Ain Grand, level 22…
October 2024…
Asuna set the alarm clock at 7:50 a. m. Every day. The reason she set it at this time was because Stripey woke up at 8:00 a. m. Asuna liked to wake up ten minutes earlier and stay in bed to watch him sleep soundly beside her.
This morning, Asuna was also woken up by the soft sound of the woodwind. She gently turned around and lay down. She held her cheeks with her hands and looked at Ban's sleeping face.
Asuna was speechless because of Ban's shameless personality. However, Ban, who was in a deep sleep, was so innocent that it could even be called cute.
Asuna quietly reached out her hand and stroked Ban's cheek. What an innocent sleeping face...
There was no need to doubt Stripey's strength at this point. He had accumulated countless experience since the closed beta test, and the levels he had obtained from the continuous battles. He also had the judgment and willpower to support these things. He had even easily defeated the leader of the Blood Alliance Knights, the " Holy Sword " Sidcliffe. Stripey was the strongest player Asuna knew. No matter how severe the battlefield was, as long as he was by her side, she would not feel uneasy.
However, when Asuna looked at Stripey who was lying beside her, she only felt that Stripey was a child who was used to freedom. She couldn't control her emotions and felt that she had to protect him.
Lightly breathing, Asuna leaned out and hugged Ban, whispering,""Ban…I like you the most. We have to be together forever!”
At this moment, Ban moved slightly and slowly opened his eyes. Their gazes met at a very close distance.
"Wow!" Asuna flew back in panic and sat on the bed. She said with a red face,""Morning, morning, Ban…did you hear…what I just said?”
"Morning, what did you mean just now?”Facing Stripey, who was sitting up and trying hard not to yawn, Asuna waved her hands and said,""N-nothing, I didn't say anything!”
After finishing the breakfast consisting of poached eggs, black bread, salad, and coffee, Asuna spent two seconds cleaning up the table. She clapped her hands and said,""Then! Where are we going today?"
Stripey chuckled as he waved his left hand to call out the map and switched it to visible mode for Asuna to see. The window showed the connected forest and lake.
The twenty-second floor was a relatively lower floor, so it was quite spacious. In terms of diameter, it should be more than eight kilometers. There was a huge lake in the center, the south bank was the main street area, the village of Golar, and the north bank was the maze area. Other than that, there were beautiful conifer forests everywhere.
Asuna and Stripey's house was located at the southern end of the building, close to the periphery. Stripey was pointing at the northeast of the house, about two kilometers away from home...
After neatly making the fish burger and putting it into the lunch box, the two of them left at nine in the morning.
After stepping onto the grass in the courtyard, Asuna turned to Stripey and said,""Let me sit on your shoulder!"
"Sitting on the shoulder?" Ban tilted its head and acted cute.
"Because it's boring to look at the same scenery every time! This matter should be very simple considering Ban's muscle strength, right?”
"This, this should be right…but Asuna, how old are you…"
"This has nothing to do with age! Alright, no one is watching!"
" It's, it's fine..." Ban couldn't take it anymore. He shook his head and squatted down with his back facing Asuna. Asuna lifted her skirt and sat on his shoulder.
"Alright, but if you dare turn around, I'll beat you up ~~"
"Isn't this too unreasonable…?”Stripey, who was complaining, stood up easily, and Asuna's vision also rose.
"Wow! Look, you can see the lake from here!”
"I can't see!"
"Then, I'll let you sit on my shoulder later.”
Asuna placed her hand on Stripey's head, which was hanging down weakly, and said,""Let's go! Head north, north, east!"
As she sat on Stripey's shoulder and smiled innocently, Asuna deeply felt the love and care they had for each other. She had no doubt that she felt the most 'alive' in her 17 years of life.
After walking on the small path for about ten minutes, they arrived at one of the lakes on the twenty-second floor.
Perhaps attracted by the sunny weather, several fishing master players had been fishing on the lake early in the morning. The path passed through the hills around the lake. Although it was still a little far from the lake on the left, the players who noticed the two approaching waved at them. Everyone smiled and some even laughed.
"…Didn't you say no one would notice?”
"Ahaha, there's still someone here. Hey, Ban, wave your hand too!”
"I don't want to!" Ban quickly walked into the forest…It was gloomy…The sunlight suddenly dimmed…
"This is just a rumor I heard in the village yesterday…It is said that in the depths of the forest here…that thing will appear!”
"Ah?" Asuna asked Stripey, who was smiling meaningfully,""What?"
"…Spectre…"
Asuna, who had been speechless for a while, confirmed with trepidation,""…Is that a ghost monster? Like a ghost or a goblin?"
"No, no, it's true! Player…a human ghost, and a girl…"
Asuna's expression instantly stiffened.""I-I mean, this is a game world made up of digital files. How can there be something like ghosts?”Asuna forced a smile and retorted seriously.
"That's hard to say ~" However, Stripey, who knew that spirits were Asuna's weakness, was very happy to add fuel to the fire.
" This happened about a week ago when the Carpenter player came here to pick up wood…It seemed that the quality of the wood here was very good. When the player who was obsessed with collecting came back to his senses, the sky had already darkened. Just as he was hurriedly on his way back, in the shade of a tree a little further away, a white shadow flashed.”
"…" Asuna suddenly felt a chill down her spine, and a sense of fear welled up in her heart.
" Although I panicked because I thought it was a monster, it wasn't…It was a human. I heard it was a petite girl with long black hair and dressed in white…She was slowly walking towards the other end of the forest. The player then thought that it wasn't a monster but another player, and when his gaze met hers…"
“…………”
" The arrowhead didn't appear…"
" Eee…" Asuna couldn't help but let out a small sound from the depths of her throat.
" How is that possible…The man wanted to get closer and called out to the girl. The girl suddenly stopped and slowly turned towards him…"
"No, no, don't say anymore…"
"At this moment, the man realized something. The girl's white clothes were actually…transparent under the moonlight.”
“----!”While trying her best to suppress her screams, Asuna grabbed Ban's long hair tightly.
"…G-Ghost!!!" Asuna jumped down from Stripey's shoulder because...
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