1A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I know it's not a new chapter of IBW but this was something that had been on my mind to do since March, and it loosely ties into another writing project I've been working on the side. Now for those who don't know I like Sword Art Online (Let the boos and yays commence). Now I've been playing their mobile game Integral Factor and I enjoy playing it when I have time, and last year there was a limited anniversary event where your character would confess to your partner. So after that, I had the urge to write this and had been writing it ever so slowly due to school, and now my current main story. So, whitworth5274 this is my Christmas present to you my friend, and thanks for your advice on this! Now without further ado on with the chapter!
Chapter 1: The Housewarming Party
Aincrad Floor 22
"HAH!" A determined scream could be heard as the sound of something splitting wood could be heard. The sound came from a black-haired, green-eyed girl who was currently wielding an axe. She was wearing a dark magenta, open overcoat with green and tan detailing, and underneath, she was wearing a metal breastplate but had left some of her midriff exposed. Finally, she wore brown, short shorts, black, thigh-high socks, tan forearm-length, fingerless gloves, knee pads, and boots. Currently, the girl appeared to be splitting wooden logs outside of a log cabin, though she was struggling a lot.
Placing a piece of lumber on the giant tree stump once again, the girl got into a strange stance, rose the axe above her head, and swung down on the piece of lumber.
"HAH!" The axe cleaved straight down, as the two halves fell off the stump, a light shines on each half as a window pops up in front of the girl indicating the piece of lumber turned into what she was aiming for, two pieces of firewood. "This is a lot harder than it looks…" the girl mumbled aloud. The sound of another axe splitting wood rang out next to her. She turned to her left and not too far away was a brown-haired boy around her age. He was wearing a green and white hooded tunic, dark green long pants, grey knee pads, and brown boots. Over the tunic, he wore metal shoulder pads and a simple breastplate.
"Kirito didn't explain it," the boy simply responded while getting another piece of lumber from the pile by the log cabin. "He just showed us and went who knows where," the boy propped the lumber on the stump, got into a solid stance, and swung his axe, resulting in another pair of firewood.
"Easy for you to say, you're more consistent than I am…" the girl mumbled.
The boy smirked, "What can I say? Agil's a great teacher when we were clearing Floor 13."
The girl could only pout as she grabbed another piece of lumber, propped it on her stump, and got ready to swing, legs shaking from her lousy stance.
Noticing his partner's stance, the boy decided to step in, "Koharu, do you need help?"
The girl, Koharu, sighed and simply nodded, "Please."
"First, you should slightly widen your stance, as your legs are too close, and bend your knees slightly," the boy pointed out as he got into a proper stance next to Koharu. "Second, when swinging the axe down, you should let gravity do most of the work when swinging it over your head, so you don't need to use all of your strength; this isn't a monster or dungeon boss."
"O-okay!" Koharu did as she was told, widening her stance and slightly bending her knees, mimicking her partner, who stepped away to give some space. Raising the axe above her head, Koharu steadied herself to hit the piece of lumber. A minute of silence passed before she acted. "HAH!" Koharu slashed her axe clean through the middle of the log, the two sides jumping a little before falling to their side. A window popped up, notifying the lumber had turned into two pieces of firewood. Looking at the window before her, Koharu was surprised but then smiled.
"Nice job, now you should be able to have a consistent rate now," the boy said with a small smile, the tone more akin to teasing as he gave a thumbs up.
Koharu simply responded by giving a slight pout, cheeks flushed as she turned to the boy, "Shut up, Yuto…" The boy, Yuto, simply widened his smirk.
"Ah, there you are, Koharu," a voice called from the porch of the log cabin. Both Koharu and Yuto turned to the source, and it was a chestnut-haired girl around their age wearing a yellow long-sleeved sweater and a brown skirt.
"Oh, Asuna, is there something you need?" Koharu asked.
"Could you help me prepare some dishes for today's party?"
"Oh, of course," Koharu proceeded to place her axe down by the tree stump she was using nearby.
Yuto was about to set up another log to chop before Asuna caught his attention, "Oh Yuto, Liten sent me a message not too long ago. She and Shiva had just arrived at the Teleport Gate. Could you meet up with them?"
The boy simply shrugged, "Sure." Resting his axe down on the stump he was using, Yuto started walking towards the wooden path and in the direction of the Teleport Gate.
"Be careful!" Yuto heard Koharu call out; he simply turned around and gave a lopsided smile and a thumbs up before turning back around continuing onwards.
Floor 22 Teleport Gate
When Yuto arrived, he saw two people off to the side of the path, both he recognized immediately. One was a boy dressed in a blue shaw, a black chest plate underneath, steel faulds, and white pants. The other was an orange-haired girl who wore mostly steel armor and a green cape coat. The girl was kneeling, keenly observing an insect on some foliage while the boy was standing behind her with an amused expression.
"These two…" Yuto thought bemused. "Hey Shiva, Liten, I hope you weren't waiting too long!"
Hearing their names, the two players saw Yuto walk up to them. "Hey Yuto, and no, we weren't waiting too long," the boy, Shiva, responded in kind, "how've you been?"
"Oh, same old, same old," Yuto turned to the girl and gave a teasing grin, "No helmet today, Liten?"
"This is a housewarming party, not a dungeon expedition," the girl quickly responded with an eye roll, "Where's Koharu?"
"She's helping Asuna prepare food, actually, and I've been asked to be your escort," Yuto simply responded, "Shall we be off, or do I need to to give you some more time alone?"
Shiva and Liten simply blushed at the boy's tease, though the former recovered first.
"Just lead the way, please…" the boy muttered out.
Yuto simply turned around and urged the two to follow, and the boy noticed Shiva coming up next to him, Liten not too far behind. It was only a few minutes of walking in a comfortable silence did Shiva decide to break it.
"So, how are things going on with you and Koharu?"
The hidden meaning of the question wasn't lost on Yuto; the boy knew what his friend was asking but decided to play it off.
"Things have been going alright, Koharu and I have been on the front lines as of late-"
"Y'know that's not what I meant. How are things progressing?"
"There really is nothing to tell-"
"Did you confess?" surprisingly, the question came from Liten bringing the two boys out of their conversation, the atmosphere silent for a few seconds.
"No, I haven't," Yuto simply said.
"Why haven't you?"
"It's complicated…."
…
…
…
…
"…Did something happen between the two of you?" Liten asked cautiously.
"No, it's not that…."
"Then why? It's pretty obvious Koharu likes you, and I doubt she would say no." Shiva imputed his two cents.
Yuto stopped walking suddenly, as did the two others. The former simply sighed, "It's not that I don't want to, and there have been opportunities, it's just that I would get nervous, sometimes I just can't get the words out, and sometimes I would just deflect it last minute when I muster the courage."
"So, you chicken out?" Shiva asked skeptically.
"Well, when you put it that way…"
"You really need to work on your courage…"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Yuto groaned as the three resumed walking, "but now that you know about me and my romance, how about you two?"
The question made both Shiva and Liten slightly blush in embarrassment which Yuto seemed a bit pleased with himself. That was until the tank girl spoke.
"Shiva p-p-proposed to me!"
She may as well have screamed it to the entire Assault Team, hell to the rest of her guild. The reaction would be similar to Yuto's, taking a few seconds to process it before-
"Hold on, what?! When did this happen?!" the boy turned towards the two, and then he noticed that Liten wasn't wearing any armor on her arms and saw a gold ring on her left ring finger with a small green gem in the middle.
"A-about a month ago…" Liten mumbled out, embarrassed.
"We were going to reveal it at Asuna's and Kirito's housewarming party," Shiva bashfully added, "and… well, we were gonna ask if you and Koharu could be the best man and maid of honor for it." The boy scratched the back of his head as he said the last part, no doubt embarrassed by suddenly revealing something early.
Yuto could only blink a few times before he could respond. "Well, I'll be honored to be your best man Shiva, and while I can't speak for Koharu, I'm sure she will say yes to be the maid of honor Liten," the boy paused for a bit, "If you don't mind me asking, why did you two choose Koharu and me?"
Shiva and Liten looked at each other before smiling and turning back to Yuto, "Well, both you and Koharu have been our closest friends and have helped us a lot on and off the front lines. We think that both of you should be the ones to witness our wedding in Aincrad," Liten spoke, and from Shiva's silence, she was speaking for both of them.
"I… wow… I understand Koharu, but I didn't think either of you held me in that high regard…" Yuto seemed to be at a loss for words, "Well then, I guess let me be the first to say congratulations to the both of you. I won't let either of you down."
"Thanks Yuto, oh, but please don't say anything until we say so at the party. We still want to keep it a surprise."
"I'll keep my mouth shut, I promise." Yuto held his hand up as if he was making an oath to the couple in a solemn tone. "That being said, were you guys going to keep the wedding small?"
"Yea, we were thinking of having a small wedding that comprised of a few of our friends and guildmates actually," Shiva explained, "We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves so having a small wedding seemed more beneficial to us. Plus, Aincrad won't clear itself; we're still part of the Assault Team after all."
"Yea… I guess that's fair," Yuto simply muttered aloud.
"Speaking of Kirito and Asuna, I wonder how long they'll be away from the front lines actually?" Liten asked offhandedly, "I heard that a party is being formed to scout out the 75th Floor Dungeon."
"I'm not sure on that one, honestly," Yuto shrugged, "I knew they were on their honeymoon since the end of last month, but Kirito did message me if I knew where most of the younger kids went since launch day and I told him about Sasha since that's where Sanya would take most of the kids to anyway."
"Why did he need to know that?" Shiva asked curiously.
Yuto simply shrugged again, "Who knows, maybe they found a kid who wandered too far." In all honesty, Yuto was curious about it too, though when he asked the 'Black Swordsman' a few days later, the latter said not to worry about it. Though Yuto could tell something was amiss but chose not to pry. Shortly after that, the boy got an invitation for a small housewarming party leading to this predicament.
"Well, if anything, I don't think it would be a good idea to ask them about it, it's their business after all, and if they're ready to share it with us, we'll be there to listen, yea?" Yuto got two affirmative nods. "Alright, their cabin isn't that far from here, so let's get to it."
It wasn't long before the group of three players arrived at the large cabin. Walking inside the three were greeted to a spacious main living area with a small coffee table with two green couches and an armchair of the same color. Off to the side, they also saw a large table that was set up to accommodate a group of ten people, courtesy of a familiar black-haired girl, who appeared in deep thought while continuing to set up the table.
"Hey Koharu, we're back." Yuto simply said, slightly surprising the girl from her focus.
"Oh! You're back already, just in time too. Asuna is almost done with the food," Koharu said as she slightly blushed in embarrassment.
"Perfect, all we have left is Kirito, and whoever else that's coming…" Yuto started before a thought came to him, "Actually, who else did Asuna and Kirito invite? There are currently six of us…"
At that moment, Asuna walked out donning a pink apron in addition to her outfit, a ladle in hand. "Kirito-kun decided to invite Klein and Agil over, Sanya will also be joining us. As for the last one, well, that's more of a surprise."
"A surprise…?" Koharu asked curiously.
"Mhm, you'll just have to wait and see," Asuna replied with a smile.
Seeing that there was no way to get 'The Flash' to speak about who else would be coming, Yuto could only sit down while Shiva and Liten sat across from them. Asuna and Koharu simply made a few trips to the kitchen and back, each time coming back with a plethora of large dishes.
"Woah, you really pulled out all the stops today, Asuna." Yuto stared at all of the dishes laid out on the table. The boy also made a mental check to ensure he wasn't drooling from how good the dishes looked.
"Well, all of you are guests today, and it is a party after all," Asuna simply replied as she and Koharu finished laying out the dishes. The latter took a seat next to Yuto, and the former took a seat on the far end of the table.
It wasn't long until a knock and the sound of the front door opening was heard.
"Greetings everyone, I hope I'm not too late for the party," a female's voice was heard from the doorway. Everyone turned and saw a girl mainly wearing red and black, a small black top hat on her head. She had long silver hair formed into twin ponytails and teal eyes.
"Oh, Sanya, we're still waiting for Kirito-kun and a few others. Please take a seat," Asuna greeted the newcomer.
The girl, Sanya, could only smile and bow in appreciation as she walked into the cabin and settled into the other empty seat next to Yuto. "Yuto, Koharu, good to see you," Sanya curtsied, and the aforementioned players gave a nod.
Not long after, the front door opened once more and walked in a male primarily wearing black.
"Yo, sorry for the wait everyone, did you get started already?"
"Welcome back Kirito-kun, we were just about to start," Asuna began, "Oh, is she here?"
Kirito could only smile as he stepped aside, making three more figures walk in. One female and two males, while the distinguishable player models of Klien and Agil were unmistakable, the sole female was-
"Kizmel!" Koharu exclaimed in surprise, seeing the NPC dark-elf walk in before she turned to Asuna with a look of surprise, to which the latter nodded in confirmation.
"Hello Koharu, it is great to see you again as well as the rest of you," Kizmel bowed respectfully.
"'Sup, everyone, hope we're not interrupting!" Klein exclaimed as he walked in, right after the dark-elf warrior curtsied inside.
"You're presence is utterly tarnishing as always."
"Oh, come on, Sanya, it's a party, relax and enjoy yourself."
"Still the same with you two, I see. It's like a sibling squabble with the both of you," Agil inputted as the big man walked into the cabin as well. "Thank you for having us, Asuna; it's a pleasure to be here."
"You're welcome. Now take a seat, everyone, and let's eat!"
"So both of you are gonna do a ceremony?" Kirito asked two certain players as he finished the last of his plate.
"Yea, though it would be a small one with a few of our closest friends and guildmates," Liten began. "Speaking of closest friends," she turned to both Yuto and Koharu. "Koharu, would you be okay being the maid of honor?"
"I… I would be honored to," Koharu said happily, "Oh, I'm so happy for both of you!"
"Thanks, we appreciate it," Shiva spoke this time before taking a quick glance at Yuto, "Yuto here agreed to be my best man already, and everyone here is invited to come as well."
"Wait, when did you ask Yuto?"
"As we were walking over here actually, at least he kept his word on being quiet about us talking about it."
Yuto raised an eyebrow, "Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"
The sound of laughter was heard throughout the cabin. Once the commotion settled down, Kizmel decided to speak, "It's an honor to be invited to an occasion such as this. It reminds me of a tradition we elves would do for ones close to us."
"Oh, what kind of tradition?" Sanya spoke up, voicing everyone's curiosity.
"Since the ancient times of the Lyusulan Kingdom, we would give a bouquet of eternal blooming flowers called the 'Flowers of Words' to ones we hold dear to our hearts. While the kingdom is no more, the ruins for such a tradition still stand today."
"So a dungeon, huh…?" Kirito muttered as Kizmel continued.
"It's called the Twin-Winged Tower, and despite its age, it is full of tricks and traps that one must overcome to reach its rooftop garden. Only the best who make it through to the garden are selected to receive the 'Flowers of Words.'"
Hearing more about the dungeon, the small group of players couldn't help but feel excited about it.
"Honestly, this sounds like a fun dungeon to do. Besides, the dungeon on Floor 75 is still being explored," Shiva pointed out. "Having a small break from the front lines would do us some good. Wouldn't y'all agree?" Getting nods and confirmations from the rest of the players around, the DBK guild member continued, "Then it's settled! Since the day isn't over yet, I propose we tackle this dungeon today!"
All of the players in the cabin seemed to agree to this. Seeing no objections, Shiva then asked the dark-elf NPC, "Do you know where the duge- uh, the ruins are Kizmel?"
"Certainly, I can take you all there once you are all ready to go. If it is alright with all of you, I would also like to accompany all of you as well."
"Well, the more, the merrier I say," Klein said enthusiastically. "If I get that bouquet, maybe I can find Okiku again and confess my feelings for her…" While the leader of Fūrinkazan mumbled the last part, everyone but Kizmel sweatdropped at the older adult's behavior.
"Typical Klein," Yuto could only shake his head and smile, "Things never change for him, I swear." When the boy looked up, he saw that both Shiva and Liten gave him a thumbs up. Yuto could only scrunch up his face in confusion until they both motioned towards the spot on his left. He glazed that way and saw Koharu currently talking to Asuna and Sanya. It didn't take long for Yuto to connect the dots. "Oh…" the boy had a small tinge of red color on his cheeks as he looked back towards the couple across from him.
"Good luck," Yuto saw Shiva mouth towards him, making the boy garbed in green flush even more with embarrassment, though he kept a straight face.
"You sly bastard," Yuto inwardly groaned, "Though I guess an opportunity is an opportunity," the boy thought. If he was gonna make this work, he'd have to get that bouquet one way or another.
Word Count: 3349
A/N: And that's a wrap for now. If you have seen my bio, it does loosely tie into the SAO story series that I've been working on the side. I say loosely because I'm not sure how much will change between when I start posting the main story and this multi-shot (I'm aiming for 2-4 chapters for this short story). For those wondering, no my IRL name isn't Yuto, my IRL name isn't even close to it. Yuto is an actual OC I created which will be the stand-in for the MMC of Integral Factor. Anyways if you enjoyed this story don't forget to leave a favorite and follow, constructive criticism is appreciated, and flames will be ignored!
Anyways, stay safe, stay cool, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!