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

"Toyotsuki, I want to have a match with you, witnessed by humans and yokai."

As the gentle rays of dawn slowly peek out from the distant horizon, golden sunlight filters through the treetops, dappling the tranquil forest floor.

Bu Yue looked down at Yu Bai, who was resting with his eyes closed on her lap, and said.

Yesterday, Yu Bai dragged Bu Yue to look around the not-so-large ancestral hall inside and out, and then dragged Bu Yue to collect a lot of fresh flowers to decorate the outside of the ancestral hall.

Bu Yue diligently cleaned the ancestral hall. Although as a deity she could have used her divine power or had the little monsters do the cleaning, Bu Yue insisted on taking the tools and carefully cleaning it herself.

Although he didn't say it, Yu Bai could clearly feel Bu Yue's happiness.

So he didn't say anything, just took a rag and joined the cleaning team.

As night completely faded and the first rays of morning sunlight arrived as promised, Bu Yue's mood gradually shifted from joyful happiness to calm.

The gods need no sleep. As the sunlight slowly spilled onto the ancestral hall, Bu Yue and Yu Bai sat side by side on the grass in front of the hall, quietly appreciating the beautiful sunrise.

But as he watched, Yu Bai's lazy, good-natured nature came out.

He started by sitting upright with Bu Yue, then moved to sitting crookedly on Bu Yue's shoulder, and finally lay down on the grass, using Bu Yue's thigh as a pillow.

When Bu Yue saw Yu Bai like this, she didn't say anything to stop him. Instead, the moment Yu Bai lay down on her pillow, her leg muscles stiffened for a moment, then quickly relaxed, making Yu Bai more comfortable.

"Why do you suddenly want to compete with me?" Yu Bai slowly opened his eyes, the glaring sunlight temporarily blurring his vision, his voice carrying a hint of laziness.

"Is that sword next to you a tsukumogami?" Bu Yue didn't answer Yu Bai's question directly, but instead glanced at the katana at Yu Bai's waist and said.

"Yes, this is Higekiri, my partner." Yu Bai took Higekiri from his waist and placed him in front of himself and Fu Yue.

Higekiri responded to his lord's words, the blade trembling slightly and emitting a deep, long hum.

He just can't manifest, but that doesn't mean he can't see what happened in the last few days.

Putting aside the fact that their lord had inexplicably transformed from a human into a god, it was ultimately a good thing, as they could spend more time with him.

Let's talk about that pitch-black, withered god whose power system is the opposite of our lord's.

This god will definitely become someone who competes with them for the lord. Higekiri, as a tsukumogami who jumped ship from a garbage "company" to a new company, after experiencing a scumbag boss like Sagawa Nobuko, met a conscientious boss like Yu Bai. Although he doesn't usually say it out loud, he also really likes this new lord.

And now, someone... no, a god, taking advantage of the fact that their swords in the citadel are not by their lord's side and that they cannot manifest themselves, has "taken advantage of the situation" to try and steal their lord from them. Higekiri is naturally quite unhappy about this.

So while the blade trembled and buzzed in response to Yu Bai, it secretly surged towards Bu Yue, wanting to take the opportunity to stab Bu Yue.

Upon discovering the knife spirit's hidden thoughts, Bu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, but refrained from saying anything due to Yu Bai's presence. She simply continued, "You are a newly born deity born from the blessing of a bountiful harvest, unlike me and this tsukumogami."

"Most gods need the power of faith to maintain their divine power. Once they lose faith, their divine power will gradually weaken, and some gods will even disappear because of the lack of faith. Similarly, as a newly born god, you also need faith to consolidate your divine status."

I am different. I am the god of the earth's decay, and I do not need human offerings. The same goes for your tsukumogami's subordinates. Tsukumogami are phenomena where objects gain life and become "spirits" after being used for a certain period. They can be considered gods, or they can be considered not gods, and naturally, they do not require faith.

At this point, Bu Yue frowned slightly. He didn't know that Yu Bai came from a thousand years in the future, and he didn't want his friend to disappear because of his faith.

He wanted to always be able to watch over Yu Bai; he wanted that no matter how much time passed, he and his friend could always be by each other's side.

"I hope to see you again in the years to come. As long as you are still here, that's enough."

"...Okay, so how do you want to compete?"

Since you've said that, how could I refuse? And could you please stop looking at me like that? It's kind of embarrassing.

Yu Bai, who thought he had long since mastered the art of thick skin, still felt a little shy when facing Bu Yue's eyes, which were filled with somewhat complicated emotions and staring intently at him.

Okay, okay. Last time I made him shy, this time he made me shy. No wonder he's the friend I took a liking to at first sight; he learns so quickly!

Yu Bai thought to himself, and even felt a sense of accomplishment as his son and friend began to grow up.

……

After learning that the two gods wanted to hold a competition, the white-hatted and black-clad monsters told the other lesser monsters on Mount Misumi, including the local land god, about it.

I hope everyone will come to watch this competition, and that the Earth God will act as the referee.

The monsters and the land gods all said: This is a competition between two great gods, a rare sight that happens only once every thousand years, and they will definitely go to watch it.

"Wait, Fengyue, I have something I want to give you." Before the competition, Buyue pulled Yu Bai aside, signaling him to come with her.

"I think you probably don't like being in the spotlight in front of so many people. ...This is for you."

He handed Yu Bai a light purple-white kimono and a white mask with deer antlers and red flowers on both sides.

"This is... a gift for me?"

As Yu Bai stroked the hem of the kimono, the soft feel from his fingertips told him that the fabric of this white and purple kimono was of very fine quality.

"Yes, I hope you'll like it."

Bu Yue's voice remained steady and deep, but there was a hint of barely perceptible expectation hidden within it.

"I love it! I'm going to put it on right now!" Yu Bai looked up and gave Bu Yue a big, affirming smile. Yu Bai always gave a completely positive response to gifts from his friends.

A gift from a friend. Whether I like it or not, it's a token of their affection.

Moreover, Yu Bai genuinely loved the kimono and mask, and he truly didn't want to show his face in front of too many people anymore, telling others: "Look there, look there, I am the Goddess of the Moon."

The kimono and mask that Bu Yue sent were so practical; they were exactly what he wanted.

"Buyue, what do you think? Is it pretty?"

"very nice."

When Yu Bai changed his clothes and put the mask on his head at an angle, he found that Bu Yue had also changed into a new black kimono at some point. At the same time, his face was also covered with the same black mask with goat horns and small purple flowers on both sides.

The all-black kimono paired with the goat mask adds to Buyue's mysterious and aloof aura.

"Buyue, you look great too! If we go out like this, people will immediately know we have a good relationship."

"let's go."

He naturally reached out his hand, gesturing for Bu Yue to take his. He had no idea where the villagers at the foot of the mountain were. In the few days he had been at Sanyu Mountain, apart from the ancestral hall to the center of the lake, he had been too lazy to explore any other places.

"Okay, let's go."

Two equally slender and fair hands clasped together, and the figures, one in black and one in white, gradually disappeared beside the ancestral hall.

……

Yu Bai: Friends for life, you wear black, I wear white. We're the coolest black and white duo ever!