:: Author's Note ::

Thank you to whoever commented about the chess thing in chapter one. I've got some experience in chess but not nearly enough to have known about that little detail you so kindly pointed out. Please note it has been fixed.

With that out of the way, I gladly present Chapter Three.

:: End Note ::

Kazuto and Asuna walked down the streets of Tokyo together. He had already called his mom and explained what was going on. Whereupon she asked to speak to Asuna. Kazuto's mother didn't seem worried he was hanging out with a strange girl. If anything, she just seemed over the moon he was getting out at all. That said, she did warn Asuna about what to expect. Essentially, Midori's son was on the autistic spectrum. Yet he was also giftedly intelligent according to his doctor, and displayed a level of self awareness that made him high functioning. Mrs. Midori assured Asuna he was one of the most polite and respectful boys she'd ever meet, so there was no reason to worry about him saying or doing anything that would make her uncomfortable.

She was perfectly fine with that. And it helped that she now knew to watch out for large groups and loud noises as those were his two biggest triggers. Also, she was told he didn't like when people 'flanked' him. That was his word for it though she had no idea what it was. Apparently it was some sort of gamer term that meant to sneak up on someone from behind. Even if she didn't have a clue what flanking was, she could understand why he might not like somebody touching his back.

All this was fine and well. But Asuna really did wish she could understand him a little better. She had tried multiple times to strike up a conversation to no avail. He was still so guarded. That was something else his mother had warned her about. Kazuto had massive trust issues due to an incident involving his grandfather. What that incident was wasn't something Mrs. Midori cared to talk about, but she could sort of fill in the blanks herself. The bullying at school probably didn't help matters either.

Asuna wasn't sure why she was so determined to become friends with this boy. Maybe she was just ready for a change. A chance to do some good in the world as opposed to just think about herself and her own future.

Something that had already been decided for her.

"So...do you have any other drawings?" she finally thought to ask as they strolled down the sidewalk.

He clutched at his drawing book protectively. "I do...but I only show those to friends."

Asuna frowned at him. "Are we not friends yet?"

He stopped walking and bit his lower lip nervously, as if thinking about something. Kazuto began strumming his fingers on his drawing book rapidly, clearly anxious.

"Hey, it's okay if we're not," she spoke assuredly. "We did just meet this afternoon after all."

Kazuto fidgeted in place for a moment before opening up his sketchbook and pulling out a pen. He quickly jotted something down on it before flipping it around and presenting it to her.

Friend Request. Do you accept?

Underneath the words were two boxes, one that said yes and one that said no. She blinked a few times in bewilderment at the bizarre little friend request while he hid his face behind his sketchbook. After a moment, her smile returned and she took the pen from him before checking the yes box and giving it back.

He turned the book back around and his eyes lit up happily to see she had checked the yes box. Whereupon Kazuto offered her the sketchbook to peruse.

"Okay, we're friends now."

She took the sketchbook gladly and began flipping through different pages. Kazuto really was an incredibly talented artist. The level of detail he put into these drawings was unbelievable. Each scene painted a fantastical realm of magical landscapes, spiraling towers, floatings islands, and dark mysterious labyrinths.

Honestly, it made her want to explore this world for herself.

"These are incredible," she commented while flipping through the book. "And you've been to all these places?"

"Floor Seventeen is my favorite," he commented. "That's where the Valley of Cherry Blossoms is."

She flipped to a new page, whereupon she saw the aforementioned Valley of Cherry Blossoms in all its glory.

"Wow…" She simply marveled at the scenery, slightly in a trance. "...you're so lucky to get to have seen all this."

He gave her a curious look. "I am?"

She clutched the book to her chest tightly. "Yes! Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to explore another world." Asuna blushed deeply with her head turned away. "It's silly, I know. I'm not that big into videogames are anything like that. But the idea of getting to go on an adventure, see places like this with my very own eyes, that would be...wonderful."

Yeah...a chance to escape her life here on Earth, even just for a little while, that truly would be wonderful.

"Why do you look sad when you say that?"

Realizing she was being spoken to, Asuna got out of her own head and addressed him. "O...oh! It's...nothing." She smiled again. "I was just thinking about a fantasy I had as a little girl. Riding around on a pair of wings, seeing new worlds, going on adventures."

"You can't fly in SAO," he spoke plainly. "That would be unfair."

"Huh?"

"It would unbalance the core combat mechanics," he explained dully. "Flight would just screw up the whole system."

She giggled at him. "It's just make believe, Kazuto. I wasn't being serious."

He shook his head. "Even make believe has to have rules. Everything has to fit into place. Every piece thought out as if it truly mattered."

Asuna narrowed her eyes at him curiously.

"It takes a lot of care to make something look carefree," he continued. "That's what Dr. Kayaba told me."

"Who's Dr. Kayaba?"

"He created SAO," Kazuto explained, sounding a little more lively. "Dr. Kayaba built the NerveGear and wrote the original programming for the game himself. He's a genius."

"Sounds like you really admire him," she pointed out.

He nodded. "He's my friend. We met when I got chosen to help test the Apha Build for SAO. In a way...we created Aincrad together. Me and about a hundred other players."

Something Asuna was beginning to notice was the more they talked about SAO, the more alive Kazuto seemed to become. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it felt like he was less inhibited talking about something he was clearly very passionate about. The monotone in his voice was gone, and his mood even seemed to brighten.

"I owe Dr. Kayaba a lot," Kazuto admitted. "One day...I'd like to meet him in person. So I can say thank you for all he's done."

"I'm sure you'll get to one day," she insisted confidently before turning and looking up at a nearby storefront. "I think we're here. Is this the right one?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Well lead the way then." She gestured for him to head inside.

They walked into the store whereupon Kazuto wasted no time getting the two replacement pencils he needed. When they went up to the register to pay, Asuna was about to pull her wallet from her purse. When, much to her surprise, he proceeded to pull out his own wallet and place a debit card on the counter. At first she thought maybe his mom had given it to him for emergencies or something, but after paying, he explained that he made his own money working for Dr. Kayaba's company. Argo Entertainment.

"So you really get paid to play videogames?"

He shook his head. "Not play. Test. I get paid to make sure the game is running like it should, while looking for bugs in the system. Specifically, I get paid to look for cheats and exploits."

"So like...people hacking the game and stuff?" she guessed.

He nodded. "It's not easy to do. But we've discovered there are ways to hack the Cardinal System. The operating software that runs SAO. Dr. Kayaba pays me to find Beta Testers who are using cheats and system exploits and eliminate them in game. Their system information is recorded to my NerveGear. From there, Dr. Kayaba can make a patch."

"Wait, your job is to hunt down cheaters and hackers in game and eliminate them?" She sounded rather impressed.

Again, he nodded. "They call themselves Beaters. I don't know why."

She snickered. "That's so lame."

He smiled at her. "It is."

"But wait a minute…" A thought occurred to her. "If they're all using cheats and whatnot, how is it you can beat them?"

"By using the Cardinal System," he explained. "Using my NerveGear, I can grant myself access to the Cardinal System mainframe and modify my player avatar in order to combat against foreign malware and in-game system exploits."

"Isn't that the same thing as hacking?"

He shook his head. "It's not the same. I don't breach the system or introduce foriegn data like a hacker does. I just...bend it, slightly, by changing a few lines of code."

"That still sounds an awful lot like hacking to me," she spoke matter of factly.

"It's not hacking," he replied. "Hacking requires a computer and can only be done outside the system. What I do doesn't require a computer and is done from within."

She stopped and looked at him. "Wait...you can change the game's programming without a computer? How?"

Kazuto frowned at her question, not entirely sure how to answer her. It wasn't that he didn't understand how he did it. He knew exactly how his abilities worked. The problem was, he wasn't sure if he could put it into words that she would understand. After thinking about it for a minute, he decided to give it a shot anyway.

"I can...talk to the Cardinal System."

Now she just looked confused. "You can talk to a computer?"

He shook his head. "The Cardinal System isn't a computer, it's a computer program. Specifically, it's the program that runs SAO. I understand that program's language. The binary code it's formed with. By accessing that code using my brain's connection to the NerveGear, I can...talk to the program."

"That's amazing!" She marveled at him. "How did you learn to do it?"

He turned his head away and flushed in embarrassment. "I discovered it in Alpha. Back when the Cardinal System was being constructed, I learned how to speak its language and talk with it."

Asuna considered him more thoughtfully. Truth be told, she didn't understand a lot of what he was saying. It was like Kazuto's brain operated on a completely different level from hers. But where lesser people might have seen his mind as inferior to theirs, she was beginning to appreciate the fact that, for all his problems in social situations, Kazuto really was an obscenely intelligent person.

In fact, it wouldn't have been much of a stretch to say he was one of the smartest guys she'd ever met in her life

"Sooo." She placed her hands behind her back and smiled at him. "If they're Beaters, then what does that make you?"

He stopped and looked at her, not understanding. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Well I don't think it's fair if only they get a nickname. Don't you want one too?"

Kazuto frowned and looked away. "I don't know. I haven't thought of that."

"Let's see…" She tapped her finger against her chin while considering what his nickname might be. "If they're Beaters...and your job is to hunt them...then that would make you...a Beater Killer!"

"That doesn't sound any better," he admitted bluntly.

Asuna snickered at him. "Alright. Alright. How about something else." She thought about it for a moment longer. "You said you were an Alpha Player before you became a Beta Tester right?"

He nodded.

"So then...what about...Alpha Hunter?"

"That's already a class in the game," he explained with a shake of his head.

Again, she chuckled. "Jeez, you're really making this difficult. Okay, let's see…" After another moment of thought, she finally snapped her fingers. "I've got it."

Asuna turned and looked at Kazuto.

"You're a Slicer."

He blinked at her several times in surprise. "I'm a...what?"

"A Slicer," she insisted with a beaming smile. "It's like a Beater, only more refined."

He turned his head away, lost in thought. "A...a Slicer."

She blushed. "Do you like it? I just made it up."

After a moment of quiet, the most miraculous thing happened. Kazuto's features formed into a bright, excited smile. Not the stoic, reserved smirks he'd been showing before. His entire face lit up at that moment.

"I do...I like it a lot."

For some reason, seeing him smile like this really made her happy. "I'm glad!"

"I'm a Slicer," he repeated, letting it roll off the tongue before chuckling. "A Slicer…"

Asuna turned her gaze away, her smile faltering somewhat. "You're so lucky, Kazuto. To be chasing your dream like this."

He gave her a confused look. "What dream?"

She shook her head assuredly and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Promise me you'll keep being the best Slicer you can be. And one day...when you reach floor one hundred of Aincrad, I want you to tell me so we can celebrate together."

They stood there, looking into each other's eyes for a moment. Finally, Asuna turned away.

"Anyway, we better get going."

As she began walking away, Kazuto bit his lower lip thoughtfully and began tapping his fingers against his thumb rapidly.

"Would you...like to play with me?"

She stopped and turned back around. "What?"

He continued to fidget shyly. "Would you like to play with me? You can if you want."

She peered at him curiously. "As in...play SAO with you?"

He nodded.

"But how?"

"I have administrative clearance," he explained, clearly very nervous. "I can log you in as a guest account through my computer at home."

She frowned in disappointment. "Oh...Kazuto that's awfully sweet, but I don't have a NerveGear helmet."

And there was no way in hell her father would let her get one. Rich as he was, he'd see such an expense as nothing but a frivolous distraction, no doubt.

"I can get you one," he replied without missing a beat.

She was taken aback. "Y...you can?"

He nodded. "I have the money. I can buy you one. It's not a big deal."

"Hold on…" She shook her head in disbelief. "...aren't those helmets like...crazy expensive?"

He frowned at her question. "I don't know what quantity defines 'crazy' expensive. But they're seven hundred and fifty thousand yen."

She reeled in abject horror. "S...Seven hundred and fifty….Kazuto, there's no way I can let you spend that kind of money on me!"

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because that's too much!" she insisted. "You understand for that kind of money you can buy a car, right?"

"Or put a downpayment on a house. Or go on a nice trip overseas. Or buy ten top of the line gaming PCs," he replied. "Mom told me that."

"So then you should know you shouldn't be spending that much money on something so frivolous."

He turned his gaze away for a moment, thinking. "I'm not sure you used that word correctly."

She quirked her head in confusion. "Huh?"

"Frivolous," he repeated. "An adjective that means not having any serious purpose or value."

Asuna slowly nodded her head in agreement. "R...right?"

He smiled at the ground bashfully, his cheeks turning red. "If you had a NerveGear helmet too, we could play together. That has value to me."

She placed a hand over her chest, her heart melting at his words. "Kazuto…"

"If you don't want to play you don't have to," he assured in a slightly melancholy voice. "But Beta ends tonight, so it'll be the last time I get to play until the official launch."

He gazed up into her eyes, a look of sincerity she'd yet to see from him in both orbs.

"It would...make me happy to get to play with a friend. I've never gotten to do that before."

Her stomach was twisted in knots. What was she supposed to do here? On the one hand, for him to spend that much money on her given they'd only really been friends for a day was hideously inappropriate. Yet he didn't seem bothered by that at all. He just really wanted a friend to play with, and was willing to buy her a really expensive piece of gaming equipment to make that happen. It was so unbelievably thoughtful, and yet the idea of him going into a gaming store and spending that much on her was also beyond mortifying. What if the other customers thought she was taking advantage of a kid with autism or something?

And yet...there was another part of her that was being tugged in a completely different direction. The part of her that was still curious about those beautiful drawings he'd made. Asuna would have been lying to herself if she'd said she didn't secretly want to see this world for herself. She'd always wanted to go on an adventure when she was younger, and this was in all honesty the perfect opportunity. She only had so much time before highschool was over and summer came to an end.

After that...well...there would be no more adventures for her after that. This was her only chance. And this boy was willing to just give it to her.

"Are...are you sure?"

He smiled at her and nodded confidently. "It'll be fun. And I made plenty of money PKing Beaters. So it's okay."

Asuna took a deep breath and made her decision. "Okay," she responded with a bright look in her eyes. "If you're really sure. I'll play with you."

The way his face lit up, she knew she'd made the right choice. As important as this was to her, it was easily far more important to him. That much was apparent.

"Alright!" He was so excited he jumped. "We just need to stop by the gaming store. It's two lefts and then a right from here."

She nodded in understanding before gesturing for him to lead. "I'll follow you then."

Kazuto smiled at her and offered his hand. She gasped at the gesture, her face heating up again. Finally, she gingerly took his hand whereupon he began leading her down the street.

"But...are you sure I can do this?" She bit her lower lip nervously. "I don't know how to play. What if I get eaten by a werewolf or something?"

He chuckled. "There aren't any werewolves until Floor Forty Five. We can't get that high yet."

She couldn't help but giggle at his comment. "Oh...well okay then."

"Besides…" He smiled back at her confidently. "I'm a Slicer. I can protect you from anything."

Her heart skipped in her chest. Asuna turned her gaze away, a demure smile on her face and a deep set blush on her cheeks.

This boy...I swear he's something else.

Kazuto led Asuna to a local gaming store called Kame Game Shop. According to Kazuto, this place was apparently something of a local hotspot for gamers in this part of town. While the store specialized primarily in card games, they sold a little bit of everything. From retro consoles, to board games and beyond. They even had an impressive collection of old comic books and manga for sale. As well as collector action figures and other merchandise.

As luck would have it, they also had four NerveGear helmets left as well.

"So I was looking online, and apparently there's an electronics store not far from here that has them for a little cheaper," Asuna commented while looking down at her phone. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather go there?"

He shook his head vehemently. "I always buy my gear from Mr. Muto. He knows my mom and is a very nice man."

She sighed in exasperation before smiling and shaking her head at him in disbelief. "Well alright then. If you're sure." I'll just try really hard not to have an anxiety attack over this.

They entered the store, whereupon they were greeted by a shorter man with a thick grey beard standing behind the register. Upon seeing one of his favorite customers, he smiled and waved politely.

"Kazuto, my boy. It's good to see you," the kindly old man spoke to him.

"Hi Mr. Muto." He waved back at him, a bright smile on his face.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Mr. Muto admitted. "I figured you'd be at home right now exploring Aincrad. Isn't tonight the last night of the Beta?"

He nodded sadly. "It is." His expression immediately perked up. "But, I'm gonna play with a friend tonight."

"A friend, you say?" He considered the young woman he was with. "And who is this lovely young lady?"

"H...hi, Sir." She waved awkwardly, feeling completely out of her depth. "I'm Asuna Yuuki."

He offered a polite bow in response. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Asuna. My name is Solomon Muto."

"We need a NerveGear headset," Kazuto explained upon approaching the counter. "Do you still have any in stock?"

"As luck would have it, I do." Solomon reached into one of the display cases and pulled out a large square box containing a NerveGear headset. "Argus Entertainment must be treating you well if you can afford a second NerveGear, my boy."

He nodded excitedly. "I caught a three million yen bounty last night. And Dr. Kayaba gave me an extra five hundred thousand for doing such a good job."

Asuna's jaw hit the floor and her face turned white as a sheet. Did...did he just say THREE POINT FIVE MILLION YEN?!

Solomon chuckled heartily at the teenager. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're finding success in your chosen career. Keep at it, my boy. I'm sure your mother will be very proud."

"Thanks…" he responded shyly.

"Now then, your total comes to eight hundred thousand," Solomon declared after ringing him up.

Asuna felt her anxiety spike as Kazuto proceeded to pull out his debit card and swipe it. The old man wasn't giving her any funny looks fortunately, but this was still hideously uncomfortable.

"Now, I'll need to run a few software updates and unlock the security key," Solomon declared before unboxing the helmet and plugging it up to a nearby computer. "It shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

Kazuto nodded in understanding. "Is your grandson home?"

"He is," he confirmed before gesturing upstairs. "In his room working on a puzzle."

"Is it okay if I say hi?"

"Go right ahead, my boy," Solomon spoke in a warm tone. "I'm sure he'd love to see you."

Kazuto made his way upstairs, leaving Asuna downstairs with Solomon. After a slightly awkward silence, Mr. Muto chuckled quietly and shook his head.

"That boy, I swear. As brilliant as he is, his heart is what truly makes him special."

"Listen...about the headset…" Asuna spoke up nervously. "...if need be I can pay for it. We only just became friends today and I really don't want to..."

He laughed heartily before waving her off. "My Dear, I've known Kazuto since he was little. This is hardly new behavior for him."

She finally seemed to relax again. "Well, okay then."

"That boy has been coming into my store since he was a small child," Solomon explained. "I used to work with his mother some time ago and she happened to bring him by one day." He smiled at the memory. "One of the most quiet and reserved little boys you've ever met in your life. But also one with a heart of absolute gold. As shy as he was, he always seemed to have a smile on his face whenever he was in my store."

She chuckled. "I can believe that. He seems like he's really passionate about games."

He nodded in agreement. "Reminds me a lot of my grandson in that respect. They're a lot alike actually. Though Kazuto is a bit older than Yugi. And he's always been particularly...unique."

"How so?"

"You are aware of his condition, yes?"

She nodded. "The faculty at school told us he's autistic."

"He's on the autistic spectrum," Solomon explained. "Though that can actually have many meanings. Too many people assume if they've met one person on the spectrum, they've met them all. But nothing could be further from the truth. Especially so in Kazuto's case."

She frowned shamefully. "I feel completely ignorant about his condition. I just wish I understood him a little better."

"It's not so hard once you get to know him," he spoke encouragingly. "It was difficult for us too at first. Back when he first started coming here."

"How did you figure it out?" she asked sincerely.

"With a lot of patience and time," he admitted honestly. "I started keeping an eye on young Kazuto after his mother began working overtime to cover his medical bills." He pointed to a table over in the far corner of the store. "Whenever she left, he would always sit right over there and play a game on his handheld device until she came back. Never saying so much as a word to anyone."

She nodded, listening intently.

"Well, one day my grandson Yugi came home from school to find him sitting there. He's always been a far more outgoing young boy than Kazuto was, so naturally he went over to say hi and get to know him." His smile faltered somewhat. "But Kazuto didn't even acknowledge him. Even after Yugi repeated himself and asked for his name...it was like that boy just didn't even care someone was talking to him."

"Sounds like he was just shy," Asuna admitted.

He nodded. "That's what I thought at first, as well. But of course, I now know there's far more to it. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that Yugi, being who he is, just assumed that Kazuto didn't like him."

She frowned softly at that. "It must have really hurt his feelings."

"Unfortunately," he replied in a solemn voice. "Like Kazuto, my grandson was never very good at making friends growing up. Though in his case, it was because he was perhaps a little too outgoing with other people. A lot of young children found Yugi's overbearing nature...offputting. I imagine my grandson assumed that Kazuto just found him annoying and took it personally."

"But that wasn't true right?"

He shook his head vehemently. "Not even remotely. But neither one of us could have known that at the time." Solomon sighed shamefully. "I'm not proud to admit it, but I was slightly irritated by Kazuto's attitude towards Yugi. He seemed like such a nice boy with his mother, and yet he came off as so...well...cold when my grandson tried to say hi."

"That's understandable," Asuna assured him. "You couldn't have known. And if Yugi had his feelings hurt, then it makes sense you might have been upset."

"But I didn't want to jump to any conclusions either," he quickly clarified. "So I mentioned the incident to his mother. Whereupon she explained his condition to me in greater detail. Looking back on it now, I'm really happy I didn't make a bigger deal out of what was clearly just a simple misunderstanding. Kazuto wasn't being cold or dismissive. He didn't acknowledge my grandson because...he couldn't hear him."

Asuna frowned in confusion. "Wait, do autistic people have trouble hearing?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. Not the way you might think. He wasn't deaf, Kazuto just wasn't used to being away from his mother for extended periods of time yet," he explained. "In order to cope with the stress, he would retreat into a video game. You see, when Kazuto plays games, he's not just pressing buttons or moving a little character around. He projects himself onto that character. Diving into that world through nothing but his mind and his imagination. It's a coping mechanism of sorts."

"I never realized," Asuna admitted.

"Neither did we. It's funny, in a way, Kazuto was diving into games long before NerveGear ever existed. But whenever he did this, it was almost impossible to get his attention. At least, according to his mother."

"So did you explain that to your grandson?"

He smiled and nodded. "After doing my own research of course. His mother explained to us that, if Yugi really wished to be friends with him, then the best way to get his attention was to offer to play a game with him. So one day, after he came home from school, he sat at the table over there opposite of Kazuto and asked if he would like to play his favorite game. Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters? What's that?"

"It's a card game that's very popular among younger children," he then added with a chuckle. "And grizzled old game shop owners like myself, I suppose."

She smiled and nodded. "So did it work?"

He shut his eyes, remembering the memory well. "It did. As soon as Yugi asked if he wanted to play with him, Kazuto looked up from his game, smiled, and asked very politely what are the rules?"

"I'm glad they were able to get along after all."

"The most peculiar thing happened after that," he continued. "As soon as Yugi explained the rules of the game, Kazuto became completely engrossed in it. We shared some of our cards with him and he immediately began building his own deck." He shook his head in disbelief at one memory in particular. "More astounding than that however...the deck he built...neither of us could beat it."

She gawked at him in bewilderment. "You're kidding."

"One afternoon," Solomon insisted in astoundment. "He'd been playing for one afternoon and he already had a mastery over Duel Monsters I've spent years trying to hone." He looked up towards the stairs where Kazuto had ascended. "That boy...is an absolute genius. Though you'd never know it just looking at him, he's easily one of the most intelligent young men I've ever met in my entire life."

Asuna could believe it honestly after everything she'd seen that day.

"In any case, I was so amazed by his performance I decided to give him one of my old decks along with a bunch of booster packs. I wanted to see what he could build using his own cards."

"And?"

He smiled at her. "I kid you not, Asuna. He came back to our shop in a week having built one of the single strongest decks I'd ever seen in my life. I've been playing this game for years. But Kazuto? He had me beat, soundly."

"That's incredible," Asuna admitted.

"You think that's amazing, he became so engrossed in Duel Monsters he began challenging any duelists who came into the shop. No one could beat him. And I have duelists come in here who are regional champions." He chuckled. "It actually really helped my business. Kazuto became something of a novelty for my store. Duelists would come just to challenge the quiet kid sitting in the corner to a game. Yet no one could beat him. Not one single soul."

"What did your grandson think about all this?"

"Kazuto really inspired him," Solomon admitted happily. "They became good friends over Duel Monsters, and he taught my grandson a lot. More than I ever could."

She smiled happily. "That really warms my heart to hear."

He nodded in agreement. "Yugi has always wanted an older brother. And in many ways, that's what Kazuto was for him." His smile slowly faded away as a dark cloud formed over his being. "At least...until the incident."

A nervous pit formed in her stomach. "What incident?"

He sighed woefully. "It was about two years ago. Kazuto and Yugi were both playing Duel Monsters together when an older duelist came into the shop. Some ruffian who went by the name of Bandit Keith."

She grimaced at the name. "Jeez, even by the name he sounds like bad news."

Solomon nodded, a grim look in his eyes. "He was. Bandit Keith came into my shop claiming he'd heard there was a strong duelist who only played here. I explained that he was talking about Kazuto, whereupon he immediately challenged the boy to a duel right in the middle of his match with Yugi."

She scoffed in disgust. "How rude."

"Yes...well, if I had known what was about to happen I'd have asked him to leave right then and there." He lowered his head in regret. "I should have just asked him to leave. It was clear that his attitude was stressing poor Kazuto out." He sighed. "But Yugi was excited to see Kazuto duel again. So I stayed out of it."

"So what happened?"

"At first, nothing," he insisted. "They were just quietly playing for the longest time." His expression darkened. "When Kazuto suddenly looked up from his hand and accused Bandit Keith of cheating."

She blanched. "Wh...what?"

He nodded regretfully. "I was just as shocked as you are. Needless to say, Bandit Keith was furious at his accusation. Started yelling about how he was a global finalist who would never cheat and getting poor Kazuto extremely worked up." Solomon scowled sourly. "The thing is...Kazuto was absolutely right. He was cheating, and he proved it. When Bandit Keith went to lay down a card, Kazuto grabbed his wristband and pulled it off. Causing all the cards he'd slipped up his sleeve to come spilling out onto the table."

Asuna looked beside herself with anger and disgust. "It was just a friendly game! Why would he cheat?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. But regardless, it didn't change how Bandit Keith reacted. He flipped the table completely over and got right in Kazuto's face, looking to fight. I immediately called the cops and tried to intervene, but...I'm an old man. And that hooligan Keith was rather strong."

She placed a hand over her gaping mouth. "And Kazuto?"

"That's the strange part. Kazuto seemed perfectly calm the moment Keith raised his fists. Like all the fear had vanished. Keith took a swing at him and Kazuto just...stepped right out of range of it. Keith swung again, and it was the same thing. One minute Kazuto would be standing right in front of him and the next he just...wasn't. His movements were so graceful, so...fluid. I'd never seen anything like it before."

Asuna recalled the incident involving the paper ball. She couldn't help but wonder where he got those crazy reflexes from. But it stood to reason if he could catch something being thrown at him without even looking, he'd be able to avoid clumsy awkward punching as well.

"Kazuto didn't hit him back. Not even once," Solomon insisted. "Instead, Bandit Keith tripped over his own feet after one too many wild swings and smashed his face into a glass display case, giving him a pretty severe gash on his forehead."

She chortled despite herself. "That's actually kind of funny."

He didn't laugh. "I wish I could say that was the end of it. Unfortunately, the situation only spiraled further out of control once the cops showed up." Solomon gripped his knuckles until they turned white. "That monster Bandit Keith...he pointed right at Kazuto and accused him of assault."

She gasped in horror, covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide.

"Well...you know the law as well as I do. Because the officers who arrived didn't witness the attack, they had to assume both parties involved were responsible until proven otherwise. Bandit Keith was placed under arrest...and so was Kazuto."

"No!"

He nodded angrily. "When the officer went to put Kazuto in handcuffs, it didn't end well." Solomon peered up at her, despair in his yes. "You have to understand, that boy had no way of knowing what was going on or why these men were putting their hands on him. He started to panic and...fought back."

"Please tell me they didn't hurt him," she pleaded.

"The officer who was attacked handled it very well. But, Kazuto was too far gone to be reasoned with. They had to pin him to the ground. Roughly. His partner had the poor boy on his stomach with his knee digging into his back while they put handcuffs on him. Kazuto was...screaming for them to stop. He looked terrified. It was...horrible."

"Oh God…" Her eyes began to well up. At that moment, all Asuna could think about was how his mother had told her he didn't like people touching his back. And now she had a pretty good idea as to why.

"After the incident, I called his mother and the whole thing was eventually straightened out. But...due to the fact that he technically resisted arrest and attacked an officer, he was labeled a public safety hazard and could no longer go out in public without supervision."

And there it was. The reason why Kazuto wasn't allowed to go anywhere on his own. Her heart shattered for him at that moment and it showed in her eyes.

"A week later, Kazuto returned to the store with his mother and...sold his deck," Solomon finished sadly. "He's never played Duel Monsters since."

"I can't…" Her breath hitched as tears streamed down her face while her head shook over and over again in denial. "I can't believe...oh that poor boy."

He gave her a curious look. "Why are you crying, my dear? I hope I didn't upset you."

She finally managed to calm down enough to wipe her face dry and respond. "It's not that. Something similar happened at our school. A boy attacked him and he got blamed for it. The faculty just transferred Kazuto to our class, but...the students were all so mean to him. And I just sort of stood by and watched."

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Kazuto has been misunderstood his entire life. But as long as his memory is, he's also very quick to forgive. If you let him, he will change your life for the better. Just ask my grandson."

She sniffled a few times before finally smiling. "You really think so?"

His good humor returned and he nodded at her. "Yugi was heartbroken when Kazuto quit playing Duel Monsters with him. But watching Kazuto stand up to Bandit Keith helped him stand up to his own bullies at school. Since then, my grandson has made new friends. Not only that, but seeing what a brilliant duelist Kazuto was really inspired Yugi to become an even better duelist himself. To this day, my grandson still keeps Kazuto's favorite card, the Dark Magician, in his deck with him whenever he duels. Yugi tells me that when he uses that card, it's as if Kazuto is there with him. Acting as the heart of his cards."

She finally brightened up. "That's so wonderful."

"If you really want Kazuto to open up to you, then do your own research, listen to his mother, but above all, show him that you care in whatever way you can," Solomon suggested. "He's not always an easy boy to understand. But if you win his heart, you'll have it for the rest of your life. That boy has a lot to offer the world. You'll see for yourself if you're lucky."

"I'll try," she assured him.

"Society has unjustly labeled poor boys and girls like Kazuto as 'different' while we are lucky enough to be 'normal'," Solomon insisted. "It's our job as 'normal' people to ensure that the potential of the misunderstood is realized."

She smiled at him warmly. "Thank you so much, Mr. Muto. I'm really happy I got to meet you."

He chuckled good spiritedly. "It was no trouble, my dear." Solomon looked over at his computer. "Ah, looks like your NerveGear is good to go."

He unhooked it from his computer and repackaged the helmet before offering it to her, which she accepted gratefully. Asuna considered the expensive device for a moment longer, her mind finally made up.

I'm going to try to understand him better, starting with our adventure.

About a minute later, Kazuto came back down. Solomon smiled at him as he descended the stairs.

"Ah, you're back. I trust my grandson showed you his puzzle?"

He nodded. "We finished it."

His smile vanished. "What?"

"Yugi and I were able to finish the puzzle," he explained politely.

Solomon's skin turned pale and his eyes went wide with shock as sweat began to form on his brow. "You...you solved the Millennium..."

Before he could finish his thought, a bright light began to shine upstairs. Solomon looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"I...I have to close up!" He quickly began running upstairs. "Have fun you two!"

Asuna stared in bewilderment as Solomon ran frantically back upstairs to his grandson's room. Kazuto, for his part, looked completely indifferent.

"So what do you think that was about?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Yugi's puzzle is really cool though. When you put all the pieces together, it gets all bright and shiny."

Asuna smiled at him. "Sounds neat."

"Did the software update okay?"

She nodded. "Yep, we're ready to go."

He suddenly became incredibly nervous. "Then...then we just have to go to my house." Kazuto scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I can't log you in otherwise." He looked at Asuna timidly. "Is that okay?"

"That's perfectly fine," she assured in a warm voice. "I'd love to see your house, Kazuto."

That made him happy. Kazuto gestured for her to follow him, whereupon they left the store. Now, more than ever, Asuna was looking forward to whatever this new adventure would bring her.

The two decided to take a cab back to Kazuto's house, during which time Asuna got a phone call from Shizu. While she really didn't feel like talking to her, Asuna knew good and well that her asshole friends would just keep calling if she didn't answer them.

"What do you want?" Asuna spoke aggravatedly into the receiver.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" the girl on the other end shouted hysterically.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure what you might be referring to."

"You slapped Jace in the library, Asuna!" Shizu insisted, equal parts angry and in disbelief. "And what's this I hear about you hanging out with that freak?!"

She scowled sourly. "I thought I told you to stop calling him that. Listen, what I do when I'm not at school is none of your business. In case it wasn't perfectly clear back in the library, I'm not listening to what you catty girls have to say about Kazuto anymore."

"Oh so you're on a first name basis now, are you?" Shizu replied in a snarky tone. "Have the last three years meant absolutely nothing? We're your friends Asuna! You can't just toss us aside for some psycho neet!"

She pulled the phone away and growled into the receiver. "Watch me." Asuna proceeded to hang up and block her number before muttering quietly to herself. "Bitch…"

"You seem mad," Kazuto pointed out worriedly. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh no no, not at all." She shook her head assuredly before sighing. "I just...burned a lot of bridges just now."

He gave her a confused look. "I don't know that one."

"Huh?"

"You're using an idiom," Kazuto explained. "A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words. Such as raining cats and dogs or see the light."

She blinked at him in bewilderment a few times. As sweet as he was, that intelligence of his could be a little intimidating.

"But I don't know that one," he continued. "What does that idiom mean?"

She sighed glumly before placing her head in her hand and moping. "Basically, it means I cut ties with a bunch of girls who I thought were my friends...but were really just half the reason I hated going to this stupid school." A thought occurred to her. "Wait, how did you know I was using an idiom if you don't know what it means?"

"Context clues," he explained.

"What context clues?"

"You're not in jail for arson right now."

She stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Kazuto, meanwhile, simply quirked his head at her in confusion.

"What is it?"

"No, it's just…" She giggled quietly to herself. "...that was really funny."

"But it wasn't a joke," he replied completely seriously.

She shook her head at him assuredly. "It was still funny. But that's a good thing. Being able to make girls laugh is a good skill for boys to have."

He smiled. "Well...then I'm glad you thought it was funny."

Asuna turned her head away, a light blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Why would you wanna cut ties with your friends?" he asked curiously.

She looked back over at him. "Do you know what a toxic friendship is?"

Kazuto shook his head. "I imagine it's not what it sounds like. But no."

"A toxic friendship is where a group of people who have no business trying to be friends do so regardless of their actual feelings," she explained.

"Why would you want to be friends with someone you don't actually like?"

Asuna shrugged. "Because you trick yourself into thinking you actually do?"

He seemed to ponder her words for a moment, not quite understanding.

"Friendship in games is a lot less complicated," he spoke frankly.

She peered at him curiously.

"If you like someone, you send them a friend request," he explained. "If they hit yes, you're friends. If they hit no, you're not." Kazuto tucked his knees up to his chest in the seat.

"That does sound easier," she admitted.

"I have this one friend online," he continued. "His name is Klein. We met in an MMO we both play."

She nodded, listening as he continued.

"We became friends because I helped his guild clear a tricky dungeon. After that, he invited me to join and added me to his friends list." He smiled happily. "Klein has been on my friends list longer than anyone else. We've been playing games together for years."

"That's so cool," she responded. "Are you gonna play SAO with him when it comes out?"

He nodded happily. "I have five reserved copies of SAO to give to friends and I gave him four. In addition to buying his NerveGear."

At that, she gave him a concerned look. "Wait...you bought this guy NerveGear like you did me?"

"Yes?" he replied, slightly confused as to why she looked worried.

She sighed. "Kazuto...you really need to be careful about spending your money on people like that. You've never met this guy in person before, right?"

"Right?" He still didn't understand what the problem was. "But what does that matter? This just means we get to play together."

"Well yeah, but…" She was trying to be as gentle about this as possible. "...you never know who someone could be online. This guy may not be who he says he is."

"I hardly know who most people are that I deal with IRL," he admitted frankly. "And Klein has always been nice to me."

"Okay but…" She groaned in frustration. He wasn't getting it. "Anyone can be nice if they want something from you. That doesn't mean they always have good intentions."

He thought about Asuna's words for a moment before looking at her. "So...are you just being nice to me because you want something?"

She shook her head vehemently. "Of course not."

"But can you prove it?" he challenged.

"Well...no not right now. But I would hope through my actions..."

"But you can't prove it right this second, can you?"

"I…" She sighed wearily. "...no, I guess I can't."

"But I still trust you anyway because you're my friend. If someone's your friend, you should trust them."

"But…"

"I'd rather trust my friends and let them disappoint me, than never trust anyone and be alone," he insisted, sounding slightly melancholy in the process. "People can hurt you. But being all by yourself hurts even more."

Pain stabbed her. After a moment, she sighed again and shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't get all preachy like this."

"You're substituting words again," he observed. "Preachy? This isn't a sermon, so what does that mean?"

"It means I shouldn't be lecturing you when I'm really no better," she admitted. "Honestly? If I could spend my money however I wanted, I'd probably spend it all on fun things to do with my friends too."

"So why don't you?"

"Because the money I own isn't really mine," she explained. "It belongs to my father, and he's very particular about what I spend it on." Asuna lowered her head as a dark gloom enveloped her. "He's...very particular about a lot of things."

"Like what?"

She turned her head away to hide the pain on her face. "I'd...really rather not talk about it if that's okay."

"Okay. I understand," he responded in a friendly tone.

Asuna smiled at him. "Thank you for understanding. It's just...really complicated."

"There's a lot of things I don't like to talk about," he admitted frankly. "Sports, politics, k…" Kazuto fidged nervously for a second. "...kendo. If there's something I don't want to talk about, I just don't talk about it. I don't see why that's complicated."

"You'd think it wouldn't be," she responded glumly. "But most people aren't as understanding as you are, Kazuto."

He frowned sorrowfully. "I really wish they were."

She chuckled humorlessly. "You and me both. Unfortunately lifes a lot more complicated than that."

"It wouldn't have to be if everyone just followed the rules," he insisted.

She gave him a curious look.

"Life would be a lot simpler if everyone played fair and followed the rules," he continued. "But they don't. They lie, cheat, and break the rules constantly. Or create their own rules that make no sense and just prove to hurt everyone else."

Asuna frowned at that, not sure what to say.

"If every human on Earth played fair and followed the same rules, then life would be a lot better."

She finally nodded in agreement. "You're right. But that's just not how it works unfortunately."

"I know," he assured, a bitter look forming in his eyes. "If it did...I wouldn't have been born this way."

"Kazuto, don't say that," she insisted, sounding hurt by his words. "There's nothing wrong with the way you are."

He snapped an angry gaze at her. The gesture caught her off guard. She'd never seen him mad before.

"If that's true, then why do people keep treating me like there is?"

Asuna simply looked away sadly. There was nothing she could say to that that would make him feel better.

Kazuto sighed, his expression finally softening as he turned his gaze back towards the window. "Games are better."

She turned back towards him.

"With games, everyones on the same level, and everyone follows the same rules," he continued. "As long as you understand how to play, anyone can win. That's how life should be."

"Kazuto…"

"Life is like a really unfair video game. Everyone's born with different stats. The leveling system is completely unbalanced. There's no clear goal or objective marker telling you where to go or how to win."

She frowned at him in concern as he continued.

"There are no saves or checkpoints if you mess up, and if you die, there's no respawns." Kazuto gripped his knees tightly in his hands. "But the thing that really makes it unfair? No one follows the rules. Not even the people who make the rules."

Asuna sat there in silence for a moment, considering this new side to Kazuto thoughtfully. As friendly as he was, and as gentle as he behaved, there was clearly a deep seated resentment he held in his heart for the way life had treated him up till this point. Solomon told her that Kazuto's memory was very long. If that was true, it was no wonder why he might have been bitter.

Then again, that was something they both had in common. Finally, Asuna felt like she understood Kazuto just a little bit better.

"I completely agree."

He turned back and looked at her.

"I completely agree with you, Kazuto." She smiled at him. "Life's not fair at all. Which is why I'm so excited to explore this new world with you."

Finally, his smile returned and he nodded in agreement. "It'll be fun. I'll teach you how to play, show you all the places in my drawings, and then, when it's over, you can have my last extra reserved copy."

"Wait...really?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded happily. "Of course. That way, if you like the game, you can play with me and my friends on launch day."

She bit her lower lip nervously. "Kazuto, I don't know. I can't guarantee I'll be able to play with you after today."

He frowned worriedly. "Why not?"

"Well because…"

Wait...why couldn't she keep playing with him? She still technically had all of summer right? And considering she'd just axed her social life, it wasn't like there was anything else she'd be doing all month. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. She hadn't even played this game yet.

"I tell you what. You teach me how to play and show me around, and then we can decide from there. Does that sound okay?"

His smile returned and he nodded. "Okay, that's fair."

"But Kazuto." She placed her hand gently on his leg. "There's something I want you to promise me, okay?"

His heart skipped at the touch. "O...okay."

"Promise me that no matter what, you won't try to change who you really are."

He stared at her in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I mean...never try to be anyone except who you are right now. Because who you are is great. And honestly…"

She beamed at him radiantly.

"...I've only really known you for a day, and you're already the most honest guy I know."

For a moment, Kazuto was in a trance. The way she was looking at him, no girl had ever looked at him quite like that before.

The cab pulled up in front of the Kirigaya residence and Asuna stepped out alongside Kazuto. His home certainly wasn't the sprawling estate she grew up in, but it wasn't anything to sneer at either. Kazuto seemed to live in relative comfort. And the neighborhood his house was located in didn't look terrible either.

"So what do your parents do for work?" she asked as they approached the front steps.

"Mom is an editor for Technics Magazine. It's an information magazine about computers," he explained.

"And your dad?"

He frowned. "Dad is overseas a lot. The company he works for has offices in America so he does a lot of work there."

She nodded in understanding. "That's not uncommon, especially in Japan."

"What about your parents?" he asked.

Asuna stopped walking, a slightly nervous look in her eyes.

"My...my mom works as an economics professor at Tokyo University. And my dad…"

He waited patiently for her to respond, a curious look in his eyes.

She sighed. "My dad is the CEO of a big corporation. RECT Progress?"

He smiled at her. "That's the company my dad works for."

"No kidding?" She sounded slightly surprised. "What does he do for the company?"

"He's an onsite trainer," Kazuto explained.

"My dad's been CEO of RECT Progress for the better part of twenty years," she admitted, a slight melancholy to her voice.

"Your family must be very wealthy then," he observed.

She remained silent, a gloomy look in her eyes. "It's really not that important."

"Why?"

She gave a depressed sigh. "Well...because having money doesn't always make you happy. Especially when it becomes your only reason for living."

He considered her words for a moment before responding. "I like having money. Money lets you buy new games to play with your friends."

Her smile returned. "See, that's your money you're spending, Kazuto. You get to spend it however you want because you earned it." She lowered her gaze sadly again. "It's different when money is just given to you by your parents."

"Like an allowance?" He guessed.

She nodded. "Something like that. Only, I don't get to spend my allowance on fun things. I can only spend my money on important stuff."

"What constitutes important stuff?"

"Well...you know. Food, school supplies, clothes, that sort of thing."

"Having fun is important too," he insisted. "Mom always tells me that we work hard so we can live, but having fun is why we live."

She shut her eyes, falling deeper into a spiral. "My father has a different view on life."

"Why do you look sad?" he asked worriedly. "We're about to have fun now, aren't we?"

She finally smiled again and nodded. "You're right, we are."

He gestured for her to follow him up the steps. Whereupon he opened the front door and stepped inside.

"I'm home!" he called down the hallway.

"Kazuto?" a young female voice called from upstairs. Asuna heard the sound of a door opening and closing followed by the soft patter of two feet down the stairs. A girl with neck length black hair descended the steps, who looked to be about two or three years younger than her.

If she had to guess, this must have been Kazuto's little sister Suguha.

"What are you doing here? I thought mom told you you can't…"

Suguha's voice trailed off upon seeing Asuna standing next to him. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open in shock.

"Oh my God, you're real," she muttered in disbelief. "I thought mom was joking about that."

"Hi." Asuna chuckled awkwardly while waving.

"This is Asuna Yuuki," Kazuto introduced happily. "She's my friend."

"Hi..." Suguha waved back, looking slightly bewildered by this development.

"It's Suguha, right?" Asuna guessed. "Your brother's told me a lot about you."

"He has?" She gawked at her brother, her mind having been effectively blown.

He held up the box containing Asuna's NerveGear. "We're gonna play SAO together."

"You are?" Suguha snapped her gaze back to Asuna. Clearly, something wasn't adding up here.

An awkward silence hung in the air as Suguha and Asuna silently regarded one another. Both of them were thinking the exact same thing at that moment.

God, she's pretty.

"I'm gonna go get the NerveGear set up," Kazuto declared before immediately heading upstairs to his room.

Suguha waited until she heard his door shut before turning back to Asuna and speaking a little more openly. "So...how exactly did you meet my brother?"

"We share homeroom together," Asuna explained. "He showed me some of his drawings and we got to talking. That's the long and short of it."

"You talked to Kazuto?" Suguha asked as if not quite believing her.

She nodded in confirmation.

"As in talked like...had an actual conversation with him?"

"He's actually a pretty interesting conversationalist once you get him to open up," Asuna assured.

"He is?!" She looked like her mind had just been blown again.

Asuna coughed awkwardly and turned her gaze away.

"Sorry…" Suguha quickly shook the surprise away and spoke a little more formally. "...it's just, most conversations we have with Kazuto don't last longer than one or two sentences. No one really ever talks to him as much as they just talk at him."

Asuna frowned at that. "Yeah, I got that impression when we met."

Suguha narrowed her eyes at Asuna cautiously. "You know he's autistic, right?"

"I'm aware he's on the spectrum, yes," she assured her.

"So then you know he's not like other guys," Suguha warned. "My brother doesn't normally bring friends over here. Especially…girls."

Asuna turned her head away and blushed. "Is it really that big a deal? I like Kazuto. He's sweet."

Suguha shook her head insistently. "I'm not disputing that. But he's always been…" She sighed nervously. "Look...he didn't say or do anything weird to get you to come over here, did he?"

Asuna frowned at her. "Is it really that hard to believe I just want to hang out with him?"

"A little bit, yeah," she admitted. "My brother is usually really hard to get along with. He never has people over here. It just...doesn't happen."

Asuna's heart hurt again. "Listen, I promise he didn't say or do anything weird to get me to come here. I came because I wanted to, no other reason."

Suguha bit her lower lip nervously. Something was clearly weighing on her mind. Asuna ascended the stairs and began to walk past her when Suguha suddenly gripped her by the sleeve of her shirt.

"Wait…"

"Yes?"

Suguha kept her gaze on the stairwell, remaining silent for the longest time before finally speaking.

"Are you being honest with me?" she asked sincerely. "You really want to hang out with my brother?"

Asuna was slightly taken aback by her question. Clearly, Suguha was very worried she would take advantage of him or hurt him in some way. And while it was true he'd just spent eight hundred thousand yen on her, that was hardly the reason why she was there.

"I promise you, Suguha, I'm not going to hurt or take advantage of him." She let her voice drive home the sincerity of her words. "I have nothing but good intentions."

"I want to believe you, Asuna, I really do," Suguha spoke quietly while gripping the sleeve of her shirt tighter. "But we've been burned before by people in the past who claimed the exact same thing."

She glared up at Asuna severely.

"Just know, if you toy with my brother's feelings, I'll make you regret it."

Again, Asuna was stunned. After a minute though, she smiled at her and nodded.

"I understand completely. Hopefully, in time, I'll earn your family's trust."

"We'll see." Suguha finally released her sleeve and crossed her arms, still glaring at her warily. "I'm serious, though. Don't do anything to hurt him or I'll hurt you. I'm the captain of my school's kendo team. I know my way around a stick."

Asuna chuckled good spiritedly and bowed. "I swear to you, Suguha. I'll do everything I can to earn your trust. You have my word on that."

She nodded approvingly. "Just so we're clear." Finally, her expression seemed to soften again. "You should probably get going. He gets antsy if you leave him waiting for too long."

"Will do." Asuna began running up the stairs when she suddenly turned back around and smiled down at Suguha.

"I think Kazuto is very lucky to have such a protective little sister."

Suguha blushed at her words, clearly surprised.

Asuna placed a hand against her chest. "It makes me feel a little better knowing the ones closest to him are at least good people."

With that she rushed upstairs to rejoin Kazuto, leaving Suguha to quietly sulk down at the bottom, her hand clutching her chest.

"Who is she? Why was she able to reach him?"