A journey to another world starting from a sword

“If you also want to perform on stage, I have a strategy for you.” Dante thought about how Lingyin would work as both a maid and a songstress in a maid café in Akihabara, and even occasionally sing and hand out flyers on the street.

However... due to limitations and lack of experience, it seems to lack fame, even though its hardware and software aspects are quite good.

"Lingyin wants to sing too?" Yuna asked, turning her head with delight as if she had found a kindred spirit.

"No, I..." Lingyin quickly shook her hand and head, subconsciously wanting to say no to Yuna.

"Should we refuse?" But Dante interrupted her, raising his head slightly with his usual gentle smile on his face.

After Lingyin hesitated for a moment, Dante suggested, "Let's give it a try."

"Hmm... Dante, you're so tough," Lingyin said half-jokingly, pouting as if to hide her shyness.

"Really?" Dante didn't think so, and turned to the girls around him to confirm.

“…” Mitt simply shrugged, as if to indicate that she did not think so.

She could also tell that Lingyin was somewhat interested; it was amazing that this guy could be so perceptive in detecting a girl's thoughts.

If it were Asuna, she would probably glare at him sternly at this moment, but as for herself...

Mitt rested his chin on his hand, thinking to himself: Oh well, whatever.

At this point, expecting this guy to take any further action is just wishful thinking.

Speaking of which... I'm so sleepy. Listening to that song just now felt like taking a peaceful rest on a summer day. Plus, the voice was magnetic and had a strange gentleness, which made her feel comfortable and at ease.

Just as Mito was lost in a daze, Ashura was making fun of Dante.

However, since Lingyin did not refuse, Dante decided to teach her a song first.

It was the same song they had just sung. After teaching it three times, Lingyin was able to sing it with him, and Yuna joined in as well.

The three of them sang together, their voices echoing in the quiet, cramped tavern.

"With a little practice, it should be fine," Dante concluded.

"Wait a minute!" "Something's not right!"

In response to Dante's easy assessment, Lingyin and Yuna exclaimed in unison.

"What's wrong?" Dante asked, turning to look at the two of them while holding Shiqin in his arms.

"How could they possibly practice to the point of being able to perform on stage in such a short time?!" Lingyin immediately voiced her opinion, because they were going to perform on stage that evening.

“Yes, that’s right.” Yuna agreed as well.

“Well, Lingyin, you’re different from Yuna. You can sing the songs you’ve practiced in real life, and I’ll provide simple accompaniment.” Dante tilted his head, giving a “that’s easy” look.

"What if you forget your lines along the way?" Lingyin asked again.

"Mmm-hmm," Yuna nodded repeatedly.

"Ah..." Before Lingyin's face showed a smug "see?" look, Dante had an idea.

That is to use instant messaging as a teleprompter. As for whether there will be any problems with this, Dante said there are absolutely no problems.

Time was already tight, so everyone will understand.

In Aincradry, where entertainment is extremely scarce, the very existence of something is something to be happy about.

Just like he said to Diabel before, why not let Linde and Ya Wang go on stage to perform manzai?

Afterwards, the songs to be sung were finalized. Yuna had five songs, three of which were her own compositions, and two of which were songs that Dante had given her before.

Lingyin consists of three songs, all of which are based on real-life events. Dante made some selections to ensure the theme was relevant to the celebration.

Then came the group's chorus pieces. "Grey and Blue" was one of them, and there were two more. Because Dante was involved, Yuna and Lingyin's worries were somewhat reduced.

They practiced like this until noon, and by the end, their coordination was already very good. Even though there were quite a few off-key notes, it was hard for non-professionals to tell.

"Go back and get some sleep." Dante said considerately as he saw Lingyin's eyes close uncontrollably as she leaned back against the bar.

She had been so engrossed in the excitement that she had temporarily forgotten her fatigue, but after it ended, Lingyin felt her eyelids were really heavy.

"So... what did you guys do last night?" Ashura asked, raising his drink, which he had already drunk from countless glasses.

Hey, Miss Ashura, what you said is ambiguous.

"They stayed up all night exploring the labyrinth." So Dante gave the answer that left Yuna and Ashura speechless.

"As expected." Ashura sighed helplessly.

"Oh, right." Dante took two clear, bright gems from his inventory and placed them on the table. "These are a gift. Merry Christmas."

"A gift? It's quite pretty." Ashura took it and held out his palm to Yuna, letting her choose first.

The two stones are a purple gemstone resembling a taffistone and a vibrant brown orange garnet.

Unsurprisingly, Yuna hesitated for a moment before choosing the garnet, while Ashura took the other one.

"By the way, Mitt can make jewelry, so if you're interested, please go find her."

Dante didn't say it, but they could actually be sold directly. These two gems should be B grade or higher; A grade gems are worth around tens of thousands of Cors.

This is not only a Christmas gift, but also a gift from a friend.

Dante felt he should express his gratitude for Ashura's almost selfless help in crafting equipment for them and for Yuna's rescue of Mitt in Razer.

"Mite?" Not hearing a response from his companion, Dante turned to look to the side.

"Well, she got a little sleepy halfway through," Ashura said, suppressing a laugh.

"This is a bit..." Dante muttered to himself, looking at Mitt curled up on the sofa next to him, as quiet and cute as a cat.

She's already completely asleep!

If a player falls asleep in the game, it is very difficult for them to be woken up by external sounds.

Just as Dante walked over, intending to wake Mitt up.

Ashura's voice drifted over, "Isn't it a bit too much to wake a girl who has fallen asleep from exhaustion?"

That makes sense.

Dante took a deep breath and prepared to take her arm and carry her back.

Unexpectedly, Ashurai's voice rang out again the next second, "Sleeping on someone's back is very uncomfortable."

"..." This made Dante stop what he was doing. He straightened up and, with utter helplessness, asked Ashura, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

“Of course,” Ashura raised an eyebrow and said matter-of-factly, “It’s a princess carry, of course.”

Chapter 119: Lost? No, won!

Because of Ashura's words, Dante withdrew his actions one after another, and he began to have some doubts about her intentions.

"You have a problem." Ashurai met that gaze without giving him a clue.

She tapped her cheek with her fingertip and teased, "You can't exactly let Lingyin carry Mit back, can you?"

Although Lingyin, who was standing to the side, didn't seem to mind, it was indeed impossible to let her come.

"..." Dante rolled his eyes, then scooped Mitt up in his arms.

So light————

He easily lifted the girl's body, as if he were holding a piece of silk. If Mito were a Kansai girl, she could be compared to a Nishijin-ori, a treasure of quality, but Tokyo doesn't have any famous textiles.

Of course, Dante was mainly surprised by how high his strength attribute was. A princess carry is a posture that really tests arm strength, so he initially thought... it would be best to just wake him up.

"Let's go," he announced, bringing the gathering to a close.

Because his hands were occupied, Dante walked to the door and waited patiently for someone else to open it.

The group of people were going the same way on this stretch of road toward the transfer gate square.

"Ah, I'm going back to the starting town later." When asked where she was going, Yuna skipped and hopped ahead, very lively.

Dante suspected that it was because her white hood covered her face that she made such a childlike gesture, disregarding the gaze of passersby.

Ashurai, who had put on the hood of his elegant crimson cloak after leaving the house, chuckled.

"Xiao You, is your childhood sweetheart still practicing?"

“Oh yeah, Nuo-jun is still the same as ever.” Yuna turned around with a troubled look, stuck out her tongue, and said, “I’ve given up trying to persuade him.”

After what happened on the first floor, Yuna and her childhood friend who entered this world together have reconciled.

Yuna's real name is Shigemura Yuna. Because they lived nearby, she attended kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high school with her childhood friend. However, Yuna later went to an all-girls school, so the two separated in high school.

However, thanks to their shared love of games, they maintained their friendship. It was only on a whim that Yuna bought the game SAO recommended by her childhood friend, which led to the current situation.

"What are you talking about?" Lingyin leaned over Dante's left to look at Ashura.

"It's about Xiao You's childhood sweetheart." Ashura explained that the other party planned to stay in the starting town to practice sword skills until his proficiency reached 150 and he learned the first powerful multi-combo sword technique for one-handed swords.

"...How long will that take?" Lingyin asked, not quite understanding. Her skill proficiency with a one-handed sword had only just reached 50, and that was the result of nearly half a month of fighting on the front lines.

“It will probably take a long time,” Yuna replied, shrugging indifferently. “Anyway, I’m not planning to leave the main street now, and it’s a good thing that Nuojun has something he can stick to, so he won’t overthink things.”

"Him? Wait. Childhood friend, is it a boy?" Lingyin exclaimed, finally realizing the term Yuna had been using since earlier.

Her meaning was a little clearer, after all, they were a boy and a girl, and childhood sweethearts at that...

If she knew that Yuna and her childhood friend were staying at the same hotel, it would probably be even more obvious.

When Lingyin involuntarily interrupted, Yuna blinked a few times before revealing a rather subtle expression. "Yes, he's a boy. I've always considered him my best male friend."

This evaluation... is practically saying that the other person is a good person.

Ashura's expression became extremely subtle. She knew that only the naive Yu would so simply believe that her childhood friend just wanted to play with her and that's why he invited her to play SAO together.

Then Ashura seemed to remember something and laughed, "I thought Xiao You's best male friend was Dante."

"..." Dante also looked at Yuna with some curiosity, wondering what his opinion of her was.

“No, well, Dante… he’s different,” Yuna quickly waved her hand. “Dante is…”

Yuna opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know how to describe it. She felt that such a simple evaluation was not suitable for the person in front of her.

"Roar—" Ashura pinched his chin and grinned wickedly.

"..." Dante rolled his eyes at Ashura's joke. He didn't think Yuna had any romantic feelings for him. If he had to look for it, he could probably only find some vague attraction between the opposite sex.

If we were to describe their relationship using a color, it would be a bright orange. As for whether it would later turn into the color of sunshine or shift towards an ambiguous pink, that's a matter for the future.

Before the atmosphere got any weirder, Yuna finally found the right word: "Well, it's the relationship between a fan and an idol."

"Hey, isn't this what I told you to Xiao You before?" Ashura said helplessly.

"Hmph." Yuna, with her hands behind her back, walked backwards and smiled shyly at Dante. "Just a fan."

“So it’s admiration,” Ashura muttered softly.

This word, which lies between admiration and love, lacks some of the romantic feeling and is more subtle and reserved.

"What did Miss Li just say?" Yuna didn't hear clearly.

"Nothing," Ashura said, spreading his hands, continuing the previous topic, "Dante, where are you planning to go later?"

"Let's meet up with Asuna and the others first." After thinking for a moment, Dante looked up and said, "Then I'll go back and get a good night's sleep. I'm so sleepy."

"Pfft..." Yuna laughed out loud, then looked at Mito in Dante's arms, "After all, Mito is already asleep."

No, actually he had already woken up halfway through, Dante thought to himself, SAO's simulation of heartbeats was quite realistic.

However, Dante firmly refused to believe that it was his fault, because his hands were very steady, like a cradle.

It's highly likely that their chatter woke Mitt up...

He gently bounced Mitt's body to adjust his posture, turning his face inward to avoid others noticing his red and hot face later, which would be too embarrassing.

"I'll finish making the clothes this afternoon. Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll also design a casual outfit for you guys," Ashura said to Dante before calling out "Zimford" at the transfer monument.

"us?"

“It’s you and Asuna.” As he spoke, Ashura pointed at Dante, Mito, and Lingyin.

"Thank you very much." Dante bowed his head and thanked her. Asuna liked pretty clothes, so he had no reason to refuse.

“Okay, see you this afternoon.” Ashura nodded and said with a smile, “Transfer! Zmford!”

"Then I'll head back to the inn too. Goodbye." Yuna also returned to the starting town after saying goodbye.

Just as Dante was about to reveal the name of the main district on the fifth floor, Lingyin suddenly said, "Hey, the player needs to say the name of the town to transfer to, right?"