Chapter 21: The Shared Hot Spring
The two who were brought to the camp were soon introduced to the commander.
The commander's tent was enveloped in a solemn atmosphere, with dark elf guards holding glaives stationed in front.
"Hachiman-kun, we won't be attacked here, right?"
"Should be fine. That said, this map, although temporarily generated for the event, is ridiculously huge."
"Temporarily... generated?"
"Yeah, it's a map generated just for this kind of event. In simple terms, we've been forcibly transferred to an independent zone."
"So technically, we're not on the third floor right now?"
"Exactly. No other players can enter."
Soon after, the two were brought inside the commander's tent.
"Thank you for saving my kin, children of the human race. I offer my sincere gratitude."
The commander spoke solemnly, presenting a few items as a reward.
After some hesitation, the two chose light armor, which they hadn't upgraded in a long time.
"And take these as well. The bearers of these rings may freely enter and leave this camp."
The commander handed them each a ring engraved with the dark elf emblem.
Hachiman instinctively tried to put the ring on his left ring finger but suddenly noticed Asuna was also struggling to decide which finger to wear it on, and panicked.
'I just tried to wear a couple's ring on my ring finger... Better play it safe and wear it on the index finger. Yeah, it's just an event item. Can't let myself look flustered.'
Thinking this, Hachiman slipped the ring onto his left index finger.
Whether by coincidence or imitation, Asuna also wore hers on the same finger.
Seeing Asuna's nonchalant demeanor, Hachiman sighed in relief and continued listening to the commander.
A [ ? ] marker appeared above the commander's head—it seemed a new quest was about to begin.
"Please rest in this tent tonight. It may be a bit cramped."
Apparently, the next quest would begin the next day.
The two initially planned to return to town, but were persuaded by Kizmel to stay at the camp.
Hearing there was a bathhouse seemed to seal the deal.
(We're sharing a tent... I'll have to find a screen to divide the space.)
Though called cramped and small, the tent they were taken to was actually quite spacious.
Asuna wanted to chat with Kizmel, so she let Hachiman go bathe first.
Hachiman obediently went to bathe.
It had been a long time since he'd soaked in a bath.
While it wasn't strictly necessary, once in a while, soaking in hot water was nice.
Hachiman fully enjoyed the long-missed hot spring, completely relaxing body and mind.
After his bath, feeling great, he pulled out his usual drink and was about to take a sip when Asuna, who had been chatting with Kizmel, noticed and asked for one.
He had no choice but to take out another bottle and hand it to her.
"You've gotten close with Kizmel."
"Yup!"
"Well, I'll head to that corner to sleep. Asuna, get some rest after your bath too."
"Got it! Good night, Hachiman-kun."
"Yeah, good night."
Hachiman set up a screen near the bed, lay down, and began reflecting on the day's events.
'Not sure if this is a normal quest route... Might be part of a special scenario, maybe even a hidden storyline. I'll check with Kirito and the others when we see them.'
With that in mind, he drifted off to sleep without even noticing Asuna covering him with a blanket after her bath, falling into a deep slumber.
The next morning, Kizmel came to wake them up.
In the bright light, Hachiman clearly saw Kizmel's face for the first time and found himself staring, once again realizing how beautiful she was—and how stunning her figure was too.
"Hachiman-kun, what are you looking at?"
"M-morning…"
"Hmph~"
Perhaps thanks to a good night's rest, both were in high spirits and headed off to the next quest right away.
They were told there was a holy tree to the west, and the second secret key was hidden at its roots.
On the way, Kizmel once again one-shotted enemies with ease, automatically earning experience and items.
"It's easy, but it feels like cheating…"
"Well, think of it as a reward for yesterday's hard work."
"Fair enough."
When they spotted the holy tree in the distance, Hachiman noticed figures resembling forest elves approaching.
"Kizmel, are those enemies?"
"Yes. This is bad. We can't let them get the key. Run!"
The three of them sprinted with all their might. The enemy seemed to have noticed them and began chasing.
"I'll hold them off. Fight while falling back. You two go get the key."
"Got it, leave it to us."
"Don't overdo it, Hachiman-kun."
Hachiman didn't even notice how naturally he was speaking with Kizmel.
In fact, Kizmel had never shown typical NPC traits.
By now, neither of them saw her as just a programmed character.
"Hachiman-kun, I found it!"
After confirming Asuna had retrieved the key—or perhaps after the system registered it—the enemies retreated.
"Phew, good thing we didn't have to fight."
"Yeah, I doubt we could pull off coordination like yesterday again."
"Looks like something dropped near the enemies."
"This is... a key?"
As Hachiman picked it up, Kizmel spoke:
"Wait a moment. I sense the presence of one of my kin."
A [ ! ] marker appeared above her head. This key seemed to be part of a side quest. Guided by the system, they reached a spot with a small keyhole in a tree.
"Looks like this is the right key."
Upon inserting it, a hole appeared in the ground, and they rescued one of Kizmel's acquaintances.
The side quest was thus completed.
Although its significance was unclear, it was solved surprisingly easily.
"Seems there's still some time before the next quest. Want to check out the market stalls? I heard there's a weapon shop too."
"Sure, if we find something good, it'll be a win."
They used their free time to explore the camp.
There, they found some odd equipment that didn't match the current setting.
"Eh... aren't these swimsuits?"
"Pretty out-of-place to be here."
"Clearly suspicious."
"Maybe the next part of the quest involves going into water? Let's buy them just in case."
"Yeah... better safe than sorry."
Right after buying the swimsuits, Kizmel came to inform them that a new quest had started.
This time, they had to infiltrate the enemy base near the eastern great tree.
The dark elves had stealth equipment, and they would need their help—but they couldn't use it recklessly in town.
The mission was to find the key before the stealth wore off and escape.
This kind of mission was Hachiman's specialty.
With his excellent observation skills, he easily found the target, earning Kizmel's praise.
"A human has such skill…"
"You're too kind…"
"Hachiman-kun, that's such a boring response…"
Surprisingly, Kizmel followed up:
"Ahaha, no need to be modest. I truly admire you, Hachiman."
"Seriously...? Asuna, I can't think of Kizmel as an NPC anymore."
"Yeah, I've decided to treat her as a real friend too..."
After completing the third quest with ease, the trio reported back to the commander and were rewarded with materials, currency, and permission to use the officer-exclusive open-air bath.
They had now gathered all three secret keys.
The next quest would start the following day.
"We're allowed to use the open-air bath now. Asuna, you're happy, right?"
"Super happy!"
At that moment, Kizmel said something shocking:
"I have permission too. Shall we bathe together?"
The two froze in place. Just as they were about to refuse:
"I'm truly grateful to have been able to work with you two to save my kin and gather the keys. I'd like to deepen our bond—would that be all right?"
They hesitated, unsure how to respond to Kizmel's clearly innocent request.
As Asuna wracked her brain, she suddenly remembered the event from earlier that day.
"Oh right! Swimsuits, Hachiman-kun! If we have Kizmel wear one too, it's fine!"
"True... Guess that's the only way."
'Still insanely difficult for me, though...'
"But bathing in swimsuits is embarrassing, so don't stare, okay?"
"Of course I won't look."
The open-air bath was smaller than expected. Hachiman entered first and faced away from the others.
When he heard the splash of someone entering, he tensed up completely.
"Bathing in swimsuits... such a strange human custom."
"Y-yeah, that's how we humans do it."
Asuna desperately tried to cover it up, while Hachiman stubbornly kept his eyes forward.
"It's my first time wearing a swimsuit. Does it suit me, Hachiman?"
"Eh?"
Caught off guard by Kizmel's question, Hachiman reflexively turned his head.
The two had entered wearing swimsuits—Kizmel in a purple bikini, and Asuna in a white one-piece.
Hachiman, his gaze flickering, responded:
"Y-yeah, it suits you really well."
He immediately turned his gaze away again.
When Asuna saw him, her face turned bright red.
Hachiman quickly apologized:
"I turned instinctively... sorry."
"I-it's okay. So... do I look good?"
"S-super good."
"Thanks."
Though he couldn't see her face, Asuna didn't seem angry, which relieved Hachiman.
Looking up, he saw the sky was pitch-black.
'Now that I think about it, Aincrad doesn't have stars.'
Asuna also looked up wistfully.
"It'd be nice if we could watch the stars together with everyone someday."
"Yeah."
Time flowed quietly between the three of them, and the second night of the campaign quest came to a peaceful end.