My SAO adventure is wrong, as expected

Chapter 50: Three Men, One Show?

The three men who had gone to eat together naturally started a lively discussion centered around Hachiman.

"Hey, hey, you two have been friends with Hachiman from the very beginning, right?" Klein said, biting on a grilled fish skewer, the oil dripping down his stubble.

"Yeah, you could say that," came the reply.

"How did you two meet him?"

"At first, I just thought the guy was interesting; it wasn't like we were close from the start,"

Kirito filled his wooden cup with mead, the honey-colored liquid shimmering beautifully in the firelight. "I only started interacting with Hachiman after he and Asuna invited me to team up during the first-floor strategy meeting."

"Huh?" Klein almost choked on a fish bone. "No way! Those two were together from the beginning? Did they know each other in real life?"

"No, I heard that's not the case."

Kirito carefully explained to Klein, "Hachiman is really a good guy! He ran over to protect a boy he didn't even know! But then it turned out that it was actually a girl—like something out of a TV drama!"

Agil nodded in agreement.

"When I heard that story, I thought the guy was just too cool."

"Yeah, it's such a wonderful meeting."

"Damn!" Klein slammed the wooden table loudly. "Honestly, that kind of plot would get roasted by viewers if it were in a drama!"

"So, Kirito, you've been hanging out with Hachiman all along? Any special reason?"

Kirito pondered for a moment before answering, "How should I put it... I feel really relaxed when I'm with Hachiman."

"Relaxed in terms of fighting?"

The oil from the grilled fish dripped on the table. Kirito thought carefully and explained, "That's part of it, but more importantly... how should I say, he doesn't pry into others' hearts casually, so I can be myself and we get along naturally."

"Maybe it's because you're both lone wolves," Agil bluntly pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe that's a factor too."

"But can you really keep teaming up just because of that?"

"Well... it's just really fun. You can find all sorts of reasons, but the most important thing is that I feel safe entrusting my back to him even in intense battles. That's probably the feeling."

"True, when you two team up, there's this unbeatable vibe. Your coordination is really smooth. If you add Asuna to make it a trio, you could probably defeat even Heathcliff instantly."

Agil said seriously, and Klein added, "Speaking of fighting, Hachiman's PvP skills are ridiculously strong!"

"I heard that's still not his full strength; he says he's missing something," Kirito said, propping his chin on his hand with interest as he spoke to the two.

"Speaking of which," Agil touched the scar on his shaved head, "that ambush battle in the dungeon last time—Hachiman's swordplay was like he was cheating. Did you see his 17-hit aerial combo? The boss ended up pinned to the ceiling, gasping for air."

Kirito silently pulled up the battle footage.

In the holographic projection, the black-clad swordsman and the black-haired boy dashed back to back, sword slashes weaving a dense silver net.

Klein gasped in awe, "That kind of sync must take ten years of living together to train."

"Actually, we only team up for three hours every other day," Kirito tilted his head thinking, "But that guy's sword always covers the trickiest angles, like..."

"Like he can predict your moves?" Agil suddenly lowered his voice. "I heard the 'Knights of the Blood' have been spying on his skill tree setup recently."

Sparks flew from the fireplace. Kirito tapped a rhythm on his sword hilt. "If those guys saw Hachiman's special training..."

He suddenly fell silent and took a big swig from the wine bottle.

Klein's eyes suddenly lit up mischievously. "Do tell!"

"Last month, one night, I was leveling on the 52nd floor cliff," Kirito's voice was soft, like speaking in a dream. "I saw that guy single-handedly fighting a Frost Giant in a blizzard. Guess how he broke its defense?"

Both shook their heads.

"He threw his cloak over the monster's face, jumped seven meters off an ice spike, and slashed along the giant's spine all the way to the tailbone," Kirito drew an S-shaped trajectory with his hand. "And when he landed, he struck a super edgy finishing pose."

The table suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

"And then?" Agil's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Then he took out a little notebook and wrote: 'Insufficient airborne directional change time; need to adjust balance ratio,'" Kirito rubbed his forehead. "The scariest part is, he then developed a continuous jumping slash."

Klein suddenly hugged his head. "Why hasn't the system flagged this monster as a bug? This guy's totally a different kind of monster from Kirito."

"Hey Klein, don't just call someone a monster casually."

"That line just screamed 'Hachiman style'! Kirito, are you influenced by him too? Like Asuna earlier."

"Can't deny it..." Kirito muttered.

"But that's how it is. Asuna has always been by his side, so it's natural to be influenced."

Hearing this, Kirito gave an answer that missed the point. "True, Asuna's fighting style may also be adjusting to match Hachiman's."

"But speaking of coordination," Agil stroked his chin stubble, "hasn't Asuna been adjusting her combat style recently? I saw her use a Z-shaped dodge similar to Hachiman's last time."

Kirito suddenly choked on his drink, his ears turning suspiciously red. "She, she said she's developing a new style..."

"Oh~ a new style~" Klein deliberately dragged the tone. "Could it be called something like 'Flying Twin Blades'?"

"Not that."

"What is it then?"

Seeing Kirito's clueless face, Klein slyly explained, "Of course, it's about their romantic relationship! Ahh—I really want to meet a woman as outstanding as Asuna soon!"

"When I saw Asuna gently tugging at Hachiman's clothes earlier, I got super jealous! Also, have you noticed that Asuna is tugging at Hachiman's shirt hem more and more often?"

"Last Wednesday was five times; this week, it's already up to eleven," Klein pulled out a small notebook from somewhere. "By the way, every time Hachiman secretly moves the hem five centimeters closer to her side."

"Are you guys perverts?!" Kirito nearly flipped the table.

"Can being single make us perverts?" Klein retorted righteously, pulling out a pocket watch. "And according to my 'Aincrad Love Observation Log,' these two have fed each other health potions thirteen times, and Asuna has even mended Hachiman's coat four times!"

Agil suddenly raised his hand. "I bet 500 col that they'll definitely unleash a couple's combo skill in the next floor boss battle."

"I'll raise you!" Klein slapped a money pouch on the table.

"Ah, well... she does that sometimes. He probably just doesn't realize it," Kirito brought the topic back reluctantly.

"No way! He doesn't even realize? But Asuna is really cute. Don't you think so, Agil?"

"Huh? Ah, in real life, I'm already married."