Chapter 673: Quote emergency unquote, and intuition
“So…”
Wu Yan took a look at Kirito and Lis who are still messing around with each other. Both Asuna and him are hiding behind a rock as they spied on their friends. Asuna used Wu Yan’s shoulder as a ladder to spy beyond the boulder.
“Your ‘Emergency’ is to become voyeurs together?”
Asuna blushed and she snapped back at him.
“How did you interpret this situation as voyeurism? This is stalking at most!”
“That’s not bad enough for you?!”
Wu Yan threw her a glare.
“Do you realize I gave up on a bunch of dying monsters to come running out of the labyrinth because I thought you were really in a pinch or something? Now, you’re telling me to turn into private detectives together?”
“Your level is high enough that a little bit of time off wouldn’t put you in any disadvantage, stop being so stingy with your time…”
Asuna grumbled.
“And, for your information, my friend’s lifetime happiness constitutes an emergency for me!”
“Lifetime happiness?”
He endured the urge to roll his eyes and he riffed on her.
“How is farming for lumps of metal a matter of lifetime happiness?”
“You’re so ignorant!”
Asuna peeked at Kirito and Lisbeth again.
“Look closely, aren’t the two of them in a problematic situation?”
Wu Yan examined the two of them for a full minute. He blatantly told her his findings.
“Nope, I don’t see anything wrong here.”
“You dumbass.”
Asuna said out of frustration, she pointed a finger in their direction.
“I mean, their relationship is a bit too good, isn’t it?”
Wu Yan knitted his brow.
“So you mean they hooked up?”
“Don’t put it in such a vulgar manner.”
Asuna chastised him.
“Really?”
Wu Yan rubbed his chin with slight bewilderment.
“That’s Kirito, someone who thinks about games more than the other sex, I don’t think there’s a romantic thing going on between them though?”
“And that’s why I said you need to learn more about stuff like this.”
Asuna started giving him a lecture.
“Anyone who can remotely read the mood can tell…”
“Ahaha…”
Wu Yan chortled.
“Okay, fine, I am the dense one here. How did you figure it out?”
“Intuition!”
“Har?”
Wu Yan choked.
“Say that again, I didn’t quite hear you just now.”
“Don’t underestimate a woman’s intuition!”
Asuna declared, she looked very confident and serious.
“There are only sparks between them, something tells me this spark will turn into a fire soon!”
Wu Yan sucked in another cold breath of air and he condensed his thoughts into one simple sentence.
“You’re good…”
“They are getting further away!”
Asuna kept her eyes on the two targets at the same time she lectured Wu Yan. She slapped Wu Yan’s spine and she pushed him forward.
“Faster, follow them!”
“Don’t get too close, Kirito’s detection skill is very high, we are going to get found out if we got too close to them!”
“Yeah yeah, let’s go!”
Asuna didn’t care what Wu Yan thought. Her tone carried a bit of vengeance.
“Once I get my hand on a good scoop, I would like to see Lis teasing me then!”
“Hmm?”
Wu Yan stopped and he looked at Asuna with a doubtful look.
“You want dirt on them? What was that about her teasing you?”
Asuna realized she almost revealed her true motives. In a fluster, she changed the subject.
“It’s nothing much, just follow them!”
“I am unconvinced…”
“Shove it and move it!”
“Nn?”
Kirito sensed something and he turned around in a rapid fashion. He sharpened his gaze which surprised Lis.
“Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden?”
Lis tightened her hold on the clothes she got from Kirito. She patted her chest to calm down her racing heart.
Kirito continued knitting his brows. He looked hard but he couldn’t spot anything else except for snow and stones.
“Hey, you! Explain yourself.”
Lis’ displeased face blocked his field of vision. She successfully turned Kirito’s attention from what he was doing.
Kirito looked at Lis and he took one last look at his surroundings before he gave up on his suspicions.
“No, I must have imagined it…”
Kirito continued leading Lis up the mountain. They left visible footprints in the snow as they made their way up.
When the two of them disappeared into the snowstorm. Two other figures haggardly approached while arguing with each other.
“I told you, we will get discovered if we get too close!”
Wu Yan complained.
“That guy is a solid solo player, he’s almost a wizard in sensing people. If it were anyone but us, he would have discovered us!”
“Well, he didn’t so why are you getting all pissy?”
Asuna said with a shaky tone. She’s also blushing ever so lightly.
In order to escape detection, the two of them squeezed themselves into a tight opening in a boulder. That boulder is comfortable fit for one person but to fit two people in, that would require very intimate contact. Asuna was basically grinding up against Wu Yan just a few dozen seconds ago.
Fortunately for them, that was an emergency and they were too preoccupied with escaping detection to mind anything else.
Wu Yan also vividly recalled the sensation of mushing together with Asuna. He felt a bit awkward around her as the mood turned tense as well.
“Let’s just stay further away, remember, we don’t have a good reason to explain our appearances here if they discover us…”
“O-okay.”
Asuna raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, why do I feel like this is not the first time you did something like this, I mean, stalking people.”
“Pshaw, I am an upright person!”
Wu Yan said with a very convincing look. Asuna gave up on trying to see if he’s lying to her.
The two resumed their furtive efforts.
The two parties remained in such a status quo until they made it to the top of this mountain.
The snowstorm stopped, revealing a dark sky above. There are crystalline structures littered everywhere. These crystal lumps were like trees of various sizes, it made the top look like a tiny forest consisting of crystalline trees. The trees lit up the otherwise dark place, giving a bit of visibility despite the low-light environment.
There is a steep crystal peak around 5-6 meters in height near the top. It’s like a small crystal castle from far away. The suffocating pressure told players that this isn’t a place for the average player.
Kirito sternly warned Lis.
“Hide behind me and don’t do anything without proper consideration!”
“Come on…”
Lis grumbled as she received the memo.
“I am not a newbie, at least let me help a little bit…”
Kirito didn’t say anything. He continued gazing into Lis’ eyes.
Although he looked calm, the air around him gave Lis no chance to say anything. She admitted defeat.
“F-fine, I get it…”
Kirito smiled at her and he took out a small crystal cube and he threw it towards Lis. He rubbed her head as he continued.
“I am entrusting that teleport crystal to you. If anything untoward happens, you must do as I say, when I tell you to teleport, you will do that. For now, just stay behind me…”
Lis lowered her head. She kinda enjoyed the warmth being transmitted to her through the hand on her head. Her heart started responding with its own fluctuation.
Perhaps, Asuna’s intuition was really correct.