Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"Yes, that's us, Miss Leafa."

"Komachi took a screenshot from high above and discovered that the person in the photo looked like someone I know. To confirm this, I had to complete this major mission at all costs."

"But aren't the large-scale quests yet? Ah! Is it because they haven't been implemented that we don't have to worry about Titania being exposed as a non-NPC? That's why they set the difficulty so high that no one can complete it?"

Hikigaya was surprised by Leafa's sharp intuition.

"That's amazing, Leafa. That's probably the reason. Regarding the difficulty, it's probably to avoid exposing the fact that it's not yet implemented, while they're secretly carrying out illegal activities."

"Illegal and long-term private behavior"

"To describe it as illegal might not be enough; it is a serious criminal act."

"It's gotten to this point? Who is trapped up there?"

"The ones trapped up there are... SAO players."

"Eh? Could it be..."

"Leafa also knows, right? The hundreds of players who are still trapped in SAO and haven't woken up yet."

"Could it be...how could it be..."

"That's right. Could it be that at least one of those hundred people is indeed imprisoned here? I spoke to her when I flew up just now. It's definitely her."

"What? Can we have a conversation?"

Yukino, who was listening in, interrupted in surprise.

"Actually, I just got the ALO ID card. By using this through Yui, we can temporarily communicate with the higher-ups."

"So that's how it is. In other words, this means there's a way to break through the wall deep inside the mission room?"

1 Age⒎ Daddy VII④⑸l Liu "Break through... the wall!?"

"That's right, Leafa, this Yui was originally part of SAO's core system, so as long as you get the ALO ID card, you can break through the wall and go up.

Because the servers used by ALO are replicas of the SAO servers, we are obsessed with large-scale missions for this reason."

"This kind of thing... How could it be possible..."

"It might be hard to believe, but it's true. Our skills were almost fully maxed out when we first logged into ALO. I'm afraid the SAO data saved by NERvGear was used."

"Then you guys are not..."

"That's right. The five of us, Kirito, Klein, Agil, and Silica, are all SAO survivors who logged in using NERvGear."

Hearing the words "SAO survivors," Leafa felt her heartbeat quicken. Could these people know her brother? Or could it be...

Leafa stared at Kirito again. If the person imprisoned there was Miss Lisbeth, then Kirito-kun wouldn't...

"Uh, um, what's the name of the person trapped up there?"

"The one above is Asuna, the one who married Hachiman."

Kirito, who answered for Hikigaya, had just finished speaking when Leafa breathed a sigh of relief. Then, realizing the meaning behind his words, she asked in shock:

"Get married!? Hikigaya-kun's wife!?"

"Yes, there is such a system in SAO."

"That's right. I came here precisely to rescue Asuna."

"Is that why you're wearing that NERvGear again? Aren't you scared?"

"It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid, but for me there's no such thing as not wearing one."

"I see... That's amazing."

"If I were alone, I might not have the courage, but I have a partner I can trust."

Hachiman said as he looked around at his companions, who all nodded happily at his words.

"Besides the companions here, there's also Argo, who provided assistance from outside. It seems she was the one who gave the ID card to Asuna."

"Could it be that the government collaborator is this Miss Argo?"

"Yes, although I am also surprised, it seems to be true."

"How many companions does Hikigaya-kun have?"

"Well, Leafa, I had seven companions during the SAO era: Kirito, Klein, Agil, Silica, Argo, Asuna who's trapped up there, and the remaining one who was actually among the hundred trapped.

Although its existence cannot be confirmed in the game, if Asuna is rescued, the government will act based on her testimony, and that comrade will also be rescued, so for now, all we need to do is to rescue Asuna."

"That's right. We must rescue Asuna and free Liz."

Hearing Kirito's words, Leafa's heart skipped a beat. Liz, Kirito did mention Liz just now, so Kirito-kun is indeed...

"Um...Kirito-kun..."

"Hmm? What's wrong, Leafa?"

"Kirito-kun, could it be... that you are... Kazuto...brother...?"

"Eh? Wait... Could it be that Leafa is... Suguha...?"

"Oh?"

"The sister of Kirito-kun whom I met once before in the ward?"

Amidst the commotion, Leafa nodded and said to Kirito:

"Yeah, it's Suguha, brother."

"Is this true? I didn't recognize it at all."

"Hmm...I see...but I...well, I always feel...so strange, why am I crying..."

Leafa then realized she had been crying without realizing it. Seeing this, Kirito was at a loss as to what to do.

"Sorry, I'm offline today..."

Leafa left after saying that. Kirito looked at everyone awkwardly. The women seemed to have noticed something.

"Kirito-kun, it would be better for you to go home and talk to your sister."

"Well, there's still time to go back now, if we act quickly."

"Please go quickly!"

"Got it, Hikigaya, I'm sorry, I'll be back soon."

"Ah...I see. Be careful on the road."

After Kirito logged out, he immediately applied for permission to go out from the hospital and rushed home. Among the people left behind, only Klein was still confused.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"I think I understand, Klein."

"I noticed that too, Mr. Klein."

"Agil and Silica both understand."

"Klein, maybe Leafa had romantic feelings for Kirito, and was devastated when she found out he was her brother."

"what--"

Hikigaya's speculation was actually a bit off - after all, he had never had in-depth communication with Suguha in real life, so he naturally didn't expect that Leafa already knew that Kirito was her cousin.

"Anyway, this isn't something we can interfere with. Let Kirito handle it."

"Yes, let's discuss the practical matters first."

Kazuto (Kirito's real name) on the train was thinking about Suguha. He really had no idea what was going on with Suguha's tears.

(No, even if there's nothing between Suguha and me, there might be between Kirito and Leafa.)

Kazuto came to a similar conclusion as Hikigaya, but with little experience in relationships, he had no idea how to deal with Suguha.

(In short, we can only talk about it)

When they got home, their parents hadn't returned yet, so Kazuto took a deep breath and knocked on Suguha's door.

ALO: Chapter 122: Saying Goodbye to Orthopedics

“…Please come in.”

Hearing Suguha's response from inside the room, Kazuto timidly opened the door. Suguha sat on the edge of the bed with his head down, not looking in Kazuto's direction at all.

"Um...right away..."

"Um"

Kazuto tried to speak, but couldn't get any more words out. Suguha also remained silent, and only time flowed silently between the two of them.

Realizing that the situation couldn't continue like this, Kazuto desperately searched for the right words to say, but Suguha broke the silence with a heavy voice.

"Hey, brother."

"Ok?"

"You're going to put on your NERvGear again, right? Um, aren't you scared?"

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid at all, but I definitely didn't hesitate at all. Rather, I felt more joy at finally being able to take a step forward."

"joy......"

"Because I finally found the clue to save my companions."

"companion......"

"Um"

Suguha secretly wondered whether Kirito included herself in the "companions" he mentioned.

Just how different is it between me and that person named Liz? Feeling uneasy, Suguha mustered up the courage to ask:

"What kind of existence is Miss Liz to my brother?"

"Hey? How do you know this name? I guess I haven't told Suguha about Liz, have I?"

Kazuto looked a little flustered because Suguha's question was completely unexpected.

"No, I just heard my brother talking to himself in the ward before."

"Oh, I see. So I did say Liz's name back then."

"Well, so, what exactly is it like?"

"Liz's words are like sunflowers to me, right?"

"Hey?"

"Liz is like a sunflower. Klein and I, how should I put it, always have a bit of a shadow around us, right? A shadow? Or perhaps a darkness?"

"Yeah, I guess I understand."

"Compared to that guy, he's like a sunflower that always faces the sun."

"That's it"

When talking to people about Liz, a dazzling glow unconsciously appeared on his face.

"So, what's the problem, Liz?"

"That... is..."

"Ok?"

Suguha knew this question might cross the line, but she still asked:

"If I was the one who fell unconscious after clearing SAO, what would my brother do?"

"Of course I will save you, by any means necessary."

"Then, if Miss Liz and I both need rescue, who will be saved first?"

"There is no order of priority. Both of them will be saved."

Kirito answered without hesitation.

"Whether it's Liz and Klein or Suguha and Klein, everyone will be saved. Isn't that natural?"

"Of course, yes, that's right."