Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Led by Leafa, the three climbed up the Tower of Wind.

After reaching the top, you can enjoy the magnificent view.

"Wow, this view is stunning."

“The Emerald City... a truly beautiful town.”

“This is our pride!”

"It's certainly something to be proud of... huh?"

"What's wrong, Hachiman-kun?"

"Someone is coming this way"

Hearing this, Kirito and Leafa looked towards the stairs.

At first there was no one in sight, but soon a few male players came up.

"That's amazing, you can spot it from such a distance?"

“It’s my specialty.”

"Lifa——!"

"Ragen? Sigurd, you guys are here too."

The person who came up seemed to be someone Leafa knew. Hachiman and Kirito nodded and stepped aside.

"Leafa, you're here."

"Ragen, are you guys going hunting?"

"Yeah, almost."

"Hey Leafa, why are you refusing our invitation and hanging out with the dark elves?"

Leafa was irritated by the tone and was about to explain when Sigurd interrupted her.

"You are my team member, don't act on your own."

"Varied......"

Reagan, sensing that the atmosphere was not right, hurried to smooth things over.

"Li, Leafa, can you come hunting tomorrow?"

"Sorry, I have to be a guide for these two tomorrow."

Hearing this, Sigurd angrily yelled at Leafa:

"You must be joking. All you have to do is obey my orders."

This time, even the good-tempered Leafa couldn't stand it anymore and was about to retort, but Kirito suddenly stepped between them.

"Kirito-kun is in danger, retreat quickly."

"It's fine"

After Kirito comforted Leafa, he looked directly at Sigurd and said:

"It's you who should stop. Leafa is not your property."

ALO: Chapter 104 You like Leafa, right?

"Dirty Spriggan, do you really think you're a prince?"

“Even though I didn’t ride a white horse.”

Kirito and Sigurd were facing each other in a tense confrontation.

Sigurd's team members looked back and forth anxiously at Leafa and Sigurd. Hachiman watched the clash, still poised for action. As for Leafa and Ragen—

"Your Highness? Kirito-kun is Your Highness? What should I do? I think I'm going to become Your Highness the Princess..."

"Leafa-chan's Prince... this role should be mine..."

Both gave responses that were off-key.

"If I kill you here, you'll all go back to Spriggan's territory capital. That way, Siiluban will be a little cleaner."

"Huh? People like you with filthy hearts are the ones who polluted Iluban, right?"

"Tsk, hey Leafa, what are you going to do? Are you going to insist on protecting these guys?"

"Hey?"

Leafa finally came to her senses after hearing this.

"When I first joined the team, I said I hated being tied down. Didn't you say I could quit at any time and not participate if something happened?"

"Don't be ridiculous! Our team is the most famous among the elves. If you, as a member, always act alone without permission, how can I, as the captain, save my reputation?"

"face......"

Even Leafa couldn't accept Sigurd's words.

"After winning the martial arts tournament, you were the one who invited me, but now you're saying something so willful, Sigurd."

"I see"

Hachiman, who had been silent until now, whispered as if he had suddenly realized something.

"Hachiman, what's going on?"

"To put it simply, that guy wanted to protect his fragile self-esteem by recruiting Leafa, who was stronger than him, into the team, and wanted to prove that he was superior."

"Ah, so that makes sense."

"How dare you, you bastards..."

"That's enough. I understand completely."

"Leafa-chan!"

Regen, sensing Leafa's determination, tried to dissuade her, but Leafa stopped him and said to Sigurd firmly:

"Before you know, Sigurd, these two are Yukino's companions."

"Wha... I've never heard of Yukino having such a companion."

"They are members of the Return Team (Yukino's team), so I will take them to see Yukino tomorrow. If they dare to attack them, Yukino will not sit idly by. You were there at the time, so you should understand what this means, right?"

"Tsk..."

"And I will not remain silent. I will kill you right now."

"...Does this mean you're officially leaving the team?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way. I've had enough."

"Leafa-chan, why is this..."

"Yeah..."

Sigurd closed his eyes and fell into deep thought. Leafa was confused by his unusual calmness.

"Dad, I can feel that man's intense anger. His apparent calmness is just an act."

"Can you feel it, Yui?"

"Yes"

"I did see a flash of anger before I closed my eyes."

"Dad, what should I do?"

"I want to send someone to monitor him. The one named Reagan is suitable..."

Hachiman turned to Leafa and whispered:

"Lifa, are you close to that Raegen?"

"Reagan? He's my classmate in real life."

"I see"

"It's really nice to play VRMMO with my classmates."

"Maybe one day Kirito and I will become like this?"

"Ah~ It's possible."

During the conversation, Sigurd suddenly looked up and asked in an unusually calm tone:

"Leafa, where are we meeting up with Yukino?"

"Why are you asking? It's across from the Lugrue Corridor."

"Hmph, we're going to attend the alliance signing ceremony later, right?"

"Yes, you want to go too?"

"No, I was ordered to stay."

"Hey~ I see."

"I see. I've approved your request to quit the team. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Huh? Ah, um."

Sigurd left with his companions. Regen, feeling lost, finally made up his mind and said to Leafa:

"Okay! Then I'll retreat with Leafa-chan..."

"Hey Reagan, I need to tell you something."

"Hey? Hey?"

Hachiman hooked his arm around Reagan's shoulders and led him away.

"What's going on...what on earth happened?"

"Leave it to Hachiman. He must have some plan."

"Kirito-kun trusts Hachiman-kun a lot."

"That guy is serious this time, and so am I. We have things we must accomplish in ALO."

Kirito gave a familiar expression.

"what..."

Leafa unconsciously overlapped this expression with her brother's.

Why does my brother's face appear before my eyes? That expression... contains strong determination yet also sadness...

While thinking about her brother, Leafa looked at Kirito's profile. At this time, Hachiman was talking quietly with Ragen in the distance:

"W-What do you want from me?"

"First, let me confirm. Do you like Leafa?"

"Wh...why..."

(I just heard you say you want to be Leafa's prince)

"Let's put that aside for now. Do you want Leafa to thank you?"

"Hey?"

"Let me be clear, Tong over there and I are all very strong. Even if you join the team, it will be difficult for you to stand out in the battle."

"I-I see... Then Leafa-chan might fall in love with one of you..."

"Ah~ We both have stable partners, so don't worry. Even if something does happen, it won't develop into anything."

"Really? (Is) Lingqipasiqie Siqie⒍!?"

Reagan suddenly became more energetic. Hachiman thought to himself that he was a very realistic guy, but he just needed him to cooperate with the plan.

"What do you think of Sigurd's attitude just now?"

"It feels different from usual, unusually calm."

"Something's really wrong, isn't it?"