Author Notes: I had to alter the timeline a little bit for this chapter to make sense. I know most people don't care about the timeline, but I just wanted to put this disclaimer here for those who do.

July 2033

Aincrad was certainly a beautiful place during the summer. Although some people may complain about the heat, once you get used to the beads of sweat running down your skin, the view more than makes up for it. 

...Kind of.

The summer morning sun shone down on the green plain hills of the 28th floor, home to many wolf packs ranging widely from different colors and sizes. White clouds lazily drifted along the x-axis of the game's skybox and occasionally blotted out the sun. A soft breeze swept across the emerald-colored grasslands, gently brushing the centimeter-high blades of grass.

Under the shade of a lone tree atop of a small hill, a young man slept peacefully in the warm embrace of the summer winds. The constant repetition of his mouth inhaling and his nose exhaling air joined the chorus of grass wavering and the leaves of the branches overhead shaking as he enjoyed the calming sensation of the wind on his face.

"It's time to wake up, Y/N." A female voice woke him from his peaceful nap.

"Five more minutes..."  He mumbled.

"You've said that four times now."

"Then, why not another time to make it five?" Y/N smirked and was met with silence.

"...Alright."

"...Huh?" Y/N's smile disappeared when he heard her give in to his laziness, clearly not expecting that type of response. He opened his (E/C) eyes to see her standing over him with her usual profound expression. "Have... you been waiting for me this entire time?"

"Yes, what else would I be doing? I have to make sure you're not attacked in your sleep."

"I... see." He felt a pang of guilt in his chest upon this realization, and he sat up to meet her blank gaze.

《Y/N's POV》

"Bosenmori, you should learn to lighten up and relax with me. Come, let me teach you!" I recommended and patted the spot next to me, telling her, "Learning to relax is a part of life! Plus, you'd feel a lot better afterward - trust me! I'll watch you this time."

I reached my right arm behind my back and used my left to push it as far as possible, sighing with content as I felt my muscles loosen up before doing the same with my other arm. While I did this, I listened closely to Acheron's footsteps but even after I was done stretching my legs, she hadn't take a single step and I was about to give up on the notion until I heard her boot crushing some fallen leaves.

"Alright... Just for a few minutes." Acheron joined me, sitting to my right. She stared at the blue skies for a few seconds before slowly closing her eyes.

One month of traveling with Acheron had taught me many things about the former captain of the Advance Team that I never would have if I stayed with them. Of course, I knew first-hand how agile and deadly she could be on the battleground during our confrontation with the group of Holy Dragon Alliance members. Even now, I could remember her practically teleporting all over the place to mercilessly cut down everyone else except me.

However, what I was surprised to see was her more human side. Just like everyone else, she had a favorite food - that being peaches, a favorite color - purple (who would have thought), hobbies - her favorite being shopping, mainly make-up products and jewelry which surprised me, etc.

There was indeed one, shall we say, endearing trait of hers I doubt I would ever forget: she was AWFUL with directions, plain and simple. One time, I let her lead the expedition and somehow we ended up falling through a secret tunnel leading to one of the higher floors filled with swarms of spiders and elephant-sized acid-spitting insects. Definitely not fun. Another time, we entered a different sub-dungeon and even went as far as to buy a map to help navigate the levels. While it took most people around two to three hours, with Acheron in charge, we eventually made it to the boss after 19 hours of stumbling through the darkness and the poor thing was victim to my frustration and anger. Definitely not fun either, especially for the boss.

"W-Woah, P/N, is that you?!"

My thoughts were interrupted I looked up to see a man in his early twenties with spiky red hair and a red headband running up to me. "It feels like forever since we last saw each other!"

I blinked twice. Who is this?

"Uh... Yeah... You..."

"Huh? Don't tell me you forgot about me!" He pointed at himself with a bright grin. "It's me, Klein! Remember? We met on the first day of SAO!"

Memories of that day started to resurface - the bonds I made, the amount of boars I killed, the scenery I stopped to admire, and I could could say was: "Oh, it's you. Nice to see you're still alive and kicking." 

"Aww, c'mon. Is that all you have to say?"

I shrugged and looked behind him to see five dudes waving at us. "Are those your friends that you were talking about?" I asked.

"Yep. As you can see, we made it out okay." Klein shrugged and just when he was about to say more, he noticed Acheron out of the corner of his eye and jumped back. "WHOA! Who's that beauty?!"

"Shh... Keep it down, alright?" I held my left index finger to mouth in a shushing manner. "Can't you see that she's sleeping?"

"Sorry, sorry... But, man." Klein looked down to my right. "I wasn't expecting to run into you when you were out with your girlfriend."

My eyebrows furrowed and I frowned. "Girlfriend? Acheron and I are just friends." I told him to which he nodded at her.

"Sure doesn't look like it." Klein pointed out.

I followed his gaze and saw Acheron laying on her left side with a serene expression. I never had the time to notice since by the time her mind was beginning to drift away to slumber-ville, I was already clocked-out for the night, but now I could finally see how she looked cute while asleep while somehow elegant at the same time.

Then, my eyes dipped lower to see Acheron holding tightly onto my right hand with both of hers. This small gesture was a common thing for us to do every night and I didn't think much about it... until now.

"This isn't... We only met a month ago. We're not..." I stopped myself with a defeated sigh when I heard his laughter.

"Hahahaha! Oh, man. I never thought I'd see you so embarrassed, dude. You never struck me as someone to get easily flustered." Klein wiped a tear from his eye. "You and Kirito keep finding ways to surprise me."

"Kirito?" I quickly changed topics and for once I was glad the attention was shifted elsewhere. "Did something happen?"

"Nah, don't worry about him. He's fine. He just joined a guild."

Huh. That's odd. Kirito joined a guild? Him? Mr. Solo Player himself?

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to whisper, "We're talking about that Kirito, right? Mr. I-feel-more-alive-in-here-than-in-real-life?"

"I was just as surprised as you! We didn't get to talk about much, but it's whatever." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Klein's friends waving to him and so did he. He reached out to give me a fist bump. "Anyways, it's nice to see you again. Be careful out there."

"Yeah," I returned the first bump. "you try not to die too." I waved goodbye to Klein and his friends, and laid down on my back and cast my gaze skyward to the passing clouds. "Kirito joined a guild, huh..." 

Nearby, Acheron stirred in her sleep. Her movements were restless and her eyebrows were pushing against each other at whatever she was dreaming about until I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I'm still here." I whispered and the tension on her face vanished along with her body's trembling.

Thankfully for me, the system looked to be updated with left-handed accessibility in mind and I was able to open the menu. Unfortunately, that meant everything was inverse and it took me more time than I'd like to admit to pull up my friend list and message Kirito.

P/N: Yo, Kirito. I heard from Klein you're in a guild now.

After almost ten minutes, he finally replied.

Kirito: Yeah, what's up?

P/N: Damn, that's crazy. We spent a month together and you don't tell me?

Kirito: Don't say it like that. Besides, I didn't think it was important enough to tell you.

P/N: What? I always listen to you!

There was a brief pause and I could see him typing up and deleting a reply over and over for five minutes.

Kirito: Remember when I first told you about sword skills?

Uh oh.

Kirito: You said - and I quote: "Nah, I don't need that shit." and almost died fighting that field boss without using a single sword skill!

P/N: Yeah... We still beat it though.

Kirito: ...

Kirito: Never mind. You wanna meet up? We're on Floor 11 if you wanna join us. The seven of us can do some mob farming on the upper floors. My guild members are pretty low level so Floor 20 is the best they can comfortably do for now.

I was about to say yes when I felt a gentle squeeze on my right hand and glanced at Acheron's napping figure.

P/N: Not too sure about that. I'm partying with a friend right now and I'll have to ask. Try not to die down there or I'll laugh at your funeral.

Kirito: No promises.

Shaking my head with a small smile, I close the menu and lean back against the tree. My eyes eventually wander down to Acheron dozing at the foot of the tree, using one of its roots as a makeshift pillow. It didn't look comfortable in the slightest but, hey, as long as it works, it works.

"Hey, sleepyhead," I lightly tap her on the nose until she starts to stir from her slumber. Soon, I am met with a pair of weary violet orbs curiously staring up at me, as if wondering why they had to open. "Did you enjoy your nap~?"

"Mhm..." She managed to stifle a yawn. Her gaze still retained that curious glint and it silently repeated her question: "Why did you wake me up?"

"A friend of mine invited me to join him and his guild in exploring and killing mobs on Floor 20. I just wanted to check if you're comfortable with that before I said yes." Halfway through my words, I noticed the subtle uneasiness behind her now very much awake stare.

"I..." The trepidation in Acheron's voice was clear as the blue skies above us and an uneasy gleam in her eye.

"Hey, Kirito will be fine. He's a big boy now. He doesn't need me to babysit him. We can stay here - just you and me." I calmly reassured her as I gently rubbed the two red oni horns above her forehead. In her violet eyes, I could see her battling against the temptation of my offer.

"What about his guild members? What level are they?" She asked me to which I hesitated.

"I... I do not know. He said they were a lower level than them." For a moment, I could see something akin to both recollection and sorrow behind her eyes, but when I blinked, the odd twinkle was gone, replaced with her regular profoundness.

"We should join them. There's... There's no telling what may happen." said Acheron slowly.

"Are you sure you don't wanna stay here with me, Bosenmori-san~?" I teased her, and she responded with a stern glare. However, I couldn't help but notice the faint pink color of her face when I mentioned her real name. "Alright, my bad, my bad. Just wanted to make sure~"

《3rd Person POV》

The 20th floor was of a fairly simple design: a rather plain-looking forest with brown trees that resembled stone pillars more than an actual tree especially when their branches were about 30 feet above the ground. Despite being a forest, there was a sparse quantity of green foliage and more wasteland terrain, making it more akin to a savanna.

"So, why is this place called Sunlight Forest again? It's barely a forest!" exclaimed Y/N.

"...This is the eighth time you've asked that." sighed Acheron.

"Do I get a free question coupon after my tenth?"

"...Sigh."

"See, you just said the word sigh - you're not even sighing anymore!" Y/N was about to say more when they heard the distinct sound of a girlish shriek. They locked eyes and nodded, running to the source only to find a party of six taking on a 10-foot-tall praying mantis with scythes for hands.

"Sachi, get back!" Kirito put himself between the mantis and a girl with short black hair who held up a small shield. The large insect brought down its right foreleg and roared in pain when he sliced it clean off. It tried to attack him with its other arm, but he parried it and shouted, "Tetsuo, switch!"

"Right!" One of them nodded and rushed in with his mace and shield. He let out a battle cry as he prepared to swing his weapon, not noticing the mantis preparing an attack of its own.

"Watch out for its left arm!" One of his guild members shouted, but it was too late. Their eyes widened when they realized he wouldn't be able to finish it off before he was struck first.

Just then, an (F/C) object struck the mantis in the eye and it reeled back, allowing Tetsuo to strike its thin main body and kill it.

"Alright!" He cheered when he received a pop-up telling him he leveled up. His friends congratulated him except for Kirito who leaned down to pick up whatever struck the bug in the first place: a sandal.

"Really? A sandal?" The disappointment in Kirito's voice was crystal clear, but the smile that followed afterward betrayed his tone.

"Hey, I didn't wanna kill steal. That's a big no-no." Y/N approached him and fist-bumped after putting his shoe back on. "Nice to see your stupid face in one piece."

"Riiiiight..." Kirito rolled his eyes, smiling throughout the entirety of it. He noticed Acheron and darted between her and Y/N.

"Oh, right." The (H/C)-haired man placed a hand on Acheron's shoulder. "Kirito, this is Acheron. She's a friend of mine and we've been a party for a month now."

Kirito swore he could see a ghost of a frown on the woman's face but it vanished as quickly as it shown itself. "Nice to meet you, Acheron."

Acheron nodded in response and glanced at Kirito's guild members who were approaching.

"P/N. Acheron. These are my guild mates: Tetsuo (purple), Sasamaru (green), Ducker (yellow), Sachi (blue), and our leader, Keita (red). Everyone, this is my friend P/N and Acheron. They're here to level up too." A round of "Hello"s and "Nice to meet you"s was made.

"P/N, it's nice to finally meet you." The leader, Keita, stepped up and extended a hand that Y/N shook. "Kirito mentioned you a lot."

"H-Hey!"

"Oh?" Y/N raised an eyebrow in Kirito's direction. "Nothing bad, right?"

"No, no, nothing of that sort... Well, he did mention something about sword sk-"

"Anyways, moving on!" Kirito loudly cleared his throat. "Since there's eight of us, I propose that we split up into groups of four and clean the floor as two separate teams."

"S-Split up?" The nervous stutters of Sachi made Y/N and Acheron glance her way, and the frightened girl froze under their gazes.

"Don't worry, Sachi! We're a lot stronger than we were when we first came here two months ago!"

"Not to mention, our equipment is better now!"

"So, don't worry about it!"

Ducker, Sasamaru, and Tetsuo tried to console her, but it was in vain.

"R-Right..." Sachi mumbled, developing a sudden interest in the ground.

"Hey," Y/N's voice made her nervously look up to see the young man bending down to her level, offering her a kind smile. "If you want, you can join me, Acheron, and Kirito."

"E-Eh? B-But-" She looked to her friends who simply nodded or gave her a thumbs up.

"It's alright, Sachi. The four of us can handle ourselves!" Keita nodded with a reassuring smile.

"A-Alright, if you say so..." Sachi's voice still trembled with anxiety, but the tiny smile on her lips was more than enough for them to tell how she felt.

The eight soon went off in their own direction, creating separate parties of four.

"You joined a decent guild." Y/N told Kirito as they walked down a trail together, the former letting out a yawn with both hands casually placed behind his head.

"Hehe, you think so?"

"Yeah... Oh, by the way," He playful put Kirito into a headlock and gave him a nasty noogie. "What was that about sword skills?"

"I-I didn't mean to! I just needed something to talk about!" He tried to explain his way out of his current situation, yet he made no attempt to escape. Instead, they simply laughed.

While the two boys continued to horse around, Acheron and Sachi followed about six steps behind and watched with varying expressions. The purple-haired swordswoman kept her stony expression (though there was a hint of amusement behind her electrifying eyes) while the much less poker-faced girl managed a delicate smile upon seeing the happiness on Kirito's face.

"You really admire him, don't you?"

"E-Eh?" A scarlet hue was the last thing Acheron saw on Sachi's face before she started to shake her head at breakneck speed and fan her hands dismissively. "N-N-No, it's nothing like that! I-I just... I never saw Kirito so relaxed."

Acheron chuckled and stared ahead with a strange glint in her eyes at the (H/C)-haired male in front of them. "He has that effect on others." A tiny smile made its way onto her face. It remained for a few seconds before vanishing when she heard the cackling of another mantis. "Sachi."

"R... R-Right!" Sachi nervously nodded as she pulled out her lance. It didn't take long for their eyes to take in the grotesque form of the mantis, but to the timid woman's surprise, three more also had their red bulb-like eyes set on them. "F-Four of them?!" She stepped back in horror.

"Oh, perfect! One for each of us!" Y/N hopped in front of them and began to stretch his legs, not fazed in the slightest even when a quartet of hungry giant bugs was staring him down. 

It was at this moment that Sachi took notice of his outfit: a simple short-sleeved (F/C) shirt that clung tightly to the muscles of his upper chest, black baggy pants with the bottom rolled up twice to allow his feet and ankles some room to breathe, and a pair of light brown sandals. For his limited amount of armor, he decided to go with a lighter metal for the material to not weigh him down too much. He chose to wear a chestplate which included shoulder protection, elbow guards, and bracers - all underneath the tattered white cloak around his shoulders.

"Oi, Srirachi. You can handle one of them, right?" He asked.

"N-No, I-"

"Great!" Y/N ducked to the left and avoided one of the mantis's right scythe swipe. He jumped up as a (F/C) light surrounded his left leg and roundhouse kicked the bug in the face, sending it flying backward while Kirito engaged another one nearby.

Sachi nervously backed up when one of the mantises approached her, saliva dripping from its open maw. A hand on her back made her look to see Acheron standing by her side.

"Stand behind me if you must." She calmly told her and smacked aside an attack from the mantis with her sheathed katana. Her calm, collected tone left Sachi in awe as she continued to swat aside any attempts to harm her. In the background, she could see Y/N finishing one of the mantises off, evident by the shards of light dispersing into the air.

"Hey, Kirito," The male newcomer watched his friend parry another attack and cut off the arm that tried to leave a nasty gash across his chest. "You alright? You shouldn't be having trouble with these weaklings."

"I'm just-" Kirito ducked underneath the mantis's remaining blade arm and slashed its chest, killing it. "-a little rusty!"

"A 'little' is underselling it." Y/N raised both arms to block the curved blades aiming to cut off his head, the pointed edge inches away from his throat. He crouched down and swept the mantis's many legs, and quickly stood up. Raising his left leg high as it glowed (F/C), Y/N swung it downward as if it were an executioner's axe and stomped the bug's head, killing it instantly. "I saw your level in my friend list. You're pretty overlevel-"

"Hey...!" Kirito hastily clamped his hand on his mouth and motioned for him to shush. "I know that, but I don't want them to find out."

"Why not?" Y/N peeled away from him. "Why would them knowing your level make a difference?"

"At this point, it's too late for me to tell them the truth. I've been with them for so long and I don't want to ruin what we have."

'There's no way it's that serious...' Y/N thought and rolled his eyes. He noticed Sachi hiding behind Acheron and started to make his way towards them. "I don't understand why you wanna keep it a secret, but if they're up to your level, then everything's fine, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Y/N nodded and ran towards the last remaining mantis, and leaped onto its shoulders. He grabbed its frail arms and planted a foot on the back of its head, and, with a single grunt, he quite literally disarmed it. The mantis roared and thrashed wildly, trying to shrug him off, but he stomped its face into the ground.

"Here, Srirachi, it's all yours."

"H-Huh? O-Oh, alright..." Sachi approached the mantis and hesitated. Her lance shook in her hands before she eventually mustered the courage to stab the massive insect in the face and kill it.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Y/N patted her on the back and laughed to which she responded with a laugh of her own, albeit an uneasy one. "Think you can handle one on your own?"

"B-By myself?! I-I can't..." Sachi looked to Kirito for help. However, her fellow guildmate was busy with taking on two mantises by himself and she watched in awe as he was holding his own without breaking a sweat. Her hands tightened around the shaft of her spear and although they were still shaking, she mustered a small nod. "I-I'll try my best..."

To her credit, she was actually able to defeat five of them within an hour and by the end of the day, she defeated 30 mantises in total. Of course, she took them on one by one and had Y/N and Acheron deflecting the monster's attacks for her while she poked them with her spear, but it was still progress. And progress had to be celebrated.

"See, Srirachi? I knew you could do it!" Y/N cheered for her, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around like a proud parent.

"P-P-P-PLEASE PUT ME DOWN!" Sachi shouted with an ear-piercing shriek. Her was face beet red from embarrassment and there was even a little steam exiting her ears while Acheron watched on with a blank expression.

"Hahaha, looks like you're all having fun." Kirito joined the three, sheathing his sword on the scabbard resting on his back. Y/N finally placed Sachi back on the ground and turned his attention to the man. The sun was beginning to set in the background, dying the skies a bright orange and causing the lake behind them to sparkle.

"Took you long enough. We've been waiting for like forever!"

"Gimme a break..." Kirito sighed to which Y/N laughed and steered him towards the edge of the lake where their other two party members waited.

"Nice work today, everyone." The taller of the two swept the (H/C) hair out of his face. "Let's give it our all tomorrow too."

"Right!" / "R-Right!" Kirito and Sachi said in unison while Acheron nodded, watching the two go on ahead.

"She doesn't belong on the frontlines. She lacks the killer instinct needed to deal the final blow." She whispered to Y/N, her gaze and voice soft with pity as she followed up by saying, "We have to do our best to get people like her out of this game."

"I know..." Y/N couldn't help but agree after seeing Sachi in action today. He racked his brain to find any moment he could use as a counterargument and came up short. "Still, the least we can do is make sure they're not needlessly throwing themselves into danger."

"...Right." Acheron agreed, letting out a small sigh as she turned her reflective gaze to the setting sun.

"Kirito..." Sachi looked at the floor and mumbled. "P/N and Acheron, they're strong. I can tell they're high level just by watching them."

"Yeah, Y/N's always been impressive to watch in battle even if he's a little... exotic. I'm surprised he found someone who could keep up with him."

"Kirito... Are you the same level as them?"

"Huh?" He stopped to look at her. "Where is this coming from?"

"I'm sorry. I just thought that... Never mind, f-forget what I said." Sachi begged. She began to walk faster and was about to pass him when she felt a hand shoot out to seize her wrist.

"I..." Kirito pursed his lips, his eyes full of conflict. "I'm the same level as everyone else in the guild."

"...Alright. If you say so..." Sachi nodded as the two continued the rest of their journey in awkward silence.

* * * * *

"You want me to use a shield?" Sachi repeated, wondering if she heard Y/N correctly. 

The next several days had flown by in the blink of an eye, the unchanging daily routine of killing mantises warping their perception of time. During this time, one thing was made abundantly clear: Sachi was not fit to use a weapon.

"Yeah, why not? Every team needs a tank and you don't exactly look comfortable using a weapon."

"I-I see..." Sachi nodded as if she understood. It was a strange request and went against her guild's intention of having her swap to a sword and shield. However, if it meant she had a better chance of survival and she was more of a help to everyone, then why not?

"Great! Here," Y/N sent her a trade request and gifted her a shield that she wasted no time in equipping. "try to see if you can use this."

"Oka- AH!" Sachi yelped and nearly fell forward when she found herself carrying a massive shield that was almost twice her height. She tried her best but couldn't even make it budge.

"Too heavy, eh?" Y/N helped her up and sent her another trade request, giving her a different shield. "Try that one. It doesn't weigh as much." She nodded and swapped to a shield the same height as her. Thankfully, this time she could lift it and move around (with limited mobility).

"Bettter?"

"Much better."

"Perfect. Now, let's go find a mantis and test your shield!" Y/N pushed Sachi deeper into the forest, ignoring her protests. Kirito and Acheron locked eyes with each other and shrugged before walking after them at a leisurely pace. It didn't take long for a mantis to approach Sachi, practically sensing her fear.

"Alright, all yours, Srirachi. Raise your shield!"

"My name is-" Sachi yelped when the mantis struck her shield, testing its strength. "-is not-" She was distracted by the green monster trying to walk around the wall separating them and used her shield to bash the mantis in the face. "Srirachi!"

"Aww, she's like a Pokemon, saying her name." Y/N chuckled and continued watching her drive back the mantis monster. After an hour spent closely watching her as she defended herself, he eventually stepped in with a satisfied expression. "Switch!" His sword gleamed in the sunlight before it decapitated the mantis.

"Haa... Haa..." Putting down her shield, Sachi was at last given a chance to catch her breath and didn't waste the opportunity.

"Good work, Srirachi. Now," Y/N leaned forward with a devilish grin and rubbed his hands together meticulously. "let's practice you switching in to tank a hit."

"C-Can I take a break first?"

"Nope!" He shook his head and started to push Sachi along. "The faster we get you used to carrying a shield, the faster we can move to more advanced strategies."

"Whyyyy me...?" A soft whimper escaped the girl's lips. Yet, she made no real attempt to stop this madness.

"Take care of her!" Kirito waved goodbye and stifled a chuckle when he heard Sachi's pleas for him to save her. 

"Would you like to join me, Acheron-san?"

"...Is it true that you're a beta tester?" She suddenly asked him. His eyes widened but she quickly cut him off. "It wasn't P/N that told me. I used to serve as captain of the Advance Team and... heard a lot about you two from Kibaou. Naturally, I didn't pay any attention to him, although, judging by your reaction, I assume it's true. I'm not here to admonish you or anything, but I want you to know that keeping certain truths from your friends will come back to bite you." Acheron tightly clenched the hilt of her katana before relaxing her hand. She muttered under her breath, "Only recently have I learned how drastic the consequences can be..." and walked off alone.

"...Nice talk, I guess..." Kirito said as he was left alone on Floor 20 with only Acheron's words echoing in his head as his companion.

Timeskip, One Month Later

August 2033

"Haaah? Srirachi ran away?" 

About a month has passed since the unofficial alliance was made between Y/N and Acheron and the Moonlit Black Cats. The two individuals not affiliated with the guild were currently resting in one of the rooms of Floor 11's inn that the guild frequented.

"Let me see." Acheron leaned over Y/N's shoulder and read the message Kirito sent him. "He sent it only two minutes ago so she's still probably on this floor. She can't have gone too far. If we leave now, it shouldn't take too long for us to find her."

"Yeaaaah... It's kinda late. Can't we leave this to Kirito?" The young man let out a yawn and tried to stand up from his chair until he felt Acheron's hands on his chest. Curiously, he looked up to see her staring down at him, her eyes were blank with no emotion yet somehow capable of making him sense her feelings. And she was not pleased with him. "Fine, fine. Let's go." He gave in and she released him with a satisfied nod.

"It's gonna be a little difficult to find her even with Searching since there's bound to be a lot of tracks all over the town." said Y/N as they left their room.

"That's fine. I have her in my friends list. I can lead the way." Acheron promised and walked ahead of him.

"Whaaaat?! How come Srirachi didn't send me a friend request?"

"Maybe you should start by calling her by her actual name." Acheron recommended as they left the inn and entered the dimly lit streets. There was not a single player or NPCs in sight and the town would be eerily silent if it were not for the ambient noises like crickets chirping and leaves rustling that were integrated into the game.

"Wait, her name isn't Srirachi?!" Y/N's shout shattered the fragile silence blanketing the town and he looked up with his hands behind his head, thinking back to the numerous days they spent practically babysitting her as she leveled up slowly. "Huh. I wonder why she never brought it up."

Acheron didn't say anything and opened her friend list. She scrolled down until she found Sachi's name, and clicked the track button, and could see a set of white glowing footsteps nearby. 

"There. Follow me." The sound of her boots tapping against the stone floor snapped Y/N out of his daydreaming and he noticed her already hot on Sachi's trail.

"Hey, wait up!" Another pair of footsteps tapping against the floor helped fill the void of silence of Floor 11's town. With their agility and Sprint level, it didn't take long for Y/N and Acheron to find Sachi who was hiding under a bridge extending over one of the town's many canals.

"Sachi." Acheron called out to the girl huddled up into a ball in a dark corner.

"Acheron? P/N?" Sachi looked, her surprise was obvious from her tone alone, but the slightly wide-eyed stare she gave them ended any argument.

"Everyone's worried about you. Kirito's looking for you right now." The purple-haired woman slowly approached and sat next to her while Y/N remained back, still in earshot.

"I'm sorry for running away. I'm just... tired."

"Tired? Pretty sure the inn's bed can take care of that problem for you, Srirachi." Y/N joked and Acheron shot him a stern glare while Sachi managed a dull chuckle.

"No, not that type of tired. I'm just tired of this town... the monsters... the guild... the game... and life... I want to..." She didn't say anymore and curled up into a smaller ball. 

Y/N and Acheron exchanged nervous glances before the latter placed a hand on her shoulder. "You wish to take your life?"

"...Yes." Sachi then thought about it and there was a tense ten seconds of silence before she finally spoke again. "......No, I'm sorry. That's not true. If I had to courage to die, then I wouldn't hide within the town's safe zone, would I? I'm not brave like you two, Kirito, and the others. I..." Her eyes darkened with self-loathing. "I'm scared of dying. I'm not only a weakling - I'm also a selfish coward for wasting your time. I'm so pathetic, aren't I?"

Y/N and Acheron didn't say anything and allowed her depressing words to hang over them. 

"No one is truly not afraid of death." Heavier footsteps approached the two girls and stopped as Y/N crouched to their level. "There's no reason to be ashamed of your fear. After all, being afraid means to be human. I also don't want to die and neither does Acheron - we're both afraid of death, but we have to be brave if we want to get out of this game. And, sometimes, the bravest thing someone can do is to acknowledge their weakness and ask for help." He gently placed a hand on hers, his almost infectious smile a welcomed warmth in the chilling shadows of the canal. 

"He's right. You are one of the bravest people for admitting your fear, Sachi. Not everyone can do it." Acheron placed a hand on top of Y/N's as the two smiled at the shivering woman.

Hot tears fell from Sachi's eyes despite her best efforts at wiping them away and some even landed on the pair's joined hands. When they heard her tearful sniffs and felt the distinct sensation of tears landing on them, they silently panicked. 

"What's wrong? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?!" asked Y/N in worry.

"N-No, you didn't... It's just..." She wiped her eyes and looked at them with a frail smile. "P/N, Acheron. You two have been so patient and kind with me. Even though it's a dumb thing to do, you are the first people I've met to say what's on their mind and not hide anything from me. It's... refreshing."

"I'm... not too sure how to respond to that." Acheron smiled uneasily.

"Me neither..." Y/N sighed in agreement, but they decided to put aside their conflicted emotions and enjoy the uplifting melody of Sachi's giggles.

"Sachi!" The group turned to see Kirito running over before he came to a halt.

"We'll take our leave." Acheron patted Sachi's shoulder and accepted Y/N's help to get back onto her feet. "Good night, Sachi."

The short-haired girl nodded and waved goodbye to them, and watched them leave but not before Y/N whispered something to Kirito who merely nodded in acceptance.

After they left the dreadful canal and stepped back on the silent street, the ominous stillness was shattered by the joyous laughter of Y/N. "I think I did good back there. What do you think?"

"You performed... adequately." Acheron said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

"'Adequately,' my ass. I did wonderful!" Y/N huffed angrily, but when she snuck a glance at him, there was playful smirk dancing on his lips.

"Fine, you did well. Satisfied?" Acheron admitted and shook her head with a chuckle. The avenue that once looked lifeless and bleak was suddenly filled with newly ignited life brought about by the younger man's laughs.

"Hehe~! Of course, I am! Bosenmori-san never compliments me after I help her out!" Y/N playfully nudged her as a faint pink color spread across her face, reaching up to her ears.

"No need for the -san part, okay?" She barely managed to say without stumbling over her words, and the pink bloom darkened when she heard his laugh. It reminded her of when she used to go to the beach with her mother during the summer, and made her feel just as warm.

"I had another reason to say what I did back there." Acheron heard the nervous tone in his voice and stopped, giving him her full undivided attention. It was at that moment she noticed the faint dark bags under his eyes. "You mumble in your sleep. I hear everything you dream about and... I hear you calling out to your former guild mates. If there's anything I can do to help you, then let me know, Bosenmori."

"...You've already helped me plenty, Y/N." Acheron said quietly and walked on ahead without another word. Just like how his laughter had spun a warm wool sweater around her, his words tore off the fabric just as quickly.

Later that night, they slept together in the same bed as usual, except their hands remained by their side, cold and devoid of contact.

Timeskip, Two Months Later

October 2033

Two months have passed since Y/N and Acheron found Sachi hiding underneath the bridge like some delicate, pretty, and unintimidating troll. To this day, no one knows what happened between her and Kirito that night, but since then those two have been inseparable.

Although the other Moonlit Black Cats guild members were clueless about their guildmates' new relationship, the pair could tell from their subtle mannerisms (holding each other gazes for a second longer, the lack of tension when standing next to each other, etc.) that something transpired after they left them alone.

However, Y/N and Acheron had their issues to work out - or rather, issue, and that being each other.

To others, they remained their usual selves and left little to no clues to make them believe something was wrong. But, behind closed doors or when left alone together, the tension in the air was more telling than seeing a massive stormy-gray mass of clouds looming in the distance before a thunderstorm.

For many, spending the night under a warm blanket was a welcomed reprieve from the increasingly frigid winds of the encroaching winter. But, for Y/N and Acheron, they couldn't feel colder if they tried. Nights like these, with them being so close yet so far apart, served as a reminder of the growing rift between them.

"Okay, see you all later." Keita waved goodbye to everyone. Teleport: Town of Beginnings."

"I didn't know buying your own home would be so exciting." Sasamaru noted.

"You sound like an old man!" Ducker laughed, judging him.

The group found themselves standing in front of Floor 11's teleport gate after watching their leader teleport to Floor 1. Y/N and Acheron were so preoccupied by their thoughts that they tuned out the world around them. They probably would have stayed in that state of limbo if they hadn't noticed Kirito and the others staring at them.

"Are you okay?" Kirito placed a hand on his friend's shoulder who cracked a small smile.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Don't worry about it."

"Oooh," Ducker leaned forward with a smirk, "What did you and Acheron get up to last night? You two do anything exhausting? Anything mischievous?" The implications of his words prompted Tetsuo and Sasamaru to smack him upside the head, chastising him, stirred Sachi's maiden heart until her face was beet red, and made Kirito sigh and shake his head.

"No, nothing like that." Y/N still retained his smile, but the coldness in his voice sent shivers down their backs and Ducker nervously backed up.

"Hey, why don't we go out and make some more cash while Keita's buying the house?" Tetsuo quickly changed the subject. Everyone saw through him but gladly went along with him.

"Will we buy furniture?" Sachi excitedly clapped her hands together.

"Say, why don't we go up to the dungeon?" Ducker pointed upward.

"Wouldn't our usual hunting grounds be better?" asked Kirito, concern laced in his question.

"We can do it faster above." Sasamaru nodded.

"Besides, at our level, we'll be fine." Ducker reassured him.

Kirito didn't seem too convinced and glanced to Y/N and Acheron for help. When he saw neither of them protesting (or even paying much attention for that matter), he reluctantly nodded. "Alright, if you all say so..."

* * * * *

The dungeon of Floor 27 was such a drastic change in theme from the previous floors that most players had to stop and wonder if they were still in the same game. The floor and walls were made of a smooth turquoise mineral that was capable of reflecting a certain amount of light, allowing players to see their reflections if they were close enough.

"I told you we'd have no problem." Sasamaru rested his spear over his shoulder. "We might be almost at the front lines."

"Heck, yeah!" Ducker exclaimed before noticing an abnormality on their right. "Oh, look! A secret!" He placed his hand on the unusual mark and the soft click of switch echoed throughout the dungeon. The wall slowly moved back and slid to the side, revealing an black metal door.

"A hidden door? Here of al places?" Kirito felt his stomach churn and a bad feeling in his chest left him sweating. His eyes widened when he saw Ducker open the door and waltz right in with Tetsuo, Sasamaru, and Sachi right behind him. "W-WAIT!"

Kirito's shouts and his footsteps were enough for Y/N to snap out of his stupor and chase after him. "Hey, don't-" His warning was cut short when the room turned bright red and an alarm went off, closing the door behind him. The loud slam made Acheron flinch, clarity shining in her violet eyes, and look around to find herself alone.

《Acheron's POV》

The past half an hour (or however long it took for us to arrive at Floor 27's dungeon) was a blur for me. My head desperately swam to avoid drowning in the waves of memories that had begun to occupy my mind since the first night I fell asleep without feeling a comforting warmth on my hand. It was that same night when the nightmares started to seep into my waking consciousness.

I could hear them. My friends' voices. They sounded exactly like how I remembered. They called out to me. And, all they could say was:

Why did you lie to us?

Why didn't you save us?

Why do you not care?

Why do you hide your true feelings?

Why did you not trust us?

No... Stop...

Why do you not trust him?

Y/N? No, I... I do trust-

Foul lies. If you trust him, then why do you not open up to him? Why do you avoid him?

But before I could muster a weak response to their questions, they were abruptly silenced by the thundering crash of a metal door slamming shut. I looked around to see that I was alone in the dungeon with only the deafening silence as a companion once again. 

In a normal situation, I know I should have surveyed the area, looked for clues for everyon'e whereabouts, and called out to see who was nearby, but the first and only word to escape my lips was a soft, "...Y/N?"

My eyes dart around the room to see the metal door sticking out like a sore thumb and I immediately rushed to open it, only to realize that there wasn't a handle. I pushed with all my might, but the door wouldn't budge in the slightest.

On the other side of the door, I could hear him shout, "Keep your backs to each other! Don't move forward on your own! Focus on defense!" and the familiar sound of his nodachi cleaving through enemies.

"Nononono..." I slam my hands against the door, banging against the cold metal to no success. "Not again!" I whisper, panic filling my chest as an image of my previous guildmates flash in my head.

Strange. I don't recall you having this type of reaction when we died.

Their laughter echoed inside my head as I tried to push it away, but their words felt like a thousand daggers. I continued to bang my fists against the metal door, not caring about the Immortal Object pop-up that appeared with each futile strike.

"Sachi!" I heard Y/N yell and felt my blood freeze when I heard the sound of flesh being cut, followed by his grunting.

"P/N!" Kirito's roar of anger quickly turned into static as I stood there, helpless, and listened to the fighting on the other end.

My head felt as if it was wading through mud, and my body felt sluggish. The world around me slowly faded and no longer resembled the game. Instead of the bright crystalline walls and floor, a black void seemed to stare into my soul, no matter where I looked. Below my feet, I could see water rippling every time I moved.

Another friend you've lost.

I looked to my left to see Keith and Kalwar standing there, looking exactly like I remembered from last time: disfigured with black slime covering their faces as the dark liquid oozed from every cut in their skin and chink in their armor.

"N-No..." I whimper. "He's still al-"

Like how we're alive? When will you admit it: he's just another friend you disappointed.

I looked to my right to see Shu and Komata looming over me, in a similar state.

"No..." I felt a pair of small hands cup my face and my head snapped forward to stare into the empty abyss of Grin's face.

Another friend you couldn't save.

"N-No..." I shut my eyes and try to wiggle away. However, Grin... No, this... thing. Whatever it was, it was not the real Grin; The same way the four weren't the real Keith, Kalwar, Shu, or Komata. Was it a new enemy? No, it couldn't be. Was it her guilty subconscious coming back to her? Probably. Whatever it was, I was not sure. All I knew was that it kept its tight grip on me and made sure I wasn't getting away. 

I wanted to throw up - that much I knew. But, my body couldn't even push up the bile. Instead, all I could do was one thing: the one thing I knew how to do.

Reaching down, I unsheathed Raijin and swung at them with a strained yell, destroying their forms. As I swung my blade, crimson lightning crackled and arced around me, mirroring the fluid motion of my weapon as if it possessed a life of its own. The moment they were defeated, an army of shadowy figures took their place, including tall, lanky humanoids and short creatures barely reaching my waist.

Not allowing them a moment to form a counterattack, I dashed forward and cleaved through the very air itself to strike them down. My blade sliced through the shadows with relative ease and the red lightning following me devoured everything in its path. It felt like they were moving in slow motion while I dismantled and tore through their ranks without any mercy, sparing no one.

There were at least over fifty shadows when I began my attack and, before I realized it, there were only six left. They huddled together as a group and I swear I could see four of them shaking and moving back while two stood in front until one of them motioned for the other to leave. Were these entities capable of foreign concepts like camaraderie? I thought about it for a second and shook my head. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that I escaped wherever I was and found a way to break into the room the others were trapped in.

I placed both hands on Raijin and ran ahead, ready to finish the final remnants off. To my surprise, the one standing in front of the group met my katana with a blade of its own and sent me flying backward. I planted my feet on the ground and stared at the shadow who merely stood there as its friends scurried away.

"It's strong..." I mutter to myself. I was confused when I noticed the shadow shake, as if it were letting out an amused chuckle. Eventually, I realized I said it out loud and hardened my gaze, and dashed straight ahead again, eager to finish it off.

Unfortunately for me, that was not what happened. This shadow was extremely powerful and skilled, a fact that I was forced to admit as it smacked me around while parrying all my attacks and smoothly dodging the crimson lightning. In any other situation, I might have admired its skill. 

I could feel it - my technique was getting sloppy and my body was no longer moving from discipline but rather anger. It was only natural for me to feel this way, like how one would experience endless frustration when they felt they had run into a wall that they couldn't climb no matter how long and hard they tried.

What struck me as odd, however, was that fact that it never once took the initiative and patiently waited for me to always make the first move. It aggravated me to no end how this shadow was playing with me until I realized that I could use this to my advantage. Although it was definitely much stronger than me in terms of strength, I was slightly faster than it by a fair margin. If I could use my speed and its confidence against it, then...

After it sent me flying back for the umpteenth time, I stabbed Raijin in the ground to stop myself. The shadow's confusion was clear as day as it stopped in its tracks and cocked its head at me. 

Tightly gripping Raijin's hilt, I shouted as I swung upward, releasing a surge of red lightning towards the shadow. It was taken aback by the attack but managed to leap to its right, narrowly evading the unexpected wave of electricity.

Then, it looked down to see me crouched in front of it, my left hand on Raijin's sheath and my right grabbing it by the hilt. It raised its sword to block my attack.

"Shit...!" I thought to myself, not expecting it to recover so soon. But, I knew that the same trick wouldn't work again and despite my better judgment, I swung my blade upward.

Kssssht!

My eyes widened when I saw Raijin cleave through its steel blade and left a red gash on the shadow's form, from its right waist and diagonally upward, through its left collarbone. For a moment, I felt some semblance of hope spark inside me when its weapon disappeared and I readied another attack, this time, aiming for its head.

Unfortunately, the shadow wasn't as injured as I thought and knocked my katana out of my hand and snaked its arms around me.

"Get... off... of me!!!" I thrashed in its hold. I kicked its shins. I bit its neck. I tried to headbutt it, but nothing worked and-

"Bo... sen... mori..."

...What?

It... spoke and I froze. Its voice sounded like it came from an old static radio but it carried a familiar fondness in how it said my... my name.

"Bosen... mori..." It repeated, the static in its voice vanishing and its words becoming clearer. "I'm... here."

Only three people would call me by my real name: my mother, my father, and.... a-and...

Oh god.

"Y-Y/N?"

《3rd Person POV》

The entire room was in shambles - that was obvious. However, it was completely unexpected to see large crimson gashes all over the room, covering the floors, walls, and ceiling. The door that blocked everyone from entering or leaving was sliced in half, with red polygons covering the area Raijin touched.

Y/N held Acheron tightly in his arms, providing a steadfast anchor as the fiery intensity in her eyes gradually subsided. When she regained her senses, she gladly returned the hug and buried her face in his chest, basking in the warm comfort of his body and ensuring her horns didn't hurt him anymore than she already done. Not too far away, Raijin lay sprawled beside the small ravine formed by her recent powerful attack.

"I'm here, Bosenmori..." He whispered without pause, gently patting and tracing circles on her back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Y/N could see Kirito slowly peeking into the room with the others behind him and they locked eyes. He shook his head and mouthed, 'Later.' before putting Raijin back in its sheath while the black-haired man ferried everyone out of the dungeon, ignoring their protests.

Y/N resumed comforting Acheron, alternating between patting her head and rubbing circles on her back while listening to her shaky breaths slowly stabilize. He was so caught up in the motions that he didn't notice her dozing off until he heard her light snoring. At the sight of her sleeping peacefully, he couldn't help the smile making its way onto his face.

"That's one hell of a skill you gave her," Y/N looked down at his chest, tracing a finger along the edge of the large red gash Acheron gave him. He looked over his shoulder at the robed figure inspecting the crimson marks left behind by Raijin's slashes before, with a snap of his fingers, removing all traces of them. "Kayaba Akihiko."

"So, when did you figure it out?"

"I had a feeling after Acheron-san told me that Raijin suddenly appeared one day in her inventory without any warning, along with a new skill. Only one person who can do that comes to mind and it's the jackass that trapped 10,000 people in his game."

"Very astute observations..." Kayaba nodded, the red hood obscuring his face with a pitch-black shadow. "I can tell that you have questions for me."

"Just one: Why did you give Acheron this katana? As in, why her specifically?"

"I have my reasons."

"I've had enough of your 'reasons.' Do you know how much she's suffered because you gave her that weapon?"

"I may be the 'God' of this game but I cannot foresee the future. Everything that has happened to her is because of her own actions - not mine. I merely gifted her the Raijin."

"...Yeah, I guess that's fair." Y/N equipped his bandages and carefully lifted Acheron. "Where are you?"

"Pardon?"

"You're right - that's a dumb question. You're definitely waiting for the players at Floor 100's Boss Room. Just know that when we get there," He turned around, his (E/C) eyes gleaming with genuine hatred while a vicious snarl escaped his scowling lips. "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass in front of everyone." He promised, earning an amused chuckle from Kayaba.

"I'll keep an eye on you, P/N." He said before disappearing in a flash of light, leaving Y/N alone with Acheron. The (H/C)-haired man glared at the spot where the man once stood with a hardened gaze that softened when his eyes landed on the woman sleeping in his arms' serene expression.

* * * * *

When Acheron woke up, she felt a vaguely familiar warm embrace holding her tightly. She leaned further into it as a soft blanket enveloped her body. Her violet eyes fluttered open and, groggily, glanced around to find that she was back in the safety of the inn on Floor 11.

Acheron frowned in confusion. She remembered clearly that she was in the dungeon on Floor 27, and now she was far from there. Then, the memories came flooding back, and she felt as if her head was threatening to split open.

"Nngh..." She shut her eyes and whimpered softly at the images flashing in her mind.

"Bosenmori," Acheron's eyes shot open when she realized a pair of arms was snaked around her, and she became acutely aware of the position she was in: her head tucked under Y/N's chin as he held her closely. Thankfully, her horns were far enough from each other to not risk scarring his face.  "I'm here."

"Y...Y/N...?"

"I'm here." He reassured her once more, gently patting her back. His arms drew her in closer, and she welcomed the embrace, comforted by his presence. Acheron was about to close her eyes and enjoy the moment until she noticed the dull red glow under his shirt, and traced a finger over the faint crimson scar.

Y/N tried to push her hand away and soothe her woes but she stopped him.

"I hurt you..." He felt his heart break when he heard her voice. She sounded weak, vulnerable, and fragile. If he wasn't already holding onto her, he worried that even talking to her would cause her to shatter into a million pieces.

"You didn't." Y/N tried to reassure her again, but she shook her head.

"No... I did." Acheron was reluctant to do so, but she pulled away from his warm hug and sat up, shivering when the cold night air touched her skin. "I... hurt you..." She repeated, slowly trying to come to terms with this realization.

"Bosenmori, it's fine. It doesn't hur-"

"That doesn't change the fact that I hurt you!" Acheron snapped. "It doesn't change the fact that my friends are dead! It doesn't change the fact I couldn't save them! It doesn't change the fact that I... I almost lost you too..." Her voice cracked towards the end and she looked away.

"I..." Y/N paused, searching for the right words to say. "In my eyes, I got injured because I was careless and that's my own fault. Bosenmori," He gently turned her around to face him, pulling her into a tight yet gentle hug, as he ran a hand through her long purple locks. "You can't blame yourself for everything bad that happens in your life. Sometimes, things are out of our control and all we can do is to accept it happened and try to move on. I know it sucks to hear, but there's nothing we can do to change the past. What we can do instead is pick ourselves up, and turn our attention to the future before it passes us by without warning and leaves us in the dust."

The room was filled with a suffocating silence, only occasionally broken by the sniffles from the shaken woman. 

"How... How do I get the voices to stop?" asked Acheron, her voice more broken than a shattered mirror.

"I don't have the answer to that." Y/N confessed without hesitation. "All I know is that if there's anyone that can do it, it's you, Bosenmori. I believe in you. I believe you have the strength to overcome this with or without me. You're a lot stronger than you think. You just need to see it to believe it yourself." He whispered, squeezing his arms around her and patting her back.

There was no response from Acheron. Not a nod. Not a sigh. Not a sniffle.

Worry overwhelmed Y/N and he leaned away, only to find her fast asleep. A relieved sigh escaped his lips and drowned out the room's silence, followed by the light snoring of the grieving maiden who finally took the time to mourn the loss of her friends after letting her emotions build up over months.

Moonlight filtered into the room, illuminating the young maiden's features with a faint silver glow. Acheron was undeniably beautiful, but under the moon's watchful gaze, her beauty was amplified a hundredfold and the pain in her expression vanished from the silver light's soft touch.

* * * * *

Morning's arrival came sooner than Y/N expected. From his perspective, his head had barely touched the fresh pillow before he was knocked out with Acheron in his arms, and then suddenly it was morning when he opened his eyes.

 Sunlight, akin to its romantic counterpart, streamed into the room, warming the slightly chilly interior. The shadows grew stronger and regained their shape as the sun rose, reaching into every corner.

Y/N rubbed his eyes and sat up, stretching until he heard a loud pop in his muscles. He let out a satisfied sigh and opened to his eyes to see an unexpected sight: he was alone in the room.

"Bosenmori?" Practically throwing the blanket off of him, he stood up and ran to the door, swinging it open and looking around to see not a single soul outside. He closed the door and scratched his head, at a complete loss on what to do next before noticing a piece of paper sitting on the table.

"Dear, Y/N." It began. "I'm sorry for not saying this face-to-face, but I feel I must go on a solo journey of self discovery. There are still many things I do not know about myself and feelings I must take the time to think about. These past four months were nothing short of amazing and I cannot think of anyone else I would rather spend them with. This is goodbye for now, but I am certain that one day we will see each other again. Thank you for everything, Y/N. I will keep you in my thoughts and pray for your safety every night before bed."

"Bosenmori..." Y/N looked down at the letter before putting it into his inventory. 

The young man stayed there for a few seconds, staring off into space and contemplating how he should react before eventually, with a sigh, he opened his menu, tapped a few buttons, and:

P/N: Why did you write me a letter?

He messaged her.

Acheron: ...?

P/N: Yeah, I saw the letter. Why did you write it in the first place?

Acheron: I forgot there was a message function...

Acheron didn't say anything and simply sent a sticker.

P/N: Are you sure you're ready to go on a journey by yourself?

Acheron: You make it sound like I'm a lost child.

P/N: ...

Acheron: ...

P/N: So, are you sure you're ready to go on a journey by yourself?

Acheron: Yes, I meant everything in that letter. I don't know when this solo journey of mine will end, but I'm sure we will meet again one day. I'll be a stronger person by then. I'll be someone you can rely on.

P/N: I won't force you to let me join, so please contact me whenever you need help. I don't want to lose you, Bosenmori.

Acheron: Of course.

There was a brief pause between her two messages.

Acheron: And... Thank you for your words of encouragement. I do not know if I can live up to the expectations you have for me, but I will do everything within my power to try.

P/N: Don't worry about such trivial nonsense. You better come back alive, or I'll chase you to the afterlife.

Acheron: Heh. That sounds like something you would say... You better do the same, Y/N. Goodbye.

P/N: Goodbye, Bosenmori.

Y/N smiled and closed the chat. He re-equipped his armor and reached for his Lordsworn's Sword until he remembered what happened to it, and a somber air loomed over him.

"Goodbye, old friend..." He said quietly, wiping a dramatic tear from his eye. A knock on the door yanked him out of his thoughts and he opened it to find Kirito standing there. "The heck you doing here? I thought you guys bought a house on Floor 1?"

"Yeah, about that..." He scratched the back of his head before he looked around. "Where's Acheron?"

"Yeah, about that..." Y/N stepped out the room. "Let's take a walk." He motioned for Kirito and follow him, and together they left the inn while he explained the situation.

"That's sad to hear, but I'm glad that you left on a positive note. Plus, that works for me too." Y/N raised an eyebrow and motioned for him to continue. "I, uh... left the Moonlit Black Cats after telling them my real level."

"Why'd you do that? I doubt they care about your level."

"Maybe... But, I don't know if you're unaware, but beta testers have a bad reputation of late."

"Why? That sounds stupid." said Y/N while Kirito shrugged. 

"I think so too, but you can't change the minds of some people." They passed by a cafe, restaurant, and the town's blacksmith before one of them spoke again. "Anyways, I was planning on going back to being a solo player until now. what do you say to teaming up again? It'd just be like old times."

The (H/C)-haired stopped when he saw something in front of them and said bluntly, "I don't think that's possible."

"Oh... Sorry, did you have other plans?" Kirito politely asked, failing to keep the disappointment out of his words.

"No, that's not what I meant." He sighed and lifted Kirito's chin so he could finally look ahead, to see Sachi waiting for them.

"Kirito!" She shouted and ran up to him.

"S-Sachi? What are you doing here?!"

"H-Huh? Do... Do you not want to see me?" Sachi backed up, clearly not expecting that type of response as tears started to form in her steel-blue eyes.

"N-No! I'm glad to see you! Believe me! But..." Kirito awkwardly scratched his head. "I didn't think you'd want to see me again after learning what level I am."

"...Hm?" Sachi tilted her head, confusion written all over her face. "Why would that make me angry?"

"Thank you!" Y/N shouted in the background.

"Besides, I..." She nervously smiled. "I accidentally saw your level so I wasn't that surprised when you told us."

"R-Really? What about the others? Are they..."

"I..." She looked away, embarrassed. "I didn't get a good look to see their reactions. I chased you after you ran out the house, but you were too fast for me and I lost track of you." She admitted. "Then, I asked Acheron-san if she saw you and she just told me to find P/N-san on Floor 11, and ask him to find you for me..."

"Sorry for the trouble..." Kirito hung his head in shame. "Is there something you wanted to say?"

"Y-Yes, I..." Sachi's confidence wavered for a moment. "I want to join you two!"

"What?! Sachi, you can't-"

"Aight. Sounds good to me." Y/N nonchalantly sent them both invites, and she quickly accepted before Kirito could protest. "Let's head out now."

"Okay!"

"Hold on!" The black-haired swordsman cut in. "Sachi, P/N is an even higher level than me. We'll be facing dangerous enemies, even more dangerous than the ones we faced on Floor 27. I can't expose you to that-"

"Kirito," Sachi placed a gentle hand on his face and smiled. "I can't afford to continue being the weak link in the guild. Sooner or later, I have to get stronger if I want to live. I know it'll be dangerous, but what isn't dangerous in this game? I don't want to spend who-knows-how-long wasting away on the lower floors while you're fighting for our sakes. Besides," She smiled and nodded at Y/N before returning her gaze to Kirito. "there's no safer place than being with you and P/N-san. So, please let me come with you."

"Sachi, I..." Kirito's hands balled up into fists. "I..." They soon relaxed and uncurled as he placed his hands on her shoulders with a tiny smile. "Alright, I understand. But, promise me that you won't put yourself in needlessly dangerous scenarios."

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" Sachi giggled but eventually promised to which Kirito chuckled, a faint smile dancing on his lips.

"Man," The depressed tone from Y/N made them turn to see a gloomy aura around him as he knelt down to stare at the dirt of the nearby flower boxes. "here I thought that Kirito would be the third-wheel..." He muttered lowly, ignoring the two as they tried their best to comfort him to no avail.

And, thus, began the long journey of Y/N, Kirito, and Sachi as they marched ahead, toward whatever dangers and foes waited for them in the future.

《Chapter End》

Y/N - Level 64

Stats:

HP - 13,000

STR - 20(+80) [100]

AGL - 20(+105) [125]

4 Remaining Stat Points

Skill Slots:

Skill 1 - One-Handed Sword Lv. 502

Skill 2 - Sprint Lv. 451

Skill 3 - Searching Lv. 382

Skill 4 - Katana Lv. 471

Skill 5 - Martial Arts Lv. 496

Skill 6 - Parry Lv. 390

Skill 7 - Light Metal Armor Lv. 350

Skill 8 - Battle Healing Lv. 301

Skill 9 - Extended Weight Limit Lv. 207

Weapons:

Illfang's Black-Steel Nodachi [Rank C - Requires 35 STR, 22 AGL, and «Katana» Skill]

Range: Far

Attack: 400-410

Weight: 280

Type: Slash

Durability: 1600