Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"Got it! We'll be right back to help you, wait!"

Fortunately, the new enemies were not strong, so the three of them only suffered minor injuries and quickly defeated them and rushed back.

What the three saw was that, apart from the previous block, by timing his attacks and observing whether the enemy was about to raise his weapon, Hachiman's position left the enemy with no room to attack at all.

After Argo took over, he stepped back a few steps, and Hachiman slumped to the ground. Asuna tried to rush over but was stopped:

"I'm fine, just take care of it."

After a few minutes, the dog-headed sentry guard finally fell down, and the three of them immediately ran towards Hachiman.

"How are you feeling, Hachiman-kun?"

"I didn't take much damage, so I'm fine."

"But that was amazing just now. I didn't expect you could still fight like this."

"How did Hachiman do that just now?"

"Well, it's like discovering a trap."

Question marks appeared over the three people's heads.

"You mentioned it when we were looking for traps, right? You can tell by feeling it.

Also, observe the enemy's body carefully and counterattack the moment you sense an attack, so that you can interrupt the attack.

We should have pursued them at this time, but the current conditions did not allow it.

I can do it even if I get hurt... but that would go against my promise to Asuna. 'Safety first'

The three of them couldn't imagine how much superb skills were required for Hachiman's easy explanation.

"You really kept your promise."

"Of course, if the HP bar on the team roster drops significantly, you'll be worried. It would be terrible if you get distracted and fall into danger."

"By the way, Hachiman, you don't seem to be hurt, but you look very tired."

"Ah~ My brain is tired from the intense concentration. It's fine during the battle, but I feel exhausted after it's over."

"I see... Then I'll go explore the surrounding area with Liz-chan. Asuna-chan, please stay with Hachi-chan for a while."

"Yes, Asuna, please take care of Hachiman."

"Okay, I understand. If anything happens, let me know immediately."

The two went to check their surroundings, and Asuna continued to look at Hachiman with concern.

"Are you okay? Want something to drink?"

"Ah, no thanks. I'm going to take out my treasured possessions."

Hachiman said this, took out a drink and started drinking.

"what is that?"

"There's still plenty of Chiba's soul drinks. Yayi, do you want some too?"

“Well, try drinking it.”

Hachiman took out a drink from the item storage space and handed it to Asuna.

"Then I won't be shy. Wow—so sweet!!"

"Is it too sweet for Asuna?"

"Hmm~ It shouldn't matter. It's more like the taste I like."

"I'm so happy that people understand this drink. Basically, everyone I recommended it to before just complained about it being too sweet, so I'm super happy now."

"It's really sweet, but it's a taste I like. It helps to recover from fatigue."

"After all, sweets are the most effective way to restore brain fatigue."

After resting for a while, the two joined the exploration.

The treasure chest in the deep room is filled with potions, which will be processed by Argo and anonymously provided to players participating in the boss battle.

"mural?"

"That will confirm it."

On the wall of the room hung a painting of the Kobold Lord Ilfane and twelve Kobold Sentinels of Destruction.

Next to him is the dog-headed lord Ilfan, and it is unknown what kind he is. Next to the lord is a box containing several weapons.

"Does this mean the boss will have twelve followers? And he'll change weapons mid-game?"

"It seems so."

After successfully completing their quest, the group returned to the city and was treated to a meal by Argo.

A few days later, Argo received news that the boss's room had been discovered.

Two days later, the first BOSS strategy meeting will be held in Tolbana Square.

SAO: Chapter 12: The Result of the First Strategy Meeting

Finally, the morning of the Raiders meeting arrived.

After discussion, everyone felt that it was too early for Lisbeth to participate in the class boss battle, so she decided not to participate this time.

After a brief exchange, Asuna went to the venue alone, while Hachiman quietly placed the "Boss Strategy Guide" that Argo had rushed to complete overnight at the prop shop before leaving.

Seeing Asuna sitting alone in the back row, Hachiman's sarcastic spirit suddenly awakened by the faint scent of lily of the valley on her body.

(A body fragrance effect is naturally present in this kind of situation? Is SAO's system broken somewhere?)

After taking a seat, Asuna asked about the progress of the meeting and began to explain the situation with a slightly serious expression.

"The person presiding over the meeting is that man named Diabel. I remember he said he was a knight in spirit."

"Huh? Psycho Knight?" Hachiman nearly spit out the water he just drank. "Then I said I was a Shadow Ninja!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hachiman wanted to bite off his tongue - Damn it, he exposed his otaku nature in front of a girl!

Asuna tilted her head in confusion. "Shadow... what?"

"No, nothing!" Hachiman hurriedly changed the subject. "And then?"

Asuna, oblivious to this, continued, "And then that man with the weird haircut called Kibo suddenly..."

"Weird hair? Ah, that guy."

"Well, he suddenly yelled before the meeting, 'Testers, get out! You're the ones who killed two thousand people! Take responsibility!' Something like that..."

"Huh? What the hell is that guy doing?"

Hachiman showed a speechless expression

Asuna continued:

"Then that black man named Agil came out and said that all the information was public, and the situation calmed down temporarily. I saw Mr. Agil handing out bread to homeless players in the church before, and he seemed like a good person."

(Do good people really give out bread? Wait, this is too much!)

After hearing the details, Hachiman regretted his lack of consideration. When he heard the word "strategy guide", he felt a sudden electric current running through the back of his neck.

He suddenly asked, "Wait! Wasn't there a note in the strategy guide Argo gave me that said 'Data for reference only'?"

"Hachiman-kun, what happened?"

Asuna asked worriedly, noticing Hachiman's gloomy expression.

Hachiman suppressed his anxiety and explained the situation:

"Miss Argo is in danger..."

Suddenly, a player rushed into the venue and said, "Mr. Diabel! We found this in the item shop!"

"This is... Rat's Boss Strategy Guide!?"

"The boss's room was just discovered? How come it's so soon..."

"Such detailed information... As expected..."

"Good! With these numbers we should be able to win. The numbers don't look too strong."

However, just as everyone was excited, Kiba saw the strategy guide and started making trouble again:

"See! That woman is in cahoots with the beta testers! She's a member of the beta testers herself! We need her to come clean!"

The surroundings echoed the voices, and the venue was suddenly filled with accusations against the internal testing team. Hachiman frantically thought about how to calm the situation:

(Turn the blame on me first. Criticizing Ya Wang requires convincing reasons.)

Even though he has become more positive after the Christmas incident, Hachiman's first reaction in an emergency is still self-sacrifice.

Just as he was about to take action, Asuna suddenly grabbed his sleeve. Turning back and seeing the girl's determined eyes, Hachiman subconsciously looked away.

"really..."

Hachiman, feeling he'd been seen through, was still trying to figure out how to explain himself when Asuna rushed in front of Kibo. Kibaou and the others were stunned by the sudden appearance of the girl.

"Don't you want to get out of here? Why can't you just express your gratitude for this helpful information?"

When Ya Wang realized that it was a girl who said these harsh words, he was speechless and froze.

At the same time, rumors of "this is a girl" gradually spread around, and then the atmosphere in the room changed rapidly.

(Right now! Just like at the school festival, using emotion to fight emotion.)

Hachiman seized the opportunity and quickly analyzed the situation:

(The opportunity has arrived. According to Asuna's information, Agil and Diabel are reliable.)

There was still commotion all around, and Hachiman stood in front of Asuna as if to protect her.

Asuna grabbed Hachiman's sleeve again, and Hachiman whispered to her, "Leave the rest to me."

"Is everything okay? You're not going to do anything rash, are you?"

"Um"

Hachiman answered briefly, then tried to remain calm and said to Kibo, "Mr. Kibo, can I ask you something?"

"Well, what's the matter?"

Hachiman continued, choosing his words carefully.

"I know you're a little reluctant, but I'm not here to tell you to change your mind unconditionally, but..."

Hachiman stopped and looked around.

“I believe that all of us gathered here are determined to defeat this nightmare one way or another.

Now that we have the necessary intelligence and companions, I express my deepest gratitude. What do you think, Mr. Agil?"

When Hachiman suddenly spoke to Aegir, Aegir suddenly realized something and echoed:

"I also want to return to the real world as soon as possible. There are important people waiting for me, just like you."

His calm baritone resonated persuasively throughout the surrounding area.

"What do you think, Diabel?"

Hachiman then addresses Diavil, urging him to take control of the situation.

"That's right! Our enemy isn't the beta testers, it's the floor boss!

We should at least be grateful for this information, what do you think, Mr. Yaou?"

Although Kiba was still unconvinced, he compromised after sensing the change in the atmosphere:

"This time... let's leave it at that for now."

"Thank you for your understanding." Diabel smiled refreshingly, and voices of approval were heard in the meeting room.

Hachiman sensed Diabel's similar control abilities to Hayama's, and returned to his seat with Asuna.

"Hachiman-kun, it was resolved successfully."

"Yeah, Asuna is amazing. She's completely changed the atmosphere of the square."

"I felt like Hachiman-kun was going to sacrifice himself again, so I apologize for acting on my own, but I know you'll take care of the aftermath."