Chapter 10
Without stopping to catch our breath, Asuna and I ran to the safe zone that was set up somewhere in the middle of the Labyrinth Area. I had the feeling that we'd been targeted by monsters several times along the way. But to tell the truth, we weren't in the right state of mind to fight them.
We burst into the large room that had been designated as the safe area and slid to the floor with our backs side-by-side, leaning against the wall. After releasing a huge breath, we looked at each other and...
“...Ha.”
Both of us started laughing at the same time. If we had checked the map, we could have known straight away that the boss hadn't left its room. But we hadn't thought of stopping to check.
“Ahahaha, ah— we ran away really fast!”
Asuna laughed in an exhilarated tone.
“It's been a long time since I've run as if my life depended on it. Well, you were even more exaggerated than me!”
“...”
I couldn't contradict that. Asuna kept laughing at my sullen face. It took her a lot of effort to stop; and then she said,
“...That, looked pretty tough.”
Asuna said, with a serious face.
“Yeah. It looked like it had only a great-sword as its weapon, but it probably has special attacks as well.”
“We'll have to gather a lot of forwards with high defense and have them keep switching.”
“We'll need about ten people with shields... Well, for the moment we should just keep jabbing at it and work out how it fights.”
“A... shield.”
Asuna looked my way thoughtfully.
“Wh-What's the matter?”
“You're hiding something.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden...?”
“But it's weird. The biggest advantage of using one-handed swords is being able to hold a shield with the other hand. But I've never seen you with one. I don't, because it would slow my attack speed, and some people don't because they're more worried about style. But you're neither of those... It's suspicious.”
She was spot on. I had a hidden skill. I'd never used it even once in front of other people.
It wasn't only because skills were an important way to survive, but also because I thought it would make me stand out even more if others found out.
But, if it was her— If she found out, it should be okay...
With that in mind, I opened my mouth to say something.
“Never mind, it doesn't matter. Digging around about other people's skills is rude anyways.”
She just laughed it off. Now that I had lost my chance, I simply mumbled a few words in my mouth. Then, Asuna's eyes grew wide after checking the time.
“Ah, it's already three. It's late, but let's eat lunch.”
“What!?”
I couldn't hide my excitement.
“I-Is it handmade!?”
Asuna smiled wordlessly and quickly manipulated her menu. After removing her glove, she called forth a small basket. So there was at least one good thing about partying with her —as that rude thought passed my mind, Asuna suddenly glared at me.
