A journey to another world starting from a sword

Its appearance has a slightly exotic style, but the blade is specially designed. It belongs to a subcategory of curved swords, which means that the blade is forged straight and elongated. If it were any longer and thinner, it would indeed be no different from a katana.

"Dinner is ready." Just then, Yuki came over to call Leafa to eat. Leafa sheathed her sword and went back inside.

"Lunch was a little late, so I just made something simple," Asuna said to Leafa as she sat down at the table.

"That's not true." Looking at the ramen in front of her, Leafa felt that this was anything but simple.

"I'm gonna start now."

She scooped up a spoonful of soup and savored it carefully.

The soup was a clear brown color, completely different from those with a layer of oil on top. It looked somewhat bland, but the taste was surprisingly amazing.

"Delicious."

Yuki spoke first, revealing Leafa's thoughts, and Leafa looked up, asking with a probing look.

"Is there some secret to this flavor?"

"No, it's just regular ramen." Asuna smiled at Leafa after slurping up a mouthful of noodles.

“Normal…” Leafa stared blankly at the bowl of noodles.

"Ah, actually Asuna added some special seasoning to it," Lingyin joked.

"What?" "What?"

"Ugh, really..." Asuna said with a look of "disdain for making a fuss over nothing," "It's just soy sauce."

“But SAO doesn’t have soy sauce. This is Asuna’s secret recipe, and it can even be used to make money,” Lingyin said.

"Huh?" "That's amazing?"

Yuki and Leafa expressed their surprise almost simultaneously.

At this moment, Leafa also remembered what Haru had said: every player chef in a restaurant has their own unique recipe. She suddenly realized that Miss Asuna's cooking skills had reached the level of opening a restaurant.

Under Yuki's persistent questioning, Asuna revealed a little of her culinary skills and told him the recipe for soy sauce: Apiruba beans, Sagu leaves, and Ura fish bones.

To be honest, it's quite remarkable that you can combine so many ingredients to achieve a flavor profile similar to soy sauce.

Leafa, who often cooks at home, knows the importance of soy sauce and can imagine how difficult it would be to create a seasoning that doesn't exist in the game from scratch.

"Oh, right." Leafa took a bite of the sliced ​​soft-boiled egg and suddenly remembered, "Didn't we invite Dante for lunch? He should be in his room."

"I've already taken him to his room," Asuna said, waving her hand dismissively as if it were too much trouble.

"I see." Leafa picked up a mouthful of noodles and blew on it, thinking to herself that Dante and Asuna really do have a good relationship. Well, one is the president and the other is the vice president.

After they had almost finished eating, the guild's raid team returned.

"I'm back," Mitt called out as he took off his boots in the entryway.

"Ugh, it's so hot." "Hey, Liz, you forgot to change your shoes." "That's nothing, I can change them when I get back to my room."

"Welcome back." Asuna called out to the door with a light laugh, her face showing both happiness and concern. "You're back a little early today."

"Yes, the target was achieved, so I came back a little early." With her black silk-clad feet touching the cool marble floor, Mite nodded. Because it was quite hot outside, the contact of her soles with the cold surface gave her a pleasant sensation that spread from her feet throughout her body.

Fortunately, no carpet was laid out in the summer, because when winter comes... they might not even live here anymore.

"The ramen is delicious, isn't it?" Suddenly, Leafa felt a circle around her neck, and she heard Haru's voice in her ear.

"Delicious!" Leafa turned her head and smiled frankly.

Back in her room, she spread her arms and collapsed onto the bed, unsure of what to do. It seemed there were very few things she could do in her spare time in SAO.

Leafa finally closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, it was getting dark outside.

Just as she was wondering if she should cook dinner, she suddenly realized that she was in a game.

"There's no going back to reality now."

But then there was a knock at the door. Leafa opened it and saw Asuna. Considering it wasn't dinner time yet, she asked in a low voice, "Is there something you need?"

"Pretty much. Dante just reminded me that Leafa doesn't have her own pajamas either. It was so late yesterday that I completely forgot about it."

"I'm fine," Leafa said with a wry smile, her palm facing forward.

“No! Everyday clothes are also very important. I already took Yuki to buy some yesterday, and now I'm taking Leafa with me,” Asuna said solemnly.

“Now?” Leafa exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s right, hurry back.” Asuna said with a smile, “And I’ll introduce you to another friend while I’m at it.”

Then she took Leafa's hand and walked downstairs. But to Leafa's surprise, Asuna saw Dante and Mito sitting by the fireplace in the living room, playing a game. She immediately invited, "Mitto, we're going to Miss Ashura's place next. Want to come along?"

"Huh?" Mitt tilted his head slightly after tidying up half of the props. "Ah, is it to buy clothes for Leafa?"

"Yes, yes, aren't you free?"

"Hmm... okay," Mitt said, sounding troubled.

Dante, standing next to her, almost burst out laughing. Thanks to not having many female friends and being a hardcore gamer, Mitt didn't actually have the same interest in spending time shopping as the average girl.

"Isn't Dante going?" Leafa pointed to another idle person who seemed to have nothing to do and had just been laughing.

"While it's nice to have men offer their opinions, it's still good to keep some expectations in mind," Asuna said, holding up her index finger.

"No, there's nothing to look forward to." Leafa felt that she couldn't compare to beautiful girls like Asuna or Mito when standing next to them, so she lowered her head in a serious lack of confidence.

“No, I’m really looking forward to it.” Dante said with a smile, resting his chin on his hand, his gaze moving twenty centimeters down from Leafa’s face.

"Hehe, well then, it's decided. Let's go together, the three of us girls." Asuna clapped her hands and said.

Chapter 182: The So-Crucial Moment

"Hmm." Leafa looked annoyed after being teased by the two, but she looked surprisingly cute.

In reality, it was too difficult for Dante to go shopping for women's clothing with Asuna and the others, as they might encounter other unfamiliar female customers.

Then he turned his gaze back to what was in front of him and heard the voice saying, "Let's go out now."

"Be careful on the road."

Leafa was sandwiched between Asuna and Mito as they walked along the streets of Gildestan at night, where the commercial district was even more bustling than the town where they started.

"It's nice to browse around a bit, but I need to go back and cook dinner," Asuna said regretfully, adding that she could come back to shop again next time.

“Ugh…” Mito groaned in pain. She didn’t dislike accompanying Asuna shopping; in fact, she was quite happy to do so. So she was just annoyed by the aimless shopping.

"Then let's do it next time." Leafa looked at the shops she passed with great delight. She always felt that she had missed out on many girls' activities because of club activities. Even though she had never regretted it, it was good to make up for it in SAO, wasn't it?

She originally thought that the shop Asuna mentioned needed to be moved through the transfer gate plaza, but she never expected that the shop was not far from the guild headquarters.

"This is it." Asuna led Leafa to a shop with a red sandalwood signboard.

This is a two-story building, much smaller than the guild headquarters. It would be perfect for one person. The second floor is used for living, and the first floor is used for business.

As expected, Ashura did just that.

"We invited Miss Ashura to stay with us, but she declined," Asuna said regretfully, introducing the host. Ashura's reason was that she would have more inspiration if she were alone.

Ashley, currently the top tailor in Aincrad, only accepts orders that interest her and spends the rest of her time wandering around.

You could take on errand quests in town, or go hunting monsters outside the safe zone when you feel the urge...

Of course, this doesn't mean her shop is closed. Most players' shops are open in the afternoon and evening. Asuna was the first to push open the door, and the bell at the shop entrance jingled.

Many popular shops rarely hang such bells because there are too many customers and the noise from frequently opening and closing the door would be too loud. Ashurai's shop, however, needs the sound of the bell to remind her that someone has arrived.

As soon as Leafa entered the store, she was greeted by a dazzling ocean of colors that made her feel a little dizzy.

"Wow..." She was amazed by how many beautiful clothes there were.

Um, should we choose from these?

"...Please, Miss Ashurai." The only female customer in the store was talking to a beautiful female player with short bob haircuts at the counter.

"Yes, the clothes will be ready in three days. You can pick them up then." After saying goodbye to the customers, Ashurai looked at the new customers who entered the store, "Excuse me, ladies, do you have any appointments?"

Asuna and Mito both knew the other was joking, but Leafa was worried.

“Of course,” Asuna laughed. “I wonder how much time the best tailor in Aincrad will give us.”

"Well..." Ashura smiled, resting his arms on the counter, "it seems my shop will have to close for the three ladies."

In short, it's like booking the whole place and staying overnight.

After turning the sign on the outside door to the "CLOSE" side, Ashura invited, "Come upstairs, I'll make you some tea."

"Sorry to bother you," Asuna and Mito said at the same time.

"Sorry to bother you," Leafa quickly added.

"Could it be another newcomer?" Ashura walked up to Leafa curiously. She had already met Yuki yesterday, and she didn't expect Asuna and Mito to bring her another one today.

"Hello, nice to meet you, my name is Leafa," Leafa said, bowing her head.

“No need for formalities, I’m Ashura.” Ashura seriously suspected the other woman was still in high school, or at least younger than herself. She reached out and took off Leafa’s hat. “Ah, you’re an elf too?”

“It’s a wind spirit,” Mite said from the side.

When Ashura's slender fingers lightly touched Leafa's earlobe, Leafa instantly revealed a rather interesting expression.

"Hahaha... Same reaction, so cute."

She then led the three of them to the second floor, which was a cozy little home with many elegant decorations. It also served as a studio. Leafa saw many wooden mannequins covered with various clothes.

After the black tea was served, Ashurai and the other two took a sip and then asked, "Same as yesterday, prepare some casual clothes, underwear, and pajamas for Leafa as well?"

"Yeah." Asuna nodded.

"You don't need any materials, do you?" Mite looked around the studio area, leaning back on the soft sofa.

"I have the materials in stock, so there's no need to worry for now. Besides, you guys keep dumping the materials here, which means I'm almost overflowing with all the impromptu practice pieces I make."

That's right, all the clothes on the first floor that Leafa thinks look pretty are Ashurai's practice pieces. Because they are standard sizes, and SAO clothes are adjusted according to the wearer's body shape, everyone can wear them. But those who really know their stuff will ask Ashurai to customize clothes to their own size.

"Wait a minute!" Leafa suddenly objected. "Aren't we just buying pajamas?"

Her question made the three of them laugh. Asuna chuckled and said, "How could that be? It must be all of them."

“Don’t worry, I’m close to Dante and Mitt, and I’m good friends with everyone else. I have a feeling that you and Leafa will become friends too.” Ashura gestured to Leafa, “With a beautiful girl like you as my model, I feel like my inspiration is flowing again.”

Especially those two large fruits; Ashura had already come up with several elven-style outfits for them.

“That’s great,” Asuna said easily.

"Waaah." Seeing that she had no chance to refuse, Leafa let them decide.

"Let's start with underwear. Leafa, do you have a favorite color?" Ashurai got up and led them to a large wardrobe. When he opened it, it was filled with all kinds of underwear. Some of the styles were so beautiful that they gave people a wonderful feeling just by looking at them.

"White, right?" Leafa's underwear in real life is mostly bought with her mother, so it's usually this color. Besides, she doesn't really care about this color. She even has some animal-patterned underwear that she bought when she was in elementary school in her real wardrobe.

"White? White is very pure, but Leafa isn't what she looks like now. Would you be interested in trying other colors?" Having already learned about ALO from Yuki, Ashurai was pretty sure Leafa was the same, so he asked.

“That works too.” Leafa nodded, pinching her blonde hair.

"Anyway, just pick out what you like from here first. These are all my masterpieces. After I know your preferences, I will customize some extra ones." Ashura pointed to the closet full of underwear.

“Hmm…” This put Leafa in a dilemma.

It's quite interesting to choose for someone else, but when it comes to choosing for yourself, you're completely clueless.

Left with no other choice, she picked out a few items that she thought were nice, but were rather conservative in style.

"I see..." Ashura put one hand on his hip and the other on his chin. "What do Asuna and Mito think?"

“I think it’s nice to feel a little bit bold,” Mitt suddenly said.

"Huh?" Leafa was surprised that Miss Mitt, who seemed completely uninterested in such matters, would say something like that.

“Indeed, if it’s for others to see, it needs to be a little more sexy,” Ashura laughed.

"What do you mean by showing it to others? Underwear isn't something you wear to show people, is it?" Leafa retorted, blushing.

"Don't say that..." Ashura walked behind Leafa, put his hands on her shoulders, and whispered in her ear in a mischievous tone, "What are you going to do then?"

"When? When is that?" Leafa asked, puzzled.

"Hmph~" Ashurai said nothing, but instead grinned wickedly at Asuna and Mito behind Leafa.

Asuna and Mito silently turned their heads to the sides.