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

"Yu Bai, Yu Bai, we've finally met you! Come on over and have some cake with us. This is our 'trophy' that we managed to sneak into the car with Atobe's permission after a lot of trouble. If we don't eat it now, we won't have a chance to enjoy it once we get to the villa and start our special training."

"That's right, Ah Bai, come over and eat some cake."

As soon as Jiro Akutagawa saw Yu Bai, he greeted him excitedly with a childlike smile on his face.

Mukahi Gakuto echoed this sentiment, his eyes gleaming with longing for the cake.

However, the two of them held back, because they wanted to invite Yu Bai to eat with them.

What did the little animals do wrong? They just wanted to stick close to Yu Bai and eat cake together.

"Senior Yu Bai, please sit here. The view is excellent from here. Oh, by the way, is this child your younger brother? He's so cute!"

Ootori Chotaro immediately stood up, politely and slightly shyly offering Yu Bai his seat. At the same time, he also noticed Yagen Toushirou following behind Yu Bai.

However, Chotaro's good intentions were stopped by Ryo Shishido, who was standing nearby.

Ryo Shishido grabbed Chotaro Ootori, who had just stood up, causing Chotaro to sit back down with a thud. Ryo then nodded to Yu Bai.

"What's wrong, Shishido-senpai?" Chotaro Ootori asked innocently as he was pulled back to his seat. He genuinely didn't understand why Shishido-senpai had pulled him back earlier.

"...It's nothing, just sit down. Yu Bai has his younger brother next to him, and those two will definitely be sitting together. What's the point of you giving up your seat?"

Ryo Shishido looked at the innocent and kind junior beside him, opened his mouth, and after a long while, slowly spoke.

Why would you need to give up your seat, Feng Changtaro? You idiot! Yu Bai already has a seat, doesn't he? You're so naive.

Sure enough, at that moment Atobe's voice came from behind: "This is really not fancy at all. Yu Bai, you sit in the back. Uh, Kabaji."

Huadi: “Yes.”

After politely declining the offers from two small animals who wanted to share cake with him and a kind junior who wanted to give up his seat for him, Yu Bai led Yagen Toushirou to the back of the bus and chose to sit in the double seat next to Atobe Keigo.

At this moment, besides Atobe, Kabaji, and Oshitari, a boy with short flaxen hair was sitting in the back of the car.

"Good morning, Bai. And who is this little friend?"

When Yuuji Oshitari saw Yu Bai sit down, he greeted him lazily, then looked at Yagen Toushirou with curiosity in his eyes.

"Good morning, Yuushi. Good morning, Hiyoshi. This is my relative's child, you can just call him Yagen."

When Yu Bai introduced Yagen Toushirou to the Hyotei group, he always used the name Yagen, since the names of these sword spirits were so distinctive.

Good morning, Senior Yu Bai.

His catchphrase is "overthrowing superiors." Born in the second year of the Hyotei era: Hiyoshi is a child with a somewhat fierce appearance, but is very polite.

After standing up and bowing to give Yu Bai a serious reply, he stared intently at Yagen Toushirou.

Hiyoshi Waka, born into a family of ancient martial arts practitioners, has been immersed in the training of his family's martial arts since childhood. Even after joining the tennis club, he did not give up his practice of ancient martial arts, but instead skillfully integrated the essence of ancient martial arts into his tennis skills.

At this moment, Yagen Toushirou in his eyes was like a hidden sharp blade; although he appeared calm, he subtly revealed a chilling sense of threat.

Hmm? This friend of the general is quite perceptive. Is he a martial artist?

Yagen Toushirou, who was being watched, naturally felt the gaze, not to mention that the owner of the gaze was openly staring at him without moving.

The tsukumogami born from swords knew at first glance that the person before him was a warrior.

Although martial artists today no longer fight on the battlefield like they used to, with every move and stance aimed at killing the enemy.

Modern martial arts practitioners are more focused on physical fitness, and their techniques, after thousands of years of evolution, have gradually acquired a greater sense of artistic beauty.

However, some martial artists learn different ancient martial arts, whose moves are more practical and closer to the killing moves that people learned in battle in the past.

Hiyoshi Waka is the latter type, which is why he felt Yagen's aura more clearly.

"Hello, Yagen-kun, I am Yuushi Oshitari, your brother's friend. This is Keigo Atobe, you must have already met him outside the car. And this is Wakashi Hiyoshi, your brother's junior."

Seeing that Hiyoshi was staring at Yu Bai's younger brother without saying a word, Oshitari Yuushi subtly smoothed things over.

"Hello, Oshitari-kun and Hiyoshi-kun, thank you for taking care of my brother all this time."

As expected of the imposing presence of the 1.8-meter-tall Yao Zong, Yagen Toushirou remained quietly by Yu Bai's side throughout, exuding a calm and composed demeanor. Despite his youthful face and height with a short sword, he unexpectedly gave off a sense of security.

However, when Yagen Toushirou called Yu Bai "brother", a hint of shyness flashed across his face.

He gently pushed up his glasses, trying to hide his embarrassment. But even so, the tips of his ears, hidden among his dark purple hair, began to turn slightly red.

Ahem, calling the general "brother" or something...

As the bus slowly drove into the depths of the mountains, the hustle and bustle of the city was gradually replaced by lush trees. The unique fragrance of mountain grass and soil wafted through the air, refreshing the mind and spirit.

Upon arrival at the destination, the bus came to a smooth stop. The butler from the villa, who had been waiting for some time, was now standing in front of the bus door.

Mukahi Gakuto couldn't wait any longer and jumped out of the car, taking a deep breath of the fresh forest air: "Ah~ the air in the mountains is so refreshing! Atobe, Atobe, let's go in quickly!"

"Huh? It seems there's more than just us here, senior. There's another house in front of Atobe-senpai's villa." After observing for a while, Ootori Chotaro pointed to a slightly lower location away from where they were standing.

Keigo Atobe's villa is located on the mountainside, surrounded by viewing platforms built later, offering stunning views of the surrounding forest.

Looking down from their perspective, they can see a somewhat dilapidated house very close below the villa.

The house was somewhat dilapidated, not nestled against the mountain road, but hidden deep within the mountains. The surrounding trees were lush and verdant, but their abundance blocked out the sunlight, making the entire area around the house rather dark.

Without someone familiar with the area to guide them, the dense trees could easily cause people to get lost. Even Yu Bai and his group were able to find the house only because of the geographical advantage.

The dark forest, the dilapidated houses, the occasional cold wind, and the cawing of crows create a scene reminiscent of a cabin in a horror game.

"Wow! It looks so creepy."

"Exactly, exactly. Could there be monsters inside?"

Mukahi Gakuto and Akutagawa Jiro huddled together, trembling. These two people, who usually couldn't even watch horror movies, had never experienced a scene with such a strong sense of awe.

"Young masters, don't be afraid. The house in front used to be where an old woman named Tanaka Iwae and her grandson lived."

There used to be a few families living there, but since most people chose to move to the city, only that old woman lives there now. The housekeeper quickly stepped forward to explain when he saw that the young master's classmate looked a little scared.

"Young masters, everything inside has been prepared after Young Master Atobe called to inform us. It's almost noon now, and the kitchen is preparing lunch. Please enter the villa first."