I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

"Go open the door," Asuna suddenly said softly, her fingers gently squeezing Mochizuki Kaede's palm reassuringly. The panic in her eyes had faded, replaced by a calm that showed a firm resolve.

Mochizuki Kaede nodded, and the mattress creaked softly as he got up. When he opened the door, Silica was looking up at him, her big, cute eyes blinking.

However, the next second, her gaze passed by Mochizuki Kaede's side and saw Asuna sitting half-upright on the bed: her chestnut hair was scattered on the pillow, and the shoulder strap of her nightgown had slipped to one side, outlining a silhouette that evoked many thoughts in the morning light.

Silica's eyes widened suddenly, her cherry lips parted slightly. A blush spread visibly from her neck to the tips of her ears, and finally even the tip of her nose turned crimson.

"I...I didn't see anything!" Her voice suddenly rose, her twin ponytails whipping wildly in exaggerated spirals as she retreated in a panic. Her clumsy backward movement nearly caused her to trip over the carpet, but Mochizuki Kaede reached out and caught her on her slender shoulders.

"Silica." Asuna's voice was still gentle, yet it carried an irresistible power. She had already adjusted her bra straps at some point and sat gracefully on the edge of the bed as always. "Come here."

The girl froze, her shoulders trembling slightly. She slowly turned around, her eyes fixed on the carpet: "Asuna-neechan... I'm so sorry..."

The voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, with a subtle vibrato.

Just as Mochizuki Kaede was about to speak, Asuna gently shook her head: "Kaede, can we talk alone?"

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze lingered between the two for a moment before he finally nodded: "I'll be right outside the door."

He paused, then added, "Just call me when you're done talking."

The soft sound of the door closing sent a shiver down Silica's spine, like a startled animal. She froze, her fingers gripping the sides of her skirt nervously.

Asuna patted the mattress next to her: "Come sit down."

Silica moved as if treading on thin ice, hesitating with each step. When she finally sat down by the bed, her hands were placed neatly on her knees, her breathing became cautious, and she was as stiff as a doll.

Asuna gazed at the lovely girl, noticing her eyelashes trembling slightly with nervousness and the fine beads of sweat on her nose, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Silica was her close friend, someone she spent every day with, and Asuna could certainly sense Silica's subtle feelings.

"Silica," Asuna's voice was gentler than the morning breeze, "You like Kaede, don't you?"

"Huh?" Silica looked up abruptly, her round eyes widening like a startled fawn. She then frantically waved her hands, her twin ponytails swaying violently with the movement: "No, no! I... how could I possibly like Brother Feng..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, until the last few words almost disappeared between her lips and teeth.

"Really?" Asuna leaned forward slightly, a strand of chestnut hair falling over her shoulder.

After a long silence, Silica finally lowered her head: "Yes, I don't have those feelings for Brother Feng."

"Then it's okay for me to confess to Xiaofeng now and be with him, right?" Asuna looked directly into Silica's eyes, her tone as calm as if she were describing the weather.

These words, like a dull knife, slowly and heavily pierced Silica's chest, causing her to freeze in shock. Sunlight danced in her frozen pupils, reflecting countless fragmented points of light.

After a long while, the girl nodded with difficulty, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I... of course I will support you. Asuna is so perfect, and Kaede is so gentle... you two are the perfect match."

She took a deep breath, her nails digging deep into her palms, but she felt no pain: "I will bless you in my heart."

"Really?" Asuna gently lifted her chin, her fingertips touching a wet patch.

Silica bit her lower lip, nodded, then shook her head, and finally said in an almost inaudible voice, "...Mm."

She spoke these words with such difficulty, as if she had exhausted all her strength, each syllable tearing at her chest.

Asuna suddenly opened her arms and embraced the trembling girl. Silica buried her face in Asuna's shoulder, her nightgown instantly soaked with warm liquid.

"Fool." Asuna gently stroked her trembling back. "Then why are you crying?"

"I...I don't know either..." Silica's voice was muffled by the fabric, choked with a damp sob, "I'm sorry...Asuna-neechan...I'm sorry..."

Asuna felt the girl freeze for a moment, then tremble violently, followed by suppressed sobs. In this snowy morning, the shadows of the two girls embracing were stretched long by the morning light, their silhouettes on the wall eventually merging into one.

. . . .

Thank you [Dao Ying Hong Cha Jun] for the monthly pass!

Chapter 148: The Girl's Confession

Silica sobbed in Asuna's arms for a long, long time. Asuna's hands rhythmically stroked her thin back, as gentle and patient as if soothing a frightened fledgling. Only the rustling of fabric and intermittent sobs filled the room.

When Silica finally calmed down, Asuna slowly released her embrace and cupped her tear-streaked face in her hands. The girl's swollen eyes and nose were particularly noticeable, and tiny teardrops still clung to her eyelashes.

"So," Asuna asked again, "does Silica like Kaede?"

"I...I..." Silica's voice caught in her throat, her fingers unconsciously clutching Asuna's clothes. Finally, she closed her eyes, tears welling up again: "I love Kaede-nii..."

The words were so soft they were almost inaudible, yet they stirred silent ripples in the room. Asuna felt a strange sense of disorientation. Although she had long understood Silica's feelings from the shining eyes she saw whenever she looked at Mochizuki Kaede and from her intentional or unintentional closeness when she spoke, hearing Silica say "I like you" still brought a subtle bittersweet feeling to her chest.

The snowbirds outside the window had flown back sometime earlier and were gently pecking at the snow on the window frame.

Asuna gazed at the brave yet timid girl before her, and suddenly recalled the first time she met Silica in the Misty Forest a year ago, when Silica also had such wet eyes.

It wasn't just Silica; when Lisbeth blushed and confessed her feelings for Mochizuki Kaede, she felt a subtle pang in her chest. Her response, "Let feelings take their natural course," was both an excuse for Lisbeth and a way out for herself.

Asuna had been struggling with what kind of self was reflected in Mochizuki Kaede's calm gray eyes—was it a partner fighting alongside her? A childhood friend? Or...?

She had told herself countless times to wait, until the moment she could truly understand Mochizuki Kaede's feelings. But when she learned of Mochizuki Kaede's marriage to Kissmel, she tasted unprecedented bitterness. Only then did she realize that the emotions suppressed by reason had already taken root in her heart and grown into a towering tree.

The intensity of her feelings was beyond her comprehension; her attachment to Mochizuki Kaede was far more incurable than she had imagined.

Whenever Mochizuki Kaede showed even a hint of vulnerability, her heart would soften uncontrollably. Just like that year in the rain at the funeral hall, the promise "I will never leave you" slipped out.

This is why she was willing to go with Mochizuki Kaede to revive Kissmael. Although Kissmael was her friend, more importantly, she couldn't bear the deathly gloom in Mochizuki Kaede's eyes.

He must have been terminally ill for a long time.

She has always restrained her feelings.

Until Christmas Eve, when Mochizuki Kaede appeared before everyone with the girl named Sachi, Asuna saw a familiar light in her eyes. That overflowing emotion was exactly the same as the look in her own eyes reflected in the mirror.

That's why she inexplicably came to Wangyuefeng's door last night—she was just someone who had been wandering in the labyrinth of emotions for too long and finally couldn't suppress the urge to find a way out.

Asuna stared at the frail girl before her. Silica looked up uneasily, her eyes still red from crying, like cherry blossoms wet with rain.

“If Asuna likes Kaede…” Silica’s voice was like a spider’s web swaying in the wind, so thin it seemed about to break, “I… I will sincerely wish you both well…”

She tried to straighten her back, but couldn't control the trembling in her voice: "As long as I can stay by Brother Feng's side and see his smile... I'll be content..."

Asuna gently raised her hand, her fingertips disappearing into the girl's soft hair.

“Silica.” Her voice was softer than the morning mist. “Feelings cannot be suppressed by endurance.”

His fingertips slid down her hair and lifted the girl's tear-streaked face: "I don't want to see your beautiful intentions turn into bitter fruit because of me."

Silica shook her head frantically: "I'm serious! I really can—"

"You," Asuna suddenly wiped away the tears on the girl's cheek with her thumb, the movement as gentle as brushing morning dew from a flower petal. She looked into the girl's moist eyes and saw her former self reflected in them.

"Feelings never follow reason." Her voice carried a gentle understanding. "At some point, you'll find that all the defenses you've built have crumbled."

As the morning light gradually brightened, it illuminated every speck of dust in the room. Asuna's fingers gently combed through Silica's hair, feeling the girl's still slightly trembling body.

"Let's have a good talk," Asuna said, her voice gentle yet powerful. "It's about Kaede."

Silica lifted her tear-filled face and saw that the smile on Asuna's lips was neither pity nor charity, but something warmer. This feeling made the girl unconsciously relax her tense shoulders.

The two girls sat in the morning light, slowly laying bare their innermost thoughts: Silica recounted how she gradually fell in love with Mochizuki Kaede. Asuna spoke of the indescribable bittersweet feeling she felt when she saw Mochizuki Kaede with Sachi on Christmas Eve, and when Sachi gave Mochizuki Kaede a scarf.

“I don’t know much about this Miss Xing either…” Silica whispered in agreement, twirling her fingers around the end of her hair, “She just suddenly appeared next to Brother Feng…”

“So,” Asuna suddenly grasped Silica’s hand, a sly glint in her eyes, “there are more and more girls we don’t know around Xiaofeng. If he gets snatched away, won’t we be finished? So—”

"So?" Silica's eyes widened.

"We need to get ahead of the curve." Asuna's smile was as bright as the morning sun.

Silica's eyes widened, and before she could react, Asuna called out towards the door, "Xiaofeng, you can come in now."

When Mochizuki Kaede pushed open the door, this was the scene that greeted him: Silica sat upright on the edge of the bed, her eyes still red, her hands nervously clasped on her knees. Asuna, on the other hand, smiled calmly, the glint in her eyes inexplicably reminding him of a rapier about to be drawn.

The simultaneous gazes of the two girls made the atmosphere in the room suddenly become subtle.

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze shifted between the two: "Have you finished talking?"

"Ah."

Asuna nodded, her chestnut hair cascading down like a waterfall as she stood up.

She took a deep breath, her chest heaving like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon:

"Xiao Feng, I like you."

The moment those words finally broke free of their constraints, she felt a weight that had accumulated over the years suddenly dissipate in her chest, replaced by a feather-lightness.

Silica clenched her fists tightly, but unexpectedly, what welled up in her chest was not jealousy, but a strange sense of relief.

Mochizuki Kaede's eyes flickered slightly. Even before Silica entered, he had already sensed the deep affection that had been building up over many years in Asuna's eyes. But hearing the confession with his own ears still made his heart skip a beat. In a daze, he seemed to see again the little girl who had given him white chrysanthemums.

Chapter 149: The Warmth of the Girls

"I like you."

The morning light flowed quietly into the room, and Asuna's confession, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up silent ripples among the three of them.

Mochizuki Kaede's fingertips trembled slightly. He gazed at the girl before him who always smiled gently at him. At this moment, her amber eyes were filled with determination, and the tip of her nose was flushed with nervousness, like an early cherry blossom blooming in the snow.

Fragments of memories flooded his mind: the white chrysanthemums offered in the rain at the funeral hall, the unspoken understanding during battle, and the comforting, soft breathing beside him last night. Her lap pillow, her embrace, her smile, her sincerity, her tenderness—she gave them all to him without reservation.

"I know."

After a long silence, Mochizuki Kaede finally spoke, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze caressing new leaves. Asuna was such a beautiful being. She was like a meticulously forged sword, her sharpness restrained yet dazzling. The affection she gave was so pure, as pristine as the first snow. And that was why he understood the weight of her feelings all the more.

Asuna's pupils dilated suddenly, her amber eyes reflecting Mochizuki Kaede's serious expression. The next second, she suddenly stood on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around his neck, and before Mochizuki Kaede could react, her soft lips were already pressed against the corner of his mouth.

The kiss came unexpectedly, carrying the unique awkwardness and reckless passion of a young girl. All that remained in Mochizuki Kaede's vision were Asuna's eyelashes, so close to his own, trembling gently with her nervous breaths, and the touch on his lips softer than the finest silk.

Mochizuki Kaede subconsciously reached out and held her slender waist. Only when his fingertips dug into the fabric of her nightgown did he realize how intimate their position was.

"Waaah—!" Silica suddenly covered her bright red face, but couldn't help peeking through her open fingers. "A-Asuna-neechan is so cunning!"

Her voice was like boiling milk, bubbling shyly.

The two were already lost in each other's presence. Asuna's fingertips dug deep into the hair at the back of Mochizuki Kaede's neck, gripping it tightly as if afraid he would escape. A subtle electric current flowed between their lips, a tingling sensation spreading up their spines and throughout their bodies. Mochizuki Kaede could clearly feel her disordered breathing brushing against his cheek.

Asuna leaned back slightly, her lips parting to make a soft "pop" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet room, as she struggled to breathe.

Wang Yuefeng gazed at her lips, reddened from being sucked, and the misty vapor in her eyes, like amber in the morning fog, hazy and moving.

Asuna took a small step back, her lips still glistening with moisture. She pursed her lips to calm her breathing, the blush on her cheeks lingering like the morning glow.

Their gazes met in the air, their silver-gray and amber pupils reflecting only each other's images.

Asuna was jolted awake by the rustling sound of fabric against the bedside. Silica had somehow curled up into a small ball, her twin tails hanging listlessly.

Asuna looked at her, her eyes filled with gentle encouragement: "Doesn't Silica also have something to say?"

"Huh?!" Silica shuddered violently, her already flushed face now practically red enough to fry an egg. She waved her hands frantically, muttering incoherently, "I...I...that..."

The sound grew fainter and fainter, eventually turning into a muffled sob.

Asuna reached out and smoothed the girl's messy bangs, her fingertips touching her burning forehead: "If you don't say it now, you'll regret it later."

These words were spoken softly, yet they made Silica suddenly raise her head.

Silica's eyes reddened again. She looked at Asuna, then at Mochizuki Kaede, and finally lowered her head, staring at her toes. "But...but Asuna-neechan has already..."

Mochizuki Kaede's gaze shifted between the two girls, then his eyes widened slightly as if he suddenly realized something. His silver-gray pupils reflected Celia's rosy cheeks—the girl who always followed him, calling him "Brother Kaede."

The room fell into a brief silence.

Silica suddenly took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind. She stood up and walked to Mochizuki Kaede.

“Brother Feng…” her voice was as soft as snowflakes, “I, I also… ever since you saved me from those monsters in the Misty Forest… I have fallen in love with you.”

The last few syllables were as light as a feather falling, yet they stirred a thousand waves in Mochizuki Kaede's heart. His breath caught in his throat; this confession, like Asuna's kiss just moments before, left him bewildered. In his eyes, Silica would always be the little sister who needed protection. He never imagined that such emotions could be hidden in the girl's clear eyes.

Asuna had appeared behind Silica without her noticing, gently placing her hands on her trembling shoulders. The two girls' eyes met in the air, a kind of understanding that transcended words flowing between them—a tacit understanding unique to girls, a shared empathy for the same feelings.

Mochizuki Kaede reached out, his fingertips slipping into Silica's soft hair. This familiar gesture made the girl instinctively rub against his palm, like a kitten yearning for affection.

“Silica.” His fingertips gently brushed against the girl’s burning earlobe. “Thank you. It’s an honor to be liked by such a lovely and brave girl like you.”

Silica's pupils dilated slightly, and the tears in her eyes intensified. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but her lips trembled and no sound came out; she only exhaled a small puff of white mist. Just then, Asuna suddenly moved. She grabbed Silica's sweaty hand with one hand and Mochizuki Kaede's wrist with the other, pulling them both towards the bed with an irresistible force.

"Wait, Asuna...?" Mochizuki Kaede's voice caught in his throat as he lay down in the middle of the bed. Asuna nimbly rolled over to his right, her chestnut hair cascading down the pillow like a waterfall. Silica, on his left, lay down stiffly like a startled rabbit, holding her breath.

"See, it's so easy." Asuna held up her hand, intertwined with Mochizuki Kaede's, and waved it in front of Silica. Their fingers were pressed tightly together, and Asuna's eyes gleamed with triumph. She had never felt so relaxed and happy, as if a burden that had been lifted for years had been lifted. The relief after confessing made her radiate a different kind of glow, even the ends of her hair seemed to dance to a joyful rhythm.

Silica's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple. She hesitantly reached out her small hand, but her fingertips recoiled as if burned the moment they touched Mochizuki Kaede's palm. Asuna gave her an encouraging look, and Silica finally mustered her courage, awkwardly inserting her fingers between Mochizuki Kaede's fingers.

When the warmth of both of them reached him simultaneously, Mochizuki Kaede froze, his gaze fixed on the flickering light spots on the ceiling. He could clearly feel the slender fingers of Asuna and the soft, cotton-like palm of Silica—two completely different sensations, yet both equally intense.