Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

"How's it going, Kirito?"

"It's very heavy. It's a good sword."

At this moment, Asuna suddenly asked, "But Kirito-kun already has an Elucidator. When will he use it?"

"A one-handed sword is not easy to deal with in case of emergencies, so we need a backup weapon of the same level." Hearing the sudden question, Kirito seemed to have experienced a brainstorming session.

"That's it"

Asuna, knowing Kirito's collecting habit, accepted the explanation as he faltered. However, Lisbeth looked skeptical. Hachiman, sensing the atmosphere, quickly requested to create his own weapon.

"It's my turn next"

"Okay! Let's start with the dagger!"

Even for Liz, continuously crafting top-level weapons was a bit strenuous. Although the final product was of superior quality, it did not meet expectations, and the blacksmith girl looked a little frustrated.

“I always feel it’s not perfect…”

"Have you set your standards too high lately? I think it's pretty good," Hachiman offered timely comfort.

"Having said that..."

"Anyway, the point is next time, please."

SAO: Chapter 54: Hachiman's Special Equipment (Thanks for the First Order)

"Hachiman, do you want to make something else besides the short sword?"

Kirito and Lisbeth, who hadn't heard the detailed explanation, tilted their heads in confusion.

Liz threw the cotton cloth over her shoulder, the flames from the forge dancing on her face. Kirito was leaning against the wall, adjusting his newly acquired one-handed sword. Hearing this, he suddenly raised his head, a thoughtful look in his eyes beneath his black hair.

Hachiman squatted beside a wooden box piled high with metal ingots, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the indentations on the scabbard. "Ah, I want a light shield that can be mounted on my arm."

"Are you changing your fighting style now? Is that really okay?" Kirito quickly approached Hachiman. "Were you hurt by the White Dragon's flying blow yesterday?"

Asuna poked her head out from behind the material rack, her long honey-colored hair rippling with her movements. "Hachiman-kun's evasion rate is in the top three in the entire Clearers group. If he suddenly switches to wielding a shield..."

This question does make sense. Theoretically, there is no advantage in switching from a combat style that only equips weapons and pursues maximum speed to a shield-holding style that focuses on defense.

"No, that's not it." Hachiman flicked away the sparks that drifted towards him, the dancing flames of the forge reflected deep in his pupils. "I couldn't find what I wanted, so I wanted to see if I could imitate it with player-made equipment."

"Ah, you mentioned that before, didn't you? Any clues yet?"

"No, it's precisely because I have no idea that I have to try."

"I see"

"Hachiman, preparations are complete."

After hearing Lisbeth's words, Hachiman stated the attribute he wanted.

"Although I'm using a shield-type catalyst, I'd like to use the same materials used to make daggers. Is that possible?"

"Huh?" Lisbeth suddenly grabbed the boy's collar and shook him violently, her earrings jingling in her ears. "Do you know what you're talking about? Using dagger materials to make a shield is like building a castle with cake dough!"

"That's why we need the help of an expert." I pried open her burning fingers and took out the crystal ingot from the system space. "The material fee is double. If you fail..."

"This isn't about money!" The blacksmith girl suddenly picked up a half-human-height forging hammer, the hammerhead barely scraping past my nose. "If I mess this up, I'll be known as 'an idiot who wastes precious materials!'"

Asuna suddenly put her arms around Lisbeth's waist from behind and said with a wry smile, "Alright, alright, Hachiman-kun must have his reasons. Last time he said 'my intuition tells me to go left,' didn't we find the hidden treasure chest?"

"That's two different things!" Lisbeth stamped her foot angrily, and the unformed sword on the anvil jumped up. "Okay, but... since it's Hachiman's request..."

Usually, such strange commissions can only be asked to craftsmen with whom one has established a deep trust, because such requests are almost certain to fail and are generally rejected.

But Liz thought about it seriously and it was feasible. As far as she knew, SAO's craftsman system was indeed quite flexible, but no craftsman had probably tried this kind of combination before.

So there is no guarantee of success, or rather, failure is inevitable. After considering various factors, Lisbeth gave an extremely reasonable answer.

“You really have to try it to know.”

"I think so too. There's no loss if I fail, please."

"Yeah, I know it's the first release of the month. I'll do my best."

Asuna suddenly grabbed Hachiman's wrist, and the warmth from her palm came through: "Hachiman-kun's pulse...is so fast."

Lisbeth put all her heart and soul into this with extreme caution. Although she said, "It's okay if I fail," she felt that Hachiman also had expectations for this.

With the feeling of "I must complete it for Hachiman even if it's by chance or by prayer", she raised the hammer. When Liz swung the hammer with full of heart, a clear "clang" sound was heard.

At this first strike, the metal ingot suddenly began to glow and a weapon began to form. The four were stunned, because this was absolutely impossible to be a normal phenomenon. Lisbeth was about to cry, thinking that she had failed again. When the light dissipated, a piece of armor lay there quietly.

“I made it...but it’s a failure...”

Kirito suddenly squatted down and looked carefully before concluding, "It does look like a shield, so it should be considered a success?"

“But I’ve never heard of such a thing as one-shot molding.”

(Could it be that...)

The moment he saw the finished product, Hachiman's heart began to beat violently. The armor was a small shield worn on the arm, but it was too thin and spindle-shaped for a shield.

(Did it succeed in one try? Don’t be too calm. I’m not sure it’s the one.)

"The name is... Acht Faust?"

"Acht means eight in German, and Faust means fist"

Kirito gave a gamer-style commentary, and upon hearing the name, Hachiman's heart tightened like an invisible hand.

"It's clearly a shield, but it's called a fist... Eight Fists?"

(Calm down and check the performance first)

"Liz, how was the performance?"

"Ah, um, this... is actually physical skill equipment? I didn't know there were such types?"

"What? Regarding fighting-type equipment, I remember reading a report saying that there were no examples of physical equipment because it didn't fit the name of 'Sword Art Online'."

"Kirito knows everything" (1) Lingqi (8)

"Liz, what about the other attributes?"

"Attack power... is almost the lowest value, so the equipment requirement is equivalent to none. Defense power is low, but durability is abnormally high."

"How do I use this..."

Asuna noticed that Hachiman was unusually quiet, so she turned around and saw that his eyes were dazed, as if he was recalling something.

Memories came flooding back like a tide—that afternoon filled with the smell of coffee, when the man in the white coat spun the holographic projection in front of Hachiman.

"Hachiman-kun, it seems that the Hachiman Fist equipment is not working after all."

"Mr. Akihiko... that way of addressing me is a bit..."

Kayaba made this weapon as a hobby at Hachiman's request, and it is completely unusable by others. Kayaba jokingly named this weapon "Hachiman Fist".

"After all, it doesn't fit the naming convention of 'Sword Art Online', and it would be a waste of resources to make special equipment just for you."

"Yes, this is a natural judgment."

"If it were actually realized, it would probably be classified as a unique piece of equipment."

“It’s really unique.”

At that time, Hachiman didn't know about the existence of unique skills and unique equipment, and simply understood Kayaba's words literally.

"But I really admire your ability to handle that kind of equipment."

"Maybe...it just suits me."

"If the difficulty is adjusted based on your equipped self, it will be very troublesome for other players."

"I'm really sorry, I really don't mean to do that, please don't mind it"

"If it does appear, how can I obtain it... I'll make it a reward for obtaining what you currently lack."

This sentence made Hachiman think seriously about what he was missing.

"What I lacked... Friends, no, before that, even acquaintances..."

"Friends?"

"Oh no, this is a joke..."

"Um...Friends..."

SAO: Chapter 55: Oops~ A Mistake in Confession (Thanks for the First Order)

Hachiman recalled his conversation with Kayaba, and this past memory was now materializing before his eyes.

(This name is basically a direct translation of Hachiman Ken into German! ...I appreciate it, but this is too perfunctory, Mr. Akihiko!)

"Ha ha..."

(It's called a "reward for gaining friends," and while it's true that this strange request can only be fulfilled by asking a friend, that alone isn't enough.

Is Asuna's presence the key? Given Asuna and I's current relationship, Akihiko-san shouldn't mind. He's probably watching me from somewhere, right? But since things are going so smoothly, I can only laugh.

"Hachiman-kun?" Asuna tiptoed closer, her worried face magnified before her eyes. "You look so strange..."

Hachiman, who had smiled with his head down, made the three mistakenly believe that the equipment was not as expected, and they began to comfort or apologize.

"Hachiman-kun, although it's a pity to fail, please cheer up."

"Yeah, Hachiman, there will be next time." Kirito came up and shook Hachiman's shoulders. "Failure is the mother of success. Look, many of the weapons I wanted to build before turned into fireworks.

"I'm sorry... Hachiman..." Lisbeth pulled Hachiman's sleeve with tears in her eyes.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Hachiman suddenly looked up and smiled with joy on his face.

"Hey Liz, why are you crying?"

"because..."

"Oh, did you think you failed?" Hachiman shouted the slogan and held Liz's armpits and spun around.

"Amazing, Liz! You truly are the number one blacksmith in Aincrad!"

"Put me down, you idiot!" Lisbeth's face flushed red as a hot iron. "And why are you suddenly so strong?!"

After turning around a few times and putting Liz down, he turned around and saw Kirito standing there in a daze. Hachiman rushed towards Kirito and shook his hand vigorously.

"Kirito! I finally succeeded! This is definitely what I wanted!"

When he finally met Asuna's eyes, his body acted before his mind. By the time Hachiman realized it, he had already embraced her in his arms, and the sweet scent of gardenia filled his nostrils.

"Wait, Hachiman-kun?"

"Asuna, thank you! This success is definitely all thanks to you! I love you!"

“Ehhhhhhhhhh!?”

Time seemed to have been paused. Kirito and Lisbeth were completely petrified. Asuna was also frozen by Hachiman's shocking words, and the hair on the back of her neck was standing up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After a while, Hachiman calmed down a little and patted the three people's cheeks to try to wake them up.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Wake up, quick."

"oh oh..."

"Sorry, both of you, I got a little too excited."

"No...it's just that the contrast is too great..."

"This is the first time I've seen Hachiman like this. He actually hugged me and spun me around."

“Well, this is the first time in my life too.”

The two gradually recovered, but Asuna remained frozen with a red face.

"Hey Asuna, why are you the only one standing there stiff?"

"Because Hachiman..."

"You just said 'I love you' to Asuna."

"Huh?...Ah."