The soft, hazy morning sunlight filtered through the window, casting its gentle glow on the face of the boy still lying in bed.
His eyes slowly opened as the sound of the alarm rang from his phone.
Letting out a yawn, the boy reached up to turn it off.
"Ah, finally the weekend," he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Akimi! Come down and get ready for breakfast!" came a gentle female voice from outside the door.
"Didn't you say you were going to Grandpa Kirigaya's place early today to practice kendo?"
"Got it! I'm coming!" the boy quickly got dressed and climbed out of bed, grumbling inwardly: Why did I ever think learning kendo was a good idea?
In a normal world like this, swordsmanship is practically useless.
As a transmigrator, Tomioka Akimi had always been that "model child" since he was little — smart, mature, and consistently ranking near the top in academics.
He also excelled in sports.
Tomioka Akimi turned on the faucet in the bathroom and splashed his face with water twice.
The slightly chilly water cleared away the lingering grogginess from waking up.
He looked up at the mirror, where a youthful and rather handsome face stared back at him.
His eyes, though framed by slightly upturned corners, seemed a bit vacant, and paired with his thin lips, gave off an impression of being somewhat unapproachable at first glance.
He lightly dampened a comb and tidied up his slightly messy black hair, still tousled from sleep.
Gathering the strands together, still glistening with droplets, he tied them with a hairband and stepped out of the bathroom.
Dragging his slippers, he slowly made his way downstairs and wandered over to the dining table.
Just then, a gentle-looking woman stepped out of the kitchen, holding a plate.
Her long braided hair was draped neatly over her shoulder, and she carried herself with such grace that one might be tempted to say, "Madam…"
"All right, time to eat!" Tomioka Yoshiko said warmly as she placed the plate on the table.
"Don't keep Grandpa Kirigaya waiting too long." She handed Akimi a glass filled with milk.
"I know, I'm not a kid anymore. I've already graduated from middle school," Akimi mumbled with a rice ball in his mouth, then took the glass of milk and drank a sip.
"Oh right, I've already packed your kendo uniform in a bag. It's by the entrance, and your bento is there too," Yoshiko said as she watched Akimi finish everything on his plate.
She took the empty dish and headed back toward the kitchen.
"Got it, I saw it," Akimi said as he pulled his shoes out of the cabinet and put them on.
Then he reached for the bag containing his kendo uniform sitting on the entryway shelf, picked it up along with the other bag holding his lunch, and opened the door.
"Don't forget to buy groceries on your way back!" Yoshiko's head popped out from the kitchen door as she shouted after him, making a heart gesture with her hands.
Looking at his overly cutesy mom, Akimi replied with a helpless expression, "Don't act cute on purpose. It's seriously embarrassing when an old lady does stuff like that."
"Wow, Akimi's starting to think his mom is old now? You used to smile and say 'I love Mommy the most,' remember? Boohoo..." Yoshiko pretended to cry as she spoke.
Akimi raised a hand to his forehead and said with a pained expression, "Alright, alright. I'll bring you some strawberry daifuku on my way back, so stop pretending to cry like a kid."
The moment Yoshiko heard that, she immediately dropped the act and puffed her cheeks in a playful gesture.
"Thanks, Akimi! Oh, and get two matcha cakes too, okay? Your dad likes those more."
Akimi suddenly felt like an extra in his own home and sighed.
"Yeah, I know. I'll get them," he said as he turned and closed the door behind him, heading toward the street.
Passing by a confectionery shop, he went in and bought a few ohagi (sweet rice balls with red bean paste), then stopped by KFC to get some roast chicken and a burger.
"Grandpa Kirigaya seems to like ohagi quite a bit," he murmured to himself.
Akimi walked into the train station with the bags in hand and bought a ticket to Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture.
After getting off the train, he headed toward Grandpa Kirigaya's kendo dojo with practiced familiarity.
It only took about ten minutes before he arrived.
Seeing the elderly man puffing on a cigarette in front of the dojo, Akimi called out, "Grandpa Kirigaya, I'm here. I didn't come late, did I?"
The old man looked over when he heard him and smiled. "Right on time. Cough cough."
Seeing him cough again, Akimi sighed and said, "I keep telling you to cut back on the smoking. It's bad for your health."
As he spoke, he handed the box of ohagi he'd brought. "Here, I got you some ohagi."
The old man chuckled, tossed the cigarette butt into the nearby trash can, took the ohagi, and said, "Thanks, Akimi."
He took one out and bit into it before continuing, "Anyway, this old body doesn't have many good years left—gotta enjoy what I can while I can, right?"
Just then, a crisp female voice rang out from inside the dojo.
"Akimi's right, Grandpa. What's so great about smoking anyway? It stinks and it's bad for your health."
The owner of the voice stepped out the door—it was a girl wearing a white kendo uniform, holding a bamboo sword in one hand and a kendo mask in the other.
She had short black hair that reached her shoulders and deep green eyes, looking bright and full of youthful energy.
"Aww, Suguha," Grandpa Kirigaya scratched the back of his head and said, "Smoking is one of the few pleasures I have left. Besides, I've smoked less than a pack these past couple of days."
"Grandpa, what do you mean less than a pack? A whole pack is still a lot!" Suguha said with a hint of exasperation.
The old man waved his hand dismissively and gave a half-hearted laugh.
"Alright, alright, I won't smoke anymore, I won't."
Suguha looked dissatisfied and was about to say something more when the old man quickly pulled the daydreaming Akimi over and said, "Okay, okay, you two go train already. If you keep dawdling, it'll be lunchtime before you know it."
Suguha shot a glare at the old man, her cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish, but she swallowed her words and turned around, walking back into the dojo.
The old man scratched the back of his head again and chuckled as he said to Akimi, "Come on, let me see if you've made any progress."
Akimi followed the old man into the dojo.
Not far ahead, Suguha called out, "Akimi-nii, hurry up and get changed! This time, I'm definitely going to beat you!"
Akimi smiled at her words and replied, "Alright, then show me what you've got, Miss National Top Eight in middle school."
Hearing Akimi's teasing tone, the girl's cheeks flushed slightly and she responded a bit flustered, "Hmph, just wait! I'm going to beat you soundly!"
Akimi chuckled and headed to the locker room with his kendo uniform in hand.
Inside the changing room, Akimi took off his black hoodie.
As he pulled it over his head, his undershirt lifted slightly, revealing a toned abdomen with clearly defined abs, exuding strength.
He put on the black kendo uniform that carried a faint scent of laundry detergent, strapped on his do (chest protector), checked that everything was secure, then picked up his men (helmet) and stepped out of the changing room.
Akimi, holding his bamboo sword, watched Suguha, who was practicing suburi (basic sword swings) in the center of the dojo.
He smiled and said, "Let's go."
Suguha, upon hearing this, took a few steps back and put on her men (helmet) from the side.
Akimi walked toward her and also donned his men.
Grandpa Kirigaya, standing on the sidelines, asked, "Are you both ready?"
The two of them took their starting positions and nodded.
"Then, the decision will be made in three exchanges. Begin!"
As Grandpa Kirigaya's words fell, Suguha charged at Akimi swiftly, her bamboo sword swinging toward him.
Akimi didn't avoid it but raised his sword to block Suguha's attack.
With a slight twist of his wrist, he redirected the force of her blow, then flipped the sword and struck toward her.
Seeing this, Suguha quickly retreated.
Akimi stepped forward, following her, and made a feint to the right with his bamboo sword.
Suguha, thinking it was a real attack, blocked in that direction, but Akimi suddenly changed the angle of his strike and hit her men from the left.
"Men, one point!" Akimi called out lightly.
After landing the hit, he immediately stepped back.
"Again!" Suguha said, not willing to accept defeat.
With that, she charged toward Akimi again.
She raised her bamboo sword high and struck down with great force, the sword slicing through the air with a sound like tearing.
Akimi quickly dodged to the side, avoiding the incoming bamboo sword.
Seeing this, Suguha switched to a horizontal strike, rapidly swinging her sword toward Akimi.
Akimi raised his sword to block, and the blades met with a sharp "clack."
Akimi, feeling the force transmitted through the bamboo sword, clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, do you really have to hit that hard, Suguha?"
He pushed her sword aside and, using the momentum, struck diagonally at her.
Suguha gave a slight snort, retreating to avoid Akimi's attack.
She then raised her sword and thrust it toward Akimi's abdomen.
The tip of the sword collided with his armor, making a "thud" sound.
A slight smirk appeared on Suguha's lips as she said, "Abdomen, one point!"
Akimi stepped back, rubbing his slightly sore abdomen, sucking in a sharp breath.
His expression grew more serious.
After a few more exchanges with Suguha, he withdrew several meters.
Akimi raised his bamboo sword to head height, silently muttering in his mind, "Water Breathing, Seventh Form, Drop Ripple Thrust"!"
He quickly thrust toward Suguha — though it was just a sword form, without using any breathing techniques.
The lightning-fast thrust caught Suguha off guard.
Just before it struck, Akimi reduced his power, and the bamboo sword tapped lightly on her right hand guard.
"Hand, two points!" he called out.
Watching Akimi retreat, Suguha pursed her lips, silent, and once again raised her sword to attack.
After a few more exchanges, the match ended with Akimi's shout, "Men, three points!"
Suguha removed her face mask, revealing a slightly displeased expression.
Seeing this, Akimi helplessly said, "Alright, don't be upset. Look what I have here."
He handed her a KFC takeout box that had been placed on the sidelines.
Opening the box, the savory smell of roasted chicken and burgers filled the air.
A smile spread across Suguha's face, but glancing at Akimi, who was grinning beside her, she huffed and turned her head, muttering quietly, "Thank you, Akimi-nii."
"You're acting like a little kid," Akimi said with a smile.
Suguha blushed but ignored him.
Akimi shook his head, picked up the bento he had just heated in the microwave, and started eating the pork cutlet rice inside.
Just as Akimi was about to pop another piece of pork into his mouth, his phone vibrated next to him.
Holding the pork cutlet between his teeth, Akimi picked up the phone and was immediately drawn to a news notification.
"SAO closed beta test completed today, open beta expected to begin in early November."
Akimi froze, the pork in his mouth falling back into the bento box, his face showing a dazed expression.
"This... this isn't right," Akimi muttered, "Isn't this supposed to be the world after Demon Slayer? Why is SAO here?"
At that moment, Suguha walked over and asked, "What's wrong, Akimi-nii?"
She glanced at Akimi's phone and said, "Eh? SAO? It's been pretty popular these past couple of months. A lot of people at my school have been talking about it."
"Is it really that famous? Why haven't I heard of it until now?"
Hearing Akimi's question, Suguha replied, "I don't think they did much promotion in the last couple of months, only gaming enthusiasts knew about it."
Suguha paused for a moment. "I only found out about it from my brother."
Akimi fell silent upon hearing that.
A few hours later, after finishing his training, Akimi said goodbye to Suguha and Grandpa Kirigaya, and quickly ran to the train station.
He bought a ticket back to Setagaya as fast as he could, then after getting off, bought some desserts and headed straight home.
After arriving home, he placed the items on the dining table, rushed upstairs, entered his room, and turned on his computer.
He searched for SAO, and as he stared at the results on the screen, Akimi leaned back in his chair with a vacant look in his eyes.
The light from the computer screen mixed with the setting sun and cast over the boy's face.
He sighed helplessly and muttered, "Ah, Sword Art Online closed beta."
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