3

A pleasant scent tickled my nose. Slowly opening my eyes, I found the world to be full of white. The morning sun, bouncing endlessly off of the icy walls, set the snow pile into the vertical shaft a-shimmer.

Looking around, I noticed a steaming pot had been placed on top of the lantern. That was the source of the smell. In front of the lantern, facing sideways, was the man in black. The glimpse of him seemed to light a tiny fire within my breast.

Kirito turned to me and grinned.

“Morning.”

“…Good morning.”

Upon pushing myself up to a sitting position, I realized that the hand I’d fallen asleep extending had been tucked back underneath the bedroll. I touched it to my lips, imagining that the warmth was still saved in my palm, and hopped up to my feet.

Kirito handed me a steaming cup. I accepted it gratefully and plopped down next to him. The cup smelled like flowers and mint, a kind of tea I’d never tasted before. I took in a sip, then another, feeling the warmth spread through my heart.

I tilted sideways, leaning over to lean on Kirito. When I turned my head, our eyes met, and we both turned away immediately. For a minute, the only sound was the sipping of tea.

“Hey,” I murmured into my mug.

“Yeah?”

“What if we never get out of here?”

“Then we’ll need these sleeping bags.”

“That was a quick answer. I was hoping for a bit more contemplation.” I laughed, elbowing him. “But it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, I guess…”

I tilted my head to rest on Kirito’s shoulder, but he suddenly leaped upward with a cry, and I sprawled over onto the floor instead.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” I complained, but Kirito didn’t turn back around. He started racing for the center of the large hole. Grumbling, I stood and followed.

“What is it?”

“Hang on…”

He knelt down and started scraping away the snow, digging out a hole in the layer that covered the ground.

“Wha—?”

A silver flash leaped across my face. Something under the snow was gleaming, reflecting the morning sunlight.

Kirito brushed away the snow, then grabbed the thing with both hands to lift it up. I bent over for a closer look, unable to suppress my curiosity.

It was a rectangular object, silver and translucent, just big enough to overflow both of Kirito’s hands, if he held them together. An object of a very familiar size and shape to me—an ingot. But I’d never seen one this color.

I extended a finger and tapped on the surface of the block. A pop-up appeared, describing it as a CRYSTALLITE INGOT.

“Could this be…?”

I looked up at Kirito and he nodded hesitantly.

“Yeah…it’s the metal we came here to find…I’m guessing.”

“But why would it be buried down here?”

“Hmm…”

Kirito craned his neck, scrutinizing the ingot clamped in his fingers, then let out a brief exclamation of understanding.

“The dragon chews the crystals…and smelts them into the alloy in its belly…Ha-ha! That’s neat.”

He chuckled in appreciation and tossed the ingot to me. I hastily reached out to catch it with both hands, clutching it to my chest.

“Would you fill me in already? I’m tired of being left in the dark.”

“This shaft isn’t a trap. It’s the dragon’s nest.”

“Wh-what?”

“That ingot is the dragon’s waste product. It’s poop.”

“P…”

I looked down at the ingot held tightly to my chest, my cheek twitching.

“Eugh!” I tossed it back at Kirito.

“Whoa!”

He deftly bounced it back with his fingertips. We played a brief game of hot potato, tossing it back and forth like a pair of kids, until Kirito quickly opened his inventory and shoveled the ingot inside.

“Well, now we’ve got what we came for. The only thing left…”

“…is escaping.”

We traded glances and sighed in unison.

“I guess we should just brainstorm and start testing our ideas.”

“Yeah. If only we had wings like a dragon,” I began to say, then realized something and stopped still, mouth agape.

“What is it, Liz?” Kirito peered into my face, puzzled.

“You just said this was a dragon’s nest, right?”

“Yeah. I mean, there’s poop here, so…”

“Enough about the poop already! If the dragon is nocturnal, doesn’t that mean it’ll come back to the nest in the morning…?”

“…”

We stared at each other for a moment, then turned to look upward at the aperture of the pit. The very next instant—

A black shadow bled into the white circle of light far, far above. It grew larger and larger. Within moments, I could make out two wings, a long tail, and four powerful limbs armed with claws.

“H…h…”

We both started backing away, not that there was anywhere to hide.

“Here it comes!” we cried in unison, drawing our weapons.

As the white dragon descended the shaft, it noticed us just before it reached the ground and gave a shrill, piercing cry, stopping in midair. Its red eyes and long, vertical pupils were glaring at us angrily, intruders in its sanctuary. But there was nowhere to hide in the narrow pit. I readied my mace, trying to stifle my nerves.

Kirito stepped in front of me, sword in hand, and rattled off some quick commands.

“Listen, don’t step out from behind me. If your HP start to drop, drink a potion right away.”

“O-okay.” I nodded, determined to listen this time.

The dragon opened its maw wide for another screech. The beating of its wings sent the snow flying. It smacked its long, powerful tail against the ground repeatedly, carving deep furrows into the mounds of snow.

Kirito brandished his sword, preparing to charge and seize the initiative—when he stopped for some reason.

“…Wait…no way…” he murmured.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Um…”

He sheathed his sword without answering my question, then turned around and pulled me to his side.

“Huh?!”

Ignoring my panic, Kirito hoisted me up over his shoulder.

“H-hey, wait, what are you—Whoa!!”

The surroundings suddenly turned to a blur as a shock wave exploded around me—Kirito had started racing toward the wall. He leaped just before we hit it, then raced sideways along the curved walls, just as he’d attempted last night. Only this time, he stayed level rather than going up. The dragon’s head craned as it tracked us, but Kirito hit his boosters, racing faster than the beast could follow.

A few seconds later, Kirito landed back on the ground as my eyes raced with dizziness. Once I blinked them into focus again, the dragon’s backside came into view. It had lost sight of us and was searching left and right on the wrong side of the hole.

It seemed to me that Kirito was going to attack it from behind, but instead he approached it quietly, reached out, and grabbed it firmly by the tip of its tail.

In that instant, the dragon let out another screech. Was it just me, or did it sound like a scream of surprise? Now I was thoroughly confused as to Kirito’s plan, and I let out a yell of my own, but the dragon beat its wings and began rising with terrifying speed.

“Bfft!”

Air beat my face. I felt myself flying through the air as though I’d been shot from a bow. We were rising quickly through the shaft, swaying left and right as the dragon’s tail whipped back and forth. The floor of the circular pit grew smaller and smaller.

“Hang on tight, Liz!” Kirito bellowed, and I clung to his neck for dear life. The sunlight reflecting off the ice walls was getting lighter and lighter, and the pitch of the air whistling past my ears shifted subtly. There was an abrupt explosion of white, and then we were outside the hole.

When I opened my eyes again, I could see the entirety of the fifty-fifth floor laid out in front of me. Directly below was the snowy mountain, a pristine cone. Farther away was the tiny village. Beyond the vast snowfield and intricate forest was a procession of sloped roofs that marked the floor’s main city. Everything I saw glittered brightly in the light of the morning. For a moment, I forgot my fear and exclaimed in wonder.

“Wow…”

“Yeaaaaah!!”

Kirito whooped and let go of the dragon’s tail. He tightened his grip around my side and our momentum sent us spinning through the air.

The flight only lasted a few seconds, but it felt ten times that long. I think I was laughing. The overflowing light and wind cleansed my heart. My emotions were fit to burst.

“Hey, Kirito!!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“What?!”

“I really like you!!”

“What?! I can’t hear you!!”

“Nothing!!”

I hugged his neck and laughed wildly. Our miraculous moment came to an end as the ground approached. Kirito took one last spin and braced himself for impact, his legs wide.

Bawoof! Snow shot upward. There was a long glide. We slowed down gradually while weaving through the white crystals like a snowplow, and finally we came to a halt at the edge of the peak.

“…Whew.” Kirito sighed, plopping down on the snow. I reluctantly released my grip on his neck.

We turned around to look at the massive hole, while the dragon circled overhead, having apparently lost sight of us.

Kirito reached back to his sword and started to pull it out of its sheath, then shoved it back. A wry grin crossed his face as he murmured to the dragon.

“Sorry about all the hunting, day after day. Once word gets out on how to find the item, they won’t be trying to kill you anymore. Live in peace.”

Yesterday, I would have thought, Are you crazy, talking to a monster that’s just a series of algorithms? But for some reason, my heart accepted Kirito’s words as true and honest. I reached out and gently gripped his hand.

As we watched silently, the white dragon craned its head around; gave a crisp, clear screech; then descended back into the shaft. Silence returned.

Finally, Kirito turned to me and said, “Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna take a crystal back?”

“No…let’s walk.”

I started walking forward with a smile on my face, still holding Kirito’s hand. But then I remembered something and looked back to him.

“Oh…we left the lantern and sleeping bags down there.”

“Now that you mention it…oh, well. Someone else might find them useful.”

We grinned at each other and started hiking down the mountain, headed home for sure this time. The sky beyond the outer perimeter of Aincrad was a brilliant, unblemished blue.

“I’m home!”

I shoved open the familiar door of my shop.

“Welcome back,” the NPC girl behind the counter returned politely. I waved to her and took a look around the shop. I’d only been gone for a single day, but somehow it all looked new and different.

Kirito followed me inside the door, another hot dog from that same street cart shoved into his mouth again.

“It’s almost lunchtime; we should eat at a proper restaurant,” I complained, but Kirito grinned and opened his item window instead.

“Before that, let’s get this sword made.”

He flipped through his inventory and materialized the platinum ingot, tossing it to me. I caught the metal—willfully ignoring the source of the substance—and nodded.

“Yeah, let’s get it over with. Come back into the workshop.”

We proceeded through the door in the back of the storefront, where the thunking of the waterwheel became much louder. I hit the switch on the wall, starting up the bellows to push air into the furnace. It began glowing red almost at once.

I placed the ingot into the opening, then turned to Kirito.

“You wanted a one-handed sword, right?”

“Yep. Thanks.” He sat himself into the round guest chair.

“Coming right up. Just so you know, the quality will be affected by random variables, so keep your expectations reasonable.”

“If it’s a failure, we can always go get another ingot. We just need to remember a rope.”

“A really, really long one.”

I chuckled, thinking about the preposterous drop down that shaft. Inside the furnace, the ingot was getting good and cooked. I reached in with the tongs and pulled it out onto the anvil.

After grabbing my smithing hammer off the wall and configuring the menu, I gave Kirito one last glance. He nodded silently. I smiled in response and raised the hammer high over my head.

The powerful swing caught the glowing metal square, and a clear, pure clang! echoed off the walls, red sparks flying everywhere.

In the chapter of the game’s reference materials dedicated to Blacksmithing, the only detail offered about this step is, “Strike the ingot a number of times, depending on the type of weapon being created and the rank of metal being used.”

That could be interpreted to mean that the player’s skill has no bearing on the act of hitting the metal with a hammer, but given the nonstop trading of whispered rumors and secret techniques in SAO, most people strongly believed that the precision of the crafter’s rhythm and a strong will would indeed affect the final result.

I considered myself a rational, levelheaded person, but months and months of practice led me to give credence to this theory. When I made a weapon, I shut out all other information, focusing entirely on the hammer in my right hand, striking firmly with a mind free of all distractions.

But…

This time, amid the clanging of the metal, my mind was whirling with a number of conflicting thoughts.

If I performed this job properly and made a satisfactory weapon, Kirito would take it back to the front line, and it was unlikely I’d see him much after this. Even if he did come back for maintenance and sharpening, it would be once every ten days, at the most frequent.

But I don’t want that, screamed a silent voice within me.

I’d been starving for human warmth—in fact, it was because I was lonely that I hesitated to get close to any specific male players. I was afraid of that loneliness turning into love. And it wouldn’t be a real romance, just an illusion of chemicals and data created by this virtual world.

But when I felt the heat of Kirito’s hand last night, I realized it was that hesitation itself that was this world’s thorny trap. I am me. I’m Lisbeth the blacksmith, and also Rika Shinozaki. It’s the same for Kirito. He’s not a character in a game; he’s a flesh-and-blood human being. Which means my burgeoning feeling of attraction to him must be real, too.

If I forge a sword that meets his satisfaction, I’ll tell him how I feel. I’ll tell him I want him to stick around, to come back to this house every day after his adventures in the labyrinths.

As the ingot was pounded into shape and took on a greater shine, the emotions within me solidified into certainty. My feelings spilled out through my right hand, flowing into my hammer, and from there, the sword that was taking shape before my eyes.

Finally, the moment came.

Somewhere between 200 and 250 strikes, the ingot suddenly emitted a much brighter shine than before. The glowing rectangular shape morphed before our eyes, lengthening from both ends and sprouting a protuberance that was likely to be the hilt.

“Whoa,” Kirito murmured in wonder, hopping up from the chair to watch. Within a few seconds, the object was fully generated, and a new sword rested on the anvil.

It was a beautiful weapon, very beautiful. For a longsword, it seemed a bit on the fragile side. The blade was thin, but not as thin as a rapier. The entire thing seemed just a tiny bit translucent, as though it had inherited that characteristic from the ingot. The blade itself was a brilliant white, while the hilt was a bluish silver.

One of the sales pitches for SAO claimed that it was “a world in which a player’s sword represents him,” and indeed, there is a vast variety of weapons in the game. A list of the unique weapon names among all the categories would number several thousand.

Unlike in a normal RPG, the variety of different weapons grows as they rise in rank and power. Low-rank weapons might have bland names like “Bronze Sword” or “Steel Blade”—and there are countless examples of them scattered around SAO—but the finest weapons currently in use in the game, like Asuna’s “Lambent Light,” are one-of-a-kind.

Naturally, there are other rapiers with similar characteristics, whether player-made or dropped by monsters. But they’ll all have different names and shapes. That’s how high-level weapons bewitch their users—becoming trusted partners, a piece of one’s soul.

The name and shape of a weapon is determined by the system itself, so even the one crafting it doesn’t know what it will be ahead of time. I picked up the glittering sword with both hands—and was shocked by its surprising weight. This weapon would require a strength stat at least as high as Kirito’s Elucidator. I put my knees into it and hefted the sword up to my chest.

With my right hand cradling the hilt of the sword, I awkwardly tapped it with a finger to bring up the pop-up menu.

“Let’s see, it’s called the Dark Repulser. I’ve never heard of it, so I’m sure it’s not listed in any of the weapon indexes yet. Here, try it out.”

“Thanks.”

Kirito reached out and grabbed the hilt. He lifted the blade easily, as though it weighed nothing at all. He fiddled with the equipment mannequin inside his menu and targeted the white sword. This meant the system officially recognized the new blade as properly equipped, displaying the new parameters for the player’s perusal.

But Kirito ignored the numbers and closed the menu. He took a few steps back and swung the blade back and forth.

“Well?” I asked, unable to wait. Kirito stared at the sword silently for a few moments—then broke out into a wide grin.

“It’s heavy. Nice sword.”

“Really? Hooray!”

I raised my fist in triumph. Kirito returned the salute and we bumped fists.

It had been a long time since I’d felt this way. It was the same way I had felt when customers praised the ramshackle weapons I had sold in my roadside display in my days down around the tenth floor—the moments that I’d been glad I was a blacksmith. It was a feeling that I’d gradually forgotten, when my skills became good enough that I began selling to high-level players.

“I guess it’s all just a matter…of how you look at it…”

Kirito tilted his head, curious of my self-absorbed murmuring.

“Er, n-nothing. Anyway, shall we go somewhere to celebrate? I’m pretty hungry,” I announced, loudly, to hide my nerves. I pushed Kirito’s shoulders from behind, trying to guide him out of the workshop—when I was struck by a sudden doubt.

“…Hey.”

“What?”

Kirito looked over his shoulder. His black sword was still slung over his back.

“You originally said you wanted something as good as this sword. I can tell the white sword is a very nice weapon, but it doesn’t seem that different from your looted sword. Why do you need two similar swords?”

“Ahh…”

Kirito turned around to face me, clearly grappling with what to say.

“Well, I can’t explain the full details. But I’ll tell you if you promise not to ask any further questions.”

“Why so cryptic?”

“Here, stand back.”

He had me back up against the wall of the shop, then drew the black sword from its scabbard, still holding the white sword in his left hand.

“…?”

I couldn’t tell what he was going to do. He’d been fiddling with his equipment screen, but the system only recognized the sword in his left hand as being his equipped weapon. Having another sword in his right hand wouldn’t help him out in the least. In fact, it was more likely to disable his sword skills because the system would detect an irregularity in his active weapon.

Kirito spared a single glance at my baffled face, then took on a battle stance, right sword forward, left sword back. He crouched, and an instant later—

Red visual effects burst outward, coloring the entire workshop for a moment.

Kirito’s swords shot forward in an alternating pattern faster than the eye could follow. Shba-ba-ba-bam! He didn’t hit anything, but all the objects in the room trembled with the force of the air.

That was very clearly a Sword skill, recognized and aided by the game system. But…I’d never heard of any skills that used two swords!

Kirito stood up silently after he finished his combo, which seemed to have at least ten different blows. He snapped both of his wrists forward, returned his left sword to the sheath on his back, and then gazed at me. My breath hitched.

“That’ll do. I need a sheath for this sword. Can you fashion something for me?”

“Uh…s-sure.”

How many times had this Kirito managed to shock me? I should have been getting used to it by now. I decided to hold off on the questions and touched the wall to bring up my workshop’s home menu.

The shop storage was full of various supplies, so I scrolled through the list until I found a bundle of scabbards I’d bought from a fellow craftsman. I picked out one finished with black leather that seemed a good fit for the sword on Kirito’s back, and I pulled it out of the menu. My studio logo was printed on the finish, nice and small. I handed it to him.

Kirito snapped the white blade into the sheath and placed the entire thing in his window screen. I thought he might just leave both of them equipped, but apparently not.

“Was that…a secret?”

“Yeah, kinda. It’d do me a solid if you didn’t tell anyone.”

“Aye-aye.”

A player’s skill information was his lifeline. If someone didn’t want you snooping, you had to obey. But more importantly, the fact that he’d considered me worthy of seeing his secret in action filled me with delight.

“So.” Kirito placed his hands on his hips and looked at me. “That finished up our deal. How much do I owe you?”

“Uhh, erm…”

I bit my lip for a moment—then spoke what I’d been feeling in my heart.

“I don’t need any money for it.”

“…Pardon?”

“Instead, I want to be your personal blacksmith.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“What…do you mean by that…?”

“When you’re done with an adventure, come here for maintenance. Every day. From here on out.”

My heartbeat was racing now. Was it just a virtual effect, or was my real heart racing just as quickly? My cheeks were hot. My entire face must have been bright red.

Even Kirito, he of the effortless poker face, blushed and looked down when he realized what I meant. He’d always seemed older than me, but that simple gesture made him feel the same age, or perhaps even younger.

I summoned my courage and took a step forward, taking hold of Kirito’s hand.

“Kirito…I…”

I’d shouted the same words at the top of my lungs when we burst out of the dragon’s lair, but now that I was saying them face-to-face, my tongue wouldn’t move. I stared into Kirito’s black eyes, willing myself to put the feelings into words, when…

The door of the workshop slammed open. I let go of Kirito and leaped away.

“Liz, I was so worried!!”

The visitor shouted and raced inside, barreling into me with a massive bear hug. Long chestnut-brown hair danced through the air.

“A-Asuna…”

She leaned in close to my stunned face, glaring, then proceeded to tear into me.

“None of my messages reached you, I couldn’t find you on the map, none of the regulars knew where to find you—where the heck did you go last night? I even went to Blackiron Palace to make sure the worst hadn’t happened!”

“S-sorry, sorry. I just got stuck in a dungeon…”

“A dungeon?! You?! By yourself?!”

“N-no, with him…”

I glanced over Asuna’s shoulder. She spun around, saw the black swordsman standing there awkwardly, and froze in place, her eyes and mouth open wide. Then, her voice a full octave higher than usual—

“K-Kirito?”

“Yes?!”

Now it was my turn to be shocked. I turned to look at Kirito, who was just as stock-still as Asuna. He cleared his throat lightly and raised a hand in greeting.

“Hi, Asuna. It’s been a while…if two days counts as a while, I guess.”

“Y-yes…you startled me. So you decided to visit. If you’d just said something, I would have joined you.”

She clasped her hands behind her and smiled shyly, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor. I noticed the spots of pink on her cheeks…

And understood everything.

It wasn’t coincidence that Kirito came here. Asuna had recommended my shop to him, as she promised me she would. He was the boy she had a crush on.

Oh my God…What should I do?

The words spun in circles throughout my head. It felt like all the warmth of my body was flowing away, escaping out of my toes. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t find the proper outlet for how I felt…

Asuna turned back to me and chirped, “He wasn’t rude to you, was he, Liz? I bet he gave you some ridiculous request.”

She looked briefly puzzled. “But, wait…does that mean you were with Kirito last night?”

“Um…listen…” I forced myself forward, grabbing Asuna’s hand and pushing the door open. Before we walked out, I turned around and spoke quickly and professionally in Kirito’s direction, careful not to look directly at him.

“Just a minute. I’ll be right back…”

I pulled Asuna out into the storefront, shut the door behind us, and wove through the shelves of inventory to the front door.

“W-wait, Liz, what’s going on?” Asuna asked, clearly baffled, but I kept heading for the main street, my pace quick. I couldn’t be around Kirito another moment. If I didn’t escape the workshop, I was afraid I’d take it out on him.

Asuna seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, as she followed without another word. Finally, I let go of her hand.

We went into the east-facing alley across the street, where there was a small open-air café, almost hidden beneath a tall stone wall. There were no other customers there. I picked out a table in the corner and sat down in the white chair.

Asuna took the seat across from me and peered into my face, clearly concerned.

“What’s the matter, Liz…?”

I flashed her a big smile, trying to summon all of my energy. It was the same easy smile I always used when we chatted about silly rumors.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” I crossed my arms and glanced at her.

“H-huh?”

“The boy you like!”

“Oh…” She looked down, her shoulders hunching, then nodded. Her cheeks were pink again. “Yeah.”

I widened my grin, trying to ignore the sudden lance of pain that shot through my chest.

“Well, he certainly is very strange.”

“Did Kirito…do anything to you?” She looked worried. I gave her a hearty nod.

“He certainly did. Within two minutes, he’d broken the nicest sword in my shop.”

“Oh no…I’m so sorry…”

“It’s not like it’s your fault, Asuna.”

The sight of her apologizing, hands clasped together, only made the throbbing in my heart worse.

C’mon, Lisbeth. You can do this…just a bit more.

I did my best to keep my smile going.

“Well, anyway, the properties of the sword he wanted required a very rare type of metal, so we had to go to an upper floor to find it. When we got there, we fell into a trap that was pretty tricky to get out of, and that’s why it took a while to get home.”

“I see…So even if you’d tried to send me a message, it wouldn’t have reached me…”

“We probably should have invited you along. I’m sorry.”

“No, I was busy with guild work anyway…So did you make the sword?”

“Yep, all done. I never want to undertake such a bother of a job again, though.”

“You’d better make sure you get a nice hefty price tag out of it!”

We laughed together. I wrung the final words out, still holding that smile.

“Well, he’s kind of weird, but he’s not a bad person. I hope it all goes well for you, Asuna.”

It was as far as I could get. The last word trembled out of my lips.

“Um, yeah. Thanks…” Asuna nodded, peering into my face, her head tilted in curiosity. I vigorously stood up before she could see what was threatening to well up behind my eyelids.

“Ah, crap! I forgot that I promised to stock up on some stuff. I need to go down and pick it up!”

“Huh? What about the store…What about Kirito?”

“You handle him, Asuna! Thanks!”

I turned on my heel and dashed away, waving to Asuna over my shoulder. I couldn’t turn around to face her.

Once I’d run far enough toward the teleport gate square that I couldn’t be seen from the café, I turned the corner to the south. I ran straight for the corner of the town, in search of a place I could be alone, my mind in tumult. When my vision blurred, I wiped my eyes clean. Over and over.

The next thing I knew, I was standing before the wall that surrounded the town. There was a line of evenly spaced trees planted along the gentle curve of the wall. I stopped in the shade of one of them, clutching the branches to stay upright.

“Sng…sob…”

The sounds escaped from the depths of my throat. The tears I’d been trying hard to hold back spilled forth, forging lines down my cheeks.

It was the second time I’d cried since I came to this world. After the very first day, when I’d cried from a panic attack at that initial shock, I swore I would never cry again. I didn’t want the game’s emotion system to force virtual tears down my cheeks. But even in real life, I’d never felt hotter, more painful drops run across my face.

During our conversation, I’d failed to say the most important words to Asuna: “You know, I like him, too.” I don’t know how many times I’d gotten close. But I couldn’t do it.

The instant I saw Kirito and Asuna next to each other in the workshop, I understood that my place was not at his side. I knew it because I had put his life in danger on that snowy mountaintop. Only someone with a heart as strong as his was meant to stand next to him. Someone…like Asuna…

There was a strong magnetism between the two of them, a fit as tight as a sword and its custom-made scabbard. I could feel it clear as day. Asuna had spent months pining after Kirito, slowly closing the distance between them—I couldn’t possibly step in over the course of a single day and ruin all of that.

That’s right…I’ve only known Kirito for twenty-four hours. My heart is simply shaken out of its usual pattern by going on an unusual adventure with a stranger. It isn’t real. This feeling isn’t real. If I’m going to fall in love, it has to be steadily, thoroughly, properly—that’s what I always told myself.

So why are there so many tears?

Kirito’s voice, mannerisms, expressions—everything I’d seen over those twenty-four hours floated up over my eyelids. The feeling of his palm, when he’d rubbed my head, grabbed my arm, held my outstretched hand. The warmth of him, of his heart. Each time my mind touched those memories, the pain jabbed deeper into my chest.

I have to forget. It was all a dream. Let the tears wash it away.

I dug my fingers into the branches of the tree, clinging to stay upright, sobbing. It was all I could do to keep my voice down. In the real world, you run out of tears at some point, but it seemed like the virtual teardrops would never dry up.

And then I heard a voice from behind.

“Lisbeth.”

A jolt ran through my body. A gentle, soothing voice, high-pitched with youth.

It must be an illusion. He couldn’t be here. I was so sure that I didn’t even bother to wipe my tears before turning up to look.

There was Kirito. The eyes sheltered behind his black bangs told of his own troubles. I stared back into them for a few moments, then spoke in a trembling voice.

“…You shouldn’t have come just now. In a few minutes, I’d be back to the usual, cheerful Lisbeth.”

“…”

He took a step forward, reaching out a hand to me. I shook my head, refusing to give in.

“How did you know I’d be here?”

Kirito turned his head and pointed back toward the center of town.

“I went up there.” His finger was pointing to the steeple of the church bordering the teleport plaza, towering over the other roofs in the far distance. “You can see the entire town from that point.”

“Hah…hah.” Despite the continual outpouring of tears, I couldn’t help but let an involuntary chuckle leave my lips. “You never stop being ridiculous.”

I like even that about you…unbearably so.

The wracking sobs were about to return. I desperately tried to stifle them.

“Sorry, I’m—I’m fine. Go back to Asuna.”

Having squeezed out all that I could manage, I started to turn away, but Kirito continued.

“I…I wanted to thank you, Liz.”

“Huh…?”

I spun back to him. This was not what I expected.

“You see…I used to be in a guild, and the other members all got wiped out because of me…Ever since, I swore that I would never let anyone get close to me again.”

For a moment, his brows furrowed, and he bit his lip.

“So…normally, I avoid partying up with anyone. But yesterday, when you said we should do that quest together, I said yes for some reason. It was a mystery to me the entire time. ‘Why am I walking with this person’?”

For an instant, I forgot about the pain in my chest.

That—that was how I’d felt…

“Every time someone gave me a party request, I refused them. Watching people I knew—hell, even people I didn’t know—fight just terrified me. All I could think of was running from battle and never looking back. That’s why I hung out at the very farthest reaches of the frontier: to stay away from people. When we fell into that hole, and I said I’d rather die than be the only survivor, I wasn’t lying.”

He smiled weakly. I held my breath at the bottomless self-loathing I saw behind that expression.

“But we survived. Somehow we both made it, and that was such a joy to me. And that night, when you held out your hand to me, I understood. Your hand was so warm…I realized that you were truly alive. I understood that I, and everyone else here, aren’t running out the days until we inevitably die. We’re living in order to live. So…thanks, Liz.”

“…”

Now a true smile radiated forward with all of my heart. I was gripped with some strange, indefinable feeling.

“You know…I’ve been searching for something, too. Something true in this world. And then I found it—the warmth of your hand.”

It felt as though the dagger of ice stabbed into my heart was melting. My tears had stopped. We stood in silence for several moments, looking into each other’s eyes. For a brief instant, I felt that same miraculous feeling that had occurred during our flight brush my heart.

I’ve been vindicated.

Kirito’s words had scooped up the broken pieces of my brief love and kindly buried them someplace deep.

I blinked hard, brushing away the small remaining drops, and gave him a smile.

“You should tell Asuna the same things. She’s in pain, too, you know. She wants your warmth.”

“Liz…”

“I’ll be fine.” I nodded and crossed my hands over my chest. “The heat will stay here for a while yet. Please…you have to end this world. I can hang on until then. But when we get back to reality…”

I grinned devilishly.

“That’s when Round Two begins.”

“…”

He smiled back and nodded, then waved his hand to call up a window. Curious, I watched him remove Elucidator from his back and place it in his item list. Soon, a new sword took its place on his equipment mannequin. Dark Repulser: the white sword that contained so many of my emotions.

“Starting today, this sword will be my partner. I’ll pay you back on the other side.”

“I’m holding you to that. It’ll cost ya!”

We laughed together and bumped fists.

“Let’s go back to the shop. Asuna’s got to be sick of waiting around…Plus, I’m getting hungry.”

I started off, leading the way. One final brush of my eyes dislodged the last remaining tear. It fell away, glittered with light, and vanished.