Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"...Let's go."

"...Um."

Asuna, who arrived at the labyrinth area first, was speechless when she first encountered the Minotaur.

"Hachiman-kun..."

"what happened?"

“This is sexual harassment!!!”

"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"

"I'm not talking about you, it's them!"

Looking at the minotaur with only a loincloth on his bare upper body, Hachiman scratched his head and said, "Ah, this... you'll just have to get used to it. Sorry."

"Well......"

The battle began. The main purpose was to practice dealing with the Minotaur's special skill, "Named Shock"—an area-of-effect attack that stuns the enemy if hit, and paralyzes the enemy if hit repeatedly.

"How's it going, Asuna? Can you handle it?"

“It should be possible if we try a few more times.”

"The range of the minion version and the boss version is vastly different, but the timing is the same, so take advantage of it now."

After successfully mastering the technique, the two counted their gains. Since the second-level maze hadn't been explored by many people, there were a considerable number of treasure chests, and the harvest was quite rich.

Hachiman discovered a rare item:

"Ring Blade..."

"what is that?"

"Simply put, it's a circular boomerang."

"Hey~ Can Hachiman-kun use it?"

"This requires physical skills + throwing skills. No one would specifically learn throwing skills these days, so no one should be able to equip this at the moment."

"I see."

"And this 'Weigel Leather Armor', a magical belt-type armor with high defense and strength bonus."

"The belted type is...?"

"It's a half-naked look with the upper body wrapped in fabric... so to speak..."

Hachiman suddenly blushed, and Asuna narrowed her eyes. "What did you just imagine?"

"No, no, by the way! This should be perfect for Agil, right?"

"Don't try to get away with it! But Mr. Agil would look handsome in it."

Before the topic could be further explored, Hachiman hastily suggested returning. The setting sun cast their long shadows across the maze's bluestone path, and the adventure on the second level continued.

SAO: Chapter 18 Crisis - Changing Information

The two returned to the street and ran into Kirito by chance.

"Oh~Kirito~"

"Kirito-kun, long time no see!"

"It's been a long time since we last met. Are you guys coming back from somewhere?"

“I just went to the maze area.”

"Ah, I heard the outdoor BOSS was killed. It was really fast this time."

"When did Kirito come back?"

"Last night. I was so tired that I slept until noon today."

"Then let's give a souvenir to the tired Kirito."

"If you want to give it to me, I'll accept it. What is it?"

Hachiman silently handed the ring blade to Kirito.

"Well... to be honest, I don't really need it..."

"Didn't you just say you would accept it?"

"I've been tricked... Oh, thanks, Hachiman."

"No need to force your thanks, Kiri Kitty."

"No, please don't call me that."

"Ah, Kirito-kun is also going to learn Taijutsu skills, right? It's okay, I've seen the eight cats too."

"Don't call me Eight Cat"

The three of them laughed at the same time.

"Just a quick question, Kirito, do you need this?"

"You mean this leather power belt?"

"Why not give it to Agil? It's perfect for him."

"So you think so too."

"Ah, I can't think of anyone more suitable than that guy."

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

The three of them smiled at each other again.

"By the way, Kirito, have you heard anything from Argo?"

"Oh, right. Argo contacted me and is on his way there now."

"I see. Argo will explain the details, but this is a bit tricky."

"Really? Then I'll just listen to what Argo has to say."

"Um"

After parting ways with Kirito, the two disbanded on the spot, deciding to leave tomorrow's affairs for tomorrow.

Maybe they stayed in the maze area for too long, and both Qi Er and Ling Si Jiu Qi Shan looked extremely tired and wanted to rest early.

"Goodnight then, Asuna."

"OK, good night."

While resting at the inn, Hachiman received a letter from Argo, who expressed his desire to meet the next day to discuss matters in detail and seemed to have a request. Hachiman readily agreed and fell into a deep sleep.

The morning of the eighth day after the second floor opened.

Hachiman and Argo meet up at Asuna's inn.

"So what's going on today?"

"There are two things. First, let's start with what happened last night. Since you've gotten involved to this extent, I feel it's necessary to explain the situation to you two."

Kirito had been sent by Argo to reinforce his weapon. Bakaha, after the Hachiman incident, continued to take orders from various towns. When his weapon was destroyed, he summoned a new one on the spot to try to control the situation.

Based on information from all parties, the general situation is as follows:

He initially chose a combat class, but due to the NERvGear's visual system not being fully synchronized, he was unable to grasp the distance sense, and as a result, he always held back and caused trouble for his teammates.

Feeling guilty towards his companions, he met a mysterious player in a cloak one day and learned the methods of committing crimes from him.

Now, following Kirito's advice, in order to gain new power, he decided to give up forging skills and instead learn physical skills. At this moment, he is constantly hitting rocks in the mountains.

"About that cloaked man..."

"I can't find any information at all. I don't feel like a normal person."

Hachiman raised a new question:

"But is it okay for someone who can't even grasp distance to learn Taijutsu?"

"Interestingly, he also seems to be improving his throwing skills."

"I see. Throwing weapons isn't affected much by range, but the throwing operation itself... wait! Could it be a chakram?"

"That's right, Hachiman-kun did a good thing this time."

"I just pushed it to him because it was too troublesome, but I didn't expect that he would be a big help..."

"It's such a miraculous coincidence!"

"Is that so? Then all we have to do now is to settle the issue of compensation for those whose weapons were taken away, right?"

“Honestly, this is the most difficult problem.”

"After all, this involves criminal behavior. Even if the person apologizes sincerely, it is hard to predict whether he will be forgiven."

“It’s up to them now.”

"That's right. Argo, what's the second thing you mentioned?"

Hachiman nodded and asked Argo for another request.

"Actually, gathering intelligence on the boss this time went more smoothly than last time, but there's one concerning task."

"What's the concern?"

"I have a feeling there's a connection to the boss. It's just my intuition as an intelligence agent."

"Do you need our help in completing that mission?"

"Exactly. It's a bit of an errand, requiring a lot of running around."

"I'm OK"

"That's fine with me. Shall we start now?"

"If you two agree, I'll leave it to you. Kirito, won't you join?"

"Kirito is currently leading Bakaha to the Taijutsu mission location. If the mission yields useful intelligence, he'll be needed as a liaison at the strategy meeting.

According to my intelligence, the frontline troops should be able to find the boss room soon."

“Then we must hurry up.”

"Okay, let's go. Our destination is the dense forest near the maze area."

The three of them stepped into the dense forest and began a long charge.

At the same time, Kirito brought Bakaha to the location where the physical skill mission was triggered, and silently observed the other party's special training.

(I'm really working hard... At this rate, we can complete the task quickly...)

Kirito stayed behind to observe that night, while Bakaha continued to hit the rocks without stopping.

When Kirito returned to the street the next day after waiting, he met Agil and learned that the boss room had been discovered and the strategy meeting was about to be held, so he decided to attend the meeting.

After the meeting ended successfully, Kirito joined Agil's team.

"Agil, thank you very much for this wonderful time."

"That's not a big deal. But where are those two guys? I can't see them."

"They are now desperately trying to collect more BOSS intelligence."

"I see...they're both great."

"Yes. They risked their lives for me on the first floor. If I can do anything for them, I will definitely do my best."

"In that case, in order to repay them, we must work hard tomorrow."

"Well, I'll be grateful for your guidance tomorrow, Agil."

Argo, upon receiving the news of the strategy meeting's convening and conclusion, was extremely anxious.

(This might not be finished until tomorrow noon, which is not good.)

"Hachiman, Asuna, the strategy meeting is over."