[New Aincrad, Floor 22, Kirito's/Asuna's Cabin]
[Malzeno's POV]
A pleasant warm breeze brushed through the treeline and through the afternoon's clear skies, the sunlight reflecting off the large lake in the distance. The scent of various meats filling the air while a large group dotted the area around Kirito's and Asuna's cabin.
Various hands threw themselves high into the air, mine included with a drink in-hand. "To our new reigning champion, Yuuki the Absolute Sword!" Klein hollered, stomping one foot atop a fence post.
"Congratulations!" We all followed suit, my wicked grin expanding when I saw Yuuki laughing nervously, a bashful blush dusting her cheeks while she raised her own cup to her lips to hide her smile.
"This is kinda embarrassing..." Yuuki murmured after a sip.
"Aw, is Cupcake getting all flustered~?" I cooed, and I immediately caught the empty cup before it could strike me. "Refill?"
"Hrm... please," She pouted as I cackled, returning to the table set with colourful drinks, some of undisclosed nature-probably poison by mistake-Yui was sitting on the edge, watching Asuna put her culinary skills, literally, to work.
"Say, Mal?" I turned toward the voice coming from Leafa. "Why didn't you tell any of us you were gonna switch up your whole player model? And to your real appearance too?"
"Worried I'll have some of my 'adoring fans' coming after me for an autograph? Maybe even a pat on the back with a pointy object?" Though I doubt the thought crossed her mind, she still looked eager for an answer. "To be perfectly honest... it was fun seeing all your jaws drop, say for Pinky here, she knew ahead of time, obviously,"
"Thank you, thank you," Lizbeth bowed her head 'modestly'.
"I was worried whenever you lost your hand during the fight... n-not that I didn't think you couldn't handle yourself!" Silica piped up, waving her hands soon after at her phrasing.
I dismissed it with a wave, "Ah it's no worries. If I'm being perfectly honest, I had no chance of even coming close to beating Blackie in a fight, guy's a freakin' psychopath with those swords, ah man-" I snorted a laugh, looking Kirito's way as he sat with Agil and Klein. "-the look on your face when you got riddled with bolts was priceless! Hahahaa!"
"Hey, I was prepared for bow and arrows not some vintage crossbow, and besides, it was only for a split second," Kirito, try as he may, attempted to appear aloof, though Sinon's piercing stare from her seat cut through it with ease.
"You can mow down an entire magazine of assault rifle fire with a photon sword but a few medieval bolts had you on your toes, hm..." Sinon kept her real motive ambiguous; she could be teasing him or considering the idea the next time they log in to GGO. Or both, it could very well be both when we're talking about that cold-hearted sniper.
Klein and Agil burst out laughing as Kirito's frown deepened, sipping down his whole drink in a flash. "Yeah, well, see if I care,"
"Guess that hit a soft spot, huh?" Yuuki commented as I handed her replacement drink, then she jabbed my side.
"Ow, okay, what did I do or have yet to tell you I've done?" I replied, rubbing my side that didn't even sting; reflexes. "Nori better not have sold me out..."
"Sold you-not that, you being all pessimistic," She jabbed me again, looking at me firmly. "You were awesome out there the whole time! The way you kept Kirito on his toes and used every little trick you had to draw out the fight so your poison could kill him too, that was a great strategy!"
"You played extremely well despite the disadvantages set against you, don't discredit your efforts," Sinon concurred.
"Yeah, look at you, our own little renegade archer!" Nori ruffled my hair as I quickly pulled away, feeling the heat starting to accumulate on my cheeks.
"Okay... thought this was all focused on our winning lady here, thank you," I grinned only for a pair of fingers to jab the sweat spot on my back, causing my whole body to spasm and nearly collapse. "Ah...swear words, Argo...!"
"Nyahahaa, ya gotta accept the praise with some modesty, Mal, ya make it obvious how hot under the collar you can get and it'll be used against yA," Argo grinned, hopping off the decking to sit up on the fence with her own drink in hand. "Whole of Alfheim's got the finale on brains, both little Zekken here and Kii-bou's left a big ol' impression nation widE,"
"Great..." They both sighed collectively, Asuna giggling as she patted her boyfriend's shoulder.
"Well, food's nearly ready-oh, perfect timing too," Asuna beamed, giving a wave to the stone path that led around the side of the building.
"Sorry for our late arrival, we still had a lot to announce and discuss afterwards," Returning the wave was one of the announcers that had provided fair commentary throughout the tournament, and a former SAO player, Thinker.
Thinker had umber-brown, wavy hair and bluish eyes. He wore a light white and blue attire consisting of a trench coat, gloves and trousers.
Beside him, holding his hand was an arguably beautiful woman, and his actual wife after the Death Game, Yulier. She had light blue hair tied into a ponytail. Wearing a blue outfit with brown shorts.
"Yulier? It's been forever since we've seen you," Asuna brightened up, the woman smiling with a polite bow to the group.
"It sure has been, Asuna, everyone, after the tournament I wanted to see if I could come see you all again," Yulier's eyes then rested on mine, and I slowly turned my head to the side. "You've sure grown up, Meru-erm, rather, it's Malzeno now,"
"Yeah, yeah it is... Miss Yulier..." I coughed into my fist, feeling all of the eyes of the Sleeping Knights on me.
"'Miss'?" They echoed, and Thinker was quick to give them an answer I wouldn't provide, turning away from them all to eye the grill.
"During a rather unsavoury time within SAO among the largest guild we two were a part of, Malzeno here had offered a tremendous amount of aid in resolving the issues caused by the guild, Yulier was often the one he spoke with in regards to this," Thinker's smile was on my back, I could tell. "And during that time, you could say Malzeno had grown to respect Yulier fondly-"
"Okay, that's info I alone am allowed to sell at my discretion, Thinker, thank you so much for your contribution, I'll fax you the bill later!" Now my face was redder as several of them started to laugh at my expense, forcing me to run my hands down my face. "Uuugh, I simply respect her, she was an effective ally during the whole fiasco with those 'Army' migraines,"
"Hahaha, you totally had a crush on her, didn't you-" The moment the words left Jun's mouth, I had an arrow pointed at his nose, eye twitching as I glared him down into his seat. The last thing I need is to be reminded of 'that' train of thought.
"Confidential, just like you'll be when I leave you to die in a dungeon next time we're out gathering materials, little red," Seething the words through grit teeth, I lowered my bow and threw my hands up, this whole issue is no longer within my grasp, "I'm leaving to to drown myself in the lake..."
"No need to be dramatic, Mal, just some friendly banter," Klein brushed off my irritation with a wave.
"I know what you mean, Malzeno, really, no need to get all worked up," Yulier, the lovely woman she is, was far more understanding. Clearing her throat, she stepped aside. "Now, we still have one other guest,"
"Yeah, I was itching to greet ya'll but then someone went and opened Pandora's Box outta nowhere, haha!" Hopping into view with a cheery wave was the other announcer from the tournament, and one that surprised us with her visit. "Nice to finally meet most of the hardcore contestants and even their associates. Pleasure to meetcha, name's Cliffheart!"
With curly greyish-white hair that stuck out everywhere, matching feline eyes and the traits of a Cait Sith, though more on the leopard side, Cliffheart looked far different than even my estimates. She looked kitted out to be an adventurer through-and-through with a black sports bra and matching shorts, a white vest jacket and thick black boots.
"So the lady behind the mic reveals herself," Agil commented, earning a peace-sign salute from the young woman.
"In the flesh! And maaaan you guys were super freakin' cool out there these last two days, I was at the edge of my seat that Thinker kept me from falling half the time!" She giggled sheepishly, Thinker nodding with a small bead of sweat down his cheek. "But now I'm off the clock but already got a podcast to handle later tonight, business as usual after this meet and greet,"
"Well, by all means, join us, we've got more than enough to go around," Asuna offered, the trio soon mingling with the others.
Instantly, I saw Yuuki leaning back in her seat when Cliffheart grabbed her hands, stars in her eyes. "You were so spectacular out there! How the heck can you move so fast!? Same for Blackie over there!?" She jabbed a finger at Kirito who blinked blankly back.
"I-it's just I've played this game and others a whole bunch, m-muscle memory, y'know?" Yuuki tried to keep any intel about her real reasons behind closed doors, thankfully, Cliffheart seemed to take that as a suitable answer so I didn't need to step in, nor the others. "Right guys?"
"We've played various other games together," Siune nodded to Cliffheart.
"But Yuuki here is the strongest," Talken gestured to their purple leader.
"Hm, I see, though I can imagine you all have your own talents to bring to the table; people are so eager to recruit you guys but your guild's as strong as any other," Cliffheart pursed her lips before they formed a smile. "I heard you guys even took down two floor bosses as a single party, sure had me gripped to see what you could do, and you and Mal over there didn't disappoint!"
"Ahahaha, well, happy to give a good show!" Yuuki gave a toothy smile, scratching the back of her head. "In all honesty, that last match was so close, even for me,"
"Really? You two did cut it down to the wire, I'll say," Now, that energetic announcer's eyes pounced to me, already nudging my side with an almost flirty smile. "What about you, Ranger? Not often an archer enters the fray against swordsmen, you and Sinon over there sure gave us all a real U-turn with your battles,"
"Can't reveal all my juicy secrets," I replied, putting on my façade as Argo had shown me. Never reveal your hand. "I've had more than my fair share of close calls, but that's only sharpened my skills to contend even with the most skilled of players,"
"Oooh, mystery man, aren't you?" Cliffheart cooed, then stood up straight. "Hm, well then, that'll be more than enough for me. I know how you info brokers work, and I'm kinda strapped for cash so I'll have ta come by one day for that exclusive interview, 'kay" She winked and quickly hopped away to continue her journalism.
What a strange girl, no wonder she fits the role of commentator...
From then on, everyone quickly dug into the barbeque feast prepared by Asuna, and the new arrivals were soon integrated into the group as everyone talked amongst themselves about everything and nothing. It was a pleasant atmosphere to be a part of from time-to-time.
I sat on the top of the picnic bench set out, legs hanging off the edge while I finished off another burger. "Heard news some big shot's made a device for augmented reality, said it'll be released to the public in April," I shifted the topic as the reminder went off in my head.
"Augmented Reality? Not like it'll be any use to us," Jun gestured around the table. "Say for Siune I guess,"
"Oooh, I think I heard about this," Yuuki completely disregarded the fact most of them had no need for AR given their solitary lives in hospitals. "It's like the AmuSphere, it's a biproduct of it and the Nervegear so its just as advanced, it can even simulate a game to overlap with the real world!" Just the twinkle in her eyes was enough to get me excited about the prospect.
"I wonder if it'll pose competition over regular Full Dive?" Siune teased the question around the table.
"Most likely not, both offer a vastly different experience, like deciding between a video game console or a computer, both offer a value depending on the consumer," Talken interjected with his fair point.
"True, and besides, not a lot a person can do in AR compared to Full Dive, I mean, can't fly, and I doubt you could run a mile without cardiac arrest," I reinforced, but tilted my head a bit. "Although, I wonder if that means you guys could project yourselves into AR via our own devices, the... Augma, yeah, those,"
Yuuki perked up at this rocking back and forth in her seat. "You think so? That would be so cool, I could walk around Japan more freely with you or Asuna, better than always having to wear that camera on your shoulder!"
Moving around Japan with Yuuki actually beside us, sure, we could only make contact with the device active, and I doubt the sense of touch would be as potent and realistic as Full Dive, but just the concept alone had my heart tick faster.
"Hear that, Mal," Nori leaned over the table to poke my shoulder, her elbows propped up. "You and everyone else gotta let us stretch our digital limbs if you nab a bunch of Augmas when they hit the shelves,"
"Heh, well I can only promise to try, that, and they're gonna be expensive too," No surprise there given the advancement. I held up an 'OK' sign to them, flashing a sharp smirk. "I'll be sure to give you all a grand tour of the outside world from your prisons,"
"It's not that terrible," Siune sighed a smile.
"Easy for you to say, we're stuck in the mud!" Jun exclaimed, throwing hands high.
"Now-Now little red, let's not get all worked up," I patted the top of his head, making him flustered and angry.
"Shut up, dammit!" That only led to a collective laugh at his expense.
During this, Yuuki leapt to her feet, stretching out her arms before she reached over and tugged on my sleeve, eyeing me with a strange expression. "Hey, come over here a sec, got something to ask-and no eavesdropping, leader's orders!" She shot down her whole team before a word got out.
"Oookay?" Allowing her to lead me to the side of the cabin to chat away from the others, the sky was starting to turn a shade of orange as it caught the side of the house. "What it is up, Cupcake?"
"You said that if I won the tournament that you'd have a surprise for me," Hearing her bring this up made me inwardly flinch, crap. Now, her vermillion eyes were stuck to me, crossing her arms. "Just wanted to check you hadn't forgotten, and... if it was something you were going to give me, or... something,"
Why is she nervous? I'm the one who shot himself with a deadline. Clearing my thoughts, I kept myself composed to the best of my ability. "Hardly, seeing as I can't exactly act like you just misheard what I said-lovely, so, uh, it's not a... gift per say... more like aaaaa..." My words dried up in my throat.
Just say it! I had to take Sinon's advice on this, swallowing my nerves, I looked Yuuki directly in the eyes as the light framed her face almost perfectly. "...well, I have another promise I made to you, so... tomorrow after school, let's... head around Alne, just... us, if that's okay with you?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out what I was implying, and for Yuuki? That was a few short seconds as her eyes widened a bit, and either I was seeing things or her cheeks were a little pinker. "Y-you want to... what, like a date?"
"Some normal human beings call it that, yes," I nodded along.
She lowered her head, likely as embarrassed as I am, but she cupped her hands together tightly, raising her head to look at me directly with a warmth in her expression I've only seen once, the day I met her after learning the whole truth about her condition.
The wind pulled her hair to the side a little, my eyes stuck on her gentle smile, nodding once. "...okay, then it's a date," Now, her usual smile returned, punching my stomach lightly. "Now I've got my motive for tomorrow, so I'm expecting this to be the best surprise to date... a-as in I'll be surprised, not that I'll 'date' the surprise-gah, you know what I mean!"
"Hmph, now why would I ever want to disappoint you, Cupcake?" I sure had my work cut out for me, but seeing how her face lit up just now, I wasn't nearly as worried. The first hurdle was behind me, now, I had possibly the biggest dead ahead."...tomorrow, I'll find out if what I'm feeling is real.."
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
We're getting closer to the big payoff, I'm excited for this. It was also funny adding that bit with Malzeno having a tiny crush on Yulier, and Cliffheart's a blast to write outside of her commentary. The atmosphere overall was enjoyable.
I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Players!