Sword Art Online - Alternative Reality

Dragon Hunt CHP.8

Somehow we managed to make our way to the restaurant which was fortunately empty. The issue was that after taking our seats on the 2nd-floor balcony, Asuna had buried her face into the menu, and 5 minutes had passed without us saying a word to one another. During this time I tried defining what our relationship actually was.

We started off as circumstantial temporary partners, eventually growing close enough to be called actual partners, then despite several conflicts we became guildmates. We were certainly friends, and I'm closer to her than anyone else in both this world and the other side. But we definitely did stuff that didn't fall in the regular 'friend' category. The question was, was it wise to bring this up now? Did I even have a right to know, to ask for more?

Well...based on movies the guy is supposed to say something first right? Although I don't think any of the ones I've seen exactly fit this scenario...

Sighing as I tried to formulate some sort of sentence to break the awkward air between us, I looked up at her and saw that she was also glancing at me. Right before I could say anything though, I noticed that she had been holding her menu upside down this entire time.

"Pfft...hahahahaha!"

Bursting out in laughter, she gave me a look that could have definitely killed if it could, but once I pointed at her menu and she realized what I was laughing at, her face became flushed red before she joined me.

Yeah, laughing and smiling definitely suits her best.

"So, how about we get some drinks and I talk about the stuff you wanted to know?"

"Hahaha.... Yeah, that sounds good."

Ordering our favorite wine, I started telling her about my two-week grind fest. From the 41st to the 43rd floor, running around and discovering the history of the war while clearing quests. Then the actual hunting I had to go through on the 44th floor, to finally figuring out what the end game was and talking briefly about my encounter with the final boss, along with some of the hints I got at the end. The entire time Asuna filled in on a lot of the trivia and connections the quest had with stories from the other side, as expected of our esteemed vice-commander.

"Well it sounds like it was quite the adventure, but..."

After I wrapped up my story and took a sip of the wine, she began pouting.

"You could have invited me along, you know? You were doing all of that while also handling your guild duties. It would have been fun..."

"Yeah, I got stuck on a few steps along the way that you would have figured out instantly, definitely the last time I tackle one of these things on my own."

"I'll be holding you to that you know?"

"Yeah, yeah... so how about you? How's the last two weeks been?"

"Nothing interesting, just the same floor clearing process."

"Oh come on, you've got me talking here the entire time about what I've been doing. Besides I know nothing is ever boring when you're around, so spill."

Being taken aback with her eyes bulging, she cleared her throat before agreeing and going on about her adventures during this time. A lot of it had to do with the regular guild stuff we always talked about, but she also included out some of her personal hunts that led her to team up with some of our old friends and acquaintances, how Liz almost broke Keita's new staff, Yuna's most recent concert that I missed out on, and generally just everyday things that gave this world a real sense of... 'normal'.

Normally I'm not the type of guy to have a conversation overfilling back up on necessary calories, but as we talked, reminisced, and laughed, at some point, I had forgotten my hunger completely despite not even having a proper breakfast. This sort of feeling... was more than I deserved.