Tokyo, Chiyoda Prefecture, Imperial Park
-

It was a bright and clear day in Tokyo, with no clouds to be seen. A gentle breeze was there, keeping the park goers cool and refreshed. The array of pavilions and gazebos spread about were all in use, and suffice to say…

It was days like this that Asuna Yuuki had learned to really appreciate while in the real world. It had been three weeks since Kazuto Kirigaya, her partner and in-game husband, had returned from Underworld, alongside Asuna herself, Eugeo Rulid, and Alice Zuberg.

The media frenzy regarding Alice and Eugeo in the real world had died down enough, to the point where the two could comfortably play the role of German exchange students. For now, Alice had volunteered to live with Asuna, and Eugeo with Kazuto, as both needed a permanent place to stay for the foreseeable future.

Alice, as Asuna had found, once you got past her frosty and serious exterior, was kind and caring enough on the inside. Eventually, things settled down into a moderate friendship between them.

And finally, after an exhaustive meeting with both of her parents, Asuna had finally received permission to stay in her relationship with Kazuto, and choose how to live her life going forward.

Now, as Asuna sat herself down on a bench near the Imperial Park's entrance to wait for Kazuto, she pulled out her phone and looked fondly at the background image. It was a photo of her and Kazuto which had been taken before Kazuto's job in GGO, and Asuna smiled to herself.

Asuna didn't know how much time had passed, but a friendly voice snapped her back to the real world, out of her musings.

"Excuse me...do you mind if I sit here?"

Asuna looked up to see a girl slightly younger than herself, wearing a casual jacket and knee-length dress, come near the bench and then she shyly looked away. Asuna was also a little curious why she was wearing a hood in the spring, but she shrugged it off.

"Sure, go ahead." Asuna replied.

The girl smiled nervously and sat down, taking in a breath before speaking.

"Sorry if I'm a little nervous. I just got here." she said.

"It's fine!" Asuna replied modestly. "I was just waiting for my boyfriend to arrive. He's helping a friend of his at the moment."

"Well, it's funny you should mention that." the girl replied. "My own partner is meeting me here as well. I just needed some fresh air, seeing as I've been inside for pretty much the whole morning…"

Both of them giggled, and the girl introduced herself as Shirayuki.

"I'm Asuna Yuuki." Asuna replied. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too." Shirayuki replied. "I must say, this city certainly isn't like what I'm used to living in back home. It's so...modern, futuristic even."

"Well, Tokyo is the capital of Japan, so I guess it has to be." Asuna said. "Where are you from, Shirayuki?"

"Well, I'd prefer not to say at the moment." she replied. "I can say I'm from overseas, but that's about it."

"Alright." Asuna replied. "So...what's your boyfriend's name? What's he like?"

"His name's Zen Wisteria." Shirayuki replied. "We've been in a relationship for over a year and seven months now."

"That's great to hear." Asuna replied. "How'd you meet?"

"Well, I was walking in the woods where I come from, and I got lost." Shirayuki smiled. "After a while, Zen leaped over the stone fence in front of me...and upon seeing me, tripped, lost his balance, and fell onto his arm. I fixed him up, and we've been together since. I'm an herbalist, so I was carrying a healing mixture on me at the time." she added, seeing Asuna's slightly confused expression.

"That's interesting." Asuna nodded, and was about to continue when two voices called out their names.

"Asuna!"

"Shirayuki!"

The two of them got off the bench to see Kazuto Kirigaya and a whie-haired boy of about nineteen come out of the crowd. Asuna gave Kazuto a quick peck on the check, and turned to see Shirayuki holding hands with the other boy, who she realized must be Zen Wisteria.

"Zen and I ran into each other when I was on my way here." Kazuto explained. "Since we were heading to the same place, we decided to walk together."

"And look what happened." Zen chuckled. "Seems our respective partners also met. Funny how that worked out."

"You can say that again, Master."

The group turned to see a third boy, with raven hair, golden eyes that resembled a cat's with a lean build approach. Kazuto raised his eyebrows at the use of the term "master".

"This is Obi." Shirayuki explained. "He's a good friend of ours, and rather protective of me, seeing as he works for Zen as well."

"I see,"' Asuna said. "Well, now that we're all acquainted...would you like to join us for a bit? We were going to have a lunch date at the plaza that's not far from here, and we don't mind company."

"Well, why not?" Zen nodded. "We've got plenty of time before we need to head back to the hotel we're staying at. So lead the way."
-

As the five of them headed off into the park, Kazuto asked Shirayuki why she was wearing a tan hood in the current spring weather.

"Well, it's mostly just a habit." she said, pulling it down to reveal her shining, apple-red hair, stunning Asuna and Kazuto. "It's rather rare where we come from, and I've gotten some unwanted attention because of it."

"Well, I for one think it's quite beautiful." Asuna complimented.

"And that makes two of us." Zen added, smiling.

"Oh, stop." Shirayuki giggled, though she couldn't hide her resulting blush. As they sat down on a grassy section near a fountain, Asuna produced a full picnic basket and some bottled water, along with napkins and utensils.

"If I had known we'd be in a group setting, I would've packed more." Asuna said apologetically.

"It's fine, we wouldn't want to impose on you, anyway." Zen replied. Asuna set out the boxed meals and snacks she had brought, and with some help from Kazuto, they split the meal they had packed initially for two into enough portions for everyone to have their fill.

"This is great." Zen said. "You're a fantastic cook, Asuna. I don't think I've had anything that tasted this good in a while. So, thank you."

"You're welcome, Zen." Asuna replied. "So, what are your plans while you're here?"

"Well, for the most part, we've been in meetings nonstop." Zen said. "I do government work on a daily basis. Mostly due to my social status back home."

"That makes sense." Kazuto replied. "Did you come here on vacation, then?"

"This was more of a diplomatic trip to begin with." Zen replied. "We've been talking with so many people for nearly a full day now...we needed some time to unwind."

"Well, I can sympathize with that." Asuna replied. "My dad's retired, but he was a former CEO. I've been to a lot of parties, a few galas, some business meetings, and the list goes on."

"Well, that's a relief." Zen shrugged. "Honestly, with the amount of paperwork I'm missing back home...I want to make sure I make the most of all my free time."

"That's a good way to think." Kazuto nodded. As they continued to eat while time passed, Asuna heard footsteps coming their way, and a familiar voice spoke.

"Well, hello, Asuna, Kazuto. I see you've met Zen, Obi, and Shirayuki."

Asuna looked up to see her father, Shouzou Yuuki, approach and give a wave of greeting as he sat down.

"Dad?" Asuna asked, now quite confused. "What's going on?"

"It's a very long story." Shouzou replied. "But I can say that I've been hosting Zen and Shirayuki at the Plaza Hotel."

"Which we are very grateful for." Shirayuki said.

"And as I said, it's quite alright." he replied to the red-haired girl. "Anyway, if you'd like to hear the whole story...Asuna, Kazuto, you can come back to the hotel with us, and I can explain properly."

"Okay…" Asuna replied. "Kazuto, will you help me pack up?"

"Sure thing."

As Asuna and Kazuto packed up the picnic basket, disposed of a few used napkins, and followed the others towards the Plaza Hotel, Asuna and Kazuto could only wonder about what was to come, and what it had to do with their new friends.