It's an ordinary weekend, on an ordinary street, in an ordinary house. Sunlight filters through the dense leaves of the trees, and tiny, broken beams of light scatter through the window and into the room. It's the weekend, and the girl has allowed herself the rare luxury of sleeping in.
Her eyelashes flutter, and she groggily opens her eyes. She sits up in bed, and her silk quilt slips down from her porcelain-white shoulders to her waist. She gently rubs her eyes, stretches lazily, and yawns before reluctantly getting out of bed.
Her name is Kato Megumi, and she is an ordinary girl, one you might see anywhere. Even on the weekend, she doesn't have anything special to do. Her day will probably be like any other: eating, sleeping, watching shows, and shopping. There is no great joy or great sadness, only the calm rhythm of daily life. She puts on her jacket and goes into the bathroom to get ready.
A little while later, "Megumi, hurry up and get ready! We're going to your grandfather's house today!" her mother calls from outside the bathroom.
Megumi finishes getting ready and looks at her reflection in the mirror, combing her short hair. Her mind is as still as an ancient well, and her eyes show no emotion as she looks at her rather cute face. Oh, it's Grandpa's birthday. We're having a family dinner. I guess that's the unexpected event this weekend, she thinks. She puts down her comb, puts on her white beret, and grabs her small red shoulder bag. She walks over to her mother, and they leave the house together.
At Grandpa Kato's house, after lunch, the family gathers, chatting amicably and complimenting one another.
"Hey, Keiichi, where did you run off to? You weren't even here for lunch!" Mrs. Kato asks, feigning anger.
A boy named Keiichi scratches his head, a hint of awkwardness on his face. "Sorry, Auntie. I went out to buy a book."
"You're not allowed to go out this afternoon, you hear? It's your grandfather's birthday today."
"Yes!" Keiichi says solemnly, but in his mind he's thinking, Darn it. I just went to the bookstore to browse, but I got so engrossed in a book that I forgot to come home. He holds a copy of Sword Art Online and walks to a corner, ready to continue reading his new discovery.
"Megumi-chan, when did you get here?" The girl's sudden appearance startles him, and he almost drops his book.
"I've been here all along," Megumi says. She's used to being ignored. Her eyes are as calm as water, without a single ripple.
Keiichi nods and sits down a few seats away from her. He doesn't know his cousin very well. They only see each other a few times a year, and she has no presence at family gatherings.
"Keiichi-kun, can I borrow that book?" Megumi asks calmly after glancing at the title.
"Huh? Sure. I just bought this book this morning; it's pretty good," Keiichi says, confused as to why she's talking to him. But as a relative, he hands her the book anyway.
Megumi takes the book and looks at the cover. Sword Art Online, by Ryou. I think I heard someone talking about this book in a cafe last week. Ryou? Ryou? The Guardian Knight's name was Hiratsuka Ryosuke, and he was quite famous at school. Is he the author of this book? She flips through a few pages. She doesn't read much of the story, but the beautiful illustrations cause a slight ripple in her placid eyes. The art is really good. I'll go buy a copy later.
As time goes by, the Kato family gathering comes to an end. As the sun sets, Megumi learns from her cousin that the book is sold at the Unshikawakunko Bookstore. When she walks into the bookstore, she sees a boy and a girl standing in front of a bookshelf. The black-haired boy is cold and handsome, and the blond girl is pure and cute.
Megumi instinctively touches her beret. This is the same boy who gave her the hat. She sees the two of them talking, and the blond girl occasionally giggles. Not wanting to disturb them, she decides to walk around them. She sees the last copy of the book being taken from the shelf, which is now completely empty.
"Oh, has Sword Art Online already sold out? I'm too late," Megumi says, her voice still without any emotion. She feels a hint of disappointment, as she came all this way just for the book.
"You can have this book," a voice says from behind her, the same voice from the shopping center. Megumi turns and sees the boy holding out the light novel to her. She is stunned for a moment, a flash of surprise in her eyes. The Guardian Knight is a good person. I never even thanked him for the hat. And now he's giving me this book, too. It would be rude not to thank him properly.
Megumi takes the book with both hands and bows slightly to Hiratsuka Ryosuke. Her calm voice carries a hint of sincerity. "Well, thank you very much... Guardian Knight." She looks at the boy, and his expression seems off. That's strange. I'm thanking him, but why does he look so upset? A big question mark appears in her mind.
"Ryosuke, is this your friend?" Eriri asks, walking over to him. Her clear blue eyes look over the strange girl. At first glance, she is just an ordinary girl, one you might see anywhere. But as Eriri looks closer, she sees the girl's fair skin, delicate features, and a height and build that are neither tall nor short, fat nor thin. Her well-kept bob haircut, paired with the white beret, and the hint of apathy in her eyes, makes her quite cute.
Eriri glances at Ryosuke, an unidentifiable feeling growing inside her. Her "partner" seems to be surrounded by cute girls. The two girls from the Kendo club were also cute. She shakes her head, her golden twin tails swinging. We're just business partners and otaku friends. What do I care if there are cute girls around him?
"No, we don't know each other," Megumi says, shaking her head. "But Hiratsuka-kun was a very famous person at school." She then points to her beret. "Hiratsuka-kun, thank you for this hat, too. You had already apologized, so you didn't need to give me a hat."
The beret on Megumi's head makes Ryosuke suddenly realize where he's seen her before. Memories flood back, and he remembers their meeting. He's only ever given one hat away, not even Shinka has received a hat from him.
"Oh, it's you. The hat was my apology gift. It was my fault for accidentally stepping on you," Ryosuke says calmly, as if it were no big deal. But he's still puzzled. Why didn't I notice her at the time, even though she was so close to me?And why didn't I notice her again today? When did she get behind me?Am I getting less vigilant?The world is too small. She was in the same elementary school as me, and she came all the way here to buy my book on its release day.
"What are you two talking about?" Eriri asks, her face full of curiosity. She thinks to herself, Learning more about Hiratsuka Ryosuke's past will help me with my illustrations of the Black Swordsman. After all, a character's background is very important for building their personality. Yes, it's for work, not because I'm interested in him.
Just as Eriri is about to ask Ryosuke for all the details, Megumi walks out of the bookstore.
"By the way, what's your name?" Ryosuke asks, stopping the girl who looks so familiar but whom he doesn't know. They went to the same elementary school, and he even gave her an apology gift. She came here just for his book. It feels rude that she knows his name, but he doesn't know hers.
Megumi stops at the bookstore entrance and turns around. A gentle breeze blows, and her red jacket sways. She holds the book over her head with both hands, keeping her beret in place. Her eyes show a hint of emotion, and an almost imperceptible smile appears on her lips.
"My name is Kato Megumi."