"Did everyone see the photo I sent?" Yukino asked.
"There were two strangers in it with the seniors, right?" Yui replied.
"Oh, I saw it! That huge creature!" Komachi chimed in.
"Maybe it's a fish, since they were holding a fishing rod?" Iroha suggested.
"Could be," Yukino said with a nod.
The four—Yukino, Yui, Komachi, and Iroha—were chatting in ALO, gathered at their makeshift base in Arun, the neutral capital city. Arun sprawled at the base of the World Tree, the destination of ALO's grand quest, its layered structure towering like a labyrinthine metropolis. The grand quest remained unconquered, its enemies' relentless attacks proving too fierce for any race to overcome.
The four formed an independent party, unaffiliated with any faction, and had earned a modest reputation. Their player names were straightforward: Yukino as Yukino, Yui as YuiYui, Komachi as Komachi, and Iroha as Iroha—a reflection of their novice status when they started ALO. Yukino, however, had earned a nickname, Absolute Zero, after her icy demeanor. The first time someone called her that, her stony expression prompted the other three to silently vow never to use it.
"YuiYui, any word on Miura-san?" Yukino asked.
"She said she'll have enough for an AmuSphere in about two months!" Yui replied. "She's working hard at her part-time job."
"That's exciting," Yukino said.
"Miura-senpai's really serious about this, huh?" Komachi added.
"Indeed," Yukino agreed. "I was a bit surprised, Hikitani-kun aside. When she logs in, let's throw her a warm welcome."
"Absolutely!" Yui exclaimed.
"By the way, YuiYui passed along a request from Sakuya, the Sylph leader," Yukino said.
"Yeah, it came through Leafa," Yui added. "She's the one who brought it to me."
Yukino explained the request: in about two months, they were to serve as escorts for a treaty-signing ceremony between the Sylphs and Cait Siths. As a Sylph, Yui often acted as a liaison, connecting Yukino to requests through her friend Leafa. Yukino played as an Undine, while Komachi and Iroha were Cait Siths.
"We're Cait Siths, so if Yukino-san's okay with it, I'm totally in!" Komachi said.
"Same here! If Yukino-senpai's good, I'm good!" Iroha added.
"Then let's move forward with accepting it," Yukino decided.
"Got it!" Komachi said.
"Thanks, Yukino!" Yui beamed.
"Sakuya and Alicia, the Cait Sith leader, have been friendly with us," Yukino noted. "Unless something drastic happens, there's no reason to decline."
"Alicia's always been fair, even to Yukino-san and YuiYui-san, who aren't Cait Siths," Komachi said. "I'd want to help out if they need us."
"True," Yukino agreed. "They helped me out a lot in the early days."
When Yukino started ALO as an Undine, her spawn point was far from the others. While heading toward Sylph territory to rendezvous, communicating via real-world messages, she was ambushed by a Salamander party. Sakuya and Alicia had stepped in to save her, and they'd been on good terms ever since.
"But what's the deal with those two and Aniki?" Komachi asked, her thoughts drifting back to the photo.
"Apparently, the other guy is one of the top three players," Yukino said.
"Oh, right, they mentioned the top three," Iroha recalled. "So the woman must be his girlfriend or something?"
"Possibly," Yukino said.
"Well, seeing Aniki looking so lively makes Komachi super happy!" Komachi said with a grin.
"They're on the seventy-fifth floor now, right?" Yukino calculated. "If they clear one floor every five days, we could reunite with Hikitani-kun in about four months."
"…Will Aniki's body hold out that long?" Komachi asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"Our staff and Nee-san are doing everything they can," Yukino reassured her. "We have to trust them. Don't worry, Komachi-san. Hikitani-kun will come back."
"Right!" Komachi nodded, her spirits lifting.
Yukino gently patted Komachi's head, their bond almost sisterly. Yui and Iroha, perhaps a bit jealous, joined in, ruffling Komachi's hair.
"Whoa, what's with the sudden attack?!" Komachi laughed.
"You two look like such close sisters!" Yui pouted.
"Komachi-chan, your real big sister is right here!" Iroha teased.
Komachi sighed. "In the end, it's up to Aniki to decide. No matter how much you try to win me over, it won't change anything."
"Komachi-chan's getting all cynical!" Yui gasped.
"Well, when I think about it, sometimes I can't help but see Aniki as this harem guy…" Komachi admitted.
"Indeed," Yukino said dryly. "How many women are out there waiting for his return?"
"It's a mix of joy and confusion for me," Komachi said. "I can't pick sides, so I'm stuck on a bed of nails every day!"
"For now, let's just pray for his safety," Yukino suggested.
"Got it," Komachi agreed.
Looking up, Komachi murmured, "How high is the seventy-fifth floor, anyway?"
"If each floor is about a hundred meters, that's seventy-five hundred meters," Yukino calculated.
"That's ten thousand meters at the hundredth floor!" Iroha exclaimed. "There's no air up there!"
"We'd be in the stratosphere," Yui giggled.
"Something like that," Yukino said with a faint smile.
"…If all four of us worked together, could we fly that high?" Komachi wondered.
"Maybe we could get a little closer to Hikki," Yui said.
"No plans today, so why not give it a try?" Iroha suggested.
"Why not?" Yukino agreed. "Who knows? We might even reach the top of the World Tree without the grand quest."
"We could at least snap some shots up there!" Komachi added.
With that casual decision, the four began preparing. They moved to the outskirts, settled on a flight order—YuiYui, Yukino, Iroha, then Komachi—and took off.
"We've come this far on a whim," Yukino said. "Let's give it our all."
"Right! Maybe we'll get a bit closer to Aniki!" Komachi said.
"Komachi-san, take this," Yukino said, handing her an item.
"A premium camera item, right? Higher resolution than a regular screenshot," Komachi confirmed.
"Exactly. If we're doing this, do it right," Yukino said.
"Got it! Komachi'll take some killer shots!" Komachi declared.
"Maybe Aincrad's floating up there somewhere," Yukino teased.
"That'd be awesome if it was!" Yui said.
"The odds are zero, but dreaming's free," Yukino replied.
"Totally, Yukino-senpai!" Iroha agreed.
"Alright, everyone, let's do this!" Yukino called.
"Yes!" they chorused.
"Go for it!" Iroha cheered.
"Let's do this!" Komachi shouted.
YuiYui took the lead, with Yukino, Iroha, and Komachi stacked above her. The upper three flapped their wings lightly to assist, while YuiYui poured all her strength into her wings, propelling them skyward.
"Sorry, Yukino, I'm at my limit!" YuiYui gasped.
"Rest below. I'll take over," Yukino said.
YuiYui peeled off, and the remaining three soared higher. The World Tree's branches came into view, distant but growing closer. Eventually, Yukino reached her limit.
"Iroha-san, your turn! Take it from here!" Yukino called.
"Got it, Senpai! I'm going for it!" Iroha replied.
Yukino glided back to the ground, leaving Iroha and Komachi to climb higher. The branches, once specks, were now clearly visible. But soon, Iroha hit her limit.
"Komachi-chan, go for Senpai!" Iroha shouted.
"Alright! Onii-chaaan!" Komachi called, flapping with all her might.
Komachi pushed upward, but her limit loomed. The branches were just out of reach.
"No good, I can't make it… Wait, what's that? A birdcage? Someone's inside… looking at me? Gotta get a picture!"
Komachi aimed her camera item at the birdcage, snapping as many shots as she could. Exhausted, she glided back down, where the others waited.
"How'd it go, Komachi-san?" Yukino asked.
"Sorry, Yukino-san, I just missed it," Komachi said.
"Bummer!" Iroha sighed.
"But I feel like I got a little closer to Senpai's place," Komachi said.
"Maybe with Leafa's help, we could reach it," Yukino suggested.
"Let's try that next time!" Yui said.
"Agreed, we'll look into it," Yukino said. "Oh, what about that birdcage?"
Before Komachi could answer, a system message appeared, announcing an emergency maintenance.
"What's this all of a sudden?" Iroha asked.
"Could it be because of us? No, the response is too quick," Yukino mused. "The admins are either very efficient… or something spooked them."
"Well, with Leafa, we might've actually reached it!" Komachi said.
"Once maintenance is over, we'll know more," Yukino said. "Let's head back to the base and log out."
"Okay!" they agreed.
Komachi logged out and was eating dinner alone when her phone rang. It was Yui's sister, Yui.
"Hello, Komachi here. Yui-san, what's up?"
"Komachi-chan, get to the hospital now! Hikitani-kun… he just woke up!"
Komachi dropped the call without a word and raced to the hospital. She called her parents on the way, arriving just before visiting hours ended. Yui was waiting and rushed to her side. Together, they hurried to the hospital room and opened the door.
--------------------------------
✨ Did you like this story?
Join me on Patreon for early access to chapters!
👉 pat*eon*com/Greyhounds
Honkai Impact: Reborn with the Heroes Before the Collapse (20 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd: Ascension of the Herrscher (20 Chapter)
From Genshin Impact Creator to World Conqueror (43 Chapter)
Fate/Grand Order: Prologue – Radiant Star of the Human Order (47 Chapter)
I Woke Up as an Uma Musume and Now I'm Racing My Way to the Top (81 Chapter)
I Got Dragged Into SAO and Accidentally Stole Kirito's Girl (104 Chapter)
Transferred to Kivotos, I Solve Everything with My Fists (91 Chapter)
One piece: A Tale Before the Wind (96 Chapter)
The Untouchable of Magic High School – A New God Enters the Game (145 Chapter)
KanColle X Devil May Cry: Devil Trigger Protocol (108 Chapter)
High School DxD: Return of the Crimson Dragon Emperor (145 Chapter)
League of Legends (17 Chapter)
Shangri-La Online: The Journey of a VR Newbie (41 Chapter)
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End – The World Without Himmel (33 Chapter)
Warhammer: Mortal Stormtrooper (55 Chapter)
Fairy Tail: Fierce Dragon (30 Chapter)
I, the Naruto fan! (51 Chapter)
LOL: Another World Invasion (43 Chapter)
Kakegurui: Ten Wins, No Losses (41 Chapter)
The Witcher: Marvel Quest (31 Chapter)
MINECRAFT EDITOR (59 Chapter)
Mahiru and My New Life (64 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.