A/N : I've been making some edits to the previous chapters, so that they're easier and more pleasant to read. Nothing changed drastically in the story of course. I mentioned that this is my first fanfiction ever, so it's a little hard for me to get everything right. I'll be making a few edits here and there and be notifying you as much as possible. So, bear with me you lovely people.


Chapter 2

KIRIGAYA KAZUTO POV

''Onii-chan , wake up already!''

''Give me five more minutes'' I say groggily as I turn around to shove my face in my pillow.

''Today is your first day at school, don't blame me if you are late!'' says Sugu as she starts running down the stairs.

I get up from my bed, unfortunately. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth as I head down to the kitchen, where I'm greeted by my aunt Midori.

''Good morning, Kazuto. You ready for your first day at school after so long?''

''Good morning. Well , I have to admit I'm really nervous but yes, I guess I am. As weird as it sounds, I've missed going to school.''

With how weird these past few months have been, and how I've still not managed to remember anything from when I was trapped inside the death game, a normal activity like going to school seems rather appealing. Plus , I would really like to see a certain person again.

I finish my breakfast quick and head out the door.

''I'm off, Mom , see you after school.''

''Take care, Kazuto!''

I make my way to school on foot, as I'm still waiting a little while longer for a permit to drive my bike. After a little walking, I arrive at school. I had been told to go to the principal's office after taking my exams, where they would let me know which class I'd be assigned to.

Thankfully I don't have to go through the main hallway to get there, saves me from a bit of attention. I pass by a few empty classrooms since I had been to school quite early and I'm met with a door with a 'PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE' sign on it. I gulp and open the door which seemed oh so intimidating. I'm greeted by a man who seemed to be in his early 30's.

''Good morning . I presume you are Kirigaya Kazuto-kun?''

''That would be me sir.''

''Alright, you've been assigned to Class 3-B. Your homeroom teacher is Natsuki Aki-sensei, who I believe you've already met.''

I'm then greeted by a familiar pretty woman with braided hair and glasses.

''Yahoo (somewhat cute way of saying Hello in Japanese), Kirigaya-kun! I look forward to working with you this year.'' Aki-sensei greets me and starts bowing respectfully.

''Likewise, Aki-sensei.'' I bow my head down as well. ''Wait a second, did you just say Class 3-B? There has to be a mistake, I'm only in my second year?'' Only just having realized what the principal has said to me.

''Oh, right. Apparently your entrance exams' results were very good . You've been moved up a year as a result of them. I highly doubt it, but if you feel like you are unable to follow the rest of the class, you are welcome to come talk to me about it and you will be moved a year down.''

I knew I did well on the entrance exams, but was I really good enough to skip a year?

''I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kikuoka Seijurou.'' the 30 year-old man said. ''There's actually something I'd like to request of you, Kirigaya-kun.''

''What would that be?'' I say , somewhat worried about where this was going.

''I would like you to be a part of the Discipline Committee.'' He says, with a smirk on his face .

''If you don't mind me asking, why, sir?'' I ask, surprised by his request .

''Well, I've been told you're a master at kendo and that your physical abilities are quite impressive. The Committee would definitely welcome someone with your set of skills. You see, I'm quite worried about violent activity in this school. I know it could be a dangerous job, but I'd love for you to at least consider it.''

''I see.. Could you give me some time to think about it, perhaps?'' I ask, not sure whether joining is a good idea or not. To be honest, I was quite interested in joining beforehand but I do have some reservations because of the dangers it may pose. I wouldn't want to worry my family any more than I already have.

''Of course. Now, let Aki-sensei lead you to your classroom. I'll be expecting your answer sooner or later.''

And with that, me and Aki-sensei walk out of the Principal's office and start heading towards my classroom. We pass the main hallway, but luckily for me the majority of students are already sat in their classrooms. Aki-sensei stops as we've reached a class with the sign 'Class 3-B' on top of the door and Aki-sensei starts slowly opening it.

I can already hear people talking and I'm starting to get a little nervous.

''Quiet down, class. There's a new student joining us today.'' Aki-sensei says.

'Who could that be?'

'A transfer student this time of the year?'

''For anyone wondering, he's not a transfer student. He simply couldn't attend school due to personal health reasons for a while. Come in, introduce yourself .''

I gulp and start walking inside the classroom. God this is nerve-wracking. I muster up all the courage I have and speak.

''Nice to meet you everyone, my name is Kirigaya Kazuto. I look forward to working with you this year.'' I bow my head down, as a sign of respect but also because I couldn't really bring myself to face anyone.

'H-he's so cute!'

'You have to admit , he is'

'Stop drooling will you'

''I'm sorry if I'm mistaken sensei, but isn't he one year younger than us?'' asks a brunette, now standing up from her seat.

''Indeed he is, Rika-san, but his grades are good enough for him to be able to skip a year.'' exclaims Aki-sensei .

'Wow'

'Smart too?'

I sweat-drop , a little intimidated by the attention.

''Ok, Kirigaya-kun, feel free to take the empty seat in the back of the classroom.'' Aki-sensei says as I look at her.

My eyes search for the empty seat and when my eyes finally find it, that's when I see her. Sitting in the back of the classroom by the window, hand on her chin looking at me curiously.

That chestnut-haired girl from yesterday is in my class.

I walk quite quickly towards my seat and I try not to look at her, stealing a few glances on my way there, and I could've sworn her cheeks were slightly red. She was really cute.

Don't be a creep now, Kazuto .. I think to myself.

I sit down on the only empty seat, which happens to be exactly one seat to her right.

''Yuuki-san, since you're the class representative, would you mind showing Kirigaya-kun around school grounds during lunch break? I'm sure he would appreciate it.'' says Aki-sensei.

My eyes look for the person named Yuuki.

''Of course , that wouldn't be a problem.''

I look to my left, realizing that the person that responded to the teacher was the hazel-eyed girl I had been trying not to stare at.

She turns 90 degrees to her right to face me. My gaze is locked on her.

''P-Pleasure to meet you Kirigaya Kazuto-kun . My name is Yuuki Asuna . I look forward to working with you this year.'' She says with what I would swear was a blush, as she extends her hand towards me, gesturing she wants to shake hands.

On top of being as beautiful as she was, I found her voice to be irresistible, as it was soft and soothing.

I immediately extend my palm and shake her hand and I swear I could feel my entire body heat up.

''The pleasure's all mine , Yuuki-san.'' I say, my cheeks showing a hint of red that I assume she caught onto, as we both take our textbooks out and start paying attention to class.

ASUNA POV

G-god I was so nervous! Ever since he walked in to introduce himself my cheeks have turned red.. What is going on with me!?

Did he realize I was staring at him? With how much I was blushing, I was probably being too obvious.. This is so embarrassing!

Pay attention to class, pay attention to class!

''Mhm , what's this , Asuna? Are you really looking forward to giving someone a tour?'' whispers my best friend, Lis, who sits in front of me and had now turned around to shoot me a questioning look with a grin on her face.

''N-not particularly'' I whisper back, my red cheeks kind of giving my lie away.

''Your stuttering isn't really helping your case. Your cheeks are being honest too'' she says with a wide grin, trying to hold herself back from laughing out loud in class, loving this opportunity to humiliate me.

''P-probably just your imagination'' I hiss back, my tsun side taking over, surprising both Lis and I .

''If you say so'' she says, smiling, knowing fully well I wasn't being honest.

Well, I am thankful she won't tease me any further. I start paying attention to Aki-sensei's lesson, while I mentally prepare myself for what's to come. I really hope I'm not a nervous mess while I show him around school.

Half an hour or so goes by, and the bell finally rings.

However, as soon as the bell rang, pretty much all my classmates start bombarding Kirigaya-kun with a ton of questions.

'Neh , Kazuto-kun , do you perhaps have a girlfriend?'

'Man , do you think you could teach me kendo sometime? I saw a video of you bro , you were amazing!'

'Would you like to hang out and eat with us?'

'Wanna go for karaoke together after school? You're really cute!'

Wow, I guess being the new student really is hard. I stand up and take a look at his expression while he is trying his best to answer each question. He seems quite troubled with the attention he's receiving.

''Hey guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Aki-sensei asked me to show him around school'' I say, rather loudly, as they all stop to look at me. ''So, if you don't mind, I'll be borrowing him.'' I say, as I grab his wrist and drag him away from the classroom.

When we're outside, I stop and look back at him. I look at my hand which is gripped hard around his wrist and , only just realizing what I was doing, let go of his wrist quite quickly, as I blush profusely, my cheeks now completely red. I look up at him and he speaks.

''Thanks for that. Being the new student is more nerve-wracking than I initially thought.'' He states , as he gives me an appreciative smile that, quite honestly, melted me.

''D-don't mention it. Anyone would do the same'' I say, smiling back, now blushing even more.

''Not anyone.. In any case, I appreciate it a lot.'' He says, now slightly blushing, and now running a hand through his hair. ''N-now, shall we get started with the school tour?'' He continues.

''Yes, of course.'' I answer , as I start showing him around.

We go through where each class is, the nurse's office, the principal's office and so on. I take him outside the school building, as I show him where the school gymnasium and the pool are , which is where P.E classes take place. And with that, the school tour comes to an end.

''Thank you so much , Yuuki-san. I'm sorry for taking up your time. You're very kind.'' He says, softly, as he bows his head down.

I can't keep the heat from rising to my cheeks and I can't help but instantly blush.

''Don't worry about it. We still have little bit of time left to eat.'' I state , as I point to the nearest bench. ''S-shall we ?'' I ask, blushing profusely, realizing I was just asking him to eat lunch with me, the two of us .

''Of course'' He says .

We sit down and I take my bento out of my bag and set it on the table and he does the same. Jeez , stop being so nervous!

''Itadakimasu'' we say in unison and start digging in. (Japanese for ''Thanks for the food'' in a mealtime setting)

During our meal, we make all sorts of small talk. I ask him how he felt about this school, and how the entrance exams must have been really easy for him since he skipped a year. He told me he honestly didn't expect it, but he had indeed studied hard for the exams.

I do pretty well academically myself, so I could relate with the fact that this school wasn't rather difficult. Coincidentally, we both wanted to apply for Tokyo University, though it was a little hard to get into.

He asked why I wanted that particular university, and I honestly answered that it was because of my strict parents, not so much an ambition of mine. He was surprised, but he knew what it was like, because kendo was something he did because of his strict grandfather.

Then I asked him something that was bugging me, something I normally would never ask, but I couldn't help myself for some weird reason..

''What was the experience of being trapped inside the game like , to you?'' As soon as those words left my mouth, I instantly regretted my decision and put my hands over my mouth. It was bad etiquette to talk about the death game after all, especially in this school.

He looked at me, startled and somewhat.. sad. ''Oh my god, that was really rude of me. You don't have to answer, I don't know what came over me''

''No, it's fine, no need to apologize'' He said, forcing a smile. ''Actually, I don't really remember what happened to me in the game. I've tried remembering, but I can't seem to be able to. Every time I do, my head just refuses to let me remember'' He says.

Wait a second, didn't I have a similar experience recently?

My thoughts are stopped as he speaks.

''Maybe I was too much of a coward and forced myself to forget because of how horrifying the experience might have been'' He says, expressionless, now looking down.

I cup his cheek with my hand.

''The very fact that you're telling this to me despite having just met me proves to me that you're not a coward, that you can face your demons head-on'' I say sincerely, locking my eyes in his.

I blush furiously as I realize how bold I had been and what I had just done, and instantly removed my hand from his cheek and let it rest on the bench. Great , he must think I'm such a weirdo.

''Thank you'' He says, as he shoots me the most sincere smile I have ever seen. ''You really are kind'' he continues, putting his hand over mine, making me even more flustered than I already was.

''You're welcome anytime'' I say, as a smile crept its way across my face well, our gazes locked on each other's eyes and our faces slowly inching slightly closer.

Brrrrrrrrring. The sound of the school bell signals the end of lunch break and I yelp, as we both look away from one another for a few seconds. Next up was P.E so we each had to head to our respective locker rooms to change into our gym uniforms.

''W-well, I guess I'll see you in the next class then, Yuuki-san?'' Kirigaya-kun says, slightly embarrassed, with a hand on the back of his neck.

''Asuna'' I say matter-of-factly, visibly confusing him.

''Eh?''

''D-don't call me Yuuki-san. I prefer being called by my first name. Just 'Asuna'.'' I say , trying to sound as confident as possible.

''R-roger that.'' He says, shooting an irresistible smile at me. ''So , I'll see you later , Asuna ?'' He asks, his voice low and husky, as my name rolls off his tongue .

''Mhm!'' I nod rather loudly, with a smile on my face, feeling weirdly satisfied .

Somehow, the way he said my name made me weak in the knees. Our interaction was beyond strange. Despite only having just met him, there was an undeniable connection between us. I could just .. feel it.


A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2!

I kept revising this chapter a lot, but I think I'm satisfied with how it turned out. I had so many different ideas it was hard to decide..

Also, I'd really appreciate if you let me know whether you prefer Kirito / Asuna POV or third-person POV in a review. I'm currently experimenting with both.

Till next time! -Syth