Kazuto Kirigaya felt utterly exhausted and sighed. He glanced at the smug Kazuto Kirigaya, seriously suspecting the boy was just messing with him.
Asuna and Usakawa Sumi were catching up, chatting about school.
Then Usakawa Sumi looked over at Kazuto Kirigaya. "Who's this? Your boyfriend?"
Asuna's face instantly flushed. She covered Usakawa Sumi's mouth and scolded her, "Don't be ridiculous."
Usakawa Sumi laughed. "So he's not—at least, not yet. Who is he?"
"My tutor." Asuna couldn't help sighing as she said it. Her teacher and this boy were worlds apart.
The thought left her feeling utterly helpless.
At that, Usakawa Sumi couldn't help asking, "How did you get into this game?"
Asuna helplessly pointed at the blond boy, who was beaming.
Usakawa Sumi looked surprised. "He gave you a beta-test account?"
Asuna nodded.
Looking at Asuna's clueless expression, Usakawa Sumi couldn't help asking, "Do you know how valuable a beta-test account is?"
Asuna tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Is it really that valuable?"
She seemed to remember her brother saying that his company had a whole pile of them.
Usakawa Sumi nodded gravely.
She held up five fingers. "The market price is five million yen. After all, this is the only full-dive game in the world, and even beta-test accounts have been bid up to that price. I only got one because I was lucky. And you? Someone just gave one to you."
Asuna thought about her allowance. Her family was wealthy, but they had good, traditional habits, and they weren't extravagant with money. In fact, she was usually pretty frugal.
That was more than enough money to live it up for quite a while.
She really hadn't expected the thing he'd given her so casually to be so valuable. It wasn't particularly rare in her family, but she appreciated the thought behind it.
She remembered that day, when the boy had been helping her with her homework as usual.
After she wrote the last Chinese character, Kazuto Kirigaya suddenly said, "Hey, Yuuki, want to play a game together tomorrow?"
And that was how Yuuki Asuna had entered the game.
After hearing Yuuki Asuna's story, Usakawa Sumi sighed in amazement. She pinched the girl's cheek and smiled. "He's definitely into you. Why else would he give away such an expensive gift without a second thought?"
Asuna pondered that. She felt a little bashful, and her cheeks took on a faint blush, but she still stubbornly protested, "Sumi, don't make things up. People will get the wrong idea."
Usakawa Sumi gave her a knowing smile. "Only you know whether they'll get the wrong idea."
Seeing Asuna like this, she didn't press the subject. Instead, she changed the topic. "Anyway, he really is dazzling. He looks just like a hero from a story."
"Pfft. All looks and no substance." Asuna couldn't help snorting when she remembered the boy using her as bait.
"Hey, Asuna, is he really that handsome in real life too?" Usakawa Sumi asked curiously.
"Tch. He looks exactly the same in real life."
"Huh?"
Usakawa Sumi let out a small gasp and took another careful look at the boy in front of her.
Short blond hair, with his bangs casually parted down the middle to reveal handsome features. His reddish-gold eyes were bright and lively, and a faint smile always played at the corners of his mouth. He had a high nose bridge, fair skin, and a strong build from all his training. In short, he was a very good-looking boy in every way.
Usakawa Sumi leaned close to the girl's ear and whispered, "Then you'd better hurry. With looks like his, there are probably plenty of girls out there who'd fall for him at first sight. If you haven't made things official, you should do it soon."
Asuna followed Usakawa Sumi's gaze and looked toward the boy.
As if he'd noticed Asuna watching him, the boy gave her a radiant smile.
"Heh." Seeing that sunny expression, she couldn't help sneering.
Don't let his bright smile fool you. The wider Kazuto Kirigaya smiled, the more likely he was cooking up another scheme.
A sunny, handsome guy? Not a chance.
That blond was black-hearted beneath the surface.
And it wasn't just in the game. Asuna had been tricked by him plenty of times in real life, too.
They were always little pranks, but Kazuto Kirigaya's wicked sense of humor really did leave her torn between annoyance and laughter.
"Don't just talk about me. Anyway, how did you meet Kirito?" Asuna asked curiously.
Usakawa Sumi thought for a moment. "There's no reason to hide it. We met while grinding mobs. Even I have to admit he's strong."
Asuna narrowed her eyes, puzzled. "Strong?"
Usakawa Sumi nodded. "Yes, strong. His sword is fast, and his reflexes are incredibly quick. He'd rank among the top three people I know."
Asuna considered this. It seemed that everyone in that family had a knack for games.
Seeing that the two had finished chatting, Kazuto Kirigaya stepped forward and interrupted them. "Come on, let's team up and fight the boss. We should clear as many floors as we can while we have the chance."
Usakawa Sumi agreed. "Exactly. Getting information on the boss is our top priority right now."
They were currently on the fifteenth floor.
The setting was a forest, somewhat like the Misty Forest on the third floor, but the fog wasn't as thick, and it didn't block their vision or the minimap. That made it relatively easy to clear.
It was just that some of the mobs were a little troublesome.
The creatures here weren't just elves; there were also apes.
The elves usually came in groups of four: three elven archers and one elven warrior. Since they always encountered them in groups, and the mobs had their own tactics and teamwork, progress was extremely slow.
They were the bane of solo players. Even a top player like Kazuto Kirigaya had no choice but to leave the area if he ran into two groups of elves at once.
The apes weren't difficult to deal with. They were mainly tough and hit hard, but they appeared one at a time. Unless they were particularly unlucky and stumbled straight into the nest, they could be worn down with hit-and-run tactics.
"It's already been a month, and we're still on the fifteenth floor. We need to hurry, or the open beta will start in three months, and regular players will quickly catch up with us," Kazuto Kirigaya said, offering his analysis.
Everyone agreed. Working alone was far too inefficient, while finding other beta testers came with the risk that they might have ulterior motives. Besides, coordinating with them would be another problem.
Kazuto Kirigaya spoke up. "Head straight south. The boss's door is over there."
Everyone nodded. Since all four were top-tier players, they quickly cut a path through and found the boss's room.
They found it between three giant trees.
The trees stood encircling the door, which shimmered with a deep blue light. Ancient patterns covered its surface.
The door was five meters tall and three meters wide. Its heavy, rugged construction spoke of the boss's formidable strength.
They exchanged glances. At Kazuto Kirigaya's signal, one of them reached out and pushed open the heavy stone door.
The stone door creaked, then slowly swung open.
(I know readers don't like this part, so I won't pad it out.)