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

At first, Yu Bai thought that this Saniwa exchange meeting would follow the traditional conference format, in a relatively closed setting, perhaps in a solemn and formally decorated conference hall.

Some large round or long tables are set with food. The exchange meeting may follow a conventional format, with experienced Saniwa standing on the stage to speak and share their experiences, while novice Saniwa sit below and listen.

However, when Yu Bai actually stepped into the venue of this exchange meeting, he was surprised to find that the actual situation was quite different from his previous assumptions. It was more like a carefully planned spring outing, filled with a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Looking up, one sees clusters of delicate pink cherry blossom trees scattered all around, their blossoms a riot of color, like wispy clouds, a breathtaking sight. Beneath the trees, colorful picnic mats are casually spread out, allowing the Saniwa to choose their preferred spots to sit.

The swordsmen belonging to the Time Government, dressed in neat uniforms, moved among the cherry blossom trees, carrying trays laden with various foods and drinks, from delicate cherry blossom-shaped pastries to fine red wines. Whenever a Saniwa raised their hand in greeting, they would smile and step forward to serve the food and drinks to the guest.

Even more surprisingly, amidst the uniform array of wagashi (Japanese sweets), yokan (sweet bean jelly), dorayaki (Japanese savory pancakes), and mitarashi dango (Japanese sweet dumplings), Yu Bai could actually smell barbecue! Yu Bai swore on his purebred rabbit blood that it was the barbecue he had been longing for day and night, and he could tell from the smell that it tasted authentic.

Who is this talented person with such an idea? Please come out and let me meet them. Whether or not there's a barbecue is irrelevant; the main thing is to connect with this talented individual.

This kind of thing is all about speed, so Yu Bai grabbed his friend Soza Samonji's hand without thinking and ran towards the source of the fragrance.

As expected, the small barbecue stall was already packed with people when they got close to their target. A cheerful-looking male Saniwa, with a bright smile on his face, was working on the barbecue grill with Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, a culinary whiz. In no time, several skewers of barbecue were ready and handed to the Saniwa who were staring at the grill with drooling eyes.

Beside the barbecue grill stood a small dagger: Hakata Toushirou, who was collecting money with starry eyes, looking so greedy that it made people burst out laughing.

Yu Bai took the opportunity to buy a few skewers, and then chose a picnic mat nearby to sit down. At this time, there was already a male and female Saniwa sitting on the picnic mat. They were slightly stunned when they saw Yu Bai, who was looking down at the sunlight and asking if they could sit down.

His handsome face was in no way inferior to any of the most outstanding swordsmen, as if he had stepped out of an ancient painting. His warm and gentle eyes, like the softest sunlight in spring, were looking at them with a warm and charming smile, revealing endless gentleness and elegance in every glance.

At that moment, the brilliant rays of sunlight fell perfectly upon the boy, gilding him with a thin layer of golden light and adding to his extraordinary and refined air.

A gentle breeze blew by, and along with the boy's excessively handsome face, the aroma of the barbecue skewer in his hand filled the air.

Gudong.

This colleague smells so good... oh no, I mean this barbecue smells so good!

"Please sit down quickly. Hello, I am the Saniwa, Shuzuki, and this is my attendant, Mikazuki." The young Saniwa hurriedly invited Yu Bai to sit down.

"Five words." The male Saniwa coldly introduced himself and then fell silent, just like his name, Five Words, utterly speechless. Usually, in such situations, the swordsmen around the Saniwa would step in to take over the social duties.

But looking at the taciturn Touken Danshi, who was just as silent as the Saniwa, Yu Bai knew that it was probably impossible to have the Touken Danshi take over social duties.

"Hello, I'm Yu Bai, I haven't been here long. I have some barbecue I just got, would you like to try some?" Ignoring Wu Yan's silence, Yu Bai greeted the two of them in a friendly manner.

"Is it okay? Is it okay? I smelled something really nice just now, but there were just too many people there and I couldn't get in. Oh! By the way, that's just Wu Yan's personality, don't mind him. Don't let his cold demeanor fool you, he's actually a very nice person."

"I was in such a rush when I teleported here that I almost fell, but Wu Yan caught me." Shu Yue chattered on and on. Her personality was completely different from Wu Yan's, who seemed a bit cold and aloof. She was more like a warm little sun.

With Shuyue mediating, Yu Bai quickly became acquainted with the two and exchanged Honmaru IDs, so they could visit each other more often in the future. After some conversation, Yu Bai also learned that the two were similar to him, both being Saniwa who had recently joined the company.

Shuyue has a lively personality and gets along with the sword boys in the citadel like friends, creating a relaxed atmosphere. She's a disciplined gambler; in her words, she doesn't pursue the rarity of swords, but rather the mystical power of gacha pulls.

When he learned that Yu Bai hadn't forged the sword many times, yet his citadel already possessed the Mikazuki and the Seven Star Sword, he cried and threw himself onto Mikazuki's legs, wailing: "Spending money can't change fate, luck can't save the unlucky, everyone else is lucky, but I'm the only one who's unlucky."

Wuyan is a cool guy, somewhat like a soldier from the Chinese military, and the citadel also operates under a military-style management system. Unlike Shuyue, who becomes friends with the sword boys, his relationship with the citadel's sword boys is more like that of a superior and subordinate in a work setting. He doesn't care much about the rarity of swords; he's a workaholic. For him, rarity doesn't matter, usability and practicality are the most important things.

"Hey, look over there." Shuyue covered her mouth and chuckled as she pointed behind Yu Bai and Wu Yan, signaling them to turn around and look.

On the side Shuyue pointed to, a group of men and women dressed in formal attire were gathered together. They looked at the other casually dressed Saniwa with somewhat awkward smiles on their faces. Presumably, these were some novice Saniwa who, upon receiving the invitation from the Time Government, shared Yu Bai's initial thought: that this exchange meeting would be an exceptionally formal occasion, hence their attire.

But who knew that the government of the time wouldn't follow the rules, and those veteran Saniwa seniors were incredibly tight-lipped, not revealing a single word.

"Haha, actually I was considering whether to wear a suit at first, but after putting it on, I felt really awkward, so I took it off. Now it seems, I'm so glad I took off my suit, otherwise I would be so embarrassed now. You guys must have all attended the exchange meeting, but no one on the forum mentioned it. They only talked about how much effort the government put into the preparations and how big the venue was."

Taking a big bite of meat, Shuyue's face scrunched up as she thought about the comments left by some Saniwa on the forum.

"...Perhaps it's because he wanted his juniors to experience the rain he'd been through." Yu Bai took a sip of his iced cola, a perfect match for barbecue, and spoke slowly, then his gaze shifted to a corner.

"Huh? That is..."