Chapter 100: The Convergence in ALO
"Yui, I'm back."
"Welcome back, Dad, Uncle Kirito!"
Hachiman and Kirito logged into ALO and were greeted by Yui who came out to meet them.
Hachiman seemed a bit concerned and asked Yui: "By the way, what state was Yui in when we logged off? Could you move around freely?"
"When I transform into this form, I am already linked to Dad's account, so the moment Dad logs off, I lose consciousness as well. I guess you could say I disappear. If logging out in a neutral area, as long as the body remains, I should be able to move freely."
"I see. Hmm? So that means you're now disconnected from Asuna's account?"
"Yes, Dad. To reconnect with Mom's account, Dad and Mom would have to remarry here."
"I see... But anyway, I'm relieved to know Yui won't be left alone here."
"Dad!"
Yui seemed happy with Hachiman's words and floated lightly, flying around him.
"By the way, Yui, if I told you the high-level admin ID, could you teleport through walls?"
"In my current state, if I touch that wall directly, I can do it, Dad."
"So it still requires close contact, huh."
"Which wall do you want to pass through?"
"Yes, I have to do that to rescue Asuna."
"To save Mom... Dad, we definitely have to save Mom!"
"Yeah, we definitely will."
"By the way, Yui, you don't know Liz yet, right?"
Kirito suddenly interrupted.
"Miss Liz? I don't know her well. I know Aunt Argo, Miss Yuki, and Miss Silica though. Sorry, Uncle Kirito."
"I see, that's okay, Yui. Don't worry about it."
"Could it be that Miss Liz is also trapped here?"
"I'm not sure if she's here, but she is indeed imprisoned."
"Uncle Kirito, we also have to save Miss Liz!"
"Oh!"
Kirito brightened up again after hearing that from Yui.
"Hey, Yui, how about calling me Brother Kirito?"
"What? Kirito, are you showing your little brother complex again? Because you just met Suguha?"
"Ah, though it's weird coming from Hachiman, Suguha is actually my cousin. Suguha probably doesn't know that yet, but she already feels like a little sister."
"I see, every family has its difficulties."
"Back to the point, being called Uncle by Yui isn't bad, but it's a bit complicated emotionally..."
Kirito showed a bitter expression as if facing a difficult final choice.
"I guess it's Argo's fault for making Yui call you Uncle... Okay, Yui, then from now on, call Kirito 'Kiri-nii' okay?"
"Got it, Dad! Kiri-nii! Kiri-nii!"
Yui seemed to really like that nickname and floated lightly flying around Kirito. It seemed Kirito liked the nickname too, and the two started calling each other "Kiri-nii"
and "Yui-chan."
"All right, next let's go find the meeting point."
"If we stay here too long, running into other players might cause trouble."
Hachiman nodded in agreement with Kirito and asked Yui: "We agreed to meet Leafa under the tallest tree in the western forest. Do you know where it is?"
"Let me search now... The tallest tree is still uncertain in distance, Dad, but there's a forest that looks like it over there!"
"All right, let's go that way."
"Oh."
The two flew toward the direction Yui indicated. Perhaps because they were close to a safe zone, they encountered no enemies on the way to the forest. At this time, Kirito suddenly seemed to remember something and said to Hachiman:
"By the way, Hachiman, there's something I've wanted to ask. Are you feeling lost about something?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Ah, first of all, you're too relaxed around those two girls compared to the SAO days."
"You mean Yukino and Yui?"
"Something like that."
"Don't tell anyone."
"Got it."
"I'm actually scared."
"Huh?"
Hachiman painfully continued: "They are the first people in my life to accept the real me openly, and even after two years apart, nothing has changed.
I have Asuna, so rejecting them is easy on paper, but thinking that would make them leave makes me so scared I can't breathe..."
"Ah... I see."
"So subconsciously, I lowered my guard around them.
I don't know if they noticed how I feel, but they naturally closed the distance too.
Even though I know it's not right, I'm frozen and don't know what to do..."
Kirito listened solemnly and said:
"Hachiman, you really are an idiot."
"...What?"
"Even though you're usually so clever, you overthink things and are clumsy.
Didn't you say yourself at the start?
Even after two years apart, nothing changed.
How could those two leave just because you rejected them?
Maybe they'd even become close friends with Asuna, lifelong companions?"
"Am I overthinking too much?"
"Thinking deeply is your strength, but when it comes to yourself, you completely fail. To be blunt: you're an idiot."
Hachiman lowered his head while flying low, then suddenly looked up with a fearless smile: "Never thought I'd be called an idiot by Kirito one day."
"Well, I guess only I can say that to you."
"Thanks, Kirito. I feel enlightened."
"Clear-headed now?"
"Yeah, I won't hesitate anymore. I'll only focus on Asuna and move forward bravely.
Their attacks? I can definitely defend perfectly."
"Oh! The SAO era Hachiman is back."
"Kirito, sorry to worry you. Leave the rest to me from now on. Asuna and Liz, definitely... no, we definitely will save them."
"Oh! That confident Hachiman is the real deal!"
"All right, let's head for the tallest tree in the forest!"
The two continued flying. After a short while, a dense forest appeared ahead.
"That's it, Dad."
"There's a tall tree in the center of that forest. That should be the meeting point. Yui, can you lock the coordinates of that tree?"
"No problem, Dad."
"All right, prepare to land. Flying at a low height over the forest isn't enough, and weaving through the trees is inefficient."
"Let's also practice fighting monsters if we encounter any. We haven't been in real combat yet."
"True. Yui, how strong are the enemies nearby?"
"Right now, Dad and Kiri-nii can defeat them in one hit, and if an enemy gets close enough, I can sense it immediately."
"You can detect enemies? Good, low-altitude flight then. Yui, lead the way."
"Yes!"
Following Yui's guidance, the two flew continuously toward the target. The enemies they met on the way were all easily defeated.
"Ah."
After one battle, Hachiman suddenly spoke.
"What's wrong?"
"Kirito, you can use status effect magic now, right? Like blindness or illusions?"
"Yeah, what's on your mind?"
"The enemies here are weak but much stronger than the monsters at the beginning, right? Yui."
"Yes, but Dad and Kiri-nii are too strong; they couldn't beat us at the game's start."
"Exactly. Since there's no risk of losing, we should actively cast status magic on enemies from now on.
In a skill-based game, improving skills efficiently means casting spells on enemies as fast as possible, right?"
"That's true. Let's start doing that next time."
"Then Yui, keep leading."
"Got it!"
After that, the two actively cast magic.
At first, their spells were often resisted, but the success rate gradually increased. Repetitive boring work is exactly their strength, a quality essential for top-level MMORPG players. As they continued, they smoothly reached the destination.
"Yui, any player responses nearby?"
"No one within my sensing range, Dad."
"I see. Leafa should come from the west. Let's fight small monsters on the west side while waiting, and report immediately if we spot any players."
"Got it!"
About an hour later, Yui reported players were spotted.
"Oh, the people we're waiting for arrived?"
"But Dad, there seem to be multiple players."
"How many?"
"Six in total."
"Hmm... Kirito, what should we do?"
"Try to approach and confirm. Use dark vision and concealment magic to sneak carefully."
"Got it. Yui, hide in my arms and guide us."
"Okay, Dad."
With magic enhancing them, the two advanced cautiously. After a moment, magical effects appeared ahead, and it seemed a battle was ongoing.
"Not good, maybe Leafa is under attack."
"Even if we're exposed, it doesn't matter. Full speed ahead."
"Oh!"
The two hurried to the scene and saw a cat-girl demon girl fighting alone, surrounded by a group of fire spirits attacking her.