Nodding, Fujiwara took his positions to guard Suki on the trip back. Even if in his mind the mission was basically over, being complacent with the current situation would more likely than not be a death sentence. Walking alongside the group, he put his hands on his katana and its sheathe, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. Ayame, as directed, took the rear guard. Occasionally turning around to decimate a pack of Dire Wolves, she smiled bitterly and continued walking on with everyone else.
"Mmm... I don't know if a life of fighting is the only way to go... Is this really all that there is so far? Fighting for the sake of fighting? Are there truly no alternatives? Maybe there's another way to contact Mr. Akihiko or something...?" she asked before Fujiwara interjected.
"It's probably more than just fighting in the end, even if the game name is 'Sword Art Online'. Given the articles, I'm pretty sure that even if the endgame goal is to scale the tower, there might be other ways out. Maybe the server might screw up and let us all out. That's probably wishful thinking, but hey- Gotta admit, it's still possible." he joked before the atmosphere returned to being neutral as it had been.