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

“…Abe no Seimei!” Upon hearing Abe no Seimei’s words, Fuyuki’s face, hidden behind his mask, darkened.

This guy really has absolutely no respect for Fengyue!

Just as Bu Yue was emitting black smoke, Yu Bai's Higekiri sword trembled more and more violently, to the point that Yu Bai could hardly hold onto the blade.

As the sword trembled, a ray of white light spilled out from the Higekiri blade, appearing exceptionally dazzling.

Upon seeing this, Yu Bai recalled the scene when he appeared from the sword in the koto at Nobuko Honmaru in Sagawa, and without thinking, he loosened his grip on the blade.

"I am the Genji clan's beloved sword, named Higekiri! Lord Seimei, you should watch your words!"

This sword spirit has milky-gold hair and a soft voice, but if you think that the personality of this katana is the same as its voice, you would be very wrong.

Before anyone could see, Higekiri not only announced the start of battle the moment he appeared, but he also drew his gleaming sword from its sheath.

"Wait, Higekiri! Put your sword away quickly, and don't be angry, Futsuki. Didn't I say Seimei is good-looking? Besides, he's never even seen my face; he was probably just responding to my compliment." Seeing this, Yu Bai quickly tried to appease the god and the sword.

"My lord, you just called him Seimei? Did you develop a liking for him after only one meeting?"

Higekiri's voice was so sweet it was almost cloying, but it also concealed some other emotions.

"Toyotsuki...you like Abe no Seimei?"

"No, no, I just said it offhand," Yu Bai hurriedly denied.

However, Yu Bai never expected that he would encounter a "pig teammate" who liked to stir up trouble.

While he was trying to appease them, Abe no Seimei was adding fuel to the fire.

"It is an honor for me that Lord Toyotsuki calls me Seimei. Moreover, your charm is not diminished even without seeing your face. My praise for Lord Toyotsuki is absolutely from the bottom of my heart."

Abe no Seimei fanned himself with a fan, a sly glint in his eyes, his narrow, fox-like eyes curving slightly, a broad smile on his face.

"Don't say anything more. If this continues, I won't be able to care about Higekiri's sword and Futsuki's anger anymore," Yu Bai said helplessly.

With Yu Bai's reassurance, Futsuki and Higekiri finally relaxed, and the atmosphere eased. Abe no Seimei instructed the boys and girls to serve tea to the three distinguished guests as a way of expressing his welcome.

"Lord Futsuki, Lord Toyokatsuki, Lord Higekiri, please have some tea."

The boy and girl, their wings trembling slightly, carefully carried three steaming cups of tea and presented them to Yu Bai and his group.

Yu Bai saw their wings flapping gently, especially the girl's feathers, which were all ruffled. This made him wonder if the little yellow bird was about to faint at any moment.

"Lord Higekiri just now said that you are the beloved sword of the Genji clan? It just so happens that I also know a cursed sword from the Genji clan."

Taking a sip of warm tea, Abe no Seimei's gaze lingered for a moment on the main body hanging at Higekiri's waist, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Recalling his encounter with the Genji Onikiri a few days ago during his exorcism trip, the sharp blade he held tightly was exactly the same as the katana at Higekiri's waist. Coupled with Higekiri's self-introduction just now, this made him think twice.

"We did have some contact with Onikiri, whom you mentioned, not long ago. By the way, do you know anything about his background?" Yu Bai asked, still somewhat curious about Onikiri, who shared the same physical form as his own tsukumogami.

"Onikiri... I don't know much about him, I only know that he is the most perfect masterpiece carefully crafted by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the head of the Minamoto no Yorimitsu family."

Abe no Seimei slowly recalled that his understanding of the Minamoto clan was indeed limited, and he only occasionally had some interaction with Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

"Oh? May I ask, is the current head of the Minamoto family Minamoto no Yorimitsu?"

Gently stroking the sword at his waist, Higekiri, though he always forgot his younger brother's name, still remembered his former master very clearly. Since learning that Minamoto no Yorimitsu also existed in this timeline, he had been curious whether this Yorimitsu was different from the one in his memories.

"The current head of the Minamoto clan is Lord Minamoto no Yorimitsu. So, you three deities, you must be new here and haven't found a place to stay yet, right?"

"If you don't mind, would you deign to grace my humble courtyard with your presence? It would be an honor for Seimei to receive the three of you."

With his face half-covered by an open fan, Abe no Seimei extended an invitation to the three deities before him to stay the night.

Di~

Abe no Seimei has invited you to stay overnight. Will you accept?

accept.

"Since Lord Qingming has invited us, we will not refuse."

Just as Yu Bai was about to blurt out "Seimei" again, he suddenly felt two gazes from beside him, so he abruptly added a title after "Seimei".

The invitation from Abe no Seimei was exactly what Yu Bai needed. He wanted Abe no Seimei to teach him Yin-Yang arts, and there was no more convenient place than here.

……

"It's late at night. What brings you here, Lord Fengyue?"

In the stillness of the night, Yue Yubai tiptoed toward Abe no Seimei's room. The moment his fingertips touched the cold door, it seemed to know his purpose and was quietly opened by a warm hand.

Abe no Seimei, dressed in a loose-fitting Onmyoji robe, was clearly not yet asleep and stood leisurely waiting in front of the door.

He stood at the doorway, looking down to meet the gaze of the silver-haired deity. At this moment, Yu Bai had already removed the mask from his face, and his golden pupils seemed to contain the brilliance of stars, shimmering with light, causing Abe no Seimei to be slightly lost in thought.

"You knew I was coming to see you?" Yu Bai asked, looking up as he saw that Abe no Seimei hadn't even changed his outer clothes.

"This is a god! Those eyes are truly beautiful." Hearing Yu Bai's words, Abe no Seimei snapped out of his reverie and exclaimed inwardly.

"I had a feeling that night, so I waited here for quite some time. May I ask what brings Lord Toyotsuki here so late at night?"

Abe no Seimei smiled and welcomed Yu Bai into the house, where the two sat down at the table.

Seeing this, Yu Bai didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "I want to learn Yin-Yang techniques from Lord Seimei, especially the part about shikigami."

"Oh? Lord Toyotsuki is actually interested in Onmyodo?"

Upon hearing this, Abe no Seimei couldn't help but feel a slight sense of surprise. After all, he had never imagined that a deity would take the initiative to ask him for guidance on Yin-Yang arts.

"Of course, I have a purpose. And I will certainly reward you accordingly. If you need anything during my stay in Heian-kyo, feel free to ask me for a favor."

When someone helps you, you should naturally reciprocate with a gift.

But Yu Bai thought about it and realized that he didn't seem to have anything right now. He couldn't very well give away the gold bricks he had in the game's inventory, could he?

Although he doesn't mind, it's still somewhat unsuitable.

After much deliberation, Yu Bai could only promise that Abe no Seimei could ask him for a favor if needed.

"Since I have received Lord Toyotsuki's promise, I, Seimei, will naturally agree. However, it is already quite late today, and it is probably not appropriate to discuss matters of Yin and Yang arts any further. Shall we begin tomorrow?"

Looking out the window, Qingming saw that the night was already deep, so he and Yu Bai agreed to start teaching Yin-Yang techniques again the next day.

Abe no Seimei was naturally happy to have a god's help, especially since the movements around Orochi had been getting bigger and bigger lately, and according to his investigation, it seemed to be related to the Genji clan.

"Okay." After receiving Abe no Seimei's reply, Yu Bai returned to his room. As soon as he opened the door, he was met with two pairs of eyes, one black and one yellow.

...Oh, he forgot, gods don't need to sleep.

……

Not Moon: Stare—

Mustache cut: stare—

Yu Bai: I'm drenched in sweat, family.