Six months had passed since Asuna's discharge from the hospital. During that time, she and Hachiman had grown steadily closer while preparing for this day. All SAO returnees requiring schooling had completed their rehabilitation, and today, at long last, the special school for returnees officially opened.
Those who had been in their first or second year of middle school during SAO were enrolled in a special curriculum, with placement into regular classes based on their progress. By special provision, all former middle schoolers were deemed to have completed compulsory education. Those who had been in their third year of middle school through their second year of high school, like Hachiman and his friends, started in regular classes from the outset.
The school was located in Chiba Prefecture, closer to Tokyo due to land acquisition constraints. Everyone except Hachiman—Asuna, Kirito, Lisbeth, and Silica—would live in the dorms. The land, as it turned out, had been provided by the Yukino family.
"Yo, looks like we're all in the same class," Kirito called out, approaching Hachiman and Asuna at the bulletin board displaying class assignments.
Behind him was Lisbeth—Rika Shinozaki—who gleefully threw her arms around Asuna. "Same class, Asuna!"
"Y-Yeah," Asuna replied, her smile genuine but tinged with something ambiguous.
Kirito and Rika exchanged puzzled glances. Hachiman, noticing their confusion, beckoned them closer and explained.
"I only found out this morning from Kikuoka, and I just told Asuna, but apparently the class assignments were made with SAO relationships in mind to minimize conflicts. We kinda figured it'd turn out like this, and, well, here we are."
"Ohh, so Asuna's weird expression is because she already got the spoiler," Rika said, grinning.
"Pretty much," Asuna admitted with a sheepish nod.
"Hey, there you are!" Silica—Keiko Ayano—bounded over, her face beaming. She mimicked Rika's earlier hug, wrapping her arms around Asuna and Rika. "We're all in the same class! Isn't that great?"
Rika, having just experienced Asuna's reaction, chuckled wryly. "Now I get how Asuna felt."
"Right? You get it!" Asuna laughed.
"Huh? Did something happen?" Keiko asked, tilting her head.
Hachiman repeated the explanation about the class assignments.
"…And that's the deal," he concluded.
"I see! But that's awesome, right?" Keiko chirped, and everyone nodded in agreement.
A school-wide announcement interrupted them, signaling the start of the opening ceremony. Notably, no parents were present—explanatory meetings had been held beforehand, and their absence today was deliberate to prevent leaks to the media, which could sensationalize the event. Fortunately, the press, wary of public backlash, had adopted a cautious, privacy-respecting approach, making any real issues unlikely.
The five headed to the auditorium, but the moment they entered, all eyes turned to them—or rather, to Asuna. It was only natural. As The Flash Asuna, her face and name were legendary among SAO survivors, even those who'd stayed in the Town of Beginnings, thanks to screenshots and rumors.
"Wow, that's intense," Kirito muttered.
Hachiman smirked. "Your face and name are gonna spread just as fast, you know."
"Ugh, I'd rather that didn't happen…" Kirito groaned.
"Tough luck," Hachiman teased. "You saved us all, so plenty of people probably want to thank you."
"I don't need thanks…"
"Even from girls?"
"I mean, guy or girl, I'm not looking to act all high and mighty…"
Incidentally, their class had only three girls out of forty students: Asuna, Rika, and Keiko. Other classes had three or four, a surprisingly high number to Hachiman—roughly one in ten students. Considering Asuna was the only female player in the SAO raiding group, her prominence was all the more remarkable. The school comprised twenty classes in total, with no new students admitted next year. After these students graduated, the school would transition to a standard institution, accepting five new classes annually.
"So, twenty classes with three or four girls each makes about seventy girls total," Hachiman mused. "You're gonna be popular, Kirito."
Kirito opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, Rika's elbow jabbed into his side, leaving him doubled over.
"Hmph, divine punishment!" Rika declared.
"Guh… That's so unfair…" Kirito wheezed.
The surrounding students stared, dumbfounded, but an announcement signaled the ceremony's start, prompting everyone, including the five, to take their seats in their class's designated area.
The ceremony began with brief, health-conscious guest speeches. Among them was an unexpected figure.
"Next, a greeting from our chairwoman, Ms. Yukino," the announcer declared.
"No way…" Hachiman muttered, squinting at the stage.
He'd half-expected Haruno, but the woman was older, though strikingly similar to both Haruno and Yukino. A memory of Haruno's words during a fireworks display flashed through his mind, and a cold sweat broke out. It's got to be her.
"The hidden boss herself…" he whispered.
Asuna, picking up on his unease, leaned closer. "Hachiman-kun, is this Yukino related to Haru-neesan and Yukino?"
Lately, the group had grown casual with names among peers, though they stuck to respectful forms for clear elders.
"Yeah, that's probably Haru-neesan and Yukino's mom," Hachiman replied. "They look alike, don't they? She's like the ultimate hidden boss."
"Hidden boss?" Asuna tilted her head, then noticed Hachiman's discomfort. "Wait, are you sweating?"
"She's been staring at me since our eyes met," Hachiman muttered, his voice strained. "She hasn't looked away once…"
"What?" Asuna glanced at the stage, and sure enough, the chairwoman's gaze seemed fixed on Hachiman as she spoke. Though her speech was brief, it felt like an eternity to him.
The ceremony ended, and after a short break, students headed to their classrooms. But as Hachiman tried to leave the auditorium, someone was waiting for him.
"You're Hikigaya-kun, correct? I'm sorry, but could I have a moment of your time?"
It was none other than Chairwoman Yukino, her eyes still locked on him. Unable to refuse, Hachiman told his friends to go ahead and followed her to the chairman's office.
"Sorry for calling you out so suddenly," she said.
"N-No, it's fine. Um, nice to meet you. I've… heard about you."
"Oh? And what have you heard, I wonder? From Yukino? Or perhaps Haruno?" Her tone was teasing but sharp.
"Uh, Haruno-san," Hachiman admitted, tense.
The chairwoman studied him, then her face softened into a warm smile. "Relax, I'm not going to eat you."
"Y-Yes, ma'am…"
"I just wanted to talk. Sorry for the surprise."
"No, that's fine, but… talk about what?"
She smiled—an unexpectedly natural expression, far from the intimidating figure Haruno had described. Hachiman relaxed slightly, sensing he wasn't in trouble.
"First, let me thank you," she said.
"Thank me?"
"For Haruno and Yukino."
"Haru-neesan—er, I mean, Haruno-san and Yukino-san?"
"Exactly!" she said, cutting in eagerly, catching Hachiman off guard.
"You probably have some sense of how things used to be between Haruno and Yukino, don't you?"
Thrown by the direct question, Hachiman hesitated but opted for honesty. "Uh, yeah, maybe. I'm not sure if I'm right, but…"
"Go on," she urged, nodding.
Choosing his words carefully, Hachiman spoke. "Haruno-san always seemed perfect, but… almost like a cyborg, like she was wearing an exoskeleton or something. Yukino-san seemed perfect too, except maybe in stamina. The biggest difference was how they handled people."
"That's refreshingly honest," the chairwoman said, amused.
"S-Sorry… Yukino-san felt like she was chasing Haruno-san's shadow at first, but around fall, it seemed like she stopped. That's all I know."
"And then you disappeared from their lives," she added.
"S-Sorry…" Hachiman apologized reflexively, feeling guilty.
"There's no need to apologize," she said gently. "You were a victim. It's cliché, but you really did well to survive."
"Th-Thank you."
Her kind gaze lingered on him before she continued. "From my perspective, Haruno was almost too perfect—flawless but cold, lacking… spark."
Hachiman, surprised by the term "lacking spark," managed, "That's…"
"Yukino was chasing Haruno desperately," she went on. "I don't know much about what happened after Yukino started living alone. I didn't see her again until the end of the year, right after you were gone. So I couldn't tell when she stopped chasing Haruno. But if you noticed it, that must mean the signs were there."
"Signs?" Hachiman asked.
"Yes. Right after you were admitted to our hospital, both girls came to us—together—and bowed their heads."
She began to recount what had happened next, her words pulling Hachiman into the story of Haruno and Yukino's transformation.
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