Released as a bonus booklet for the 2022 Choukansha Fair, this short story was distributed to those purchased items at the stalls. 7th Floor Once More takes place in July 2024, one and a half years after their first visit to the 7th floor, after Asuna and Kirito's split at floor 25 and the death of the Moonlit Black Cat guild members, yet before the Hopeful Chant side story.
RAWs provided by Celest.
Translated by Davigron.
Proof-read by Emil.
Edited by Cirtoyt.
Translated by Davigron.
Proof-read by Emil.
Edited by Cirtoyt.
“I’m boiling……”
Asuna muttered, expressing her immense fatigue whilst holding her voice.
After thinking about it for a bit, I responded with an equally slight whisper:
“At least your clothing is mainly white so it’s more bearable. This is entirely black, you know?”
“Seems that you still like wearing it regardless… by the way, could the heat be connected with how light reflection and absorption affects the perception of temperature in this world?”
With that unexpected question thrown at me, I thought for 2 seconds before replying.
“Aren’t I right? I remember feeling very fresh when I wore a light blue linen t-shirt and white cotton pants back when we were on this floor.”
“It seems that it’s not because of the colour but rather the texture and the material.”
After pointing this out, Asuna’s shocked expression suddenly loosened.
“…How nostalgic. It’s been a year and a half, right?”
“Right…”
I shifted my gaze from the building I was monitoring and looked towards the plains in the distance.
Asuna and I were lying alongside on the rooftop of a church, the tallest building in Tribula Village, northwest of the 7th floor. This floor is famous for having a perpetual summer, and on top of that, it’s currently late July in the real world, the peak of summer, so the heat here feels double that of normal.
Of course, we didn’t come here to get a tan. There was information about members of the assassin guild «Laughing Coffin» frequenting Tribula, a village outside the Safe Area —with no anticriminal code—so Asuna had asked me here to help with her task of verifying that.
Asuna is currently the subleader of «Knights of the Blood Oath», the strongest guild in the game, so she could have ordered any of her guild instead of asking me and taking the trouble of paying me for it… or at least that was what I pointed out to her, but she answered with a “Nobody in ＫｏＢ has levelled their Hiding Skill like you, Kirito.”
Of course, there should be one or two ＫｏＢ members with a scout build, but still, anything involving Laughing Coffin also involves danger. So, with that in mind, I took the job of guarding Asuna in case that such information could be a trap.
“…Well, nobody showed up…”
I whispered, returning my gaze to the item shop at the other end of the plaza.
We began the monitoring at 6:00am, so six hours have passed since then. Perhaps Laughing Coffin members operate only at night, and there’s no proof that they come to shop there every day, so I had a hunch that this was misleading information.
I was totally sure she was going to say “It’s only been six hours” or something like that, but…
“Maybe it was false information…”
Asuna replied, and with a serious look she added:
“I strongly believe that the Laughing Coffin headquarters are in some remote place on the lower floors that were completed so long ago now. But I’m sure even those guys wouldn’t be able to stand this heat on the 7th floor.”
“Me too… moreover they’re a bunch of hedonists and on top of that they dress blacker than me.”
“I thought the heat had nothing to do with the colour, however, if they don’t show up in two… no, three hours, we can head back.”
“Agreed.”
I nodded, and then realized something and asked:
“Should we use crystals to head back? Or run to the main city just like when we first came here?”
“Speaking of…”
After a moment of doubt, Asuna said:
“How about we go to Volupta and give Nirrnir a visit?”
“Ah…”
I was little, no, quite surprised. Since our formerly tragic separation incident, Asuna kept her distance from the ＡＩ advanced ＮＰＣs that inhabit this world.
I firmly gulped down the question of what had caused that change of mind. If something is changing inside Asuna, I don’t want to intervene in that.
“Yeah, that sounds good. I feel like eating again one of those… Dossaka, was it?”
“It was a mix of Dolma and Moussaka.”
After correcting me with a “Good grief” expression, Asuna sweetly smiled.
“In any case it’ll be about night when we arrive, so let’s go and invite Nirrnir and Kio to that restaurant.”
