Progressive Factor

Interlude: We Met Before Once Before

Present Day

“So what happened to the Braves,” Shino asks.

“Well, the six of them sold all the gear and paid everyone back, I believe. Asuna and I were instructed by Lind to inform the second floor we won. Or, how should I put it, Joshua and Koharu decided Asuna and I should be the only ones to deliver the news.”

Koharu chuckles. “You lost rock-paper-scissors fair and square, Kazuto. Besides, we gave you a minute head start up the staircase.”

“Wasn’t much of a head start because you caught up quite quickly. Anyway, it ended without bloodshed, and I don’t remember when they did, but the Braves did return to the front by mid-game, They were there at the end, I do recall.”

“Who got the L.A.?”

Joshua frowns and looks across the table. “Who do you think, Suguha?”

“Hehe, sorry. But that was the first time you two did Double Cross publicly, right? Amazing.”

“Yes. Not sure which I like better, our Double Cross or Shino and I’s Alley-Oop. Subtilizer ate that one, remember?” Shino nods and high-fives Joshua, then the boy continues. “What Kazuto skipped is when Lind asked Orlando what should be done. Orlando took his own sword and stabbed himself, only for it to be removed by Lind before Orlando died. Thus, in Lind’s words, the Orlando that lead the scam artists died, and a new one was born.”

“We never knew if the Braves as a whole were part of the scam, but I do know one thing. Had Orlando not done anything, that would have been disastrous. Had Nezha died and become SAO’s first execution, it would have set a precedent. Even worse, now that we know what he wanted, this wasn’t the first case PoH meddled with the frontliners.”

“Really,” Kotone says in shock. “I thought Laughing Coffin wouldn't come around for another year.”

“Officially, yes. But between now and then, we were heckled by LafCof’s PKers. The first time was on the first floor after we beat Illfang and I was called out as a beta tester. Nezha the second. What we learned later was that PoH had a mole on the front.”

Koharu nods. “Argo investigated, and there wasn’t any evidence that a death occurred in those ten days. Since it seemed to be an ALS issue, it didn’t make sense that Kibaou didn’t know about it.”

Kotone crosses her arms and sighs. “Troublesome, but what’s done is done. But anyway, it’s getting kinda late, isn’t it?”

Alice looks to the window. “It is getting dark soon. The story was getting to a good point, so it seems.”

“Guess we should go. I was invested as well… Oh!” Keiko stands up and faces the four storytellers. “Wait, we can continue online, right? Meet up in ALO?”

Kazuto nods as his visitors start to prepare to depart. “Sure, why not? I haven’t been on all day...or most of the break, that I think about it. We’ll meet at Asuna and I’s place, okay?”

“Sorry,” Nijika says as she looks down to her feet. “I...will have to miss out. There’s a quest I want to do, so don’t wait up.”

“Wait.” Joshua stands in front of Nijika and looks to Kotone. “Aren’t the three, well, four of us doing this quest together?”