"Let's go. Back to the guild." Kurumi turned around, her expression calm and composed.
"Not going to build the house?" Kimi asked softly as she followed.
"Not anymore." Kurumi stopped walking, then took a few steps back and reached for Kimi's hand. A gentle smile graced her beautiful face, and Kimi squeezed her hand in return.
"My Divine One, I will never leave your side."
At the Crystal Guild headquarters, the meeting had long ended. Only Sachi and Kirito remained, sorting through the guild's paperwork. Honestly, Kirito had become quite the well-rounded individual under Kurumi's training—both in strength and intellect. It seemed inevitable that Sachi would fall for him sooner or later.
Beep beep... "Another guild mail," Kirito said casually, reaching out to open it.
At that moment, Sachi's body trembled, her face pale with fear. The last time her master had opened such an email, it had announced the discovery of the 41st Floor Boss. The entire Crystal Guild had mobilized—and nearly been wiped out. Worst of all, Kimi-nee had almost died.
Sachi was terrified. What if this new message brought another disaster? What if her master left and never came back? The thought alone made her chest tighten.
"The orange guild, Titan's Hand, has been maliciously hunting other players. One of the victims' husbands is now kneeling in the streets, begging anyone to avenge her—to send Titan's Hand straight to hell." Kirito's voice hardened as he read the message aloud.
His expression darkened instantly, eyes flashing with fury. Maliciously killing other players—such murderers were nothing but criminals. Titan's Hand had to be brought to justice.
"Sorry, Sachi. I need to step out for a bit." Kirito rose to his feet, determination burning in his eyes. Power came with responsibility. As one of the strongest players in the game, he couldn't ignore something like this.
Thud! The chair fell over as Sachi suddenly stood, grabbing Kirito's hand.
"Sachi?" Kirito turned, seeing her eyes brimming with tears.
"Master, I'm scared. Last time was just like this—when you got that message about the boss fight. You went, and we were trapped for an entire day and night. There were so many wolves, and Kimi-nee nearly died!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as her body trembled.
"Sachi..." Kirito opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. Truthfully, he was afraid too—but not of his own death. What scared him most was Kimi-nee dying.
It wasn't love—not that kind of feeling. He simply believed that if Kimi-nee died, then there would be no saving anyone. The game could never be cleared.
"Why do we have to do this? Aren't games supposed to be fun—to help people relax? Why do we have to risk our lives? Master... I'm terrified." Sachi let go of his hand, wiping her tears with trembling fingers.
"I'm scared of dying. I'm scared that one day you'll leave... and never come back. Why do we have to play with our lives on the line? What's the point? I don't understand at all!" Sachi sobbed uncontrollably, releasing all her fear and despair at once.
"People like me—too afraid to even leave town—there are so many of us. What's the point of people like us even existing? We can't fight, we just hide in the city. We're useless!" she cried, throwing her arms around Kirito in desperation. Somewhere nearby, a hidden onlooker smirked maliciously.
"When I met you, Master, I thought... maybe you were the reason I existed. So I'm scared! Scared that one day, you'll just leave and never return!"
"Uh..." Kirito froze, his face flushing bright red. He was, after all, a hopelessly pure-hearted otaku.
As for Sachi's fear, he couldn't truly understand it. Maybe it was because he'd fought so many battles and faced death countless times. Walking on the edge of life and death had become normal to him. Death simply wasn't something he feared anymore. So while he empathized with Sachi, her terror was something he couldn't fully grasp.
"Ara ara! What do we have here? A cute little girl confessing to my foolish little brother~" A playful voice came from the guild entrance. A head peeked in—Kirito and Sachi froze, then realized at once: the twin-tailed girl was none other than Kimi-nee's true form.
"Kimi-nee?!" they both shouted, instantly jumping apart, faces flushed bright red like fire.
"Mm-hmm~ Trying to deny it now won't help! Your wise sister heard everything from the start," Kurumi said proudly, walking in with an expression of smug satisfaction. Kirito wanted so badly to retort—but shame kept his mouth sealed shut.
"Oh dear, my clueless little brother has finally matured! To think you're considering lifelong matters now—your sister is truly touched," Kurumi sighed with exaggerated emotion, hands on her hips.
Kirito's expression twisted in embarrassment. Kimi-nee was talking like a real older sister, and for some reason, that made him want to both laugh and kneel in reverence.
"My foolish brother! I'm entrusting Sachi to you," Kurumi declared solemnly, gripping his shoulders like a father giving away his daughter in marriage.
Kirito froze completely, while Sachi blushed furiously. To Kirito, Kimi-nee was clearly teasing him—but to Sachi, it sounded like Kimi-nee was genuinely concerned for her happiness.
"So, my foolish brother—leave the Titan's Hand incident to me." Kurumi's tone suddenly turned serious. Her mood had already been foul, and now someone had the audacity to deliver trouble straight to her door.
"But Kimi-nee! Isn't your appearance already known to everyone?" Kirito asked quickly. After all, the battle with the 41st Floor Boss had been recorded by Heathcliff. Every player now knew that Tokisaki Kurumi and Kimi Aoi were the same person. Both of her faces were burned into every player's memory.
"Relax~ Your wise sister happens to be a master of disguise," Kurumi said confidently, untying her twin tails. She rearranged her hair, letting most of it fall forward to cover her face. Now, her features were mostly hidden—her appearance completely transformed into that of a frail-looking girl.
Then she switched outfits, changing her blue guild uniform into a soft pink dress. With her long black hair flowing to her waist, she looked like a delicate maiden—no trace of the fearsome Kurumi remained.
"And finally, changing one's aura—that's my specialty." Kurumi crossed her arms proudly, then clasped her hands to her chest. A faint mist of tears gathered in her wine-red eyes.
"I... I'm so scared... Everyone's dead... I'm the only one left... It's my fault they all died... Someone like me—so weak and useless—what's the point of living?" She covered her face with her hands, shoulders trembling softly. A perfect picture of fragile despair.
"Ugh—thump!" Sachi's head spun, and she collapsed instantly, eyes swirling like spirals.
'Such a weak and pitiful me...' was all she could think before passing out. Kimi-nee's... teasing me with my own weakness!
Kirito, meanwhile, broke out in cold sweat. "Oh no... Titan's Hand is done for." Every hair on his body stood on end.
If someone didn't know how powerful Kimi-nee truly was, they might feel sympathy for this trembling, tearful girl. But Kirito did know—and that knowledge chilled him to the core.
Titan's Hand was doomed. Absolutely, positively doomed.
When Kimi-nee smiled like that... it meant someone was about to be erased.