Lizbeth stared at Hachiman with sparkling eyes, unblinking.
"Hey, Pink, what's up? Brain turn pink too?" Hachiman teased.
"Cut it out, Hachiman! Because of you, even Asuna and Kirito sometimes call me… Liz!" she huffed.
"Alright, my bad," Hachiman said.
"As long as you get it," Lizbeth replied, then resumed her sparkling stare.
"Ugh, something's definitely off with you, Pink," Hachiman said.
"Hachiman! Again!" Lizbeth snapped.
The story rewinds a bit. After the labyrinth incident, the group was heading home.
"Hey, before we eat, should we get our weapons checked by Liz?" Hachiman suggested.
"Good call. That fight put a lot of strain on them," Kirito agreed.
"Wanna invite Liz to dinner?" Asuna asked.
"Up to you," Hachiman said.
"She might be busy, so maybe we'll ask when we get there," Asuna said.
"Yeah," Kirito nodded.
Normally, a Ragout Rabbit meal would have anyone begging to join, but for Hachiman and Asuna, it was just another dish, so their conversation stayed casual. At Lizbeth's forge, she was, as expected, swamped with work.
"Well, look at you three! Weapon maintenance?" Lizbeth asked.
"Yeah, just me and Hachiman this time," Kirito said.
"Let me see."
Lizbeth inspected their weapons and raised an eyebrow. "I maintained these not long ago. What'd you do to them in such a short time?"
"Well…" Hachiman explained the day's events and invited her to join them for dinner with Kirito.
"I'd love to, but I'm swamped with work," Lizbeth said.
"That's too bad," Asuna said.
"Sorry, Asuna. Invite me next time, okay?" Lizbeth said.
"Sure," Asuna replied.
"Hey, Liz," Kirito said.
"What, Kirito?" she asked.
"Tonight's menu is Ragout Rabbit," he said.
Lizbeth's movements sped up instantly. Her hands blurred with precision, not cutting a single corner—a master's work beyond mastery. The trio watched, stunned, until she stopped abruptly, turned to Hachiman with sparkling eyes, and declared, "Hachiman, I'm done!"
"Uh… great?" Hachiman said.
And so, the scene returned to the start.
"Hey…" Hachiman tried.
"…" Lizbeth's eyes sparkled.
"Uh, so…" Hachiman stammered.
"…" More sparkling.
"Wanna grab dinner with us?" he asked.
"Absolutely!" Lizbeth beamed.
"Cool…" Hachiman said.
Lizbeth's radiant smile was infectious. Asuna stifled a laugh, while Kirito looked on warmly.
"Sorry, Liz," Asuna said. "We eat Ragout Rabbit so often at home, I forgot most people would lose it over it."
"So jealous…" Lizbeth muttered.
"Thank me, Liz," Kirito said with a smug grin.
"Thanks, Kirito! Love ya!" Lizbeth shot back.
"L-love…?" Kirito faltered, caught off guard.
"Liz! You're acting like Hachiman-kun from a while back!" Asuna teased.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, I got carried away…" Lizbeth said.
"N-no, it's…" Kirito mumbled.
(Yup, just like me and Asuna back then,) Hachiman thought, watching them. Feeling a bit nostalgic, he decided to lighten the mood. "Lucky you, Liz. If you'd said my name, Asuna would've purged you by now."
"Purged!?" Lizbeth gasped. "Asuna wouldn't, right?"
"Of course not," Asuna said, sighing as if offended. "I'd just pull you aside for an hour-long chat."
"Asuna…?" Lizbeth squeaked.
"Kidding! Lucky it was Kirito-kun," Asuna said with a grin.
"Y-yeah, lucky…" Lizbeth said.
"Let's go," Hachiman said.
"Yup! To our place!" Asuna cheered.
At home, Asuna dove into cooking. The others relaxed, but Hachiman noticed Kirito and Lizbeth's lingering awkwardness and decided to meddle a bit.
"Hey, Liz, let's see if Asuna needs help in the kitchen. Kirito, you're our guest today—chill," Hachiman said.
"Sure, let's do it," Lizbeth agreed.
"I can help too," Kirito offered.
"We'll call if we need you. Relax," Hachiman said.
"Alright, I'll take you up on that," Kirito said.
On the short walk to the kitchen, Hachiman whispered to Lizbeth. "Listen, Liz. Kirito gets the feelings you put into Dark Repulser, even if it's subtle. Your brightness and honesty are exactly what he needs."
"H-Hachiman?" Lizbeth stammered.
"You're the second-best woman after Asuna. Have some confidence," he said.
"Thanks! And you're the second-best guy after Kirito!" Lizbeth replied.
"Whatever, dummy," Hachiman said, leaving her with Asuna and returning to Kirito.
Sitting beside Kirito, Hachiman spoke up. "Hey, Kirito. You stare at Dark Repulser sometimes, don't you?"
"Yeah. You get it, right? With Acht and all," Kirito said.
"Yup. Sometimes I think… what if Liz wasn't around?" Hachiman said.
"If Liz wasn't here…" Kirito trailed off.
"We probably wouldn't have weapons we could call partners," Hachiman said.
"Yeah… I'm really glad Liz was there," Kirito said.
"I've got my hands full protecting Asuna. If Liz ever gets in trouble…" Hachiman said.
"I'll protect her," Kirito said firmly.
"Counting on you," Hachiman said.
"Got it," Kirito replied.
Soon, dinner was ready, and the four savored the meal. Lizbeth's infectious smile never faded, and Kirito watched her, almost dazzled. They talked and laughed late into the night, with Kirito and Lizbeth staying over.
Late that night, Kirito lay in the garden, staring at the sky. "I'll protect her, huh…"
Someone emerged from the house—Lizbeth. Unaware of Kirito, she lay down nearby, mirroring him.
"Hachiman and Asuna are so close… I'm jealous. Someday, maybe me and Kirito…" she murmured.
Hearing his name, Kirito flinched, overwhelmed by guilt and embarrassment for overhearing. Then Lizbeth said something ominous.
"Might as well make it a done deal…"
"Wait, Liz! Stop!" Kirito blurted, scrambling up.
"Huh? Kirito! I-I didn't mean—! It's just, uh—!" Lizbeth stammered.
"Okay, okay, just calm down," Kirito said.
"Ugh…" Lizbeth teared up.
Trying to soothe her, Kirito mimicked Hachiman's approach—clumsily, given his inexperience. He hugged her gently, patting her back. Lizbeth froze, blushing but leaning into him.
"Kirito, um… sorry," she said.
"Don't worry. I'm sorry for eavesdropping," Kirito replied.
"It's fine, just… embarrassing," she mumbled.
"Liz," Kirito said, pulling back to meet her eyes. "Your feelings mean a lot to me. But I've got things I need to do. I'm not as good as Hachiman at balancing清算 and romance. So…"
"So?" Lizbeth asked.
"We'll win this fight and get back to the real world. Then I'll come find you. Can you wait for my answer until then?"
"Yes… I'll wait!" Lizbeth said.
"Sorry," Kirito said.
"No, I'm sorry for putting pressure on you at a time like this," Lizbeth said.
"Well, it was probably gonna happen eventually…" Kirito mumbled.
"Huh?" Lizbeth asked.
"N-nothing!" Kirito said.
Lizbeth caught his words, her joy and embarrassment mixing. To hide it, she buried her face in his chest. Kirito held her gently, accepting it in silence.
From the window, Hachiman and Asuna watched, exchanging satisfied smiles.
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