Noah and Asuna reached their usual meeting point, the pza of the Thousand Snake Castle, and Kaede and Suzu were already waiting.

  “Hi, Noah, Asuna!” said Kaede as she waved.

  “Hi, Kaede-chan, Suzu-chan.” Waved back Asuna.

  “Hi girls. Argo sent me a message saying she was busy this morning, but she’ll join us this afternoon to do the quest with us, and enjoy the reward. Are you ready to go hunt some Nagas?”

  As soon as they had reached the tenth floor, Argo had told them about a quest she really wanted to do with them. It was an escort mission of an injured NPC from an isoted cave to the Thousand Snake Castle. With plenty of Nagas armed with katanas or spears ready to intercept them on the way.

  The reward was the right to use a luxury open air bath for three hours, without needing to share it with random pyers. The girls really looked forward to it. Noah already had made swimsuits for them, creating designs they had asked for using drawings, since it was a mixed bath, and he would soak in with them.

  “Yes.” Nodded Suzu, as she looked around as if searching for someone. Her expression was the usual, her mouth slightly open, her head slightly tilted to the side. There was an air of curious innocence in the expression she constantly dispyed. Noah had never seen her smile.

  “Let’s go!” Kaede lifted her spear with enthusiasm, and started walking toward the hunting grounds. Suzu, Noah and Azuna immediately followed, as Azuna and Kaede started a conversation about the tenth floor’s sightseeing spots.

  For several hours, they hunted monsters, meeting a few other groups of pyers. But there were enough monsters for everyone, and the different groups stayed clear from each other. They found a quiet spot to have lunch, spreading a rge piece of white fabric over the grass, when Argo found them.

  “Yo, Ka-chan, Su-chan, A-chan, No-chan! Did you save some good food for me?” She called out as she came closer.

  “We were waiting for you to begin, Argo. How have you been?” asked Asuna.

  “I’m good. Business is going well. I just finished a second batch of my culinary guide. Already three hundred copies sold. Considering people tend to eat with their parties, that means maybe as much as half of the server’s popution may sometimes use it as a reference. That’s huge!”

  “I can imagine. And you sold them cheap, so the guides are easily accessible. What’s your next big project?” Asked Noah.

  “Eheh… Once we get out of this game, my goal is to become a reporter. So I’m thinking, why not start now, and create some kind of weekly gazette?” Argo grinned as she sat on Noah’s left side. Asuna was on his right. She took a rge box from her item storage, and opened it. Inside was a lot of sandwiches, meat skewers and pastries.

  Noah took five cups from his storage and several bottles of water and fruit juice.

  “That’s interesting. I’ll buy it for sure. But will you have enough content for a weekly publication?”

  “Yes. My network of informants is rge enough to ensure that. At worst, I’ll make it a bi-weekly or monthly thing. Are those Nephentes skewers?” She asked as she took one of them.

  “Yes. I did the skewers, Asuna did the rest. The one in your hand is soft mustard, salt and pepper.”

  “Great. It reminds me of that time in the restaurant where I met with you and Lisbeth. Thanks for the food, No-chan, A-chan. And you may want to try Naga meat, it taste even more like chicken.”

  “Thanks, Argo. I’ll definitely give it a try.” smiled Asuna modestly. She already could think of a few recipes to try.

  “The food you make is great, Asuna. How much did you level your cooking?”

  “It’s currently at 312. I have exceeded Noah, who is at 267.”

  “Yep, and I’m gd she did!” Noah grinned as he squeezed Asuna’s hand and took one of the skewers.

  Asuna smiled sweetly as him, and Argo giggled.

  “Look at them, creating their own pink world and ignoring us.”

  Kaede ughed cutely as Noah and Asuna stopped staring at each other, and Noah even though he saw the shadow of a smile on Suzu’s face. Surely, he had imagined it.

  “Have ya completed the swimsuits, No-chan?”

  “Yes. I made them in three sizes, in case one wouldn’t be a good fit. This is a one-time reward, and it would be a pity if one of us couldn’t enjoy it because I made a mistake on the sizes. I’m not charging any of you for them, of course.”

  “That’s nice. By the way, No-chan, I’m thinking about making an article about ya for the first issue of my gazette.”

  “About me? Should I be worried? Are you going to warn every girl that I may ask them out?”

  Argo giggled. “Of course not, No-chan. Ya have settled down with Asuna, and I haven’t seen ya flirting with anyone else since. No. I’m choosing ya as a subject because ya may be the front-line’s biggest asset. Ya’re strong, No-chan, and ya have saved a lot of people, from Diavel on the first raid to Agil on the seventh one. Ya may not realize yet, but ya’re quite popur. Most of the guys who take part in the raids respect ya, just like they would, say, a firefighter outside, while most of the girls that are single are envious of Asuna. That makes ya a great subject to unch my publication. And I want to show ya off to all the pyers still in the Town of Beginnings, as a symbol, to increase their moral. And I want ya to give the pyers the secret of your strength.”

  “Making me a symbol is dangerous, Argo. Because any morale boost you’re hoping to gain might be nullified when that symbol dies. Not that I pn to do so. As for why I’m stronger, I may be able to share a tip or two, but not all of it can be replicated.”

  “Great! I’m come at you in a few days with a bunch of questions. I need to set up a few things first.”

  “…Suzu, is something wrong? You’ve been looking around a lot since this morning.” Asked Noah quietly.

  “…It’s that stalker. I’m looking for him.”

  “That guy with semi-long bck hairs in a Knights of the Blood uniform? Is he close?” asked Asuna.

  “I haven’t seen him this morning. But I’m sure he’s stalking us.” Confirmed Suzu.

  “Yeah, Asuna and I are aware. He’s been obsessed with Asuna since he first saw her, and he occasionally gre at me. I can just feel the jealousy radiating from him when he does. I won’t say you have nothing to worry about, because you and Kaede are cute, but if he makes a move, it will likely not be aimed at you. But as long as he’s only looking, I can’t do much. I might visit the KoB’s headquarters to compin to their leader, if this keeps up.”

  “Another subject for my gazette, if that guy doesn’t stop soon.” muttered Argo as she looked around as well.

  “Let’s not spoil our lunch by worrying about him. Argo, how long do you think this quest will take us?”

  “We’re about twenty minutes away from the cave, and the quest will st maybe an hour, if all goes well. After that, we can spend the rest of the day enjoying our reward…”

  The rest of the meal happened without incident, and none of them spotted Cradeel.

  The quest, as it turned out, was very easy, as it was originally scaled to be achievable by a solo pyer. The Nagas never came in more than pairs, and were easily dealt with.

  When they returned to the castle and completed the quest, the NPC gave each of them a ticket, and showed them the path to reach the open-air bath, in the upper reaches of the city. Houses could be bought by the pyers, but at a few million Cor, they where out of reach from the vast majority of them.

  Noah distributed the swimsuits, and they all changed into them, using the interface. Noah wore bck trunks, while Asuna had a fairly conservative two-pieces bikini, and Argo had a yellow bikini with a skirted bottom. Kaede and Suzu had both opted for single pieces, light blue for Kaede and green for Suzu.

  The open-air bath was everything they had hoped for, rge enough for up to ten people to sit inside without feeling crowded, small enough to feel cozy. The water’s temperature was ideal, and high wooden fences guaranteed their privacy. A few small trees and bushes surrounded the bath, contributing to the rexing atmosphere.

  “This is simply great.” Sighed Kaede, as she sat on the bottom, the water reaching her shoulders.

  “Yes. Thanks, Argo, for sharing this info with us.” Asuna dispyed a contented smile.

  “Eheh, this Big Sis knew you would appreciate.”

  “This pce is nice… I wonder if I might be able to replicate it, if I raise my carpentry level high enough…” mused Noah as he looked around.

  Argo looked at him thoughtfully. “I can’t say for sure. No beta tester was very interested in that craft. Maybe? If you do, No-chan, I’ll come visit you every day!”

  Noah grinned. “Yeah, sure. If that’s possible, I might as well open a shop and create a bunch of separate private baths, karaoke style. I’d be raking in the cash. Selling swimsuits would also be profitable... Not that I care much about money. Money won’t really make us strong.”

  “On that matter, No-chan, are you willing to tell us why you are so strong?”

  Noah watched Argo for a while, before looking at Kaede and Suzu. All three were paying close attention to him.

  “…The biggest reason, is not something that any other pyer can replicate, so I won’t speak about it, no matter how much you insist, Argo. The second biggest reason is something I stumbled upon by accident. It may or may not be considered a bug exploit, and it may or may not end up being hotfixed if that guy Kayaba starts considering it a problem. And the pyers abusing it may or may not end up punished, which is why we decided not to share it, and we don’t use it often. But I’d be surprised if Asuna and I were the only two pyers knowing about it, since the circumstances that made me aware of it aren’t all that rare.”

  “The third reason is that I suffer from insomnia. I sleep only two or three hours per day, so I hunt monsters, a lot. A whole lot. Eighteen hours a day a lot, on average. And the st reason… I’ll give you a clue. Who among you has seen the first Matrix movie?”

  “We did.” confirmed Kaede. Suzu nodded, as well as Argo.

  "I didn't." shrugged Asuna.

  “Oh? Something to rectify when we're out, then. Now, for those who did, remember that scene where the protagonist is training doing kung-fu with his mentor in a virtual space? The mentor leans toward the tired, panting protagonist and quietly says. ‘You think you’re breathing air?’ And the shocked protagonist almost immediately stops panting.”

  “Ah! That’s why you are always cool as a cucumber even when fighting a boss for a long time! I never saw you look tired or out of breath!” Argo pointed at him in her excitement.

  Noah nodded.

  “My point is that our combat performance is, to some extent, correted not to our biological body, not to the speed or strength of our muscles in real life, but to our subconscious self-image. And that self-image is somewhat… malleable. If you become confident that you are strong, your attacks will have more weight behind them. If you are confident that you can move your move faster, your legs will move faster in the game. And so on. Now, that influence is not going to turn us into unkilble superheroes. It’s not nearly strong enough for that. But it does helps.”

  “I can confirm.” Said Asuna with a smile. “I have tried some kind of self-meditation for a week or two, to convince myself that I was stronger, and I did notice my attacks damage numbers being a few percent stronger.”

  “Of course, it works both ways. If you doubt yourself and get scared, your attacks will become slightly weaker and less accurate. In the end, though, your stats are still by far the most important factor in fighting. That’s why, we all need to keep working hard, and keep our equipment up to date. And I’ll remind you girls of what I said earlier, do not hesitate to ask me to craft weapons or armor for you. I’ll only ask you to provide the materials.”

  “Yes, thanks, Noah. I’ll likely come to you soon to upgrade my spear.” smiled Kaede.

  As they kept chatting lightly as they rexed in the hot water, time passed, and they were getting close to the allotted time.

  “Well, it’s been fun and all, but all good things come to an end. Thanks again for the swimsuits, Noah!” Argo smiled as she rose to her feet, and headed for the adjacent room to dry herself and change into her adventuring clothes.

  Kaede nodded to him with gratitude and followed Argo. Suzu was about to do the same, when she paused, noticing Noah discreetly gesturing for her to wait.

  Noah waited for Suzu, Asuna and himself to be alone before he opened his mouth.

  “Suzu… You love your sister very much, right?” he asked gently.

  “…Of course. She’s my sister.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I noticed how you looked sad, whenever Kaede spoke about her boyfriend in the real world.”

  “That’s…” Suzu hesitated. Her first reflex was to deny it, or tell Noah to mind his own business. But the concern she saw in his eyes, as well as Asuna’s, stopped her. Finally, she sighed, and her usual mask slipped, showing genuine sadness.

  “We are twins. We have always done everything together. Kaede is, like a part of me. Drifting apart, and living our own lives, seeing each other only from times to times, I can’t really fathom it. But it can’t be helped.”

  It was the first time Noah had heard her speak more than a dozen words at once.

  “…I understand your feelings, Suzu. And I might be able to help you.”

  “…Help me?”

  “Tell me, Suzu. If I were to give you a way to ensure Kaede will always be by your side, and live happily with you, would you be willing to try?”

  "Tell me more.”

  Noah smiled gently, and looked at Asuna.

  “Asuna, my dear, get naked, and assume the box position.”

  Suzu blinked as she saw Asuna immediately stand and remove her bikini, then put her arms behind her back, hands against the opposite elbow, leaning back, watching back at Suzu with a blush.

  Suzu stared, too astonished to speak.

  Noah also stood and embraced Asuna from behind, using his body to hide her from the dressing room’s entrance.

  “That’s a secret, Suzu. Asuna isn’t just my girlfriend. She is also my love sve. I have trained her to obey me absolutely, and we both love pying those games. Isn’t that right, Asuna?”

  Asuna smiled at Suzu as she nodded. “Yes. Noah is my Master, Suzu. And he taught me to love being his sve. Before meeting him, I would never have imagined being anyone’s sve. But now, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t tell anyone, please. This is embarrassing enough.”

  Suzu eventually regained control of her jaw.

  “…I won’t reveal your secret. But… why did you show me this?”

  “Because that is the way you can keep your sister by your side, Suzu. If you wish for it, I can teach you how to turn Kaede into a love sve. I can lend you tools to help you do it. She will be reluctant at first, since she has a boyfriend, but only at first. With the right training method, she will quickly lose interest in him, and will become unable to even consider living without you. She will always stay by your side, if you are willing to trust me.”

  Suzu didn’t answer immediately, as she stared at Noah. The ter instructed Asuna to put on her bikini again, and she did in a hurry.

  “…What’s in it for you? I can’t believe you would risk me knowing about your secret if you don’t stand to get anything in return.”

  “This is correct. I want you, Suzu. Just like I want Kaede. You would both become my love sves, if you’re willing. You have seen how I treat Asuna. I would treat you and your sister the same way. If you give yourself and your sister to me, we will all live happily together.”

  “And Asuna, is fine with it?”

  “I am.” smiled Asuna. "Me accepting that I won't be Master's only sve, is part of my devotion to him. And frankly, he would run me down to exhaustion every night."

  “What are you guys waiting for? You’ll be kicked out of this pce in your swimsuits if you don’t hurry!” Called out Kaede as she opened the door.

  “We’re coming!” Answered Noah as Asuna hurriedly put her bikini back on.

  He slowly got out of the water, followed by Asuna and Suzu. As he held the door open for them, Asuna smiled at him as she walked in, and as Suzu followed, she paused for an instant.

  “I’ll… think about it.” She whispered as she passed through.

  Noah only nodded, but deep inside, he was rubbing his hands together while cackling evilly.