Sunday, November sixth 2022. Mildly sunny, cool temperatures expected.
Yuri stays in bed until her usual alarm goes off. Reaching into the air, she swipes away the notification. Today is the launch, and she has never been so nervous.
She throws the covers off of her body and removes her respirator, shivering from the cold. Without anywhere to go today she pulls on a pair of long white socks and a comfortable, large, yellow hoodie that reaches her mid thigh. Allowing a sigh to escape her mouth, she brushes out her hair, leaving it to hang as it will. Today her plan is to simply laze. Laze and have fun. Laze like before.
When she opens her door to the hallway, she can hear the quite sound of the television and an angry Kyo, whining, stomping his small feet. When she goes to investigate she finds Hideki, surprisingly up before her, holding the remote high in the air, out of Kyo's reach, trying to soak up everything about the launch. A news reporter talks about the NerveGear as video footage is being taken of the people waiting in line for the device.
Hideki is jumping up and down in excitement, his face lighting up as Akihiko Kayaba comes up on the screen, a pre recorded interview. He talks about his inspiration for creating the game, and the people that he worked with in order to make it happen. He mentions that after the launch today, he has another announcement to make, and that it is really important.
When Kyo finally notices Yuri standing in the hallway, his expression changes. He runs over and hugs her legs, "I wanna watch cartoons, Hideki is being mean!" He blinks his big puppy eyes and pouts his tiny pink lips, hoping to win her sympathy.
She smiles down at him, hides a chuckle, and responds in a calm voice. "He is just excited. Today is the launch for Sword Art Online, and you know how he was looking forward to it," she walks over to Hideki and snatches the remote out of his hand before turning it to cartoons for Kyo. Hideki looks up at her with both confusion and anger painted in his hazel eyes. She takes his hand as Kyo sits down to the cartoons, and drags him to her room, where they can watch the news report from the projector there together.
About an two hours later, their dad walks in with a plate of fruit for the both of them, who sit on the floor in a blanket fort, watching the news reports on the launch.
The time is 10:28.
Hideki notices the NerveGear sitting on her nightstand, and he jumps out of the fort to examine it. Yuri pauses the report and walks to stand behind him, she hasn't seen him so exhilarated since before she was diagnosed. Smiling, she ruffles his hair and promises to tell him all about the experience at dinner tonight. He chuckles, swatting his sister's hand away from his head. He agrees to the arrangement.
Soon after, Kyo runs in. He finished watching cartoons, and wants to play. Yuri invites Hideki to continue watching the report without her, but he decides that he has had enough of the newscaster's voice, and gets up to go with them. Yuri slips a pair of comfortable shoes and leaves the house with a book in hand, walking her brothers to the playground not far from their house.
The three siblings play together for awhile, before it starts to become difficult for Yuri to breath. She sits on a swing and reads the book that she brought with her, keeping an eye on her brothers as they continue to run around. When her eyes turn back to the book in her hands, Hideki gives her a look of concern. Yuri hated that look, she said it made her feel weak.
Before she was diagnosed, Yuri was in a self defense class. After she collapsed, though, their parents removed her from the class immediately. She felt weak then, and still gets that feeling whenever they give her that look, and whenever she can't help around the house, and whenever her body keeps her from doing as she wants.
Yuri's mom calls her phone, she wants the kids to return home.
The time is 11:41.
Yuri gathers them up, almost dragging Kyo out of the park, ignoring his complaints and reminding him that they could come back later.
When they return home, Yuri places her book back in her room before joining her family in the kitchen for lunch. Hideki is the first to finish, and Kyo is done not long after his older brother. Both run out of the room and Yuri is left with her parents.
It isn't silent for long, "So, are you excited?" her mom brings up. Yuri smiles and nods, taking a drink of her water. Her dad starts talking about everything that he has heard about the game and Yuri nods curtly. She already knew all of this.
When she finishes eating, she gathers up all of the plates for her mom.
The time is 12:47.
"You better get going, Ripple, the launch is soon!" Dad reminds her and she smiles,thanking him. When she is out of sight of her parents, she drags her feet down the hallway. Opening the door slowly and closing it behind her, she leans against it, staring at the NerveGear. It stares back. She takes a deep breath, walks over and places it on her head.
She finds a comfortable position on her bed and allows her eyelids to drop.
The time is 12:59.
"Link Start," The words slipped out of her mouth, with less enthusiasm than was expected.