Chapter 37: Asuna's Birthday
In the secret base where weapons were forged, Liz shook her pink ponytail.
"By the way—" The hammer clanged down on the anvil, "It seems these days it's a certain young lady's birthday, huh?"
Hachiman, wiping his one-handed sword in the corner, twitched his fingers, the blade reflecting the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "...What kind of nonsense are you thinking about while forging?"
"That's basic etiquette for a blacksmith! You have to always keep an eye on your client's emotional needs~" The girl deliberately dragged out the last syllable, her voice clear over the roaring furnace. "Last time Asuna came to adjust her rapier, I even wrote her birthdate into the equipment maintenance memo."
Hachiman's movement of putting the sword back on his back slowed noticeably by half a beat. "So?"
"So—" Lizbeth suddenly leaned close to him, her soot-streaked cheek almost touching Hachiman's nose, "How about you two idiot partners go on a date or something?"
Thunk! Hachiman's forehead slammed heavily against the stone wall.
Rubbing his reddened earlobe, he took three steps back. "Don't say things that can easily cause misunderstandings! After all, no one really celebrates birthdays in SAO..."
"What's Hachiman's birthday?"
"August 8th."
Pft! The blacksmith girl tried hard to hold back laughter, her shoulders trembling. "What a cheesy date! But yeah, celebrating in a death game is way too extravagant."
As the forging hammer was raised again, Lizbeth didn't notice the expression hidden in the shadows behind her companion.
Hachiman stared at a flashing icon in his inventory, his Adam's apple rolling unnaturally.
'This is troublesome. Now that she knows, I can't pretend to be oblivious. But in this world, I can't even gather all the ingredients for a cake.'
He mechanically counted the materials, but his gaze was constantly drawn to a special item.
It was the Phantom Orb they had accidentally dropped in the 23rd floor labyrinth, a rare decorative item that could project panoramic views of specific floors.
At the time, it seemed like useless flashy junk, but now it was a hot potato stuck in the corner of his backpack.
"Hey, hey, you've wiped your sword three times already, huh?" Liz suddenly tossed a bag of chilled berries. "You're usually such a lazy bum who just logs out after leveling, but lately, you're suspiciously diligent?"
"Just killing time." Hachiman bit into a berry, squinting at the sour taste. The flavor reminded him of someone who always said "I need to replenish vitamins."
"Huh? You, a social anxiety patient?" The blacksmith grabbed the hem of his clothes suddenly. "Be honest! Since last week, the number of magic wolf claws you bring back has doubled. You haven't been soloing the 25th-floor canyon every day, have you?"
Hachiman brushed off her hand but noticed the warmth from forging still on her fingertips. He turned his face away, mumbling, "I just can't sleep anyway..."
"Oh~ can't sleep, huh~" The girl deliberately dragged out the syllables like sticky candy, "Want big sis to sing you a lullaby?"
"Shut up and get back to your hammer!"
However, the truth was, Hachiman was exposing his bad habit of caring too much about others at this moment.
In this world, the only real entertainment was probably just meals, and the only gift-worthy things were equipment.
Hachiman hadn't thought about anything outside of strategy or leveling for a long time and now found himself troubled by this.
'No, this isn't a birthday gift, just a normal gift between friends to show gratitude. Nothing special, yeah, so practical stuff is fine.'
Even thinking this, Hachiman tossed and turned, still worried.
"You've been mumbling to yourself for a while. So you really decided to give a gift, huh?"
"Since you already know, even if I can't actually give it, I can't just prepare nothing."
"How about asking Asuna about her plans for tomorrow first?"
"Y-yeah, right."
Taking that advice, Hachiman was about to message Asuna but froze completely when opening the message window, unable to think what to write.
"...Why are you stuck?"
"Look, if I ask about her plans now, she might misunderstand and think I'm inviting her because it's her birthday. That would be awkward. And if she already has plans, that'd be even worse."
"...Hachiman, you really are troublesome."
"..."
"Sigh, I really can't help you. I'll ask her for you."
"...Thanks."
Lizbeth operated the window and sent a message to Asuna.
Soon, they got a reply.
"She said she's currently on an expedition, might only be back tomorrow or the day after."
"...I see, then no need to worry. Thanks for your trouble."
"Ugh~ feels so frustrating."
"Don't take things too seriously when no one is at fault."
That matter ended there.
The next day, Hachiman hunted alone as usual.
After selling the extra materials to Agil, they circled around to the alley behind the shop.
The setting sun dyed the stone road honey-colored.
Suddenly, the Phantom Orb in Hachiman's hand burst out sparkling data streams, slowly unfolding the map of the 25th floor on the light screen.
The one-meter-ninety tall burly man let out a scream like a girl.
"Oh shit, this is the legendary 0.01% drop rate holographic projector?!"
Agil pounced like a dog seeing a meaty bone. "Name your price!"
"Not for sale," Hachiman's retrieval of the item was ruthless. "But..."
"How about using this as payment?" The second Phantom Orb arced through the air. "On the condition you help me check the respawn points in the 22nd floor canyon."
Agil caught the item, holding it like a sacred relic. "Hachiman-sama! You're my half-brother from another mother!"
"Disgusting..."
"But it really is beautiful. Girls would love this style."
"Girls would like this style? ...Ah!"
"Hm? What's up?"
"Agil, well done!"
"Suddenly? What?"
"Never mind, anyway, thanks."
.
.
.
Asuna curled up on the bed in the Blood Alliance Knights' temporary base.
Moonlight filtered through the window, casting shadows on her trembling eyelashes.
Today was the 17th time she opened the friend list, but that gray ID remained silent, maddening her.
'I told him to regularly report safe floors... Idiot! Blockhead! Socially awkward single-celled organism!'
She bit into honey bread in frustration, but the sweetness tasted like chewing wax. When the notification sound suddenly burst out, she almost threw the bread at the wall.
[Private chat] Hachiman: There?
Asuna opened the window with boss-killing speed. The cursor in the reply box blinked wildly, but three minutes later, only the lonely system message remained: [The other party is typing...]
"Ahhh, so annoying!" She grabbed her pillow to cover her burning face. The rapier clanged against the bedpost.
When she finally received the next message, her beautiful pupils shrank to pinpricks.
[Private chat] Hachiman: Remember to clean the junk in the shared storage.
She clicked open the long-unused shared space.
The moment the floating light orb appeared, the breeze of the 22nd-floor forest seemed to penetrate the virtual barrier.
The waterfall where they had fallen during their earlier party, the cliff where the secret base was found, and the crooked tree that Hachiman always leaned against like a pillow—all details were vivid in the flowing light.
"Dummy..." Asuna buried her burning cheeks in her knees, the Phantom Orb illuminating the small dimple at the corner of her mouth. "What's with the 'extra stuff'..."