A/N: Now that my arm is better and I can type normally, I hope this chapter comes out better than the last! And I hope I made up for it with the length!

P.S. Never try to write a chapter with one hand. The errors on it are TREMENDOUS. Grateful that spell check exists.

Thursday, December 17, 2025

Asuna looked up at the digital clock built into the side of the building, seeing how she was a few minutes early. She was currently standing in front of the mall that she and Suguha had agreed on yesterday after logging off, waiting for the younger girl to arrive. Asuna fixed herself quickly from the run dash she made from the train station, making sure that her light blue blouse was looked okay and that her dark brown skirt wasn't ruffled as she pulled her dark red jacket closer to her form to keep her warm. When she finished, she saw a familiar figure running towards her, waving slightly as she neared.

"Asuna-san! I'm sorry that I'm late." Sugu said when she was in hearing range, breathless as she came to a stop on front of the older girl.

"It's okay Suguha-chan! I just got here myself so please just breath." Asuna said to her as she put a hand on her shoulder, reassuring her as she heard the younger girl catching her breath, smoothing out the dark green dress and black jacket she had on.

"S-Still… I would have gotten here sooner but I was making sure that Onii-chan was okay before I left." Sugu said to her. Asuna wondered briefly if he was going to be okay but she knew that he probably was since Midori was with him.

-Kazuto at the moment-

"I think Sugu put too many blankets on me…" he said to himself as he tried to free himself from the layers he on him, failing as he only managed to tangle himself more into them. After a few minutes he gave up, falling back asleep instead with only his head popping out.

Asuna and Sugu walked inside the mall, seeing many Christmas decorations and small pine trees scattered throughout the place. They went to one of smaller stores first, knowing that the bigger ones would be packed with people.

"Okay so I know that clothes are automatically out of the question for numerous reasons." Sugu said to Asuna when they go to the men's section of the store.

"Why is that?" Asuna asked, confused at the 'numerous' part.

"Well… for one thing I don't know his size," she said sheepishly, "and two, I want to give him something that doesn't seem like a backup gift or something along those lines." Asuna nodded, understanding the first reason better than the second.

"Now that I think about it… What kind of gifts do couples give each other?" Sugu said unknowingly out loud as she saw that different things spread throughout the store.

"Something they think the other person would love." Asuna answered with a smile, making Sugu jump slightly.

"Y-Yeah…" Sugu agreed, noticing the happy smile on Asuna's face from saying that.

"Asuna-san, what has Onii-chan given you in the past?" Sugu asked when they looked at some small cute stuffed animals and anime merch. Asuna immediately went red, her ears matching the dark shade of her jacket.

"W-Well… Kirito-kun in the summer gave me a bracelet and a bouquet of flowers…"(1) she said, unconsciously moving her hand to the bracelet she had on. Sugu noticed and saw how it was actually a perfect gift for Asuna, whose face only deepened in color when she finished her sentence.

'He must have known it would be perfect of her when he saw it.' she thought, seeing how Asuna looked at it and smiled. Sugu smiled and patted her cheeks, trying to get positive.

"Thank you Asuna-san." Sugu said, making Asuna confused but nodded anyway when she saw how Sugu's determination was renewed.

"How about you start with what he likes? From there you can just see if there's anything related that pops out to you." Asuna suggested.

'I swear she's too good for my brother sometimes...' Sugu thought as she nodded at Asuna, who Sugu was thinking was like an angel at this point.

"Well he really likes technology…"

"Then we can start at the electronic section." Asuna said as she grabbed the younger girl's hand and dragged her there. When they got there, they looked at many things that was on display but didn't really understand what it was they were looking at. Asuna was confused as to what some newer things did despite being made by her father's company.

'I'm sure dad told me about these things...' she thought as she put it back down, Sugu looking just as confused as she did.

"I didn't think things would be this hard." Sugu said as she stretched her arms up,the two of them walking in the direction of the next section of the store.

"I didn't think that I would regret not fully listening to my dad about his work." Asuna said, slightly down at the face that she could have helped if she had. Then a thought came to her.

"Suguha-chan, did we haven't checked VRMMO section, have we?" Asuna thought, making Sugu stop in her tracks.

"Why didn't I think of that!?" she said as she facepalmed at herself, "Asuna-san, you're a genius!"

"N-No more like I feel stupid for not thinking of it until now as well…" She said, this time Sugu pulling her away. When they saw the games, they saw how there were very few that they recognized, having heard of some from the MMO stream they sometimes watched in the couple's home.

"This is the game that Shino-san plays right? Gun Gale Online?" Sugu asked when she saw it in the popular section next to ALO and some bug game.

"That's right! I hear that it's challenging since the stats advantages can always be swayed to one side or another." Asuna said, remembering the small explanation Shino and Kazuto had given her.

'I wonder if Nagata-kun would...' before she could finish her though, Sugu felt like she had an epiphany. Sugu immediately picked up that box, surprising Asuna.

"I think Nagata-kun would like this. He likes to challenge himself." Sugu said with a smile, Asuna happy that she found something.

"Good! Now that you have your gift for him, there's something else that we have to fine for you." Asuna said, making Sugu confused.

"W-What's that?"

"You clothes! You have to make sure you look your best when you give him your gift." Asuna said, dragging Sugu to another section of the store.

A/N: So to the people that keep sending me messages on Meeting the Brother… Just know that on a scale of one to five on how sorry I am, I'M LIKE A 50+ RIGHT NOW. I've been trying to take a lot of exams and retakes to have good scores for when I graduate next year so I apologize! I AM writing it but it's been slow on the progress since I'm writing other stories to possibly upload so sorry!

(1)- Refers to one of my other fanfics, Something Special.