"What?!" Shiro couldn't control the expression on her face, looking at Kanna and Yusei in surprise.
A serious look also appeared on Kanna's cute little face. She nodded her little head gravely.
"Yes. Yusei is Kanna's husband. According to the human database of this world, the feeling of not disliking someone and wanting to be close to them upon first meeting can be called 'love at first sight'. The extension of love at first sight is becoming boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Since Kanna is female and Yusei is male, we are boyfriend and girlfriend. Eventually, that develops into husband and wife. But why are partners in this world called 'husband and wife'?"
Kanna looked puzzled at Yusei, tugging on his sleeve.
"Husband, do you know?"
Yusei tried hard to control his expression to keep from laughing out loud. It was the first time he had encountered Kanna's peculiar logic, but strangely, what she said wasn't entirely wrong.
But wasn't this a good thing? At least it showed Kanna's fondness for him was very high, reaching the level of 'love at first sight'.
'However, Kanna-chan, let's drop this husband and wife talk. It sounds a bit strange...'
Yusei smiled and patted Kanna's head, asking, "How do you refer to your partners over there?"
Kanna thought for a moment and replied: "We call them 'Mate'."
Yusei smiled and said, "Then you can call me that from now on too. My name is Yusei... Kanna-chan can call me Yusei."
"Okay then. Kanna originally wanted to use this world's term."
Seeing her Onii-chan finally put a stop to the little girl's ridiculous theory, Shiro breathed a sigh of relief.
Moreover, from the way her Onii-chan changed how the little girl addressed him, she understood that Yusei wasn't planning to abandon her for that little girl.
The meeting between the two lolis concluded.
Shiro vaguely felt she had gained a rival, while Kanna, completely unaware, started eating the food from this game world.
It was hard to believe. Even though they were virtual items, Kanna still ate them with great relish.
The following time seemed to return to the usual SAO routine.
Because the Dragon Knight successfully tamed the dragon, leading to their quest failure, the players generally accepted reality and honestly focused on clearing the next floor's boss.
After all, the battle from that day was still vivid in their minds… it was clearly not a target they could defeat with sword skills.
As for the matter of the extra loli, no one saw it, and even if they did, no one paid it much mind. It was natural for some children to be in the game, and they wouldn't bother thinking about where a child came from.
Over the next week, perhaps as compensation for the players' fruitless efforts, or perhaps because he was in a good mood, Yusei found five boss rooms and cleared them all in one go.
The raid members were still just the two of them, Yusei and Shiro.
The strength of these two siblings had long been proven by their track record. Clearing five floor bosses in a row brought joy that diluted the previous dejection considerably. The players once again threw themselves into the life of leveling and raiding.
22nd Floor.
Inside a town tavern, a square table, a few long benches... it was a rare time for everyone to gather.
Although the scale was small, it could still be considered a small party... And it's worth mentioning that this party was actually initiated by Kaguya.
When Yusei received the invitation, he was surprised.
'That young lady who really disliked noise was actually taking the initiative to host a party? How rare.'
Putting down his mug of beer, Yusei's cheeks were flushed red, making him look somewhat cute.
He wasn't very old to begin with and had a youthful appearance. This was his first time drinking real alcohol.
The mechanics in SAO were set up very thoroughly, even simulating his drunken state.
Asuna covered her mouth with a light laugh, looking at the blush on Yusei's cheeks, "You're not even of age yet, and you're drinking alcohol? This is the consequence of drinking recklessly."
Yusei touched his warm cheeks, shaking his head slightly to try and stay clear-headed. He retorted, "This... this is a game. There's no 'of age' or 'underage' here... You all can drink too..."
Asuna smiled and shook her head, "I'll pass."
Kiriko also decisively shook her head, "Me too."
Finally, Yusei looked at Kaguya, who had been silently eating. He smiled, "Kaguya, how about you? Have a drink?"
Kaguya put down her chopsticks, was silent for a moment, then suddenly nodded, pouring herself a glass of beer.
"Fine. I'll drink."
After saying that, Kaguya downed the large mug of beer in one go. It was also her first time drinking, and the taste made her choke, causing her to cough violently.
Asuna beside her quickly patted her back, giving Yusei a reproachful look.
"Yusei-kun, who goes around persuading girls to drink? Your emotional intelligence is too low. You'll never find a girlfriend like this."
Yusei smiled, not taking it seriously, and didn't respond. Instead, he placed a chicken drumstick in Kanna's bowl.
Seeing this, Shiro next to him was very displeased. She tugged on Yusei's clothes and opened her little mouth.
"Nii, ah~"
Yusei had no choice. He could only pick up another piece of meat and put it into Shiro's mouth, which finally satisfied the little girl.
Kiriko was used to the sibling's affection, but that wasn't what she was focused on. Her attention was on Kanna, who had been silently eating.
She looked curiously at Yusei, "Yusei-kun, this child is..."
"Oh, her name is Kanna. She's with us now, another poor child trapped in this world. I'm taking care of her now." Yusei smiled and explained.
Yusei felt his words were quite truthful. He wasn't lying at all. Kanna was indeed trapped in this world, just like them.
Kiriko clearly didn't grasp the deeper meaning in Yusei's words. She nodded silently.
"Such a young child... it must be hard for her. Damn Kayaba Akihiko."
Yusei gave an awkward smile and didn't say anything more.
But just then, Kaguya suddenly put down her glass, stood up, and, under Yusei's surprised gaze, grabbed his sleeve and pulled him outside.
"Yusei-kun, can you come out for a moment? There's something I want to talk to you about."
Kaguya's sudden action took everyone by surprise... They stared blankly at Kaguya pulling Yusei outside, completely not understanding what was happening.