After they had eaten their bread and stew, with some cheesecake for desert, it was already past eight. They decided to turn in early in preparation for going to the forty-seventh floor tomorrow. The two went upstairs to the second floor, where there were countless rooms on either side of the wide corridor. The room that Kirito had rented was, by coincidence, next to Silica’s. They bid each other good night with a smile. As soon as she entered her room, Silica decided that before she got changed, she would practice some combos to familiarize herself with the new dagger that Kirito had given her. She tried to concentrate on the weapon, which was slightly heavier than the one she was used to, but the aching in her chest made it hard to. After she somehow managed to chain five blows together, she opened her window, unequipped her gear, and then got into bed in her underwear. She then tapped on the wall to bring out the pop-up menu and switched off the lights. She felt a heavy weariness all over her body, so she thought that she would be able to fall asleep easily. But for some reason, she felt even less drowsy than usual. Ever since they had become friends, she had always gone to sleep with Pina’s soft body in her arms, so the wide bed felt somewhat empty. She tossed and turned for a bit before she gave up on sleeping and sat back up. She kept looking towards her left—where the wall that was connected to Kirito’s room stood. She wanted to talk some more with him. She was surprised at herself as she thought of this. This person was a male player whom she had known for less than a day. She had