Nishida only informed us of the fishing date three days later in the morning. It seemed that he had gone around to promote this matter to his fishing companions. It was said that there would be about 30 spectators attending the event that day.
[This is terrible. Asuna…what should we do…?"
[Mmm ~~]
To be honest, such a notice has caused us trouble. This is the hiding place we chose to hide from the intelligence dealers and the others, so we don't want to show our faces in front of most people.
[How about this!]
After Asuna tied her chestnut-colored long hair up, she buried her face deeply in her turban. Then, he changed into a super thick coat.
[Oh, oh oh. Not bad, just like a busy farmer housewife.」
"Are you complimenting me?」
[Of course. If I don't bring a weapon, I shouldn't be recognized.」
Before noon, I left the house with Asuna, who was carrying a lunchbox. Although she was told to materialize the basket on the spot, she insisted that it was part of the disguise.
The temperature today was considered warm for this season. After a while in the great conifer forest, we saw the glistening water between the trunks. There were already many people gathered by the lake. After walking over with a nervous heart, the short and muscular man that he knew raised his hand with a familiar laugh.
"Wow, ha, ha, it's great that the weather is sunny.」
[Hello, Mr. Nishida.]
Asuna and I nodded at him. This was a group that recruited people of all ages. It was said that everyone was a member of the Fishing Guild organized by Nishida. After greeting them nervously, she realized that no one seemed to recognize Asuna.
Speaking of which, this old man is more active than I thought. He should be a very good boss in the company. Before we arrived, a fishing competition was held to create momentum. The entire scene was quite lively.
"Okay ~ Then we'll be starting our main event today!」
After Nishida, who was holding a long fishing rod in one hand, announced loudly, the crowd cheered. I looked at the thick fishing line and was shocked to see what was hanging at the front.
It was a lizard. And it was a very large lizard. It was about the size of an adult's upper arm. The red and black protruding surface of his body that seemed to be filled with poison glowed as if it was trying to show its freshness.
[Ouch…]
Asuna, who noticed the object a little later than me, pulled a long face and took two or three steps back. If this was bait, then what was it that he was going to catch?
But before I could say anything, Nishida turned to the surface of the lake and raised the fishing rod above his head. Then, he swung the fishing rod with all his might. The huge lizard made a whoosh in the air and drew an arc. Not long after, it splashed a lot of water on the surface of the water and fell into the lake.
There was almost no waiting time for fishing in SAO. As long as the bait was thrown into the water, it would be known within ten seconds whether the prey had successfully taken the bait or the bait had been eaten. We gulped and stared at the fishing line that had sunk into the water.
As expected, not long after, the front end of the fishing rod vibrated two to three times. However, Nishida, who was holding the fishing rod, did not move.
[He's here! Mr. Nishida!"
[It's still too early!]
Nishida's kindly eyes behind his glasses shone with a brilliant light. He carefully looked at the tip of the fishing rod that was constantly vibrating.
As a result, the angle at which the tip of the fishing rod was pulled down became even greater.
[Now!]
Nishida's short body leaned back and used all his strength to lift the fishing rod. The tension of the fishing line was obvious to the onlookers, and the sound of a ping rang in the air.
[He took the bait! I'll leave the rest to you!"
I carefully tried to pull the fishing rod that I got from Nishida, but it didn't move at all. It felt like the hook had accidentally hooked the ground. Just as I was unsure if I had really taken the bait and felt uneasy, I glanced at Nishida.
Suddenly a strong pull pulled the line back into the water.
[Woah!]
I hurriedly used my feet to pull the fishing rod up again. The strength of his muscles instantly exceeded his daily life.
"Is it okay to pull this hard?」
I was worried about the durability of the fishing rod and line, so I asked Nishida.
[This is the highest grade! It's fine if you pull as hard as you can!"
He nodded at Nishida, whose face was flushed with excitement, and resumed his posture of holding the pole. He began to use all his strength. The upside-down U-shape of the fishing rod was getting bigger and bigger.
After leveling up, every player could freely choose to increase their muscle strength or agility. Theoretically speaking, an axe user like Aguir would naturally prioritize improving his muscle strength, while a thin sword user like Asuna would focus on improving his agility. Although I was a traditional swordsman and had a choice between both stats, I preferred to increase my agility because of my personal preference.
However, perhaps because my level had increased too much, it seemed that I had the upper hand in this tug-of-war. I steadied my feet and slowly retreated. Although my speed was slow, the mysterious prey was indeed gradually surfacing.
[Ah! I can see it!"
Asuna leaned out and pointed at the water. Because I had left the shore and my entire body was leaning back, I was unable to confirm the current condition of my prey. There was a commotion among the audience, and then everyone rushed to the edge of the water and looked down at the lake at an angle from the shore. I couldn't help but be curious and pulled the fishing rod up with all my strength.
「……?」
All of a sudden, the people who were looking at the lake in front of me were shocked. Then, everyone took two or three steps back.
[How…]
Before I could finish, those guys turned around and ran at a rapid speed. Asuna on my left and Nishida on my right ran over with pale faces. Surprised, I turned around to look in their direction. The resistance on my hands suddenly disappeared, and I fell backward and sat heavily on the ground.
" Oh no, did the line break?" At the thought of this, I quickly threw down my fishing rod and got up to run towards the lake. However, at this moment, the lake water that was shining with a silver light in front of me rose up.
[What--]
I opened my mouth wide and froze on the spot. At this moment, Asuna's voice came from afar.
[Kirito, it's dangerous-]
When I turned around, I saw that everyone, including Asuna and Nishida, had already rushed to the shore. They were quite a distance away from me. A bad feeling rose in my heart, and I turned my head to look at the lake again.
There was a fish standing there.
To put it in more detail, it was between fish and reptiles. It was a half-evolved creature that looked like a corethorn but closer to reptiles. Its body was dripping with water like a waterfall, and its six thick feet were on the grass by the shore, looking down at me.
The reason why it was described as looking down was because the creature was at least two meters tall. The mouth that looked like it could swallow an entire cow in one bite was slightly higher than my head, and the lizard's leg was exposed at the corner of the mouth.
The huge ancient fish's basketball-sized eyes, which were far away on both sides of its head, met my eyes. A yellow arrow representing a monster automatically appeared in my vision.
Previously, Nishida had said that the owner of the lake was as big as a monster, but it was different from the monster that appeared in the training area.
How was this different from the monsters in the practice area? This guy was clearly a monster.
A stiff smile appeared on my face as I took a few steps back. Then, he turned around and ran forward like a rabbit. After the huge fish behind me let out a thunderous roar, it naturally chased after me with footsteps that caused the ground to tremble.
I pushed my agility to the maximum and sprinted at full speed as if I was about to fly. A few seconds later, when I reached Asuna's side, I protested strongly to the ground,
[Too, too cunning! He actually escaped by himself!"
[Wow, Kirito! Now was not the time to talk about such things!」
[Oh, oh, it's actually running on land... Is it a lungfish...]
[Kirito, we don't have time to talk about these unimportant things now!] We have to escape quickly!"
This time, it was Nishida who cried out in panic. He looked like his legs were about to go weak. The other dozens of audience members were also stunned by this sudden situation. Many of them even sat on the ground with blank expressions.
"Kirito, did you bring any weapons?」
Asuna whispered into my ear. Indeed, it was quite difficult to let this group of people who had already fallen into a state of panic escape in an orderly manner.
[Sorry, I didn't bring…]
[I really have no choice…]
Asuna shook her head and turned to face the huge long-legged fish that was approaching. Then, she quickly operated the window with a familiar movement.
As Nishida and the rest of the audience stared blankly at her, Asuna, who was standing straight with her back to us, took off her scarf and thick coat with both hands. Her chestnut-colored hair, which reflected the sunlight, fluttered in the wind.
Although she was wearing a simple grass colored dress and a shirt made of raw hemp under her coat, the silver-plated scabbard on her left waist was shining with a dazzling light. She pulled out her sword with her right hand and leisurely waited for the huge fish that made a loud noise and charged over.
Nishida, who was beside me, grabbed my arm as if he had regained his ability to think. He shouted,
[Kirito! Your wife, your wife is in danger!」
"No, I want to give it to her.」
"What are you talking about? This, in this case, I can only…"
He grabbed the fishing rod from his partner and prepared to rush to Asuna with a tragic expression. I had to stop the old fishing master.
The giant fish didn't slow down at all. It opened its mouth, which was lined with countless sharp teeth, and jumped up as if it wanted to swallow Asuna whole. Facing the bloody mouth, Asuna, who had half of her body turned to the side, rushed forward with her right hand dragging a silver-white light.
Following the sound of an explosion, a dazzling light effect erupted from the huge fish's mouth. The whole fish was blown up into the sky, but Asuna's position did not change at all.
Although the monster's huge body was indeed frightening, I had already predicted that its level wouldn't be too high. This was because they were on a lower floor, and they had appeared in a mission related to fishing skills. There shouldn't be such unreasonable strong enemies. SAO didn't go against the common sense of online games.
The huge fish made a loud noise after falling, and its HP bar was greatly reduced after taking a heavy attack from Asuna. At this moment, Asuna mercilessly followed up with a series of attacks that did not disappoint her " Flash " title.
Asuna was dancing with her beautiful steps as she used countless ultimate moves. Nishida and the other contestants could only stare at her from the side. He wondered if they were mesmerized by Asuna's beauty or her strength. I think it should be both.
As Asuna swung her sword, she exuded a strong sense of presence that overwhelmed the surrounding crowd. When she realized that the enemy's HP bar had entered the red state, she jumped back lightly to gain some distance. As soon as she landed, she immediately launched a sudden attack. Its entire body was like a comet, dragging a shining tail as it charged at the giant fish from the front. This was one of the most advanced sword techniques," Flash Piercing."
The comet pierced through the monster's mouth and tail with a sonic boom. When Asuna stopped after a long glide, the monster behind her immediately turned into huge shards of light and scattered in all directions. After a while, the sound of something shattering could be heard, causing huge ripples on the surface of the lake.
Asuna sheathed her sword with a clang and walked over to them with ease. Nishida and the others maintained their posture with their mouths wide open, standing motionless.
[Hey, you've worked hard.]
" He's too cunning. Let me deal with that guy alone. You must treat me."
"Aren't our assets all merged together?」
[Oh, right...]
After chatting with Asuna for a while, Nishida finally blinked and said,
"Aiya…This is really amazing…Madam, you, you're really strong. Excuse me, what is your current level…?」
Asuna and I looked at each other. It's not good for us to keep talking about this topic for too long.
"Let's not talk about this first. Look, there's an item appearing on the side of the fish that was just knocked down.」
Asuna manipulated the window, and a fishing rod shining with silver light appeared in her hand. Since it appeared from a quest monster, it should be a rare item that was not for sale.
[Oh, oh oh, this is?]
Nishida's eyes lit up as he picked up the fishing rod. The surrounding participants also exclaimed. Just when I thought I had successfully fooled him…
[You…are you Miss Asuna of the Blood Alliance Knights…?]」
One of the young players took two or three steps forward and stared at Asuna. Then, his face instantly lit up.
[That's right, that's right. Because I have your photo!"
[Woo...]
Asuna smiled stiffly and took a few steps back. Exclamations that were twice as loud as before came from the surroundings.
[I'm so, so touched!] I can't believe I can see Miss Asuna's battle at such a close distance…Oh right, can you please sign my autograph…"
The young man suddenly shut his mouth and looked back and forth between Asuna and me. Finally, he said with a dull expression,
" You... you two, are you married..."
This time, it was my turn to reveal a stiff smile. There was suddenly a chorus of moans and roars all around us, who were smiling unnaturally. Nishida was the only one who was still blinking his eyes as if he didn't understand the situation.
My secret honeymoon with Asuna ended in just two weeks. However, in terms of the results, it could be considered very lucky to be able to participate in a pleasant mission at the end.
That night, we received a message from Heavencliff, inviting us to participate in the boss battle on the 75th checkpoint.
The next morning.
When I sat by the bed and looked at the ground dejectedly, Asuna, who had already finished dressing up, walked up to me while making the cleats of her boots clatter.
[Hey, how long are you going to be depressed!」
"But it's only two weeks!」
She looked up like a child as she answered. But in reality, I couldn't deny that Asuna looked very charming in her long-lost white and red knight outfit.
In fact, as long as we consider the reason for our temporary withdrawal from the guild, we can reject this invitation. However, the words " Sacrifice has appeared " at the end of the message made us feel uneasy.
[I should at least listen to what they say. Alright, time's up!"
After being patted on the back, he reluctantly got up and opened the equipment screen. As we were still temporarily retreating from the party, I put on the familiar black fur coat and the minimum amount of defensive equipment. Finally, I sheathed my two swords on my back. The heaviness on my back was probably their silent protest against me placing them in the prop column for such a long time. I pulled them out slightly as if I wanted to comfort them, and then quickly put them back into their sheaths at the same time. A clear metallic sound rang out in the room.
"Yes, as expected, this kind of dressing is more suitable for Kirito.」
Asuna smiled and ran over to hold my right arm. I turned to look at the new residence that I was about to say goodbye to for a short while.
"... Hurry up and settle the matter before coming back.」
[That's right!]
After the two of them nodded, I opened the door and stepped out into the cold morning air with a thick winter atmosphere.
On the 22nd level, we could see Nishida's familiar figure waiting for us with a fishing rod in his hands. We only told him the departure time beforehand.
I nodded when I heard him say," Can we talk for a while?" So the three of us sat side by side on the bench in the square. Nishida looked at the bottom of the upper floor and said slowly,"
" To be honest... until now, the fact that there are many players on the upper floor who aim to complete the strategy of the game is like something from another world to me. Perhaps he has already given up on the idea of leaving this place…"
Asuna and I listened to him in silence.
" I'm sure you all know that technology is changing with each passing day in the technology industry. Because this is a job that I've been doing since I was young, I was able to keep up with the progress of technology before, but now that I've been away from the scene for two years, I can't keep up no matter what. Anyway, I don't know if I can go back to work at the company. If I have to bear the tragic experience of being kicked away as a burden, I'd rather stay here and fish. That's what I think..."
At this point, he stopped and a small smile appeared on his wrinkled face. I couldn't find any words to comfort him. Because after this man became a SAO prisoner, what he lost was beyond my imagination.
[Me too-]
Asuna murmured,"
"Half a year ago, I was thinking the same thing as you. I cried alone every night. He felt that every day he spent in this world, be it his family, friends, or going to school, his life in the real world would be ruined. He felt like he was about to go crazy. When he slept, he always dreamed of his original world…He thought that the only solution was to quickly become stronger and conquer the game as soon as possible, so he desperately improved his weapon skills.」
I stared at Asuna's face in shock. Even though I never paid much attention to others…when I met her, I couldn't tell that she had such thoughts.
Asuna looked at me and smiled. She continued,"
" However, one day about half a year ago, when I was transferred to the front line to prepare for the Labyrinth, there was a person lying on the grass in the square, sleeping. As his level seemed to be quite high, I angrily said to him,'If you have time to kill time here, please hurry up and help me clear the maze'…"
She covered her mouth with her hand and snickered.
" In the end, that person actually replied to me,'Today is the best weather setting in the best season of Ain Grand. It's such a waste to run into the maze on such a day'. Then, he pointed to the grass beside him and said,' Come and sleep too.' It's really rude."
Asuna stopped smiling and looked into the distance."
" However, I was shocked when I heard what he said, and I thought to myself,'This person really lives in this world.' He didn't care that his life in the real world was disappearing day by day. Instead, he focused on accumulating experience in this world every day. I realized that there was such a person…so I asked the guild members to leave first and then tried to lie down beside that person. The wind blowing in my face was really comfortable…The warm temperature was also very comfortable, so I fell asleep just like that, and I didn't have any nightmares at all. That was probably the first time I could sleep so soundly since I came to this world. When I woke up, it was already evening, and that person was still beside me with an impatient look. And that person is him…"
After saying that, Asuna held my hand tightly. However, I actually felt extremely embarrassed in my heart. I do remember what happened that day, but…
" I'm sorry, Asuna... I didn't mean what I said back then. I just wanted to take a nap..."
"Of course I know that. You don't have to tell me this, I already know!」
Asuna pouted, then turned to Nishida and said,"
" As for me... from that day on, I thought about him every night when I fell asleep. As a result, I really didn't have nightmares anymore. After that, I tried my best to find his base and specially set aside time to meet him…I slowly began to look forward to the arrival of tomorrow…When I thought that I should be in love, I felt very happy and decided to cherish this feeling. That was the first time I felt that it was great to be able to come to this world…"
Asuna lowered her head, rubbed her eyes with her white-gloved hands, and took a deep breath.
"To me, Kirito is the meaning of my life for the past two years. He's also proof that I'm still alive and my hope for tomorrow. It was to meet this person that I put on the NERvGear and came here that day. Nishida-san…I may not be qualified to say this to you, but I think Nishida-san must have gained something in this world. This was indeed an imaginary world. Everything that the eyes could see was fake. But for us, our hearts are real. Thinking about it this way, everything we experienced and obtained was real.」
Nishida blinked and nodded several times. A light could be seen shining in the depths of his glasses. Actually, I was also trying my best to hold back my tears.
"... You're right, it's really like this..."
Nishida looked up at the sky again and said,"
" It's a valuable experience to be able to hear what Miss Asuna said just now. Of course, catching a big fish that was more than five meters was also a problem…Life really couldn't be given up so easily. You can't give up so easily."
Nishida nodded vigorously and stood up.
" Ah, wasting so much of your time. I firmly believe that as long as there are people like you fighting in the upper echelons, we will soon be able to return to that world. Although I can't help you in any way, I can at least give you encouragement. Please do your best."
Nishida shook our hands up and down.
[We will be back. At that time, I still need you to accompany me.」
I stretched out my right index finger to pull the rod. Nishida smiled and nodded.
After exchanging firm handshakes, we walked towards the transfer gate. Stepping into the space that was shaking like a mirage, he exchanged a glance with Asuna and said at the same time,"
[Transfer-Grantham!]
The blue light that spread out in front of us gradually covered Nishida, who was waving his hands.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。