Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Why does that guy look so distressed? His movements just now seemed a little unnatural. And that enhanced weapon just feels... off.

Just as he was thinking, the crisp sound of metal breaking suddenly rang out, and the client's weapon turned into fragments and dissipated into the air.

(Huh? What's going on? I've never heard of a weapon being destroyed due to a failed enhancement. I need to check with Argo.)

Hikigaya sent a detailed inquiry message to his intelligence provider and returned to the hotel to rest for the time being.

Lying in bed and thinking back to the scene just now, I always feel that the atmosphere when Lisbeth was forging was completely different from this, but I can't put my finger on the specific difference.

Just then, two new messages flashed in his inbox. Asuna asked him to gather weapon enhancement materials tomorrow, and Argo replied that similar inquiries had been coming in a lot recently, and that he would investigate based on his information.

Tired, Hikigaya simply replied to Asuna before falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, the two efficiently completed the material collection that Hikigaya had delayed due to his Taijutsu training. On the way back to the city, Lisbeth brought good news—her forging proficiency was now sufficient for weapon enhancement.

"Asuna's weapon will be enhanced soon, right?"

"Hmm... I still need the materials that bee monsters drop with a low probability.

Liz said her weapon attributes conflict with the bee element, and she's waiting for you to come back and team up to farm it."

"Got it, I'll get it done tomorrow."

During the conversation, a familiar tall figure came towards them.

"Oh, you two, long time no see."

"Mr. Agil!"

"Long time no see, Agil."

Agil, who had fought alongside them in the boss battle, brought new intelligence to the strategy team: King Kiba formed the "Aincrad Liberation Team" with the aim of establishing a guild.

Lind inherited Diabel's will and established a resistance organization. Today he will conduct reconnaissance of the wild boss.

"Compared to starting from scratch on the first level, the clearance speed is much faster."

"Want to join the investigation?"

"No, intervening midway would only arouse suspicion. I will participate in the level boss battle when the time comes."

"Me too," Asuna agreed.

"Honestly, I don't get along with those guys," Agil said, lowering his voice. "I'll go on scouting, but forget about the subjugation campaign."

It was almost evening when they said goodbye, but Argo suddenly appeared from the corner of the alley. "Hey, young couple, we have some exciting news!" She said mysteriously, wagging her tail. "About that blacksmith Bakaha—"

After hearing the explanation of the suspected fraud, Asuna was so angry that her twintails trembled: "This is a complete fraud! If my rapier is treated like this..." She pressed her beloved sword at her waist, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"Calm down," Hikigaya recalled yesterday's scene. "When that guy accepted the commission, he only asked 'shopping or maintenance?' He deliberately avoided the word 'enhancement.' When he finished, his expression... He looked like he was about to cry."

Argo pulled out her prepared one-handed sword. "Please take this, Hachi, and ask for it to be strengthened. I still own it. If it succeeds, I can verify it by materializing it elsewhere." She smiled slyly. "If it fails... hehe."

When the three of them arrived at the square, Bakaha was mechanically repeating the forging movements.

Hearing the word "enhancement request," he shuddered, his face paler beneath his hood. When Hikigaya mentioned the word "speed attribute," the forger's hand trembled noticeably.

With the familiar cracking sound, Argo's sword turned to stardust. Though prepared, Hikigaya still felt a piercing pain upon witnessing it firsthand—the craftsman's despairing eyes and the shattering blade's gleam were equally piercing.

"Look!" Argo summoned the menu in the hotel lobby. The sword that should have disappeared reappeared intact. "That confirms my thoughts!"

"While operating the menu, his left hand clicked a button very quickly."

"Could it be..."

Argo's hands danced like shadows, switching between five weapons in an instant. "Quick Switch! But this skill requires full weapon proficiency to unlock."

"It seems our blacksmith..." Hikigaya looked out the window at the dusk, "he was once a formidable swordsman."

Under the moonlight, Asuna leaned against the fountain and murmured, "Why do I have to do this..."

"Probably..." Hikigaya played with the stinger material. "Everyone has their reasons for getting their hands dirty. Just like the stinger of a worker bee in a swarm, it's both a weapon and a shackle."

After discussing the next day's plan, Hachiman returned to his residence.

SAO: Chapter 17: A date day? I guess that counts.

The next day, the two began to compete with each other in hunting the bee swarm. To understand why this happened, we need to go back a little further.

----

"Hachiman-kun, do you know Trumbull's Strawberry Cake?"

"what is that?"

"I saw it in Argo's guidebook. I heard it's delicious."

"Is that so?"

"We're going to hunt the swarm next, right? I have a suggestion."

"Ok?"

"Let's have a contest to see who can catch more prey. If I win, Hachiman-kun will treat me to cake. If Hachiman-kun wins... well, I'll just have to pay for it myself."

"That doesn't sound good to me at all..."

"Boys, don't be so petty! Let's get started!"

"Good good..."

----

The result was naturally a crushing victory for Asuna. It seems that when it comes to sweets, girls' fighting power skyrockets.

"Then Hachiman-kun will treat us as agreed."

"oh oh......"

When he arrived at the cake shop and saw the menu, Hachiman was shocked.

"What's the price? It's too expensive..."

And when the cake was served, he was stunned.

"What is this... strawberry shortcake? Do they really understand what 'short' means?"

The cake in front of me was ridiculously large. Even though it had been cut into pieces, it didn't look like a portion I could finish.

"I can't finish this by myself, so I'll give you some."

"Oh, oh. But you still have to eat two-thirds, right..."

The moment they put the cake into their mouths, smiles appeared on their faces at the same time.

“Delicious...”

“Super delicious~!”

"The creamy, smooth texture melts in your mouth..."

“The sweetness is just right, not cloying at all!”

“It’s expensive for a reason.”

The two looked at each other from time to time and enjoyed their cake time.

"Speaking of which, Hachiman-kun is a boy, but he's quite tolerant of sweets."

"Ah, I like sweets anyway."

"I would also like!"

"But there shouldn't be any girls who hate sweets, right?"

"Ah, look! My luck has gone up! Oh right! Let's strengthen our weapons now!"

"I think it won't work if Liz doesn't take it... but that's okay."

Asuna contacted Lisbeth, and the two of them immediately set off.

The first step was to strengthen Hachiman's short sword. Hachiman didn't notice that when the strengthening started, Asuna quietly pinched the corner of his clothes.

(This can be considered as sharing happiness. Since we are friends, this should be fine.)

I didn't notice it, but Lisbeth saw it clearly.

(Oh my... this is really youthful, Hachiman doesn't seem to notice it yet.)

Lisbeth swung her hammer with all her might, successfully completing the enhancement. When it came time for Asuna's "Wind Flower Sword," she still held onto the hem of Hachiman's clothing. Hachiman, completely oblivious to the entire process, perhaps benefited from this, the enhancement was also successful.

Asuna took the strengthened sword and caressed it lovingly. Seeing this, Hachiman spoke thoughtfully:

"Asuna, can you tell me something?"

"what happened?"

"Regarding this sword... seeing how much you cherish it, it's hard to ask. Its strength will probably only last up to the fourth level, so what are you going to do then?"

Asuna was immediately panicked, unable to imagine the scene of separation.

“Sorry, I didn’t express myself correctly.

There are three ways to obtain new weapons: by defeating enemies, by opening treasure chests, and..."

"What's the third one?"

"Restore existing weapons to metal ingots, and fuse them with other materials to create new weapons."

"Metal ingots?"

"Just as the soul of this sword, cherished by Asuna, is reborn in a new weapon, if you choose this path, I will fully assist you."

"Resurrecting the Sword Spirit... Well, this is my choice! I'll make it happen no matter how hard it gets!"

Although his tone was a bit harsh, Hachiman's eyes were particularly gentle, and Lisbeth, who was watching, was also filled with joy.

"I will work harder for Asuna!"

"Thanks Liz!"

The night of the sixth day of the second level strategy passed quietly.

----

The next day was the day Agil mentioned to defeat the outdoor boss.

Although they didn't plan to participate in the battle, the two decided to go and watch. When passing through Taran Town, Asuna pointed to a stall:

"Look, Hachiman-kun, Taran bread, it seems to be a specialty."

"I've never heard of it... It's a rare opportunity, so since I'm here, I might as well buy some to eat while watching the game."

"good idea"

After buying bread and arriving at the battlefield, they discovered that Agil was not there. There were three forces at the scene: the Liberation Force led by Kiago, the team led by Lind, and a group calling themselves "Legend of the Brave."

"That should be the Brave Legend member we talked about yesterday."

"Let's watch the battle first"

After the battle began, the expedition team adopted cautious and safe tactics. Although it took a little longer, they successfully completed the BOSS expedition.

Although the members of Legend of the Brave were slightly lacking in level, they all played an important role at critical moments.

I haven’t seen these people on the first level. I guess they are an emerging force that is growing rapidly by relying on equipment.

"As expected."

"......yes"

On their way back, the expedition decided to head to the labyrinth area in order to gain experience in fighting the Taurus.

"Oh, and there's Taran bread."

"Oh, yes, let's eat while we walk."

The moment they bit into the bread, their expressions became very subtle.

"Asuna, this..."

“Strawberry filling in cream...still warm..."

"If I had known this beforehand, I might have been able to accept it..."

"I see, I thought it was a meat bun..."