Chapter Thirty-Three: Amusement

  "You said you weren't going to take me to that little village? What are we doing here by the lake?"

  Asuna was led to the outside of Yagumo's residence by the lake, looking puzzled at Yagumo Moku who was slowly swaying in front of her.

  Under the sunlight, Hachirou's entire body seemed to be coated with a layer of golden light, making Asuna feel dizzy and mesmerized.

  "Don't worry, Mr. Xi Tian should be fishing by the lake at this time."

  "Mr. Nishida?"

  "That's right, Mr. Nishida, he was a very interesting old man, originally the Minister of Security for the eastern Japan high-speed rail line."

  "Eastern High-Speed Line... isn't it the company providing network security for this sao?"

  Yun Mo nodded, "Yes, but now, he is just an ordinary and happy fisherman."

  "Ordinary and happy... fisherman?"

  Ayase lowered her head and muttered to herself, suddenly becoming curious about this Nishida-san.

  Not long after, Yakumo Mukuro brought Asuna to a wooden dock.

  There, a bald-headed man with a kind face was fishing while wearing a straw hat.

  "Mr. Nishida!"

  Mr. Nishida turned around and saw Yakumo Sumi, his face behind the glasses suddenly showed a smile, "Ah, it's little brother Yakumo!"

  It seems that Yagumo (no mistake) has been discovered. Behind the ink, Asuna's face lit up with a brighter smile on Mr. Nishida's face, "Oh my! You even brought your little girlfriend over!"

  "Nishida-sensei misunderstood." Yakumo Moku walked up to Nishida-sensei, looking a bit embarrassed, and said, "Let me introduce you. This is Asuna, she's my friend."

  "Nice to meet you!"

  Ayase bowed slightly in front of Nishida-san.

  "Hehe, hello! " Mr. Nishida smiled and waved his hand, "No need to be polite, just take good care of Yakumo-kun and that's enough. If it weren't for his help, we old folks wouldn't be living so comfortably!"

  It seems that Mr. Nishida has confirmed Asuna as Kirito's girlfriend.

  Asuna didn't know what kind of mood he was in and didn't retort, instead looking at Mr. Nishida with curiosity and saying "Umm... are you fishing, Mr. Nishida?"

  "Ah, fishing. This old man can't go to the front lines to fight, so I can only do these things in the rear to pass the time! Ah? The fish is on the hook!"

  Mr. Nishida felt the vibration transmitted from the fishing rod in his hand and immediately concentrated his attention on the float on the water surface.

  "It seems like it's going to be a big deal!" Hachiguma Moku exclaimed with a smile.

  Mr. Nishida shook his head, and with a hint of excitement in the puzzled eyes of Yakumo Moku and Asuna, he said: "It's still small! There is a fish king in this lake! Hey! Get up!"

  Mr. Nishida grasped the fishing rod with both hands and swung it rhythmically, instantly pulling up a purple fish.

  "That's amazing!"

  Asuna gasped in surprise at the sight of the fish flailing about in Westada's hand.

  "It's useless even if I catch some, my cooking skills are not good and there aren't any good seasonings, so I can't make delicious dishes. If only I had soy sauce, then I could try steaming fish and making sashimi!"

  "Drum oil?" Yaxin heard drum oil and suddenly said: "I have it!"

  "Really!?" Mr. Nishida rushed in front of Asuna in an instant, his face full of surprise, and after stuffing the fish into Asuna's arms, Mr. Nishida even bowed down and said: "Thank you! The girlfriend of Yagumo little brother!"

  "Ah, okay, alright..."

  Asuna stared blankly at the fish in her arms, unable to process what had just happened.

  After carefully putting the fish into the backpack, Asuna suddenly remembered what Nitta-san said earlier and asked, "By the way, Nitta-san, what did you mean by saying that if it weren't for Yagumo, you all wouldn't be doing so well?"

  "What? You're talking about this?"

  It seems that with the drum oil, Mr. Nishida, who was in a very good mood, sat back on the small stool, re-hung the bait on the fish hook, and after throwing it into the lake with a swing of his hands, he said: "I originally came to this game with some friends for sightseeing, but who knew that something like this would happen. We old guys are getting older and not as good at playing games as young people, we didn't know what to do at first..."

  "It was about half a month ago that we met Yayoi, the little brother. The little brother helped us out greatly, and after clearing up to the 22nd floor, he even arranged for all of us to live in that small village nearby."

  "Now we're all doing great! Speaking of which, life here is much more comfortable than in reality! Haha, I think by now I should have already been fired from the company!"

  Looking at Nishida-san's face showing a seemingly genuine joyful expression, Asuna looked up at Yakumo Sukehiro beside her.

  What kind of person are you after all...

  "Hahaha, Mr. Nishida, Asuna is a member of the clearing group!" Yakumo Suke suddenly said.

  "Wow! Really? I never thought I'd meet someone from the strategy group again!"

  "Don't make fun of me..." Asuna looked a bit embarrassed, glared at Yui for a moment, "Yui alone is more than a match for our entire strategy team, and yet she's always showing off in front of you."

  Mr. Nishida burst out laughing suddenly.

  "Yun, is your girlfriend complaining that you're always hanging out with us old guys and don't have time to spend with her?"

  "Mr. Nishida!" Asuna stomped her foot and glared fiercely at Yui Kirito.

  Baiyun Mo pouted and said, "What's wrong with me now? I've already made it clear that you're not my girlfriend..."

  Asuna gazed at Yui with a scowl on her face, but her heart was racing with excitement. Meanwhile, Mr. Nishida watched the young couple's playful interaction and felt rejuvenated.

  After catching a few more fish, Mr. Nishida put away his fishing rod and brought Hachiroume and Celia to that peaceful little village.

  Upon entering the village, the elderly players living here showed great enthusiasm for Yui, and also teased Asuna with kind intentions, making her blush all the time, occasionally pinching Yui in places where others couldn't see.

  "Who would have thought, in SAO there's actually a place like this, and people are actually living like this..."

  Looking at the group of people with a smile on their faces all the time, Asuna stood beside Yagami Kuro. The expression on her face was extremely complex.

  "So, why bother making yourself so tired?" said Hachiguma Moku in a soft voice. "It's only a matter of time before we return to the real world, and when that happens, this game will probably shut down too. In that case, wouldn't it be better to just enjoy life here?"

  Yasna gazed at the boy who looked even better than herself under the sunlight, and suddenly something in her heart was triggered. She walked up to him involuntarily, grasped his hand, and flashed a brilliant smile at him when Hachirou Tsubasa looked down at her with puzzlement.

  "Come on, let's go have some fun!"