Author Notes: I hope everyone is enjoying the end of the Summer of 2020, and you are all staying safe.

I'm sure you all probably figured this chapter will continue immediately following the cliffhanger of the previous chapter. I suppose ending chapters partway through a fight has been a normal thing for me at this point regardless of what story I'm writing. It does make it easier when it comes to writing chapters to an extent.

Anyway, I hope you will find the mini-boss fight to be satisfying. I always put effort into these fights, and I believe it will fulfill what you were expecting from it.

As usual, I hope you will all enjoy reading this chapter. Be sure to leave a review and happy reading.

/

The Kirita Chronicles

Story Arc Four

Chapter Forty: Small Steps – Part III – Bosses and Decisions

/

Present will be Past

The Future shall be Present

Be Ready for it

/

Date: February 2023

Location: Sword Art Online – Fourth Floor – Caverns

After a rather eventful and cautionary journey through the caverns underneath the mountains of the fourth floor, Kirita and Akio had finally reached their destination. Despite the caverns being a secret area, the monsters they had faced failed to pose much of a threat until now. A threat that Kirita was now forced to fight on her own.

Due to the surprise attack, Akio was inflicted with the 'Bleed' status, and he was forced on his knees. With Akio temporarily disposed of, Kirita charged at the mini-boss that was identified as Chameleon Z. A befitting name after how it was able to blend into the walls. However, Kirita had no intention of letting this monster out of her sight. Neither did Akio.

With sword drawn, Kirita launched herself at the monster. Energy formed at the soles of her feet which allowed her to leap forward at high speed. The monster's eyes briefly widened before moving to the right in hopes of evading Kirita's attack.

Despite the monster's best efforts, it remained in range. The monster could feel the tip of the player's blade slice into its body. It was a light hit, but a hit nevertheless. The monster could see it on the red line left on its chest due to Kirita's attack. However, there was no immediate follow up attack.

Kirita's body was moving so fast due to her earlier speed boost that her feet were forced to skirt on the ground as she forced her body to an emergency stop. Kirita could hear the grinding of her boots against the ground as friction did its job. Her body was still for one second before she launched herself at the Chameleon's direction again.

The Chameleon swathe player coming. The monster then held up its arms, and Kirita's blade met them. Kirita's blade dug into the Chameleon's arms, but it would not cut them off. The Chameleon then pushed Kirita away, and it went on the offensive.

When Kirita was forced to take a few steps back, she saw the elongated claws. This was the moment of 'flight'. As the creature charged at her, energy began to manifest beneath Kirita's feet as she leap out of the way of that attack. She could see the monster claw through the air. She didn't have time nor the luxury to consider the damage that attack would've done. She didn't have to.

Based on what she saw those claws had done to Akio, they might as well be a one hit KO. They may not literally kill in one hit, but they leave the player vulnerable for a prolonged period of time, and they'd be left at the monster's mercy. There was no mercy to be found here. Kirita could only tell herself she was glad neither of them decided to venture here on their own.

"Is that it?" Kirita egged the monster.

"…" The monster offered no response.

"Okay you ugly son of a bit, you think you can get me? Just try it!" Kirita's hand motioned for the monster to come as she taunted, "You'll get nothing, but air from me!"

The monster appeared to accept that challenge because is struck in Kirita's direction. This time Kirita was going into 'fight' mode. She was ready.

Kirita had only a moment to get this right. If she got the timing wrong this battle would be over, but she didn't have the luxury to speculate on what could be. It was do or die. Kirita realized this herself as she held onto the hilt of her sword with both hands.

The next few moments dragged on. Kirita waited for the monster to come at her. The player and the monster stared at each other. Both appeared to be standing their ground. The standoff ended with the monster rushing at Kirita with its elongated claws.

As the monster charged, energy materialized in both Kirita's hands and feet. The moment the claws connected to the sword, Kirita pushed her sword and body upward which forced the monster's claw upward as well. It staggered backward.

In the span of a few seconds, Kirita was able to slash it three times across the torso before it blocked Kirita's fourth attack. Kirita could see the three slash marks she left on the monster dealt a great deal of damage to the monster as it lost a chuck of its health points. If she could get a few more hits in, the battle would be won, but she still needed to be weary of the claws.

The monster attempted to claws through Kirita face. As Kirita promised, she ducked underneath the attack, and the monster tore through nothing but air. Kirita attempted to counterstrike only for the monster to avoid her attack by jumping back. Both appeared to be adapting a dodge and strike strategy.

"Heh. Not bad," Kirita complimented, "Not bad at all." Her head moved slightly and then she looked directly at the monster. "You're still not gonna beat me." Kirita began walking in a semi-circle pattern as the monster's eyes remained locked on her. "You can try all you want, but you're not gonna get me. I bet that's gotta be a real pain in the gut isn't it?"

The monster gritted its teeth. As it looked like it was about to lean forward, the growl and grunts were quickly replaced whines as its back straighten up. A tip of a sword emerged from the monster's stomach. It was a rapier.

A familiar voice spoke, "Forget about me?"

Before the monster could react, Kirita charged at the monster at top speed. When she was in range, she jumped up and swung her sword. The monster had no chance to process what just transpired let alone defend itself because its head was literally spinning.

With a clean strike, Kirita's successfully cut through the monster's neck, and she managed to separate the head from the body. She saw the head spin the air before the monster's body and head shattered to pieces. She then saw a shaky Akio barely manage to remain standing. Before Akio could fall, she grabbed his arm to keep him standing up right.

Kirita merely said as she held him in place, "Thanks for the assist."

"Heh." Akio chuckle as he accepted the help, "Thanks for the distraction." He took a breath and said, "You can let go now."

Kirita raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

Akio ensured, "Yeah, I'm good."

Kirita complied, "Okay."

Akio remained standing as he repeated, "I'm good."

Kirita silently nodded in response.

/

The battle was over. Both Kirita and Akio received notification of their victory. The experience points they received was enough for both of them to gain another level. They could feel their virtual bodies become stronger the moment they received the message.

After they received their notification, they looked to see their prize was floating in the middle of the room. Kirita felt drawn to the object. When she was closer to it, she could see that it had the appearance of ore that blacksmiths would use. She could also see that this was their objective. It didn't matter what this item could be used for. They needed to bring this back to the village to get their reward.

"I guess that NPC will be happy." Akio remarked.

"Yeah. Allen should be very happy with this." Kirita replied. "Still though … That was …" Kirita took a breath as she uneasily finished, "… kinda rough."

"No kidding." Akio kneeled down. When Kirita turned to see Akio kneel, she took a step forward only for Akio hold up one hand while he used the other to hold his stomach. He then said, "I still can feel the 'Bleed' effect."

"That's probably gonna still sting for a while." Kirita merely assured him, "You'll feel normal again soon enough, but you should probably take it easy."

"It might not be so easy if we have to go back the long way." Akio stated, "That'll be a pain …"

"We'll take it easy if we have to." Kirita assured him, "We can wait here until you feel like you can fight again."

"I'd rather not take that long if we don't have it." Akio replied. "Can't say I like the idea of being stuck in this part of the cave longer than we have to be."

"We might not have much of a choice, Akio." Kirita reminded him, "We only get one shot. No checkpoints. No redos."

Akio sighed, "I know, I know. I just wish we could get a little break."

As soon as Akio said that, they heard something click. The click was loud enough to echo in the room. They looked to see a pedestal emerge from the ground. With it, there was a crystal on top. That caused Kirita's head to tilt before she walked over to it.

When Kirita held the crystal in her hand, she received a notification regarding the nature of the item. As soon as she read it, a grin began to form on her face.

Akio was still kneeling on the floor as he inquired, "What's that?"

Kirita looked over to him and said, "It looks like this is an express exit back home."

Akio began pushing himself off the ground while still clutching his stomach as he asked, "You mean it's a teleport crystal?"

"A very specific one." Kirita walked over to Akio as she held up the crystal, "This teleport crystal is apparently linked back to the village. It'll take us straight back, so we won't have to worry about going all the way back through the cave."

"Then that makes things easy." Akio stated, "Let's use it."

"Yes." Kirita grinned as she tossed the crystal up and down, "Let's." Kirita then grabbed the crystal in midair and activated it. With a flash of light, they were gone from the dungeon, and they returned to the village.

/

Date: February 2023

Location: Sword Art Online – Fourth Floor – Hidden Village

After returning the ore to Allen, Kirita and Akio received adequate rewards and experience points for successfully completing the quest. Kirita didn't bother asking what the ore was for. She had more pressing matters to deal with. Kirita then escorted Akio back to their home. She let him lean on her. She supported him as he held his stomach. While the Bleeding Effect wasn't harming him anymore, it felt as if it was still there. It felt like a 'phantom wound'.

They were informed by the local NPCs of the village that Akio had no reason for concern. The effects would most likely dissipate within a day or so. Kirita felt a certain level of vindication that her earlier assurances had been confirmed. In light of that revelation, Kirita carefully escorted Akio to his bed. He would then spend the remainder of the day attempting to sleep it off.

The following morning, Akio opened his eyes to greet the sunlight. He also woke up no longer feeling the need to nurse his stomach. As the NPCs said, all the aftereffects had dissipated. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his stomach, and he was free to move again.

As Akio was about to get out of bed, he heard knocking on his door followed by a familiar voice calling out, "Room service." The voice undoubtedly belonged to Kirita. Without waiting for a response, Kirita opened the door while balancing a tray of food with her right hand. She playfully held out the tray while Akio remained on the bed, "Breakfast is served, my good sir."

"Heh." Akio couldn't stop himself from smiling even if he wanted to. He didn't want to. All he could say was, "Looks good. Never expected to get first rate service here."

Kirita now held the tray with two hands as she brought it over to Akio, "I can't exactly let someone who took the bullet for me not get his breakfast." Legs came out of the tray as she placed it by his lap. She then asked, "By the way, how are you're feeling? You look a lot better than you did last night."

"I think I'm fine." Akio rubbed his stomach as he remarked, "My stomach is feeling better. Like I never got those claw marks."

"Heh." Kirita chuckled, "A convenient feature of this game."

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Akio looked at the plate. It had the works of a perfect breakfast with the buttermilk pancakes and bacon accompanied by an apple. That caused his mouth to begin watering.

Kirita playfully remarked, "As the French say, 'Bon appetite'."

"…" Akio looked over to Kirita and asked, "Do you want any?"

"Um …" Kirita's head jerked back slightly before replying, "No thanks. That's for you."

"Are you sure?" Akio hesitated, "I wouldn't feel right eating something without you eating something."

"Do you even know what time it is, Akio?" Kirita asked.

Akio merely replied, "No."

"It's eleven in the morning." Kirita answered, "I had breakfast earlier when you didn't wake up, so go to town. It's yours."

"Oh." Akio grabbed his utensils and said, "All right then. Thanks, Kirita."

"…" Kirita merely nodded her head as she let Akio eat without interrupting him.

/

It didn't take Akio long to scarf it down. Each bite gave him motivation to take another. Even if it was virtual food, it was real enough for him. That's all he needed for now.

After Akio was finished eating, Kirita remarked, "Since you didn't get sick while eating, I think we can safely assume you're back to normal."

"I think we can." Akio moved the tray off himself as he then proceeded to get out of bed. "You know …" Akio tilted his neck which elicited an audible crack which caused Kirita to cringe. He then continued, "Speaking of convenient features, I kinda feel like I want to do something now that we're back in the village." He then clarified, "I think want to do some training."

Kirita raised an eyebrow, "You want to do some training?"

"Is it really that odd?" Akio scratched the back of his neck as he defensively replied, "Just because we're taking a break from the frontlines doesn't mean I want to get rusty or anything."

"Okay." Kirita inquired, "What would you like to work on?"

Without hesitation, Akio answered, "Speed. I might be getting stronger, but it won't do me any good if I don't have speed to back it up."

Kirita then asked, "You still got the weights I got you, right?"

Akio nodded, "Of course."

Kirita replied, "Then, we'll set up a course for you when you're ready."

"I'm ready when you are." Akio declared, "Give me your best shot." Kirita merely grinned in response.

/

Date: February 2023

Location: Sword Art Online – First Floor

In what would be considered an 'undisclosed location' somewhere in the headquarters of the Aincrad Liberation Front, there were three players whose hands and legs were bound in chairs. They had remained in this position for multiple days. They had not seen the light of day since the moment they were brought in. No one was coming for them, and they only had one visitor.

When the door opened, all three of them tensed in their seats. Their fingers curled up. They moved back in their seats. The vistor could almost hear one of them suffering from a case of chattering teeth. He dared not do anything else to bring him attention if he could avoid it.

Their visitor was none other than Wan Shotto. The eyepatch player glanced at the three players as if she was giving a quick head count. She then looked at the legs of the chairs. As she was doing this, her mouth remained closed, and none of the other players dared to break the silence.

After Wan Shotto had finished her inspection, she finally spoke up, "I see none of you attempted to make a break for it this time. Keep this up, and I might be willing to let you out on good behavior. But," Wan Shotto activated her menu, and she equipped gloves as she finished, "don't think this means you will be spared your punishment in the meantime."

One of the three prisoners finally spoke up, "How much …" He dared not finish.

"Longer?" Wan Shotto finished the question. She looked up as she acted inquisitively, "Let me think. Let me think. This is a tough one. A real tough one."

"…" They all silently bit their lips as they waited for her to continue.

All three of you have been locked up not only because you disobey and disrespected me, but because of how you attacked children. If it was only the first two, I might've been willing to let you go by now, and your punishment would only be about half as severe. However," Wan Shotto's eye narrowed as she reminded them, "you are all guilty of picking on little children, and I have no tolerance for that."

"What're you going to do now?" The prisoner finally had the nerve to ask, "Are you just gonna keep punching us?"

"No." Wan Shotto punched her fist into an open palm, and an audible crack could be heard which caused all three to cringe as she then remarked, "This was just a warmup. I've barely gotten started. In fact, I'm hoping you three can be successful test subjects for an experiment of mine."

"What?" The prisoner shifted his seat as his head moved back.

"Hitting you like this will only cause you to feel some pain, but I think you'll need to feel more to learn your lesson, and I'd rather this lesson to stick the first time." Wan Shotto then hit her menu again. After pressing a button, a notification appeared before the prisoner.

"What?" The prisoner was completely taken aback by what he was seeing. It appeared to be a challenge, but it didn't make any sense as he looked up. "You're challenging me to a duel? How the hell am I supposed to accept it? I can barely move. How would I be able to fight back?"

"Keywords are 'barely move'. You can still move." Wan Shotto walked over to the prisoner and grabbed his hand, "That's all I need because you can move enough."

"…" It was then it was beginning to dawn on the prisoner what was about to happen. His eyes widened, and he attempted to move his hand, but Wan Shotto's grip was too strong, and he lacked leverage. She held his finger and began moving it to the 'Accept' option.

The moment his finger touched the accept button, the countdown began. He slowly looked up to Wan Shotto. His body refused and only his head complied with his brain's commands. He felt as if he would get a crank in his neck as he looked up to Wan Shotto's grinning face.

Wan Shotto merely answered, "As for your third question, I think you know the answer."

They were all lucky they were in the virtual world. None of them would be in the need for new pants.

/

After about a half hour, Wan Shotto left the room behind. There were three players hunched over in their chairs staring at either the ground or the ceiling. None of them said a word. The only sounds coming from them were deep breaths as she closed the door.

As soon as Wan Shotto exited the room, a familiar voice spoke to her, "I see someone was having fun in there."

"Fun? Maybe." Wan Shotto then added, "Justice? Definitely."

"Remind me." Kira inquired, "What was this trouble you were punishing our guild members for, again?"

Somehow this didn't surprise Wan Shotto as she casually reminded her leader, "They ganged up on a bunch of children and forced them to give up their possessions."

"Is that right?" Kira asked.

"True story." Wan Shotto repeated her account, "I saw them doing it myself, and they tried to run away when I stepped in. Needless to say, what they did was atrocious, and I'm going to make sure they'll be taught a lesson they won't soon forget."

"Ah, yes. Now I remember." Kira then said, "You have my permission to continue, but you will need to let them out soon."

"I intended to, but," Wan Shotto reasoned, "I do believe this is going to happen again. For all we know, other members of our guild could be doing this without our knowledge. There are too many of us to keep track of."

Kira then surmised, "So you request giving severe punishments to anyone you catch in the act?"

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it, but I do believe in giving good old fashion karma." Wan Shotto pointed out, "They tried stripping those kids of their possessions. I say we do the same to them."

Kira asked, "Aren't the punishments you're inflicting on them enough?"

"Couldn't say." Wan Shotto shrugged her shoulders, "I doubt it."

"Hmm … In that case …" Kira was about to speak.

"You're wasting your time." A familiar voice belonging to Kuradeel spoke up, "You're wasting our time."

Wan Shotto merely looked in the direction of the approaching player. She only had one word for him. That was an annoyed, "Kuradeel."

With narrowed eyes and the space between his eyebrows shrunk, Kuradeel remarked, "Rather than wasting time punishing our own people, you should be helping me track down that Beater bitch."

"Are you saying your group couldn't get any leads on her?" Wan Shotto held her hand on her mouth as she sarcastically remarked, "What a shock."

Kuradeel narrowed his eyes before responding, "We should all be trying to find her." Kuradeel reminded them as he looked in Kira's direction, "Diabel wasn't just my friend, and she's the one that got him killed."

"I also heard you broke a promise to her." Wan Shotto pointed out, "Maybe some people aren't as motivated to helping you find her after that stunt."

Kuradeel justified his action, "I shouldn't have to keep my promises to murderers. That boyfriend of hers is no better."

Wan Shotto shrugged as she said, "If you really want to catch her, I suggest you grow a pair and get it together."

Kuradeel growled, "You one-eyed freak!"

"…" A grin came across Wan Shotto's face as she took a step forward. She leaned forward as she challenged, "You want to take this outside?"

"Oh, yes." Kuradeel had his hand on the hilt of his sword as he began to say, "I want to …"

"Enough." Kira stood between the two of them. "This bickering is pointless." She then ordered, "You will finish punishing those players in three days, and then you will help Kuradeel track down potential leads on the Beater. Is that understood?"

"…" Wan Shotto looked at Kira for a moment before reluctantly replying, "Understood."

"And you?" Kira looked in Kuradeel's direction, "I take it this will suffice."

"For now." Kuradeel let go of the hilt of his sword as he then turned away. Wan Shotto did the same and walked in the other direction.

With Kira being left alone, she heard a voice behind her, "I think you handled that rather well."

Kira turned to see the voice belonged to PoH and she remarked, "That's what you're expecting from me, right?"

/

In one of the 'updates' that Kayaba provide players clearing a certain floor was the enhancement of 'Training Fields' certain towns and villages provided. Due to how fortified dungeons were, they were expected to have traps the players could set the training field to have an 'obstacle course'. Due to the obtain course being a Safe Zone, players didn't have to worry about getting themselves killed if they made a mistake. However, they would a rather painful stinging sensation depending on the trap.

Akio and Kirita were participants on one of these training field. They had been trying different training with varying degrees of success for the past hour. It was Aki's turn again to prepare for another round as he stood at the starting line.

Unlike the other times where obstacles were present, the field appeared to the empty. It appeared to a straight shot for Akio from the starting point and finished line. He readied himself. He looked to Kirita who held her hand up. When she swung her hand down, he launched himself forward.

For the first few meters, there appeared to be no obstacles until a wall emerged from the ground. Akio was unable stop himself on time and ended up hitting right into the wall. Kirita cringed as she heard the impact. She thought she could see Akio through the other side of the wall for a moment.

"Ow …" Akio softly said before he fell back. As he laid on his back he felt as if the front of his body was flattened.

"So …" Kirita walked across the field. After that failed attempt by Akio, the field reverted to normal. She wouldn't need to worry about any traps hitting her as she spoke, "The traps here aren't always gonna be straight forward, but we might be able to do something if we noticed the signs."

"The signs?" Akio asked, "Like what?"

"What happened to you kinda reminds me of Zelda." Kirita inquired, "Did you ever play Zelda?"

"What is Zelda?" Akio asked.

"Uh oh …" Kirita replied as she rubbed her temple, "I shouldn't be surprised … Why am I?"

"What is it?" Akio sounded alarmed.

"Nothing." Kirita shook her head, "It's just a great classic video game series before the virtual reality days." Kirita repeated answered, "A true classic."

"Okay, I get it." Akio sounded a bit agitated before inquiring, "What exactly reminded you of that series?"

"Well …" Kirita took a moment before giving her answer. "When you play the games, you have to enter these dungeons. You always have to get passed these obstacles to make it to your objective."

Akio nodded, "I'm with you."

Kirita continued, "It wasn't usual for there to be various traps, too. Sometimes if you did something wrong, you'd be surrounded by enemies or Link would get serious hurt or instantly killed."

Akio sarcastically replied, "Well that sounds lovely."

Kirita ignored that as she then said, "Anyway, I noticed right before the wall emerged from the floor, you probably could see it slightly popping up from the ground."

"You noticed that?" Akio raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yep." Kirita pointed out, "When you are running, I was more focused on what was in front of you. I just had a feeling something like that would happen. It was still surprising to it happen."

Akio's head moved back as he inquired, "Umm … You really saw that?"

"It wasn't easy, but yes. I saw it pop up when you were getting close as if it was giving you a warning." Kirita then stated, "It reminded of fire walls I've seen in a couple of Zelda games."

Akio's eyes widened, "Fire walls?"

"Walls literally made of fire." Kirita grinned as she said, "Try to imagine that."

"Um …" Akio uncomfortably replied, "Sounds like it'd be extremely unpleasant."

"It would be, but it was one of my favorite levels." Kirita explained, "When I played as Link in this Fire Temple, I saw where these fire walls would emerge. I decided to test it and when I had Link approach the edges you could see a bit of flame emerging from the ground. When I got too close, the fire would shoot out."

Akio nodded, "I see."

"Anyway, it is important to think fast, but we're gonna need to be careful." Kirita stated, "We'll need to find a balance between the two or we're gonna be in trouble."

Akio shrugged, "No kidding."

Kirita stated, "I'll go next."

"All right, then." Akio replied, "I'll watch and learn."

/

A few minutes later, Kirita dashed passed the finish line. There were several walls that had emerged in the middle of the field and Kirita had managed to avoid them successfully by stopping right before hitting the edge. Then she would dash to the side to maintain her momentum.

"That was pretty awesome." Akio said in disbelief. "Your reaction speed is incredible. Just incredible."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short." Kirita remarked, "Seeing what happened to you really helped me out. Not to mention, you made some progress yourself."

Akio merely said, "Well maybe a little, but I got taken out pretty early on kinda like the boss fight."

"Don't be like that." Kirita reminded him, "You'll make more progress as time goes on. Just like we always do."

"Yeah, I know." Akio sighed as he scratched the back of his head, "It's times like these that I wish there was some kind of training montage or something. That way we can skip right to me being really awesome at fighting and stuff."

"Well that's too bad. This is the real world …" Kirita quickly corrected herself, "Um … I mean the real virtual world. You're gonna need to stick to the good old fashion training."

Akio replied, "Yeah, I know. I know."

"Don't be like that. Training montages may be fun to watch in movies or anime, but I don't think they'd be any good for us." Kirita then asked, "What fun would that be?"

Akio didn't seem convinced as he raised an eyebrow, "Hmm? Fun?"

"Yeah, fun." Kirita reminded Akio, "Think of all the fun we've had with training or learning on the job when we took those quests? Would you have wanted to skip all the times we had just to get to where we are now?"

"No … No." Akio repeated as he shook his head, "I wouldn't want that … Not at all."

Kirita smiled as she replied, "I don't think so. We would've missed out on a lot of good times if we did that. Beside, you may not always realize it, but you've come a really long way since we met. You're definitely not the same boy I rescued from the first dungeon. In just three months, you've become a man." Kirita joyfully grinned.

"…" Akio couldn't help but blush at that.

Kirita seemed to ignore that as she said, "To think it's really been three months."

"Three months, huh?" Akio took a moment to think back on it as he said, "Feels like it's been way longer than that."

"A lot's happened, so I can't blame you." Kirita shrugged as she stated, "I can hardly believe it myself."

Akio surmised, "I guess it is hard to keep track of things when a lot happens at once."

"No kidding. A lot has happened …" Kirita concurred.

"I guess we still have a long road again, but I wouldn't want to skip it." Akio remarked.

"You know …" Kirita stated, "After all this time, we should probably know more about each other … You know about what we talked about down in the … you know in the caves …"

"Okay." Akio replied, "What specifically?"

"About my problems with men." Kirita sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck as she said, "It's a weird and kinda complicated story. Sort of crazy to."

Akio took a seat as he replied, "I'm listening."

"Okay … I'm um …" Kirita sighed again as she reluctantly stated, "It all started with my grandfather."

Akio raised an eyebrow, "Your grandfather?"

"Yeah … He was just …" After a moment of hesitation, Kirita outright said, "He was an asshole."

"Oh …" Akio's head moved back as he awkwardly asked, "That bad, huh?"

Kirita nodded, "Yep."

"Wow. That …" Akio wasn't entirely sure what he should say, so he said what came to his head, "That totally sucks …"

"It sure did …" Kirita then corrected herself again, "Well it's not like was actually my grandfather or was he …"

Akio's understanding quickly shifted to confusion as he tilted his head, "Huh?"

"I mean he was my grandfather he just wasn't …" Kirita was beginning to fumble, "I am …"

Akio held out his hand as he told her, "Slowdown there Kirita. You're losing me."

"Yeah … I kinda figured that … I just … You know …" Kirita looked down.

Akio shook head, "Not really, but I have an idea."

"…" Kirita could only sigh.

Akio then decided to ask the obvious question, "Kirita, you trust me, right?"

"Huh?" It was Kirita's turn to raise an eyebrow as she asked, "What kind of question is that?"

"A rhetorical one, but I still want to hear an answer." Akio insisted in a deadpan tone.

"Okay …" Kirita sounded a little awkward as she replied, "Of course, I trust you."

Akio inquired, "Where exactly do I rank in 'trust'?"

"Um …" Kirita took a moment to reply, "I trust you the most out of anyone here in Sword Art Online."

"I don't think there's a lot of completion." Akio dryly replied which Kirita acknowledged, "Whatever. I feel the same, and do you know what that means?"

Kirita took a moment to consider the answer, "That you um … You'd believe what I tell you?"

Akio snapped his fingers, "Bingo." Akio then elaborated, "If you tell me something, I'll believe your story. In this case, I believe that you really want to tell me, but you're just not ready yet."

Kirita averted her eyes and looked down as she admitted, "I guess not …"

"You don't need to be ashamed about anything." Akio surmised, "If I were to take a guess, this story is not only complicated and a little messed up. Am I wrong?"

"Well …" Kirita held up her right hand. Her pointer finger and thumb were close together as she answered, "It is a little bit messed up …"

Akio: "Okay, then." Akio assured her, "That's good enough for now."

Kirita wasn't entirely sure what to make of this as she inquired, "Really?"

"For now." Akio clarified, "When you're ready to tell me the whole story, I'll be here, and I'll believe what you tell me because I know you aren't going to lie about things. Right?"

Kirita immediately replied, "Of course not. I wouldn't lie."

"I didn't think so." Akio assured her, "Like I said, that's good enough for me. Let's just put this whole thing on hold for now. Until then, let's try to focus on some other stuff that we should be thinking about."

"Like what?" Kirita suggested, "More training?"

"We could, but um …" Akio stated, "I'd like to talk about the first floor right now."

Kirita tilted her head, "The first floor? What about it?"

Akio answered, "First of all, that's where Argo and Leonardo live."

"Yeah and so do those Aincrad Liberation Front guys." Kirita then asked, "Is there something you want to do there?"

"Kinda." Akio reminded Kirita, "You remember that Post Office that we paid a visit to the other day?"

It only took Kirita a few moment to recall that as she said, "Oh yeah, I remember that. What about it?"

Akio then said, "Something that Postal NPC told us the other day got me thinking."

Kirita merely replied with, "Oh …?"

"If there's a post office on the first floor, I could make an arrangement with Leonardo to get new weapons shipped to us." Akio summarized, "I make an order. Later, I send him a package of the money, and he sends us the goods."

"You thought this through, Akio." How long have you …" Kirita began to ask.

Akio answered, "Since I heard about the Post Office. So what do you think?"

"It's not a bad plan, but …" Kirita trailed off.

"That's why I'm gonna find out if they have a Post Office there. Based on how big the first town is, there has to be one." Akio's voice sounded a little less convincing as he added, "Somewhere … Right?"

It was slowly dawning on Kirita what Akio was getting at, "It would be the most likely place, but are you …"

"Yes." Akio confirmed, "I'm heading down to the first floor, and I'll meet up with Argo down there. We'll find out if a post office is somewhere in that town. Then, I'll try working something out with Leonardo."

Kirita held up her hand, "You're going to go by yourself?"

"You can accompany me to the warp gate, but it might be better for me to travel on the first floor without you." Akio reminded Kirita, "Not as many people are familiar with my face, and they probably won't pay as much attention to one player walking in the streets as they would two."

"…" Kirita took a moment before offering a response, "Maybe, but there are some players you'll need to keep an eye out for."

"I know, but there's a chance they're at the frontlines or somewhere else." Akio sounded more hopeful than sure. "What're the odds I'll actually run into them? Honestly?"

"I don't know …" Kirita repeated, "This is pretty risky …"

"I understand, but I know the benefits outweigh the risks. It really is worth it. I know it." Akio sounded like he was attempting to convince himself as much as Kirita he told her, "The best arrangements can be made face-to-face. It won't work as well if I only send messages. I need to look them in the eye before we make an agreement."

"…" Kirita contemplated the reasoning for a few moments before reluctantly replying, "If you really think we should, I guess I can't really stop you. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." Akio declared, "I'll leave tomorrow, and be back in a day or so."

Kirita was taken aback slightly as she inquired, "You're gonna stay overnight there?"

Akio merely replied, "I don't know how long it's gonna take. Besides, it might seem strange if the same player goes through the warp gate a few times in one day. It'll be one round trip. I'll make it as fast as I can."

Kirita decided to accept that, and the topic was settled for the day.

/

The following day, Kirita accompanied Akio to the warp gate at the entrance of the fourth floor. Akio had all his supplies packed into this menu. His rapier was equipped and hanging from his belt. His fox mask was resting on his forehead. He had undone his trademark braid, so his hair was hanging normally.

Akio was only two steps away from entering the teleporter when he turned around to look at Kirita and told her, "Okay, then. I guess this is where we part ways."

"Looks that way …" Kirita took a breath as she told him, "Promise me that you'll be careful down there, Akio."

Akio attempted to wave off her concerns, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Nothing is gonna go wrong."

"Seriously? You seriously expect me to buy that?" Kirita took a step forward, "That just makes me even more worried." Before Akio had a chance of responding the sharply inquired, "Are you trying some kind reverse psychiatry or I don't know … bedside manner … One of those things? Because if you are, you really suck at it."

"Ouch …" Akio uncomfortably shifted where he was standing as he said, "I didn't see that coming … What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Kirita repeated in disbelief, "Do you really need to ask? You're going into enemy territory." She stated in a matter of fact tone as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You're going in there …" Kirita stopped herself as she then began rubbing her head.

"I …" Akio sighed, "We already talked about this. I get what you mean, but we already agreed that just one of us going will make it less likely for them to really notice us. They are looking for two of us after all."

Kirita shook her head, "Not helping."

"Okay, Okay." Akio then reminded Kirita, "Argo's gonna be there to help me out, and I'm sure we can trust him, right?"

"…" Kirita silently bit into her lip without giving a response.

With less confidence, Akio then said, "Of course, we can. I'm gonna go there to see what I can learn down there, and I might be able to work on some kind of deal with Leonardo to help us out I'll be back before you know it. It'll all work out. I promise."

Kirita advised Akio, "That's only slightly better, but you're gonna need to work on that."

Akio had his hands on his hips as he smiled, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Good." Kirita leaned forward and inquired, "You know what to do if anything happens, right?"

"Um … Yeah." Akio nodded, "You're first on the list."

"Of course, I am." Kirita gave a cheeky grin as she asked, "Who else could it be?"

"I'll see you in two days. Later." Akio then turned around and walked onto the teleporter.

Kirita replied, "You better."

The moment Akio's feet were on the teleporter, he turned around and told Kirita, "I will."

Before Kirita had a chance to give another quip, Akio had disappeared due to the teleportation process. Kirita was left standing there with her mouth half opened, and she awkwardly closed it without a word. She was left staring at the teleporter or a few minutes before turning around. As she began to walk away she glanced over her should at the teleporter before taking a breath and making her exit. She had her own task to complete.

/

After returning to the village, Kirita saw Allen standing in front of the Inn. He appeared to be taking a break from the hustle and bustle inside the restaurant portion of his business. Based on the sounds Kirita could hear in there, the restaurant was apparently filled to capacity. A sight Kirita was slowly becoming more accustomed to.

Kirita decided to approach Allen and inquired, "Hey, Allen, I was wondering if I could ask for a favor."

"Do you want to make more of those pancakes?" Allen inquired.

"Not exactly …" Kirita cleared her throat before then saying, "You're right. I was hoping I could borrow your kitchen for tonight." Before Allen could give his response, Kirita assured him, "I bought my own ingredients. I won't be using anything you have. I just need to use your oven, and a couple of other things. I'll be sure to clean up like I did yesterday."

"Hmm …" Allen glanced to a calendar before stating, "I see. Say no more. The kitchen is yours after closing."

Kirita clapped her hands together and bowed her head, "Thank you."

Allen reminded her, "Be sure to clean up."

"Don't worry." Kirita assured him, "I will."

/

Author Notes: The mini-boss fight ended without too many problems. Kirita was unsurprisingly able to take care of a majority of the battle. However, Akio helped Kirita deliver the final blow. I think it works out quite well since he helped push Kirita out of the way in the first place.

Akio is making progress in his abilities. While he is still behind Kirita, he is making progress. He is also taking initiative. I feel proud with how he has been developing since I originally introduced him while he still has room to grow. I look forward to seeing him continue his development along with his dynamic with Kirita.

What did you think of the fact that Kirita was the one who cooked Akio breakfast? I figured it would be a nice touch to make it clear that Kirita cooked him breakfast, and she is able to make use of the kitchen again for something else.

Be sure to provide a review after reading. Your feedback is always appreciated. I hope you enjoy the remainder of Summer 2020. See you next time.