-1680- Stay that way forever

In the Kirigaya household, Rozen's room.

Rozen, lying on the bed, flickered his eyelids and finally opened his eyes.

"Ha..."

After letting out a breath, Rozen removed the helmet from his head and sat up.

Almost immediately, a small figure leaped from beside him, diving into Rozen's embrace.

"Chirp!"

With the adorable sound, the snow-white rabbit affectionately nuzzled against Rozen.

Rozen couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Thank you for your hard work, Gyokuto."

Rozen gently stroked Gyokuto's fur and spoke softly.

Since Rozen entered the game, Gyokuto had always been by his side, guarding him, so a little comfort was only natural.

However, for Gyokuto, guarding Rozen was simply part of the duty.

It wasn't just Gyokuto; even Kinu, Hokuto, and all the other beast vassals considered protecting Rozen their responsibility.

"Chirp!"

At that, Gyokuto made a soft sound, seemingly saying "it's nothing" before flipping and leaping. It transformed into a streak of light and landed on Rozen's left hand.

The exquisite silver ring reappeared on Rozen's hand, continuing to guard him just as it had for a hundred years.

Rozen gently wiped the ring in his hand, then quickly changed his clothes and exited the room.

As Rozen stepped out of his room, the doors on both sides of the hallway opened at the same time.

"Nii-san!"

Suguha, who had rushed out of her room, smiled brightly when she saw Rozen.

"You finally came out."

Kirito also came out of his room, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Why are both of you out here?" Rozen asked in surprise.

It was no surprise, but the timing was just too coincidental for Rozen not to be curious.

"Suguha just called me and explained the situation roughly. When I heard movement from your room, I immediately came out," Kirito explained.

"I... I waited for a long time in Alne, but you didn't come out, and your name didn't go dark in the friends list. That meant you hadn't logged off or died, so I was really worried. I couldn't help but log off and called Kazuto-nii-san to think of a solution."

As she spoke, Suguha's eyes reddened.

This showed just how anxious Suguha was while waiting for Rozen's news.

It seemed that the two of them had probably entered Rozen's room to check on him, but not wanting to disturb him, they had to return to their own rooms and wait anxiously, only rushing out when they heard movement from Rozen's room.

"Sorry for making you worry," Rozen explained as he understood the situation.

"It's fine, I was just a bit startled," Kirito said, shaking his head. "Had I known you were doing something like that, I would've insisted on going into the game with you."

Although Kirito still wasn't clear on the specifics of what had happened, he could tell from Suguha's expression that something major had occurred.

But Kirito was even more surprised that Suguha, of all people, had been playing the game for an entire year.

At this point...

"The Kirigaya siblings have all become gaming addicts."

Kirito made an offhand comment, only to be met with a disapproving look from Suguha.

However, more important than Kirito's remarks were Rozen's situation.

"How did it go, Aoka-nii-san?" Suguha quickly asked. "Is everything resolved?"

That question was already one that didn't need hesitation.

"It's been resolved," Rozen nodded and smiled. "Unless something unexpected happens, those three hundred players who haven't woken up should have already regained consciousness."

After logging out Asuna, Rozen used his administrator privileges to free the remaining players who were still unconscious.

They had been imprisoned by Sugo Nobuyuki atop the World Tree, but unlike Asuna, they had been separated and placed elsewhere.

Through his administrator privileges, Rozen learned their conditions and what had been done to them, which had made him feel deeply disturbed.

Had Sugo Nobuyuki not likely gone mentally insane by now, Rozen would have made sure he didn't escape easily.

Kirito and Suguha, who were unaware of the details, only knew that the three hundred players were finally waking up.

"So Asuna too..." Kirito looked at Rozen with a joyful expression.

"Yeah, she's already awake."

Rozen smiled.

"That's great!" Suguha exclaimed, completely relieved.

Seeing the joyful expressions on Suguha and Kirito's faces, Rozen felt a wave of relief himself.

"I'll tell you more about it later. Right now, I want to go to the hospital and check on Asuna."

Rozen made it clear.

"Go ahead."

Kirito responded without hesitation.

"Yeah, go quickly, nii-san."

Suguha lowered her head, sighed, then showed a smile as she spoke those words.

Both of them knew how much Rozen had done for Asuna, so at this moment, they wouldn't try to stop him but would only encourage him.

"Then I'll be going."

Rozen smiled at them before waving his hand and rushing out of the house.

Kirito and Suguha watched him leave.

...

Today, the hospital was undoubtedly very busy.

The three hundred players who had not yet woken up suddenly regained consciousness one after another, causing quite a stir at the hospital.

The medical staff was running up and down the hallways.

Cars kept stopping in front of the hospital, and people rushed in from them in a panic.

Even the SAO Emergency Response Team had mobilized, joining forces with national professionals, all hurrying to the hospital.

Rozen's arrival, however, was just one of the many figures in this bustling scene, so unremarkable.

Thus, Rozen got out of the taxi, handled the entry permit at the busy hospital front desk, and immediately made his way to Asuna's ward.

"Ding!"

The sound of the authentication device rang out, and the electronic door automatically opened as Rozen swiped his entry pass.

Rozen quickly entered the room.

Behind him, the electronic door closed automatically, isolating all sounds from the outside.

The quiet atmosphere enveloped the surroundings.

Rozen stopped in his tracks.

Because, there she was.

In the now familiar hospital bed, the girl was sitting there, holding a helmet in her hands, gazing out the window at the sky. She seemed to be reminiscing about something, or perhaps moved by something, her gem-like eyes shimmering with brilliance.

That scene was as beautiful as a painting.

Rozen quietly stood there for a moment, then slowly approached and sat on the edge of the bed.

Almost simultaneously...

"Sure enough... I'm back..."

A hoarse voice came from the girl's mouth.

Having not spoken for a long time, it was difficult for her to even say a single word.

It was possible that her five senses hadn't fully recovered yet, making it hard for her to even hear sounds or speak.

But still, as though sensing something, the girl didn't turn around. Instead, she collapsed onto the boy behind her and closed her eyes.

"Is this... your warmth... and scent... in reality?"

The girl didn't open her eyes but seemed to greedily savor everything, as if trying to remember it.

Rozen didn't say anything. He simply reached out and embraced the girl.

They remained like that, quietly together.

As if they could stay that way forever.