-1605- Even the younger brother?

Since the Kirigaya household is an old, traditional Japanese residence, not only does it have a spacious garden, but a small pond is nestled beside it, making the scenery quite pleasing to the eye.

However, it's mid-January now, and with snow falling just a few days ago, the garden is still filled with partially melted snow and frosty air, discouraging anyone from venturing outside.

Normally, in this kind of weather, only Kirigaya Suguha, who has been practicing kendo diligently, would consider leaving the warmth of the house to train in the garden.

But recently, there's been another person regularly training in the garden every morning.

"Oh, you're both awake?"

Kirito, dressed in just a tank top and pants, was doing warm-up exercises in the garden. He looked over and smiled at Rozen and Suguha.

Perhaps the worries Kirito had been carrying for Rozen had finally been put to rest. His complexion looked much better than before—his dark circles were gone, and his previously unhealthy pallor had given way to a healthy flush.

However, Kirito's features were naturally soft and youthful, and his smile made him look like a girl.

"Kazuto-nii-san..."

Suguha's expression became complicated. Having an older brother who was prettier than her was not exactly a source of joy for her.

Even Rozen shivered slightly, feeling as if not only had their younger sister grown up, but even the younger brother had turned into a seductive charmer.

Of course, in the Kirigaya household, the matter of whether Rozen or Kirito was the elder brother still hadn't been settled.

Strictly speaking, given how long Rozen had lived, he could have been a grandfather—or even a great-grandfather—by now. However, since Rozen was an adopted orphan with an unknown birthday, and Kirito wasn't Kirigaya Midori's biological son but rather the son of her sister, their family dynamics were a bit unusual.

In other words, Kirito was actually Suguha's cousin.

When Kirito's parents passed away in a car accident when he was just one year old, the Kirigaya family took him in. Since then, he had grown up alongside Rozen and Suguha.

Thus, even though the three of them were family, they were not related by blood.

Besides Suguha, who was undoubtedly the younger sister, the debate over whether Rozen or Kirito was older remained unresolved. Neither of them cared much about it, so they simply referred to each other by name.

Rozen gave a wry smile.

"I can't remember the last time I saw you exercising in the morning. You've always been such a gaming addict."

Kirito rolled his eyes.

"It's not like I have a choice. I need to focus on rehab. If I don't, my muscles won't recover."

Rozen raised an eyebrow.

"Muscles?"

His tone was full of mockery.

"Did Kazuto-nii-san ever have muscles to begin with?"

Even Suguha couldn't help but voice her doubts.

"You two..."

Kirito's expression soured immediately.

To be fair, Kirito had always been on the slender side, with his delicate features making it impossible to imagine him with any significant muscle mass.

However...

"Back then, Aoka wasn't much different from me," Kirito retorted.

Indeed, Rozen hadn't been much stronger than Kirito in the past. At the time, Rozen was still constrained by the excessive transformation of life force through his Magic Circuits, leaving him weak and out of shape. Just running for a few minutes had been enough to nearly exhaust him, making his physical condition worse than Kirito's.

"Now that my rehab is almost complete, my stamina has improved a lot. Plus, all the training I did in SAO sharpened my reflexes. I bet even you can't beat me now, Aoka."

Kirito's challenge was clearly childish, but...

"Fine, I accept your challenge."

Rozen turned to Suguha.

"Suguha, do you have any extra bamboo swords? Lend me two."

His words left Suguha stunned, and even Kirito was momentarily taken aback.

"Bamboo swords?"

Suguha was surprised.

"Are you planning to spar with me?"

Kirito, however, quickly grasped Rozen's intentions. Having fought side by side with Rozen for two years in SAO and grown up with him, Kirito knew him better than anyone else.

And indeed, Rozen intended to spar with him.

"Even though this isn't a game, since you're so confident, let's see how good you've become," Rozen said, walking up to Kirito.

Kirito smiled in return.

"Perfect. I've also been wondering if you've gotten rusty."

The two stared each other down, their expressions filled with the same competitive spirit they'd had during their time in SAO.

Suguha, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel worried.

"Are you two sure about this?"

Her concern wasn't without reason.

In reality, Rozen and Kirito were just ordinary gamers. Despite their prowess in virtual worlds, they were far from athletic, and both had only casually practiced kendo in the past. Add to that the fact that they had spent two years bedridden after the SAO incident, and it was understandable that anyone would feel uneasy about their plan to duel with bamboo swords.

Especially Suguha, who had experienced a rocky relationship with her two brothers before they became victims of the death game. After everything they'd been through, she cherished their reunion and didn't want to see anything happen to them.

The thought of losing either of them again was too painful to bear.

Even though Rozen seemed energetic, having only recently returned from his mysterious disappearance, there was no telling whether his body was truly okay.

Her worry was evident, but Rozen and Kirito's competitive spirits were already ignited.

In every game they'd played, the two had always been rivals. Even during their time in SAO, they competed constantly. Now that they were back in the real world, the urge to test each other hadn't faded.

"It's okay, Suguha. Just let us have some fun."

"Don't worry. We'll be careful."

Rozen and Kirito reassured her, grinning like two mischievous children.

With a sigh of resignation, Suguha fetched two bamboo swords and handed them over.

"Be careful, you two."

"Got it."

Both Rozen and Kirito responded in unison, turning to face each other.

"Go ahead," Rozen said, raising his bamboo sword with one hand and flashing a playful grin.

"Then I won't hold back," Kirito replied with an equally fearless smile, readying his sword for an attack.

Their gazes locked in midair.

Then, without a word, they both dashed forward, charging straight at each other.