Miracle Summoner

"Nii-san..."

Leafa, wielding her longsword, descended from midair and landed in front of Rozen. She lowered her head, looking pitiful.

"I'll deal with you later!"

Rozen didn't spare Leafa any pity, glaring at her before turning his attention to the Cait Sith girl. Their gazes met.

In the eyes of the Cait Sith girl, Rozen saw a mixture of relief, tension, reassurance, and a hint of resolve, allowing him to sense the complexity of her emotions in that moment.

Meanwhile, in Rozen's gaze, there was a trace of amusement, and his face carried a faint smile.

Then...

"I didn't expect you to come to this world. You really gave me a scare," Rozen spoke with a tone reserved for an acquaintance, making such a statement.

Leafa and the others were momentarily stunned.

Especially when the Cait Sith girl spoke, they were even more shocked.

"Who told you to leave without saying goodbye that day?"

The Cait Sith girl spoke with a tone that was both complaining and tinged with wistfulness.

"I didn't know your address or how to find you. My only option was to come into this game."

After all, in reality, Rozen's reputation wasn't as prominent as it was in the game.

The hero who had cleared SAO and saved thousands of players was now the famous Rozen of ALfheim Online (ALO). This was common knowledge among players.

Thus, for the Cait Sith girl, the only way to find Rozen was to come to this game and seek out Crimson Wing.

"Why were you looking for me?" Rozen crossed his arms, feigning confusion. "Is there some leftover aftereffect I should know about?"

Hearing this, the Cait Sith girl visibly relaxed.

"No, I've completely recovered," she replied, shaking her head. "Now, whether it's seeing pictures, videos, or even touching models, I don't have any symptoms anymore. I'd guess I'd be fine even with a real gun."

At this point...

"That's why I'm here," the Cait Sith girl said, locking eyes with Rozen, her gaze filled with emotions he couldn't decipher. She continued, "You left me with such a huge debt of gratitude and didn't give me any chance to repay it. I can't let you get away with being so sly."

In other words, the Cait Sith girl had come to ALO entirely for Rozen.

This fact was something Rozen had already deduced.

Of course, Rozen wasn't going to refuse her.

"Having such a skilled player join us is exactly what I've been hoping for," he said with a shrug, though he still asked, "But what about your character in GGO?"

From the earlier fight with Leafa, Rozen could tell that the Cait Sith girl hadn't transferred her GGO (Gun Gale Online) character. Instead, she had created a new character in ALO, whose abilities were at a beginner's level. Compared to most players, she was at a clear disadvantage, let alone compared to top-tier players.

If she had transferred her character, her stats should have been strong enough to rival the best players. Since that wasn't the case, it confirmed that this was a newly created character.

Even with her new character, she had almost completely suppressed Leafa, one of the top five players in the server. This was undoubtedly impressive, but it also underscored the fact that ALO was a game that rewarded skill over raw stats.

Sure enough...

"...For now, I won't return to GGO," the Cait Sith girl said after a brief silence, followed by a sigh. "The players there still think I don't deserve to be the third BoB champion. If I go back now, I'll probably be ganged up on as soon as I spawn. I'll stay in ALO until the heat dies down."

Though she had no particular reason to remain in GGO anymore, her character there was the result of half a year of effort. Transferring it to ALO would mean losing all her items, which was why she decided to start fresh instead of letting her beloved Hecate II go to waste.

After all, she no longer had any friends in GGO whom she trusted enough to entrust her equipment to. It was an unfortunate but unavoidable situation.

"This character was created just for you," she said, fixing her gaze on Rozen.

"You can treat me as a weapon, use me however you like."

This, it seemed, was her way of repaying her debt.

Rozen didn't put on airs.

"Hopefully, you'll find new meaning in this world," Rozen said, extending his hand.

"Thank you," the Cait Sith girl replied with a faint smile, shaking his hand.

Afterward, Rozen sent her an invitation to join Crimson Wing, which she accepted without hesitation, officially becoming a member.

At this point, the rest of the group finally gathered around.

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Lis asked curiously.

This was a question on everyone's mind.

Watching the familiar interaction between Rozen and the Cait Sith girl, the group had been stunned for quite some time.

But...

"Shouldn't you guys be looking at her character name?" Rozen rolled his eyes.

"Character name?"

Silica froze, puzzled.

"It's... Sinon-san, isn't it?" Leafa, still brimming with competitive spirit after their fight, had already confirmed the name.

"Sinon...?" Kirito furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before showing a look of surprise. "Isn't that the sniper from last month's BoB in GGO? The one Rozen saved during the tournament and let win by forfeiting?"

"Wha... What?!"

The group gasped collectively, their faces lighting up in shock as they recalled this detail.

At this point, the Cait Sith girl's identity was fully exposed.

She was, indeed, Sinon.

As a contestant in GGO's highly publicized BoB tournament, which had been broadcast across all VRMMOs, Sinon's name had already become widely known to all players.

"Hello," Sinon greeted the group, nodding slightly. "Just call me Sinon."

It was rare for Sinon to take the initiative to speak with others.

As the cold and ruthless sniper from GGO who rarely interacted with others, her behavior now was quite surprising to Rozen. He couldn't help but marvel at how much she had changed.

Indeed, having overcome her psychological trauma, Sinon had found a new lease on life. While she hadn't completely forgotten her painful past, she now faced life with renewed resolve and was no longer as withdrawn.

Even at school, she had made a few friends. Though they weren't particularly close, they were at least on good enough terms to have lunch together.

Still, deep in Sinon's heart, she had always wanted to meet Rozen again.

The help Rozen had given her was so immense that she felt she could never repay it, which was why she had to come to this world to return the favor.

In Sinon's words, she had created this character solely for Rozen.

Thus, the Sinon in this world belonged only to Rozen. She was his most loyal weapon, ready to obey his every command.

Because of this, Sinon was determined to join Crimson Wing no matter what.

"Let's head back," Rozen said to the group, leading everyone back to the guild base.