I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

“But let’s call it a day for today,” Stoleya suddenly changed the subject. “I’m already very happy.”

Her gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally settling on Mochizuki Kaede: "And... I've become more familiar with everyone too."

Under everyone's astonished gaze, the girl with short, light purple hair gracefully walked towards the door. As she left, she turned back and winked at Mochizuki Kaede: "See you next time~"

As the wooden door closed gently, an eerie silence fell over the room.

Asuna and Silica's gazes turned to Mochizuki Kaede in unison, the air thick with the impending storm.

"Xiao Feng..." Asuna crossed her arms, her fingertips lightly tapping her arm, "Can you explain yourself properly now?"

“Brother Feng…” Silica also cast a probing glance at him.

Mochizuki Kaede quickly recounted to them in detail her chance encounter with Stoleya in the alley that day, as well as their conversation at the coffee shop.

"So..." Asuna rested her chin thoughtfully on her hand, "Xiaofeng only met her today?"

“But…” Silica’s cheeks puffed up slightly, like a cute little bun, and she frowned as she said, “Miss Stoleya’s attitude towards Brother Feng is like they’ve known each other for a long time…”

Mochizuki Kaede shook her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her gray eyes: "To be honest, I don't understand her intentions at all either."

Asuna and Silica exchanged a glance and unanimously chose to believe him. They knew Mochizuki Kaede's personality; this boy, who could calmly face anything, was surprisingly naive when it came to matters of the heart. If something had truly happened, he would never hide anything from them.

Just then, Mochizuki Kaede noticed that Yui, who was huddled to the side, was acting strangely.

He gently ruffled the girl's hair: "Yui, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Yui raised her little face, her cute big eyes sparkling with a complex light: "Daddy... Miss Strea has a familiar aura about her..."

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly drawing everyone's attention to Yui.

"A familiar scent..." Asuna murmured, crouching down to be at Yui's eye level. "Can you tell Mom what it feels like?"

"It's like..." Yui frowned, trying to find the right words, "...like someone I knew a long time ago...but I can't remember..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.

As a player suffering from amnesia, Yui has been unable to recover her past memories. If she can sense a sense of familiarity from Streaea, there is only one possibility—they once crossed paths.

Silica's eyes widened in surprise: "So, Miss Strea might be Yui's..."

"Family? Friends?" Mochizuki Kaede took over the conversation, but her brows furrowed even more.

He recalled Stoleya's behavior just now; the girl hadn't shown any particular attention to Yui at all, and hadn't even glanced at her twice.

“That’s so strange…” Asuna stood up. “If they really knew each other, why didn’t Strea mention it at all?”

Mochizuki Kaede gently lifted Yui onto his lap, and the little girl nestled obediently in his arms.

“Asuna, Silica,” he looked up and asked, “did you know this Strea before?”

Asuna pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "I know all the female players in the frontline strategy team. A player as beautiful and eye-catching as Strea couldn't possibly be unknown."

Silica replied, "This is also my first time meeting Miss Stoleya."

The atmosphere in the room fell silent for a moment. Yui leaned against Mochizuki Kaede's chest, her small hands unconsciously playing with his collar, as if she was still savoring that familiar scent.

Two days later.

Sunlight filtered through the thin mist and spilled onto the tranquil lake surface.

Mochizuki Kaede sat alone on the shore, his fishing rod resting quietly in front of him. Asuna had taken Silica and Yui to the nearby woods to gather rare ingredients, and although his gaze was fixed on the float, his thoughts had already drifted far away.

For the past two days, Stoleya has vanished as if she'd disappeared into thin air. Yui occasionally mentions that "familiar scent," but she can't recall any further details.

"This kind of weather is perfect for fishing!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang in my ears, so close I could almost feel its warm breath.

Mochizuki Kaede turned his head sharply and saw that Stoleya had somehow squatted down beside him, her hands supporting her chin, her crimson eyes sparkling like rubies in the sunlight. Her light purple hair was gently stirred by the breeze, casting shimmering shadows on the lake's surface.

"you--"

"Shh—" The girl gently pressed her index finger to his lips, her crimson eyes full of laughter. "Don't be so quick to question me. Have you missed me these past few days?"

Mochizuki Kaede frowned slightly and cut straight to the point: "Stroleya, do you know Yui?"

"Yui? Who is that?"

Strea tilted her head, looking puzzled. "It sounds like a cute name~"

Mochizuki Kaede stared intently into her eyes, trying to find a flaw in them.

But her crimson eyes were crystal clear, revealing nothing unusual. He couldn't be sure if the girl genuinely didn't recognize Yui, or if she was perfectly disguising herself.

"By the way, where's your girlfriend?" Stoleya suddenly changed the subject, glancing around.

She was referring to Asuna.

"Asuna and the others went to the forest to gather resources," Mochizuki Kaede replied. "And who exactly are you...?"

"Shh—" Stoleya interrupted him again, lightly touching his lips with her fingertip, then turned to the lake, "The fishing rod is moving."

Sure enough, the buoy was bobbing up and down violently, creating ripples on the water.

Chapter 167: The Fish King

Just as Mochizuki Kaede was distracted, the girl suddenly reached out and covered his hand holding the fishing rod.

Stoleya's palms were warm and soft, her fingertips lightly stroking the back of his hand.

"Shall we pull the rod together?" she whispered close to his ear, her breath brushing against his earlobe. This overly intimate position made the girl almost press herself against Mochizuki Kaede's back, her light purple short hair falling over his shoulders, intertwining with his silver hair.

Before Mochizuki Kaede could respond, the girl had already used his strength to suddenly lift the fishing rod.

The next second, an amazing pulling force came from the water, and the two were unexpectedly dragged towards the lakeside.

"This is...!" Mochizuki Kaede's pupils contracted slightly in an instant. He subconsciously tried to steady himself, but his feet had already sunk into the soft mud, making each step extremely difficult.

"Wow~ Amazing! Could it be a big fish?" Stoleya's eyes widened with excitement, her crimson pupils sparkling, showing no sign of nervousness. Instead of letting go, she pressed herself even closer, her hands firmly covering Mochizuki Kaede's, her slender arms bursting with astonishing strength.

The two of them gripped the fishing rod tightly, their feet sinking deep into the soft mud on the bank. Mochizuki Kaede secretly rejoiced that she had purchased an expensive, high-end fishing rod; if she had used ordinary fishing gear, it probably would have broken in two under the first pull.

Stoleya's soft body pressed against his back, and the girl's strength was in no way inferior to his. Several long tracks were dragged through the soil, and the high-end fishing rod groaned under the strain.

"Let go..." Wang Yuefeng said in a deep voice, "If this continues, the two of them will be dragged into the lake."

Stoleya gripped his hand even tighter: "How can you give up?"

Her voice was filled with eager excitement.

Perhaps influenced by the girl, or perhaps unable to break free from her tight grip, Mochizuki Kaede increased her strength. The two of them simultaneously lowered their waists and exerted force, bending the fishing rod as if it would break at any moment.

Finally, the fishing rod jerked upwards, but the fishing line couldn't withstand the immense force and snapped with a "snap." The two men immediately lost their balance and fell backwards due to the powerful inertia.

Mochizuki felt his back bump against a warm, soft body. Stoleya let out a soft groan, but caught him steadily. At that moment, he was completely enveloped in the girl's soft embrace, the faint fragrance of her body lingering around his nose.

"Are you alright?" Mochizuki Kaede quickly stood up and reached out her hand to Stoleya.

Stoleya gently took his hand, using it to rise with the lightness of a butterfly, her eyes still holding a hint of lingering excitement: "How could the fishing line have broken?"

She jogged to the lakeside, gazing at the now calm water, her voice filled with regret: "I was hoping to see what big fish I'd caught!"

Just then, the lake surface suddenly churned violently, and countless bubbles rose from the depths.

Mochizuki Kaede instantly became alert, taking a step forward and grabbing Stoleya's wrist: "Not good! Back off!"

The lake surface suddenly exploded, and a huge black shadow burst out of the water.

When it crashed heavily onto the shore, the entire ground trembled, and the splashing water poured down like a torrential rain.

Mochizuki Kaede protected Stoleya as they retreated to a safe distance, only then able to see their "spoils of war" clearly—

A strange fish, the size of a small mountain, had moss-covered scales that gleamed with an eerie dark green luster in the sunlight. Even more astonishingly, where fins should have been, four short, thick, powerful limbs grew instead, with webbed membranes connecting their toes. The monster was staring intently at them with its murky yellow eyes.

"What is this?" Mochizuki Kaede asked, looking at the strange-looking fish.

The strange fish let out a piercing screech, and its short, thick legs propelled its massive body as it charged towards them. Each step caused the ground to tremble violently, and the surrounding trees to rustle.

"Looks like we've caught something amazing~" Stoleya showed no sign of panic, but instead revealed an eager smile.

"Clang—" The metallic tremor of the Moonlit Thunder Blade being drawn had not yet dissipated when a purple light flashed past his side.

Stoleya had somehow leaped into the air, holding an exaggeratedly designed purple greatsword in her hand.

With a clear shout, her figure arced through the air, her greatsword slashing down with dazzling purple light. In the instant she passed the monstrous fish, time seemed to stand still; the purple sword light pierced the fish's body as easily as cutting through butter, extending from head to tail.

The strange fish suddenly stopped moving.

The next second, its body neatly split apart along the trajectory of the purple sword light, turning into countless polygonal fragments that dissipated into the air.

Stoleya's figure gracefully descended from the rain of light, her short, light purple hair dancing in the wind. She suddenly released her greatsword, letting it spin and plunge into a distant tree trunk.

"Wangyue Feng~" She opened her arms wide, her crimson eyes brimming with laughter, "Catch me!"

Almost instinctively, Mochizuki Kaede took two steps forward and caught the girl who was falling from the sky.

This standard princess carry brought the two very close, and the girl's warm breath brushed against his cheek.

"Perfect coordination~" The girl winked playfully, her slender arms naturally encircling Mochizuki Kaede's neck, showing no intention of getting down.

"Really..." Mochizuki Kaede sighed helplessly, "You suddenly made me catch you..."

"Because I believe you will catch me~" Stoleya gently swung her legs in his arms, like a child who had just pulled off a prank.

Mochizuki Kaede said, "You can come down first."

"No~" Stoleya immediately tightened her embrace, snuggling into his arms playfully, "I used such powerful sword skills just now, and now I have no strength left~"

Wang Yuefeng looked helplessly at the girl throwing a tantrum in his arms. He had clearly seen the power of the sword technique when Stoleya swung it just now. Although the monsters on this floor were not high-level, the fact that they could kill the girl with one blow showed that she was extraordinary.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the distant forest path, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot.

Mochizuki Kaede froze as Asuna, holding Yui's small hand, walked quickly towards them, followed closely by Silica carrying Pina. All three of them wore expressions of worry.

"Xiaofeng, we just heard a huge commotion over the lake. Are you alright..."

Asuna's words came to an abrupt halt, her amber eyes widening instantly upon seeing Mochizuki Kaede and Strea's intimate pose.

"Oh dear~" Stoleya laughed even brighter, deliberately burying her face in Mochizuki Kaede's shoulder, "Looks like our date is going to be interrupted~"

"Xiao Feng...?" Asuna's voice was terrifyingly soft, like the calm before a storm.

Mochizuki Kaede wanted to release Stoleya, but felt the girl in his arms tighten her grip even more, her soft lips almost touching his earlobe:

"Putting me down now would just make you seem even more suspicious."

Chapter 168: Culinary Showdown

Mochizuki Kaede gently put Stoleya down in the end, and he explained everything that had just happened to Asuna in detail.

"A strange fish the size of a small mountain?" Asuna's amber eyes flashed with worry as she quickly stepped forward to check on Mochizuki Kaede's condition. "Kaede, are you hurt?"

Mochizuki Kaede shook her head, indicating that she was fine.

Suddenly, Stoleya took out a piece of glowing fish meat from her inventory and said excitedly, "Look! There's a super rare ingredient in the reward for killing the monster fish! Let's make a grilled fish feast!"

Asuna looked at Strea thoughtfully. Although she was still wary of the girl's sudden appearance, she decided to take this opportunity to learn more about her, considering that she might be related to Yui's past.

"Storia," Asuna said with a gentle smile, "What's your cooking skill level?"

"Cooking skills?" Stoleya tilted her head, revealing an innocent expression. "No~"

"No skills?" Silica's eyes widened in surprise, and Pina in her arms chirped. "Then how are we supposed to process such high-grade ingredients?"

Mochizuki Kaede interjected at the opportune moment: "If we're going to make a dish, Asuna is the most suitable person to do it."

These words made Asuna's eyes light up instantly, and she straightened her back slightly: "My cooking skills are all maxed out."

His tone was filled with undisguised pride.

"Hmm~" Stoleya put her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly. "Since Mochizuki Kaede has said so, then let's do it this way~"

"Then I'll leave it to Asuna," Mochizuki Kaede said gently.

“Okay, leave it to me.” Asuna nodded.

"Asuna, Mom!" Yui suddenly tugged at Asuna's skirt, her cute big eyes filled with anticipation. "I want to cook with you."

Asuna gently ruffled Yui's hair: "Okay, Yui."

“I want to help too!” Silica raised her hand.

Seeing this, Stoleya said, "Eh—if everyone's participating, then I want to join in too!"