I started at the spot where she fell in shock. I looked up towards the roof of the buildings and saw a cloaked figure in the distance.

U/n: Asuna! Keep an eye on him!

I jumped out the window.

Asuna: No! Wait!

Landing on the roof I started pursuing the cloaked figure. Jumping from roof to roof.

I caught up to him, as I was running on the roof besides him, he digs in his cloak. I grabbed my sword. He pulled out a teleport crystal.

U/n: Seriously!

Grabbing three needles I threw it in his direction hoping to hit him, the needles nearly reached him but he was protected defense system. I increased my speed. I could see his lips moving but couldn't hear a thing.

U/n:(Thoughts) Where the hell does he think he's going?!

I heard the bell go off and at the same time the cloaked figure teleported out of here. I stop in my tracks.

U/n: Oh come on.

I sigh. After my complete failure to catch the cloaked figure I made my way back to the inn and grabbed the dagger that stabbed Yoruko and made my way to the room Asuna and Schmidt are in. Opening the door I see Asuna holding her rapier. She sighs when she realizes it's me.

Asuna:*Sighs* Well, what happened?

U/n: He got away. He teleported off somewhere.

I clenched my fist.

U/n: The system's supposed to protect players inside the inns. I figured she'll be safe in here. Damn it!

I hit the wall with my fist in frustration. Immortal object was written on the wall.

Schmidt: That rope was Griselda's.

I brought my attention to Schmidt who was shaking uncontrollably on the chair.

Schmidt: That was Griselda's ghost! She's come back to get revenge on us!

He chuckles nervously.

Schmidt: Think about it-- only a ghost can P.K. someone in a safe zone.

He laughs.

U/n: That wasn't a ghost. Someone's using the system to kill. That's the only way these murders could have happened in a safe zone. I know it!

(Timeskip)

After leaving Schmidt me and Asuna made our way to the park and sat on the a empty bench.

Asuna: I don't know what to think. Was that black-robed figure Griselda's ghost? After seeing two people die mysteriously, I'm starting to think it's possible.

U/n: Well I don't. That definitely wasn't a ghost.

Asuna: Hmm.

U/n: I'm willing to bet my life on it. Why would a ghost need a teleport crystal? Wait a minute Teleport crystal.

Asuna: What is it?

U/n: Forget it. It's nothing.

Asuna: Hmm.

I sat there in silence, thinking about possibilities. But my thoughts were interrupted by Asuna.

Asuna: Here.

She hands me something wrapped up.

U/n: Is that for me?

Asuna: Well, what do you think I'm doing-- showing it off?

U/n: Knowing how much you don't like me, it's a possibility.

She sighs.

Asuna: Are you gonna take it, or not?

U/n: Can't say no to free food.

I started to unwrap it and say that it was a sandwich.

Asuna: Better eat it fast before it disappears. It's durability is almost down to zero.

U/n: Oh, uh, right.

I bite into the sandwich.

U/n: This is really good.

I take another bite.

U/n: When did you have time to get these?

Asuna: I had a feeling we wouldn't have time for lunch today, so this morning, I packed one for us. Hurry up and eat it, okay?

U/n: Gotta give you credit-- for a second-in-command of the "Knights of the Blood Oath," you rock. Where'd you buy these, anyway?

Asuna: I didn't.

U/n: Huh?

I stared at her confused.

Asuna: I made it. Yes, I can cook. So what?

I'm completely shocked at this.

U/n: I-I don't even know what to say. I mean, if your looking for a second career, you'd make a killing selling these.

I chuckle nervously. She stomps her foot on the. This startles me and I ended up dropping my sandwich. I watch as it explodes into pixels.

U/n: No. Sandwich. It was so young. So tasty.

Asuna: Should have been eating instead of talking.

I watch as the pixels fly into the air. I gasp as I finally realized what happened. I fall to the ground.

Asuna: Are you crying?

U/n: Physically no, emotionally yes. But that's not the issue.

Asuna: What?

U/n: Of course! That's it!

Asuna: What's it? What did you just figure out?

U/n: I-- no, wait-- we never saw a thing. We just thought we did, but we were seeing something else.

Asuna: Huh?

U/n: I was right. The game doesn't allow killing inside a safe zone. There is no weapon or system exploit.

(

Floor 19: Cross hill.

At that moment Schmidt was currently kneeling down in front of Griselda's grave, begging for forgiveness.

Schmidt: Griselda. The only way I can be saved now is if you forgive me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, Griselda! I swear I never thought this was going to happen! You have to believe me!

???:(Ghostly voice) Oh, really?

Schmidt gasps from the ghostly voice.

???:(Ghostly voice) Oh, really? Oh, really?

Schmidt who was shaking in fear heard something behind him, quickly turning around he saw a bunny sitting and staring at him. He let's out a breath of relief. He turns around and sees a cloaked figure in front of him.

???: What did you do to me? Tell me, Schmidt. Tell me what you did. Tell me now.

She pulled out a red sword that was hiding in the figure's cloak. Schmidt got on his hands and knees.

Schmidt: Okay! Okay! The day we voted to sell the ring, I-I-I looked at my belt pouch, and there was a crystal and a note with instructions.

???2: Who were they from?

He gasps in surprise at the new voice.

???2: Who gave you them?

He looks up and sees a new figure approaching him.

Schmidt: Grimlock? You're dead, too?

???2: Tell me. I want to know who gave you those instructions.

Schmidt: I don't know! I swear I don't know! The note said for me to bind the crystal to Griselda's room at the inn she was staying at so whoever it was could get in. Then I had to put the crystal in the guild's shared storage.

???2: Then what?

Schmidt: That's all I did! I swear! I didn't want her to die. I didn't want to be part of that! Please, believe me!

He starts to cry.

Yoruko: We recorded everything you said, Schmidt.

He looks up and sees the hooded figures removed their hoods and turned out to be Kains and Yoruko.

(Back with Asuna and U/n)

(U/n Pov)

Asuna: Wait. They're alive?!

U/n: Yup, they're alive-- both Kains and Yoruko.

Asuna: B-But...

U/n: Inside safe zones, a player's Hp doesn't deplete on it's own, but the durability of an object does-- just like that sandwich you gave me.

Asuna: What?

U/n: That day, the spear was sticking out of Kain's armor. It was draining his Hp, though. It was draining the durability of his armor.

Asuna: But the his body didn't disintegrate. It was--

U/n: Give the lady her prize. You guessed it. It was his armor. Nothing else. And at the exact moment when his armor's durability expired-- poof-- Kains used a crystal to teleport out of his armor.

Asuna gasps.

U/n: Sure, it looks a lot like what happens when a player dies in the game-- only he didn't die.

Asuna: Then what happened to Yoruko?

U/n: I bet the dagger was rigged to her back the entire time. She had it all planned out.

Asuna: But we would've seen.

U/n: Only if she turned around. Remember, she never turned her back to us, not even once. She kept an eye on her equipment's durability level while she was talking. When it got down to zero, all she had to do was act like she was hit by the dagger thrown from outside the window.

Asuna: Who was the person in the black robe you chased?

U/n: Definitely wasn't Grimlock. I'm pretty sure about that. But Kains-- he and Yoruko were in it together. They figured out how they could use this method to fake their own deaths. Getting people to think they were murdered in a safe zone was a calculated twist.

Asuna: Everything they did was to draw out the person behind Griselda's murder and expose him. The only way to find our for sure was faking their deaths and creating an Illusionary Avenger.

U/n: And Schmidt was the person they pegged for it, probably since the beginning. Hey. You still have Yoruko on your friend list, don't you?

Asuna checks her friends list.

Asuna: Right now she's in the field on Floor 19. It looks like she's on a small hill just outside of town.

U/n: I see.

I kicked back and relaxed on the bench.

U/n: That's it then. They can handle it from here. Our job's pretty much done. Would you agree?

Asuna: Mm-hmm.

Asuna smiles at me.

(Back with Schmidt)

Schmidt: You were... recording?

Yoruko was standing holding onto a recording device in her hands.

Schmidt: So... that's how it is, huh? You cared about what happened to Griselda after all.

Kains: Of course we did. But you didn't betray her because you hated her, did you?

Schmidt: N-No! I didn't hate her, honest! I mean, sure, I feel guilty getting money from my part of it, but the rare weapon I bought helped me get into the "Holy Dragon Alliance," so...

Just then he was hit by a small dagger on his right shoulder. He falls face first to the ground. He turns his head towards the dagger.

Schmidt: Paralysis?

???: One down!

A new voice appears out of nowhere as a hooded figures kneels down to Schmidt. As another figure surrounded Yoruko and Kains.

Schmidt: No... way!

???2: That's a hell of a catch--

Another figure comes walking towards them.

???2: A big shot from the "Hold Dragon Alliance."

Schmidt: Laughing coffin-- the murder guild.

One of them was holding a giant clever and you could see a tattoo on his right hand.

???2: Alright. What game should we play with these three?

???1: Oh, I know! I know! Let's play the one where they have to kill each other-- last one one standing wins!

???2: I know it's your favorite, but last time we did that, you killed the winner anyway.

???1: Oh, come on! You spoiled it! It's no fun if they know they're gonna die!

Schmidt can only watch helplessly on the ground.

???2: All right. Let's get this show on the road.

The one with the clever in his hand walks towards Schmidt. Stopping right in front of him he raises his clever in the air going for the killing blow. He brings the clever down as Schmidt closes his eyes.

Just then the sound of hoofs hitting the ground can be heard from the distance. He stops mid way.

???1: Huh?

Everyone turns to see a horse in the distance coming towards them. The laughing coffin members jumped backwards. The horse comes closer and throws it's two hoofs in the air. As the person riding it falls off the horse and onto the ground.

U/n: Ow! Damnit that hurt!

Schmidt gasps as he sees U/n who gets up from the ground.

U/n: Looks like I made it just in time.

He slaps the horse butt, the horse turns around and trots back where they came from. U/n walks towards the Laughing coffin members.

U/n: I got about 30 players from the Assault Team coming. You guys want to stay and fight them?

The one with the clever growls at U/n.

U/n draws his sword and reverses the grip on it.

They all glare at each other waiting for someone to make a move.

The one with the clever snaps his fingers as the other two sheaths their weapons.

Yoruko falls to her knees in relief.

???2: Come on.

The three Laughing coffin members starts walking away from them, U/n keeps his guard. They walk into the forest disappearing from their sight.

U/n sighs as he sheaths his sword on his back. He turns towards to Kains and Yoruko.

U/n: Nice to see you alive again... Yoruko.

She puts her head down in shame.

Yoruko: You won't believe me, but after it was over, I was going to tell you the truth. I am sorry we had to trick you to help us out.

U/n: Water under the bridge.

Schmidt: U/n.

U/n looks towards Schmidt who was sitting up after the effects of paralysis weared off.

Schmidt: Thank you for saving me, but... how did you figure it out? How did you know those three would attack us here?

U/n: I didn't figure anything out. Just acting on a hunch.

He turns towards Yoruko.

U/n: Hey, Yoruko, Kains, level with me-- you guys asked Grimlock to make the spear and the knife, didn't you?

Yoruko: We did, but he was against our plan from the beginning. All he wanted was to let Griselda rest in peace.

Kains: He did forge the weapons for us, but only after we got down our knees and begged him.

U/n: Hate to break to you. But he had a different reason for not liking your plan. Griselda had nothing to do with it.

They both gasp in surprise.

U/n: He was worried faking P.K.s in a safe zone was gonna draw a lot of attention. He didn't wanna take the risk of someone snooping around for answers. We figured the whole thing out about half an hour ago.

(Flashback)

(U/n POV)

After finding out we were tricked by Yoruko, me and Asuna decided to head into a restaurant and sit down at a table.

U/n: We ended playing right into Yoruko's hands, didn't we? You know what? I don't really mind?

Asuna: Yeah, me neither.

I sat there smiling while looking out the window near our table.

Asuna: Hey.

I turn back to Asuna.

Asuna: If you were in their guild and a super-rare item like that dropped, what would you have done?

U/n: I don't know. Let whoever killed the monster keep it.

I shrugged my shoulders.

U/n: I play solo. Part of why I do so I can afford situations like that.

Asuna: In my guild, the one who got the kill gets it.

U/n: Seems fair.

Asuna: Those are the rules we have to play by. You know in SAO if a player gets a drop, no one's knows unless that person reports it? Our way, no one can hoard stuff, because we worked out who gets what ahead of time. Also, the rules my guild play by gives the concept of marriage in this world real meaning. Think about it-- if you marry, you have to share your item storage. If you're single, you can hide whatever you want, but, you know, when you're married, you can't hide it anymore. I think sharing storage with the person you're married to is wonderfully pragmatic. At the same time, I think it's also very romantic.

A waiter comes over and hands our food and silverware.

U/n: Hey.

Asuna: Yeah? What?

U/n: So, uh, how many times you been married, anyway?

I widened my eyes and realized what I just said.

U/n:(Thoughts) Shit!

Asuna grabs a fork and points it towards me. I wave my hands defensively.

U/n: Wait I didn't mean to say that! That didn't come out right! You were talking about how it's romantic and pragmatic! Pragmatic? No you said Plastic! Yes it was plastic!

Asuna: I did not say that you ass!

She kicked me from underneath the table.

U/n: Ow!

Asuna: What I said is, "it's romantic and pragmatic." For your information the word "Pragmatic" means "Practical"! My god!

U/n: You think marriage in SAO is... practical?

Asuna: Of course. If you're married, everything's out in the open, you know, cause of common storage.

I gasp.

Asuna: What?

U/n: That's it--

I put my hand to my chin.

U/n: Common storage. Okay so, say your spouse duel-- what happens to the items?