Unital Ring III: Rebellion In the Underworld

Yon-chan

When I logged out of the Underworld, I found myself to be the last to do so.

Opening my eyes, I raise my head past the open headlock of the Soul Translator. Thankful that someone thought to keep the lights dim and not over-sensitize the optic nerve, I turn around in time to catch a water bottle thrown my way.

Momiji, dressed in a uniform for STL diving, must've been first to log out as she is standing by a wheeled cart with water bottles on board. Kazuto and Asuna are seated on their beds, gulping down mineral water. It has been ten hours since Kirito and I entered the Underworld, and I hadn't eaten or drank in our world since six.

Too bad there's no food on the cart. Or that we aren't Alice — who hadn't woken up yet, by the way. I guess the time limit doesn't necessarily apply to her. She doesn't need food and water, or if we were to take a lengthier dive, IV fluid. 

"Good work, all of you," Momiji says, breaking the silence as she joins me on my STL bed. She glances at the three of us, frowns, and asks, "Did something happen?"

"What didn't happen?" I answer, then glance at Kazuto and Asuna. "There's plenty for me to catch you guys up on to keep going forward, but we can do that later. There's...enough that I have to say already."

"Then may I ask...is she..."

I nod to Kazuto. "Yes. Princess Sylvie is the biological daughter of Abyssal Empress Eydis and Crimson Emperor Jaymes."

I put some emphasis on the 'biological' part as a dig at my friends, but the overall reaction was rather...underwhelming. Asuna looks like she's holding back a smile, while Kazuto bobbles his head."Hmm.. Speaking of which." Kazuto walks to the cart and grabs his phone from his bag on the cart and scans his face. Once the screen is on, a young girl's voice comes out of it.

"Papa, Mama, you're done with your long dive!"

 "Thanks for waiting for us, Yui," he responds, then turns the phone to us so we can wave at her. "Thank you for keeping watch for us, Yui. No problems, I hope?" 

"That's right. There were no attempts to hack Rath's internal network. And no suspicious people or objects turned up on the security cameras." 

I smile and wink at Yui. "Thanks, Yui. Be sure to give my regards to Rei as well. Thanks to you two, we were able to relax and get into our usual tomfoolery, right?"

Kazuto chuckles and scratches his head. "I guess so."

"Eh-heh-heh. Well, I'm going to return to Unital Ring now. I'll talk to you later, Papa, Mama, Uncle, and Kureha!" 

"Say hi to everyone for us," Kazuto says, turning the screen back to him. 

"I will!" Once Yui is gone, Kazuto stashes his phone back in the bag, then all four sets of eyes go towards Alice. Her eyes are still closed, indicating she hadn't joined us in the real world.

"She's not waking up yet?"

"Yeah...it's been nearly three minutes. I wonder if there was connection trouble..."

"She'll be fine...right?"

"Well, her obvious differences to us aside, I don't see any reason why she would be force-logged out like we would. We woke her sister, after all."

"I don't suppose there's any point to waking her, then," Asuna says, but she gets up from her bed and walks to Alice anyway. She reaches out for Alice's shoulder, but it interrupted by the sound of the STL Room's slidng door opening.

"Hardin, Kirigaya, Asuna, Momiji, welcome back. Have you rehydrated yet? enters Dr. Koujiro, her white coat fluttering like she's an overconfident mad scientist.