July 6, 2023. Floor 15.

Haru Hayai:

I stared about the spacious loft that Maxis had given to me as a "welcoming" present. It was eastern style, as in the middle of the living room, instead of a traditional Japanese dinner table, there was a coffee table with two small couches on either side. Along with various other small tables where you'd probably place decorations of some sort.

A brick framed fireplace sat in the middle of the left wall, with virtual wooden logs stacked neatly on the side. I admired the fireplace and knew that this is where I would spend much of my time in the house, as fireplaces have always been a small fascination of mine.

The room was painted a light gray with oak frames and cabinets. A small kitchen was separated from the living room by a bar-like area with small stools seated at the bar. Although the kitchen seemed rather useless to me, it was still nice to have. My cooking skill was at a comfortable zero, as I had no intentions of ever having to cook.

A doorway stood on the left wall next to the fireplace, leading to the bedroom. As I inspected it, I was surprised to find two separate twin beds on either side of an oak night stand. In my mind I questioned Maxis' purpose for giving me two beds, but I figured the apartment had likely just come with them rather than a queen or a king.

Lucy wandered silently around the apartment, her eyes gleaming with jealousy and admiration. I found her puppy-like interest amusing, so I sat quietly on one of the couches and watched the show. Up until now, I had forgotten she was here. As she became deathly silent after we left the third floor.

In my mind, I scolded myself for bringing her with me. It could have waited, and it wasn't exactly a good way to start off a new relationship. But I was glad that she hadn't asked any questions, as I wouldn't have enjoyed explaining.

My attention was brought back to her as she plopped down next to me with her eyes closed and her arms crossed. I raised an eyebrow and grinned, "What's wrong?"

She kept her position but opened only one eye and turned her head to look at me, "It's awesome."

I giggled a bit, but stopped myself when I noticed how girly it sounded. "I barely thanked Maxis, now that I think about it." I rested my elbows on my knees and buried my face in my hands. The shock that came from my reuniting with Lucy kept me from totally processing what he was saying, and I felt pretty guilty for not thanking him properly.

"You're a man of few words," she said, making me bring my head from my hands and turn to face her.

I frowned, "You've known me for a day, so far."

She nodded, breaking her strict position to a more relaxed one, "And in this day I think I've been the one to keep the conversation going most of the time."

I sighed, unwilling to argue with her, "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, but I've got to pick something up on the way home, so I'll just eat that, I suppose."

Sounds like she's got someone to feed.. My curiosity was sparked along with a hint of jealousy, though I quickly pushed those feelings out of my mind, "Want some ramen?" I offered.

Her eyes showed obvious interest and I could see that she was fighting back a smile, "Are you sure?" she asked excitedly.

I chuckled a bit and opened my menu, opening a trade option between us, "Sure, I usually buy in bulk, so I've got some to spare."

Her eyes sparkled as she accepted the trade and she thanked me anxiously. She began to bid me goodnight but I stopped her, not wanting her to leave, "Before you go," I rattled my mind trying to think of something to keep her a while longer when my eyes fell upon the fireplace, bingo. "Help me start the fireplace."

She raised her eyebrows and pouted a bit, "Can't you do that yourself?"

Scratching my head, trying to look embarrassed, "I don't really know anything about 'em," I lied.

"Fine," she sighed and walked towards the fireplace. I sat Indian style a few feet behind her, watching intently. She sat on her knees a bit further than expected from the fireplace. Bending over and resting her elbows on the carpet, playing with the fireplace options. It only took me a second to notice that her butt was raised in a rather showy manner. Its upside down heart shape was outlined by her skirt, igniting my hormones and sending a spark from my heart to my stomach. I fought my teenage urge to stare, forcing myself to look at a corner of the wall.

I fiddled with my fingers, trying to distract myself when she finally announced her success.
I breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up, freeing me from the urge to admire her work of art.

I quietly thanked her and she showed me her adorable smile, closing her eyes and bringing her arms behind her back. I weakly smiled back at her, unsure of how to match her beauty. She again bid me goodnight, slowly making her way to the door, I held it open for her and as she exited, she reminded me to be at the headquarters early tomorrow, "You don't wanna be late for your first official day," she winked.

I felt heat rush to my face and I frantically looked to the ground, "I'll be there. Goodnight, Lucy-chan."

"Night, Haru-kun."

As her footsteps grew fainter, I shut the door softly. Turning around, I let my body slide against the door, falling to a sitting position and resting my head against the door. I sighed deeply, wishing that she would come back. I hoped that she could have forgotten to give me something so that she would have to come back and I could see her one more time.

Longing will get you nowhere though, as I knew this from experience. Standing up, I shuffled towards the fireplace. Sitting Indian style, I became lost in the flaming pixels.

July 7, 2023. Floor 15.

Haru Hayai:

I over exaggerated my yawns, making sure Lucy understood my exasperation.

She yawned as well, but not in the groaning sense like mine, "Don't worry Haru-kun," she managed to make out through the yawn, "It won't take long."

I pouted, "I'm sure Maxis will find a way to make it as long and embarrassing as possible."

A 6 A.M. 'initiation ceremony' was being held today. Basically introducing me to the current members. I assume Maxis found this necessary as he would like to have everyone meet their new mascot.

"I don't see why it has to be this early," she whined, "All you're doing is getting a uniform. This could have waited a few hours."

I shrugged, glancing about the now-foggy Kerning. Through the gray mist, the cherry blossoms broke through, and a smile found way to my face.

Lucy turned towards me, and I quickly forced the smile away, "What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" she asked playfully.

I tried to ignore her childlike cuteness, unintentionally coming off a bit annoyed, "Just that this fog is irritating. I feel like it's hiding the town."

She considered this a moment, "True, but if you think about it, it's pretty amazing how they programmed the fog itself."

I hadn't even considered that, and a moment of sudden realization sparked inside of me. Everything in this world was programmed. Every feeling. Every sense. Possibly every emotion. This world was beautiful, yet horrifying. The possibility of death lingered over everything. Creating an ominous cloud over the players and their day to day lives.

But, then again, the real world also had its share of risks. You could easily get hit by a car, and you're gone. But I suppose that this world, Aincrad, had more risks. Which we all seemed to highlight and focus on. Never really seeing the true beauty of it all.

I felt like an idiot. I hated that I had ignored it all. If everyone could see that this world was just as good as ours, if not better, they would live much happier here.

Lucy noticed my silence and began poking my cheek.

I turned to her, giving a lame smile saying 'I'm okay'.

She didn't prod any longer, which was one of the things I've grown to like about her. She knows how to handle her curiosity.

We walked in silence towards the HQ as I reread everything I had previously thought of. Rehearsing it for no reason, just self satisfaction, I suppose.

Climbing the stairs of the headquarters, I decided to give Lucy some insight as to what I was thinking about, explaining my thought process in a mix of over exaggerated explanations and nervous ramblings. After a while she held her index finger up, hushing me as she said, "All of that's just dandy, Haru-kun," she had a stern tone, forcing me to whine sheepishly, "But I for one, have no intentions of staying here longer than I have to."

I sighed in exasperation, "Not what I meant. As long as we're here, we might as well take in the beauty of it and enjoy it, right?"

She shrugged, halfway approving and disapproving my statement, "Meh, but just 'cause I'm stuck here doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You're impossible," I groaned.

She winked playfully, taking my hand and guiding me through the double doors and leading me into the massive meeting room, where surely half, if not all, of Cygnus stood in two large groups on each side of the room, leaving a narrow walkway to the throne in which Maxis sat in.

She came to a halt as she looked about the packed room. All eyes fell on the two of us, and I quickly pulled my hand away from hers as I felt myself wildly blushing. I turned my attention towards Maxis, feeling no one but Lucy's eyes on me, a sharp sense of guilt overtook me, but I swallowed it and walked forward.

"Nice of you to join us, Haru-kun," Maxis called out, "Only about 10 minutes late."

I shrugged, stopping at the staircase that led to the throne, "Fashionably late, I guess."

"Of course, of course. Come closer," he chuckled, waving me forward.

I glanced in Lucy's direction, noticing that she was in a sort of military stance with her head bowed. I sighed, ascending the stairs.

When I reached the throne, Maxis stood up, grabbed me by the shoulders, and whisked me around to face the crowd of Cygnus.

From the top of the stairs I could nearly count the actual members of Cygnus, and from the looks of it, we were only about thirty or so strong.

Maxis began to do his usual thing, allowing me to zone out while he basically introduced me as the mascot and 'vice-roy'. I kept my eyes on Lucy while he did this. Not once did she look up, which confused me, but I doubt that it was me pulling my hand away that upset her. Yet, that was the only reason I could think of.

As I felt Maxis' speech coming to an end, he threw a fist into the air, and the crowd of members including Lucy all fell to a knee with their heads bowed.

Blushing, I mumbled, "Oh, wow. That is so not necessary."

Maxis whisked me around once again, causing me to lose focus on my surroundings.

He stared at me intently, his wide, dark eyes intimidating me to the point where I wanted to cower behind something. "Haru-kun," he began, "do you accept your position in Cygnus with honor and responsibility?"

"Sure, sure..." anything to get this over with.

He gave one sharp nod, opened a trade menu between us, and sent me a list of armor items labeled separately with the name he had given me before each of them. One item, however, was not an armor item. Instead of the shield icon used to represent the armor items, this item was labeled with a sword icon, signifying a weapon named 'Queen's Royal'.

My eyes were locked on the text for a while, and Maxis cleared his throat impatiently, as he had already accepted the trade. I hastily pressed the circle signifying accept, thanking Maxis and equipped the armor rapidly.

Glancing down, my eyes were greeted by blinding white pants, shoes, a short sleeved jacket with a gray undershirt, and some sort of desert cloak, wrapping around my neck and falling down my back. Upon further examination of the clothing, I noticed cyan lining on every article of armor. I patted my back, feeling for the handle of my new blade. The sheath was a matching white, covered by the desert cloak, though the handle of the Royal stuck out over my right shoulder, allowing me to slide it out quickly for examination.

The longsword was very rapier-like. Light with a thin blade, though unlike a raper, it still had the flat sides. The handle was plated with silver and neatly decorated with aqua marine jewels, just as Maxis' great-sword.

As I moved the blade through the air, the crowd of Cygnus gave appropriate "Ooh"s and "Ah"s.

Maxis broke my concentration on the blade, "What do you think?" he asked proudly.

I grinned slightly, "The armor is a bit flashy, but I like it." It did look pretty damn cool.

He shrugged, "And the Royal?"

I stared into the aqua marine jewels on the handle of my weapon, "I love it."

He slapped me on my back with his usual force, causing me to lose my balance and fall to my knees. He burst into laughter, "I thought you would. You're relatively cheap to shop for, Haru-kun."

"Cheap?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.

He nodded, still smiling, "Yup. That whole set only cost around 5 or 6 thousand Col."

Sheathing the blade, I mumbled, "Ya don't say."

"Well, that concludes today's ceremony, ladies and gents," Maxis announced, and the crowd began to disperse into the main lobby. Banto and Keiga stood out in the crowd, waving and and yelling, "Congratulations!".

I glanced back to where Maxis was, but noticed he had somehow already disappeared. I sighed, unable to thank him fully for the apartment. I looked towards Lucy, who beamed up at me, giving me two thumbs up.