Ai and Yuu shared a look. "So... it's essentially a graveyard?" Yuu asked softly.
"Yeah. Something like that."
Without a word, Ai and Yuu stepped forward. They pressed their hands together in a silent prayer toward the monument. Seeing this, Hachiman followed suit, offering a moment of silence to the ghosts of the past.
"Alright," Hachiman said, breaking the quiet. "Next stop?"
"Ready!" Yuu chirped, her energy returning.
Next, they headed to the Black Iron Palace.
"What's this place?"
"The Black Iron Palace. It housed the prison and the hidden dungeon. The prison was for 'Orange' players—harassment, serious crimes... you know, murder. Players like that were locked away here. Even 'Bara' was stuck in here when the game ended."
The girls looked genuinely shocked. To them, the woman they knew as Bara was serene and kind.
"Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah. One of my comrades dragged her kicking and screaming into this place. Then I went inside, knocked her around a bit more, and squeezed every bit of intel out of her."
"Eww... brutal," Yuu winced.
"But you're together now," Ai noted.
"Well, I'm the one who picked her up afterward. She's basically my property at this point."
Yuu gave Hachiman a mischievous poke. "Ooh, Hachiman, you're so twisted."
"Maybe. But I intend to look after her until the very end."
"I see," Ai said with a knowing smile. "So, she's just like us."
Hachiman blinked. "Eh? Wait, is that how it works?"
"Fufu. You've got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders."
"I guess I do..."
Hachiman quickly changed the subject to the dungeon area.
"It probably isn't active here, but this labyrinth used to expand every time players reached a higher floor. By the end, it was a massive, sprawling nightmare. I went deep inside just once right before the game was cleared. Nearly died."
"Was it really that dangerous?"
"Yeah. The floor reached was 75, but the mobs spawning in there were Level 90 tier. It was a suicide mission."
"Whoa... glad you made it back."
"Me too."
As they continued their walk, Ai pointed toward a distant structure. "Oh, is that a church?"
"I wonder why a church would even exist in SAO," Yuu mused.
"Who knows. In practice, it was run like an orphanage. SAO had an age rating, but some kids ended up in the game anyway. This is where they gathered. The person who looked after them back then is actually a teacher at my school now."
"No way!"
"She sounds like a lovely person," Ai said.
"She is. Someone worth respecting."
Hachiman suddenly stopped in front of a particular inn.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... just this place."
He pushed the door open. It no longer functioned as a proper inn, but the interior—the beds and furniture—was exactly as he remembered.
"What is this?"
"An inn. It was the only place on this floor with a proper bath. Plus, it had all-you-can-drink milk."
"Ah, a bath is essential," Ai agreed.
"Totally!" Yuu added.
"Anyway, that's about it for the city. Ready to head outside?"
At Hachiman's suggestion, the two girls nodded eagerly.
"By the way," Hachiman asked as they neared the exit, "what are your levels?"
"Around twenty, I think?" Yuu checked her menu.
"Yeah, about that."
Hachiman whistled. "I was only Level 15 when I cleared this floor. You guys have been grinding."
"There's a dungeon further back with some tough enemies. We leveled up there," Yuu explained.
"Hoh? A place like that existed? Even I didn't know about that one."
Hachiman began to run through a checklist of their capabilities. "Sword Skills... yeah, you can use them." He demonstrated a quick movement.
"Whoa! What was that? That was amazing!"
"Just a skill you're supposed to learn on a much higher floor. Anyway," he looked at them seriously, "what weapons are you using?"
"This is mine!" Yuu drew a one-handed straight sword.
"I've got this," Ai added, unsheathing a katana.
"A straight sword and a katana. Got it." Finally, Hachiman asked the most important tactical question. "Do either of you know about 'Switching'?"
"Switching? Like a light switch?" Yuu tilted her head.
"A switch... you mean this?" Ai asked, pointing a finger directly at her own chest.
Hachiman sighed, the weariness of a thousand years hitting him at once. "Your jokes are getting dangerously close to 'dirty old man' territory, you know."
Ai gave him a teasing wink. "Oh my. Well, you're welcome to try pressing it if you like."
"I'll pass. A 'Switch' is a combat maneuver..."
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