. So if we fall asleep and it's showing when we wake up, that would indicate that your theory is correct, to a degree."

"Ah, I see."

"Well, good night."

"If the prompt does show up, don't hit the button in your sleep."

"Yeah...I...know..."

"Good night." From that moment onward, no words were said. Her curiosity of the anti-harassment code was sated for the moment by the warmth of Kirito's finger of all things. It would have to be put on further hold come tomorrow. They had to help Kizmel gain the Agate Key. They had to finish the "Curse of Stachion" quest series. They had to help progress through the floor. DKB and ALS will be a headache in itself. If only there was a third guild big and powerful enough to be their buffer, it would alleviate some of their troubles.

And their biggest problem - Morte, Joe, Annihilator, Devesta, and the man in the black poncho. They wanted ALS and DKB to be at war with each other and even wanted Asuna and her party dead. Why would they intentionally interfere in their only escape from Sword Art Online?

Why did they want Asuna and her friends dead?

Friends... That is probably the first time she referred to Jaymes, Koharu, and Kirito as such, but Mito has always been her friend. Yes, there was a time they weren't together, but Asuna never thought otherwise of their friendship. She understood why Mito left, and in her own mind, Mito was dead too. Yet...recently, it seems like Mito has distanced herself from Asuna. Granted, there are more people around than when they began SAO, but Asuna cannot think of the last time she and Mito acted as they used to since they rejoined. Koharu had filled every moment that involved another girl.

As she grows closer to Koharu, she feels herself losing Mito. Why is this dawning on her now?

"Misumi...we're still friends, right?" is the last words of Asuna before sleep claims her.

Mito

"Are you sure about entrusting this to me?"

With hesitation, Mito nods her head, her gaze frozen to her lap. Across from her, seated in a chair, Jaymes sighs and takes a rolled parchment from Mito's hands. He twiddles the outer end of the rolled paper but decides against reading the contents. With a few taps, the note dematerializes into his inventory. "Then I'll do as you ask, though Kirito might be better for it?"

"Kirito may be, but he'll also be against me."

"You know he's looking for the first chance to dump her off."

"No... That's what I did, and though she has forgiven me, I cannot forgive myself for it. He'll watch over her until the time is right for her to move on...or if you're worried, you could take her under your wing."

"...Mito..."

"Don't you try," she says, finally looking up at him. Her gaze then travels to the bedroom door, where Koharu sleeps soundly and safely. "If Koharu died under your watch, could you forgive yourself? Could you forgive yourself for failing to see her survive to the end as you promised?"

"..."

"I didn't think so. She's much safer with either of you than with me anyway, and even if she wasn't, she has found her path. I have yet to find mine. It sounds selfish, but I don't think the way you four are walking is fit for me entirely. Being a hero, a symbol of hope for all players... I think my destiny is different."

Jaymes snorts, which earns him a raised eyebrow. He clears his throat and stands up, walking over to the large window. "'I think my destiny is different.' That sounds like words I used to say and believe. No, I still do...and it would be hypocritical of me to tell you what to do when I've fought against that my whole life. So...do as you want, Mito, but before then, seek peace between you and Asuna."

Seek peace? "How?"

"Asuna's fate will put her in peril until we leave this place. After seeing Diavel...it's best to do it soon. Maybe before you leave us altogether." He looks at Mito over his shoulder, his brown eye taking on a reddish hue as it glows in the dark. "Test her strength for yourself."

"A duel..." Asuna's strength is her greatest worry, and there's no better way to put them to rest than to gauge Asuna's ability. "That's a good idea. Thank you, Jaymes. Sorry to disturb you." The crimson swordsman waves the appreciation off and pivots toward the bedroom door. Likewise, Mito rises and heads for the entrance to the quarters. Halfway into her exit, she pauses and turns around to Jaymes.

"Hey, Jaymes. You do care plenty for Asuna, don't you?"

He scoffs and turns to the bedroom door, exhaling sharply. "Of course I do... She's my friend, after all... Good night."

"Good night." Mito closes the door behind her, then takes a deep breath. The matter has been settled. After they clear this floor, Mito will leave Asuna and her companions behind for good to find her path in this new life. She has no clue where it will lead her, but it will be critical to her survival.

But no matter what comes, Asuna Yuuki will always be Misumi Tozawa's friend.