December 29, 2022. 9:37 PM — Plains, Floor 5

  The party was gathered in the clearing the rumors had pointed them to.

  The sky opened above them like an immense dome, no longer cut off by Karluin's walls; a clean, perfect view that made it obvious why this would be the best place to watch the event's fireworks.

  As always whenever they left the safety of the cities, Silver had shown off one of his most useful (and, to him, least impressive) skills: Campfire Ignition. The small circle of flames crackled with a gentle warmth while the forest's shadows stretched out around them.

  Ryuho and Goose were going back and forth from the edge of the woods, carrying branches on their shoulders. The treeline was about four hundred meters to the north, far enough that they had to walk in pairs, but close enough that it wasn't really dangerous... in theory.

  Veget, meanwhile, stood guard with the patience and solemnity of a colossus. He looked carved out of stone, watching every sound, every flicker of movement between the trees.

  A few meters from the fire, Yuiha and Miwa were making something to eat. To be precise, Yuiha was the one carefully cooking two pieces of phaisan meat they'd gotten while hunting and seasoning them with herbs; Miwa, on the other hand, focused on "supervising"... or rather, on recounting every last detail of Silver's "heroic deeds" that afternoon.

  —I have to say it, Yu-tan —Miwa began with wicked serenity—, the way Silver jumped in to save you from that murderous pheasant was... pure poetry.

  Silver, who had been tending the fire, lifted his head with the expression of a condemned man.

  —Miwa. Please. She was there. She saw it.

  —Exactly —Miwa shot back without missing a beat—. That's why I'm replaying it in glorious detail. How could anyone forget it? That poor confused bird appears out of the trees, and you— —she jabbed a finger at Silver's chest— you unleash a five-hit Sword Skill like you're fighting a miniboss.

  Yuiha raised a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter, but her eyes were shining with obvious amusement.

  —Miwa... it was only two hits —Silver protested, utterly defeated.

  —Three. —Miwa held up a finger, theatrically— The third one was when you slipped in the sand and almost smashed your face, but I'm a good friend, so I won't mention that part.

  Yuiha let out a soft, lovely laugh that made Silver shrink even further into himself.

  —And then —Miwa went on, merciless— we have the glorious moment of the demon rabbit.

  —Miwa, please —Silver groaned—. Is that really necessary?

  —Absolutely —she replied in a scholarly tone—. The rabbit jumps, you shout "Yuiha, look out!" and you activate Shield Charge like you're defending a princess from a dragon. Poor thing... you hit it so hard it went flying so far we even lost the drops.

  Goose, who was just getting back with more firewood, burst out laughing.

  —I still say that rabbit's in orbit somewhere! —he said.

  Yuiha couldn't hide it anymore. She laughed openly and sweetly, leaning forward a little while still holding the herbs.

  Silver looked at her with a mute plea, his eyebrows twisted into a tragicomic expression:

  Please... make her stop...

  But Yuiha just shook her head, amused.

  —Thank you for... "protecting me from the rabbit," Silver —she said between laughs.

  He covered his face with a hand, blushing right up to the tips of his ears.

  Miwa raised both arms in triumph.

  —Miwa —Ryuho warned as he came back with more wood.

  —Okay, okay —she said, smiling with that mischief that was stronger than she was—. But admit it: this is the Silver I like. The one who gets nervous around Yu-tan, not the ice wall he pretends to be during raids.

  Yuiha blushed so fast that Silver actually stared at her in surprise... then dropped his gaze again, not knowing what to do with the heat rising up his neck.

  Veget cleared his throat loudly from his post, a clear sign they were getting too noisy.

  Ryuho let out a low laugh.

  Goose gave Silver's shoulder a gentle smack.

  And for a moment, the whole clearing seemed filled not with tension, but with a simple warmth—genuine camaraderie that made Aincrad feel, if only for a little while, like a place where life could still be good.

  * * * * *

  After they ate, the members of the party relaxed a bit.

  Once they'd finished checking the area, they confirmed that the local mobs weren't naturally aggressive: as long as no one pulled aggro, the place was practically safe. The forest's center was far enough away that the goblins weren't an immediate threat.

  It was Silver and Goose's turn to stand guard.

  That was when Miwa got to her feet and took Yuiha's hand.

  —Come on, Yu-chan.

  —Where to?

  —Somewhere we can talk without being spied on —Miwa said, smiling mischievously.

  Ryuho shot up at once, worried. Silver and HappyGoose tensed too, though they tried not to let it show; after all the mistakes in the forest, Veget's mood was in no shape for games.

  —Miwa, you shouldn't go too far. It could be dangerous —her brother warned.

  —You mean because of the killer pheasants? Or the ninja rabbits? —she replied, mocking him and shooting a glance at Silver.

  —I'm serious.

  —I know, nii-chan. We'll just go that way —Miwa softened her voice and pointed east, where the terrain was open and visibility was excellent.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The girls walked several meters away from the campfire. Yuiha didn't ask anything else; even though she didn't know Miwa very well yet, she already sensed that trying to stop her was a lost battle. Besides, Silver trusted her.

  And for Yuiha, that alone was enough.

  Miwa finally stopped and turned, her expression suddenly complicated.

  —Is something wrong? —Yuiha asked at once, worried.

  Miwa drew a deep breath, searching for words.

  —Do you remember the day Kain got lost, and I asked you to take Silver so I could be alone with Goose?

  —Of course I remember. It was very kind of you to pretend you wanted to stay with him so Silver could go with me.

  Miwa blinked, genuinely surprised.

  —You noticed? How?

  —Because of HappyGoose's face —Yuiha answered, smiling—. The disbelief on it was screaming that something impossible was happening.

  —Right... —Miwa looked away, nervous—. Well, the truth is I did want to spend time with him.

  Yuiha smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  Miwa took another breath.

  —We went to eat, we talked, we laughed... and we went to the overlook.

  —Sounds like a lovely date —Yuiha said, sincere.

  Miwa let out a bitter little laugh.

  —It was lovely. Until Goose looked at me and told me he'd been in love with me for a long time. And he said my real-world name.

  —What? —Yuiha's eyes flew wide.

  —And then he told me he knew I went every day to the café in front of my school...

  —No way... —Yuiha blurted—. That must've terrified you.

  —Of course it did. I grabbed my dagger, but we were in a safe zone and I had no way to defend myself... He tried to explain, but only made it worse. In the end he climbed onto the railing at the overlook and asked me to let him explain. Said that if I didn't feel safe, I could push him into the void.

  Yuiha's eyes opened even wider.

  —And what did you do?

  —I told him I'd listen to him once he got down from there. And then he told me he knew me because he worked at that café. He was usually the one who made my drink. He looked at me in such an... innocent way. So different from how guys have always looked at me that, at first, it made me uncomfortable. Then I got used to it... and I don't even know when I started liking how it felt to be looked at that way.

  Yuiha covered her mouth with one hand, speechless.

  Miwa went on, her voice thickening.

  —I graduated two years ago and never saw him again. I went back to the café a few times, but he was never there. It's not like I forgot him... I swear. He's changed a lot. He's thinner now, with short hair, his face unobscured... But when I looked into his eyes, I realized it was him. I couldn't believe it.

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  —I got emotional and let myself get carried away. I told him I remembered him. And you know what that idiot did? He told me he "wasn't as attractive as Veget and Silver"!

  Yuiha blinked slowly, processing.

  Miwa pressed her lips together, hurt and angry.

  —And he meant it. He didn't even blink. Like it was just a fact. Like I'd only ever look at someone for their looks. Like I was shallow. Like... I wasn't allowed to feel anything for him.

  Her voice broke, and tears slipped free before she could stop them.

  Yuiha wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gently wiped her cheeks.

  —You're not angry at him. You're hurt by what he said —she murmured softly.

  Miwa nodded, still unable to speak.

  Yuiha went on, calm but firm.

  —Miwa... from what I've seen of Goose, he would never think of you that way. I'm sure that when he saw you that close, that... real, he panicked. He thought it was impossible. Not because he thinks you couldn't feel something for him, but because he doesn't think he's enough.

  Miwa lifted her gaze, trembling.

  —Do you really think that?

  —I do —Yuiha answered with a small smile—. But you know him better than I do. You should know it.

  Miwa fell silent, letting the words sink in.

  And slowly, one by one, the knots inside her began to loosen.

  —Thank you... —she whispered.

  Yuiha didn't answer with words. She just squeezed Miwa's hands gently.

  * * * * *

  They stayed like that for several minutes, silent, letting the mild wind between the trees wash away the last traces of anguish.

  Until that mischievous glint returned to Miwa's eyes.

  —Well, Yu-tan... —she said, drawing out the syllables with playful malice—. I've opened up my heart now. Your turn.

  —My... what? —Yuiha asked, genuinely confused.

  —Come on, don't play dumb. I'm talking about your relationship with Silver. How's that going?

  —There is no relationship between us.

  Miwa put on the most theatrical expression imaginable, pressing a hand to her forehead like a tragic heroine.

  —Oh, please! Silver has a giant neon sign over his head that says "I like Yuiha." And you're not exactly subtle either.

  Yuiha let out a small, shy giggle before answering.

  —If I'm being honest... I was hoping he felt something for me.

  Miwa's eyebrows arched with feline interest.

  —And why the past tense? You think he doesn't?

  —It's not that I think so. I know. —Yuiha smiled, but there was a thin, almost invisible sadness in it—. He told me so himself a few days ago.

  Miwa's face froze mid-expression. Her brain short-circuited on the spot.

  She'd heard a lot of nonsense since getting trapped in Aincrad...

  but nothing as absurd as the idea that Silver wasn't in love with Yuiha.

  —You must've misunderstood. That can't be right...

  —He told me he's by my side because he owes me his life. That he's doing all this out of obligation.

  Silence.

  Thick, heavy silence.

  Three clear emotions passed over Miwa's face: disbelief... surprise... and finally a fury so pure even the floating specks of light in the air seemed to flinch.

  She jumped up onto the rock in one smooth motion.

  And then:

  —SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!!!!

  The scream echoed through the forest, shaking the leaves and sending several mobs fleeing in terror.

  Silver felt a chill race down his spine.

  Not because of the volume.

  Because of the tone.

  —I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU JERK!!! —Miwa roared.

  All the guys looked at him at once, trying—and failing—to hold back their laughter.

  —What the hell did you do? —Ryuho asked, raising an eyebrow.

  —I didn't do anything! —Silver protested immediately.

  —That's probably the problem, kid. You never do anything —Veget added with weary wisdom.

  Silver let out a nervous little laugh and, very discreetly, pulled a potion from his inventory... just in case.

  * * * * *

  Meanwhile, on the far side of the clearing, Yuiha was making heroic efforts not to burst out laughing... though worry glimmered in her eyes as well.

  —Miwa, don't say anything to him. He doesn't owe me anything. He has no obligation to feel something for me.

  —Obligation? He's head over heels for you, Yu-chan.

  —Please...

  Miwa closed her eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to smother her homicidal rage.

  When she opened them again, she took Yuiha's hands and looked straight into her eyes.

  —I have no idea why he said something that stupid... —her voice was strained, but honest—. But I am absolutely sure of one thing: he does feel something for you.

  Yuiha swallowed.

  —You really think so?

  —Of course I do. —Miwa smiled... the same sly smile she used whenever she wanted to win an argument—. But you know him better than I do.

  You shouldn't just believe it.

  You should know it.

  Yuiha didn't answer with words.

  She simply hugged her tightly, clinging to the certainty Miwa was offering her... a certainty she still couldn't quite offer herself.