Chapter 30

Whenever Asuna thought back to the days when Naoki Kirigaya tutored her, a wave of sadness washed over her. Naoki was a guy with a twisted sense of humor, and after spending so much time together, Asuna had completely seen through his true nature.

Sure, he had a sunny demeanor and was undeniably handsome.

But cut him open, and he was black to the core.

He'd teased her countless times along the way.

The corner of Asuna's mouth twitched. If he were a hero, she figured that after defeating the Demon King, he'd probably take over as the new tyrant of that world.

But then Asuna suddenly remembered that Naoki had once secretly gone off to train in swordsmanship for a while—and apparently even won first place in a national kendo championship.

Looking at it now, his reputation was well-earned.

With that thought, she cast a sidelong glance at Naoki and said dryly, "National champion, huh? Nice."

Naoki sheathed his sword and scratched his head. "It's not a big deal. You're gonna make me blush, Asuna."

Asuna didn't even want to dignify that with a retort. Knowing his personality all too well, she was certain that if she kept going, his ego would soar into the stratosphere.

She stayed silent. Naoki waved her over. "Come here."

Asuna blinked, pointing at herself. "You sure you want me?"

"Yeah," Naoki said. "I'm counting on you later."

"Counting on me?" She looked puzzled.

"I'm not about to lose to my idiot little brother a month from now," Naoki explained.

That's when Asuna remembered—Naoki had made some weird bet with his younger brother, Kirito.

Sighing, she steeled herself and charged at the man-eating flowers.

To her credit, Asuna improved quickly. She soon picked up the tricks for handling small monsters and figured out how to use sword skills effectively.

After clearing the mobs, she glanced at the time and let out a startled yelp. "It's 6 already! My mom's almost home—I'm logging off."

Naoki nodded, barely acknowledging her as he dove back into his own monster-hunting spree.

He hadn't been at it long when a message popped up from Kirito. "You're not cooking dinner?"

Naoki: How about you cook?

Kirito: Spare me. Suguha would kill me.

Naoki: …

With a sigh, he logged off.

The moment he took off his headset, he saw someone standing in front of him. Rubbing his temples, Naoki said, "Suguha, you can't do that. You'll scare people."

Suguha looked at him with a hint of resentment. The blond boy stood up and ruffled her hair, sparking a strong protest. "Bro, I'm not a kid anymore!" she complained.

Naoki chuckled, watching her secretly enjoy it despite her protests. Her mouth said one thing, but her body told a different story.

Not calling out her little act, he asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Ramen," Suguha said, her eyes sparkling.

Ever since Naoki had shown off his decent cooking skills, Suguha had been hooked on his dishes.

After preparing dinner, he set up another sparring session with Kirito.

And so, Naoki quickly got the hang of the game's skill mechanics. Teaming up with Asuna, they blazed through challenges. At first, Kirito—the lone wolf—left them in the dust by a few floors. But as the levels climbed higher, even he started to feel the strain, gradually wearing himself out.

It wasn't just the bosses' unique traits—some of the trickier small monsters posed a lethal threat too.

In just one month, Kirito had died over twenty times.

Left with no choice, he reluctantly sought out a teammate.

"Hi, I'm Mito," the newcomer said.

He was a towering figure with a menacing face, bulging eyes, and a massive frame, carrying an enormous scythe on his back.

But when he spotted Asuna, he froze for a moment. Rubbing his eyes, he paused, then suddenly said, "Yuuki Asuna?"

Asuna blinked, stunned. She stared at the intimidating figure, eyeing the giant, menacing scythe on his back. Swallowing hard, she managed a weak, "Do we know each other?"

After a brief hesitation, he sent her a friend request and spoke in his real voice. "It's me, Takanotsume Mito. Yuuki, don't you remember me?"

Asuna's eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed his hand in disbelief. "Takanotsume Mito? You're in this game too?"

Mito shook her head. "In-game, just call me by my ID. I go by Mito now." She pointed at the name floating above her head.

Kirito raised an eyebrow in surprise. Naoki did the same.

The brothers exchanged a glance, and Naoki fired off a private message.

Naoki: What's going on? You sneaking around picking up girls behind my back?

Kirito: ???

Naoki: She's obviously a girl.

Kirito: I don't follow.

Naoki: Asuna goes to an all-girls elite school. If they know each other, it's from there. Get it?

Kirito: …

Naoki: Want me to play wingman?

Reading that, Kirito shot a quiet look at his blond brother.

Naoki was winking at him obnoxiously.

Kirito fell silent.

His whole plan was to find a solid teammate—he hadn't thought beyond that.

With that in mind, he typed back: She's actually pretty good.

Naoki: Oh? Got a crush?

Kirito: …

Kirito clammed up. Every three sentences, Naoki circled back to "got a crush."

Naoki smirked to himself and secretly messaged Asuna to dig for info.

Naoki: Yuuki, you there?

Asuna: What?

Naoki: Who's that? My little bro's still single, you know.

Asuna: …

She didn't even want to respond. Giving Naoki a cold glance, she eventually typed: "What's your brother look like?"

Naoki: Super cool.

Asuna: …

She paused, overwhelmed by the sheer number of things she could roast him for.

Looking up, she caught Naoki staring at her.

With no other choice, she typed a few words.

Asuna: Her name's Takanotsume Mito. She's my classmate. Give it up—she's not just top of the class, she's gorgeous and super outgoing too.

Naoki: It's for my brother.

Asuna: …

She had the sudden urge to strangle him.

Classic Naoki Kirigaya.

Ignoring him, she started chatting with Mito instead.

Seeing Asuna wasn't replying, Naoki shifted his focus. He pinged Kirito directly.

Naoki: She's a total catch in real life, bro. Top grades—beat out Asuna, even. If you're interested, I'll figure something out for you.

Kirito: …

I told you, it's not like that, you jerk. It's just a coincidence.

Naoki: What, shy? Too embarrassed to make a move? I've got your back.