Time Of Our Lives; Kirisuna

Chapter 29: The Holidays

-Nearly 2 weeks later

Kirito POV:

With winter break already here, I wasn't the only one who was excited about the 24th! I've spent the first week and a half with my family.

I was quite happy since it was the first winter break since dad changed. We had a small party with some of my relatives coming over to celebrate it.

I've already asked Sugu if she wanted to come with me and the others to our winter retreat. She refused at first but I convinced her otherwise.

I've also asked permission from mom and dad if we could use our family's winter retreat and I was grateful that they did.

As I zipped my last bag where I kept my clothes in, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I said.

The door swung open and dad walked in.

"Here's the key card to the retreat." He said.

I took the small plastic card from him and said, "Thanks."

There was a moment of silence between us before he smiled, "You've grown, huh?"

A warm feeling made its way to my chest as I clenched the card. Grinning, I replied, "Yeah!"

He patted my head as he turned to leave, "I'll see you in a few days then."

I put on my winter jacket and swung my bag over my shoulder as I left my room.

"Can you handle things for me while I'm gone, Sage?" I said.

A blue hologram appeared before me in the shape of a human.

"Of course, sir." The hologram bowed.

"I guess he's figured out how to create a holographic avatar." I thought.

I smiled and waved goodbye, "See you in a few days then."

I arrived at the lobby and found the rest of them waiting for me.

"Bercouli will be coming with you." Mom said.

"Hm? Why?" I asked.

"Well, who's going to take you to the winter retreat?" She said.

"G-Good point," I said.

"I'll get the van ready." Bercouli left.

"You ready?" I turned to Sugu.

"Definitely!" She smiled.

We said our goodbyes to mom and dad and entered the van that Bercouli had prepared. Sugu sat at the front seat while I sat in the first row of the backseats.

As we drove to the plaza, I spoke up, "Say, Sugu..." She turned around to face me, "Do you think Asuna likes me?"

Her eyes widened all of a sudden as her mouth hung open, "W-Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

I looked away, "No reason. Just curious is all."

Over the past couple of months, my feelings for Asuna have grown stronger and I'm sure that I'm in love with her, but I didn't want to tell Sugu that just yet.

"If I didn't get into a fight with dad on her birthday I might not have realized that." I thought.

"Uhm..." Sugu said and I turned back to her, "Well, I'm not allowed to say how she feels about you. You'll just have to ask her yourself."

"I see," I said.

She smiled softly before facing forward once again. After a couple of minutes, we finally arrived at the plaza. Sugu and I exited the van and roamed around the area in search of the others. We quickly found them next to a giant cube.