Click.
Sato took out his key and unlocked the front door to his apartment. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the petite figure standing in the entryway.
"Sato, why didn't you come home last night?"
The blue-eyed young dragon looked up at him with her bright azure eyes, asking innocently.
"Sorry, Kanna!"
Sato crouched down in front of Kanna and gently rubbed her head.
"I called Tohru last night. You stayed at Kobayashi's place, right?"
"Mhm."
"Thanks for going through the trouble."
Kanna shook her head, then asked curiously,
"Where did you go last night?"
"Well..."
A trace of embarrassment and mixed emotions flashed across Sato's face. He cleared his throat twice.
"That's a secret."
"Oh."
Kanna nodded obediently and didn't press the matter any further.
Sato suddenly noticed the small shoulder bag hanging across Kanna's body. It was one he had bought for her so she could carry things whenever she went out.
Originally, the bag hadn't been decorated with all those tiny pearls and gemstones. Kanna had attached them herself, taking them from her own collection. In other words, while the little bag looked almost comically flashy, every pearl and gem hanging from it was genuine.
"Are you heading out?"
"Mhm. Saikawa asked me to go play with her."
"Did you bring money?"
He had deliberately left a small box of cash in his room for Kanna to use in case she ever needed it.
"I did."
"Good. Have fun."
"Then I'm leaving. I'll be back before evening."
After Kanna left, Sato returned to his bedroom. He lay down on his bed and slowly closed his eyes, feeling as though everything that had happened yesterday had been nothing more than a dream.
He lay there for a long time, his mind filled with the lingering intimacy of the previous night. His emotions simply refused to settle.
Konomi had only left the day before yesterday, and yet...
He really had become a scumbag.
For some reason, Utaha's earlier words resurfaced in his mind. Had she already been hinting at this back then?
Was everything really unfolding according to the script she had written?
Sato's gaze flickered uncertainly. In the end, he could only let out a long sigh.
Since it had already happened, all he could do now was face it honestly.
...
Aincrad.
This testing ground operated under the Hero Association had now been cleared by players to somewhere beyond the fiftieth floor.
Sato appeared in Aincrad's Starting Town.
Looking around, he let out a slow breath, thinking that it had been a long time since he had come here.
Floor Sixteen, the Plains.
This was an endless expanse of vast grasslands. The rolling hills made the fields resemble waves of green stretching into the distance.
Scattered throughout the boundless prairie were numerous weathered rock formations. Each one was riddled with strange holes, and whenever the wind blew through them, they produced sounds that ranged from piercing whistles to long, distant echoes.
This was also Sato's favorite place.
Standing at the highest point, the entire vast world spread out before him, filling him with a sense of peace and comfort.
Sato quietly gazed into the distance.
At some point, two figures approached from behind him.
The first thing he heard was a calm voice.
"Long time no see. You haven't logged in for quite a while."
Turning around, he saw two girls standing behind him.
The one who had spoken was naturally Katou Megumi. Other than her, Sato had never heard anyone else with such a calm, composed voice. Her long brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore an elegant black outfit that made her look like a dark elf wandering through the forest.
Standing beside her was Yuuki Asuna, or rather, the Flash.
Yuuki Asuna wore a red and white knight's uniform. The fitted outfit perfectly accentuated her graceful figure. Her beautiful flaxen hair was styled neatly, and she carried a slender silver holy sword in her hand, making her look exceptionally gallant.
A trace of amazement flashed through Sato's eyes. He nodded lightly to the two of them.
"Long time no see."
"It looks like you've both become even prettier."
"Have we?"
Katou Megumi looked down at herself in confusion before replying,
"Maybe it's just that our equipment looks more gorgeous now."
Sato simply smiled without saying anything.
Their equipment certainly added to their appearance, but if they hadn't already been naturally beautiful, it wouldn't have made much difference.
"Asuna, your expression doesn't look quite right."
Sato suddenly turned to Yuuki Asuna.
From the moment he had seen her, he had noticed the unease hidden between her brows. While he had been speaking, she had repeatedly looked as though she wanted to ask him something, only to stop herself each time.
"Mhm."
Yuuki Asuna nodded gently, pursing her lips in hesitation.
Seeing this, Katou Megumi glanced at her before turning to Sato.
"She wants to ask you about abilities."
"Abilities?"
Sato paused in surprise before looking at Yuuki Asuna.
"Your ability has awakened?"
"Mhm."
It was as if Yuuki Asuna had finally made up her mind. Looking directly at Sato with her clear eyes, she asked openly,
"Miyabi, you already knew about this, didn't you?"
Sato nodded and turned his gaze toward the vast plains around them.
The sky before them was breathtaking. The endless grasslands and blue heavens reflected one another, creating a scene of dreamlike beauty that could never exist in the real world.
"In fact, this game was created specifically to awaken people with latent abilities. You could say that every player is a potential ability user."
"If my ability awakens... what will happen?"
Yuuki Asuna clenched her pale hand into a fist against her chest. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked.
"Is that what you're worried about?"
Sato looked at her with an amused smile and explained,
"Nothing much will happen. The Hero Association will register your information, then have you sign a confidentiality agreement. That's all."
"However..."
His tone shifted as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I've heard that, to prevent those with poor character from disrupting society, such people are simply erased from this world."
"Erased?"
"That's right. But you don't have to worry about that."
With that, Sato smiled at the two girls standing before him.
"It looks like both of you have already completed your ability awakening and noticed the changes in yourselves back in the real world, haven't you?"