Ever since his mana had been restricted, Akasaka knew he could no longer take on Bosses alone.
Back when he had a way to restore mana, soloing Bosses had never been a problem. But now that his mana was limited, Akasaka had lost the ability to fight Bosses by himself.
So he needed to recruit people and add a few more powerful members to the team before he could confidently farm Bosses.
The first person Akasaka set his sights on was Kirito.
As for who was the strongest player on the entire server, aside from Kayaba Akihiko, it was him.
But Akasaka had no idea where he was... After all, he was a lone player—put bluntly, someone who wandered around by himself—and he was hard to find.
Akasaka thought of Argo the Rat, who sold information in the game. He spoke to Asuna and Usagisawa Misumi behind him, asking for leave and saying he had something to take care of. He told them to go grind monsters on their own for now, since he would not be joining them.
After saying that, Akasaka left by himself and disappeared into the forest.
Asuna and Usagisawa Misumi watched Akasaka's departing back. Asuna in particular could not help letting out a sigh of relief.
Right now, she did not know what feelings or attitude she should have when facing Akasaka.
After all, he had confessed to her, yet she had not given him an answer...
Usagisawa Misumi also noticed the change in her good girlfriend's state of mind. She immediately placed both hands back on Asuna's shoulders and asked with a serious look in her eyes.
"Answer me honestly. Have you fallen for him?"
Asuna stammered, unable to give any clear answer.
"I... I..."
Usagisawa Misumi seemed to understand something. She took her