Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"Brother, of course you don't mean that weird, right?"

"Of course I would have such strange thoughts."

"That's right, I wouldn't let you take a bath alone. I would never say something so cold. Of course I wouldn't leave you alone. I'm sorry, Komachi, for doubting you."

"Ah, it's good that you know you were wrong... Wait?"

At this moment, Komachi, who originally seemed dejected, suddenly changed his expression.

"Okay, I've caught you! Sister, today's sex scene is here, come on!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best! Hachiman-kun, although I'm not good enough, please give me some advice."

Hachiman looked at his parents helplessly, but his parents only said things like "We're finally going to have our first grandson" and "When will the wedding be held?" Hachiman, feeling completely isolated and helpless, could only sigh.

　IXL: -Luqibaerba "Ha... It's so troublesome... But there's nothing I can do..."

"Brother, what did you just say?"

"Hey, Komachi, think carefully about what you just said."

After a moment's thought, Komachi repeated the previous line as accurately as possible:

"I wouldn't let you take a bath alone. I would never say something so cold. Of course I wouldn't let you be alone."

"Yes, Komachi is right. Now that you understand, let's go take a bath with Asuna."

"Eh?"

"I certainly didn't say to let Asuna go alone. According to what Komachi said, it's natural to go with Asuna. I never told her who she went with."

Komachi held her chin and uttered a puzzled "Hmm~?" Asuna also held her head and cried "No!", but they were powerless in front of Hachiman, who was armed with theory. Komachi trembled all over and made a final resistance:

"Brother is so cunning! Komachi doesn't want to see an adult like you bullying a child!"

"Huh? This was completely Komachi's fault. When plotting against others, you should set multiple traps. Otherwise, if you encounter an expert, you'll be killed like I am now. Be more careful with your words next time."

"As expected of a former Blood Knights advisor."

Although she was unwilling, Komachi knew that it was her fault and she had to let it go. Although Asuna felt a little regretful, she also seemed relieved that she had avoided embarrassment.

"But Komachi herself feels that it's a bit too much, so let's forget it this time. Then sister, let's take a bath together with Komachi today! We're going to make love so intimately that brother will regret it!"

"Ah, well... it's a shame, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Then let's go!"

"Well, let's go!"

Seeing Asuna give up so easily, Hachiman secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Asuna had continued to pester him, he might have really given in. After all, it was a well-known fact that Hachiman had a soft spot for Asuna.

(Though if that ever came to pass, I'd probably still go clubbing in my swimsuit like I used to.)

Recalling the past when he and Asuna bathed in the open-air hot spring together in swimsuits, Hachiman felt nostalgic and also thought about going to the hot spring next time.

At the same time, he thought of his other companion, Kizmel, and pondered the conditions required to revive her. He planned to discuss this with Argo another day. Although it might involve the blurring of public and private matters, this level of difficulty should be sufficient.

Leaving his shocked parents aside, Hachiman returned to his room to read while waiting. Soon, there was a sound in the corridor and a knock on the door.

"Asuina? Just come in."

The person who pushed the door open was Asuna, who was wearing pajamas and had just come out of the bath. Hachiman was so stunned by her charm that his heart skipped a beat, but he was more concerned about her pajamas.

"Hey? Asuna, these are men's pajamas, right? And they look familiar."

"Ah, well, these are the pajamas Hachiman-kun wore in junior high."

Faced with the pajamas that were obviously men's, Hachiman finally recognized that they were his own old belongings.

"No wonder it looks familiar. I really miss it, but why..."

"I was shopping in the evening when I realized I forgot to bring my pajamas. I was anxious to buy new ones, but Komachi-chan said, 'If you don't mind, I can use my brother's old pajamas.' I was so happy that I agreed immediately, and then..."

Seeing that Asuna was about to fall into a strange state again, Hachiman quickly stopped her and asked her to find a book to read while he went to take a bath. It is worth mentioning that the work Asuna chose at this moment is closely related to an event in ALO in the future.

Hachiman told Asuna the location of the animation DVD and left. When he came back from taking a bath, he found Asuna sitting on her bed watching the movie intently.

"You're so into it, Asuna. Do you like it?"

"Yeah! Especially this kitten, it's super cute! Especially the eyes!"

"Those eyes, are they cute? Never mind, as long as you like them."

"Can I watch it a little longer?"

"Just watch it. You definitely won't be able to finish it today anyway. If you want to continue, I'll lend you the DVD."

"Well, thank you!"

Asuna thanked him and continued watching the movie. Hachiman lay on his back behind her, watching the movie in a disjointed manner.

Komachi and Asuna, who joined later, were sometimes laughing and sometimes crying as they discussed heatedly. Looking at them, Hachiman had an indescribable expression on his face.

"Hachiman-kun's expression is so hard to understand, what are you thinking?"

When asked, Hachiman pondered his expression and answered frankly:

"I'm not thinking of anything special, I'm just a little envious of you being able to watch it together like this. If I had a friend like this in junior high, maybe my student life would have been different."

Asuna fell back upon hearing this, resting her head on Hachiman's stomach, looking up at him and smiling:

"Even though I can't go back to the past, I'm here for the future. There will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future."

"Yes, indeed."

With a warm heart, Hachiman maintained his posture and gently stroked Asuna's hair.

When the clock struck midnight, Komachi yawned and left, and Asuna also fell asleep. Hachiman picked her up and carried her back to the room. When he covered her with the quilt and was about to leave, he heard a dream talk:

"Hachiman-kun, this noble fairy lady will always be with you."

Hachiman, trying hard to suppress his laughter, whispered:

"You must have been too influenced by Mr. Cat. Well, please give me more guidance in the future, Asuna."

The next morning, her parents had already gone to work. Asuna was preparing breakfast when Komachi rushed in holding her phone:

"Brothers and sisters, look! ALO update announcement!"

The screen clearly displayed:

"In the next update, ALO will welcome the arrival of Aincrad!"

"Brother and sister, what is Aincrad?"

"Komachi, you know SAO, but you haven't heard of this name, right?"

"Is it related to SAO?"

"Yes, the SAO stage where we fought for two years—the floating castle of Aincrad."

"I've heard about it before, but it's finally here. Let's gather everyone tonight."

And so, the two of them set foot on the land of Aincrad again.

ALO : Chapter 153 Return to Sao

"There's an urgent matter that needs to be addressed today. I apologize for the sudden notification."

The emergency meeting began with Hikigaya's opening remarks.

Yukino then reported the relevant information about the next version update. The members' reactions varied. Some looked surprised, while others nodded silently as if they had already known about it.

Everyone was silently thinking about the information about SAO. In the ALO team that had never experienced Aincrad, everyone was a little confused. There would probably be some major changes in this combination update.

"Although they are all partners, it would be unfair to directly ask Miss Sorel for undisclosed information, so I didn't invite them to be present today.

Of course, I've already contacted you in advance, but luckily there are quite a few SAO experts here, so I wanted to discuss this with you all first."

After hearing Hikigaya's explanation, everyone nodded, believing that this team-based information disclosure was the best decision.

"Let's start by sorting out the information that has been made public."

Hikigaya listed several key points: first, flying is impossible; second, the map has basically not changed; third, the sword skill system no longer exists; fourth, magic can be used as usual.

Finally, after adding that this was just speculation, he continued, "Regarding the strength of the bosses on each floor, in the current ALO system, the skill cap becomes a shackle, and the bosses on each floor don't necessarily become stronger.

When the skills reach the upper limit, it is difficult for teammates to have a leap in strength except for equipment. Combined with the characteristics of the ALO system, some enemies may be unexpectedly easy to deal with - especially the changes brought about by magic.

During the SAO period, we could only rely on items to recover, and we had to use the so-called "switching tactics" to alternate between front and back guards to recover, but with recovery magic, this has become much easier."

"what!"

Komachi suddenly exclaimed.

"So this is what my sister meant by 'switch'!"

Seeing everyone's confusion, Komachi explained proudly, "When my sister went to pick up my brother a few days ago, she called out the word 'switch' to wake him up from his sleep!"

The members of the former SAO team immediately looked at the two with meaningful eyes. The parties involved hurriedly turned their heads away, their eyes missing in the air.

"Puff...Chi..."

A stifled laugh came from somewhere, and the culprit was Kirito.

"Hikigaya is still reacting to that word, but I understand his feelings."

Kirito was trying hard to suppress his laughter when Lisbeth suddenly yelled, "Kirito, switch!"

Before he could finish his words, Kirito had already retreated reflexively, his hand unconsciously reaching behind him - this action was obviously an attempt to draw his usual long sword.

When he came to his senses and showed a look of dismay, Lisbeth was saying smugly, "You and Hikigaya are the same, Kirito."

"That's so mean, Liz! What a surprise attack!"

While Kirito was protesting desperately, Klein and Agil were already laughing their asses off.

In fact, these two people almost revealed their flaws just now. If their names were called, their reactions would probably be no less severe.

They should be thankful that Lisbeth didn't call out to them, and because Kirito took the lead, the two of them were able to get away with it.

But when I think back on it, it really became a subconscious muscle reaction, and I’m lucky I made it through alive.

"So what's the primary goal after entering Aincrad?" Yukino calmly brought the topic back on track.

"First, intelligence gathering and securing bases."

"Are there any suitable candidates for bases?"

"Leave it to Asuna and me, we will definitely get it." Hikigaya said, thinking of a certain hotel. Asuna and Kirito naturally understood what he meant and narrowed their eyes with nostalgia.

"I'll take over the assignments from 9 Liuliu Siliu Qi - Yawa 8. I'll leave the gathering of combat intelligence to Kirito."

"learn!"

"The members include Leafa, Komachi, Iroha, Yui, Yumi, Ragen, and Ms. Mobius."

"What's so special about this lineup?"

"Kirito can lead the team without any problems. Leafa is an all-around player who can attack and defend. Komachi will be in charge of reconnaissance, and Regen will work with her to master Aincrad's terrain.

Iroha will verify the magic's effects, Yui will test the tank's performance, Yumi will confirm the limits of her current abilities, and Ms. Mobius will specialize in healing.

"I understand. The verification items are basically clear now."

The remaining members were then assigned to the town exploration team: Yukino, Agil, Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, plus Hikigaya and Asuna who were scheduled to secure the base.

"Why was I assigned to the town group?" asked Yukino.

"We veteran gamers tend to have blind spots, and that's when Snowpedia comes in handy."

"Please don't use weird nicknames, but this name does sound a bit nostalgic."

Seeing that everyone agreed with the grouping, Hikigaya continued, "Regarding guild matters, due to the sudden implementation of Aincrad, I have some new ideas."

"Actually, the 22nd floor is where we used to have a secret base. You'll understand the specific reason once you see it with your own eyes. I'd like to use that as our guild's base. How about officially establishing the guild once we arrive?"

Seeing that no one objected, the proposal was passed smoothly.

"In terms of activity content, the ultimate goal is to clear the 100th floor, but now that we've reached the 22nd floor and established a guild, we need to consider Jotunheim's strategy and balance our progress. The principle is to do what we can and enjoy the game."

"Being happy is the most important thing." Kirito's words were echoed by everyone.

"All activities are voluntary. Make sure they don't affect real life. Feel free to raise any suggestions for guild activities." As soon as Hikigaya finished speaking, voices of agreement rang out one after another.

Just as the meeting was about to end, someone suddenly broke in.