While all this was happening, three players—Kirito, Klein, and Egil—were grabbing a meal together, naturally gravitating toward their favorite topic: Hachiman.
"So, Kirito, Egil, you've known Hachiman since the first floor, right?" Klein asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Kirito replied.
"How'd you guys meet?"
"At first, I just thought he was an interesting guy," Kirito said. "We weren't exactly buddies from the start."
"For me, it started at a strategy meeting on the first floor," Egil added. "Hachiman and Asuna invited me to join their party."
"No way! Those two were together from the beginning?" Klein exclaimed. "Are they, like, real-world friends or something?"
"Nah, from what I've heard, they didn't know each other before," Kirito clarified.
Kirito gave Klein a vague rundown, keeping things light.
"Man, Hachiman's such a good guy!" Klein burst out. "Running off to protect some random dude? And then finding out it was actually a girl? That's straight out of a drama!"
Egil nodded in agreement. "When I heard that story, I thought, 'This guy's pretty cool.'"
"Yeah, it's a great story," Kirito added.
"So, Kirito, you've been hanging out with Hachiman ever since. What's the deal? Why stick with him?" Klein pressed.
Kirito thought for a moment before answering. "Being around Hachiman just feels… easy, you know?"
"Easy, like in a fight?"
"That's part of it, but it's more like… he doesn't pry into your head or try to change you. I can just be myself around him. It's natural."
"Maybe it's because you're both into the solo thing," Egil suggested.
"Yeah, that might be it," Kirito agreed.
"But is that enough to stick together so long?" Klein asked.
"Hmm… it's just fun, you know? I could list reasons, but that's the main one. In fights, I can go all out and trust him to have my back. That's the vibe."
"When you two team up, it's like you're invincible," Egil said, his tone heavy with respect. "Your coordination's seamless. Add Asuna, and it feels like you could take down even Heathcliff in seconds."
Klein jumped in. "Speaking of fighting, Hachiman's crazy strong against other players, right?"
"Apparently, he's not even going all out," Kirito said. "He mentioned something about missing a piece."
Klein's jaw dropped. "No way… he's a monster in a totally different way from you, Kirito."
"Hey, don't just call me a monster like that," Kirito shot back.
"That was such a Hachiman line!" Klein laughed. "You're picking up his vibe, just like Asuna!"
"What… I can't even deny it…" Kirito muttered.
"Yeah, Asuna's been by his side so long, she's totally influenced by him," Klein said.
Kirito's response veered slightly off-topic. "True. Asuna's fighting style might've adapted to match Hachiman's."
"That's not what I meant!" Klein groaned.
"Then what did you mean?"
Grinning mischievously, Klein leaned in. "I'm talking about romance, obviously! Man, I wish I could meet a woman as amazing as Asuna! When I saw her tugging at Hachiman's sleeve earlier, I was so jealous I could've died!"
"Oh, that? Yeah, she does that sometimes," Kirito said. "Doesn't seem to realize she's doing it, though."
"No way, she's that oblivious?" Klein said. "But Asuna's awesome, right, Egil?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm already married IRL," Egil replied.
Kirito and Klein froze in shock.
"Are you serious? You traitor!" Klein shouted.
"Quiet down, Klein," Kirito said. "So, Egil, you're married, huh?"
"Yeah. So I'm not exactly looking to meet anyone," Egil said, though he clearly wanted to stay in the conversation. "But seriously, those two are so perfect together—how is there no romance talk about them? It's Aincrad's greatest mystery."
Kirito considered this. "Hachiman's got this weird habit of selling himself short. Even if he senses Asuna likes him, he probably brushes it off as his imagination."
"Ohhh…" Klein nodded.
"Makes sense…" Egil agreed.
They both seemed convinced.
"Asuna probably gets his sensitive side and how he thinks," Kirito continued. "Unless something huge happens, I doubt things will move forward."
"No way!" Klein groaned. "If this keeps up, someone's gonna steal Asuna from him!"
"Nah, no way," Kirito said.
"Yeah, not happening," Egil added.
"Guess not," Klein conceded, nodding along, clearly not serious.
"They're already perfect together as is," Klein said. "But I really want them to find true happiness, you know?"
"Yeah," Kirito agreed.
"Absolutely," Egil said.
"Let's raise a glass to our favorite duo!" Klein declared.
"Cheers!" they all shouted, clinking their drinks.
The conversation stayed lively with Hachiman and Asuna as the focus, and they parted ways for the day without ever mentioning the morning's events. It was the kind of thing no one wanted to dwell on, an unspoken agreement to keep it out of casual talk going forward.
"See you guys later," Kirito said.
"Yeah, catch ya," Klein replied.
"Later!" Egil called.
Kirito took a random inn room and mulled over their conversation—though, true to form, his thoughts turned to combat.
"A monster, huh… If I'm gonna take on an even stronger Hachiman, I'll need to rethink my skill build…"
He pulled up his skill menu and froze when he noticed an unfamiliar skill name.
"What's this…? When did I get this?"
Reading the skill's description, Kirito sat in thought for a while before sending Hachiman a message.
The next day, Hachiman welcomed Kirito to his place.
"Yo, sorry about yesterday," Kirito said.
"You good now?"
"Yeah. I kinda lost myself for a bit, but Asuna helped me out."
"Figures. Asuna, Hachiman's keeper, strikes again."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hachiman grumbled.
"Anyway, I came to talk about something serious."
"Coming all the way here? Must be something you don't want others hearing."
"Yeah."
They settled on the sofa, and Kirito explained the skill he'd found.
"Dual Blades?" Hachiman asked.
"Yup."
"That's a common skill name in games, but I've never heard of it in SAO."
"There's no info on how I got it."
"No way—a Unique Skill?"
"Probably…"
Hachiman leaned back, thinking hard.
"What should I do, Hachiman?"
"For now, keep it a secret. Absolutely don't let anyone know."
"Yeah, figured…"
"Unlike Heathcliff, who's got a guild backing him, we're solo players. Keeping it quiet avoids trouble."
"But I'll need to train it, right?"
"Yeah. Use my backyard. No one will see you there."
"Cool, I'll borrow it for a while then."
"Got any Sword Skills for it?"
"Yup."
"Then focus on mastering those first. Once you're comfortable, test it in real combat—ideally in an instanced area."
"Smart. That way no one sees me."
Kirito started thinking about suitable quests.
"That's not enough, though," Hachiman added.
"What else?"
"You'll need another weapon on par with Elucidator to make that skill work. Otherwise, it'll throw off your balance."
"True… but a weapon like that…"
"Why not get one custom-made? Ask Liz."
"Liz? Who's that?"
Hachiman blinked, caught off guard.
(Wait, Kirito doesn't know Liz? Come to think of it, I've never seen them together. He didn't even recognize her name—has it never come up? That's a blind spot. This could be fun, so I'll keep quiet for now.)
Hachiman hid his amusement and answered casually. "Sorry, Liz is a blacksmith. She made Asuna's Lambert Light."
"No way, that's an incredible sword!"
"Exactly. She's trustworthy. I heard she recently made a masterpiece. I'll give you her shop's location—why not check it out?"
"Thanks. I'll head there tomorrow."
"Cool. It's on the 48th floor…"
After Kirito left, Hachiman headed to Lizbeth's shop.
"Hey, Hachiman! Been a while," Lizbeth greeted.
"Yo. Need some weapon maintenance."
"Sure thing—shop's busy, so give me a sec."
The bustling shop reassured Hachiman.
"Business looks good," he noted.
"Thanks to you and Asuna."
"We just spread the word. It's your skill that's the real deal. Own it."
"Thanks!" Lizbeth beamed.
"By the way, I heard about a new quest related to weapon materials," Hachiman said.
"Oh? What kind?"
"There's a snowfield on the 55th floor, right? Apparently, there's a white dragon up on the mountain that drops something called a Crystallite Ingot."
Lizbeth's eyes lit up with recognition. "That's a high-tier ingot! But I've never heard of it circulating."
"Yeah. The info's clear that it exists, but no one's gotten it yet. Maybe there's a condition—like needing a master blacksmith along."
"Interesting… but the 55th floor? The front line's at 63, right?"
"Yup."
"Could you take down that white dragon solo, Hachiman?"
"No problem."
"Got it. That's about the strength level, then. Wanna go for it sometime?"
"Sure, let's do it."
They chatted a bit longer until the maintenance was done, and Hachiman left.
Lizbeth mulled over the new info, oblivious to the fact that this was all part of Hachiman's plan.
The next day…
"Excuse me!" a laid-back voice called from the shop's entrance. A customer.
Lizbeth, ready to tackle the day, stepped out with enthusiasm.
"Welcome! What kind of weapon are you looking for today?"
"Custom order. Don't worry about the budget—just make the best weapon you can."
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