"Oi boy, what exactly do you intend to do?"
Kiyomori asked Hachiman with a suspicious expression.
"Tomorrow, we perform Kaede's surgery."
Hearing those words, Kiyomori spoke to Hachiman indignantly.
"Don't be absurd. Who do you intend to have operate in the first place?"
"Tomomori-san."
"Impossible."
Kiyomori dismissed it flatly.
"He is certainly the most talented of my sons, but ultimately, he is a man who can only copy others."
"So it seems."
"What? You knew that, and you still intend to let him operate?"
"Exactly. Geezer, look at this."
Hachiman took out his smartphone and showed Kiyomori a certain video. Kiyomori stared intently at the screen, and upon realizing what it was, he was astounded.
"Th-this is footage of a surgery on a patient with the same illness as Kaede, isn't it? Boy, where did you get this..."
"I figured you'd recognize it. I guess you aren't the chairman of a major hospital just for show. Since we're here, I'll tell you the truth: this video was discovered on Kayaba Akihiko's PC, geezer."
"What did you say..."
As Kiyomori stood in shock, Hachiman added:
"Oi geezer, look closely at the surgeon's face."
"Nu..."
Prompted, Kiyomori strained his eyes to confirm the surgeon's identity. In the next moment, he turned to Hachiman with a startled expression.
"Th-this... is that Tomomori? I had absolutely no idea he had experience performing this surgery!"
"The answer to that lies in what you were experiencing yourself just a moment ago, geezer."
"What? I see, so that's it... But no matter how I look at it, this appears to be real. Are you telling me this is truly footage from virtual reality?"
Kiyomori demonstrated remarkable comprehension, correctly guessing the truth.
"Exactly. I think so too. Basically, even though I think you're plenty monstrous yourself, there are monsters out there in the world far beyond our imagination."
"Indeed..."
Kiyomori spoke deeply, then continued to question Hachiman.
"So, has Tomomori mastered it?"
"Yeah. He started in Trace Mode, where his hands moved automatically, and then gradually had the freedom of movement increased. Now, apparently, he can move completely on his own. Incidentally, he's been locked away since yesterday morning doing this endlessly."
"Doing that... will Tomomori's stamina hold out?"
Surprisingly, Kiyomori asked out of concern for Tomomori's physical condition.
"Physical fatigue is practically non-existent, so that part is fine. The rest is a matter of mental fortitude, but being your son, apparently that isn't an issue."
"I was strict with him from childhood, after all."
Kiyomori nodded at Hachiman, then crossed his arms.
"So, boy, what do you intend to have me do?"
"Give me your life."
"Nu..."
Kiyomori was caught off guard by Hachiman's words.
"What do you mean?"
"You heard it too, right? What Kaede thinks about her situation."
"That..."
The words Kaede had thrown at him earlier echoed in Kiyomori's mind.
Now I have no regrets, Grandpa. Even if Kaede goes away, please keep smiling forever, okay?
Kiyomori felt a sensation akin to panic—that as long as Kaede herself felt that way, the surgery might not succeed even if there were no technical issues.
Hachiman spoke to him.
"Actually, Kaede has been fully dived using the Medicuboid since yesterday."
"Is... that so."
"Right now, Kaede shouldn't be able to distinguish between reality and the virtual world. That's where you come in, geezer. I want you to full-dive just like Kaede from now on and strive to make her want to live. The duration will be until the surgery ends tomorrow. For someone of your age, staying fully dived for that long is grueling—honestly, it might even be life-threatening. When I said 'give me your life,' that's what I meant."
At those words, Kiyomori's eyes glinted sharply, and he spoke to Hachiman with a slightly angry face.
"Do you think I'd drop dead from something like that? I am the one who lost to you. If that is your wish, I will accept it unconditionally."
"Well, it's for your own sake too, so that's only natural. Also, Asuna and I will join you and dive together, so make sure you handle things well in there."
"You two as well?"
"Yeah. Our desire to save Kaede is the same as yours."
"I see... thank... no."
Kiyomori started to thank him, but swallowed the words. I'll say that when the surgery succeeds, he thought. Since he hated being the only one receiving help, he decided to offer Hachiman a piece of advice.
"By the way, boy, have you realized?"
"Realized what?"
"Having one's head cut off puts more strain on the heart from shock than you might think. Especially for an old man like me, unlike a young person. No, even for a young person, depending on the individual, the possibility of falling into a critical condition isn't zero. You must never forget that possibility. Especially since you intend to shoulder the lives of many employees from now on, correct? A person in that position... no matter how perfect the machine is, must always keep those risks in the corner of their mind."
Accepting Kiyomori's words, Hachiman closed his eyes and muttered softly.
"First Orimoto, and now you, geezer. Since yesterday, people keep reminding me of things I was starting to forget."
Then, Hachiman sat in seiza on the spot and bowed his head to Kiyomori.
"Kiyomori-san. I will etch that advice into my heart so that I never forget it."
"Umu. Continue to devote yourself, Hachiman."
At this moment, both Hachiman and Kiyomori called each other by name for the first time.
Asuna watched the scene with a heartwarming smile, but her expression changed at Kiyomori's next words.
"By the way, Hachiman. Won't you marry Kaede and formally become my grandson?"
"Great-Uncle, what are you saying all of a sudden?"
Hearing Asuna's chilling voice, Kiyomori felt overwhelmed but managed to put up a brave front.
"Wh-what is it, Asuna? It is the request of an old man with little time left. Couldn't you at least consider it?"
"'Little time left'... Great-Uncle, look who's talking?"
Asuna smiled sweetly at Kiyomori as she spoke.
"No matter how you look at it, am I not a dying old man!?"
"If we're talking about someone who probably wouldn't die for another twenty years even if we killed him, then yes, I'm listening, Great-Uncle."
"N-no matter what you say, I won't give up so easily!"
"Hehh..."
Hearing that, Asuna's eyes sharpened. Against Kiyomori, who showed no sign of backing down, Asuna declared:
"In that case, let's settle this with a battle, following Great-Uncle's style."
"Wh-what? Asuna, do you intend to beat me even after seeing that battle?"
Asuna didn't answer the question, but turned to Hachiman.
"Hachiman-kun, preparations."
"O-ou..."
"You two, what on earth..."
"Since we're at it, let's broadcast this to let everyone involved know the terror of us as a couple."
"Husband... n-no, actually, you're right."
Sweating cold bullets, Hachiman answered, then swept Kiyomori's legs out from under him, making him land on the futon, and mercilessly shoved an AmuSphere onto his head.
"What are you doing all of a sudden!"
"Forced Link Start."
Hachiman called Argo and said:
"Argo, resume the stream."
『Oh? What's up all of a sudden?』
" The geezer touched Asuna's reverse scale (wrath) a little..."
『Ahh... well, can't be helped then.』
It was announced to the family and affiliates that the stream would resume. Those able to watch turned their monitors back on, a little tense about what would happen next.
Yoshikata, who was finally able to catch his breath as the calls to his phone stopped the moment the stream started, asked Komao, who was glued to the screen.
"Komao, what's starting this time?"
"Kiyomori-san appeared, so I think he's going to fight someone. Probably Asuna-san."
"Asuna... Shozo-san's daughter. She looks quiet, but is that girl really strong?"
"Well, just watch and you'll see, Dad."
Komao said this and stared intently at the screen again. The moment Asuna appeared, Komao was so overcome with excitement that he collapsed on the spot.
"WOOOOOOOOAH!"
"Wh-what is it, Komao?"
Thinking not again, Yoshikata called out to him. Pointing at the monitor, Komao spoke to Yoshikata in a voice still thick with excitement.
"D-Dad! That is the uniform of the Knights of the Blood, the guild that held the title of strongest in SAO! Asuna-san was the Vice Commander there! Wait, no way... NO WAY! WOOOOOOAAAAH!"
Komao started screaming in excitement again. Even Yoshikata was exasperated, but he asked Komao resignedly:
"What is it this time?"
"Th-that outfit Hachiman-san is wearing! Only a very limited number of people have ever actually seen that! It's the Knights of the Blood tactician uniform! It's a legendary uniform that almost everyone who fought, not just the Clearcrs, admired, Dad!"
"Hoho, legendary, you say?"
Yoshikata, apparently having a fondness for such things, took the bait.
"Red and white combined... they look the strongest, Komao."
"Right!? As expected of Dad, I knew you'd understand!"
"Umu, this is worth watching."
Meanwhile, Hachiman and Asuna were caught off guard by each other's outfits the moment they logged in.
"To think she'd go this far... Argo really is thorough."
『Well, the data remains, so reproducing the appearance was easy.』
Argo said this, and the same Japanese sword as before appeared in Kiyomori's hand.
『Is that fine for your weapon again, Kiyo-jii?』
"Kiyo-jii... do you mean me? You are a familiar one. Yes, this is fine."
『What about Aa-chan?』
"Let's see... Lambent Light, I guess?"
The moment Asuna said that, Lambent Light, the masterpiece sword crafted by Lisbeth that Asuna used when clearing the game, appeared in the air and stabbed into the ground beside her.
"Even if it's just the appearance, it's been a while."
Asuna said this while lightly swinging Lambent Light.
"But I'm too used to this one. Since Great-Uncle isn't using a beloved sword, maybe the handicap is too big... What do you think, Hachiman-kun?"
"That might be true. Since he's an old man with little time left, you should go easy on him."
At Hachiman's words, Kiyomori groaned "Gununu," but since he had said it himself—even if it was just a figure of speech—he couldn't refute it.
"Okay. Then Argo-san, is the Chivalric Rapier possible?"
『Wait a sec... Alright, good to go.』
True to Argo's words, a beautiful sword appeared in the air again. Its radiance, like the moon dissolved into a gemstone, captivated everyone watching.
"Chivalric Rapier, here it cooooooooomes!"
"What kind of weapon is that, Komao?"
"It's Asuna-san's weapon forged by a Dark Elf blacksmith, said to be the strongest in the early game!"
"I see, the strongest. That is wonderful, Komao."
"Yeah! Now the tools are all here. I can't take my eyes off this, Dad."
Yoshikata had been completely swept up in Komao's pace. However, this was likely a quality he possessed originally. Getting excited at the sight of legendary weapons and armor—he was, after all, a man of the Kuninaka line.
"Now everyone, due to certain circumstances, Kiyomori-san here and our Asuna will be fighting. This time, please don't think about anything complicated and just enjoy watching these two have fun."
Following Hachiman's announcement, the two took their stances.
"Alright, begin!"
With that word, Asuna charged at Kiyomori.
Thinking that her fighting style was quite different from Hachiman's, Kiyomori took a stance to intercept her. He easily parried Asuna's opening thrust and, thinking is that all?, attempted to counterattack immediately.
But Asuna's next thrust was already closing in before his eyes, and Kiyomori hurriedly blocked it with his sword.
"Uwoh..."
Ignoring Kiyomori's panic, Asuna continued to unleash thrust after thrust. High, then low, then a feint—her attacks were phantasmagoric, barely trackable with the eyes. Kiyomori continued to parry them through sheer stubbornness.
"To think my clan had a warrior of such caliber... But I will not be defeated so easily!"
Saying this, Kiyomori forcibly swept Asuna's rapier from right to left, trying to get inside her guard. In that instant, Asuna didn't resist the flow; she rolled clockwise along the spine of Kiyomori's sword and thrust the tip of her rapier right at Kiyomori's throat.
"Okay, the end."
"Guh..."
Kiyomori closed his eyes, looked up to the heavens, and spoke with frustration.
"It can't be helped. I give up on the previous matter! Well, Asuna is still part of my clan regardless, so it is confirmed that your blood will enter our family. I will let you off with this much for today."
"But Great-Uncle, since my family is shunned by you and the rest of the clan, I personally think it would be better to just cut ties here."
"...Alright, alright! I lost! It's my complete defeat!"
Kiyomori, who had only vaguely admitted defeat to Hachiman, finally admitted it clearly here.
"To those watching this! I will not forgive anyone who speaks ill of Shozo's family from now on. Convey that clearly to everyone. Furthermore, although it is irregular, I declare here that this Hachiman is the formal successor of the Yuuki clan, unrelated to the hospital."
"Eh? Does that mean you're making Hachiman-kun the head of the family? Great-Uncle."
"Oi geezer, what are you deciding on your own..."
"Shut up! Do not refuse the request of an old man with little time left! I won't die for another few decades, and by then you will be forty or fifty. Until that age, you don't need to worry about our affairs, so at least take over after I die."
"Are you dying or not dying? Which is it, geezer!"
"Silence, boy! That depends entirely on my mood!"
The argument between the two continued for a while. Everyone involved was forced to witness just how close the two had become, and they had no choice but to acknowledge Hachiman as the provisional successor.
From that moment on, all harassment towards Asuna and her family ceased completely.
If it had just been a loss to Hachiman, Kiyomori's attitude wouldn't have softened this much. That would have only shown Hachiman's personal strength, not that of Shozo's family.
Asuna hadn't calculated that far ahead, of course, but by fighting directly and demonstrating her power, she overturned everything on her own.
Though entirely coincidental, this became Asuna's greatest victory of the trip.
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