Suffering Liz next ep? Suffering Liz next ep.
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"I won't need, any payment."
"...Eeh?"
"In return for that, I want Kirito to make me your exclusive smith."
Kirito's eyes showed slight signs of surprise.
"...Just what, do you mean by that...?"
"Whenever you complete your clearing, come over here, and let me do maintenance on your equipment... —Everyday, from now on, without fail."
My heartbeat heightened without bounds. Whether this is a feeling from my virtual body, or perhaps my actual heart too, is throbbing in the same way as well— I wondered about that in a corner of my mind. My cheeks were on fire. Every single part of my face must have turned completely red right now.
Even Kirito, who had always maintained his poker face, seemed to have realized the meaning behind my words, and hung his red face down from shyness. I had always thought of him as older, but after seeing him in that state, it appeared like he was of the same generation, or perhaps even younger than me.
I mustered up my courage and took a step forward, taking ahold of his arm.
"Kirito... I..."
I cried those words out so loudly at that time we escaped from the dragon's nest, but when speaking of it now, my tongue refuses to move. I kept staring into Kirito's black pupils, willing that single word to come out one way or another— It was then.
The workshop's door was forcefully opened. I released Kirito's hand by reflex, and jumped.
"Liz, I was so worried!!"
The person, who rushed in right after that instant, hugged me with the same force as a body slam while shouting out in a large voice. That chestnut-colored long hair softly danced in the air.
"Ah, Asuna..."
Asuna continued speaking without pause, staring closely at my face, locked in a dumbfounded expression, the entire time.
"Messages couldn't reach you; your map position couldn't even be traced; not to mention your regular customers didn't know anything about it, so just where did you go last night! I even went all the way to the Black Iron Castle to check, you know!"
"So- Sorry. I just got stuck in the labyrinth for a bit..."
"The dungeon!? Liz, you went alone!?"
"Nah, with that person..."
I pointed in the direction diagonally behind of Asuna with my glance. Asuna spun around, and after noticing that swordsman dressed in black standing there, looking bored, she froze with her eyes and mouth were left open blankly. Following that, with a in a voice an octave higher—
"Ki- Kirito-kun!?"
"Eeh!?"
This time, it was my turn to be amazed. I looked over at Kirito, who was standing up straight, just like Asuna.
He gave a small cough, and spoke as he raised his right hand.
"Well, Asuna, it's been a while... or not, I suppose. A couple of days."
"Y- Yea. ...That was surprising. I see, so you came here right away. If you had told me, I could have come along."
Asuna hid her palms behind her, and laughed shyly, tapping the floor repeatedly with the heels of her boots. I saw those cheeks slightly tinged with the shade of cherry blossom pink.
I understood the entire situation.
It was not coincidence that brought Kirito to this shop. Keeping that promise with me, Asuna recommended this place... to the person in her heart.
—Just what should I do... Just what should I do.
All that swirled around in circles within my mind, were those words. I felt like the heat from my entire body was slowly flowing out from the tips of my feet. I can't feel any strength. I can't breathe. Emotions came forth, without any way to release them...
Turning around to face the rigid me, Asuna casually spoke.
"This guy, did he say anything rude to Liz? He probably requested for one absurd thing or another, right?"
And with that, she slightly inclined her head to the side.
"Eh... But, that would mean, that you were with Kirito-kun last night?"
"W... Well..."
I took a step forward in that instant, grasped Asuna's right hand, and pushed open the door of the workshop. I looked towards Kirito for a bit, and rapidly spoke as I tried to not look at his face.
"Please wait for a short while. We'll be right back, so..."
I pulled Asuna's hand in that manner, exiting through the counter. Shutting the door, we went outside the shop through the gap between the display windows.
"Wait, wait, Liz, what's the matter?"
Despite hearing Asuna's questioning voice, I silently headed towards the main street, continuing to walk at a quick pace.
I just, couldn't bear to stay in front of Kirito any further. If I didn't escape, it seemed like I would have ran into the realization that I had lost my way.
As though she had noticed my abnormal state, Asuna silently followed without saying another word. I gently released the girl's hand.
We entered the side street facing east, walked for a short while, and found a small sidewalk cafe that seemed like it was being hidden by the high stone wall. There wasn't a single customer. I chose a table at the edge, and sat down on a white chair.
Asuna peered into my face as she sat on the opposite side, not giving any impression of her thoughts.
"...What's the matter, Liz...?"
I strained to gather the slightest bit of vigor I could, putting a large smile on my face. The same smile as always, the one from times we cheerfully exchanged gossip.
"...Well, it's that person, isn't it..."
Crossing my arms, I leaned in to look into Asuna's face.
"E- Eeh?"
"The one Asuna likes!"
"Ah..."
Asuna casted her eyes down, her shoulders appearing to narrow. She gave a nod with her cheeks blushed.
"...Yea."
Throb; as I ignored the sharp pain that jabbed itself into my chest, I showed a broad grin yet again.
"Well, he certainly is a strange person; a really strange one."
"...Did Kirito-kun do something...?"
I gathered all my might and replied with a nod, to the worry-looking Asuna.
"He just went and broke the best sword in my store all of the sudden."
"Wah... So- Sorry..."
"It's not really something Asuna has to apologize for."
Looking at Asuna who was crossing her hands as if she had done the deed herself, something deep within my chest throbbed further.
Just a bit more... It's just a bit more, keep going, Lizbet.
Whispering to myself in my heart, I somehow managed to maintain my smile.
"Well, anyway, to create the type of sword requested by that person, it turned out that a rare metal was necessary, so we went to the upper floors to get it. And during that, we got caught in some minor trap, you see; we had troubles escaping from it, that's why I wasn't back."
"So that was it... You could have just called for me, ah, messages couldn't be sent either, huh..."
"I should have invited Asuna along too, sorry about that."
"No, the guild had clearing activities yesterday, so... So, did you make the sword?"
"Ah, yea. Geez, I wouldn't want to do this kind of troublesome work again."
"You should definitely charge him a real high price for that."
We started laughing at the same time.
I kept a small smile on my face, and mentioned one final comment.
"Well, he's weird, but certainly not a bad person. I'll be rooting for you, so do your best, Asuna."
That was the limit. The end of my words trembled.
"Y- Yea, thanks..."
As Asuna nodded, she inclined her head to the side and looked into my face. Before she could see what were hidden under my eyelids, I sharply stood up, and spoke.
"Ah, oh no! I, I had an appointment arranged to buy some stock. I'll be going down for a bit!"
"Eh, in the store... What about Kirito-kun?"
"Go keep him company, Asuna! I'll be counting on you!"
I turned about, and broke into a run. I looked at Asuna, behind my back, and hurriedly waved my hand at her. There was no way I could turn back.
After I ran towards the gate plaza, all the way to a place where I could not see that open cafe from, I took the first turn, bending towards the south. I kept to the edge of the town, aiming at the areas without players, single-mindedly running without pause.
When my view distorted, I wiped my eyes with my right hand. Wiping them over and over again as I ran.
When I noticed, I had reached all way just before the castle walls that surrounded the town. Before the gently curving walls stretching out, large trees were planted in regular spaces from each other. I entered the shade under one of them, standing still with my hand on its trunk.
"Uguu... Uu..."
My voice leaked out from my throat, without the slightest attempt to muffle it. The tears I had desperately forced back streamed out one after one, vanishing as they poured down my cheeks.
It was the second time I had cried since I came to this world. From the time I panicked and cried on the day I first logged in, I convinced myself that I would never cry no more. I thought that I did not needs these tears, forcibly flowing down due to the emotion expression system. But I have never felt tears more feverish, more painful than the ones running down my cheeks right now, not even those that flowed in the real world.
When I was talking with Asuna, there was one thing that never managed to get out. "I like that person too," these words almost came out countless times. However, there was no way I could say them.
At the workshop, the instant I saw Kirito and Asuna turned to talk to each other, I understood that there was no place for me beside Kirito. That is because— On that snowy mountain, I had exposed Kirito's life to danger. No one can stand beside that person, aside from one who possesses that same stout heart. That's right... Like for example, someone like Asuna...
The two are connected by a powerful pulling force, much like the pairing between a meticulously made sword and sheath. That was what I felt strongly. And beyond all else, Asuna have always been thinking about Kirito for countless months, and with the hard work she put in to narrow the gap between them bit by bit, day after day, there was no way I could just do something like thrusting myself into that relationship all of the sudden.
That's right... I had known Kirito for no more than a single full day. Going on an adventure I was unused to with an unfamiliar person, my heart must have been just surprised by that. It wasn't the truth. These weren't my true feelings. If I were to fall in love, I wouldn't hurry; slowly thinking about it— I should have always, always thought of it as that.
But still, just why are these tears still flowing out...
A time long after the start of noon, I somehow managed to finish off all of the orders, and stood up. Moving my head around in circles, I stretched my body vigorously. As I took a breath of relief, a small photo hung on the wall entered my vision.
Making peace signs while joined together, Asuna and me. Beside Asuna, standing half a step below, Kirito with a wry smile. It was taken in front of this building. Around half a month ago— when the news of the two's marriage came in.
No matter who you might ask, the two certainly suit each other, but getting to that goal eventually took an entire half a year. I was getting impatient, and tried to poke my nose into their relationship in various ways, and when I was finally informed of the news of their marriage in the end, I was really happy for them. But still— I felt just the slightest, heartrending ache.
I still see what happened on that night in my dreams. Recollecting that single dreamlike night that shone like a modest gem within these two years with barely any ups-and-downs. Even right now, after three months had already passed, it still warmed my heart like glowing embers.
"...Even so..."
It certainly was amazing, I murmured thus in my heart, and softly traced the photo with my finger. Even though I consider myself to be a rational realist, to think that I had such an unreserved disposition was something that I didn't even notice at all.
"I had always loved you, until the very end."
Giving a firm tap onto a certain spot on the photo, I shifted my thoughts. Wondering if I should make a simple meal for my late lunch, or perhaps eat out for the first time in a while, I stepped out of my workshop— It happened then.
A sound effect that I have never heard till now resounded loudly from above. Ding, ding, a sound resembling a bell alarm... I immediately gazed at the ceiling, but it seems that the sound from coming from even higher, reverberating from the direction of the upper floors.
I was just about to run out hurriedly, when something that surprised me even further happened. Although the reason behind it is obvious, the store-tending NPC, who stood at the counter, not needing a single day of rest since the opening of the store, suddenly vanished without even a single sound.
I blinked my eyes, and stared at the space where the girl stood till earlier, but there was no sign of her return. The situation was getting more and more convoluted.
To me, who stumbled my way out, an even more astonishing experience caused me to stand stock still.
On the bottom of the upper floor that spread out, a hundred meters above, right before that barren grey roof— gigantic red letters were suspended, spaced tightly together. I stared absorbed at them; the two English lines, "Warning", and, "System Announcement", were arranged on a checkered pattern.
"System... Announcement..."
It was a scene I had seen before. There was no way I could had forgotten it. Two years ago, on that day this death game started, the exact same spectacle appeared behind that hollow avatar that announced the change of rules to the ten thousand players.
Finally looking around my surroundings after frozen to that for several full seconds, I spotted many other players, looking up at the upper floor while standing straight up, just like me. Frowning as I felt something off about this scene, the reason instantly came to mind.
Usually, while walking through the streets, there would be NPCs hawking their wares; not a single one was around. I believe they probably disappeared at the same time as the one tending to my store did, but... just why—
All of a sudden, the ringing alarm sound stopped. After a moment of silence, this time, what came down was a tender female voice, in that same loud volume.
[We will now be announcing an urgent notice to all of the players.]
It was completely different from the voice of the Game Master, Kayaba Akihiko, from two years ago, being an artificial synthetic voice with the sounds of electronic noise mixed in. It was obviously an announcement made through the game system, but with barely any presence of the management in SAO, this was the first time I had heard of an announcement done via these means. I strained my ears to listen while holding my breath.
[The game will now be entering forced administration mode. All monsters and item spans will be suspended. All NPCs will be dismissed. The hit points of all players will be fixed to their maximum amount.]
A system error? Did some fatal bug appear...?
That was what I thought for an instant. My heart was gripped with unease. But in the next moment—
[Aincrad Standard Time, November the seventh, fourteen-fifty-five, the game has been cleared.]
—And the system voice reported thus.
The game, has been cleared.
I could not understand the meanings of those words for several seconds. The other players around too, stood still with their expressions frozen. However, upon hearing the line it led to, all of them sprung up.
[All players will be logged out in sequence. Kindly wait at your current location. I repeat...]
Suddenly, "Wooah!", and such huge cheers of joy erupted. The ground, no, the whole of the Floating Castle Aincrad trembled. Everyone were hugging each other, rolling about the ground, shouting out loud with their hands raised towards the sky.
I didn't move, didn't say a word, simply standing in front of my store. I somehow managed to lift up my hands, and covered my mouth.
So he did it. He— Kirito did it. With his usual recklessness...
That was what I believed. After all, the foremost frontlines were still at the seventy-fifth floor, but with the game cleared like this, this absurd, thoughtless, act of foolhardiness was definitely Kirito's deed.
I felt like I heard soft murmurs close to my ears.
—I, kept my word...
"Yea... Yea... Finally, you did it..."
With that, hot tears spilled from my eyes. Without bothering to wipe them away, I thrust my right hand up with all my might, jumping up and down without stop.
"O— oh!!"
Cupping my hands to my mouth, so as to reach him, who should be on the upper floors far away, I cried out as loud as I could.
"We will, definitely meet again, Kirito—!! ...I love you!!"
(End)
This post has been edited by linkinstreet: Aug 12 2012, 03:23 PM 
Oct 10 2011, 12:07 AM, updated 6y ago
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but having the leet title of the legendary black swordsman from the lead group is kinda awesome... 
am i to slow poke? 
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