Unital Ring II: The Virtual Study Society

The Orthinanos Girl, Cordelia

Joined by Lux, Argo, Kirito, and I escaped the meeting in the coliseum. While Kirito and Argo did some light shopping, I questioned Lix on his presence here in Unital Ring.

Hiyori "Lux" Kashiwazaka is a beautiful white-haired girl who ran into Liz, Silica, and Leafa last year when we had relatively new ALO accounts. They encountered her during a quest line similar to a quest Lisbeth and I did in SAO, the "Angel's Whisper Wings." Back then, she had a Spriggan avatar named Kuro; guess which famed SAO swordsman she looked remarkably similar to... She was such a big fan of Kirito that she copied his dual-wielding style.

Afterward, she transferred to the survivor school, a former survivor of SAO herself. I first met her at the school and got to know her well as Lisbeth haggled me around with her until I stopped playing ALO for GGO with Kureha. Then earlier this year, sometime between stopping Tia from resurrecting Aincrad and the OS incident, that's where the story gets complicated.

She's a former member of Laughing Coffin, and when we learned of that, it took Lisbeth and Silica to talk me out of doing something unsavory and letting Lux explain herself. She was coerced into PoH's guild after being saved by them from monsters. She never killed anyone as she was a member of the town infiltration team that stayed green—similar to Koharu and Lisbeth's assaulter, Annihilator, a sicko who stayed green by assaulting and killing women in duels. Because I trusted Lisbeth (who I was still dating) and Silica, I decided to trust Lux.

With that said, she usually shies away from the trouble we find ourselves in...or maybe she was too afraid to be with us after her blunder when meeting Kirito for the first time. She did help in the Otherworlder War; I do not believe she was one of the few survivors, or I didn't speak directly to her. And now, in UR, she finds himself entangled in our troubles with Mutasina and company. Why?

"When you guys had that meeting the other day, I happened to sneak over and overhear it. I wasn't online when the conversion happened, but I heard things from Silica before that meeting about this game. I didn't plan on going online to join either, but... I know I'm still an outsider to you guys, but I want to help. That's the right thing to do, I think...as Silica and the others once told me."

I cross my arms and smile. "You're not the same girl I met back then, nor are you an outsider. Yes, we can use your help, and I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

"Y-You sure? I feel like they're going to yell at me for sneaking in like this."

"Knowing Liz, that means she's happy. Same for Leafa and Silica. Trust me on that. But...let's not speak of the curse, okay?"

"You sure?"

I slowly nod, then turn my head toward Kirito and Argo. Knowing Kirito, he'll ask us to keep that he and Lux are afflicted by the Noose of the Accursed debuff from everyone. I don't necessarily agree, for the sole reason I know the hell we're going to get for keeping it a secret, but we don't know how to combat it. No, there's no way to do so. Mutasina's spell has no limit on range and time. Only by her will or her death can the spell end. Our only advantage is that she is unaware Kirito and I were present at the meeting.

And even if we didn't make it, Argo and Lux were there too. "For now, we have other things to worry about. The only one who can undo the curse is Mutasina, and I doubt she'll be forthcoming in that manner."

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The rest of the night was not as eventful as the coliseum.