Twenty-second floor, lakeside.

There were three people sitting quietly on the edge of the lake,

One is barely a young man, the other is completely juvenile, and the last one is probably an old man who has just entered old age.

The three of them sat there silently, each with a pair of fishing rods in front of them.

The tip of the line hanging on the surface of the lake was tied to the float, but the float didn't even move.

Of course, this scene only happened to two young people, the uncle - let's call it uncle in Japan - who caught fish from time to time.

Since Kirito has been fishing for some reason, Ye Chi has also been pulled to accompany him.

But for some reason, the fish just didn't take the bait at all. The skill proficiency level is almost over 600, and even if you can't catch a big fish, you should be able to catch something, but every day is just a whole box of bait that you buy in the village.

Kirito is about the same—not as good as him......

Then the two of them could only watch boredly as the old man caught big fish one by one, wasting a lot of expensive bait by himself......

"It's a dog...... Is this the same as still fishing? I can't catch it anymore! Ye Chi shook the rod with a sad and indignant expression.

Kirito's expression was similar, and he simply threw the rod aside and lay on his back on the grass.

Ye Chi also followed his example, and also lay on his back, fantasizing that Asuna would be able to lie here with him one day......

That's right...... No more fantasies...... My wife caught up with it, so it would be good to ask if she was coming......

I still think that I am the best silk of my own masturbation...... I don't have the mentality that I'm already a person with a wife......

En'...... Lying peacefully on the grass with your lover...... It's reassuring to think about......

Well......

it!

Ye Chi could feel a shadow cast on his face......

When he opened his eyes, a large, wrinkled face filled his entire vision.

He was genuinely shocked......

He was almost open-hanging, barely lifting his body and moving back half a meter away......

Second only to "I was scared and flew ......"

"Hey, young man, how's it going?"

It was the old man who fished with them...... In fact, he is not old, eat that little old man......

The heavy clothes he wore and a hat that could cover his ears were there, and he was holding a fishing rod like Ye Chi. What was surprising was the man's age, though. No matter how you look at it, he should be over fifty years old. The face with iron-rimmed glasses is already engraved with wrinkles that indicate that he has just entered old age. In SAO, which is full of heavy gamers, it is quite rare for players to be so old. I should say that I have never seen it. Could it be that ?

"I'm not an NPC."

The man smiled wryly as if he had read his thoughts, and then slowly walked down the dirt slope.

"I'm really, I'm sorry. I also think it's unlikely, but ......"

"No, no, no wonder you think so. I guess I'm the oldest player in the game. ”

I saw him shaking his sturdy body, and he laughed wow, ha, ha.

The man said "I'm sorry" and sat down next to Ye Chi - in fact, he just moved from one side to the other - after taking out the bait box from the small bag on his waist, he called out the pop-up menu with an unaccustomed gesture, and hung the bait after selecting the fishing rod.

"My name is Nishida. Here, he is a fisherman, and in Japan, he is the head of security for a company called Toto Rapid. I'm so embarrassed to not have a business card. ”

After saying that, he laughed again.

"Ahh......hh

Got it...... This person...... Dongdu Express Line is a network operator in cooperation with ARGUS. There should also be a network that manages the network connected to the SAO server farm, which is actually a private telecommunications company......

Livingslater...... Shortly after moving from the upper floor......"

"My name is Kirito. I have only recently moved from the upper floor. Mr. Nishida's company...... It should be...... ...... responsible for maintaining the SAO network cable?"

"Basically, I'm the person in charge of this part."

………………

Ye Chi and Kirito's faces were quite complicated......

How so...... Sure enough, the whole incident has nothing to do with the company to which this man belongs, but it has nothing to do with this man, it can be said that ARGUS and Dongdu were quickly pitted by Maochang alone......

So...... There was no need for this man to come here......

Because he is a network engineer at best, not the operator and maintainer of the game.

He is under no obligation to test this game.

"Oops, the people above also said that it doesn't matter if you don't have to log in to the game, but my personality is that I must confirm the results of my work with my own eyes, and the result of refusing to accept old age is this kind of thing."

Watching him smile and throw the rod out with smooth movements, you can tell that he is a very professional angler - you can't tell how clumsy he is when he opens the menu just now. He seemed to like to talk very much, and continued to say when Ye Chi and Kirito didn't react:

"In addition to me, there are also twenty or thirty older fathers who came into this world for various reasons. They're probably all in the starting town, but I can't afford to give up that interest. ”

As he spoke, he pulled the fishing rod to show them.

"I kept looking for good rivers and lakes, and finally I climbed to this kind of place."

"I am, so it is...... But there are no monsters on this level. ”

Nishida heard what Kirito said, but he just smiled slightly and didn't answer. Instead, he asked me:

"Well, are there any good fishing spots up there?"

"Hmm...... The 61st floor of the comprehensive lake should be said to be the sea, and I heard that you can catch quite a lot of fish. ”

"That's it! I'll have to give it a try. ”

At this time, the float on the end of the man's line began to float violently. Nishida moves his wrist exactly to the rhythm of the rod. His own fishing skills should be very good, and the value of his fishing skills is quite high.

"Woo, yes, yes!"

Not small, indeed...... Although it looks a little sci-fi...... And then the stuff can really be eaten?

Although this thing is indeed edible......

In one go, a large fish that glows blue is pulled out of the water. After a few jumps in the man's hand, the fish automatically folded into the inventory and vanished.

"Amazing......!"

Nishida scratched his head embarrassedly and said:

"No, fishing here is just based on skill values."

Then he laughed and said:

"It's nice to be able to catch fish, but I don't really know what to cook after that...... Although I would love to eat stewed fish and sashimi, I couldn't ...... without soy sauce."

"Ah...... That ......"

Although he didn't really want to expose himself - not carefully, but if he was exposed, it might be very troublesome, but Ye Chi felt that it was good to be able to eat stewed fish......

“…… I know there is a seasoning that is very similar to soy sauce......"

"What did you say!"

The eyes under Nishida's glasses shone brightly, and he leaned over to Ye Chi. When Asuna saw Mr. Nishida when she welcomed Ye Chi home, her eyes widened in surprise, but she immediately smiled and said:

"You're back, have a guest? Suddenly it came...... And Liz? ”

"Well, this is Mr. Nishida, the angler. And—"

"I'm his wife, Asuna." Asuna introduced herself so generously, as Ye Chi's wife-I have to say, he was still very proud in his heart.

After saying that, he nodded very energetically.

Nishida opened his mouth wide and stared blankly at Asuna. Dressed in a plain dress and linen blouse, and wearing an apron and a headscarf, Asuna is completely different from the heroic swordsman of the KOB era, but her beauty has not changed in the slightest.

After blinking his eyes several times, Nishida, who had finally come back to his senses, spoke:

"Oops, oops, what a faux pas, I was completely stunned. My name is Nishida, and I'm here to disturb you today......"

He rubbed his head and laughed.

Asuna used her cooking skills to prepare the fish she got from Nishida into sashimi and stewed fish and put them on the table, plus the grilled fish made by Hachi...... The smell of her homemade soy sauce wafted through the room—even Ye Chi's grilled fish was soy sauce-flavored...... Nishida looked moved with a touched look on his face, and kept moving his nose.

Although it is a freshwater fish - this is obvious...... But Ye Chi tasted the taste of sea fish...... Most of the fish on the Chinese table are freshwater fish, but try the sweet flavor of freshwater fish and the greasy feeling of small sea fish...... Unexpectedly good?

Although such a high-grade ingredient is called Asuna and Ye Chilai, it won't be unpalatable if they come late......

The plates on the table were immediately emptied, and after the meal, Nishida held the cup of hot tea in his hand and let out a long sigh of intoxication.

“…… Oops, it's so delicious. Thank you for your hospitality. However, I really didn't expect that there would be soy sauce in this world......"

"Ah, we did it ourselves. If you don't like it, please take it home. ”

Asuna took a small bottle from the kitchen and handed it to Nishida. But I don't think it's better to tell him that it's better to have an antidote in the material. She smiled and said to the embarrassed Nishida, "It's okay, you also shared such delicious fish with us", and then said:

"Levi and Kirito have never brought back a reliable fish......"

Liz nodded her head on the side, "That's it...... I'd love to remember the taste of sashimi......"

"Didn't I catch it too much......" Ye Chi whispered embarrassedly.

"You're embarrassed to talk about a sardine-sized fish...... After renting, it can only be used to make trash fish stewed pot! Liz slapped the table.

"Then don't eat that pot of stewed miscellaneous fish, don't eat it......" Ye Chi used a special causal law killer for foodies.

"Woo......" Liz suddenly ran out of breath......

"Don't be discouraged...... Didn't I catch any fish......"

"So you're comforting a ghost like this!"

"What a envy...... The relationship between the four of you is so good......"

"Actually, that's ......"

"That's what makes people envious......"

"Anyway, although my fishing level is not as high as yours, I should be able to catch reliable ones...... Why do you catch some small fish at most...... Is this lake too difficult? ”

"Not really. The only thing that is difficult is the large lake where Kirito is fishing. ”

"What......" Ye Chi put down the teacup, feeling a little dumbfounded, "Why?" Isn't this a pit? ”

"Actually, what about that lake......

Nishida lowered his voice and said. Asuna and I leaned over to each other.

"It's like there's a master."

"Master?"

Smiling slightly at the stunned four people, Nishida continued to say as he pushed his glasses up:

"In the prop house in the village, there is a particularly expensive fishing bait. I thought I would have to buy something to try to see the effect, so I bought it and used it. ”

I couldn't help but swallow my saliva.

"But with this bait, you can't catch any fish at all. After trying it in many places, I thought if it would be used in the most difficult lake. ”

"Did you catch the knot...... did you catch it?"

"It's really hooked."

He nodded deeply. But immediately he showed a very pitiful expression and said:

"It's just that I didn't have enough strength to pull the fish up, and the rod was dragged away. I saw a little shadow at the end, and it wasn't just big, it was a monster. Of course, I don't mean monsters like the ones that appear in the practice area. ”

He spread his arms wide. When he was by the lake, Kirito or Ye Chi once seemed to tell him that there were no monsters here, that unfathomable smile, probably that's what it meant......

"Wow, I really want to see it!"

Asuna said with a sparkle in her eyes. Nishida said, "This is what I want to discuss with you" - and moved his gaze to Kirito and Hachi.

"You ...... Are you confident in your strength? ”

"Well, I guess it's okay......"

"Strength...... Kirito seems to be a little taller than me, after all, I'm an Agile Assassin......"

"Then do you want to fish with me! I'm in charge of it until it's baked. I'll hand it over to you once you've taken the bait. ”

"Ahh Can that be done......"

Asuna looked excited and said to Ye Chi, who was suspicious:

"Give it a try, Levy! Very interesting......"

"But if it's strength...... Or is Kirito taller? ”

"But fishing isn't just about power...... As long as the strength reaches a threshold, it's fine...... It would be better if it could be more agile and precise while hoisting, right? ”

"Hmm......" Ye Chi picked up the teacup...... took a small sip......

"Then give it a try......"

After finishing speaking, Nishida showed a smile on his face and said, "That's right", and wow, ha, ha,

Liz and Kirito also said that they would come back and watch strongly......

――――――――――――――――――――――

That same evening.

Asuna shouted that it was so cold, so cold, and then after getting into Ye Chi's quilt and sticking her body tightly to him, a satisfied sound came out of her throat. She blinked her sleepy eyes as she smiled as if she remembered something.

“…… There are so many different people here......"

"He's such a delightful old gentleman."

"Hmm."

Asuna, who was originally smiling and talking, suddenly put away her smile and whispered:

"I've been fighting at the top so far, and I've forgotten that there are people living an ordinary life here......"

"It's not that we're special, but since we have a rank that can fight at the front line, it means that we have a responsibility to these people."

Ye Chi hugged Asuna and said, "That's right, as we once said, our society has a different division of labor, and those with strength have responsibilities, and we have the obligation to protect them - and to protect their smiles, maybe this is the ...... Probably the most meaningful reward we could get......"

“…… There are so many different people here......"

"He's such a delightful old gentleman."

"Hmm."

Asuna, who was originally smiling and talking, suddenly put away her smile and whispered:

"I've been fighting at the top so far, and I've forgotten that there are people living an ordinary life here......"

"I think there must be a lot of people looking forward to Levy right now. Of course, I included. ”

"And yet...... Maybe I won't be able to live up to their expectations......"

He stroked a pendant around Asuna's neck—a crystalline, facetedly cut teardrop-shaped crystal—the prop's name, Yui's heart.

"In the end, I just kept Yui's main program and some of the expansion modules...... I don't know how many of them are packed, but if it's complete......"

"It's already good...... Otherwise......" Asuna didn't continue.

"No...... Not enough, far from enough...... However......"

Asuna Kirito hugged him and didn't let him continue.

"It's not just your responsibility...... There's mine too......"

"yes...... We...... Bear it together. ”

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Five recommended votes...... It's the first time I've seen so many ...... It's a great blessing for the author to have readers who resonate with his work......

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