I do not own or have any affiliation with Sword Art Online.
Chapter 18: Plans
Saturday, December 20th, 2025 - Dicey Cafe 2:00 p.m.
Asuna, Keiko, Suguha, Rika, Shino and Kazuto were all sitting together at the same booth table.
"Shino-san, you're going to absolutely fall in love with our Himeko-chan." Keiko cheerfully squeaked. "And onee-san's super amazing."
"I'm excited to meet them both." Shino flashed a laid back smile enjoying listening to the rest of the speak.
When she was younger Asada Shino secretly craved for to be around other people whom she could feel safe and secure with, ever since that bank robbery that left her being a social outcast, haunting her for years. Then one day while full-diving in her personal sanctuary of Gun Gale Online, the elite virtual gunslinger met an avatar with the game handle of Kirito. Meeting this peculiar and rather feminine resembling character led her sharing the title of winners of the third Bullet of Bullets tournament. Eventually, leading her unexpected involvement in the Death Gun incident, and nearly getting player-killed in real life by the same person who introduced the game from the very beginning.
"Kirito-kun, how is everything?" Asuna called out to her boyfriend.
Kazuto extended his thumb and smiled. "Can you see and hear me clearly?" He spoke into his phone speaker.
"Yes, but your voice is a little loud, Papa." Yui's voice answered.
"Oh, my bad." He apologized and lowered the volume.
The boy walked in different areas of his friend's cafe. "How about now?" Kazuto asked.
"All clear, both audio and visuals." The virtual being notified.
"We're good to go." Kazuto grinned.
Agil high-fived the teenager. "This app of yours is really impressive." The bartender commented.
The bell of the cafe's front door ringed and a couple came inside with the woman holding a carseat and the man closing the door behind them.
"Hey Net Geners, she fell asleep in the car so try to be careful?" Rinko gently placed the carrier on the floor, taking out her daughter.
"You must be Asada Shino." Rinko gave a duchenne smile and sat down.
The new girl's face gave a slight blush and then nodded in response.
The infant wakes up on her own, making the teenaged females show more excitement on their faces. However, the young child buried her face in her mother's chest after seeing Shino's face. The mother apologized to the rest about her young one's shyness.
"Please don't take it personally Sinonon. She does it to a lot of us too, but even more with Kirito-kun." Asuna assured her.
"It's fine. I expected this to happen." Shino smiled comfortably.
"Yumemi, do you remember me?" Kazuto stood near the mother/daughter pairing.
"Hello Rinko-san, how are you feeling today?" Yui politely asked the woman.
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Rinko replied and laid Yumeko's head on her shoulder.
"Papa, can you move a bit to the right? You're sort of blocking my view of my baby." Yui requested.
Moving sideways Kazuto held his phone several inches from the tot's face.
"How are you, Yumeko-chan?" Yui calmly questioned her 'little cousin'.
Yumeko covers her face with her mother's shoulder.
Rinko bit her lips. "I'm very sorry about that Yui-chan. She's shy around others."
"That's okay. I felt a bit shy when I first met Papa and Mama. If you want, I can search an article and or a book for you online right now." Yui offered.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but you just enjoy your visit." Rinko kindly rejected the idea.
"Papa, can you bring your phone closer to her ear please?"
Kazuto cautiously drew the device closer to the small ear.
"Yumeko-chan, I love you very much." Yui whispered.
The infant slowly raised her head and looks at the handheld object.
Kazuto patted her head and smiled.
"She looks different from when I last saw her." The AI observed.
"Now that you mentioned it, she does look a little bigger." After saying that, Kazuto felt his head and neck being wrapped around someone's arm. "Are you calling my smallest girl fat?" Klein spoke up.
"I didn't mean like that. It's just that she grew...a lot." The teenager's voice lowered in volume.
"He's not wrong. I had to buy her some new clothes because she started to outgrow her old ones." Rinko defended him.
"If you don't mind me asking, what are her ages?" The questioning voice belonged to Shino.
"Her actual age is 7 months and 18 days but her adjusted age is only 4 months and 10 days." Rinko explained to her.
"I see." Shino looked at the child.
The girls told her about Yumeko's overwhelming medical history while playing in ALO.
"She usually doesn't look at anyone else longer than two minutes." Rika pointed out.
Yumeko stretched her hand in Shino's direction.
"It looks like someone wants to introduce herself." Suguha nudged the girl sitting next to her.
Rinko passed on her daughter to the calm black-haired female.
A luminescent blush came on her face as the small body laid on her chest. Shino has a cheek-to-cheek moment while gently fondling the baby's pudgy face. The infant squeals in pure, innocent delight.
"She's never liked anyone this quickly before." Rinko ruffled Shino's hair.
Yumeko plants her small lips and began to suckle on her new aunt's cheek.
"She's quite affectionate." The girl gave an accidental snort with laughter.
"Just when I thought I was her special person." Rinko giggled and slid a pacifier into Yumeko's mouth.
"Told you that our gray kitten is amazing." Keiko winked.
"I never doubted your judgment." Shino bounced the child in her knee when the kisses stopped.
"Papa, the screen turned darker." Yui warned him.
Kazuto returned to his home screen and then reopened the application window. "My battery is getting low."
"That's okay. I'll just transfer myself to Mama's phone instead."
Kazuto nodded and returned put the device back in his pocket as Asuna was loading her copy onto hers.
"This is a much better view then before." Yui spoke in a cheery tone.
"Can someone please get me close to her again?" The AI repeated the previous request.
Asuna passed her phone to Suguha who was sitting next to Shino.
"Is this a good enough angle?" Suguha asked.
"It's perfect." Yui thanked her.
Shino continued to stare at a sleeping Yumeko's face, as she rested on her shoulder. Suddenly the infant let out a whimper and start to kicking her feet. The girl carefully returned her to Rinko.
"She is okay?" Rika whispered in a worried voice.
"She's having a bad dream." Suguha whispered back.
Yumeko let out a cry waking herself up.
"Your voice sounds lovely as always, Himeko-chan." Rika murmured softly.
Rinko cradled her daughter and apologized to Shino. "She's not prone to hit anyone, especially in her sleep." The elder rubbed the girl's black hair.
"I know that, she has a gentle soul." The girl replied calmly. "I bought her a little gift." She went under the table to get a bag and took out a small picture book from her childhood.
Rinko looked a little embarrassed about accepting the keepsake but the latter convinced her anyhow with some assistance by the witnesses of the act.
The conversation between the table occupants escalated to talking about their personal plans.
Rika revealed her desire to study engineering at university. Keiko expressed her thoughts of becoming of a veterinarian. Shino mentioned her idea of one day being a policewoman. Suguha aspired to continue to practice kendo at the high school level. Kazuto's answer was obvious. Asuna said that she was still thinking of one.
"I wonder what Himeko-chan will grow up into." Shino stroked the sleeping child's face.
"I wouldn't be surpised if she grew up to a model." Suguha chortled.
"Just picture all of those young eager suitors lining up one by one waiting for her at the doorstep." Keiko playfully joked.
"I'm going to have to conduct plenty of interviews." Rinko laughed.
Kazuto and Klein choked on their drinks overhearing them.
"Like hell you are." They jumped up from their bar stool.
The females giggle collectively.
"Mama, what's a model?" Yui's voice came through Asuna's mobile phone terminal.
"A model is something that she will never ever be." Kazuto gave his answer.
Asuna gave him an unpleasant stare and cleared her throat. "A model is when a beautiful person takes lots of pictures and gets famous for taking them."
Yui requested for the phone to be in Kazuto's hand. "Papa, I don't understand why are you against my baby for being a model? Yumeko-chan is very beautiful." The small voice sounded oddly confrontational.
"Because... I don't want boys to look at her with...unpleasant thoughts. And as a male I should prevent that as much as possible."
"Damn straight." Klein and Agil second the notion.
Asuna swiped back her phone. "Do you have any more questions you need help with Yui-chan?"
"Mama, where do babies come from?" The innocent voice came through the speaker.
The question took everyone off-guard, especially the young high-school couple who were sitting beside each other. In a manga, the two characters would be coloured in chalky white, while their jaws dropped and other physical features would be drawn in thick, black lines.
"W-what d-do you mean Yui?" Kazuto stumbled on his words.
"I mean how do you get a baby?" Yui's question continued.
Asuna's face turned red in embarrassment as Kazuto's jaw dropped again.
The snickering coming from the table and the nearby bar counter weren't helping the two on the current subject matter.
Watching the two minors look conflicted Rinko flicked a small piece of folded paper from her diary into the male's direction.
As Kazuto opened it, he breathed a sigh of relief and showed it to his girlfriend. Asuna cleared her throat and took a second glance at the manuscription. "Babies come from love, Yui-chan."
"Really? That's it? Are you sure?" Yui's questions spit-fired.
"Would I be lying to you if it wasn't?" Asuna winked.
"But, one thing is still bothering me."
"What's that Yui?" Kazuto asked.
"How do babies come into the real world?"
The couple flabbergasted facial reactions returned as the bystanders tried to contain more of their laughter.
Asuna bit her lips and spoke. "They come from mother's love." The 18-year-old proudly answered. "This love is what we humans call a pregnancy."
"What's does pregnancy mean?" Yui asked.
It was Kazuto's turn to answer. "It's when a mother has one or more children inside of her, for nine months."
"That sounds like a very long time." The AI awed. "Mama, didn't you say something about Yumeko-chan not being like the most of them?"
Everybody's eyes widened.
The students look at their elder sister figure worried.
Rinko swallowed as a dull pain came to her chest but it slowly disappeared as she looked down at the short body resting in her arms.
Asuna blinked and moved her drying lips. "That's...correct. She isn't like most. In fact she is very, very special."
"She's very special to me too. She's my baby after all." Yui chimed.
Then, the virtual extraterrestrial her 'mother' that the phone battery was depleting, therefore bid everyone adieu.
"Onee-san, I'm deeply sorry about Yui's questions. It's just that, she can get a little excited sometimes." Asuna sounded guilty.
"It's alright, you can't blame such a unique person for being curious. Especially, when she has so much love for her." Rinko was calmly smiling.
"She's been sleeping so nicely." Rika commented.
"So how does she like the co-sleeping in bed with you?" Keiko asked.
"She still wakes during the night, but she's a really deep sleeper. Whenever we go she falls asleep instantly." The mother warmly caressed her daughter's face. "She loves the sounds of people's hearts." She cuddled.
"How is her...treatment?" Suguha cautiously asked.
"It started yesterday." Rinko replied.
"Treatment?" Shino looked confused.
"It's for her infantile spasms." Rinko explained.
"That must be difficult for you to watch." Shino added.
"I've seen her go through a lot, but it still takes some adjustments though." Rinko rubbed Shino's head.
Who knew after getting rid of colic she'd start having seizures? Why can't she just catch a break for once? Kazuto sighed as he felt his foot tap against the table's leg.
Shino looked at her elder. "I hope you don't mind me asking this but, is there something wrong with her left foot?"
"What do you mean?" Rinko wondered.
"Well, when she having that dream, she started kicking with it, while her right foot hardly moved at all." Shino calmly distributed her personal observation.
Rinko whispered into Shino's ear informing about Yumeko's permanent scar on her left foot and passed her a picture.
The black haired adolescent momentarily stared at the snapshot.
Yumeko opens her eyes making soft noises and stretching her small body.
"Hello again, my lovely. Did you have a nice nap?" The mother kissed the small forehead and rocked her.
"Looks like our kitten needed a little cat nap." Keiko giggled.
"She looks very tired." Rika observed.
"We were at the hospital to get some tests done. As expected it took a very long time, even with Fuko's and Namie's help." Rinko rubbed Yumeko's back.
"How did she handle it?" Suguha asked.
"Like a champion, of course." Klein exclaimed and puffed his chest with parental pride.
Rinko had a coy smile. "She was nervous, but she handled herself very well. The staff wouldn't stop commenting on it."
Shino rubbed the Yumeko's head as the child's big dark grey eyes continue to stare at her.
"She doesn't open up to strangers this quickly." Rinko smiled brightly.
"Yeah it took a long time to like me." Kazuto repeatedly curled and uncurled his fingers.
"You sat on your hands so you woudn't poke her in her sleep again, didn't you Kirito-kun?" Asuna patted his back.
"Poke her again?" Shino blinked.
"The day she was discharged I poked a squeezed her face a little, but Yumemi ended up crying and a certain someone who shall remain nameless, whacked me on my head." Kazuto recapped the event from months ago.
Shino shook her head and frowned. "I'm not very surprised to hear that."
"But it was her very first cry. Before that she hardly ever made a sound." Asuna added
"And he helped her smile for the first time too." Keiko joined in.
"This one time I found a stuffed bear and he bought with his own allowance." Suguha smiled at that time in the shop.
"More importantly, he's the reason why we met onee-san from the beginning." Rika was the last to speak.
Shino nodded in understanding.
"And after all of that, Yumemi never gave me a single kiss." Kazuto jokingly crossed his arms on his chest and pouted his lips.
"Now here's your chance. She's looking at you right now." Asuna poked his arm.
Kazuto stood up next to the mother/child couple and stretched out both of his hands happily picking up his precious niece.
"You sure got big kid." Kazuto kissed her face and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Y-you can't just tell her that, you big dummy!" Asuna spatted out.
"Do you know what's its like to be called fat!?" Rika sent him a sharp glare.
"I didn't say fat, I said big..." The boy sounded confused.
"Same difference onii-chan." His cousin snarled.
"She's supposed to look that." Keiko tsked.
"She can understand what you're saying. You could have hurt her feelings." Shino's voice was a tad calmer than her peers, but her eyebrows were still wrinkled.
"I don't think he's all that wrong." It was an older feminine voice this time.
"But he technically called our Himeko-chan fat." Asuna's voice followed.
"Well...she did grow double the size since from when she was born." Rinko's voice was warm and tender.
"But...but that was different." Rika's voice quieted down.
There was a little silence lasting a few seconds.
"If you told about this earlier we could have bought her some new clothes." Keiko tried to come up with a topic to discuss.
"Playing dress up with Himeko-chan is great. The best part is that she barely makes a fuss. You should join us sometime, Shino-san." Suguha said to the girl.
"That sounds like fun." Shino flashed an easy grin.
"Yumemi that tickles." Kazuto laughed as he felt the infant smother his cheek with her small opened mouth.
His girlfriend snapped a shot with her camera.
Yumeko touches her young uncle's face and squeals. Kazuto grins and bounces her with significant ease in movement. She loves me! She really, really loves me!
Asuna continued to take some quick snapshots. "Come on Kirito-kun, she needs to spend time with us too."
Sighing, Kazuto passed on his niece to her as Asuna gives him her camera.
Asuna goes near Yumeko's right cheek with her lips making a wide opening.
"What are you doing?!" The high-schooler panicked.
The strawberry-blonde blinks and stares at him blankly. "I was just gonna bite her face with my lips."
"What!? Why!?" Kazuto continued to overreact.
"What's the problem?" She groaned as the feeling of the moment was slipping away.
The boy grunted. "You were about to bite her with you lips. What did she ever do to you?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" She teased him.
While looking at her annoyed romantic partner, the teen had a sly smile and bit the young one's with her soft lips. The infant laughed in response.
"See, she likes it when you rough house with her." Rika softly pulled on the small pair of pudgy cheeks and bounced Yumeko on her lap.
"We've been waiting months to play with her like this." Keiko messed up the tot's short, spike-like, dark grey hair.
Kazuto and Klein looked like they were about to have heart attacks by the end.
"Onee-sensei, don't you have anything to say about this?" Kazuto's teeth gritted and looked at the woman sitting the opposite of him.
Rinko acted amused towards the group of schoolgirls. "Keep applying pressure on her." She winked.
"Will do onee-san." Suguha gave a thumbs-up.
Kazuto and Klein's jaws continued to drop.
Suguha gave her niece a gentle bear hug and kiss. "You're such a fun joy to be with." She rubbed the infant's cheek with her nose, before passing her on to the fifth girl and new friend.
Shino poked the beyond tolerant little one's face, while Shino's finger was wrapped around the small hand, making the online gun-weidler blush.
She's so well behaved. The high school student thought.
Kazuto gave Asuna her camera back. "How many pictures did you take, Kirito-kun?"
"More then a bunch." He muttered displeased.
"Yui-chan is going to flip out over these." Asuna grinned as she scrolled the camera's digital gallery.
Kazuto quietly sat keping to himself, silently remembering how not very long ago when he was fighting his own demons. Reminiscing how around this time during the previous year, he and many, others were fighting for survival in a floating castle of steel in that cursed game of death.
The former beater was leveling up like no tomorrow, gathering as much information he could on that rumored rare item he thought that would revive someone who was very dear to him. Things were so much different than last year.
Thank you for reading! Leave a review if you want. :)