A gender-neutral Y/N is an introverted solo player who spends almost every moment they can grinding in the Fields of Aincrad.
Y/N find themselves distancing further from the people they say they're fighting to free; but what happens when those peopl...
- This chapter is REALLY long. Make sure to take breaks if needed. (3 hours expected read time)
- All images/videos featured in this chapter were made by AI, but none of the writing was done with AI. You may look to the EN/EM-Dashes as proof to the contrary, but I have been using these since long before AI because a tool in the way it has today. I enjoy writing, and I'm not going to let AI do that for me. And if I did, you'd find chapters releasing WAY more often than I have been recently!
- I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I apologise for the long wait!
Love you all! ~Obahar >
Sachi's birthday came and went with little fanfare—just as she preferred.
True to her wishes, there was no grand party or overwhelming crowd, just a few quiet moments shared with those closest to her. I made sure to spend some time with her alone, gifting her a small, hand-carved charm that Koharu had helped me make. It wasn't much, but the smile that graced her face, soft and shy, told me it was enough. Each of her closer friends made their own time with her throughout the day, and though she'd kept things low-key, I think we all knew it meant more to her than she was willing to say.
Before I knew it, Sachi's birthday had given way to a new topic of buzz among the group: Valentine's Day.
Sachi: "Well... uhm... that you were going to have some, uh, well... some 1-to-1 time with all of us on... on Valentine's Day..."
Sachi's words lingered in my mind long after she'd shyly excused herself that evening. I'd barely had time to process the idea before she disappeared up the stairs—this whole "sharing me over Valentine's" plan that the others had apparently decided on, without so much as asking for my input. To say I was blindsided would've been an understatement. While I knew my friends could be... enthusiastic, this felt like it was on a whole new level.
As the days slipped by, the atmosphere in Aincrad subtly shifted. Valentine's Day was clearly on everyone's radar, with NPC stores displaying limited-edition items and player-run shops pushing creative, heart-themed designs. Even the parks within the safe zones seemed to take on a different kind of beauty, with vibrant flowers in full bloom despite the lingering chill of February.
And in the middle of it all was Argo, wearing her usual mischievous grin as she orchestrated the entire ordeal. I couldn't decide if I should be impressed or concerned by how thorough she was with the scheduling, but it was hard to argue with her results. A full line-up of 1-to-1 time with everyone—all planned down to the minute, and of course, she made sure to assign herself a slot later in the day, but for now I was given a bit of mercy, with a more innocent start to my day.
06:00 — Yui
I was woken up very early in the morning by the sound of some tiny knuckles rapping at my door. To which I would open the door and find a very excited Yui fidgeting in the inn hallway, her eyes trained on my door as the smile on her face only grew larger and larger.
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