Sword Art Online Crossover: They're all close friends, how did I become a player?

"Waaaaah~ Master Saniwa! You're finally back! Kitsunenosuke was so worried!"

Upon returning to the citadel, before he could even see the scene before him, Yu Bai was suddenly embraced by Kitsunenosuke.

Looking up, he saw that his six sword spirits had already returned to the citadel before him and were now surrounding him, their eyes full of concern and joy.

The slightly tearful cries of Kitsune-no-suke echoed in his ears. Yu Bai gently stroked its slightly rough fur, then glanced at the exhausted look on the sword spirits and their slightly disheveled clothes. It was clear that they had rushed back without even resting after receiving Kitsune-no-suke's message.

This sudden time travel must have really startled them.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Kitsunenosuke. Tonight, Shokudaikiri will prepare a delicious fried tofu feast for you," Yu Bai comforted him.

"Really? Master?" Upon hearing about his favorite fried tofu, Kitsune no Suke finally lifted his head from his Master's embrace.

"Really? Everyone, go back to your rooms and rest first. Don't bother Shokudaikiri with preparing dinner tonight; I'll buy takeout from Yorozuya. Let's have a big feast to celebrate my return!" Yu Bai patted Kitsunenosuke's head. Then, he gave each of the six people standing beside him with worried expressions a big hug.

"You did a great job while I was away. You led everyone very well. And Shokudaikiri, Yagen, Maeda, Horikawa, Hasebe, thank you all for your hard work."

"Also, I'm back." Yu Bai gave everyone a bright smile, a smile as warm as the sun, instantly dispelling the gloom that had been buried in the hearts of Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and the others.

Yes, their lord has finally returned.

"Welcome back, Master," the six sword spirits said in unison.

Fortunately, the Saniwa has returned. They were only awakened a day ago when their Saniwa went missing, and then they have been constantly searching for Saniwa in various worlds. Yagen Toushirou and the others are now quite exhausted.

They're just babies.

"Master, Master. We were so worried about you these past six days without you." Maeda Toushirou hugged the Saniwa Yu Bai tightly, rubbing his cheek against him affectionately, as if he wanted to pour all his longing and worry from the past six days into this warm embrace.

But soon he was lifted out by a large hand, and Maeda Toushirou looked up.

"My lord is already very tired, don't trouble him further." Hasebe, dressed in a priest's robe, said solemnly, his purple eyes fixed on the small dagger in his hand.

Hmph, Yashikiri is just jealous that I can jump into my master's arms because of the size of the short sword; he can't.

Thinking this, Maeda Toushirou gave Hasebe a sweet smile, but the smile subtly concealed a hint of provocation, as if silently saying, "Envious? Jealous? Too bad you can't~"

No matter what, it is still a sword. As a sword spirit, it will inevitably carry some of the sharpness of a cold weapon, even if it is a short sword.

“o（一︿一+）o”

Hasebe keenly caught the fleeting provocation in Maeda's eyes, and a large "well" shaped mark appeared on his forehead as his anger was quietly ignited.

This guy was surprisingly infuriating. Whether the other Maeda characters in the citadels were the same, Hasebe didn't know, but that didn't stop him from silently keeping this "grudge" in his heart, waiting for the right opportunity to settle things.

"The lord has bought dinner later, so I'll make the fried tofu. Kitsunenosuke has been a great help lately," Shokudaikiri said with a smile.

Kitsunenosuke put in a lot of effort during these six days, constantly contacting the Time Government to help them track down the Saniwa's whereabouts, and guarding the Honmaru while the group went to different dimensions to search for the Saniwa, ensuring that they could be notified as soon as there was any news about the Saniwa in the real world.

Now that the Saniwa has returned, it's time to properly reward this fox shikigami.

“General, you should go and rest too. Although we don’t know what you’ve been through these past six days, we’d love to hear from you if you’re willing to share.” Yagen stood to the side, his eyes keenly observing the Saniwa.

He noticed that the Saniwa seemed to have changed: her original silver hair and golden eyes had turned into green hair and green eyes, and she seemed to have acquired a sense of historical weight, her aura had become more majestic, and she vaguely revealed a murderous intent.

Although the Saniwa was well concealed, Yagen keenly sensed these changes. As Oda Nobunaga's protective short sword, he had always been known as the Guardian Blade, but now that he possessed a physical form, he felt he had failed in his responsibility to protect the Saniwa.

This made him somewhat anxious in the process of searching for a Saniwa, but he did not show it when he saw the sad expressions on the faces of his companions.

Now, although there is still some unease in my heart, it is slowly dissipating with the return of the Saniwa.

He had many questions to ask, but he also knew that the most important thing right now was to let the Saniwa rest. His companions also needed rest to adjust their minds and tired bodies.

"My lord, I have already made the bed in the castle tower. Please go and rest." Horikawa Kunihiro still had that angelic smile on his face, gesturing for Yu Bai to get some rest.

"Okay, okay, you guys are the same. Let's meet in the lobby for dinner later."

After agreeing to meet everyone for dinner, Yu Bai returned to the castle tower. Upon entering, he saw that the room had been cleaned very thoroughly by Horikawa Kunimitsu, and a fluffy futon was placed on the tatami mat, making him feel instantly sleepy.

……