A journey to another world starting from a sword

Then, with a mischievous grin, she ran her fingertips along the legs of the girl beside her, eliciting a gasp from Asuna. She then said, "But as for the stockings, since they're made of 'Queen's Spider Silk,' the feel and comfort are absolutely top-notch!"

Aside from not being very warm, there's nothing that can be done about it.

As for Ashura's mention of "feeling" once, it made Asuna's face turn red again.

However, it wasn't just Asuna; apart from Lisbeth wearing calf boots with bare legs, everyone else was wearing Ashura's specially made stockings. Mito wore black pantyhose with shorts, which looked very cool.

As a child, Silica wore warm-looking pure black grey stockings, while Lingyin wore black stockings with white lace trim, resembling maid stockings. This was probably her own choice, and Dante was quite curious to see what she would look like in a maid outfit.

Even Yuna was wearing dark blue stockings, and she was wearing a blue belted dress with a white shawl covering her upper body. She also had a hat decorated with feathers on her head, which made her look both capable and elegant.

Ashurai has always designed Yuna with a bard theme, and she has always followed a small and cute style.

Of course, this is also related to Yuna's mindset; she's not yet at the age where she feels comfortable wearing such daring clothes.

"Want some?" Dante faced Asuna directly and handed her the food.

"...Eat!" Asuna took it without hesitation. After the first bite, her brow furrowed, then immediately relaxed. "What exactly does this taste like...?"

Her passion for cooking seemed to be awakened by this unfamiliar delicacy.

"There's lots of delicious food over there. I saw that lobster roll covered in cheese, and it looks really good," Dante said, pointing to the other side.

"Let's go shopping together later. By the way, where's Liz?" Asuna asked while eating.

“Our shop is over here.” Dante gestured with his chin toward the area near the stage.

"Isn't that Diabel standing next to the stage?" Asuna immediately spotted the striking blue hair below the stage, almost as eye-catching as the person next to her.

"Right? He's going to officially announce the start of the celebration later." Dante took the wooden skewer Asuna handed him, silently picked up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth. The rich fat became more and more fragrant with each chew.

“Mr. Dante.” At this moment, one of the players responsible for carrying out the festival walked over.

"Miss Ritsu!" Asuna exclaimed, looking at the familiar face with delight. This was her teammate who had fought alongside her on the second floor.

"Miss Asuna, and everyone, good evening." Liting bowed slightly. "When I saw Liz just now, I thought you should have arrived by now."

“Is that so? You’ve already met Liz.” Asuna nodded.

“Yeah, and I also bought a lot of things from her.” Li Ting blinked and joked playfully, “Because those props were so pretty, I almost spent all the money I had painstakingly saved up these past few days.”

Li Ting might be telling the truth. For combat-oriented players, the biggest expense is always equipment. Even front-line combatants find it difficult to save up much money.

"Oh dear, that's really bad." Asuna covered her mouth and laughed. "By the way, did Liting want to see Dante about something?"

“Yes!” Liting nodded. “According to the event plan, the music performance will begin after President Diabel announces the start of the festival.”

"Okay, let's go now." Dante glanced at the time and knew it was almost time.

Yuna swallowed hard, seemingly a little nervous.

"Don't be nervous, we'll be standing in the front row cheering you on," Ashurai said, patting Yuna on the shoulder.

"Why don't we go now? We might not be able to squeeze in later," Dante suggested.

“That’s true,” Asuna nodded, then looked at Dante and Lingyin. “Good luck!”

"Yes." Dante acknowledged this, then pulled out a Venetian-style white mask with gold patterns from his inventory.

"Ah!" Yuna suddenly remembered and took out a purple feather mask similar to Dante's and put it on.

“I almost forgot.” Lingyin took out a brownish-red mask.

“Speaking of which…” Asuna stared intently at Dante’s face, pretending to gaze casually, “Yuna doesn’t want to be exposed to people, but why do you wear a mask?”

"Hmm?" Dante's eyes darted around behind the mask. "Me too. I'm the guild leader, after all."

"Doesn't everyone know who you are?" Asuna rolled her eyes at him speechlessly. Only players outside the strategy group might not know who such a well-known celebrity is, but they would probably find out in a few seconds.

"Heh, then let's just pretend we don't know."

-----------------

After Diabel very considerately shortened his speech to announce the start of the celebration, the bonfire in the center of the square suddenly burst into flames.

As expected, bonfires are indispensable when it comes to festivals.

Amidst a cheer that sounded like howling wolves, three well-dressed players stepped forward.

Holding a mandolin, Dante ignored the noise from the audience, calmly moved a round stool to the stage, and sat down.

"Isn't that a knight?"

"Yeah, that outfit is so cool."

"Ah, speaking of which, Mr. Diabel said that half of the festival was to be handled by the Eternal Garden."

"What's next?"

"do not know."

"The two girls next to me are so cute."

"Now that you mention it...it's true!!!"

"It really does look quite professional," Asuna, who was standing at the very front of the stage, muttered to herself.

"Pfft..." Mito burst out laughing when he heard Asuna's subtle tone.

As the sound of a mandolin, similar to that of a guitar, rang out, a magnetic baritone voice instantly resonated throughout the entire square. The players who had been discussing who the cute girl on the other side was gradually silenced, and everyone stood there stunned.

"I didn't expect it to work so well."

Hearing the voice beside her, Asuna looked at Diabel, who had walked over to her right at some point, and smiled.

"I will tell Dante your opinion."

“No, I will thank him in person later.” Diabel lowered her head and smiled, “As expected, entrusting it to him was definitely the right decision.”

"Dante also said that the Aincrad Alliance's setup was quite good." Asuna blinked and lied through her teeth. Although he hadn't said it at all, it wouldn't hurt to say something polite on his behalf.

"Thank you, it's all thanks to everyone." Diabel smiled modestly.

"But wasn't it your and Dante's idea in the first place?" Asuna saw through it all; the two of them had gone to great lengths to cultivate the overall atmosphere of the group.

"..." Diabel smiled and said goodbye in a low voice before walking towards the outer edge of the crowd.

"..." Asuna glanced behind her and found that not only the players with green cursors, but even the passerby NPCs with yellow cursors in the distance had stopped, closed their eyes, and swayed their bodies, looking as if they were listening intently.

At this moment, Asuna also closed her eyes and listened attentively to the warm murmur that resembled the setting sun.

She remained immersed in the music until it ended, until Dante's voice rang in her ears.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Eat?" Asuna looked at Dante, who had taken off his mask and was standing next to her, and pouted. "Isn't Yuna's performance coming up soon?"

"So I'll go buy it, you guys wait here."

"Let's wait a little while. This should be Yuna's first time singing in such a crowded place. She might get nervous if you're not here," Asuna said, tugging at Dante's sleeve.

“I’m not that important,” Dante said, spreading his hands.

“Then you’re wrong,” Mite chuckled from the side. This guy’s mere presence exuded a sense of security.

Asuna directly ordered, "Just don't leave yet."

"well."

At this moment, only Yuna remained on the stage.

Meanwhile, the NPC band stationed in one corner of the square was already on high alert. For a small fee of Cor, they could put on an impromptu performance.

The three NPCs were each holding an instrument resembling a violin, cello, and oboe, and following Li Ting's instructions from the audience, they began to slowly play a nocturne-style tune.

SAO does not have background music like in ordinary games, at least not outside the game world. However, in towns, there are NPC bands playing music day and night to replace the traditional background music.

Listening quietly to the music, Yuna placed her hands on her chest, closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then spoke—

Begin singing with a voice as loud as three musical instruments.

The lyrics describe the feelings of warriors who have been busy all day and are heading home at dusk. These lyrics were written by Yuna herself for the NPC band's music.

The singing was beautiful and relaxing. Dante specifically reminded Yuna to be careful not to touch on everyone's homesickness in the lyrics, as her main role was to warm up the crowd.

Even so, all the more than one hundred players in the square listened intently, just like before.

It's not just that everyone in SAO lacks entertainment options, but also because Yuna's songs are really good.

The song, which lasted less than two minutes, ended with waves of applause. Yuna made a deep impression on everyone for the first time by performing alone in front of a crowd.

Then, dozens of players continued to applaud after Yuna bowed several times in thanks, and eventually the applause turned into clapping for "one more song".

As Yuna's friends, Dante and Mito, who were standing in the front row, didn't say anything, but they clapped their hands in keeping with the atmosphere.

Yuna's eyes swept over Dante, Mito, and Ashura in the audience, and she revealed a cute girlish smile.

That's great—she finally succeeded in singing in front of people.

Chapter 122: Watching the Fireworks

Her lips, not hidden by the mask, curved upwards, and Yuna then began singing the second song.

The atmosphere at the venue gradually rose as Yuna sang. What was supposed to be a festival with food as its main selling point turned into a one-woman concert.

Players with food were fine, as they could take a bite whenever they had a spare moment, but those whose stomachs were growling with hunger were unwilling to leave the venue to buy food to fill their already rumbling bellies.

As Yuna walked off the stage, everyone reluctantly shouted, "Please don't go!" and "One more song!"

Meanwhile, thanks to the efforts of the NPC chefs, the long table in the center of the venue was filled with all kinds of seafood that could be taken for free. Although it was not as exquisite or special as the food prepared by professional chefs, it was still quite good as free food.

Several huge barrels of liquor were moved by the players to the side of the long table. These wheat drinks, which were purchased from NPC shops, could be enjoyed for only twice the purchase price, which was incredibly generous.

Just as everyone was preparing to enjoy their drinks, Li Ting stood on the stage and shouted loudly, "Attention! Attention! Next up is Miss Ling Yin's performance. Please enjoy!"

"Oh!" Everyone immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Since Lingyin doesn't know how to use the instruments in SAO, Dante and Yuna sit behind her and help accompany her with a mandolin and a lyre.

"I think I've heard this song before."

"That's true."

Someone discovered that this seems to be a real song, but it doesn't seem to be very famous, and nobody knows its name.

It's only because of Lingyin's voice that it sounds so beautiful.

Unlike Yuna's mezzo-soprano voice, which seemed out of place with her appearance, Lingyin's voice was unexpectedly sweet.

This child probably has the potential to be an idol. I'll teach her some cute songs next time," Dante thought to himself as he plucked the mandolin in the back.

At that moment, several lines of bright flame were launched upwards from the central transfer gate plaza, and after a few seconds, they bloomed into large flowers in the dark sky.

The explosion of fireworks also signifies that the festival has entered its climax.

"Ah..." Yuna's eyes sparkled as she looked up at the sight she had never thought she would see here. It was a dazzling display of colors that she had only ever seen at the fireworks festival during summer holidays.

On stage, she rushed towards Dante, grabbed his hands, and said excitedly, like a child eager to show off, "That song! The one you sang in front of me before, Dante!"

"...Setting off fireworks?" Dante thought for a moment, and the only song Yuna could mention at this time was probably this one, one of the songs they had improvised in the tavern before, encouraged by her and Ashura.

"This is it!"

Asuna, watching the fireworks overhead, was also lost in a daze, wondering if this was reality or...

"According to Liting, this was bought in a strange item shop in a corner of the 'Town of Beginnings'."

"Liz!" Asuna called out as she turned around.

"Oh dear, no players are coming to my shop at all, so I came over." Lisbeth explained why she had abandoned her post. She was wearing a cute shop assistant uniform that was either completely harmless or, in other words, quite lethal, and she had a wry smile on her face.

"It's alright, there will be another chance later in the festival," Asuna comforted her with a smile. Under someone's influence, her sensitivity to Cor was also decreasing.

"I hope so," Lisbeth muttered, putting her hands behind her head. She had originally planned a lottery to give away all the accessories that were only good-looking but useless, or those that looked ordinary and couldn't even be sold for a good price by NPCs.

"Next song." Just then, Yuna's lovely voice on stage drew everyone's attention again, "This song is a treasure I've kept hidden away, and I'm dedicating it to you all on this special day!"

She became much bolder because of the atmosphere, but it would have been better if everyone had been completely immersed in the festival atmosphere.

"Ohhhhhhh!!!" The cheers of the players overlapped, and some fools even used sword skills to light up the air in order to create a lively atmosphere, lighting up various colored light effects.

"...A burst of light, fireworks bursting into view—summer must not be over yet. Let's untangle the knots of our ambiguity and reconnect tightly, wishing this night would never end..."

On the high ground at the edge of the square, Houzawa Ruiji, or more appropriately Nochiras, received an invitation from his childhood friend Yuna to attend a festival held at the front.