As time passed toward noon, the following half-hour brought no new arrivals. Only about seventy players were seated here.
Out of the tens of thousands of players, excluding those who remained in the Starting Town too afraid to venture out, only these seventy or so had received the message and were brave enough to risk their lives.
Although the number was small, each of them was precious—true pioneers determined to clear the game.
Clap, clap. When it seemed no one else would come, the blue-haired man standing at the center platform clapped his hands and spoke. "Thank you all for responding to my invitation. My name is Diavel, and my profession is—well, a self-proclaimed knight."
...
"Kimi-nee! I—I fell asleep in Kimi-nee's arms!" Asuna suddenly cried out, startled awake. She struggled slightly and tumbled out of Kurumi's embrace, about to hit the ground face-first.
"You silly little sister, how clumsy of you—to fall out of your big sister's arms." Kurumi quickly wrapped an arm around Asuna's waist, catching her in time. Then, holding her by the sides, she gently placed Asuna beside her.
"Asuna, right? Sorry my lap wasn't comfortable enough for you to sleep soundly," Kurumi said with a natural, teasing smile, reaching out to tap Asuna's small nose.
"Kimi-nee! Why are you..."
"You mean, why do I know your name?" Kurumi interrupted her, speaking with elegant calm. "Your name has always been in my friends list, little sister. But you've never once sent me a message."
"Hmm, such a willful little sister. You were probably waiting for your big sister to message you first, weren't you? I was really hoping you'd reach out to me on your own, you know!" Kurumi crossed her arms and pouted slightly, her expression a perfect mix of charm and mock indignation. Asuna fell silent.
"What's wrong, little sister? Did I say something bad?" Kurumi tilted her head, watching her curiously. Surely she wouldn't be upset over a small joke like that—Asuna wasn't the type.
"No... I just feel... really happy," Asuna said softly, turning her head away as she brushed at the corner of her eyes with a faint smile. Her eyes glistened slightly.
She had always been training alone, pushing herself just to stay strong. Always chasing after someone—her inspiration. And now, that very person had just said, 'I've been watching you.' Just thinking about it made her heart overflow with joy.
"You've worked hard," Kurumi said, reaching out to gently rub Asuna's head, her expression tender.
"'You've worked hard'... is that your way of acknowledging me?" Asuna murmured, lowering her gaze. For the first time, all her struggles felt validated. Her heart couldn't stop trembling with happiness.
"And remember, your big sister is right here," Kurumi said as she withdrew her hand, though the warmth lingered. Asuna's heart, however, refused to settle.
Big sister is here. Kimi-nee is by my side... have I finally caught up to her? Asuna's eyes blurred.
"Huh...? Why am I crying..." she whispered as teardrops fell onto the back of her hand. She hadn't even realized she was crying.
"The boss can't be beaten solo. Please form teams of six players each!" Diavel announced, suggesting everyone form groups for the raid. Though most didn't know each other, they quickly organized into parties.
Naturally, Kurumi invited Futayo, Kirito, and Asuna to her party. As for the remaining two slots, she decided to leave them empty—she didn't want anyone she disliked joining her group anyway.
"Wait a minute!" As the meeting neared its end, a short man with spiky yellow hair shaped almost like a morning star leapt forward.
"My name's Kibaou!" he shouted gruffly. The moment he appeared, his words were blunt and fierce.
"Before we go after the boss, some people here owe an apology to the seven hundred players who've already died!" he barked, crossing his arms with a furious expression.
Kurumi quickly sized him up—a righteous, impulsive, hot-blooded type. A simple-minded man who acted purely on emotion. And honestly, she rather liked people like that. Those who loved openly, hated openly.
"Mr. Kibaou, are you referring to the beta testers?" Diavel asked with his usual calm smile. A man who could smile even in tense moments—someone with natural leadership. He radiated the same kind of charm Kurumi possessed, though in his own way. Kurumi, Diavel, and Kimi Aoi—each of them were charismatic in their own distinct form.
"Exactly! When the game began, they abandoned ordinary players and hoarded resources and quests for themselves—only caring about getting stronger, faster! There must be beta testers among us right now. They should kneel down and apologize! Spit out all the Col they've hoarded, or there's no way we can survive!" Kibaou shouted, pointing accusingly at everyone. Kurumi noticed that many players instantly became visibly nervous.
"May I say something?" At that moment, a tall, African-American, bald man stepped forward and faced Kibaou. "My name is Andrew. Are you saying that the beta testers should take responsibility for the seven hundred deaths... just because they didn't look after us?"
"Those people didn't have to die! It's the beta testers' selfishness that caused their deaths. They should be the ones to take responsibility!" Kibaou retorted, his tone unwavering.
Andrew held up a simple-looking book. "This is the Strategy Guide distributed for free at the item shops. It was created by the beta testers for us. They didn't abandon us. What we should be discussing now is how to clear the boss using this guide."
"Ha! That thing's too basic to be of any use. I've been using Big Sister's Manual! The monster information in there is way more detailed—ten times better than that guide!" Kibaou proudly waved a finely bound booklet, the cover printed with Kimi Aoi's face.
"Uuu..." Kurumi instantly covered her face in embarrassment. She could still remember feeling smug when she decided to use her own picture as the cover back then. But now, seeing some brash young man waving it around for everyone to see... the shame was unbearable.
"Kimi-nee isn't even a beta tester, yet she cleared all the dungeon monsters and compiled them into this manual. What she did was ten times better than any beta tester! Tell me that's selfish!" Kibaou declared firmly.
"Uuu! Please stop... please stop!" Kurumi was dying of embarrassment. She'd wanted to charm cute girls—how did she end up charming naive boys instead? This is unbearable!
"Kimi-nee..." Asuna looked at Kurumi with eyes full of admiration. That one look instantly melted away Kurumi's shame. She rose gracefully to her feet and walked toward the center platform, her steps light and composed.
"Ahem! Since you've mentioned Big Sister, then Big Sister will say a few words herself!" Kurumi—dressed in her striking blue outfit, her flaxen hair gently swaying—walked forward with an air that seemed to carry the stars themselves.
All eyes turned toward Kimi Aoi. Every heart was captivated by that effortless, natural beauty. Wherever Kimi stood, she was the only focus—the sole protagonist of the world. She radiated the aura of someone born to stand above all others.
"Kimi-nee..." The arrogant Kibaou suddenly transformed into a bashful neighborhood boy, unable to meet her gaze.
Kurumi inwardly grinned. Hehehe... That's what you get for waving my picture around and embarrassing me. Now it's your turn to be embarrassed!
"Little brother, your big sister will take it from here," Kurumi said, ruffling Kibaou's hair. His face turned beet red, and his body wobbled like he was drunk.
Mufufu... Kimi Aoi's height really is the best design choice. She can ruffle shorter guys' hair without even reaching up. Oh-hohohoho...
Thud! Kibaou finally collapsed, dizzy, his eyes spinning like swirls. Really now... it was just a head pat. Was that necessary?
"Here and now, I'll apologize to all the beta testers on behalf of my little brother," Kurumi said, bowing politely with her hands before her.
"Kimi-nee?" Kibaou looked up from the ground in confusion, while the others around them stared in shock. Wasn't the demand that the beta testers apologize? Why was Kimi-nee apologizing to them instead?
"My little brother has overestimated the beta testers' advantage. In truth, there isn't such a vast difference between them and us," Kurumi said as she straightened.
"As we all know, only a thousand players participated in the beta for one month. Now, there are ten thousand of us who have been playing for the same amount of time. Compared to the beta testers, we've received far more support and resources."
"Yet, in that same month, we still haven't cleared the first floor. So, in reality, the beta testers' knowledge and experience weren't as extensive as we imagined."
Her words silenced the crowd. All this time, everyone had believed the beta testers were unfairly privileged—possessing more experience, resources, and levels. That envy had clouded their reason.
But no one had considered that their so-called experience was limited. In the original timeline, only Kirito had truly stood out; the rest of the beta testers had been swallowed by the tide of struggle. In truth, they were the unlucky ones.
"Ask yourselves this—if you were given another chance to start over with everything you've learned from this month, how much stronger could you really become? Twice as strong? Maybe not even that much," Kurumi said firmly, her voice ringing with conviction.
Sometimes, when the truth is finally spoken aloud, it turns out to be nothing special at all. But until someone says it, jealousy and misunderstanding continue to blind people.