"Guys, are you ready?"

On the makeshift stage, Yuna, who had dyed her hair white with props, raised her arms and shouted to the players below.

- Oh oh !!!!!!!

What followed was a cheer that resounded through the town square of the start.

"So, let's start the music!"

Compared with the more introverted appearance that met before, Yuna, who is now on stage, is undoubtedly more like a real idol.

The loud singing continued to rise and fall, and the emotions of the players and viewers gradually rose.

……

"Really, why did Yuki take on this task......"

Standing on the outermost side, Asuna put her hand on the thin sword and held her toes with some dissatisfaction.

As the floors continue to climb, the chestnut-haired girl who saw the hope of clearing the customs became more and more enthusiastic about the strategy.

Rather than listening to a concert here, she would rather brush up on the upper monsters.

"That being said, but Asuna, you're actually just scared of ghosts, aren't you?"

Covering her mouth on the side, Lizbet snickered.

"What are you talking about!! How could I be afraid of ghosts?! ”

Asuna, whose face turned a little red and straightened her arms in an angry manner, was obviously hiding her weakness, and she didn't notice the change in her tone at all.

"Okay, okay! I know! I'm sure you are! ”

Lizbet, who was not trying to provoke someone, put her eyes on Celica, who was standing in front of the two of them, dancing happily to the song.

The little girl's face was full of excitement, and even the demon on her head kept flapping her wings.

Her expression softened, and Lizbet smiled at Asuna.

"Don't make yourself too tired, and there's nothing wrong with relaxing once in a while, right?"

“……”

"Hmm."

Perhaps, Yuki is also aware of this.

……

***********************************************************************************************************

"Whew...... It's really lively here...... It's clear that we've worked so hard......"

In the other position opposite Asuna, Naoba's mood was a little complicated.

They fought for life and death at the top level to clear this game, and they actually started a concert happily at the bottom.

"Hmm...... You can't think of it that way, after all, everyone chooses a different way of survival. ”

"It's like we chose to pick up our swords and fight, and they chose to lay down their swords and wait for salvation."

With his feet stretched out, Yuki, who was sitting on the steps, looked at the starry sky with a calm expression.

"And that's not necessarily a bad thing for upper-level players."

Following Yuki's words, Lanzi smiled and pointed to the middle of the crowd, there were many players wearing equipment that only the middle and upper classes wanted, and the most conspicuous was the group of people with the loudest voices and wearing the uniform of the Unified Guild.

It is the friend of Brother Naoba, the "Wind Forest Volcano" led by Klein.

The down-and-out samurai at the head was still tearing his voice and desperately shouting 'Yuna dear'.

“…… Obey them. ”

The deaf pulled his shoulders, and Naoba smiled bitterly with a slumped face.

……

********************************************************************************************************************

With the warm applause of all the players, the concert finally ended smoothly.

After all, it's also in a safe zone, and it's not realistic for players to want to make trouble.

The reason why the guild people are divided into two groups is that they are just helping to maintain order.

The so-called 'ghost' is not even seen, so Yuriel and the others are also wondering if it is because Yuna is too tired to have a delusion.

However, Yuna insisted that she was absolutely not mistaken.

Because she had seen white shadows haunt her several times.

And the reason why the other party is a ghost is also because I have never seen the blood bar and arrow on the other party's head.

Doesn't that mean that the 'ghosts' are neither players nor NPCs? That's why it's scary......

Without any clues, Yuki and the others decided to guard her in the form of constant shifts.

But it's impossible to accompany them without restrictions, after all, they have to go back to the front line to continue the strategy.

……

Three days later, head to the streets of the church in the eastern 7th district of town.

Today is Yuki's last day on the first floor, and she has received a summons from Kirito not long ago, and she is about to start a strategy on the seventy-fourth floor.

It's just that there is still no clue about the question of 'ghosts', and although Yuki has some guesses about it, he can't be sure if he hasn't seen it with his own eyes.

"I'm sorry for wasting so much of your precious time."

Looking at her last guard apologetically, Yuna sighed helplessly.

I don't know if the 'ghost' has noticed something, but there has been no sign of wandering around her lately.

However, in the absence of any certainty as to whether it was an avid player or a system bug, she had to try not to leave the safe area.

“…… It's not a waste, after all, everyone has been fighting on the front line for so long, and it's a good thing to have a good rest these days. ”

Comforting Yuna, Yuki looked up at the shopping street that had changed a lot.

I didn't expect the first floor to become lively, and it seems that many players have taken this place as a reality and started their lives again.

"Cheer up, song, it's good."

Patting Yuna's back as a gesture of encouragement, Yuki took the lead in their final destination for the day.

“…… It's still the same. ”

looked at Yuki's back with some envy, and Yuna, who had adjusted her condition, also walked in.

……

The church in the East 7th District is a gathering place for most of the younger players today, and as long as you continue to pay a small amount of Kele, the small room in the church can be used as a hotel, which can be said to be quite humane in this world.

"Ahh It's Yuna! ”

Seeing the two of them pushing open the door and walking in, Yuna's child, who was the first to find it, screamed happily.

Because she is busy with concert activities these days, she hasn't been here for several days.

As more and more young players heard the cries and gathered, the main entrance to the church slowly opened, and a woman with glasses who looked to be about twenty years old walked out.

"Is it Yuna...... Who is this? ”

Looking at the new face next to Yuna, the nun asked with some confusion, she remembered that she usually came with Lielle.

"Good afternoon, Miss Sasha."

"This is my friend, Yuki."

After saying hello, Yuna smiled and introduced the two to each other.

“…… Ah, hello, this side please. ”

Finally stopping the children who were surrounding them to ask questions, the bespectacled nun welcomed the two inside.

……

During the reception, Yuna briefly explained what had happened in the past few days.

"...... 'ghost' investigation, right......"

"Well, you also know that I've been struggling with this matter lately, so Captain Xinka and they helped me invite Yuki."

"But now it looks like I'm really careless."

Sitting at the table with a teacup in hand, Yuna seems to have come to terms with this reality.

"Well, if you have anything to say about it, it's actually ......."

“……？”

After hesitating, the somewhat nerve-wracking Sasha seemed to be organizing the language.

"In the past few days, the children of the church have been telling me that they have seen ......"

Overlapping with the words Sasha wanted to spit out, a child's screams came from outside the door.

"Sasha Sasha, Teacher Sasaxia!!!!"

"The ghost has reappeared——!!!!!"

“——？！”