Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Sword Art Online:Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer

2012-08-19T15:01:11Z

86.8.170.209: /* Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer */

==Sound of Water, Sound of Hammer==
'''''Aincrad 48th Floor'''''
[[Image: SAO_Lisbeth_Edition.jpg|thumb]]
'''''August 2024'''''

"Please reinforce it."

I stared hard at the face of my client, who placed a long sword in a white scabbard onto the counter while calmly uttering that line, for roughly two seconds.

"...Wh-What is it?"

Upper body leaning away, the other party finally responded with a single cough.

"It-It's nothing. ...It's just that, I was wondering how long you're intending to drag this sword along with you."

It was a line meant as a light jab at that display of bashfulness, but with a—

"It-It's fine, isn't it, me dragging it about. I like it, after all."

I was rendered once again speechless at that reply. If we were to continue looking at each other face to face like this, that near unnoticeable reddish tinge on my cheeks would be exposed, so I hastily averted my face and spoke.

"Well, it's just like you to not even update your equipment though. Well then, please come along to the workshop."

Reaching my hands towards the counter, I lifted the long sword with my fighting spirit, going "Yoisho!".

The reason my face turned red was simple.

It was because three months ago, this slender long sword in my arms right now, «Dark Repulser», was what I —Lisbeth the smith, forged by swinging my smith hammer: a player-made weapon; also, the black-haired, black-clothed one-handed sword user -Kirito, who just made the "I like it" comment, was the person I am in love with. Ever since the day we met, without ceasing.

<center><span style="font-size: 250%;">* * *</span></center>

My shop, «Lisbeth's Equipment Shop» stood in the southern district of the main town area on Aincrad's 48th floor. It was somewhat average among the manufacturing-class player shops, with the sales area and workshop situated on the first floor, and the second organized into four rooms for the kitchen and bedrooms.

As for the reason it was valued highly despite that house plan, it was due to the fact that it was furnished with a large water wheel at the back of the house, connected to a waterway. Various large-scale devices could be connected to the power transmitting axle that pierced through the wall, reaching into the workshop. For a bakery, a flour mill; for a tailor, a weaving loom; and as such, for a smith, bellows or a sharpening wheel. Considering the merit of automating these tools that would originally require a player to push and turn them by hand, the thumping sound of its rotation that rang out regardless of day or night could be said to be rather pleasant.

Kirito appeared at the shop early in the afternoon, in the second summer of Aincrad. As it was a time when steadfast players secluded themselves in the hunting grounds or labyrinth areas, while the converse sipped away at iced drinks after a meal at bars or restaurants, there were no other customers within the shop.

I left the NPC, Hanna (female, estimated to be fifteen years old, surname, Heinemann) to tend to the shop, and moved towards the workshop while carrying the heavy sword. After Kirito, who came along, opened the door without requiring any additional prompting, the sound of the water wheel's rotation became remarkably louder.

"...It's such a relief that Aincrad's summers aren't that hot, really."

His impression was probably due to spotting the furnace burning red hot in a corner of the room, I thought, as I heard him speak behind me. I lowered myself onto the chair beside the anvil and unintentionally broke into a wry smile.

"If you care about the heat, you should just take that off when you're within the area, at least."

The trademark of Kirito, who possessed the cool second title of «The Black Swordsman», was that black leather coat of his that extended below his knees; if one were to take up that sort of appearance in the real world during August, it would probably eventually result in heatstroke. Leaving the sheathed Dark Repulser on the anvil for the moment, I shifted my view to Kirito, who was leaning against the wall, and he had a bitter smile on while scratching his head.

"It's like, well, aside from sleeping, I just can't calm down without this on nowadays, you know..."

"That said, don't tell me you actually had the same one equipped since the first floor?"

Previously, when I was chatting with my close friend, Asuna, at this very spot, the topic ended up being Kirito's only set of clothes. According to her, it seemed that he had the same appearance ever since he got his hands on a unique rare, «Coat of Midnight», from the floor boss on the first floor.

At my question, Kirito smiled once again and shook his head.

"I do have to update my armor every now and then. This «Blackwyrm Coat» is the... fourth generation, I guess?"

"Oh... That's a monster drop too?"

"Nope, it's player-made..."

That somewhat complicated expression that flashed past Kirito's face as he replied did not escape my gaze. Maintaining my smile, I pressed on without a moment's delay.

"Oh. Which shop is it from?"

"Well, that's... it's just something from A-«Ashley's»..."

"Ohh. Hehh. Is that so."

As I dragged my words out, Kirito made the truly conspicuous motion of averting his eyes.

Ashley was a charismatic seamstress, widely said to be Aincrad's number one. Although it wasn't like she was a business rival to me, a smith, she set up shop in Lindas like me, in the northern section and it was thrice the size of mine (with two water wheels), not to mention the shop's name, «Ashley's», was one most could not help but notice. In addition, the person in question was a considerable beauty in her early twenties.

Likely due to being aware that the defensive line-up in my -Lisbeth Equipment Shop- included lightweight armor for swordsmen using one-handed swords as well, Kirito babbled on with an expression on the verge of letting out a cold sweat.

"Nah, it's just that my build is based on leather armor and all, and the only tailor I knew that could handle a high grade raw material like black dragon leather was Ashley-san, so I really had no choice at all, you see..."

"I didn't even say anything, did I. But still, if I'm not wrong, wasn't it Ashley-san's policy on custom-made items to only take up requests that interested her?"

"Re-Really? I was, you know, referred there by Asuna, her regular customer... oh right, that's just like the first time I came to Lis's shop, isn't it. That time was a real disaster, eh, smashing that sword you were selling when I tried swinging it and..."

Upon getting to that point, he froze up with an expression that said "Oh-crap-I-stepped-on-a-land-mine", and I ended up bursting out in laughter, unable to suppress it any further.

"Ahaha... there's no need to make a face like that, that's nothing more than a good lesson to me now. Back then, I did make swords only focused on Accuracy and Quickness, without much care for their durability, after all. Swords that are strong with the system assistance are popular, but I realized that the swords that'll protect my customers' lives in a pinch are the durable ones..."

After my laughter settled down and I turned back to the anvil, I lifted the Dark Repulser up once again. I gently pulled the sword out from its sheath, it was heavy enough for me to have no proper way of swinging it in actual combat even if I could carry it around with my STR.

The blade that was fairly slender for a one-handed long sword was silver, with a faint bluish tint. Asuna's beloved sword, «Lambent Light», was of translucent silver much like a crystal, but in contrast the appearance of this was exactly like that which often appears in fantasy works, «Mithril Silver».

"If I'm not mistaken, this is +39 at the moment, right?"

"Yep. In short, I'm challenging for that +40 today."

Kirito assented to my question without hesitation, but having a number of +40 as a reinforcement value wasn't quite common.

Every piece of equipment that existed in Aincrad possessed a property named «Reinforcement Attempts Count». As its name implied, it was the number of times one could challenge for a reinforcement on it, and that number fell by one each time, regardless of success or failure.

The value of the attempts count for «Dark Repulser» was 50, far more than the rest, among the swords I forged. And now, the remaining count was 8. In other words, the results of reinforcement thus far was 39 successes, compared to a mere 3 failures. Putting it into a success rate, it was at, erm... approximately 93 percent. This was a figure that could already be said to be a miracle, and if the information brokers were to get wind of it, they would likely come here straight away, sniffing for the trick to it. But still, even if they were to come, it's not like I knew the reason for it.

In any case, the reason why this sword that was forged three months ago could still be used by Kirito on the frontlines (currently the seventieth floor), was mainly due to this terrifying reinforcement value. Players uninterested in weapon reinforcement mostly updated the arms they mainly used with each floor, but Kirito equipping the sword that I made for this long was a cause for happiness, and conversely, concern, as well.

As for why that was so, if one planned to boost the success rate of reinforcement to its maximum value, the quality and quantity of the raw materials required simply became outrageous. Even if he was a solo player, laying claim to all of the drop items, it was not difficult to guess that an immense amount of time was needed to gather all those raw materials.

—How about abandoning this sword, and advancing to a rare weapon dropped on the frontlines?

I wonder if I should be giving such advice, as a smith myself.

Probably, if it's a rare weapon at the class of the 70<sup>th</sup> floor's, by getting to around +20, its cumulative properties should be able to match this Dark Repulser +39. And considerably fewer raw materials would be required for reinforcement compared to the present.

As I stared at the sword, I took in a breath of air, and opened my mouth.

However, the words that came out were—

"...The raw materials, you made sure to get all of them, right? If you're challenging for +40, I have no desire to do it without the probability fully boosted."

Stifling my inner thoughts, I spoke with my lips pouted, and Kirito nodded with a broad grin.

"Of course."

The right hand fitted into a fingerless glove (of course, made from black leather) nimbly manipulated a window. What materialized was an excessively large leather bag. Laying the sword down and peeking into the bag I received, metal plates that appeared undoubtedly high grade, along with fangs and horns of monsters, various types of jewels and such were tightly packed within.

Spreading those onto the floor to confirm their quantity would require a dreadful amount of time, so I tapped the bag with my finger, displaying a small window indicating its content. Tapping the sword atop the anvil next and hitting once again, on the reinforcement value shown on the small window, a sub-window with the information on the raw material items needed for reinforcement floated out.

If I were to drag the bag's window with my fingertip, the moment it got into contact with the sword's, it would automatically go into comparison mode, informing whether both contents are the same. If the items' names and quantities all turned blue, it was a complete match.

"Looks okay. But really now, it's amazing how you manage to gather this much every single time!"

After I voiced out a line that went against my actual thoughts again, Kirito casually shrugged his shoulders.

"Most of the items drop even at the frontlines, so they naturally pile up while mapping. There's only a small portion that I have to gather over at the lower floors, you know."

I knew just how difficult it was to gather the required amount of that «small portion», with me doing the same for my one-handed mace on occasions. But as expected, words opposing that left my mouth.

"Don't let the news that the clearers are rampaging about the lower floors get tattled on to the information brokers. I'm totally against getting onto the newspaper as «That Mr. Big Shot Bastard's favorite shop» or anything like that!"

"Hahaha, I limit myself to only hunt at the lower floors late at night, so it's fine."

"...Is that so. Well, that's fine, then."

Mapping the frontlines' dangerous labyrinth areas in the day, and after taking a mere short nap, switching to the tiresome work of gathering materials. That meant Kirito had kept up that sort of lifestyle for these three months. I checked his complexion with a sidelong glance on reflex, but that smoothness on his avatar was just like that of a girl's, without any sign of the fatigue that must have accumulated within him.

Chewing over the silent discord in my mind, I cleared away all of the windows with a single wave of my right hand.

"Well then, let's get started right away. What's the property you want?"

"Sharpness, please!"

My perpetually positive client gave a slight nod in return, and after I reached my hands out to the large forge, what could be said to be the main fixture of the room, I changed the menu from «Production» to «Reinforcement». Setting the details to Sharpness, I poured the raw materials for reinforcement, stuffed in the bag, into it.

Actually, there was a need to operate the bellows until the furnace burns bright red, but thanks to the water wheel, that process was currently automated. The small hand-carried furnace meant for street stalls used fuel, so bellows were unnecessary, but it did not have the capacity to take in this large quantity of raw materials.

The large furnace that easily swallowed down the objects, which numbered over a hundred, somehow appeared delighted as it burned ever stronger, and the mass of raw materials was liquefied in mere seconds. The blaze, which was orangey-red in color, turned into the silver used to represent the Sharpness reinforcement mode.

Without further delay, I thrust Dark Repulser, extracted from its scabbard, into the furnace. The silver-tinted light wrapped around the blade, and right as it started gleaming brilliantly, I moved the sword to the anvil.

All that was left was to hit it with the smith hammer for the required number of times.

Although I really had no choice but to swing the hammer for close to two hundred and fifty times back when this sword was meticulously forged from the ingot, for reinforcement, whether challenging for +1 or +40, the number of hits needed was fixed at ten.

I unfastened my beloved «Zoringen Hammer +20» from the belt on my waist, and firmly held the grip, wound up with red leather.

Smith hammers were classified as tool items while being blunt-type weapons at the same time, so they naturally could be reinforced. That said, it was impossible to hit it with itself, so I had a sub-hammer exclusively for the sake of reinforcing it.

I matched my breathing with the lifting of my beloved hammer, the so-called ''beloved sword'' of my own, that though not at the level of Kirito's tenacity, still took a good two months to reinforce. I held it still for a moment at its peak then brought it down in one go.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Kaan!*, a clear hammer sound. The sound I loved. Silver and orange mingled in the scattered sparks, springing onto the floor and vanishing.

Two times. Three times. When producing my goods for sale, or reinforcing the weapons of other customers, I was able to achieve a state of nothingness on the very first hit —or rather, I became entirely absorbed in the sounds and lights, but only when working on Kirito's sword did I end up getting my personal feelings involved.

Do protect that person; be sure to come back to this workshop with him; I would swing my hammer as I speak.

Four times, five times. As long as this sword stayed on Kirito's back, we were connected by a unique bond. I was unable to guard his back during the boss clearing battles like Asuna, but I could assist him by repairing his sword's durability, and increasing its reinforcement value.

Six times, seven times.

...However.

This bond would not last forever. Dark Repulser's reinforcement attempts count would decrease by one yet again today, with 7 left. If it were to continue being reinforced at this pace, there would be two months left... it would wear out before the arrival of winter. If that happened, there would be no choice but to switch over to a new sword to continue fighting at the frontlines.

When that time came, it was not certain that Kirito would request for me to produce a new sword once again. No, that possibility was unlikely. To forge a sword with high specifications, overwhelmingly rare... in other words, extremely highly priced ingots were necessary, but a monster drop wouldn't cost even a single col. To Kirito who was always fighting at the frontlines, participating in all of the boss battles, not to mention having a rather high chance at obtaining the last attack bonus, there should be plenty of opportunities for him to get his hands on a rare one-handed sword.

Eight times. And the right hand of mine that caused the ninth hammering sound to echo out—stopped in midair.

I felt Kirito's confused gaze on my left cheek. But I could not bear to look in that direction.

Instead of swinging the hammer down, I embraced it close to my chest. «Dark Repulser», engulfed in a silver brilliance atop the anvil, was waiting for that final hit in silence. The duration of the reinforcement effect was three minutes. If that time passed by, the glow wrapping up the blade will extinguish, and the reinforcement would result in a failure automatically.

"...I..."

What came from my lips was a quivering voice unfitting of the ever cheerful smith, Lisbeth.

"...I-I won't hit it anymore... Because... be-because when the attempts count runs out, this sword's role will... it will then..."

End.

Honestly—Honestly, if I really were thinking for Kirito's sake, I would have thought it better for that day to hurry up and arrive. If he were to advance to a new sword, reinforcing from +1 again, gathering materials will get much easier. My mind understood this, but my arm refused to move. With the hammer clutched to my chest, I could only tremble softly.

Then, I felt Kirito parting from the wall. Step by step, I could hear his muted footsteps stopped right beside me. The hem of that black coat fluttered as it spread out, the swordsman went down on his knees at my side.

"...Hey, Lisbeth. I... have a hunch."

It was a situation where it would have been perfectly fine for him to go, "Hurry up and hit it!" with anger as the client, but Kirito's voice was gentle. Since that night of the day we met, when he recounted various stories to me at the bottom of that dragon's nest; nothing has changed.

"...A hunch?"

I turned apprehensively, and those black pupils shyly blinked once, right in front of my own.

"Yeah. The frontlines are still on the seventieth floor, and there's still thirty left above... but I wonder why. I have a hunch-no, a belief that when I fight the last boss of this castle, what I will be holding, is this Dark Repulser."

"...Why exactly, do you think so...?"

"Well, you see, the Cardinal System's the one who decided the title for this sword, right? «Dark Repulser», that which will repel darkness... there's no way such a name will be labeled onto anything aside from «end equipment»."

—Having said all that, he looked on at me with that impish grinning face for a bit, without any further words.

Normally, this would have been the point when I took a deep, looong breath, or jab in with a "Why are you running your mouth off like that". But for just this time alone, my lips too, twisted into a meek smile. I answered in a voice that was soft, but trembling no more.

"...That might be right. No... it will, definitely happen..."

"That's right. ...So, come on, that one last hit, finish it off with a klang."

"Yeah. I have a hunch too. This time too, will be a success."

I gently lifted the hammer that I was embracing up once again.

I inhaled a deep breath, stopped, shut my eyelids, and whispered to the sword.

—Sorry for the suspense. You, with your master, have always driven away the darkness from around me, haven't you? I'll believe too... that one day, a time when that light of yours shines upon all of the people imprisoned in this castle will arrive.

Tenderly, and thus, strongly, the hammer swung down.

Ten times.

<center><span style="font-size: 250%;">* * *</span></center>

The right hand clothed in a black leather glove firmly gripped the hilt of the «Dark Repulser +40» I held out.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Swish, swish* the blade flashed with nearly no hint of its weight, dispersing a prismatic display of radiance into the air. Finally, the sword blade slid into its scabbard with a fluid sound, and its owner smiled, seemingly pleased.

"Yeah, with this, the 70<sup>th</sup> floor boss can just come at me."

"If you're going to say that, don't you dare go tumbling over accidentally right in front of the boss, like on the 69th floor. That report got on the front page of the newspaper, and even I got ashamed over it, you know."

"Y-Yes... Sorry about that..."

Before the smith, Lisbeth, with her arms folded, was the swordsman, Kirito, scratching his head. We had completely returned to how the two of us usually were; it felt somehow comforting, yet just a little lonesome.

Stifling those feelings, I stretched out vigorously.

"O-Oof... Haah, well, anyway, I'm glad it succeeded. Even if the probability was fully boosted, there are still times when it fails. No way will I be accepting another reinforcement attempt this stressful for a while."

I mentioned those lines casually, but upon hearing it, an awkward expression surfaced onto Kirito's features for some reason.

"...What's the matter?"

"N-Nah, that's... actually, just how should I say this, the timing just happened to cross over today..."

"...The timing?"

With that, the swordsman opened his storage window and stored Dark Repulser. Following that, with some swift manipulation, what materialized above the window was wrapped in a scabbard of black leather, a long sword that gave off an intense presence that I could feel, even from where I stood.

"...I was thinking that it would be nice if I could entrust the +40 for this guy to you as well..."

Those words, along with the sword which was brought before me, «Elucidator», another one that was precious to Kirito, made me gaze at him in silence for several seconds.

''Haa——'' And I let out a deep, long sigh.

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Sword Art Online:ME5

2012-08-10T01:09:29Z

86.8.170.209: /* ME5: Salvia */

===ME5: Salvia===
'''''January 2025'''''

[[Image:Sword Art Online ME05 050.jpg|600px|center]]




"I'm at my limit already~"

Glancing at the side of Kazuto's face who breathed the complaints in a miserable voice, Suguha tried not to laugh and raised her voice,

"Not yet! Only 20 more!"

Two people continued swinging their shinai in the harsh cold weather of the morning. For Kazuto, swinging 300 times every morning is still very tough. Despite saying 'Can't~' or 'I'm dying~' every few minutes, he still continued until the end. His willpower is what Suguha always looked up to.

"298, ......299, ......OK, finish~"

"My arms......I can't feel my arms......"

This morning Kazuto somehow finished swinging too, after passing the shinai to Suguha, he walked to the veranda and lay on top of the plank. Smiling at the scene, Suguha wiped both shinai with a cloth while leaning next to the black pine trunk. She pulled a handkerchief out of her jersey pocket and wiped her sweat, relieving her breath.

A few days ago, the yard was still covered in snow, but it had disappeared completely due to the recent continuous fine weather. Suguha noticed the earth in the planter, which was arranged alongside the graveled path that turns from the yard to the door, was already dry. She then mercilessly said to the dying body at the veranda,


"Onii-chan, fill up that watering can and bring it here~"

Several seconds later, Kazuto lifelessly replied 'K~~' and got up, he pulled an old watering can from under the veranda, collected water from the tap at the corner of the yard and handed it to Suguha. She received and tilted it at the planter, fine droplets of water came showering a curved line, accompanied by a light sound.

"......What is this flower?"

Kazuto asked, squatting and glancing at a small flower with a pale orange color in front of him.

"It's an Adonis, red chichibu type."

"Hmm...... So it blooms in this season"

On hearing Suguha's answer, Kazuto poked a petal of the adonis while deep in thought.

"At our house, this flower blooms the earliest. ......But Onii-chan, why are you interested in the flower?"

"No... It's just that 'that side' also has a similar flower. ......How about this planter? It looks empty."

"Oh, in that one I'll sow Salvia seeds when spring arrives, then they will bloom in the summer."

"Salvia...... what kind of flower is that?"

Finishing the watering, Suguha showered the remaining water in the can at the base of a black pine, then answered with a surprised voice,


"It bloomed every year didn't it? It's red and when blooming, they look like many small goldfish. Onii-chan, when we were young, you always removed the flower to taste its nectar and caused mother to get angry every time."

Upon hearing, Kazuto face started showing signs of amazement.

"N..Nectar!? Did I really do such a survivor-like thing......?"

"Ah—— you already forgot about it. I was sad my share was gone too."

"......My share?"

"Ah......"

Realizing she inadvertently said an unnecessary thing, Suguha shrugged and stuck out her tongue.

"Wait...... now I remember......"

A grin floated onto Kazuto's face.

"The one mother was angry at wasn't me but you, Sugu. I think she said 'Didn't we agree no more than 3 per day?'"

"Haha, caught me, you remembered it so well. Even these days it is still a mystery to me how sweet the nectar from Salvia is."

"Hmm, I can't remember the taste......"

Kazuto aimlessly glanced at the space in front of him while searching through the bottom of his memories——


"Ah―......"

He stood still but his eyes suddenly went wide open.

"......? What is it, Onii-chan"

"No......that's right......come to think of it......"

Suguha looked up worriedly at the Kazuto's face, who muttered words she couldn't understand. Suddenly, he closed the distance between them while looking into her eyes. Suguha's heart fluttered, trying to hide her hot cheeks, she hastily jumped a step backward.

"W..What? Don't surprise me like that"

"......Sugu, do you have time now?"

"Eh? ......There's no class today, so it's alright, but why......?"

"Well then, let's go out for a bit"

Kazuto grabbed Suguha's arm, who was still unable to grasp the situation, and walked quickly toward the eaves of the main building.

"W..Wait, where are we going?"

"Don't ask yet, just sit on the pannier rack"

He pulled out his mountain bike and removed the number lock attached to it.

"Eh―, I'm still in this outfit, it's a bit......"

Suguha complained while looking down at her green school jersey, but Kazuto just smiled and said,


"That is appropriate for the roadwork anyway."

"They use cooler looking jerseys for that! ......It really can't be helped then..."

After saying her point, she sat down on the rear carrier of the MTB with her arms wrapped around Kazuto's waist and clung on tightly. She began to worry that he would hear the sound of her heart which was currently beating like an alarm bell.

"Hold on tight!"

When Kazuto forcefully stepped on the pedals, the sound of the wind put her thoughts to rest and the back wheel kicked a pebble, causing a small sound. The MTB started gaining momentum, and once it went past the front gate, began to run.

It was already past eight, being a weekday, there were lines of people walking on the road outside of the station. But the bicycle that both were riding on headed in the opposite direction from the flow. Suguha felt the people they passed were smiling at the siblings, she buried her face behind Kazuto's back and quietly said,

"T..This is embarrassing, Onii-chan! How much further are we're going?"

"Won't be too far...... probably......"

"Probably―!?"

The bicycle went on steadily until the outskirts of the residential area, even though the rear carrier was made of metal, sitting was comfortable because the MTB's wheel was supported by a thick suspension.


It was around ten minutes on the bicycle when they reached the back of a small shrine, Kazuto put on the brakes. They were at a corner of an old residential area, by then it was already quiet without pedestrian traffic.

"......Here?"

"......"

There was no answer to her question, Kazuto got off the bike, Suguha also jumped off the rear carrier. She put her hands on her hips and said,

"......Now, explain it properly already, is there anything at this shrine?"

"......"

Surely this lonely shrine must be Kazuto's destination. Just as she thought that, Kazuto crossed the road to the opposite side of the shrine. There stood the gate to a solitary luxurious house.

"......? Is this the house of your acquaintance?"

Suguha stood next to him, the house exterior was built with tiles of red bricks and a palisade painted in white enclosed a large garden which was covered in a color of dried straw. There was a small child who was waiting for its parents on a red tricycle.

Suguha looked up to Kazuto's face, wanting to ask her question again, but eventually, he shook his head slowly.

"No...... I don't know this house. But here...... It was a wide vacant lot and it was full of grass.

Phew, he breathed loudly with a slight smile.


"......Well......It was from seven, or eight years ago anyway......"

"Vacant lot......? Is there something at that place......?"

"Nope, nothing...... Well, let's go back."

"I don't understand, we came all the way to this place just to look for a vacant lot―?"

After self-concluding, he turned back, Kazuto shrugged and started walking to the bicycle. Suguha watched his back and when she was about to follow him——

"Ah......"

A bright blue scene had filled her vision.

One corner of the lawn was enclosed with bricks, it was a small flower bed. In the middle was cold resistant plants spread with deep green leaves, and hidden within —— there was a dense short grass with a large amount of blooming small blue flowers.

"......It's the Salvia."

"......Eh?"

Suguha's voice reached Kazuto, who was looking at the flower bed next to him.

"Salvia...... Where is it?"

"Here, the blue flowers."

"But...... Sugu said earlier it's a red flower?"


"There are hundreds of species within the Salvia genus, this one is a Blue Salvia species. But, it's strange......"

When Suguha tilted her head, the back door of the big house opened. A young lady wearing an apron came out, her long hair was tied in a pony tail, in her hands was a shiny tin watering can.

The ladies eyes widened a little when she saw the siblings, she then immediately smiled while approaching them and said,

"Good morning"

"Ah.. G..Good morning"

The siblings hastily returned greetings.

"Are you two from the neighborhood?"

"Y..Yes"

"Is there anything I could help with?"

"Er..Erm... well......."

Blocked in front of Kazuto who struggled with his words, Suguha quickly said,

"I think these Salvia are very beautiful!"

"Is that so? Well, thank you."

The lady smiled cheerfully, Suguha continued saying with relief,


"But......normally Salvia won't be blooming past December, right? Are these a special kind?"

"Ah...... I also think it's strange. Even though they're a perennial plant, in November every year the flowers would already start to fall off, but this year even past new year, the flowers are still there...... Unfortunately, I don't know if these are normal Blue Salvia or not......"

"Don't know......?"

"These Salvia were already here before my house was even built, during the construction we had to move them slightly. But every year after that they are still blooming healthily here."

"I..Is that so?"

Suddenly Kazuto shouted, causing Suguha and the lady to be surprised.

"W..What is it, Onii-chan."

"Ah, well...."

Kazuto hesitated for a bit, then timidly said,

"......The one who sowed the Salvia was me, ......seven years ago......"

"E..Eh!?"

"Oh, really!"

Suguha was astonished upon hearing an unexpected answer while the lady who embraced the watering can at her chest wore a big smile on her face.


"Is that so, then these flowers must have been waiting for you. Ah......wait a moment."

The lady bent over to put the watering can down, then walked quickly into the house. In a short while the figure reappeared with a small shovel in her right hand, she lowered the white plastic pot in her left hand to the ground.

While Suguha and Kazuto were watching, the lady dug the shovel into one corner of the Blue Salvia bunch and carefully pulled three stumps out, then put them into the flowerpot. She brought a vinyl bag from her apron pocket and put the flowerpot into it. With a smiling face and both hands holding the bag, she offered it to Kazuto.

"Let's split it, please take this."

"Ah......No, it's too much......"

"It's alright, the flowers will surely be delighted too."

"......Thank you very much. Then I'll accept your kind offer......"

Kazuto lowered his head while accepting the bag. The contents shook slightly and Suguha's nose was tickled by a faint aroma.

"Well then, feel free to visit anytime. In spring there will be a lot more blooming."

"OK, now we must be going"

Kazuto bowed his head again to the lady who began to sprinkle water with the watering can, then began walking.

"Well, Sugu, let's go back."

"O..Ok. ......Good bye"


Still not understanding the situation, Suguha bowed and followed Kazuto.

Kazuto didn't ride the bicycle, instead he pulled it with one hand and started walking. Next to him, filled with curiosity, Suguha quickly asked him,

"Wait, Onii-chan, what's going on? You really planted those!?"

"Ah―, how to say it....."

Kazuto stopped the bicycle in front of the stone steps after walking half a circle around the shrine perimeter. His face went slightly red, 'Ah~', 'Uu~', cleared his throat with 'Ahem ahem', then he suddenly offered the bag in his right hand to Suguha.

"Sugu, your birthday present."

"Hah!? ......It's not my birthday yet though?"

"It's from seven years ago."

Still not understanding, Suguha tilted her head while her glance was filled with questions.

"......Seven years ago...... On Sugu's birthday. You wished to gather a lot of Salvia to get its nectar, so I bought some seeds with my allowance and planted them at that vacant lot. But later I couldn't find the road to the shrine, I spent a while searching and eventually gave up. At that time I was very sad..... Then, this time I found it in one go. A child's memory is really unreliable."

"Onii-chan......"


Suguha's eyes opened wide, she shyly averted her gaze from Kazuto's face. Her chest felt tight with the various emotions that had overflown within her heart.

Stretching out her right hand, she gently pulled a Salvia flower which peeped out from the bag's opening. She received the droplet that came off from its base with the tip of her tongue. It was faint, but the vivid sweetness quickly spread inside her mouth —— At that moment, Suguha felt the flow of the many years of time she spent with Kazuto breeze through her. Before she realized it, two streaks of tears had already flowed passed her cheeks and dropped to her feet.

"O..Oi, don't suddenly cry......"

Suguha jumped into Kazuto's chest, who had faltered due to sudden panicking. Both hands wrapped around his back, she embraced him with all her strength. Before long, she felt Kazuto caress her head gently. Cheeks still pressed on to Kazuto's chest, she whispered quietly while the sweetness was still lingering in her mouth,

"I love you.....Onii-chan"

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Sword Art Online|Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Sword Art Online:ME4

2012-08-10T00:29:51Z

86.8.170.209: /* ME4: Cold hand, Warm heart */

November 2008

From this Fourth Material Edition onwards, the rest will shift to the novel format.

What I'm writing might look like an excuse (Laughs). My take on the work is, «Conveying the visual image in my head», . Because it works as a tool for transmission, I feel there is no essential difference whether it is in pictures or words form.

Of course, a picture (manga) conveys a visual message with more power and a large foundation, but sometimes, «a scene that is hard to draw» does exist... and so, as an active novelist, my existing aim is to write an article of which «its visuals can be seen through reading». Although it is quite difficult.

Ah, concerning this text, I still haven't mentioned anything about the content yet...eh, it is about
Kirito-shi and Asuna san, as always.

===ME4: Cold hand, Warm heart===

[[Image:Sword Art Online ME04 043.jpg|300px|center]]

After completing a day of hunting, I returned to my house on the fiftieth floor, which was located in «Algade», but my body still had that marvelously uncomfortable feeling.

My body movement became slow. I couldn't stand straight. My entire body felt like I was carrying a prop which my back could not achieve the required strength, it felt really heavy, as I opened the main menu window, but could not see any place written in red.

As I unsteadily staggered out onto the path from the square, my thoughts remained uninterrupted.

If this discomfort is a negative status, there should be a warning flashing before my eyes. And since I'm within the District Boundary, negative status such as poison and paralysis should be removed.

Maybe I got affected by a new unknown monster's negative status effects. Even after entering the boundary it did not disappear, and at the same time does not trigger a warning ―― something like «Curse».

At this point, an evil cold crept up from my toes to my body, causing me to shiver.

It is still September in Aincrad, too early for winter. But, going through my coat, penetrating deep into my muscles and bones, was like the wind of winter.

I couldn't return to my room under these conditions. Thinking like this, I increased my pace, going into the first hotel I discovered. I quickly rented an empty room at the front desk, and after taking the key I rolled and crawled to the front of the furthest door from the desk.

As I sat on a simple bed in the narrow room, I unequipped all my equipment to make my body feel lighter, then took out all kinds of antidotes for all kinds of negative statuses and tried them all one by one. I then used a Crystal which could remove all negative effects, and awaited the moment I would be returned to normal.

―― However.

"......This...... is...... Really bad......"

This evil cold did not leave, and my field of vision began to blur.

I could no longer withstand it and collapsed onto the bed, and using my brain, whose operating speed had dropped to very low levels, to think, desperately searched for a countermeasure. If this was a «Curse», an NPC in the church should be able to remove it right? However, was there really a church in the "disorderly" [Chaos] Algade's streets?

As I was filtering out the buildings on the map, my consciousness began to fade, so I had no choice but to decide to seek help from others. In other words, I had given up on the idea of solving it on my own.

I opened the directory to my list of friends. With my blurred vision, I searched for Klein's name from a list that couldn't be considered long, selected it, and pressed the button for sending messages then immediately typed out on the virtual keyboard.

[I can't handle it      I'm dying      Save me]


After keying in this message which was rich with melodrama, yet did not lose its poetic flavor, I pressed the send button, then turned the room into the «Friends Allowed» mode, and lost consciousness.

My forehead was caressed by a cool comforting touch.

As I stirred, I discovered that I was covered by a thick quilt. The bone chilling evil cold had also changed into sweltering sweat inducing heat.

In this uncomfortable heat, the only cool object was applied to my forehead, controlled by a constantly moving hand. At this moment ――

"Ah, you're awake?"

A refreshingly sweet voice came from beside my pillow. As the word repeated itself a few times in my brain, I realized that it totally didn't sound like Klein's crude "Oi, you've woken up".

I desperately opened my heavy eyelids, the thing swaying in my sight was... the «Knights of Blood» Sub Leader, the strongest rapier user, «The Flash» Asuna who actually revealed a gentle smile.

"..................!!?!?"

I was so surprised I wanted to bounce up, but Asuna immediately used her left hand to hold me down.

"Not lying down won't do. Although it won't make you better immediately."

She used her index finger to poke at my cheeks.

What is this all about? How did this happen? Is seeing Klein as Asuna caused by this mysterious negative effect? If this is the case should I call Agil?

These bursts of stupid questions hit me as my brain functioned, before finally realizing the truth.

According to the order in the list of friends, Asuna's name was just above Klein's. In my semi conscious state and blurring vision, I just wanted to press his name, and must have pressed the wrong one. In other words, I had sent Asuna ―― Aincrad's idol, as well as the heroine of the raiders, some embarrassing information.

What should I do? What is the best action to take?

My brain continued to operate inside my head, as Asuna dunked the damp towel into a basin next to me. *Plop*, the sound of water being displaced could be heard.

The towel was quickly taken back out, squeezed dry, and applied to my forehead once more. The cool comfortable feeling slightly dispersed the heat gathered onto my body.

"The cooling effect of water doesn't last long, but this is the only option. It's better than nothing."

Seeing the smiling Asuna, I could only emit ―― a single phrase.

"Tha......Thank you. Helping me with this."

Subsequently, my cheeks turned into a pink shade, and feeling this change, quickly turned my head to the side, to see Asuna smiling again.

"It's nothing. We should help each other in a moment of need. A person on his own would definitely feel uncomfortable, I understand."

At this kind of time.

That said, Asuna should have experienced this mysterious negative status effect before.

"What kind of negative status effect is this......? All kinds of antidotes, as well as the Crystal doesn't work on it......?"

After I inquired, Asuna's hazel eyes blinked.

Then broke out in laughter.

"Ahahaha...... So-sorry...... but...... huff huff...... Being like this, is it your first time?"

"Of...... Of course it is the first time. I've never heard of this status effect."

I replied in an injured tone, and Asuna apologized a few more times, while mopping my head with the wet towel.

"I say, this negative status effect, is neither poison nor paralysis.... it's a sickness. You caught a cold."

"Co......Cold?"

"Um. It's not your avatar, but your body in the real world which caught a cold. Right now, the seasons should be changing over there. Around this time last year, many people collapsed from this."

"A......Aah......"

I could not help but sigh.

[[Image:ME4first.jpg|thumb]]
It was completely in my blind spot. However, this was truly possible. Although the body's five senses were completely cut off, the Nerve Gear was unable to isolate fever and other physical discomfort. In other words, as Asuna said, my real body was what gave me such discomfort.

"Which is why I said, a cool forehead can let you feel more comfortable."

With that said, I looked away from Asuna who was once again wetting the towel, to determine the time. It was eleven thirty at night.

Since I rolled and crawled into this hotel at around six, Asuna had continued to do this for five hours.

Using the «Wettable cloth equipment» to produce a cooling effect, could only last for five minutes at most. Although it was very comfortable, isn't it a waste of effort?

Suddenly, an odd feeling emerged from my chest, causing me to have no idea what to do. In my semi conscious state, I had no idea what this feeling meant.

Instead, I moved my hand out from under the quilt, and held the towel on my forehead, getting ready for Asuna's hand to take it.

"What..... What is it?"

Although her words became obscure, Asuna maintained her smile, while on the other hand I couldn't find any words to reply her. I didn't understand what I was doing either.

It was clearly like this, but my mouth emitted some words in a rough voice on its own.

"Enough with this towel. Instead of it...... just use your hands to touch my forehead."

''―― Don't take advantage of my weakness!!''

Was what I had expected her to spit out, but contrary to my expectations, "............Em" Asuna answered in a quiet voice.

Squeezing my hand in reply, she used her cool hands to brush across my forehead with the other. As my body was exhausted, my consciousness gradually faded. The anxiety of getting the disease made way to a comfortable sense of security.

As I entered a light sleep, By my ear, I could hear a soft lullaby.

"I said, you...... Kirito...... kun. It's ok to give your cold...... over to me. Like that, you might be able to recover faster."

After that, I could feel a gentle kind of touch to the cheeks, on my face with my eyes closed.

I wanted to open my eyes to confirm ―― Obviously, I was unable to do so.

<center><span style="font-size: 250%;">✝✝✝</span></center>

"............ooh............"

Asuna grunted, and opened her eyes.

The view entering her eyes was not the white ceiling of her home, but instead it was the black of an old wooden board. The bed was hard and the blanket was thin. Despite complaining to herself to find a better room, she was not in any condition to get out of bed.

Could it be ―― a real cold?

No, it is impossible to be infected by a virus in the virtual world. The players were completely separated in the real word, connected only by wires. However, this is too much coincidence!

The strongest solo player, The «Black Swordsman» Kirito, perhaps due to the excellent physical condition, as well as the overnight care by Asuna, had recovered. This is good. This is fine enough.

However, facing this exchange, she didn't think about her own collapse. Asuna was sitting beside Kirito's bed, humming a lullaby until she fell asleep. Based on the sun shining through the window, it was now evening.

She looked away ―― to the empty chair by the bed.

In the midst of her mind, she recalled that until afternoon, Asuna was changing the wet cloth on the forehead constantly. But, seeing Asuna asleep, Kirito probably went out to complete his daily hunting.

"Maa...... there is nothing I can do about it."

She whispered aloud.

Different from Asuna who was associated with a guild, Solo Kirito had no training partners. If he missed one day of hunting, it would require a lot of effort to make up for it. She understood this, but...

To be relied on, that happy and warm feeling, still could not stop the buried feelings of cold loneliness. Her body was obviously hot, but in her chest was an icy coldness, she could not help but let her tears emerge.

"......Aaaa...... This won't do...... as expected."

Tightly closing her eyes, she buried her head into the blanket, just then ――

Suddenly, in the middle of the room a blue vortex shimmered. As a hum was issued, a two meter high elliptic door appeared.

"......Corridor Crystal."

Her head left the pillow to say these words, when a black figure jumped out of the door.

Of course, this was the «Black Swordsman» Kirito. And no one else. However ――

"I, I say...... Can't you come in from the main door......"

At this point, Asuna was finally aware, that Kirito had brought something.

It was a large wooden bucket. No, it should be called a basin.

The basin was filled with grains that glowed white, reflecting the light of the afternoon sun.

After looking at it for a few seconds, she finally realized what it was.

"That....... that is, snow......? But...... where did you get it, in this season?"

After that question, Kirito carefully placed the basin on the table, faced Asuna, and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, I came back too late! I intended to come back earlier...... it's all because of that tough dragon......"

Kirito's words reminded Asuna of the tall mountain that was full of ice and snow. It was at the top of one of the hills that was located at one end on the fifty eighth floor. However, climbing that mountain required encountering many monsters along the extremely long mountain road, and at the end of the road, the regional boss monster, the Ice Dragon waited. Being able to go there and return in two hours was nothing short of a miracle.

"......Why would you go this far......"

Kirito did not answer Asuna's question, picked up the towel on the table, and put it into the ice basin. Upon taking it out, the towel was completely frozen.

"Lie down."

At these words, Asuna's head returned to the pillow, and the ice cold towel was placed on her forehead. «Frozen towel» produced a cooling sensation much higher than the wet towel.

"Ah...... Comfortable......"

[[Image:ME4Second.jpg|thumb]]
As Asuna smiled and said this, Kirito shyly laughed.

Her forehead obviously felt very cold, yet at the same time she could feel a gentle warmth. Asuna blinked, then stretched out her hand, and held the hand which protruded from the sleeves of the black clothes.

The hand Kirito had used to collect snow had become cold, but after holding tightly for a while the temperature was restored, so Asuna held on tightly.

" I say...... this time I will pass my cold over to you."

Listening to this, Kirito replied with a bitter smile.

"Then this will have no end."

"Isn't that fine? If you collapse again, I will go to collect snow and ice, and make shaved ice for you to eat"

"............If it is like this, collapsing will not be that bad."

Maintaining a smiling face, Asuna closed her eyes, and waited for that moment.

<div align=right>(End)</div>


<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Return to [[Sword Art Online|Main Page]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Sword Art Online:ME4

2012-08-08T22:33:41Z

86.8.170.209: /* ME4: Cold hand, Warm heart */

November 2008

From this Fourth Material Edition onwards, the rest will shift to the novel format.

What I'm writing might look like an excuse (Laughs). My take on the work is, «Conveying the visual image in my head», . Because it works as a tool for transmission, I feel there is no essential difference whether it is in pictures or words form.

Of course, a picture (manga) conveys a visual message with more power and a large foundation, but sometimes, «a scene that is hard to draw» does exist... and so, as an active novelist, my existing aim is to write an article of which «its visuals can be seen through reading». Although it is quite difficult.

Ah, concerning this text, I still haven't mentioned anything about the content yet...eh, it is about
Kirito-shi and Asuna san, as always.

===ME4: Cold hand, Warm heart===

[[Image:Sword Art Online ME04 043.jpg|300px|center]]

After completing a day of hunting, I returned to my house on the fiftieth floor, which was located in «Algade», but my body still had that marvelously uncomfortable feeling.

My body movement became slow. I couldn't stand straight. My entire body felt like I was carrying a prop which my back could not achieve the required strength, it felt really heavy, as I opened the main menu window, but could not see any place written in red.

As I unsteadily staggered out onto the path from the square, my thoughts remained uninterrupted.

If this discomfort is a negative status, there should be a warning flashing before my eyes. And since I'm within the District Boundary, negative status such as poison and paralysis should be removed.

Maybe I got affected by a new unknown monster's negative status effects. Even after entering the boundary it did not disappear, and at the same time does not trigger a warning ―― something like «Curse».

At this point, an evil cold crept up from my toes to my body, causing me to shiver.

It is still September in Aincrad, too early for winter. But, going through my coat, penetrating deep into my muscles and bones, was like the wind of winter.

I couldn't return to my room under these conditions. Thinking like this, I increased my pace, going into the first hotel I discovered. I quickly rented an empty room at the front desk, and after taking the key I rolled and crawled to the front of the furthest door from the desk.

As I sat on a simple bed in the narrow room, I unequipped all my equipments to make my body feel lighter, then took out all kinds of antidotes for all kinds of negative statuses and tried them all one by one. I then used a Crystal which could remove all negative effects, and awaited the moment for I returned to normal.

―― However.

"......This...... is...... Really bad......"

This evil cold did not leave, and my field of vision began to blur.

I could no longer withstand it and collapsed onto the bed, and using my brain, whose operating speed had dropped to very low levels, to think, desperately searched for a countermeasure. If this was the «Curse», an NPC in the church should be able to remove it right? However, was there really a church in the ''disorderly'' [Chaos] Algade's streets?

As I was filtering out the buildings on the map, my consciousness began to fade, so I had no choice but to decide to seek help from others. In other words, I had given up on the idea of solving it on my own.

I opened the directory to my list of friends. With my blurred vision, I searched for Klein's name from a list that couldn't be considered long, selected it, and pressed the button for sending messages, and immediately typed out on the virtual keyboard.

[I can't handle it      I'm dying      Save me]


After keying in this message which was rich with crisis, yet did not lose its poetic flavor, I pressed the send button, then turned the room into the «Friends Allowed» mode, and lost consciousness.

My forehead was caressed by a cool comforting touch.

As I stirred, I discovered that I was covered by a thick quilt. The bone chilling evil cold had also changed into sweltering sweat inducing heat.

In this uncomfortable heat, the only cool object was applied to my forehead, controlled by a constantly moving hand. At this moment ――

"Ah, you're awake?"

A refreshingly sweet voice came from beside my pillow. As the word repeated itself a few times in my brain, I realized that it totally didn't sound like Klein's crude "Oi, you've woken up".

I desperately opened my heavy eyelids, the thing swaying in my sight was... the «Knights of Blood» Sub Leader, the strongest rapier user, «The Flash» Asuna who actually revealed a gentle smile.

"..................!!?!?"

I was so surprised I wanted to bounce up, but Asuna immediately used her left hand to hold me down.

"Not lying down won't do. Although it won't make you better immediately."

She used her index finger to poke at my cheeks.

What is this all about? How did this happen? Is seeing Klein as Asuna caused by this mysterious negative effect? If this is the case should I call Agil?

These bursts of stupid questions hit me as my brain worked, before finally realizing the truth.

According to the order in the list of friends, Asuna's name was just above Klein's. In my semi conscious state and blurring vision, I just wanted to press his name, and must have pressed the wrong one. In other words, I had sent Asuna ―― Aincrad's idol, as well as the heroine of the raiders, some embarrassing information.

What should I do? What is the best action to take?

My brain continued to operate inside my head, as Asuna dunked the damp towel into a basin next to me. *Plop*, the sound of water being displaced could be heard.

The towel was quickly taken back out, squeezed dry, and applied to my forehead once more. The cool comfortable feeling slightly dispersed the heat gathered onto my body.

"The cooling effect of water doesn't last long, but this is the only option. It's better than nothing."

Seeing the smiling Asuna, I could only emit ―― a single phrase.

"Tha......Thank you. Helping me with this."

Subsequently, my cheeks turned into a pink shade, and feeling this change, quickly turned my head to the side, to see Asuna smiling again.

"It's nothing. We should help each other in a moment of need. A person on his own would definitely feel uncomfortable, I understand."

At this kind of time.

That said, Asuna should have experienced this mysterious negative status effect before.

"What kind of negative status effect is this......? All kinds of antidotes, as well as the Crystal doesn't work on it......?"

After I inquired, Asuna's hazel eyes blinked.

Then broke out in laughter.

"Ahahaha...... So-sorry...... but...... huff huff...... Being like this, is it your first time?"

"Of...... Of course it is the first time. I've never heard of this status effect."

I replied in an injured tone, and Asuna apologized a few more times, while mopping my head with the wet towel.

"I say, this negative status effect, is neither poison nor paralysis.... it's a sickness. You caught a cold."

"Co......Cold?"

"Um. It's not your avatar, but your body in the real world which caught a cold. Right now, the seasons should be changing over there. Around this time last year, many people collapsed from this."

"A......Aah......"

I could not help but sigh.

[[Image:ME4first.jpg|thumb]]
It was completely in my blind spot. However, this was truly possible. Although the body's five senses were completely cut off, the Nerve Gear was unable to isolate fever and other physical discomfort. In other words, as Asuna said, my real body was what gave me such discomfort.

"Which is why I said, a cool forehead can let you feel more comfortable."

With that said, I looked away from Asuna who was once again wetting the towel, to determine the time. It was eleven thirty at night.

Since I rolled and crawled into this hotel at around six, Asuna had continued to do this for five hours.

Using the «Wettable cloth equipment» to produce a cooling effect, could only last for five minutes at most. Although it was very comfortable, isn't it a waste of effort?

Suddenly, an odd feeling emerged from my chest, causing me to have no idea what to do. In my semi conscious state, I had no idea what this feeling meant.

Instead, I moved my hand out from under the quilt, and held the towel on my forehead, getting ready for Asuna's hand to take it.

"What..... What is it?"

Although her words became obscure, Asuna maintained her smile, while on the other hand I couldn't find any words to reply her. I didn't understand what I was doing either.

It was clearly like this, but my mouth emitted some words in a rough voice on its own.

"Enough with this towel. Instead of it...... just use your hands to touch my forehead."

''―― Don't take advantage of my weakness!!''

Was what I had expected her to spit out, but contrary to my expectations, "............Em" Asuna answered in a quiet voice.

Squeezing my hand in reply, she used her cool hands to brush across my forehead with the other. As my body was exhausted, my consciousness gradually faded. The anxiety of getting the disease made way for a comfortable sense of security.

As I entered a light sleep, By my ear, I could hear a soft lullaby.

"I said, you...... Kirito...... kun. It's ok to give your cold...... over to me. Like that, you might be able to recover faster."

After that, I could feel a gentle kind of touch to the cheeks, on my face with my eyes closed.

I wanted to open my eyes to confirm ―― Obviously, I was unable to do so.

<center><span style="font-size: 250%;">✝✝✝</span></center>

"............ooh............"

Asuna grunted, and opened her eyes.

The view entering her eyes was not the white ceiling of her home, but instead it was the black of an old wooden board. The bed was hard and the blanket was thin. Despite complaining to herself to find a better room, she was not in the condition to get out of bed.

Could it be ―― a real cold?

No, it is impossible to be infected by a virus in the virtual world. The players were completely separated in the real word, connected only by wires. However, this is too much coincidence!

The strongest solo player, The «Black Swordsman» Kirito, perhaps due to the excellent physical condition, as well as the overnight care by Asuna, had recovered. This is good. This is fine enough.

However, facing this exchange, she didn't think about her own collapse. Asuna was sitting beside Kirito's bed, humming a lullaby until she fell asleep. Based on the sun shining through the window, it was now evening.

She looked away ―― to the empty chair by the bed.

In the midst of her mind, she recalled that until afternoon, Asuna was changing the wet cloth on the forehead constantly. But, seeing Asuna asleep, Kirito probably went out to complete his daily hunting.

"Maa...... there is nothing I can do about it."

She whispered aloud.

Different from Asuna who was associated with a guild, Solo Kirito had no training partners. If he missed one day of hunting, it would require a lot of effort to make up for it. She understood this, but.

To be relied on, that happy and warm feeling, still could not stop the buried feelings of cold loneliness. Her body was obviously hot, but in her chest was an icy coldness, she could not help but let her tears emerge.

"......Aaaa...... This won't do...... as expected."

Tightly closing her eyes, she buried her head into the blanket, just then ――

Suddenly, in the middle of the room a blue vortex shined. As a hum was issued, a two meter high elliptic door appeared.

"......Corridor Crystal."

Her head left the pillow to say these words, when a black figure jumped out of the door.

Of course, this was the «Black Swordsman» Kirito. And no one else. However ――

"I, I say...... Can't you come in from the main door......"

At this point, Asuna was finally aware, that Kirito had brought something.

It was a large wooden bucket. No, it should be called a basin.

The basin was filled with grains that glowed white, reflecting the light of the afternoon sun.

After looking at it for a few seconds, she finally realized what it was.

"That....... that is, snow......? But...... where did you get it, in this season?"

After that question, Kirito carefully placed the basin on the table, faced Asuna, and lowered his head.

"I'm sorry, I came back too late! I intended to come back earlier...... it's all because of that tough dragon......"

Kirito's words reminded Asuna of the tall mountain that was full of ice and snow. It was at the top of one of the hills that was located at one end on the fifty eighth floor. However, climbing that mountain required encountering many monsters along the extremely long mountain road, and at the end of the road, the regional boss monster, the Ice Dragon waited. Being able to go there and return in two hours was nothing short of a miracle.

"......Why would you go this far......"

Kirito did not answer Asuna's question, picked up the towel on the table, and put it into the ice basin. Upon taking it out, the towel was completely frozen.

"Lie down."

At these words, Asuna's head returned to the pillow, and the ice cold towel was placed on her forehead. «Frozen towel» produced a cooling sensation much higher than the wet towel.

"Ah...... Comfortable......"

[[Image:ME4Second.jpg|thumb]]
As Asuna smiled and said this, Kirito shyly laughed.

Her forehead obviously felt very cold, yet at the same time she could feel a gentle warmth. Asuna blinked, then stretched out her hand, and held the hand which protruded from the sleeves of the black clothes.

The hand Kirito had used to collect snow had become cold, but after holding tightly for a while the temperature was restored, so Asuna held on tightly.

" I say...... this time I will pass my cold over to you."

Listening to this, Kirito replied with a bitter smile.

"Then this will have no end."

"Isn't that fine? If you collapse again, I will go to collect snow and ice, and make shaved ice for you to eat"

"............If it is like this, collapsing will not be that bad."

Maintaining a smiling face, Asuna closed her eyes, and waited for that moment.

<div align=right>(End)</div>


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