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

"My lord, you encountered such a thing today while attending the gathering of Saniwa? Judging from your and Sozo's descriptions, there does seem to be something wrong with Ichigo Hitofuri and his Saniwa."

"I hope Ichigo-kun isn't in any trouble?"

"Yes, judging from the lord's description, that Saniwa seems to have a rather bad temper."

"Wow, what should we do then?"

"..."

After returning to the citadel, Yu Bai and Soza Samonji told the others about it. The short swords were worried about Ichigo Hitofuri, who sounded a bit strange about Yu Bai's words, as if they were afraid that he would be punished by his Saniwa when he returned.

The adult swords frowned, pondering what the Saniwa and Souzo had said. From their descriptions, it seemed that the Saniwa had some ill intentions towards his master.

Especially from the description of the Sousan-dono, they could clearly sense that the Saniwa coveted the Master.

"My lord, if we encounter this Saniwa again, please inform us immediately," Seven Star Sword said to Yu Bai, sitting upright to the side.

"Haha, my lord, you should still pay more attention to your safety."

"If my lord requires it, I can personally protect your safety," said Smiling Aoge, emphasizing the word "personally."

"Mr. Aoe must be hungry. Here, I have some freshly made daifuku from Shokudaikiri."

Upon hearing Natsumi Aoe's words, Horikawa Kunihiro smiled and picked up a daifuku sweet from the side, then stuffed it into Natsumi Aoe's mouth.

"Huh? I don't... mmm..."

"Qingjiang Palace really needs some snacks to shut up."

Shokudaikiri Mitsutada stood next to Horikawa Kunihiro, holding a plate full of daifuku. After seeing that Namazumi Aoe had almost finished the daifuku that Horikawa Kunihiro had given him, he calmly handed Horikawa Kunihiro another daifuku.

"Ugh... ugh... cough cough."

Smiling Qingjiang had barely managed to swallow one daifuku when another one was stuffed into his mouth. He was so choked that his eyes were rolling back in his head. He pounded his chest with both hands, trying to swallow the daifuku in his mouth.

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone should go and get some rest. I need to gather some information about Ms. Kawayu before making any plans."

After coaxing the sword spirits to rest, Yu Bai returned to the castle tower. He planned to ask Atobe Keigo and Oshitari Yuushi tomorrow if they still remembered Sagawa Nobuko, who had become Kawabata.

……

Second day

"Xiao Jing, Yu Shi, do you guys still remember Nobuko Sagawa?" After class, Yu Bai turned to his two friends and asked.

"Sagawa Nobuko? That name sounds familiar. She's the eldest daughter of the Sagawa family, right? I remember her from before..."

Yuushi Oshitari pondered for a moment. As the heir to a prestigious family, Oshitari was naturally familiar with the surname Sagawa.

However, because Nobuko Sagawa dropped out of school after only a few months, Yuushi Oshitari did not have a deep impression of her.

"Ah, Nobuko Sagawa. She was our classmate in the first year of junior high school, but her parents came and withdrew her after three months. Why are you asking about her?"

Keigo Atobe actually has a deeper memory of Nobuko Sagawa. As the student council president of Hyotei University, he is quite familiar with some of the things that happened in their support group.

In addition, Atobe Keigo still vividly remembers his usually gentle friend's unusually angry demeanor.

"It's nothing... I just saw her yesterday," Yu Bai said calmly.

"Hmm? Where did you run into her? That unglamorous woman, stay away from her."

Knowing the twisted feelings Sagawa Nobuko had for Yu Bai, Atobe Keigo frowned unhappily and said this to Yu Bai.

He didn't want his friend to get into any danger because of some random people. He still remembered the look Nobuko Sagawa gave Yu Bai back then; it wasn't the look a normal girl would give someone she admired.

Instead, it's stickier... darker...

“Indeed, Ah Bai, you’d better stay away from Nobuko Sagawa. The Sagawa family doesn’t seem to be having a peaceful time lately.”

Through their conversation, Yuushi Oshitari also recalled Nobuko Sagawa, and then, thinking of some recent events involving the Sagawa family, he couldn't help but frown and agree with Keigo Atobe's words.

"It's nothing, Xiao Jing. Yu Shi, I just saw it by chance yesterday and thought of asking about it. After all, it was quite sudden for this person to drop out of school."

"Well, you unglamorous fellow, that's for the best. Let's go, the others are already waiting for us."

"Alright, alright, let's go. I bet Yue Ren and Ji Lang are drooling over the delicious food while waiting for us."

……

"Waaaah... Ichigo-nii, are you alright? If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have been punished by the Saniwa."

On the edge of his hazy consciousness, Yu Bai seemed to hear someone sobbing, a voice filled with worry and self-blame.

He remembered that he had already fallen asleep in the castle tower.

However, the sound he heard at that moment felt both familiar and confusing.

Ichigo... Hitofuri?

Yu Bai naturally remembered this name. He had even seen this sword at the Saniwa exchange meeting just a few days ago.

At the same time, the crying voice gradually became clearer, carrying a familiar naivety and helplessness. It was none other than Wu Hu Tui.

"Ichigo-kun, are you alright?"

"Ichigo-nii, are you still in pain? I'll go ask the Saniwa-sama for permission to perform manual therapy on you right away. You must get better soon." Another dagger's voice rang out anxiously, as if he was about to rush out regardless of the consequences.

"Don't be impulsive, Hirano, cough cough... Don't go! The Master is in a very bad mood right now. If you go and beg him now, it will only make him angrier, and you will be punished in the end."

Ichigo Hitofuri's steady yet slightly weak voice rang out at the right moment, stopping Hirano's impulsive act.

The sound of the short sword, the sound of Ichigo Hitofuri, echoed in Yu Bai's ears. He found himself as if bound by some invisible force. Apart from being able to clearly hear the sounds around him, his vision was shrouded in darkness, and he could not see anything.

"Ichigo-san..."

"Ichigo-san..."

"My lord? My lord? Wake up, you're going to be late for school."

The once clear sound grew increasingly distant, and Yu Bai could feel himself slowly breaking free from that feeling of being bound. The sound of the dagger was gradually replaced by a familiar voice.

Yu Bai groggily opened his eyes: "Hasebe?"

"My lord, you've finally woken up. I called you several times outside the door but you didn't wake up. What happened?" Hasebe asked anxiously from outside the door.

When he saw that Yu Bai hadn't responded, he thought the Saniwa was in some danger, and he almost tried to force his way into the castle tower's barrier to check on him.

"It's alright, Hasebe. I just overslept a little. Don't worry." Yu Bai said to Hasebe, pressing his slightly throbbing temples.

"It's good that you're alright, my lord. Breakfast is ready."

"Okay, I know."

……