Chapter 14
"Wha...? What is that!?"
"What do you mean? You know what this is. Now come on, get up!"
The things that Asuna had forced me into were my new clothes. Although it had the same design as the coat I used to wear, it was also blindingly white. There were two small crosses on each of my cuffs and a large one on my back; all three of them were dyed in bright red. It was, beyond any doubt, a KoB uniform.
"...I-I said I wanted something plain..."
"This is already pretty plain. Yeah, it suits you!!"
I sank into the rocking chair as all strength left my body. I was still living on the second floor of Agil's shop. The place had already become my disaster shelter, so the pitiable shopkeeper could only sleep on a simple bed on the first floor. The only reason he hadn't chased me out was because Asuna came every other day to help out with the shop. It was the best advertising opportunity he could get.
As I groaned in my chair, Asuna came and sat down on the armrest, which had become her designated spot. She rocked the chair with a smile, as if my current predicament was amusing to her, and then clapped her hands together as if she had thought of something.
"Ah, we better say our greetings properly. As a member of the guild, I hope we can get along well."
As she suddenly bowed, I straightened my back to reply.
"I-I hope we get along too... but then again, I'm just a normal member while you're the sub-leader, so..."
I swept my right forefinger down Asuna's spine.
"I won't be able to do things like this anymore—"
"Kyaa!"
With this scream, my superior jumped up and struck her subordinate's head. Then she walked over to the opposite chair and sat down; her face pouting.
Under the lazy sunlight of late autumn, we went into a short and peaceful lull.
My loss in the duel against Heathcliff had passed two days ago. As I wasn't someone who would go back on his word, I joined the Knights of the Blood as I had agreed with Heathcliff. The guild gave me two days to prepare, so starting tomorrow I would be following their orders to explore the 75th floor labyrinth.
Joining a guild, huh—
Asuna glanced at me as she heard my quiet sigh.
"...You got mixed up in all this because of me."
"Nah, it's fine. It's a good opportunity for me. I was starting to feel the limits of solo playing anyway..."
"It's a relief to hear you say that... Hey, Kirito-kun..."
Asuna's hazelnut eyes looked directly at me.
"Can you tell me why you avoid guilds... avoid people...? I don't think it's merely because you're a beta tester or a unique skill user, because you are a very kind person."
I shifted my gaze downwards and slowly rocked my chair.
"...A long time ago... over a year actually, I once joined a guild...."
The words came out so easily that it surprised me. Maybe it was because Asuna's gaze felt like it would be able to melt the pain that spiked through me every time I thought about this.
"I was offered a spot after I met and helped them by chance in a labyrinth area... It was a small guild with only six members, including me, and it had an interesting name: «Black Cats of the Full Moon»."
