"Hachiman, you making anything besides daggers?"
Kirito and Lizbeth tilted their heads, puzzled by the lack of details.
"Yeah, I've been wanting a lightweight shield, something I can strap to my arm."
"You're changing your style now? You sure about this?"
Kirito's question was fair. Switching from a speed-focused, weapon-only build to a defense-heavy style with a shield wasn't exactly a winning strategy by conventional wisdom—there were few advantages to it.
"Nah, it's not like that," Hachiman replied. "I've been searching for something specific, but it's nowhere to be found. So I figured I'd take a gamble and see if we could whip up something close with player-made gear."
"Oh, that thing you mentioned before? Got any leads?"
"Not really. It's more like I'm out of options, so I'm just giving it a shot."
"Got it."
"Hachiman, I'm ready!"
At Lizbeth's words, Hachiman laid out his requirements.
"I want to use shield-type catalysts, but with materials meant for crafting daggers. Can you pull that off?"
"Huh?"
It was an absurd request, the kind you'd only entrust to a blacksmith you had absolute faith in. Combining mismatched materials like that was a recipe for failure, and most crafters would flat-out refuse. But Lizbeth took the request seriously, mulling it over with intense focus.
From what she knew, SAO's crafting system was flexible, but no one had ever attempted a method like this. There was no guarantee of success—in fact, failure was almost certain. After weighing her options, Lizbeth's response was as pragmatic as it was daring.
"Well, we won't know unless we try."
"Figured as much. It's a long shot, but I'm counting on you."
"Got it. I'll give it everything I've got!"
Lizbeth poured her heart and soul into the task, working with meticulous care. Even though Hachiman had said it was a long shot, she could sense a flicker of hope in his eyes. For his sake, she wanted to make it happen—whether by skill, luck, or sheer divine intervention. Raising her hammer with determination, she brought it down.
Clang! A clear, resonant sound echoed through the workshop. With that first strike, the ingot began to glow, and a weapon started taking shape.
The four of them—Hachiman, Lizbeth, Kirito, and Asuna—gaped in shock. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this.
Lizbeth's heart sank, her eyes brimming with tears as she feared she'd failed. But as the light faded, a piece of equipment remained.
"It… worked? But… is it a failure?"
"It looks like a shield, so maybe it's a success?"
"But crafting something in one swing? I've never heard of that!"
(Could it be…)
Hachiman's pulse quickened as he stared at Lizbeth's creation. It was a small, arm-mounted shield, but far more slender than expected—almost spindle-shaped.
(No way it worked on the first try. Stay calm. It might not be that.)
"The name… Achtfaust?"
Kirito, ever the gamer, chimed in. "Acht's German for eight. Faust means fist."
Hachiman's body trembled with exhilaration at the name.
"A shield called a fist… Eight Fists?"
(Stay calm. Check the stats first.)
"Liz, what's the performance like?"
"Oh, uh… hang on. What the—? This isn't a shield, it's martial arts gear! Since when does that exist?"
"What?" Kirito blinked. "I read somewhere that martial arts equipment was scrapped because it didn't fit the 'Sword Art' theme."
"Kirito, you're such a nerd," Lizbeth teased. "Anyway, uh… attack power's basically rock-bottom, so there's practically no equip requirements. Defense is low too, but the durability? It's through the roof."
"What's that supposed to mean? How do you even use it?"
Asuna glanced at Hachiman, noticing his unusual silence. His eyes were distant, lost in some memory.
"Hachiman-kun, looks like implementing Yahata Fist is a no-go."
"Akihiko-san… could you not call it that?"
The equipment Akihiko Kayaba had crafted as a playful experiment for Hachiman was utterly unusable by anyone else. In jest, he'd named it "Yahata Fist."
"It doesn't fit the 'Sword Art' vibe, and frankly, dedicating resources to gear only you can use is a stretch."
"Yeah, that's fair."
"If we did implement it, it'd probably be called a Unique Equip or something."
"Unique, huh? Fitting."
Back then, Hachiman hadn't known about Unique Skills or Unique Equipment, so he took Kayaba's words at face value, nodding thoughtfully.
"Still, I'm impressed you can wield something like that."
"Dunno. It just… feels right for me."
"If we balanced the game around you using that gear, it'd wreck things for other players."
"Sorry about that. I'm not pushing for it to be added, so don't worry."
"Hmm… if we did add it, maybe as a reward for when you gain something you're missing now."
Hachiman pondered what he lacked.
"Something I'm missing… friends, maybe? No, even just acquaintances…"
"Friends, huh?"
"No, wait, I was kidding—"
"Friends… interesting."
That conversation with Kayaba flooded back to Hachiman. The memory had taken form, right here in front of him.
(This name… they just translated Yahata Fist into German? Couldn't do much with the "Hata" part, so they went with "Eight Fists"? Thanks, Akihiko-san, but talk about half-assed work!)
"Ha…"
(A reward for making friends, huh? Sure, this is the kind of crazy request you'd only ask a friend, but that alone wouldn't trigger the crafting conditions. Could Asuna be the key? Our bond now… Akihiko-san would probably approve. Is he watching me from somewhere? Man, for things to work out this well? I can't help but laugh.)
"Haha… hahaha!"
"Hachiman-kun?"
Hachiman was doubled over, laughing to himself. Misinterpreting his reaction, the others assumed the equipment wasn't what he'd wanted. They offered words of comfort and apologies.
"Hachiman-kun, I'm sorry it didn't work out, but cheer up, okay?"
"Yeah, Hachiman, there's always next time."
"I'm so sorry, Hachiman…"
"Huh? What're you guys talking about?" Hachiman burst into laughter again. "Hahahaha!"
"Liz, why're you crying?"
"I just…"
"Oh, you thought it was a failure? Man, you guys." Hachiman grinned, stepping forward. "Here, Liz, up you go!"
With a cheerful grunt, he slipped his hands under Lizbeth's arms, lifting her and spinning her around.
"Hahaha, you're amazing, Liz! You really are Aincrad's greatest blacksmith!"
"W-What? Hachiman, what's gotten into you?!"
After a few spins, he set her down and dashed to Kirito, grabbing his hand and shaking it wildly.
"Kirito, we did it! This is exactly what I wanted!"
Finally, he rushed to Asuna, pulling her into a tight hug.
"H-Hachiman-kun?!"
"Asuna, thank you! This is probably all because of you! I love you!"
"Whaaaaaa?!"
Kirito and Lizbeth froze, stunned by Hachiman's outburst. Asuna, meanwhile, was paralyzed for an entirely different reason—his words still ringing in her ears. After a moment, Hachiman calmed down slightly, noticing the three of them standing there like statues. He clapped his hands in front of their faces to snap them out of it.
"Hey, what's with you guys? Snap out of it!"
"R-Right…"
"Uh… haha…"
"Sorry, you two. Got a bit carried away."
"No, it's just… the gap between this and your usual self threw us off," Kirito said.
"I've never seen you like this, Hachiman… lifting me up and spinning me around?!" Lizbeth added.
"Ugh, yeah, sorry. First time I've ever done something like that."
Kirito and Lizbeth seemed to recover, but Asuna was still frozen, her face bright red.
"Hey, Asuna, why're you still out of it?"
As he gently patted her cheeks, Kirito and Lizbeth spoke up.
"Dude, Hachiman…"
"You just told Asuna you love her…"
"Huh? …Oh."
Hachiman's face flushed as he realized what he'd said. He flailed, trying to backtrack.
"N-No, Asuna, that was, uh, metaphorical! Like a figure of speech! A greeting! So, uh, snap out of it!"
Asuna's soul seemed to finally return to her body.
"Y-Yeah, right. I mean, I've imagined a scene like this before, but it caught me off guard, and I wasn't ready, so I just froze. But thinking about it, this should totally be a welcome moment, right?"
"Asuna, you're saying weird stuff. Just calm down."
"I'm fine, I'm fine! But, like, you're that happy, so this means it's a success, right?"
"Yep."
"You said it's what you wanted. This is the one, right?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah, Kirito. I had my doubts at first, but this is definitely it."
"I did it… I actually succeeded…" Lizbeth murmured.
"Like I said, Liz, you're Aincrad's top blacksmith."
"Thanks… I'm, like, stupidly happy right now."
"Liz, that's awesome!" Asuna beamed.
"Yeah!"
"Hachiman, equip it already!" Kirito urged.
"Right."
When Hachiman equipped the item, a silvery shield-like piece appeared on his left arm. It fit him perfectly, as if it were an extension of himself—a missing piece finally restored. The sight left the three others with a strange sense of rightness.
"Check this out," Hachiman said, demonstrating. "The shield slides back and forth with my fist's movement."
"It's like it's switching between a weapon and armor…" Asuna observed.
"It's got no attack power," Hachiman explained. "This is for parrying enemy weapons or attacks with my left hand. And no matter how rough I get, it won't break."
"Now that I think about it," Kirito said, "you've been handling attacks, parries, and crowd control all with just your right hand."
"Exactly. This lets me lock down enemy movements with my left and counter every attack with my right. That's my true style."
"Every attack…"
"With a counter…"
"No way."
"Wanna test it out, Kirito?"
"I'd love to see it, but I've got to head out for a raid soon," Asuna said, glancing at the time.
"Alright, Asuna, catch you later. Kirito, Liz, you guys free to swing by my place?"
"I'm good," Kirito replied.
"I've got some questions, and I'm closing the shop for the day, so I'm in!" Lizbeth said.
"Cool, let's go."
"Show me later, okay?" Asuna called.
"You got it. Stay safe out there."
And with that, the three headed off to Hachiman's secret base.