Breathing Techniques in SAO

After entering the alley, Tomioka Akimi turned around and said, "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Tomioka Akimi."

Klein, naturally friendly, replied, "Ah, no problem. I'm Klein, and this cute young-looking guy is Kirito."

Akimi glanced oddly between Klein and Kirito.

Oblivious to Akimi's glance, Klein said, "Hmm... Tomioka... sounds familiar."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Tomioka..." Kirito pondered for a moment, then realized, "Is that Tomioka from the Tomioka Group?"

Tomioka nodded, looking at them.

"That's right. The Tomioka Group is one of the main investors in this game and the NerveGear."

"Eh?!" Klein exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm very sorry. Because our company's inspection was insufficient, we didn't discover the problems in this game, putting you all in life-threatening danger," Akimi said with a slightly apologetic tone.

Klein lightly poked Kirito's arm and whispered, "Kirito, do rich people always talk so formally?"

Then he scratched the back of his head and smiled, "It's okay, it's not your fault."

Akimi looked at him but said nothing.

Kirito then asked cautiously, "Why did you come looking for us?"

Akimi spread his hands and said, "Well, to be precise, I came looking for you, Kirito."

Kirito frowned and looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I've accessed our company's internal data and learned most of the closed beta test content, including information on all the beta testers," Akimi said.

"I have two reasons for seeking you out. One is to meet the well-known top player from the closed beta test — Kirito; the second is to find you by your real-world identity."

"Real-world… identity?" Kirito asked, puzzled.

"That's right. I'm Grandpa Kirigaya's disciple — well, sort of a disciple," Akimi replied.

"When I saw your information profile, I already knew who you were."

"Wow, scary power of capital," Klein muttered beside them after overhearing their conversation.

"Yeah, capital is indeed scary, but I don't usually use it lightly," Akimi smiled and leaned in.

Then he turned his head, his expression becoming serious.

"Enough small talk, Kirito."

Kirito felt a little uncomfortable under that serious gaze and looked away.

"What exactly do you want to say?"

"It's simple, Kirito. If possible, try not to reveal your identity as a beta tester."

"Why?" Kirito frowned and asked.

Akimi didn't answer directly. "Being identified as a beta tester won't be very popular. Although it hasn't caused problems yet, as time goes on…"

He stared into Kirito's eyes and spoke deliberately, "Selfishness and greed in human nature will create a divide between beta testers and regular players."

He pursed his lips and continued, "You might not see it in the short term, but one day it will explode."

Both fell silent, and the atmosphere gradually grew quiet.

Unable to stand the heavy mood, Klein interrupted, saying, "It's fine, Kirito is smart—he'll know what to do."

"Alright, that's all I have to say. Consider this advice from a friend. For Grandpa Kirigaya's sake, for Suguha's sake, please cherish your life," Akimi said softly.

"I'll be going now."

Kirito hesitated for a moment, then said, "Why not come with us? I know many efficient leveling spots and safe routes forward."

Akimi smiled slightly. "I don't know any less than you do, because I'm the heir of a wealthy family."

Kirito laughed at his joking tone and said, "Alright then, let's add each other as friends. Don't die, Grandpa doesn't take on many disciples — you're probably his only one, so don't make him sad."

Akimi agreed with a nod and headed out of the alley.

After Akimi walked away, Kirito turned to Klein.

"We should get going too. Resources and experience in a VRMMORPG like Sword Art Online are limited, so we need to pick up the pace a bit."

He pulled up the map on the menu and spoke quickly.

"We can set the next village as our destination and level up along the way. This way, we can maximize efficiency and should be able to arrive ahead of most people," Kirito said as he marked something on the map.

"I know a pretty good route — it's safe and offers plenty of experience. If we leave now, we can get there by tomorrow morning. Klein, you should come too…" Kirito said, then put away the map.

"Sorry, Kirito," Klein said, lowering his head.

"Huh?" Kirito was momentarily stunned.

"I can't go with you. I still have friends in the real world here, and I can't abandon them," Klein explained.

"We stayed up in line together for days to buy this game. There's no way I'd just survive on my own and leave my comrades behind."

Kirito thought to himself: Besides Klein, even if I took three or four more people, or even just one more, no matter how safe the route is, danger could still appear…

Seeing Kirito's hesitation, Klein laughed heartily.

"Don't worry. I can't say much about other things, but when it comes to gaming, I think I've got some talent." He pointed to his side face with his thumb.

"I've even been a guild leader in other games. With the skills you taught me, I'll be fine. I'll survive, don't worry."

Kirito looked at him, gritting his teeth. "Then… take care of yourself. I… I'm going ahead."

"Alright," Klein replied.

"By the way, Kirito, that young boy face of yours is pretty cute—I like it."

Klein's joking words eased the tense atmosphere, and Kirito smiled too.

"Your scruffy ronin face suits you just fine." Then he ran toward the other end of the alley.

After Kirito left, Klein returned to the plaza to look for his friends.

A few days later, in another area of the starting town, Akimi was looking at a map, searching for something.

"The courtyard with the wisteria pattern... the courtyard with the wisteria pattern... found it!"

Akimi said with a hint of excitement.

"A hidden quest that even the beta testers never discovered." Looking at the courtyard wall and gate decorated with wisteria patterns—

That's right, Akimi had even, through a rather "unconventional" method, bribed a game developer from ARGUS Corporation and obtained a quest distribution map from him.

"They say the reward for this quest is especially generous, but I don't know the exact details because this quest didn't go through me," the ARGUS employee had told Akimi when describing the quest he was now searching for.

In response, Akimi went through all the quests completed by the beta testers but couldn't find any information related to this quest.

Although there was no information about this quest, the description of the quest's starting location—an eastern part of the first-floor starting town, inside a house adorned with wisteria patterns—

This was hard for Akimi not to associate with another group known for displaying wisteria patterns around their homes—the Ubuyashiki family, who provide aid to the Demon Slayer Corps.

But Akimi didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence.

After all, having the Ubuyashiki family or the Demon Slayer Corps show up in SAO would be too far-fetched.

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