Chapter Ninety: Hentai!

Just as the two of them had finally finished their “exchange” and were about to head out for drinks, an unwelcome guest came running over.

“Are you ready, Lancer?” Just as the two were draping their arms over each other and discussing where to go for fun tonight, the door was pushed open, and the pair turned around as if struck by a freezing spell.

“Hm?” The moment Asuna stepped inside and saw the two of them with their arms around each other, grinning like villains, she knew she had arrived at exactly the right time.

“Lancer, where do you think you’re going? Have you forgotten yesterday’s promise?” Looking at the smiling girl, Lancer felt a chill run down his spine. Anyone who had taken part in the front-line assaults knew that Asuna was a true iron-blooded warrior; to them, her everyday smile was nothing more than a disguise. Of course, even so, countless players still harbored secret feelings for her. Lancer had cursed them many times as queen fanatics and masochists, but he had forgotten that compared with them, he himself was the real masochist, the real queen fanatic.

“Of course not~ How could I possibly forget something said by Lady Asuna~” Lancer immediately put on a flattering smile. If the guild members outside saw their boss smiling ingratiatingly before the vice-captain of the Blood Alliance, who knew whether they would all resign on the spot.

“All right, you’re not needed here. Get ready to leave with me.” Hearing that Asuna was no longer pressing him, Lancer naturally breathed a sigh of relief. But looking at her expression, it seemed she was not finished yet. He could only cast Kirito a sympathetic glance.

“Save me!” Kirito was already completely cowed by Asuna’s presence. It wasn’t that he couldn’t beat her; it was simply that ever since the first days of the conquest, the two had known each other and often teamed up. It was hard for him to use the methods he reserved for outsiders against Asuna. On top of that, ever since he and Sachi had gotten together, Asuna often helped keep Sachi company whenever he was away. He had been receiving her kindness, so now he had no leverage at all to fight back. All he could do was ask Lancer for help.

“Fend for yourself.” Having just jumped out of a burning pit, Lancer had no intention of leaping back in. He sold Kirito out without hesitation. As for his own betrayal, he felt no guilt whatsoever. Besides, in this situation he was already fighting for his own life—if he wasn’t going to sell Kirito out, then who was he going to sell?

“Kirito-kun, you should understand that your position is no longer the same as before. Back then you were on your own, so you could do whatever you liked. But now that you have Sachi, you should show the spirit a man ought to have. It’s already almost evening, so why aren’t you going back to keep her company and instead staying with someone like this? You should know that…”

Lancer felt thoroughly innocent, like he had been caught in the crossfire. But seeing Asuna at that moment scolding her own friend on behalf of her best friend, he decided he ought to support her and simply pretended not to hear it.

“Right now, Kirito is being lectured by Asuna. Want to watch the live broadcast?”

With that, Lancer, who had withdrawn from the battlefield, began thinking of ways to mess with Kirito. Since he was a shut-in by nature, he was not good at socializing. Sometimes, a prank was one of the ways friends communicated, from his own bitter experience. The first two people he thought of were Agil and Klein. Their mouths were tight, so they should not blab. Lancer sent them both a message.

“Nonsense, of course.”

The two of them knew that Kirito would definitely settle accounts with them afterward, but they really could not resist this kind of scene. After hesitating for a few seconds, they replied to Lancer.

“Your order has been received. One hundred gold coins, please automatically imagine the sound effect of going to a shop in the game~ Meow~”

Lancer even threw in a little cutesy flourish at the end.

“We all know you’re a man. That was disgusting.”

Though they said that, their hands were not slow at all. When Lancer saw the new message arrive, he knew the money had been transferred. He then sent over two crystals as well—recording crystals, though these were linked to the ones he was currently using, so they could be taken and used as a live broadcast screen. Of course, they were not cheap. One hundred gold coins would not even cover the rounding error.

When the two of them saw Kirito obediently kneeling with his head lowered while being lectured, both of them collapsed onto the floor, laughing until they clutched their stomachs. In their eyes, Kirito was supposed to be a cool, aloof guy; who would have expected him to have such a side? It was truly a surprise.

Half an hour later, Asuna finally felt she had said enough and decided to stop. Lancer and the other two were still a little reluctant to let the show end, but they could not let Asuna continue forever. Though this matter was sure to be exposed eventually, at least for now, it would have to do.

“All right, let’s go, Lancer-kun.” At that point, she also remembered the purpose of her visit and looked back at Lancer. In order to maintain her lady-like image outside, she even addressed him with the proper formality.

“Okay, much appreciated.”

Though the last line made no sense, Kirito still wiped the sweat from his brow. At least this time he had escaped. What he did not know was that before a single day passed, the matter would spread throughout the front-line strategy division. But that was a story for later.

“All right, Lancer. I forgot to ask you just now what Kirito wanted from you. What is it?” Seeing Lancer’s strange expression, she added, “If it’s something important, then never mind.”

“It’s nothing like that. Kirito wanted me to help him make a weapon. I was curious too, but everyone has their own secrets, so I didn’t ask further.” Lancer did not care. Anyway, the time for that was almost here, and Kirito’s dual-blade style would not last much longer. He had not explained everything anyway, so he did not mind.

“Oh, by the way, that little girl you introduced last time is really quite good. Although her strength still can’t compare with an ordinary assault team member, with her own ability plus that winged dragon, she’s not worth any less than you or Kirito.” Thinking of how she had once assigned Silica to train with the second squad, she had not been very willing at first. But after the dragon’s skills were revealed, Silica had now become the most popular member of the entire team apart from Asuna herself.

“How could someone I introduced be wrong? It’s just a pity our guild is so strange. Otherwise, do you think I would have sent her to yours? But you really have to keep an eye on her for me. Back then, when I said I’d introduce her to a new team, she was very unwilling. After all, with her strength plus Pina, she’s definitely no worse than you. And given what she went through with her old party, she hates people who treat her like a mascot or a pretty ornament. I hope your side won’t do that.”

Kirito still remembered how, when he brought her to meet Asuna, she had cried bitterly, saying that she did not want him to abandon her. Lancer really had no idea what her problem was. His own guild was special and could not take her in, and the Blood Alliance was, in that sense, the best choice. So why had she been unhappy?

And Lancer himself simply stood there with a dazed expression, murmuring, “It really is strange. Why would she cry?”

“Looks like Silica has a worrying future ahead of her.”

Asuna looked at Lancer and sighed. Then she suddenly remembered how he had looked that noon, and her heart gave a violent throb. Her face turned red all at once.

As the two chatted, they soon arrived at a certain town on the forty-eighth floor. Under Asuna’s guidance, they stopped in front of a house.

“We’re here. This is it.” Asuna opened the door for Lancer and gestured for him to go in first.

“Welcome to Lizbeth’s Weapon Shop~” The shop’s little mascot saw the door open, leapt to her feet, and bowed deeply.

“Uh—” Lancer discovered that the girl before him was actually an acquaintance. She was the same girl who had once burst in while he was dealing with the people from the Laughing Coffin.

Lizbeth also lifted her head after greeting them, and when she saw Lancer, she froze. Then she shouted, “You’re the pervert from that day?!”

As for me, I update every night at midnight, and I’m truly calm about it~ By the way, if anyone has spare tickets and bookmark slots, I’d be extremely grateful.

I can’t hold on anymore. I really need to sleep. This chapter is, yes, a bit much. I still have to go back to school tomorrow to prove I didn’t fail... What a pain. This lousy weather even expects me to get up early. Venting over. Good night, everyone.