Unital Ring II: The Virtual Study Society

The Eve of War, Part 2

Turns out I didn't need to step into the forest to find a scout.

When I materialized in the log cabin, I took a moment to sit in place for no reason. At the moment I decided to do something, Leafa logs in herself. Already on my feet, I hold my hand out to help her. "Sup, Leafa. You're on later than your brother."

"I know... You're ready?"

I cross my arms and look out the nearest window. "Yeah, of course. Fighting the odds is nothing new for me."

She lowers her head and slouches slightly. Her downcast expression, highlighted by the sunset illuminating half her face, creates a cliche 'heart to heart' you see in shows. Given our minor height differences (Leafa comes up just underneath my eye line in VR, Suguha to my shoulders in the real world), it was easy for her to take a step forward and place her head under my chin. "That's not what I mean."

Innately, my hand rises to the back of Leafa's head and back in a brotherly embrace. I'll admit that, when it comes to women, I'm a piece of crap, but never once in the year and a half since I've personally known her have I seen Suguha in a way other than as Kazuto's little sister and a fairly attractive girl off her own right. Sure, I joked about it once or twice in SAO, but that's one thing. To me, she's my best friend's little sister and nothing else. To her, I'm her big brother's best friend. The trope of a guy's little sister hooking up with his best friend never clicked in our direction for a moment. In a way, she's like a little sister when she comes to me when she can't go to her brother, like right now.

"I don't want to give you false hope, but Kirito and I will figure this out. Trust me on that, Leafa."

"I want to believe we can win, but what if Mutasina finds out first? What do we do?"

"We just need to get her alone. That's what I'm counting on." I begin to push Leafa away while looking out the window. The gate to the log cabin opens, and from outside it comes a gathering of Insectsite players. I guess they were out in the wild leveling up or scouting. Zarion the rhinoceros beetle and Beeming the stag beetle lead the group, followed by a brown grasshopper I think is named Needy carrying...a human-shaped bundle of white rope. I hope that's white rope...then again, we don't have a spider in our midst.

"What is going on?"

"Let's check it out." Leafa leads us out of the cabin just as Needy unwinds the rope, revealing an ALO player of the salamander race, though not the usual frame of one. Unlike the vast majority of salamanders, he's on the short and skinny side like me. There's a weird pink mark on his left cheek. From the porch, I get to watch him look around the area in panic, then when he turns to Kirito, he shrieks, "A-are you with these bug people?"

"Um, yeah."

"Dammit! J-just kill me and get it over with, then!"

I snort as I step off the porch, disappointed by my comrade's cowardice. "That's not how a salamander should act,"

"Something about him is familiar," Leafa murmurs, then snaps her fingers as she grabs my wrist and leads me towards the gathering. "Ohhh! It's that guy!" I don't get a chance to question how she knows him as she greets the rest of the group (and I do so awkwardly) on our approach to the wrapped man. She glances at him again and nods to herself. "I knew it. Big B...I mean, Kirito and Jaymes, this is him!"

"Him who?" Kirito asks.

"Ahhh! Are you Kirito and Jaymes? Master Black and Lucky Red!"