Chapter 202

“Uncle!” A cheerful girl’s voice rang out, followed by the pattering of footsteps—the sound of school shoes on the ground.

　　Looking up at the sound, I saw it was indeed Shiroi Yu, a short-haired girl with flaxen hair. She ran up to me and stopped. Her shoulder-length hair swayed slightly, her brown eyes shone, and her pink and glossy lips curled up.

　　”Yahoo, I didn’t expect to see you here, Uncle.” Iroha Isshiki, wearing the Soubu High School uniform, raised her hand to greet me.

　　”Isshiki, what brings you here? I don’t remember your house being in this direction.” I raised my hand and gently patted Isshiki’s outstretched hand, completing a high five.

　　”After the club activity ended, I received a text message from my mom asking me to buy some groceries, so I came here. There’s a nice supermarket here.” Iroha Isshiki lowered her raised hand and then put her hands behind her back.

　　”And what about you, Uncle? What are you doing here?” Iroha circled around me, seemingly trying to find some clues about me.

　　”I’m here at that dojo to compete in some events.” I pointed to the entrance of the Tenrakuai Dojo not far away. The girl swirled around me, and I felt as if I was surrounded by a fragrant breeze, the faint laurel-like scent emanating from Isshiki Iroha.

　　”Hmm…” Iroha Isshiki touched her smooth chin with her slender hand. Suddenly, the girl with short flaxen hair came closer to me, less than a finger’s width away. The girl wrinkled her delicate nose. “This smell, I know it. Uncle, you must have been competing with a girl.”

　　”Are you a puppy, Isshiki?” It’s not surprising that I had close contact with Hayasaka Ai in the cubicle not long ago and picked up a bit of her scent. Plus, I didn’t do anything about it, so it’s quite normal for the quick-witted girl to notice.

　　”Hmph, please call me Detective Isshiki.” Isshiki crossed her arms in front of her chest, then took a step forward to my side and bumped my arm with her shoulder. “Uncle, you don’t want Yukino-senpai to know about this, do you?”

　　”Since you put it that way, I have no choice but to…” I hesitated, a troubled expression on my face.

　　”Uncle, what do you mean?” Iroha Isshiki asked with great interest. Of course, she wouldn’t tell Yukino Yukinoshita about this, since she also had her own little thoughts.

　　”I have no choice but to make you an accomplice, Isshiki.” I suddenly reached out and hugged the unsuspecting Isshiki Iroha, then ruffled her short flaxen hair with my right hand. “Let’s see if you still dare to tell anyone now.”

　　The girl’s soft, fragrant body pressed against mine, her laurel-like scent wafting over. Her delicate breasts pressed gently against me; though small and separated by clothing, I could still feel their exquisite beauty.

　　”Wow, Uncle, you’re so cunning! Let me go, I won’t tell anyone!” A blush crept onto the girl’s cheeks. Iroha Iroha really didn’t expect this. Even the usually mischievous girl couldn’t help but feel a little shy when she was hugged like this.

　　”OK, I still believe you, Isshiki.” I quickly released Isshiki Iroha and gently patted her shoulders with both hands, giving her a “I trust you” look.

　　”Uncle, if you really believed me, why did you suddenly hug me? Ugh, you’ve messed up my hair.” Iroha Isshiki quickly took a small step back and then raised her hand to tidy her short, flaxen hair.

　　”I mainly want to get closer to you, Isshiki?” The girl’s slightly flushed face was like a peach, so lovely that one wanted to take a bite.

　　”Don’t say such direct things with a questioning tone; girls will find it a little strange,” the flaxen-haired girl said seriously, raising her slender hand and extending a finger.

　　”Thank you for your guidance, Master Isshiki.” I nodded in agreement, indicating that I had learned something.

　　”Uncle, are you serious? With the number of girls around you, how could I possibly be qualified to teach you?” Iroha Isshiki shook her head decisively, indicating that she couldn’t afford to teach him; she was just joking.

　　”So, does the number of girls around me include you, Isshiki?” I looked the girl with short flaxen hair up and down. She was wearing a black long-sleeved school uniform, which was not buttoned up, revealing a red shirt underneath. Underneath, she wore a white shirt with a red ribbon on the collar.

　　Her lower body was naturally wearing the black and white checkered pleated skirt that Soubu High School provided, with slender, fair legs underneath, clad in black knee-high cotton socks and brown round-toed student shoes, as always, a youthful high school girl.

　　”Hmm, what do you think, Uncle?” Iroha Isshiki didn’t answer directly, but instead slyly threw the question back at me.

　　”If you ask me…” I stroked my chin thoughtfully, then continued, “Of course it counts.”

　　”Uncle, you’re shameless.” Iroha Isshiki wrinkled her delicate nose at me and shook her head.

　　”You asked me to say this, so how can you blame me? Oh, right, to express my apology for suddenly hugging you, and since I happened to see you helping your mother buy groceries, I have some fresh ingredients I can give you.” As I spoke, I walked towards the trunk of the car.

　　”Fresh ingredients? What are they?” The flaxen-haired girl abruptly changed the subject, as if she didn’t really care what my answer was, or perhaps she had already anticipated it.

　　I glanced at the flaxen-haired girl who had followed me. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking from her appearance, but either way, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for me.

　　”Octopus, fresh octopus, and quite big too. It should be enough for your whole family.” I opened the trunk of the car, and inside was a white styrofoam box. I had just taken this styrofoam box out of the storage space, so its freshness was definitely guaranteed.

　　”Octopus?” Iroha Isshiki blinked her brown eyes; this ingredient was quite unexpected.

　　“That’s right, look.” I lifted the lid of the styrofoam box, which was half-filled with water and some ice. A grayish-purple octopus was moving its tentacles inside. I accurately grabbed the octopus’s head and easily picked it up to show it to Iroha.

　　The grayish-purple octopus, freshly taken out of the water, shone with a bright luster. But that’s not the point. The point is that, as a live octopus, its eight tentacles were bound to move around—or rather, wriggle.

　　”Uh, Uncle, you’re definitely doing this on purpose.” Iroha Isshiki couldn’t help but take two steps back, making an X with her hands in front of her to signal that they shouldn’t come any closer.

　　”Isshiki, are you also afraid of things like octopus and squid?” After the demonstration, I put the octopus back into the styrofoam box and wiped my hands with the dry towel hanging in the trunk of the car.

　　”I wouldn’t say I’m scared, it’s just that girls are generally a bit resistant to slippery, sticky things, especially since this one is alive. If it weren’t alive, it would be fine.” Isshiki Iroha has some cooking experience, and she has handled octopus before, of course, with dead octopuses. She admits that she would find it difficult to handle a live one.

　　“That makes sense.” I walked back to the car door, then turned to Iroha Isshiki and said, “So, do you need me to take you to buy groceries?”

　　”Uncle, will you come shopping with me?” Iroha Iroha looked at me with expectant eyes.

　　”Since we’ve run into each other, and I’m free for a while, I’d like to accompany you around a bit, is that alright?” Alo’s activities don’t start until after dinner, so there’s no need to rush back.

　　”I wholeheartedly agree. With you as my bodyguard, Uncle, I feel completely at ease.” After saying that, Isshiki Iroha raised her hands high, and the long sleeves of her school uniform slid down to reveal the girl’s fair wrists.

　　”Yes, yes, then Miss Isshiki, please get in the car.” I made a standard gesture of invitation. I’ve done this kind of thing before, so this gesture can be said to be very standard.

　　”Hey, don’t be like that. It’s not like only young ladies can have bodyguards.” Iroha Isshiki stood on tiptoe and poked my cheek with her finger.

　　“There is indeed another possibility. Generally speaking, a boyfriend…” The girl’s fingertips were tender and a little warm. Pressing them on my cheek felt like pressing a peeled quail egg, still warm from being boiled, onto my face.

　　However, before I could finish speaking, Isshiki Iroha pushed me toward the car door and said, “Alright, Uncle, we’ve been talking for so long, it’s time to leave, or it’ll get a bit late.”

　　”Okay, Isshiki, you give directions, I’ll drive.” After I opened the car door and got in, Isshiki ran to the other side and got in. After the flaxen-haired girl sat in the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt, I started the car.

　　The supermarket that Isshiki Yu mentioned is indeed quite close to here; it’s only about a ten-minute walk or a few minutes by car.

　　The supermarket wasn’t very big, but it sold quite a lot of things, including most common ingredients. Iroha took out her phone and put the corresponding ingredients into the shopping cart according to the ingredient list her mother had given her. I helped carry the items that needed to be weighed to the scale.

　　It didn’t take long for Isshiki Iroha to have almost finished preparing the ingredients on the list. The girl’s brown eyes secretly glanced at the person next to her and asked, “Uncle, what kind of food do you like to eat?”

　　”Hmm? Is it because you’re planning to invite me to your house for dinner?” I noticed the girl’s subtle gaze, but I didn’t intend to say anything.

　　”Uncle, your thinking is too jumpy. How could we suddenly invite you to our house for dinner? My parents are home, and it’s all too soon,” Iroha said, rolling her eyes at me helplessly.

　　”Does that mean there will be an opportunity in the future, or when your parents aren’t home?” The girl’s eye roll was always so charming, which is why I often couldn’t resist teasing her.

　　”I don’t know, I don’t know.” Iroha Isshiki simply gave a blank answer. “Alright, let’s get back to the question. I just wanted to know what kind of food you like to eat, so I could make you a bento box sometime. After all, you gave me ingredients and accompanied me shopping today.”

　　”I understand. Then I look forward to having you bring me a homemade bento next time we meet.” I told Isshiki about the dishes I like to eat.

　　”Let me tell you beforehand, don’t get your hopes up too high. Although I have cooking experience, my skill level isn’t high, at least not as good as yours, Uncle.” Iroha Isshiki mentally memorized the dishes, thinking that she needed to practice a few more times before making them formally.

　　”It’s okay, as long as it’s made by you, I’ll look forward to it.” I can eat the culinary disasters Ishtar makes, and even worse, the Sanae bread is no problem. Needless to say, I can eat anything else as long as it’s palatable.

　　”You said it yourself, Uncle. If you say it’s not good, you’ll be sorry.” Iroha Isshiki waved her little fist at me, the girl’s cute action was not intimidating at all.

　　Afterwards, Isshiki bought a few more ingredients, which were obviously needed for one of the dishes I had just mentioned. After about half an hour, Isshiki and I came out of the supermarket and returned to the car.

　　It only took ten minutes to drive to the vicinity of Iroha Isshiki’s house. At the girl’s request, I did not drive to her doorstep, naturally to avoid being seen by her family.

　　After I put the octopus in a plastic bag and handed it to Isshiki, we said goodbye and the girl started her way home. I didn’t leave immediately. I waited until the girl with the short flaxen hair entered her house before I started the car. Before I went in, I saw the girl turn around and look at me.

　　By the time I got home, it was already dinner time. Izayoi Sakuya had already prepared dinner. Under the cold gaze of the head maid, I touched her beautiful legs as a reward. I shared dinner with Ishtar, during which the goddess snatched food, and then received the “punishment” she deserved.

　　After having a full meal in every sense of the word, I entered Alo as agreed with Silica and the others, appearing in Siluban, the capital of the wind elves.

　　”Let’s go, Suigintou, let’s go to the party.” Suigintou and I entered Alo together. I hugged Suigintou and headed towards the Wind Elf’s Lord’s Mansion. Tonight, a party combining celebration and mobilization will be held there. Asuna and the others accepted Sakuya’s invitation.

　　”Hmm.” Suigintou wasn’t interested in any parties; she was happy as long as she was with her father.

　　Before heading to the party venue, I first met up with Asuna and the others in the garden near the lord’s mansion. As soon as I arrived in the garden, I saw the figures of the girls under a leafy spirit tree. After all, it would be hard not to notice the girls with their looks.

　　At that moment, Asuna, Silica, Liz, and Leafa, all in their elf forms, were chatting in a circle. Without thinking much, I walked straight towards them.

　　”You’ve arrived quite early?” The girls noticed my arrival as I approached, and they stopped talking.

　　”It’s Jian that you’re late, you practically arrived right on time,” Leafa complained, glancing at the time displayed in the game.

　　”That’s the punctuality that only working people have. You know I’m very busy.” I gently stroked Mercury Lamp’s smooth face with my fingers, feeling the dewy texture of the loli’s skin, while responding to Leafa’s吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments).

　　”Are you very busy? I feel like sometimes your game time is longer than ours, the students’.” Liz, who was standing next to her, touched her smooth chin and recalled the other’s game time. Although she was not online sometimes, there were many times when they logged off, but the other was still online.

　　”I can’t let you guys fall behind, so I can only secretly practice when I have more free time.” My words drew two strange looks, one from Asuna and the other from Silica.

　　Silica knows my true strength, so why would I need extra training? Does that mean all their usual leveling up is a waste of time? As for Asuna, she knows exactly what extra training is, since she’s the one being “trained” with. How could she not know?

　　”Is that so?” Liz was somewhat skeptical. If there was one person who was the strongest fighter in this small team on the surface, it would definitely be Asuna. But if there was one person she couldn’t see through the most, it would be this young man named Ken. She always felt that he was a bit unfathomable.

　　”Alright, let’s stop here for now. We need to get to the party venue, or we might be late.” To avoid the conversation going on and revealing something, Asuna decisively steered the conversation back to the main topic of the evening.

　　It was almost time, so we didn’t say anything more and went straight to the Lord’s Mansion to hand over the invitation. Led by a wind spirit player, Asuna and I went to the party venue.

　　Upon entering, one is greeted by a gathering of players from three different races: a wind sprite player with emerald green wings, a cat fairy player with animal ears, and a fire sprite player dressed in red.

　　Among the three races, the Fire Elf players are the fewest, since they formed an alliance as the defeated, and the number of players they invited is naturally not comparable to that of the Wind Elf and Cat Fairy.

　　”Welcome to the party.” As soon as we arrived, the Wind Elf Lord Shuoye and the Cat Fairy Leader Alisa greeted us. It seems that someone had notified them when we submitted our invitations.

　　”You’re welcome, Sakuya. We should be thanking you for your invitation.” As the leader of the small team, it was naturally Asuna who stepped forward to negotiate with Sakuya in this situation.

　　”That’s not right. You’re one of the main characters today, so we definitely had to invite you.” Sakuya extended his hand and shook hands with Asuna. After the fire spirit attack, the wind spirit queen valued this small team even more.

　　”Alright, Shuoye, let’s stop with the formalities and invite them to sit down so we can talk properly.” These words came from Shuoye’s friend, Alyssa. She preferred directness to indirect approaches, therefore…

　　”Hey buddy, come quick, let me take you there first.” Alyssa, who had a petite figure that didn’t match her age, came to my side, took my arm without any hesitation, and started walking forward.

　　Despite her petite stature, Alisa’s breasts are… rather flat, which is in line with her body size. There’s no case of a baby face with large breasts, but there are still some curves, and at least the arm that’s holding her can feel the pressure of her breasts.

　　I followed Alisa’s steps. Although her breasts weren’t very large, the way they swayed as she walked was still a wonderful experience. Besides, I’d rather have small breasts than small breasts, since I could only experience that by taking off my clothes.

　　”Well, let’s go over there then.” Shuoye shook her head at her friend’s actions. Well, it was just typical of her style.

　　”Okay.” Asuna wasn’t surprised at all that someone had been kidnapped like that; she would be surprised if the other party didn’t take advantage of the situation.

　　Not long after Alisa and I sat down, Sakuya came over with Silica and the others. The elven lady with long dark green hair reached out and pinched Alisa’s brown cat ears as she passed by.

　　”Hey, Shuoye, what are you doing?!” Alisa waved her little hands in protest.

　　However, Sakuya completely ignored his friend’s protest, “Come here, let me settle the score with you about what just happened.”

　　So, Alisa, who was originally sitting next to me, was pulled to sit opposite me by Sakuya. Asuna and Leafa took their places, while Silica and Liz sat next to the two girls respectively. As for Suigintou, I was definitely holding her in my arms.

　　”I’ll be going up to give a speech in a bit. It’s about the World Tree strategy. As one of the main forces, you need to send a representative up to join me, Alisa, and the Fire Sprite’s representative to mobilize the team. Just say a few words.”

　　After the fire spirits’ attack plan failed, Shuoye and Alyssa immediately organized a team to counterattack. With a large number of main forces missing, the fire spirit capital was naturally unable to resist the combined forces of the wind spirits and cat fairies, so the fire spirit lord wisely chose to surrender.

　　Next, the two sides began negotiations. Apart from the basic compensation, Sakuya and Alisa did not make any further demands, only adding a condition for an alliance: to sign an alliance treaty exclusive to Alo, just like the wind spirit and the cat fairy. The treaty would last until the end of this World Tree conquest, regardless of success or failure.

　　The Fire Elf Lords didn’t have much of a choice. If they didn’t agree, they could implement another option: activating the game’s system of occupying the capital and collecting taxes. They could control the taxes in the city at will for a week, leaving the city with nothing. This was what they originally wanted to do, but now that it was the other way around, it was understandable.

　　However, since there were other options, the Fire Elf Lord naturally wouldn’t choose to have his capital subject to economic control. Although he wasn’t optimistic about this World Tree campaign, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try, so the Fire Elf signed the alliance.

　　”It’s no big deal. Our Asuna is no stranger to this kind of thing.” As the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath in Saitama, Asuna has experienced this kind of pre-battle mobilization many times, so it should be no problem for the girl at all.

　　”Asuna, you have experience in this area? That would be perfect.” Given Asuna’s level of skill, Sakuya wouldn’t be surprised at all if you said she used to be a guild leader in some game or something.

　　”I suppose so.” Asuna stepped on the shoe of a talkative person with her white high-heeled ankle boots from under the table.

　　When Asuna stepped on my foot, I immediately retaliated. The main reason was that Sakuya was explaining the general details of the mobilization, and the girls’ attention was mostly focused on that, which gave me a great opportunity.

　　Actually, it wasn’t that no one noticed. Suigintou, whose attention wasn’t drawn to Sakuya’s words at all, did notice, but she didn’t care at all. She preferred to enjoy the feeling of being in her father’s arms.

　　Asuna’s body stiffened as she listened to the beginning of Sakuya’s story. She could feel the hot, large hand on her thigh. Needless to say, it was that guy who did it. Asuna quickly and discreetly put her right hand under the table, trying to hold the large hand down.

　　I reached my left hand under the table, and the tablecloth concealed my movements perfectly. Soon, my left hand landed accurately on Asuna’s thigh.

　　At this moment, Asuna was in the form of a water spirit, wearing dark blue stockings. When my hand landed on her thigh, it landed precisely at the junction of the stockings and her thigh skin, which is the area below what is usually called the absolute territory.

　　The smooth skin of the girl’s thighs and the cottony feel of the stockings created two different sensations simultaneously in my hands. This feeling was both wonderful and comfortable. However, just as I was about to take further action, the girl’s slender hand pressed down on my left hand.

　　Asuna’s palms were warm and smooth like jade. Her hands pressed tightly against mine, a perfect double attack: a young girl’s delicate hand above and a young girl’s thigh in stockings below.

　　It felt good to be enveloped by Asuna’s slender hands and thighs in stockings, but I still wanted to move a little and tease her while maintaining the general position.

　　Therefore, I did not choose to break free from Asuna’s delicate hand, but instead used the opening of my fingers to feel the beauty of the girl’s thighs in stockings. When I opened my fingers, I stroked them outwards, and when I closed them, I gently pinched the flesh of Asuna’s thighs in stockings.

　　Tender, bouncy, and smooth, the feel of a young girl’s thighs paired with dark blue stockings is absolutely amazing, making me love it so much.

　　Unable to speak out to stop it, and unable to make any large movements lest they arouse suspicion from others, Asuna could only try to hold down the thrashing hand with one hand and increase the pressure of her foot, hoping to get the other party to stop.

　　The heels of the white high-heeled ankle boots rubbed together, which would have made most people jump up in pain, but Asuna glanced at someone out of the corner of her eye. Instead of seeing the expression she wanted to see, she secretly winked at her.

　　Asuna wanted to glare back, but doing so would most likely be noticed by others, and then she would have a hard time explaining herself. Just as the girl was getting annoyed, she suddenly felt the mischievous hand on her thigh doing something strange again.

　　After enjoying Asuna’s dark blue stockings for just a few minutes with my palms, the girl’s high-heeled ankle boots on my shoes increased the pressure. Not to be outdone, I changed the movements of my fingers, giving Asuna a new kind of teasing.

　　I bent my index and middle fingers, supporting Asuna’s slender hand as my fingertips touched the top of the stocking. Then I pressed down on the girl’s elastic thigh flesh, and in the slight indentation, my index and middle fingers slipped into the stocking through the top.

　　Thus, my fingers were bound tightly to Asuna’s thighs by her dark blue stockings. The backs of my fingers were made of smooth cotton stockings, while the pads of my fingers were made of smooth thigh skin, bringing a different kind of enjoyment than the touch of my other fingers.

　　Of course, I did more than that. My fingers, which were between the stockings and the thighs, began to move up and down and back and forth, as if I were thrusting in and out, with a rhythmic alternation of light and heavy movements, mimicking one of the patterns of my penetration.

　　Asuna was initially puzzled as to why he suddenly put his fingers inside her stockings, wondering what strange thing he was up to now. But her doubts were quickly answered: this guy… this guy actually…

　　The familiar rhythm of thrusting on her thighs—even if Asuna didn’t want to remember, her body clearly remembered. This bastard was clearly implying something, and doing it like that between the stockings and her thighs. Asuna was now very familiar with this scoundrel’s sexual preferences.

　　Then, a scene involuntarily appeared in the girl’s mind, in which her fingers were replaced by a hot object. As soon as this scene appeared, Asuna bit her tongue. Idiot, what am I thinking? It’s all this guy’s fault.

　　Asuna grew angrier the more she thought about it, she wanted to exert more force, but for some reason, even though it was just that the other person’s hand touched her thigh, she was able to put some force into stepping on the other person’s foot, but gradually she couldn’t exert any force. Let alone exert any more force, it was good enough that she didn’t stop.

　　The pressure on my feet lessened, and I noticed the subtle change in Asuna’s expression, proving that my actions were quite effective. I should definitely continue my efforts.

　　My ring finger, which was still outside, moved aside and hooked upwards, hooking Asuna’s ring and little fingers together and pulling them into the top of the stocking. I used my fingers to make Asuna’s slender white fingers swing back and forth.

　　Asuna’s breath hitched. The girl hadn’t expected the other person to involve her fingers in that lewd act. A strong sense of shame washed over Asuna. Helpless, she could only silently curse him in her mind: Pervert… lecher… shameless…

　　The girl’s delicate fingers, which I had hooked, tried to break free, but I held them firmly in place. For the next while, I enjoyed the feeling of being held between the stockings and the girl’s thighs, and I also enjoyed the delicate touch of the girl’s fair fingers.

　　For Asuna, the time Sakuya was speaking was pure torture. She couldn’t stop that scoundrel, and she had to try her best to remain calm to avoid being noticed anything unusual under the table. Fortunately, he didn’t make any further moves.

　　She had previously thought that her private parts might be attacked, so Asuna had clenched her thighs tightly. The worst-case scenario she had anticipated did not happen, which was a huge relief for Asuna.

　　”Alright, that’s about it. Asuna, you can come on last.” Sakuya briefly explained the process of the mobilization meeting, which took about ten minutes, but those ten minutes felt longer than an hour to Asuna.

　　”I understand.” Asuna stood up abruptly, her right leg slightly weak, and she first supported herself on the table with both hands to recover.

　　”Is there a problem, Asuna?” Sakuya saw the blue-haired elf girl stand up and thought she was going to offer some advice, but little did he know that the girl just wanted to get rid of someone’s clutches as soon as possible.

　　”No, I was just thinking I should get something to drink to soothe my throat,” Asuna casually made up an excuse. Although the other women found it a little strange, they didn’t think too much of it.

　　After that, Sakuya and Alisa went to prepare for their speeches, while Asuna, as she had said, went to get a cold drink to soothe her throat. I chatted with Silica and the others.

　　A moment later, Asuna returned with a plate containing several drinks. She gave one to Leafa and the others, and placed the last light orange drink in front of me. “Thank you.”

　　”You’re welcome. This isn’t for you; it’s for Suigintou,” Asuna said coldly, giving me a disgruntled look.

　　“It’s all fine. Suigintou can have a drink with me, right?” I scratched Suigintou’s smooth chin with my finger, and the aloof silver-haired gothic lolita squinted her ruby-like eyes in enjoyment.

　　Suigintou gave a soft “hmm,” her meaning all too clear. She didn’t mind sharing a drink with her father at all. Besides, wasn’t this a common occurrence? To Suigintou, it was a sign of their close relationship, and she liked it very much.

　　Asuna’s thin cherry lips parted slightly, the girl wanted to say something, but thinking of their relationship, she remained silent. Of course, Asuna didn’t want to see Suigintou fall into someone’s clutches, but the reality was not so.

　　It’s more accurate to say that Suigintou was the one taking the initiative. If she tried to stop her, she would only become an obstacle. Don’t ask her how she knows. She did something similar in SAO and was given a cold look by the silver-haired loli. That look made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

　　The long-haired, azure-blue elf girl didn’t stop them, and the other girls had even less intention of objecting, or rather, they didn’t even think about it from another angle, except for Silica’s slightly strange expression.

　　However, Silica quickly dismissed her inexplicable thoughts. No, Suigintou looks like a little girl no matter how you look at it. She must be overthinking it.

　　Before long, Shuoye and Alisa began their motivational speeches. Most of the players in the venue focused on the speeches, while a sharp gaze appeared to my right.

　　Sitting to my right was Asuna. The girl’s meaning was clear: she was warning me not to repeat what I had done before. I had no intention of doing it again, since Asuna was going to go up and say a few words later.

　　So I gave Asuna a reassuring look. The long-haired azure-blue elf girl gave a soft snort. Why would she be worried about who the warning was because of? It would be strange if she could be completely at ease.

　　Asuna remained on guard until she went on stage to speak. During this time, I did not make any advances. As Asuna stood up, I gave her a look: See?

　　Asuna rolled her eyes at me, then the long-haired azure-blue elf girl turned and walked onto the stage, standing with several elf representatives: Asuna, Sakuya, Alisa, and Eugene. Eugene was attending the party as the representative of the fire elves, but he was standing far away, looking rather out of place.

　　However, that’s not the point. Moreover, the Fire Elf players generally understand why their side is in a rather awkward position. After Sakuya invited Asuna to the stage, the girl gave a brief speech. As I mentioned before, this was a piece of cake for Asuna, who was once the vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath.

　　The mobilization wouldn’t last long. After speaking, Asuna stood aside, and about twelve or thirteen minutes later, she returned to the side.

　　”You’re still as dashing as ever, Asuna.” Liz said with some emotion as she looked at Asuna on the stage, recalling their time in SAO.

　　”Asuna is amazing, her performance is no less than the lord’s.” This was said by Leafa, who was seeing Asuna’s stage presence for the first time. If she were to go up there, she definitely wouldn’t be able to do it, at least she would have a hard time performing as calmly as Asuna.

　　”Don’t say that, it makes me a little embarrassed.” Asuna, the one being praised, was actually a little embarrassed.

　　”Just as they said, Asuna, you did a great job. I believe everyone will have more confidence in this World Tree raid.” At this moment, Sakuya and Alisa also returned to this side, but this time they were followed by an elven waitress.

　　The waitress carried a round tray with several drinks served in flute-shaped champagne glasses. As Shuoye approached our table, she placed the drinks on the tray in front of me and the girls.

　　”Is this fruit wine?” As soon as the drink was placed in front of me, I could smell the fruit aroma and a hint of alcohol. The alcohol content was not strong, so it should be very low.

　　”It can be considered a kind of fruit wine, but the alcohol content is very low. It’s more like a fruit juice drink with a hint of alcohol than a fruit wine.” Shuo Ye also held a drink in her hand, her elven beauty holding the stem of the champagne glass. “After all, a party always needs some alcohol to make it special. Considering that some players can’t drink alcohol, we used this drink instead.”

　　”Alright, after saying so much, I mainly want to raise a glass to everyone here. Thank you all for your help with the previous attack and the upcoming World Tree raid.” With that, Sakuya raised her champagne glass to us.

　　”Sakuya, you’re too kind.” Asuna and Silica raised their champagne glasses as well, and I naturally followed suit.

　　”Cheers.” The initial taste was mainly the refreshing sweetness of fruit juice, with just a hint of alcohol. It was quite delicious. After taking a sip, I placed the rim of the champagne glass in front of the small mouth of the mercury lamp.

　　Mercury Lamp opened her little mouth without hesitation, and I slowly raised the champagne glass. The transparent glass touched Mercury Lamp’s pale cherry-colored lips, making me want to try a different way to feed her.

　　After clinking glasses with us, Shuoye took her leave. She needed to go to another table to chat or offer a toast. That was about it for the main business of the party. The rest of the time was up to everyone to do as they pleased.

　　We didn’t intend to level up or do any quest guides. Actually, everyone was pretty much ready by now. Our levels weren’t something that could be raised in a short time, and everyone had complete sets of equipment or configurations that suited them. So, the girls and I sat there chatting for about half an hour until the party was almost over, and then we all left the party together.

　　”I’ll log off now, see you all tomorrow.”

　　”Okay, see you tomorrow.”

　　Good night, see you tomorrow.

　　After everyone said goodbye, Leafa and Liz logged off one after the other, followed by Asuna. I thought Silica would log off as well, but to my surprise, the girl didn’t log off immediately.