Chapter 101 – Kirito's Heroic Rescue of the Maiden
"Ha… What a shocking scene I just witnessed…"
The voices coming from behind the slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway still buzzed in her ears.
Suguha shook her head forcefully and quickly walked through the waiting room.
The smell of disinfectant stung her nose, and as the automatic doors opened, the April evening wind carried cherry blossom petals past her ears.
After leaving the hospital, Suguha headed straight for the train station.
The sight she had just witnessed felt burned into her retinas, refusing to fade away.
'Someday, I want to do that with Onii-chan too… No, no, no way! That kind of thing is way too hard for me!'
Blushing, Suguha arrived at the station, transferred trains, and returned home.
She could hardly remember anything that happened during the ride—what she had seen in the hospital had left that deep of an impression.
Upon arriving home, Suguha dashed into her room and threw herself onto the bed.
As she sank into the fluffy bedding, the sun-warmed scent finally allowed her tense nerves to relax.
"At last... I've calmed down... I never imagined I'd witness something like that.
It really shocked me... As expected, just like Onii-chan said, that person really is popular."
Although she had finally calmed down after returning home, she couldn't stop recalling the strange, indescribable expression on her brother's face at the time.
"Now that I think about it, Onii-chan showed a look I've never seen before... and those lines he said... Could it be... he likes that girl called Liz? What should I do...?"
Tossing and turning on the bed, Suguha's thoughts remained a tangled mess.
Before she knew it, it was completely dark outside. It wasn't until her mother called her for dinner that she realized how much time had passed, and she hurried downstairs.
'I still have Yukino's request to take care of today. I have to switch gears.'
After eating and calming down completely, Suguha quickly took a bath and returned to her room.
Though she was running a little behind schedule, she logged into ALO.
"I'm a bit late—gotta hurry."
"Ah~ Leafa-chan~!"
"Recon, long time no see."
Noticing Leafa right away, Recon waved and ran over, and Leafa greeted him with a simple nod.
Recon was a classmate of hers in real life and had been a close friend ever since they started playing ALO.
"What are you doing today, Leafa-chan? Grouping with Sigurd and the others to hunt monsters?"
"Ah—"
For a moment, Leafa thought of asking Recon to help with the request, but then remembered that Yukino's request seemed to involve a hidden agenda, so she decided not to invite him.
"Sorry, I already have plans with someone today."
"That's too bad~ Let's team up next time then, Leafa-chan!"
"Yeah, see you, Recon."
After parting ways with Recon, Leafa flew toward the forest where she had agreed to meet the others.
The journey was calm at first, but as she neared the destination, she noticed something odd—there was an unusual amount of activity among the elemental players.
'This place is usually deserted… Why are there so many fire elemental squads today? Is something going on?'
Feeling uneasy, but unable to figure out what it was, Leafa remained cautious.
'What should I do… It's supposed to be Hachiman-kun and Kirito-kun, right? I've heard they're skilled, but they're still newbies. If a team ambushes them, it'll be a disaster… Alright!'
Leafa increased her flying speed, maintaining high alert.
After all, she was one of the top five wind element magic swordsmen.
After a swift but cautious flight, she finally spotted the designated tree.
But because she had let her guard down slightly, she failed to notice that enemy scouts had already spotted her.
Just as she arrived at the destination, the enemy launched a sudden ambush.
"Tch, crap. I've been found."
The surprise attack dealt Leafa considerable damage, and then one of the enemies spoke up:
"Well, well, one of the top five Wind Elves all alone? What a lucky break."
"If you know my title, then you should understand—"
"—That even six against one won't be easy, right?"
Though she spoke boldly, Leafa was anxious inside, worrying she wouldn't be able to fulfill Yukino's request.
But there was no retreat now—she readied herself for battle.
"Big words. Even if it's six against one, we're not going easy. This is your end."
The men lunged simultaneously.
Leafa resisted with all her might, but as expected, she was outnumbered and gradually pushed into a disadvantage.
'Sorry, Yukino... I might fail you. But at least I'll take a few down with me!'
Just as Leafa steeled herself for the worst, a figure dropped from the sky at lightning speed, positioning himself between her and the enemies.
The first thing the newcomer said was:
"Six guys ganging up on one girl—don't you feel ashamed?"
"Tch, there's another one? Dressed like a rookie? Don't make me laugh."
"Getting lectured by a newbie is humiliating. But whatever—just more prey for us."
The men laughed lewdly.
At that moment, Leafa suddenly remembered something and asked:
"You... are you the one Yukino mentioned?"
Hearing this, the figure turned—Kirito—and something stirred in Leafa's chest.
"As I thought, you must be Leafa-san. I'm Kirito. Pleased to meet you. I'm sorry you got dragged into danger because of us."
"N-No problem. You saved me. Let's fight together!"
"No need. Leave this to us, Leafa-san. Just focus on healing."
"Eh?"
Seeing Kirito in obvious newbie gear, Leafa was confused and about to insist on fighting when the enemy attacked again.
"Kirito-kun, behind you! They're going for a six-man combo!"
"Hm? But there aren't six of them."
"What?!"
Before the sentence even finished, two enemies behind Kirito vanished in a blaze of flames—what remained of defeated players.
"That move... Was that Hachiman-kun?"
The men began to panic.
"What the hell?!"
"We're down two already?!"
"Worry about yourself instead!"
"Bastard! Kill them!"
As they charged at Kirito again, his figure disappeared, and in the next moment, two more enemies turned to fire.
"This guy… is a monster!"
"What's truly scary is—"
A voice murmured behind the last remaining enemy—Hachiman, who had silently approached.
The final foe also turned into flames. The one remaining enemy turned to flee—
"Don't chase him, Hachiman. He's trying to escape."
"Wait, Kirito. Looks like Leafa-san wants to finish it herself."
Just as he said, Leafa had already circled around behind the fleeing man.
"For the 'hospitality' earlier… I'll repay you myself."
"Damn youuuu!!"
With a flash of her sword, the last man exploded into fire.
Kirito clapped and cheered, Hachiman let out a whistle, and the three were finally united.