Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Author: Not a Tomato

Introduction:

After Christmas in 2022, Hachiman Hikigaya of Sobu High School was holding his novice iron sword, and the game system in front of him was floating a death notice of "Exit button disappeared".

Asuna: "Hachiman-kun, is this woman the real-life friend you mentioned?"

Yukino-chan: "Hikigaya-kun, you've violated the Service Club by maintaining intimate relationships with numerous women in this game."

[Yui]: "Xiaoqi's marriage system report... I'm not particularly concerned about it!"

When Asuna, holding Hachiman's hand, ran into Yukino, Yui, Iroha, Shizuka, Haruno, Yumiko, and Jonagiri in a coffee shop, she noticed a small hand suddenly twisting towards her waist. The pained Hachiman looked at the invisible smoke-filled battlefield of love with tears in his eyes: "So - why am I forced to deal with interpersonal relationships now!"

(This article belongs to the world of anime, with the main characters being Sword Art Online and Oregairu. Characters from many anime, such as Steins;Gate and Rascal, will appear later.)

SAO: Chapter 1 Prologue, the beginning of everything

That day, Hikigaya Hachiman finally welcomed the day he had been waiting for for a long time.

A boy with dead eyes, wrapped in panda pajamas, slumped on the lazy sofa, his finger unconsciously poking at the SAO start countdown on his phone screen. "Even the Novice Village is covered with Christmas decorations. This setting really deserves Mr. Akihiko's bad taste..."

To explain why Hachiman, who is not a game geek, is so eager for this VRMMO that can be considered as its natural enemy, the story can be traced back to his internship - yes, it was the disastrous day that Zaimokuza called "the Shura Field of the Realm".

At that time, all the members of the service club mistakenly entered the ARGUS company. Under the attack of Hayato Hayama's "Shining Prince Smile", everyone witnessed the SAO real machine demonstration that shocked the industry.

Since the release of the NERvGear, a fully functional game console, many titles have appeared on the market, but due to the limitations of the groundbreaking hardware specifications, there have still been no games that can truly utilize its capabilities.

When he saw the game screen with his own eyes, Hachiman tried his best to suppress the recurrence of his chuunibyou.

(This is simply a dimensionality reduction attack! Those games that claim to be masterpieces are not even worth a pixel in front of SAO, right?)

"This isn't just entertainment anymore!" Tobe Sho's scream echoed throughout the experience area. "Even in full stealth mode, I can actually smell the orange scent of Kaito-san's shampoo!"

Ebina Hime suddenly laughed strangely: "Fufufufu... The scene of Zaimoku-san and Hayato-kun fighting back to back in the virtual world is like a CG storyboard that only appears in BL games..."

As he spoke, he suddenly covered his nose, and a suspicious red liquid seeped out from between his fingers.

"Compared to this..." Hachiman stared at the screen, watching the swordsman's sixteen-hit combo unfold. "How could the system allow such an ergonomically unsuitable movement? Are the developers geniuses or just in the advanced stage of Chuunibyou..."

Naturally, Hachiman could only stare at the screen intently. Although several participants were arranged to try the game later, as a professional lone ranger, Hachiman certainly could not raise his hand to sign up and could only watch others operate.

"What do you think of Sword Art Online?"

Startled by the sudden question, Hachiman responded reflexively, "How should I put it... This isn't just entertainment anymore, this is a real game.

Although I also find this statement strange, although it is an artificially created world, it does exist here... or rather, it is real... Here exists the truth that I long for but cannot obtain."

There was a gasp behind him, and Hachiman realized who he was talking to and turned around hurriedly.

What came into view was a man in a white coat who looked both surprised and delighted, and was looking at him with great interest - that face was so famous that he often saw it in magazines.

(Kayaba Akihiko, a genius game designer and quantum physicist.

Have people like him grasped the "truth"? And why did I say "truth," a word I'd never considered before?)

That dazzling presence made Hachiman feel insignificant and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Is that so... Is that true... Do you think so?"

"S-Sorry! I was just saying it casually... I don't know why I said that..."

"It's really unbelievable, but there's no need to apologize. On the contrary, I'm very happy."

Kayaba continued with interest, "Didn't you sign up for the trial? This SAO is meant for people like you to experience."

"No, it's not that I'm not interested... well... how should I put it..."

After using his usual excuses, Hachiman suddenly felt that he was quite useless.

(It’s really hard to talk fluently with strangers.)

Seeing Hachiman's reaction, Kayaba thoughtfully took out his business card and said, "Would you like to work part-time during the summer vacation as a pre-internal test adjustment? Just contact this number."

"Thank you...but why did you choose me..."

"I sense a certain quality in you. It might be inconvenient for a formal tester to need proof of being in school."

Although he calls himself a professional lone ranger, Hachiman replied cautiously, "If I have the opportunity, I will seriously consider handling it properly."

Despite the odd wording, Kayaba smiled delightedly, "Hahaha, you're really quite entertaining. Even though you might seem reluctant, I'm looking forward to it. Please enjoy the world of SAO."

Just as he was about to leave, Kayaba suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, I haven't asked for your name yet?"

"Hikigaya Hachiman, second year at Sobu High School."

"Sobu High School...Do you know Yukinoshita Haruno?"

(Hina...Yukino...their names seem to be...)

"I know Yukinoshita Yukino. We're classmates and the head of the Servant Club."

"Maybe he's a relative, but I'm just asking casually, don't take it seriously," Kayaba said, leaving behind meaningful words and hurried away.

(I was able to talk directly with Kayaba Akihiko and was even invited to work part-time... I'll have to brag to Zaimokuza next time. The surname Yukinoshita is probably not common... Never mind.)

After adjusting his mood, Hachiman turned his attention back to the game. At this time, Yuigahama Yui came over: "Xiaoqi? What happened?"

"Nothing much, just a few words with the developers."

"This game is really amazing, isn't it? Everything about it is shocking!"

"Ah... indeed..."

(Compared to this virtual world, my troubles are so insignificant, or perhaps they are not even troubles?)

It was at this moment that Hikigaya Hachiman decided to reset his relationship with Yuigahama Yui.

Although he didn't know whether it was right, he still applied for a part-time job as if he was avoiding something. As a result, in the subsequent development, he accidentally met Yukinoshita Haruno.

(Who is more powerful, her or Mr. Kayaba? It’s definitely Mr. Kayaba, but the fact that they can be compared to each other speaks volumes about her formidable talent.

Anyway, try to avoid contact with Ms. Yang No... I always find her scary)

It is worth mentioning that due to his fear of Haruno, Hachiman never dared to mention the matter of Kayaba.

As a result, when the part-time job was exposed, Yang Nai questioned him thoroughly.

(As a science student, perhaps Miss Haruno sees him as her target? But still...)

Hachiman tried to inquire about the relationship between the two but ultimately returned empty-handed. He only remembered that Haruno's eyes at that time were extremely terrifying.

(I absolutely have to stay away from this person... Although I feel that she is a little interested in me, it must be an illusion)

In this way, Hachiman spent the busiest summer vacation of his life.

During this time, he began to address Kayaba as "Mr. Akihiko", and Yukinoshita Haruno forced him to call her by her first name after the fall - Hachiman had no right to refuse.

(Mr. Jingyan is a respectable person. Most importantly, he is not intimidating, and he is essentially a hidden lone ranger, which makes people feel very approachable.

But this summer vacation was definitely the most difficult vacation of my life, especially when I was suddenly thrown into Chiba Village to work. I was really exhausted. It turns out that "not wanting to work" is the true meaning of life.

As summer vacation came to an end, Kayaba, busy with finishing work, gradually distanced himself from the crowd.

Hachiman experienced the cultural festival, sports festival, and Christmas activities one after another, and unknowingly began to look forward to obtaining "reality" through SAO. In the end, he used his part-time job money to purchase NERvGear and SAO.

(Although it’s busy, it’s not too bad now. Maybe this is the change.

What will happen in the world of Sword Art Online? I find myself actually looking forward to it.

Hachiman and Yukino

SAO: Chapter 2 Link Activation

Link Start

The moment the colorful particle special effects exploded on the retina, Hikigaya Hachiman's ankle had already stepped precisely on the bluestone slabs of the Town of Origin - wait, this touch is wrong!

(Eh, it's "Advent"!? Ah, isn't this the character I used for my part-time job...

What a mistake! I should have rebuilt the character from the beginning... I'm surprised this character still exists.)

Hachiman shrugged helplessly and slowly began to check his appearance and status bar.

"The name is still Hachiman (Hachiman), has the state returned to the original state?

Anyway, we're not going to have a serious fun, so if we're just going to relax, it's fine to keep it as it is...

However, all my efforts to stay up late and excitedly come up with a name yesterday were wasted..."

At this moment, Hachiman suddenly noticed unfamiliar special effects appearing at the edge of his vision.

(A message from the operator? Or from Kayaba Akihiko?)

After clicking on the message, the content jumped into my eyes:

"May the time come when you find the real thing in this game. I won't apologize, and I'm sure you'll understand.

Although it's not compensation, I've managed to put the equipment you liked to use but couldn't import into the official version somewhere.

If you can find it, please make good use of it.”

The word "reality" reminded Hachiman of what happened a few days ago, and he curled up in pain.

The distortion was so intense that it was nauseating.

Unlike the previous conversations with Kayaba,

Now Hachiman has clearly realized what he desires.

(Here we go again! This riddle-man sentence structure is even more suffocating than Hiratsuka-sensei's marriage talk!)

“It took a lot of effort to restore your eyes.”

The moment he saw the second message, Hachiman rushed to the fountain.

Look at your own face in the reflection of the water.

(So ​​even my eyes are rotten in VRMMO...

What is this? Pity for the socially anxious? Or has Mr. Kayaba finally awakened your strange XP?

After bowing his head in despair in the face of the cruel reality, Hachiman began to ponder the meaning of Kayaba's message.

(My usual weapon... but it's not likely to be easily found in such a big world. I don't think I'll ever find it.

But what did he mean by "I should understand"?

Never mind, there's no point in worrying about it, time is precious.)

Hachiman first went to an open-air stall in the commercial district to get his equipment.

(This area is still the same as before, after all, it was basically finalized when I played it)

In front of the open-air stall, Hachiman stared at the price tag of the dagger in his hand, as if he saw Yukino holding a cup of black tea with a kind smile on her face.

"300 kol? Why don't you just go grab it? The same item at the next stall is clearly priced at 250!"

"Hey, you're not an expert, are you?" the Mohawk-wearing stall owner waved his dagger. "This one has the [Single's Blessing] special effect, which increases the drop rate for solo players by 0.5%."

(You definitely made up this dubious additional attribute, didn't you? Do you think I'm some idiot like Zaimokuza who believes the "Magic Sword Panty Collector" actually exists?)

After finally looking at the shape with satisfaction, Hachiman tried his best to restrain his breath.

This is the Lone Ranger's concealment skill, although it is not a system skill.

The effect is questionable but it is better than nothing. Thanks to this state, no one is paying attention to the surroundings - the title of Lone Wanderer even overrides the system.

Just as Hachiman turned around to go out of town hunting, he bumped into someone who had been standing behind him for some unknown time, and stumbled a few steps.

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm sorry!"

After stuttering out a reflexive apology, Hachiman suddenly realized:

(When did this woman… not right! VR character genders are totally unbelievable! Just like that 200-pound programmer with a lolita body!)

Hachiman jumped back to create some distance and tried to look the other person in the eye, but because he was not used to making eye contact with others, he ended up looking away and fell silent.

Seeing this, the other party came up and spoke first:

"Sorry, sorry, this guy is quite interesting, I couldn't help but observe him closely.