-1690- How about introducing me...

Once Rozen arrived, the lively atmosphere in the bar stayed high and never wavered.

Rozen quickly became the center of attention at the gathering. The moment he walked in, everyone surrounded him, and he even ended up giving a speech.

The speech was brief, but incredibly inspiring.

"Everyone here may be meeting face-to-face for the first time in the real world, but in SAO, not only have we met before, we fought together and struggled to overcome all kinds of hardships as comrades."

"We once raised our swords together, roaring against the injustices of that world."

"We once raised our shields together, charging forward to protect as many lives as possible."

"Now that you're all here, don't forget that the people beside you are not just friends; they are comrades who went through life and death with you."

"Now, the game is cleared, and we've returned to the real world, where we'll inevitably encounter some challenges posed by reality."

"But, even so, don't forget—you faced life and death together. There's no challenge now that you can't overcome."

"From here on out, even if we must battle the enemy known as 'reality,' we will absolutely win."

"I hope each of you can use the swords in your hearts to carve out your own realms in this world."

"And congratulations—you cleared the game."

His words were met with another round of cheers from the crowd.

People laughed with each other.

They cried with each other.

They embraced each other.

They playfully sparred with each other.

In short, the lively atmosphere remained at an all-time high.

Rozen had truly become the star of the gathering, with countless people toasting him.

Meanwhile, Kirito was catching up with people from Crimson Wing, with Sachi and Lis surrounding him, looking quite content.

Asuna was also surrounded by familiar faces, each one smiling.

Even Suguha, after nervously introducing herself, was warmly welcomed by everyone.

"You're Rozen's sister, right?"

"You're so cute!"

"Since you're Rozen's sister, you're like a sister to all of us!"

"Suguha-chan, if you need any help, just come to us, alright?"

"Yes, that's right!"

The enthusiasm from everyone nearly overwhelmed Suguha.

But gradually, Suguha began to relax, drawn away by a group of female players who started whispering together, clearly enjoying herself.

Rozen could faintly hear them talking about him.

More accurately, Suguha was asking everyone about Rozen's experiences in SAO, and they were eagerly recounting stories to her.

Silica, in particular, was the most enthusiastic, apparently feeling both envious of Suguha for being Rozen's real-life sister and proud of being considered Rozen's "little sister" in SAO. Silica showed great warmth toward Suguha, and soon enough, Suguha was happily chatting away with them.

Naturally, with everyone in high spirits, the gathering never had a dull moment.

After an unknown amount of time and an uncountable number of toasts, Rozen, now reeking of alcohol, finally broke away from the crowd and made his way to the bar, sitting down.

"Those rascals—they're doing this on purpose."

Rozen cursed under his breath.

He was met with a "thunk" sound.

A drink was placed in front of him.

"I didn't expect you to hold your liquor this well. Remember to come by more often."

The speaker was a big man standing behind the bar, wearing a white shirt and a black bow tie.

It was clear that he was a staff member here.

Or rather, he was the owner of the place.

"Agil?"

Rozen blinked as he looked at the big man behind the bar.

"Yo, long time no see. Looks like you're doing well."

Agil smiled at Rozen.

The man in front of him was indeed the cunning merchant and double-handed axe-wielder—Agil.

Rozen looked him up and down, chuckling.

"You look just like you did in SAO, big and strong."

Rozen teased him.

"A lot of people have said that." Agil shrugged. "If this were the real world, I wouldn't lose to you."

"Oh? Confident, are we?" Rozen raised an eyebrow. "Want to test that?"

"You sure are bold." Agil rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Then again, that's just like you."

Just then, another voice chimed in.

"Agil, why don't you teach him a lesson and see if he still dares to be so cocky in the real world?"

A laid-back guy took a seat next to Rozen.

He was a man in a suit with a bandana covered in silly designs.

"Klein?"

Rozen glanced over and immediately recognized him.

It was the katana-wielder and leader of Fuurinkazan, who had fought alongside Rozen and Kirito in the frontlines—Klein.

This guy was as casual as ever, just like in SAO.

"I finally got a chance to talk to you. Every time I tried to come over, I got pushed out of the way by others. Ugh, still as popular as ever."

Klein had a look of envy, jealousy, and bitterness on his face.

"Don't tell me you were just trying to get close to me to flirt with the girls?"

Rozen shot back.

"W-what? Of course not! Hahaha!"

Klein laughed, though his face showed clear guilt.

"Can you be any more obvious?"

Rozen was helpless.

"Alright, let's drop that." Klein quickly changed the subject. "I heard that after clearing SAO, you disappeared for two months, and then got involved in the ALO incident."

"Not easy, huh?" Agil sighed. "Clearing SAO only to end up in a new mess."

"What can I say?" Rozen was unfazed. "If that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have been able to save Asuna."

"True." Klein grinned. "How does it feel to be the hero saving the damsel?"

"You can see it yourself." Agil joined in, teasing. "He's obviously won the girl's heart."

"Look who's talking." Rozen gave Agil a wry smile. "You're married and have a wife who managed your shop for two years. You must be over the moon."

"Well, it's not bad." Agil waved his hand nonchalantly, though his pleased expression was unmistakable.

"Damn it, you two—one married, the other with a beautiful girlfriend, and even Kirito has Sachi and Lis around him. I'm the only one still single." Klein's eyes filled with resentment before he thought of something. He turned to Rozen with a fawning smile. "Hey, Rozen, I saw you brought your sister with you. How about introducing me to her…"

"Get lost!" Rozen cut off his fantasy with a single word.

"Just introduce us! Jerk!" Klein choked and then burst out angrily.

"Haha!" Agil laughed so hard that he had tears in his eyes.

Then, Agil clapped his hands and called out to everyone.

"Alright, everyone, look over here. I have something to announce!"