"So, this is...?"
Just as Feng Chen had guessed, she was the girl from the original story who was extremely important to Kirito.
"Hello, I'm Sachi."
She seemed a little shy. After introducing herself, she hid behind Kirito.
"I'll get straight to the point. You two are dating, right?"
The question seemed difficult for her to accept, but her flushed face said it all...
"Don't just stand there silently, Kirito. I'm asking you!"
"Eh... what?!"
Kirito scratched his face and spoke awkwardly. "I guess... you could say that?"
"What do you mean, 'I guess you could say that'?!"
Could it be that you don't even know whether you're dating her or not?!
"Anyway, that's my attitude. If you're dating, then be open about it. Don't sneak around. Also, don't bring your girlfriend to the base to flaunt your relationship."
To make sure she understood the situation, Feng Chen specifically dragged Kirito away and left Silica to counsel Sachi.
But... was she really all right? She was in love herself, after all, even if it was unrequited.
"All right, Kirito. I'll give you two choices right now. One: you and Sachi make your relationship public, and I'll pin down anyone in the Strategy Group who tries to interfere. Two: you and Sachi keep dating, but claim publicly that you're friends and don't make any excessive displays. Of course, whatever you do in private is your business. I won't interfere."
Both choices supported Kirito. How he wanted to proceed was up to him.
In a way, Feng Chen was something of an experienced man himself. Naturally, he didn't want Kirito to end up like him.
As for Silica's side, things were completely different from Feng Chen's.
"Sachi, there's something I have to make clear to you."
"Wh-what is it?"
Silica made the