"Laylaaa!"

Stabbed in the chest with a sword, Layla's avatar vanished.

I told myself she was okay. This was Cross Edge...a game... Even if her HP went to zero, she wouldn't die in the real world. But even though I knew all of this, a relentless cold sweat broke out on my skin.

Because Cross Edge wasn't rigged to have an avatar disappear into thin air, even if its HP reached zero.

"Annnnnd we have a winnerrrr!　Mr. P is our chammmpion!　Will he win all his fights as predicted?!"

The announcer and the crowd cheered, oblivious to the system anomaly. The hooded man called Mr. P looked down at me from his spot in the arena.

"And nowww, we are at the final match!　Competitors, make way to the staaaage! In the end, there can be only onnnne!"

The tournament plunged straight into the final round without a break. I was worried about Layla, but I wasn't going to get a chance to check on her. I called Alice and Eugeo and asked them to look into it for me.

"Be careful, Kirito."

"You too, Asuna. If he attacks you, there's no telling what might happen."

In the arena stood myself, Asuna, Mr. P, and the winner of the C Block.

"Without further adoooo...may the final match beginnnn!"

Though the match had begun, Mr. P only stood still and stared at me. I couldn't see his expression behind his hood, but he appeared to be smiling. Knowing it would be dangerous to move without thinking, the three of us were engaged in a strange staring contest.

"...What did you do to Layla."

"Who cares?"

Mr. P answered callously.

"If you want to find out, beat me. Then I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you about her brother, too."

So he did know what happened to Layla's little brother, Michael...

"Don't you dare forget that promise!"

As the three of us bickered, the remaining player lost patience with us.

"Stop talking!　If you won't make a move, then I will!"

The last player shot at Mr. P with a submachine gun. A light firing sound comparable to a rifle boomed through the arena. But the hooded man dodged the bullets with minimal effort, and within the blink of an eye, he had found an opening.

"You're in our way, kid. Go sit down."

And with that, his sword sank into his opponent's chest. Dropping the submachine gun in pain, his avatar vanished, just like Layla's.

"It happened again..."

We didn't know what the hooded man was doing, but we did know it was abnormal. Asuna and I stood side by side, holding up our swords in a united front of defense. The clear display of tribalism received a boo from the audience. But we weren't at liberty to care.

"Hahhh!!!"

Asuna made the first move. She thrust sharply, aiming for Mr. P's chest. He dodged, then lunged in with a side-swipe at Asuna's throat.

Shinnng!

But my sword repelled his blade. Taking advantage of his slight break in form, Asuna launched a chain attack. He twisted, trying to evade her, but one attack made it through, slicing his hood slightly.

"Sure is tough, going two against one."

"Then maybe you should surrender, Champion."

"Huh...I never considered that... Heh! Heh! Heh!"

With that, he lowered his sword.

"What the hell are you doing.　Don't tell me you're actually surrendering..."

"We can't fight all-out here. Especially not when your bitch is with us."

With that, he whirled, showing us his back.

"What...?!"

He caught me so off guard I froze for a second. Then the next thing I knew, our opponent was sprinting out of the arena.

"What a shockerrr!　Nobody expected a withdrawwwl!　Mr. P! You're disqualifying yourself!"

As the announcer cried out, the audience grew restless. But the hooded man ignored them and beckoned to me.

"Come with me, and I'll take you to your perfect grave."

And with that, Mr. P took off running. He didn't look back at me, probably because he was confident I would follow him.

"...Fine. I'll call your bluff."

"Kirito!　It's a trap!"

"Yeah, I know. But I have to go, or I'll never find out what happened to the disappeared players, or Layla's brother."

"Okay...just be careful. Seriously. Promise me."

"Yeah. Sorry, Asuna."

As I jumped out of the arena to chase after Mr. P, a large chorus of boos rang from the audience. The announcer's voice grabbed me from behind, trying to reel me back in.

I knew Asuna was in for some pesky fallout...

Sending a silent apology to Asuna, I followed Mr. P.

We cut through the main street to the outskirts of town. As I chased after my barely-visible target, I realized we had come to a deserted place. We were in a gloomy cemetery, filled with weathered headstones. The hooded man was nowhere to be found.

"Nice touch... This looks like the place we first met."

It was a cemetery where I had first met the Laughing Coffin...PoH, rather. It made me think this really was PoH we were dealing with. But PoH wasn't—

For a moment, my train of thought had made me unaware of my surroundings. As if he had counted on that momentary lapse, my opponent zoomed in for the kill.

"Urgh!"

I barely managed to dodge his blade, spin around, and regain my footing. But my eyes met not with the hooded man, but with a giant...or an abomination in the shape of a human.

"Wha...what...even is this?"

GROOOAR!

Was this another form of Mr. P?　As I panicked slightly, the abomination let the gravity of his giant sword swing it. I crossed my swords and blocked the attack. But unable to stop the inertia, his sword repelled me backwards.

"He-he-he. What's wrong, Black Swordsman?"

It was just an ordinary attack. He had utilized no sword skills or anything else. But that one attack was overwhelmingly heavy. Had I taken it without blocking, it would have whittled my HP to zero in one blow

"You monster..."

Gripping my swords, I dropped my center of gravity and braced myself for another attack. I would need to beat him without getting hit once. That's all there was to it.

"Let's go!"

All my opponent's attacks were lethal. The mere act of blocking them would be difficult. Repeating a system of hit-and-run, I slowly whittled his hit points down. It was a battle of wills more than HP, and after what was too many attacks to count, my opponent finally fell to the ground.

I huffed to catch my breath.

I hoped he wasn't going to have a second form.

Still, I held my battle stance and observed him closely. In time, his body began to shake.

"Of all the luck..."

But the abomination did not stand again. The shivers subsided and his body crumpled and faded—but what was left in his place was not the hooded man. It was a person in light armor, holding a sword and shield. It was an avatar you'd find in a fantasy game. He was unconscious, but his face was twisted in pain.

"What the...?"

Unable to comprehend what I was seeing, my voice caught in my throat. Who was this guy...?

"Aww maaan, he really screwed up royally, didn't he."

A familiar voice called out from behind. I gripped my sword and whirled around...but nobody was there. Was he hiding in the shadows?

"Didn't you want to fight me?"

I raised my voice to my invisible enemy.

"Yes, you were promised an explanation if you won. But I wasn't the one who made that promise. Sorry to disappoint."

"Then show yourself and fight me here and now!"

I searched for my enemy while I talked to him. But I couldn't get a lock on where his voice was coming from.

"Let me give you a word of advice. Keep your nose out of Cross Edge."

"Is that a threat? In that case, I'm not cooperating."

"Hee-hee-hee... I figured you'd say that...Kirito. We have such a long history of fighting. So I know you quite well."

"Okay...who ARE you?"

"Ouch. That really hurt, man. You know me quite well. It's ME!"

The man rolled up his left sleeve. And on his arm was—

"That tattoo...!"

It was a laughing coffin...the mark of the party with the same name.

"PoH...you were alive all this time."

"...I'm following my employer's orders, so we'll have to end things here today."

PoH scooted backwards, near a withered tree.

"Oh, no you don't!"

Yelling, I charged at him. But PoH was faster. He vanished into the dark.

"PoH! Come back here!"

My shout was met only with a voice.

"Later, Kirito."

I looked for PoH everywhere, but could not find him.

The next thing I knew, the sun was setting. Unable to find any leads on PoH's disappearance, I headed back to town in defeat. I wondered then if Layla was okay.

"Kirito!"

When I returned to the battle royal arena, Asuna was there to meet me.

"Thank goodness you're okay...I was worried when you left without saying anything."

"Sorry. I should have said something. But I didn't have time to touch base with you guys... I wasn't able to catch him, either."

"Oh, who cares about that. I'm just glad you're okay..."

Her voice choked with tears in the end. I softly gripped her hand.

"I'm glad you're okay, too, Asuna. I just hope Layla is okay."

"Yeah, I haven't seen her and she hasn't messaged back..."

If she was okay, she would have either come back, or at least messaged us. To still not have heard from her after all this time...it made my mind go to dark places.

"I'm okay, Kirito."

But her voice erased all my worries. From the opposite direction I'd returned, Layla was walking towards us, waving.

"Layla!"

"Layla!　I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Yeah, sorry I scared you guys."

She looked the same way she did before the battle royal tournament started. Her injuries from the tournament were gone.

"Is everything okay now?　You, uh...didn't exactly react normally back there."

"Yeah...that guy's attack gave me a pain I've never felt before."

Layla's face distorted in pain. She was probably remembering the injury. But her pain quickly vanished.

"I went back to my usual platform after I lost. I know I scared you all, but I'm all better now."

"Well...I'm glad you guys made it out safe."

Asuna took both our hands.

"We went through a lot today. Let's take a little break. I also want to hear what happened, Kirito."

On Asuna's suggestion, we went to a cafe and each ordered a drink. While we waited for our order, we went over what we knew.

"What happened after we left the tournament　Did you win, Asuna?"

"No, they determined there was no winner this time. Half the semifinalists just ran away, so they had to rule it that way."

"Yeah, I don't blame them..."

They had probably noticed Asuna and I were helping each other, too. If they had deemed her the winner, people would suspect foul play.

"So, the hooded man...did you get any info out of him?"

"No... We did talk, but I didn't get anything of value. I couldn't get him to talk about Michael."

"Oh well..."

Layla gave a depressed sigh when she heard my update.

"But he definitely knows something, that much is clear. He mentioned your little brother during the finals."

"He did?!"

Asuna's news lifted Layla's depressed voice into an excited shriek.

"Yeah. No mistaking it. I heard it, too."

"Okay... Well, next time I'll make him tell me."

Layla's eyes were burning with determination. But knowing who we were up against, we needed to act prudently. When I told her this, Asuna's expression stiffened into a tight line. Layla gave me a dubious look.

"Do you know him, Kirito?"

"Yeah...I can't prove it, but that tattoo...if I'm right, he is PoH. In SAO, he was the leader of the Laughing Coffin, a PK guild."

"A PK guild..."

Layla's eyes filled with trepidation. She was surely worried about Michael.

"Hey, Kirito...what did you and PoH talk about?" Asuna asked.

"Not much. Besides, I was too busy almost killing another player I thought was him..."

"Also, when he was running away, he said something about his employer...that he was under orders and couldn't fight."

"His employer...could that be Epsilon?"

"I think that's very likely, yes. But that would mean he's in league with the admins."

"I knew it...Epsilon took Michael...!"

Layla's voice was filled with rage.

"If Epsilon and PoH are connected, everything makes sense. What happened in Underworld...only Asuna, myself, and a small number of people know about it."

If Cross Edge was able to replicate elements from that virtual world, that had to mean somebody in management knew about Underworld. And PoH had experience fighting us in Underworld.

"Wow, that's a lot... But if all that's true, catching that guy is our top priority. Isn't there some way we can find him?"

I pondered Layla's question. But no plans we could carry out immediately came to mind.

"It's difficult to pin anything down right now. I've been looking for clues, and I couldn't find any."

"Well, that sucks..."

"But one thing's for sure—he's obsessed with me. He set up this tournament as a trap. I know we'll get another opportunity.

"...Understood."

Layla followed that up with a sigh. It must hurt to have your brother kidnapped and be powerless to do anything. I wanted to say something to her, but the words stuck in my throat. So we just stayed in awkward silence.

"Hey, Layla?"

Asuna exorcised the gloomy air with a cheerful voice.

"Want to have a tea party?"

"A...tea party?"

"Yeah, it's been a while since we slowed down."

"I want to invite some friends like Liz and Silica, too," Asuna said.

I knew that this tea party with friends with Asuna's way of cheering up Layla. Layla agreed to the plan, and the two made way to a stylish cafe. They invited me, but I declined so I could look into something.

I returned to the arena where the battle royal was held. PoH had won the last tournament, so I might be able to get some intel on him from other players that were there. I knew Cross Edge's admins would give me a dead end, but anybody else—like the announcer—was promising.

Once back at the arena, I found the staff cleaning up the stands and the stage. And the announcer was among them. Before I could call out to her, she spotted me and pointed.

"Aren't you the finalist who suddenly disappeared?!"

"Y-Yeah. Listen—"

"Sorry, but the tournament is already over!　Regrettably, you're disqualified!"

She was just as intense as if the stands were still packed. I wondered if she was a performer by nature.

"Annnd, Mr. P still hasn't returned!　There was no winner!　Undecided! What a tragic outcome!!!"

"Seriously, I'm so sorry."

"......"

When I gave my earnest apology, she dropped the performing persona and stared intently at me.

"Well...this tournament was quite chaotic."

"Huh?"

"Many players weren't doing so well after the tournament ended, too. You folks had your own issues to deal with, so don't blame yourself."

Her sudden calm demeanor gave me whiplash. But I didn't suppose she usually talked like that.

I went ahead and asked her about the tournament. She knew of PoH as one of the strongest players of the tournament, but nothing more. I was, however, relieved to hear that the players who didn't do well at the tournament had all made it out okay with no notable abnormalities.

"Thank you for everything."

"Don't worry about it. But listen..."

Then, she produced a microphone from thin air and pinged it with her finger.

"However, next timmme!!!"

"Huh?!"

"Next time, we'll have a beautiful battle, won't we?! Won't we?! Eh, Kiritooo?!"

"I-I'll do my best..."

"I'm rooting on you, kid. Well, see you later."

She really freaked me out. But she seemed like a nice enough person.

I asked around, but couldn't get any new intel on PoH. He really wasn't someone who could be easily found.

"...I guess I'll regroup with the others."

I figured their hen party was in full swing by then.

After Asuna sent me the cafe address, I headed right over. According to Layla, it was the best place to get curry-rice. When I stepped inside, I was immediately hit with the scent of spice. My stomach growled.

"Hey, Kirito!　Over here!"

Layla was waving me over to a table towards the back. Seated at the table with her were Asuna, Liz, Silica, Leafa, Alice, Sinon, and Yui. Layla's expression was much more cheerful than before, so I knew they must be having a great time.

"Good work out there, Inspector Kirito," Asuna greeted me.

"I'll bet you're hungry.　The curry here is so good."

"Yeah, I'm starving."

"The curry here is the best, Kirito!"

I hailed a waiter and ordered some curry. From the look of everyone, they had already eaten their fill.

"Well, now that you're here, Kirito, tell us everything you learned."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. While Kirito eats, I'd like to fill you all in on my story."

Layla proceeded to tell everyone everything. That her little brother Michael had developed Cross Edge, that management was transferred to Epsilon, that the admins called Michael to talk, and he never came back, and that he was in a coma... Everyone raised contemptuous grunts of disdain towards Epsilon. Angriest of all were Leafa, who had cared for me when I was comatose, and Alice, who had a little sister of her own.

"I sympathize with your desperation to save your brother, Layla," Alice said.

"I'll do anything I can to help, Layla!　I promise we'll help you find Michael!" Leafa said.

"Thanks, you guys..."

There were tears in Layla's eyes as she nodded. Silica and Liz consoled Layla in turn. I was happy to see how everyone had befriended her so quickly.

"But this conversation doesn't leave this table," Layla said.

"Because you suspect the game administrators of foul play?" Yui asked.

Layla nodded softly.

"Disabling voluntary player logouts and erasing any trace of it... Only people with admin credentials can do that."

"Yeah. Also, the hooded man knew who Michael was. He gave me the intel that Kirito knew where Michael was...that intel turned out to be fake, though."

"That's why Layla and I entered the tournament—to draw intel out of the hooded man. In the end, we didn't get much intel...but I think he will approach us next time."

"Do you think...he's really PoH?"

The name from Asuna's mouth made Lisbeth and Silica gasp.

"PoH...you mean, from the Laughing Coffin?!" Silica whispered.

"No freaking way. Wasn't he killed in Underworld?" Lisbeth protested.

"Laughing Coffin...that's a name I never wanted to hear again."

Sinon frowned. She too knew the pain of manipulation from her experience in GGO with Deathgun.

"If this is PoH we're dealing with, Kirito's safety is our biggest concern," Asuna said.

I had to agree that PoH's obsession with me was abnormal. If this was the real PoH, he would absolutely come after me.

"But this is also a great opportunity to find Michael," I said.

"Kirito...thanks. But please don't do anything too crazy. You experience an abnormal pain when he cuts you. If he's in league with Epsilon, he might have meddled illegally with the system," Layla warned me.

"Understood. I promise I won't do anything too reckless," I said.

"But...but if he really did stain his hands in evil with Epsilon, then I want to stop him even more!"

Layla cried out in agitation.

"Me too. And we'll do everything we can to help. So let's focus on finding Michael, Layla."

Asuna's gentle tone brought Layla's rage down a little.

Why did PoH have to terrorize my friends yet again? It made me just as determined as everyone to stop him.

After things wound down at the table, our little party split up. Sinon, Silica, Liz, and Leafa all had plans, so they logged out, leaving myself, Layla, Asuna, and Alice at the cafe. Yui was out looking for traces of anyone fitting PoH's description.

"So the hooded man is still our only lead to finding Michael..."

Layla murmured bitterly. Though her rage from earlier had subsided a little, her sense of powerlessness was still hurting her.

"I hate to say it, but yeah. I hope Yui finds something," Asuna said.

"If his employer works with this game's admins, we'll find Michael there."

Now that PoH was at large, we should take some time to reflect. Alice nodded in agreement.

"We are like hunters, waiting for our target to go for the bait."

"Hey, who're you calling bait?" I protested with a smirk.

Layla and Asuna held back their laughter. I still had to hand it to Alice for lightening the mood.

"If we make a move now, PoH and his employer will tighten their guards and be even more difficult to find," I said.

"True. PoH's actions still make no sense to me, though..." Asuna sighed.

As I nodded in agreement, I suddenly realized the strangeness in what I'd just said. Would PoH really work for somebody else?　Asuna seemed to have the same question. We both look at each other in unison.

"So you have the same question, Asuna? I find it hard to believe that PoH would take orders from somebody else..."

"Yeah. Pretending to work for, I could understand, but I don't think he would ever let somebody order him around."

"I thought so too..."

"What are you guys talking about? You're going to explain to the rest of us, I hope!"

Layla sounded very irritated.

"Oh, right. Sorry. It's just, that PoH seems like a fake..."

"True. His obsession for Kirito was almost impressive. So why would he abandon the chance of a duel and run away?"

"So what you mean to say is...that man is a false-PoH?"

Alice shot a dubious look our way.

"Why would he assume the identity of somebody you would be extra cautious of? Wouldn't that be the opposite of ideal in setting a trap for you, Kirito?"

Alice brought up a good point. That was why we couldn't definitively say that the hooded man was a fake.

"And didn't he declare he was going to win every fight, then he ran out of the tournament and lured you away?　This all only makes sense if he's after you," Alice said.

"I thought so too..."

His behavior did seem quite erratic. Unless it was some strategy to confuse me...

"Kirito, don't you think we don't have enough information to get an answer yet?　We don't know why his employer captured Michael either," Asuna said.

"You're right. Overthinking this might just be playing into their hands."

Yui was working on the investigation. We could wait until she got back to us and make our decision then. It wouldn't be too late.

A girls' party—

The moment Asuna made the suggestion, I recoiled. Ever since I was little, I had to take care of Sora. And ever since he was big enough to hold a controller, we played games together. I probably had people I could call friends, but I had never been to a girl-party before.

But Asuna had proposed a girl-party to cheer me up when we weren't finding any leads on Michael. I had attacked Kirito in the past, yet she welcomed me with open arms. I was so grateful.

For the location, I chose a cafe known for its curry. Cross Edge took its cuisine seriously. Michael took special care in the curry in particular, so I could vouch for that cafe. I wanted to make a good first impression on my new friends with some delicious curry.

"Liz! Silica! Over here," Asuna said.

"Sorry we're laaate."

"No, I'm sorry, Liz. This was very last-minute."

"Don't apologize, girl! I love an old fashioned girls' party. Right, Silica?" Liz asked.

"Oh, yes. I love a girls' party. Thank you so much for inviting us, Layla."

"I-It's just an informal gathering..."

Lisbeth and Silica were friends of Asuna and Kirito. Lisbeth was very cheerful and outgoing. She talked to me like an old friend. She seemed particularly close with Asuna.

Silica's little dragon named Pina was very cute. Maybe because she looked young for her age, Silica felt like a baby sister to me. Asuna and Lisbeth seemed to feel the same way about her.

"Big crowd, huh."

"You know, it feels weird having all of us here and Kirito not here."

Leafa was Kirito's little sister. She gamed with her brother, just like me and Michael. In-game, they called each other by their character-names. Maybe I should have Michael call me by my character-name, too.

Sinon had the air of a sophisticated lady about her. She was the one GGO avatar of the bunch, and it was the game she usually played. But she had logged into Cross Edge to help with Kirito's investigation.

Also at the party were Asuna, Alice, and Yui (who I was shocked to find out was Asuna's and Kirito's daughter!) Out of a love and respect for Kirito, they all agreed to help me find Michael. It made me so happy. It was surreal, having a group of friends in an online game when I always had such a hard time making friends in real life. And I had Michael to thank for it. With everyone helping me, I knew everything would be okay. Don't worry, Michael...I'll find you sooner than you know it.