Yuuki Sumi

At the thought of all those days he'd spent tutoring her, Asuna felt a pang of sorrow.

Kazuto Kirigaya was a man with a wicked sense of humor. After spending so much time with him, Asuna had seen his true nature through and through.

He might have been sunny on the outside, and he might have been handsome.

But inside, he was definitely pitch-black.

She'd lost count of how many times he'd teased her.

Asuna's mouth twitched. If he was a hero, then after defeating the Demon King, he'd probably become the new Demon King of that world.

Then Asuna suddenly remembered that, for a while, this guy had been sneaking off to learn swordsmanship. He'd even won first prize at the All-Japan Kendo Championships.

Now that she thought about it, he really did live up to his reputation.

At that thought, she gave Kazuto Kirigaya a meaningful look. "First in the nation. Must be nice."

Kazuto Kirigaya sheathed his sword and scratched his head. "It's not that big a deal. Asuna, you're going to make me blush."

Asuna didn't even feel like commenting anymore. She knew the boy's personality all too well: if she kept praising him, his tail would be wagging in the clouds.

Asuna fell silent. Kazuto Kirigaya beckoned to her. "Come on."

Asuna blinked and pointed to herself. "You're sure you want me to?"

"Yeah. I'll be counting on you later," Kazuto Kirigaya said.

"Counting on me?" She looked puzzled.

"I don't want to lose to my stupid little brother a month from now," Kazuto Kirigaya said.

Only then did Asuna remember that this guy had somehow made a bet with his younger brother.

With a sigh, she steeled herself and charged at the Man-eating Flower.

It had to be said: Asuna was improving quickly. She soon learned how to deal with the weaker monsters and how to use her sword skills.

After clearing out the monsters, she checked the time and let out a startled cry. "It's six! My mother will be home soon. I'm logging out."

Kazuto Kirigaya nodded and paid Asuna no more attention, setting off on his own monster-hunting run.

He hadn't been at it for long when Kazuto Kirigaya received a message from Kazuto Kirigaya: "Aren't you going to make dinner?"

Roa: Why don't you make it?

Kirito: Spare me. Zhiye will kill me.

Roa: .

With a sigh, he was forced to log out.

The moment he took off his helmet, he saw someone standing right in front of him. Kazuto Kirigaya rubbed his temples. "Zhiye, you can't do that. You'll scare people."

Sugong Zhiye gazed resentfully at the blond in front of her. The blond stood up and ruffled the girl's hair, prompting Sugong Zhiye to protest loudly. "Big Brother, I'm not a little kid anymore!"

Kazuto Kirigaya laughed helplessly. The girl looked like she was enjoying it even as she said no. Her body was telling the truth, wasn't it?

He didn't call her out on that little secret. Instead, he asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Ramen," Sugong Zhiye replied, her eyes sparkling.

Ever since Kazuto Kirigaya had shown off his knack for Chinese cooking, Zhiye had been hooked on the delicious food.

After making dinner, he challenged Kirito to another duel.

Before long, Kazuto Kirigaya had gotten familiar with the mechanics of all the skills and was taking Asuna with him as they fought their way through the floors. At first, the lone wolf Kirito had left them far behind, but as they climbed higher, Kazuto Kirigaya found things increasingly difficult and was soon struggling just to keep up.

It wasn't just the bosses' unique traits. Even some of the especially troublesome monsters could easily kill them.

In just one month, Kazuto Kirigaya had died more than twenty times.

With no other choice, he was forced to find a teammate.

"Hello, I'm Sumi," he said.

The person was enormous, with a fierce face, bulging eyes, and a massive frame. A huge scythe was strapped to their back.

But when they saw Asuna, they looked taken aback. They rubbed their eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly spoke. "Yuuki Asuna?"

Asuna, standing beside him, was dumbfounded. She stared at the fierce-looking person before her, then at the huge, menacing scythe on their back. She couldn't help swallowing nervously. "Do we know each other?"

After a moment's hesitation, he sent Asuna a friend request, then spoke in his original voice. "It's me, Usakawa Sumi. Yuuki, don't you recognize me?"

Asuna's eyes lit up. In disbelief, she took her hand. "Usakawa Sumi! You're playing this game too?"

Usakawa Sumi shook her head. "Call me by my ID in the game. My name here is Mito." She even pointed at the ID above her head.

Kazuto Kirigaya looked surprised, and so did Kazuto Kirigaya.

The two exchanged glances, and Kazuto Kirigaya immediately sent a private message.

Roa: What's going on? You sly old dog, finding yourself a girl behind my back?

Kirito: ???

Roa: She's obviously a girl.

Kirito: I don't get it.

Roa: Asuna goes to an all-girls' school. The only way they could know each other is from school, don't you think?

Kirito: .

Roa: Want me to check her out for you?

After seeing the message, Kazuto Kirigaya silently glanced at the blond in front of him.

The blond was waggling his eyebrows at him.

He fell silent.

He'd only meant to find a good teammate. He hadn't thought about anything else.

With that in mind, he typed: She's actually pretty good.

Roa: What, interested?

Kirito: .

Kazuto Kirigaya fell silent. The guy couldn't go three sentences without asking if he was interested.

Kazuto Kirigaya thought for a moment, then secretly messaged Asuna to ask about the girl.

Roa: Yuuki, you there?

Asuna: What?

Roa: Who's that person? My little brother's still single, you know.

Asuna: .

Asuna didn't even want to talk anymore. She shot the boy a cold glance, but after thinking it over, she typed: "What does your brother look like?"

Roa: Super handsome.

Asuna: .

She fell silent. There were so many things to criticize that she didn't know where to begin.

When she looked up, she found Kazuto Kirigaya staring at her.

With no other choice, she typed a few words.

Asuna: Her name is Usakawa Sumi. She's my classmate. You'd better not get any ideas. She gets great grades, she's beautiful, and she's cheerful and outgoing in class.

Roa: It's my brother who's interested.

Asuna: .

She had the urge to strangle him.

Yep, that was so Kazuto Kirigaya.

Ignoring Kazuto Kirigaya, she started chatting with Usakawa Sumi.

When Asuna didn't reply, Kazuto Kirigaya switched targets and directly tagged Kazuto Kirigaya.

Roa: She's a really pretty girl in real life. She's top of her year, even ahead of Asuna. If you're interested, I can help you figure something out.

Kirito: .

I told you, I'm not interested, you idiot. It's just a coincidence.

Roa: What, are you shy? Too embarrassed to say anything? I'll help you.