For the sake of Jupiter, who was hungry, we went down to the first floor of the inn and decided to eat in the dining room. As soon as the rice arrived, Jupiter happily began to eat like a real child, but to my surprise, Jupiter's way of eating was in line with real-world eating etiquette.

He looked like a child, and he looked like he was about to binge-eat, but he ate quietly with a knife and fork, without making a sound. Since he was more polite than anyone in this room, we were surprised and completely forgot to eat and focused our attention on Jupiter. However, perhaps because he was still hungry, he ate quickly, and quickly finished the side dishes and white rice on his plate. But after that, we were surprised again.

This restaurant is not a real-life restaurant, but a form in which players can refill for free if they ask for it. Each restaurant has its own set of ingredients and doesn't have a maximum order quantity, so there's a chance of a "free renewal", which usually results in a big loss for the restaurant. As if knowing this, Jupiter asked for side dishes, white rice, and soup, and began to busied himself with the food that had been served.

Because she looks younger than Yui and has an inconsistent way of speaking, she looks like a child, but because she has a good demeanor, it seems very inconsistent. And even the refill sent was eaten by Jupiter in the blink of an eye.

"Well, Jupiter, you eat a lot."

Even as Asuna, who had become a Guardian, stared at him and said this, Jupiter continued to eat. I was polite about how to eat, but I don't know how much I ate. This is completely inconsistent.

"I think she likes to eat because she looks lively when she eats."

Shino grunted and sipped her latte. Indeed, Jupiter now looks much happier than he did when he admitted Asuna as his parents. And with so much food, this kid must love to eat. In fact, it would be a straight line for obese children, but it doesn't matter because it's inside the VRmmo.

"It's good that you like to eat, but Miss Asuna, if you don't go to a restaurant where you can refill for free, you're going to spend a lot of money on food." \"

When Lifa told Asuna in a cold sweat, Asuna nodded in a cold sweat as well.

"yes, yes, I didn't expect my little child to eat so much."

Ariki's eyes widened at the food Jupiter was eating.

"Wow, I'm running out of refills. Jupiter eats more than I do. ”

Lizzebet took the cake in her mouth.

"Normally, I get fat, but the good thing about playing VRmmo is that I can eat a lot.

Finally, Asuna broke out in a cold sweat and stopped talking. Probably, he was speechless at the thought of the cost of food with Jupiter in the future. I don't usually think much about money, but when I think about the cost of Jupiter's food, I'm sure my face turns pale.

With that, Yui looked at Jupiter with admiration.

"It's amazing. I can't eat like this. ”

Lilan sat on my shoulder and made a "sound" to Yui.

"Yui doesn't have to eat so much. Or rather, Jupiter is just a little weird. \"

Immediately afterward, Shino opened the window of information as if she realized something. The person who sends Shino a message is usually Alice, so I'm sure the message was sent by Alice.

\"Alice Sand's? \"

"yes. I'm sure it's about Jupiter."

When the attention turns to the message that Alice is supposed to show, Shino's eyes become dots. I wonder what exactly is written there.

"Shina, what is written? \"

"Look"

Shino said as she showed the message and showed it to me. - The next moment, I felt my eyes turn into dots. If you look to the side, Lilan's eyes are also punctate.

[Jupiter must be in love with Asuna, so tell Asuna.]

As you can see, Jupiter is a boy-type mhhp, but when he grows up he learns something, he becomes a big stomach. As for the cost of food, if you go to a regular store to eat, it will cost three times as much as a normal person, so be careful. Well, because of this, I learned to eat on my own, so even though I lost my memory, I think I still remember how to eat. ]

"Can that tiny body hold three times as many things as an ordinary person?"

"No, I can't help but notice that." I don't know why Alice didn't tell us something so important at the time. And this must be shown and taught to Asuna, who became a guardian.

"Asuna, I received a message from Alice Sand. \"

"Uh, where's Teacher Alice? \"

"Shut up and look at this guy"

With that, I beckoned Asuna to Shiina's side and asked her to check through the information window. And Asuna's eyes became dots.

"Yo, three times the cost of food for a normal person?"

"Ahh

Just as I was about to say it, Shino seemed to receive another message, and the text displayed changed. The sender is still Alice.

[However, children should not only eat, but also taste appropriately, and learn while eating. What's more, it's Asuna's culinary ceiling. If it was Asuna's cooking, even if she didn't eat three times the amount of ordinary people, Jupiter would be satisfied. ]

\"Ah, I see. \"

"Oh, really?"

The four of us muttered unconsciously. It seems that Jupiter eats a lot because individual dishes are not particularly tasty.

"Asuna's cooking is the best, and you don't have to eat too much to be satisfied. "Jupiter may be like us.

"Rejoice, Asuna. If it were you, you wouldn't have to give me three times as much.

"Uh, yes.

Naturally, it's easy to forget, but Jupiter, like Yui, or rather, is a program with the ability to heal the player, supposedly an mhhp with more advanced mechanics and AI than Yui. Alice and Asuna said, "The amount of food eaten increases or decreases depending on the quality of the food. I find this a little weird.

\"Ah, that Asuna-san. \"

“？”

Hearing Sirika's voice, the four of them looked at each other. Celica and Pina pointed at Jupiter beside them, with complicated smiles on their faces, as if they couldn't think of anything in surprise. Why do you have that look - I understood the reason when I turned my face to Jupiter.

Before he knew it, Jupiter was eating the third course. There are two finished plates on the side.

"Hey, Jupiter!?"

Next to an impatient Asuna, I looked at the food in front of me. The menu is a common hamburger steak in real-world home restaurants, but the taste is not good, but rather ordinary. That's right, if Asuna and Shino make the same thing, it will definitely taste better if they do it together. The reason why Jupiter eats so much is probably because the steak burgers at this restaurant taste average.

"It's weird to keep eating just because it tastes normal."

"Jupiter, don't eat too much, your mother is in trouble."

As soon as Shino's voice fell, the information displayed in front of Shina's eyes changed again. I received a message from Alice.

Well, if you don't want to spend too much money on food, let Jupiter eat as delicious food as possible. Well, Asuna, who has reached the limit of her cooking skills, should be able to afford it. On the other hand, it is not an exaggeration to say that it was a mistake to let Jupiter eat the food in the restaurant, because there may not be anything to do in a restaurant in the city. ]

Of course, Jupiter is characterized by learning while eating, so it may take time and quantity to recognize and learn the half-cooked taste of normal taste, which is neither bad nor tasty.

On the other hand, all the dishes made by Asuna are very delicious and much more elegant than the dishes in the restaurant, so I don't think it takes a lot of time and effort to learn. After all, Jupiter should be allowed to eat Asuna's food from now on. – Economically, too.

As I was reading Alice's message while thinking about these things, I heard a voice saying that Jupiter's meal had finally finished and I saw him wiping his mouth. After eating so much, he finally tasted the taste of this restaurant's steak burger and seemed satisfied.

Seeing that satisfied smile, Asuna smiled at Jupiter as well, and then sat down next to Jupiter again. Presumably happy that his mother was back, Jupiter turned to face Asuna with a smile, and Asuna stroked Jupiter's head in response.

Lizbet listened to the situation as she opened her mouth.

"Well, Asuna, what are you doing? \"

"What are you going to do? If it's food, that's okay too. ”

"It's not food. That kid, Jupiter. ”

\"Ah, Jupiter. As I said earlier, I will protect Jupiter. \"

"I understand that, too.

“A”

You know, Asuna is the deputy head of the Knights of the Blood Oath and can be said to be the most important player in the captive group. Moreover, because of her command ability, Asuna has won the great trust of the Bloody Knights' upper echelons, and is an indispensable presence in the capture operation - he usually stays at the headquarters of the Bloody Knights and hardly returns home. No.

The same goes for Yuki, who lives with him, who, like Asuna, has earned the trust of many players, so he can't escape the strategy either. If it falls, there is no doubt that the strength will drop significantly.

Asuna said she would protect and raise Jupiter, but what should I do with Jupiter when Asuna and Yuki are away? As far as me, Shiina, and Yui are concerned, Yui is more reliable than Jupiter, and it doesn't matter because she can stay at home alone, but Jupiter is physically and mentally younger than Yui. I don't know if Jupiter, who is so young, will be able to endure the loneliness without Asuna

No, first of all, Jupiter has a higher sense of learning and intellectual curiosity than Yui, so if he is left alone, his strong curiosity and desire to learn will cause him to go to the battlefield without permission and be bullied. Attacked by monsters. Maybe.

In that case, Asuna will be sad, and Alice, the creator, will feel sorry for her.

Just as I was thinking this, Asuna looked at Lilan on my shoulder with a worried expression.

"I—What should I do? Rerun. I'm on vacation right now.

I have to go back to strategy. Meanwhile, what about Jupiter? ”

Lilan looked around at Jupiter with interest and made a sound.

"How about making a suggestion to that knight chief?" He said he wanted to leave the company for a while because he had adopted a child.

"Commander Heathcliff? Will you accept me?"

"I don't know. But Asuna. I remember saying it before.

"What?"

"Sometimes, you can't communicate without meeting in person. Well, although I haven't said it, I've said something similar before.

"Collision with the Boss?"

"That's it. Well, I'm not asking you to be sabre-rattling, but I'm sure Heathcliff won't refuse your request. Let's just say it

"Sometimes, you can't tell unless you hit it." I remember Lilan telling me this many times.

"As for Heathcliff, he doesn't take his opinion lightly, and Asuna is an important player, and you know, he might say it's impossible to leave the team for a while. But that's how Jupiter fell in love with Asuna, and Asuna found someone other than Yuki to accompany her. Furthermore.

"Indeed, capture is important. But Asuna, it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Jupiter is trying to be your family. It is very important to spend time with your family. \"

Thinking about it, Shino said the last thing I wanted to say to Asuna. Because of something, Shino spent most of her life and didn't have time to spend with her family and loved ones. Perhaps because of this, his words had a heavy and sharp feeling, and everyone except Jupiter stared at Shino with a slightly surprised expression. Shino continued while attracting everyone's attention.

"So, Asuna, if you want to be with Jupiter, if you want to be with Jupiter, even if you give up conquering it, you should make time for it and cherish it. Even if it becomes

After Shino finished speaking, Ariki put his hand on Asuna's shoulder.

"I think so, Asuna. Asuna has put a lot of effort into protecting a child named Jupiter, so she should also make time for Jupiter. Or rather, I know that there are times when you have to meet. \"Each other. ”

Araki's expression is as solemn as Shino. It's as if Araki himself had encountered this situation and overcame it.

"If you go to Heathcliff in the future, I'll go with you, Asuna. \"

"What about Kirito-kun? \"

\"yes. I also spent time with Yui and Shino, and I know very well how important it is to spend time with the people I care about. If Asuna couldn't do it alone, I, an experienced person, would. "Complain to Heathcliff. I'm telling you. Even that person should understand. ”

Next, Shino said to Asuna.

\"I'll go with you, Asuna. Thanks to the time I spent with Yui, I learned the importance of this kind of time and understood its value. If we had convinced him, Heathcliff would have understood. If this is not the case, I will use force to convince him. ”

"Use of forceIf Shino becomes forceful, it will be a big problem. Can you help me? \"

"That is to say"

Asuna replied, touching Jupiter's head.

"Yes. I want to be with Jupiter, so I'm going to see Commander Heathcliff. ”

"It seems that Asuna has made up her mind. Proof of this, there was a warm and intense glint in his eyes. Ever since I got along with Lilan, I feel like I'm starting to understand his thoughts.

"Alright, let's go to the Bloodblood Knights' headquarters, where we'll talk to Heathcliff."

Asuna nodded and stood up, and Shino followed suit. Both seemed ready for a clash with Heathcliff. Of course, so am I, and so is Lilan on my shoulder. Just as we had made up our minds to stand up, Lifa stopped me.

"Brother, what should we do? I wonder if Jupiter-kun will follow Miss Asuna? \"

"It could be so. Or rather, I think that if we really took him, Heathcliff would have been more convinced. Let's take Jupiter with us. ”

I turned to face Lifa. \"

"I want Lifa, Araki, Sirika, Liz, and Yui to go to Alice and Sand to ask about Jupiter. If you go, Alice Sand's information is necessary. \"

Liz got up from her chair and turned to face Jupiter.

"It's true that even with amnesia, there are still many things I don't understand."

Sirika nodded.

"Of course, Mr. Alice, Argus's former staff, probably knew about Jupiter before he lost his memory. \"

Ariki nodded and stood up.

"Maybe you know how to recover Jupiter's memory, well, I'll ask."

Ye Xiu looked a little uneasy.

"But Dad, we don't know where Alice is."

\"Ah, I see. "I exchanged messages and addresses with Mr. Alice so I could identify the current location, but everyone couldn't.

I immediately opened the window, opened the message window, sent the address to Alice, manipulated the details, confirmed Alice's current location. Alice's reaction came from a large coffee shop in the city.

"If Miss Alice is there, she's in a big coffee shop in the city.

"It's a coffee shop, I see! Big brother, for the sake of Miss Asuna, please persuade the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath. \"

"Leave it to me"

After that, Liz took the interview group to the outside of the hotel.

Next, I, Shino, Lilan, Asuna, and Jupiter walked out of the hotel, through the mall-like town, and through the portal, to the fifty-fifth floor where the headquarters of the Blood Knights was located.

Ayn Grant: 55th Floor Blood Knights Headquarters

We took Jupiter to the headquarters of the Bloody Knights, where Heathcliff was.

The headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Alliance, the city of Granzam is a fortified city surrounded by steel spires.

When I inhaled the air of the Steel Fortress City, I could barely feel the breath of life, or the feeling of being alive, in other cities, and Liland said, "I don't mind running errands, but I definitely want to live." "It's an incredible place," he complained.

And Shino, who was walking next to me, seemed to feel this too, and whispered: \"I hate it because it feels like the 'cold world' I used to feel.'" "I didn't want Shino to feel like this again, so I gently shook Shino's hand, thinking that she would shake it off my hand, but surprisingly, Shino didn't shake off my hand, but held it tighter. It's back.

Shiina, who didn't want to act like a lover in public, didn't even dare to hold hands in public, shook his hand, because Shiina's seriousness about coming to this town, she began to think back to the past. Realizing what I remembered, I quickly decided to go back after completing my purpose, so I quickened my pace. Of course, there is no need to worry about the appearance of the city at all.

At the same time, we soon arrived at the headquarters of the Knights of the Blood Oath, where we received the surprising attention of the members. To the surprise of the members, of course, it was Jupiter, who was next to Asuna.

Since the members did not know that Jupiter was MHHP, they could only see Asuna with a child who was probably in the church on the first floor, saying, "Lord Asuna brought the child. "Is that kid really Asuna?" - Grown-up children? "I'll tell you about it, don't worry about it now." He told us to move on.

As we continued through the corridors of the steel castle-like headquarters, hurrying through the crowd, Asuna, who had been holding Jupiter's hand, stopped. In front of him was a large door, similar to the one in the boss's room.

"Is this Heathcliff's room?"

"It's a conference room, to be exact, and only Commander Heathcliff should be present at the moment, and the conversation should go well."

Shino muttered under her breath.

"I looked at the members and it didn't feel like much. What happened to the others? ”

\"When I went out with Yuki, Kirito-kun, Shinono, and Lilan, the other executives went to arrest me. I think there's a boss fight going on on the 74th floor.

\"Well, it doesn't seem to be a very strong boss, and it seems that there is nothing wrong with not Lilann and Kirito. "Or rather, Mr. Diabel, Mr. Akyle, and Mr. Klein's guilds went with them."

This is what I learned when I captured around the 70th floor, but Diabel, Klein, and Achill's abilities have grown to the point where they can reach Ayn Grant at the top of the Knights of the Blood Oath. With the strength of me and Lilan, it has become possible to defeat the boss normally.

Well, the 70th floor, or rather, the 74th floor, Lilan and I have been fighting. Did it. So this boss fight can be said to be enough as long as everyone else.

\"Boss fight. Heathcliff, or Shino and Lifa, prevented me from participating in the boss fight. \"

Shino said that he was the one who gave me "Noriland Week".

"Obviously, I fought a lot of times in a month and ended up defeating 10 bosses. If this game were a normal game, I would play it many times, but this game is a game of death. This is a game if you really die. Die, so if you play too much, you'll die. ”

\"I see, Mr. Shino. Thank you for setting up Norirun week. \"

"It's good that you understand. Now, let's talk to Heathcliff about Jupiter. ”

Asuna nodded and knocked on the door in front of her.

"Asuna, is the leader there? \"

I heard a male voice calling me in. After meeting, we nodded, opened the door, and entered the room. The leader's room, like a conference room, has a window at the back, located above the headquarters. Standing on a large chair in the center, with long silver hair and wearing red and white clothes, he is the ruler of the Knights of the Blood Oath of the strongest guild in Ayngrant, and has the unique skill "Divinity". Sitting is a dignified man with a sword, known as the strongest player in Iron, and wielding a sword.

\"Wait, are you the Black Dragon Swordsman Kirito-kun, his partner Lilan-kun, and his partner Shino-san? You're not alone, are you? \"

Heathcliff looked a little surprised to see us enter, and then a big smile appeared on his face. The characters in the games I read and play are almost always people with something in their stomachs. My experience has taught me that Heathcliff is one of them.

"I'm here today to consult with you, Commander Heathcliff."

"Well, Kirito-san, this may be the first time I've officially met you. \"

"No, I was allowed to be with you during the 'Coffin of Smiles' crusade."

Heathcliff laughed again.

"yes, I was really devastated, maybe I was also a prey to your dragon, I can do it, then it would be good."

“”

\"Well, it's okay, Asuna-san, what's the matter? \"

Asuna nodded and opened her mouth.

"I'm applying for a temporary withdrawal."

Heathcliff replied with a blank face.

"Hou, why is that?"

"A little boy came looking for me. I take care of him. To spend time with him. ”

"Is spending time with your children more important than strategy?"

Shino, who had been silent, finally spoke.

"Of course. I don't know how much Commander Heathcliff knows, but spending time with loved ones is sometimes more important than strategy. Have you ever thought so? ”

Heathcliff chuckled softly.

"Nope. Basically, I only think about arrests, guild jurisdictions, and eating alone. No problem. \"

For a moment, Heathcliff grimaced, as if remembering something.

"The impossible has already happened, but even then, it is no more important than the capture, which is no longer important."

Heathcliff continued to look at me.

"It seems that you spend a lot of time with Shino-san, but do you also feel that it is more important to be with people who are important to you? \"

"I closed my eyes for a moment." Many memories of Shino, Yui, and Lilane flashed through my mind.

Just like this person, until a certain point in my life, I only thought about strategy, but now I feel more comfortable and important with these three people than strategy.

"I think so. So I hope Asuna will cherish the time she spent with her loved ones. So, even if the arrest is delayed, we should be able to do something later. \"

Heathcliff let out an "um" and closed his eyes.

"Still, even for us, Asuna-kun's departure is an unacceptable request. This Knights of the Blood Oath is also said to be the strongest guild in Ayn Grant, and we are always on the edge of power. \"

The "quarter point", that is, the turning point. It is the number of points obtained by dividing the 100 layers of Ain Grant by 4, pointing to the 1st, 25th, 50th, and 75th floors, respectively.

The maze that Diabel, Klein, and the Blood Knights are currently challenging is the maze on the 74th floor, with a total of 75 floors. It seems that there is a powerful boss, which is a quarter.

The quarter-point boss fights are Heathcliff, Asuna, Diabel, Klein, Akyll, and Me and Lilan, who are likely enemies that cannot be defeated without the full force of the Liquidation Group. In the face of such a boss battle, neither the Blood Knight nor Heathcliff could afford the loss of Asuna, an important force.

"But it's fair to say that the entire guild depends on Asuna. \"

"Dependency?"

Shino nodded.

I agree. Asuna has been fighting to this day as the deputy head of the Knights of the Blood Oath, which is said to be the hope of the Conquering Order. It can be said that the entire guild is dependent. Asuna told it to stop working. ”

Immediately after, Lilan's "voice" sounded in his head.

"It can be said that everyone depends on Asuna, but neglects to be like Asuna. \"

Heathcliff looked around, a slight look of surprise on his face.

"What's [the voice] right now?"

"It's Lilan's 'voice' on my shoulder. Lilan can talk. ”

Heathcliff looked at Lilan with a look of surprise on her face.

"I was surprised. "The demon can talk to the beast tamer.

Heathcliff smiled boldly again.

"'Messenger San, can you give me advice?'

"It's a point of view, but I certainly can't deny it." If each of us becomes like Asuna, the guild itself will definitely increase dramatically, and Asuna will no longer have to force the battle. If you can't do it, you can say it's up to Asuna-san."

Heathcliff clasped his hands together.

"Not everyone is as strong as Asuna, and it can't be any stronger. I'm sorry, but I have no intention of responding to your persuasion.

\"No. I wanted Asuna to experience spending time with the people who were important to me. \"

I see. So Asuna-san\"

"What are we going to do"

"Can you show me that kid? I will judge what kind of child you are protecting, and then draw conclusions. ”

Asuna nodded and looked around, but her face immediately showed surprise.

"That, Jupiter."

"What's wrong, Asuna? \"

Asuna's face turned pale and she looked impatient.

"Jupiter isn't here!"

"What do you say"

When I put it on, I felt uncomfortable, as if something was grabbing the back hem of my coat.

Who the hell - I thought about it as I twisted my neck slightly, examined my back, and found the reason. Before I knew it, Jupiter was hiding behind me.