Episode 46 — This Evening Aria
Sixth Day in the Month of Chrysanthemum (September 17) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 35 - Front Line Floor 36
Relevant songs added to the end of the Ruby Palace Playlist and it opens to the two new ones for the chapter.
The news had spread like wildfire: Yuna was in Mishe to perform. The young woman was a musical idol in Aincrad who had cropped up in the past few months. She would pop up at different locations to perform songs, free, for whatever audience was there. She sang a mix of modern popular songs, traditional melodies, and even some of her own original pieces. Her talent had earned her a cult following that meant she apparently had to go incognito the rest of the time.
The thirty-sixth floor had no good places to perform and Mishe had an amphitheater. Many Clearers still fell back to Mishe at night where they rented rooms and ate dinner. Mishe currently had the best selection in inns and restaurants in Aincrad. It had also seen an influx of players who were not clearers. It was a very good city for a regular life, but a large number of the players who surged in every night were still from the front.
It was certainly busy tonight. Many had left the field early to ensure they were back in time for the concert. Others took the day off, likely a much needed break. Yuna's pop up performance for the Clearers only had a day's notice and she had scheduled it as a later show in order to allow the Clearers the time needed to get back from the front. So far, the word had largely stayed among the Clearers. They understood that this concert was uniquely targeted at them and was about lifting their spirits. The other players had different opportunities to hear her perform, opportunities the Clearer didn’t get. This is what she loved to do; inspire others and bring them hope through her own performance.
The amphitheater had been full for half an hour and it had moved to standing room only. Plenty were sitting on the steps. The Wondercolts were taking advantage of their roof, which provided them a great view of the stage and should also be a great location to hear the performance. There were no microphones and speakers in Aincrad, however, Yuna knew how to project her voice.
At least that is what Bladescape understood. The Wondercolts hadn't ever been to a full concert, at least not as a group. A few of them — Bladescape, Diemond, and Doombunny — had caught the end of a pop up show a few months back, when she wasn't as well known. She had only sung two or three songs, but tonight was supposed to be a full performance. Those performances were a recent addition to Yuna’s schedule. Diemond had brought the concert up to the council the day before, encouraging them to mandate it as a “team building” exercise. The concert sounded like a good way to wind down and eight of the eleven Wondercolts actively played or performed in a band or group, while the other three enjoyed listening to music. Soryuto was in a brass band club at her school where she played the Cornet, a similar instrument to the trumpet.
In SAO, Soryuto had not found joy in any of the brass or wind instruments available. Despite the diversity, none of them satisfied or interested her. She had eventually chosen a Biwa Lute, which was a traditional Japanese stringed instrument. Despite the change in instrumental styles, Soryuto was picking it up pretty quickly. None of the Wondercolts had relevant knowledge on how to play a four stringed lute. It was too different from their modern guitars.
Similarly, Konpeito hadn't liked any of the drums or percussion instruments available. She too had chosen to go in a different route than real life. She wanted to be able to walk and play, settling on an end-blown flute. Really she had three different flutes – a recorder, a penny whistle, and a shakuhachi – and each produced a shockingly different sound, despite looking quite similar. Unlike Soryuto, Konpeito was not doing well learning to play any of them. She was happy and enjoying herself, but she spent more time in the kitchen, working, than she did practicing. Oddly she usually did practice in the kitchen. If she wasn't in the kitchen or dining room, she was in her bedroom. None of the other rooms interested her unless she had business in them, no matter where her friends were. The kitchen seemed to calm her, which was a good thing. They would visit her in the kitchen instead. It helped that she always had cookies, cupcakes, or some other treats available.
The Wondercolts had brought chairs up to the roof to watch the concert. It was actually a nice spot, and better than many of the others in the amphitheater. Plus, they didn't have to deal with the hassle that inherently came with crowds. They were the only players who got to watch the concert from the comfort of their home, not that they would be broadcasting or bragging about it. It still was nice.
Everyone was silenced as a crystal-clear voice rang out. Yuna wasn't visible, but it was clear what she was singing. She opened with "Kōjō no Tsuki", or "The Moon over the Ruined Castle." It was a Meiji era folk song that was very popular and recognizable, even outside Japan. Before coming to Japan, Bladescape hadn't been familiar with it or any of the covers across various genres of music. That had quickly changed with her arrival in Japan.
Yuna finally walked out on stage as she continued to sing. She wasn’t in the same blue dress and white beret Bladescape had last seen her in. Yuna’s new outfit intentionally paid homage to the troubadours, the performers during the European High Middle Ages. Her dress was a vivid royal blue, quite a bit lighter than the navy blue of the Wondercolts, accented with some gold frills, and paired with a belt of the same golden color. Around her shoulders was draped a pure white cape. The look wouldn’t be complete without her white feathered hat or the lute she played.
“She looks gorgeous, doesn’t she?” Diemond asked.
“Very medieval chic,” Konpeito said. “I like it better than her old outfit.”
“It took way too long to get right,” Diemond said with a sigh. “Worth it.”
“Wait, you made that‽” Thunderborne exclaimed. “I don’t remember her ever visiting, and no offense, but how would she even know about you? In SAO, you’re a boss-beating tank!”
“Darling, I approached her,” Diemond explained. “After the show some of us caught. Getting past the fans was difficult, but it was worth the elbows I had to throw to make the proposal. She had a lot fewer fans back then, which isn't a surprise. She has talent and now she wears an outfit that elevates that talent."
"How did she get there?" Natora asked. "Her fans would have mobbed her if they caught her."
"She picks places she knows she can get in and out of," Diemond explained. "I don't really know the details, I didn't ask, but she has an exit strategy. She'll stay and speak with some, but then she will need to make an exit. She has a small team that helps with that. It's just five people with her."
The concert proceeded smoothly. Yuna sang a wide mix of genres, mostly popular J-pop songs, with many of them being acoustic versions. She finished on an original song, "Smile For You." A beautiful rendition that only needed a few strums of the lute to keep the slow song going, especially with her voice. It was so filled with emotion and easily carried to the rooftop of their headquarters, a testament to her vocal skills.
"I wish we could meet her," Konpeito said as Yuna bowed to the roaring crowd. "At least to compliment her. That was really good. A real treasure that lifted my spirits. Almost as much as sugar does."
"I'll see what I can dig up," Knightstar said. "I'd like to meet her too, but the crowd is too big. There are too many distractions."
"It was very enjoyable," Doombunny added. "Especially not having to deal with the crowd. Having our own box seats was wonderful."
They moved the chairs back to where they came from. Bladescape had taken hers from the dining room. They still lacked furniture in the meeting hall, so Natora and Knightstar met her as she was putting it down. They began to go over their strategy for the next few days. They were specifically planning a dungeon dive on Floor Thirty for both col and fun, as well as level training. They needed more finances for the rest of the furniture. Everything they needed was more costly than what col they had.
The Wondercolts had the basics for their headquarters covered. They had worked hard to recoup their finances and cover it. Diemond was still working on some of the details of the meeting hall, to ensure it was grand, yet appropriate and reflected their guild. Each Wondercolt had a bed, desk with a chair, nightstand, and lamp for the nightstand. They were working on the finances to cover a wardrobe for each Wondercolt, because Diemond kept giving everyone clothes, but all of that was way too sparse for the size of their rooms and everyone had personal plans, just not the time and finances to get it done. They all had bought extra storage chests for the time being. The Wondercolts had only bought their headquarters nine days ago.
Their extra bedroom had six spare beds for visitors, along with privacy screens which sectioned the room into six smaller chambers just big enough for the bed, a nightstand, and simple lamp. The beds were the inexpensive, plain ones they had initially purchased from NPCs until they could get the better beds. The screens and furniture for the spare room were also simple and inexpensive. They had opted for finishing it before tackling the much bigger projects that still needed to be designed, like the guild hall. Diemond was working with a pair, Gunk and Valk, a carpenter and a sewer, who together could make any furniture they needed. They were good and understood Diemond’s vision, which was more than most of the Wondercolts could say.
Outside of their bedrooms, the Wondercolts had a few couches and chairs on the second floor to relax on, with much more planned. They had a basic dining room set, but it wasn't what they really wanted. Diemond's crafting room was rapidly being upgraded, out of her own funds, as she improved the workbenches and stations, plus adding storage. Knightstar had a large desk and chair for doing her statistical analysis at, with more being designed by Diemond as they decided how they wanted her library to be laid out and look like. It was especially important as Knightstar prepared to launch her consulting business. They needed a comfortable place for the select players to have the consultations happen, where the door could be closed so they didn't feel like they were being spied on. She only had one chair in the room at the moment.
Knightstar was running calculations on their books, leaving Natora and Bladescape patiently waiting for the question to be answered. They didn't have anything to say and were too distracted for small talk. Bladescape heard Diemond speaking to someone as they got closer to the dining room.
“They’re always busy, Darling, regardless, they will want to meet you,” Diemond said.
Bladescape thought Diemond had gone back to crafting or designing, but clearly her assumption was wrong. They hadn’t been notified that there was someone in the waiting room either, meaning Diemond was expecting them. That didn’t make sense to Bladescape.
“Blade?” Natora asked, nudging her with her elbow.
“Sorry,” Bladescape said. “I zoned out.”
“Clearly,” Natora said with a chuckle as she rolled her eyes. “I asked if these levels are going to be sufficient for the boss raid and keeping our place, or if we should push some more with the next floor being unknown?”
“We are pushing pretty hard, enough to recoup our finances,” Bladescape said. “The others are resistant to the overnight level training as it is. I’d rather not add more on their shoulders right now. If we slide back a bit, we can recover from it. There hasn’t been a new training spot in a few floors, so when we get one, we can make up for it.”
Diemond cleared her throat to get their attention with a refinement that only Rarity could pull off. “Forgive my interruption,” she said, when they looked at her. “But we have guests whom you should meet.”
Diemond stepped out of the doorway, into the room. She had been blocking someone in a white hood and crimson tunic. The person removed their hood, revealing her brilliant brown eyes and a face Bladescape immediately recognized. The young woman bowed in greeting. Bladescape jumped to her feet to bow back to their important visitor.
“Wait!” Natora exclaimed, also jumping to her feet as she connected the dots. “You’re Yuna.”
“Yes, I am,” she replied.
“Please, feel free to sit,” Bladescape said. “We have some couches on the second floor if that would be more comfortable. We’re still light on the furniture after purchasing this place.”
“This is more than acceptable,” Yuna said, taking a seat. “I really just need a place for my team and I to lay low for an hour or two. Diemond kindly offered your headquarters.”
“That’s not an issue,” Knightstar said. “Not in the slightest. Especially after the amazing performance you gave us, for free.”
Yuna looked at the doorway. “Are you going to come in?”
“We didn’t want to spoil your fun,” a suave young man said as he swaggered in.
He was followed by three others: a young girl who was about Yuna’s age and dressed to match her, a buff older teenager who had dyed his hair bright orange, and a young man whose facial features definitely made him look younger than he was.
“The smooth talker is Shaka, my PR rep,” Yuna explained. “Arroya assists Shaka and is my decoy, when I need one. I certainly did tonight. The one with the loud orange hair is my bodyguard, Tioga, who thankfully is just precautionary, but some fans do try to get a little too close sometimes. Also, he helps when I must disengage with the fans. The last, but certainly not least, is a close friend of mine, Nautilus. He’s the one who got me to start performing. It’s long been a dream of mine to perform for others, but I couldn’t do it for several reasons. SAO has given me that opportunity and he’s the one who encouraged me to take it.”
“Welcome, all of you,” Bladescape said, bowing to them to officially greet them. “We are honored to host you. I’m Bladescape, this is Knightstar and Natora. Please, everyone, sit. Don’t mind the papers,” Bladescape glanced to look at where the papers were spread out, but Knightstar was already filing them away, “just routine guild business and planning. Boring stuff. None of the others want to join in on the planning, even though they’re welcome to.”
“We appreciate it,” Tioga said. “It’s my job to have the exit strategy for performances and that isn’t always easy, especially if there’s no way for Yuna to change. The teleport plaza is always the fastest way to lose any chasers, but Mishe’s plaza is a hot one. It was a lot easier to keep our heads down and enter your HQ than trying to make it all the way down main street to it.”
“Forgive me if I’m being insensitive,” Natora said. She got rather nervous and started scratching the back of her neck. “But, well, we don’t know anything else. We have always been on the front. We only step out for enhancements. I know people survive, even thrive, but I don’t know what you mean by PR or even security. Is that a full-time thing?”
“No, it’s not,” Tioga admitted. “While the five of us are often meeting up, for the day-to-day we don’t run together. Unless Yuna becomes unable to hide herself in public, she doesn’t need security outside of the performances. Only Arroya and I are together on a daily basis.”
“Unless I start charging, we all need alternative income sources,” Yuna stated. “We’re in agreement that I shouldn’t charge. They’re part of my team because of their agreement. Shaka and I are often partied up for daily hunting in safer hunting grounds on the mid-floors.”
“That’s most player’s day-to-day,” Arroya added. “Either you hunt on a regular basis for col or items to sell, or you are crafting something; equipment, food, clothes, whatever. There are guilds for the regular players, for the hunters, crafters, or whatever else. Some are mixed occupancy guilds.”
“I expect it's much like your daily affairs,” Shaka said. “Calculating the best places to hunt or what dungeon to hit. Also safety margins. We’re not always with the same players, so that part is tricky. Not everyone finds the same things safe. Nautilus is always free to join us, but never does.” The last bit was clearly another attempt to get Nautilus to join them.
“We all make do,” Yuna said. “I suspect that it's really not that different from how you view your lives, with the added bits about clearing the game. At this time, my levels aren’t sufficient to be a clearer. I want to raise it, to help all I can, but right now, all I can do is sing and boost player morale.”
“Don’t discount what you do, Darling,” Diemond said. “It’s more valuable than I can express. We don’t ever get enough time off. We don’t make it, so having an event that pulls us out of the holes we are digging is appreciated.”
“And so are cupcakes!” Konpeito exclaimed as she came swinging into the dining room, carrying a full tray of confections. “Hot and fresh!” She added as she set it on the table. “Reisenki will be out shortly with more goodies. The rest of the guild are on their way down.”
Bladescape had been unsure how to work the rest of the guild into meeting Yuna. She didn’t want it to get out of hand or force too much pressure to be put on the singer while she was trying to hide.
“Don’t worry,” Yuna said to Bladescape. “I fully expected to meet with everyone and am glad to. I don’t even see it as a price to pay for being allowed to hide out. Diemond has told me that many of you also are musicians and together in a band. That’s exciting.”
“Yes, we are,” Bladescape said, unable to resist smiling. Now that the pressure was off, she could tell this was going to be a fun evening. “Well, before we get distracted by their arrival, let me offer you all the hospitality of our guild for the night. The spare bedroom has some beds, enough for the six of you. It’s not much, but it’s a bed and no fans can find you. You can leave in the morning.”
“No one would expect that,” Tioga stated. “It’s a kind offer and a very smart move.”
“We humbly accept it,” Yuna said. “Thank you, Bladescape. The kindness of the Wondercolts is enormous.” Yuna picked up a cupcake and grinned. “Without needing to duck out, well then I know this is going to be a fun evening.”
BLADESCAPE: Level 60 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Sprint — Blade Throwing — Extended Weight Carry
NATORA: Level 56 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 54 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Acrobatics — Extended Weight Carry
MALUS: Level 57 — One-Handed War Hammer — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry — Battle Regeneration — Fishing — Search
THUNDERBORNE: Level 56 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Armor Pierce
KONPEITO: Level 56 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Music — Blade Throwing
DIEMOND: Level 56 — Mace — Greatshield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Light Metal Armor Forging — Heavy Metal Armor Forging
DOOMBUNNY: Level 54 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Familiar Cooperation — Mixing — Search
KIEFER: Level 54 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid — Katana — Battle Regeneration — Slash Weapon Forging
SORYUTO: Level 53 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Fighting Spirit — Armor Pierce
REISENKI: Level 55 — One-Handed Axe — Greatshield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair — First Aid — Battle Regeneration — Cooking