The Black Swordsman

Chapter 3: Bread

2 Weeks Before SAO Incident:

Asuna Yuuki, wearing her school uniform and with her hair tied in a small ponytail, made her way down the long stairs of the Yuuki estate, her home. As soon as she reached the bottom of the grand staircase, she ran into the estate's house keeper, Sada Akiyo, an older woman with brown hair tied back and eyes of the same color. She had the same forced smile on her face that she always had on, to appease Asuna's mother. Asuna felt bad for the woman. She had a heart of gold and actually did more to take care of Asuna than her own mother did and she always did her best to make sure that the woman knew how much Asuna appreciated all that she did.

"Hello, Ms. Yuuki, I just finished preparing your breakfast and your lunch is waiting for you on the countertop in the kitchen", Sada explained, as she pointed to the kitchen.

"Thank you so much, Sada", Asuna said, gratefully.

Asuna pulled out a pack of Pokémon cards from one of her pockets, that she had bought on the way home from school the day prior and handed them to Sada with a bright smile on her face.

"Here you go", Asuna offered as Sada was speechless from the offer. "Your two boys are big fans of these cards, aren't they? I heard some of the boys at my school talk about this shop that sells them in large quantities and decided to drop by there, after school, yesterday. I thought your boys would really like a pack, so I bought one for them. I know it isn't much but...I just thought they would like it."

The look of shock on Sada's face turned into the first genuine smile that Asuna had ever seen on the woman's face. She bowed to Asuna, politely, and took the card pack from her.

"This is...incredibly kind of you, Ms. Yuuki. You have such a big heart. I'm sure my kids are going to love this."

"I-it's nothing. You do so much work for my mother and I both and I know that you barely have any time to see your boys and—"

Sada rested her hand, gently, on Asuna's shoulder.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I admit, working for your mother can be stressful at times but working for you has been nothing short of a blessing. Don't be too hard on yourself, alright?"

Asuna nodded her head, yes.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your mother wanted a word with you, before you headed out to your school field trip, today. You're going to...a planetarium, correct?"

Asuna smiled at the reminder.

"Yes, I'm really excited about it. I've always wanted to go to a planetarium, ever since I was little. It was one of the few places that my dad never got the chance to take me too. I love watching the stars. They're so pretty."

Sada chuckled to herself.

"I'm sure there will be an abundance of stars for you to enjoy during your time there, miss. I hope you have a great time. You deserve it for all of the hard work you've been putting into school these last couple of years. Your grades are truly impressive."

Asuna's smile faded at the mention of her grades.

"Well, I should probably get started on my other duties for the day. Thank you so much for the gift, Ms. Yuuki. I'll be sure to tell my boys that you were the one who bought this for them."

Asada bowed, sincerely, and then made her way up the large staircase to begin her duties around the massive house.

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Asuna made her way into her mother's office, which was where her mother spent the majority of her time throughout the day. The office was full of large boring books and the only light that was utilized in the room was a small lamp at her mother's desk, where she sat in front of her computer. As soon as her mother saw her standing in front of her, she closed her laptop and folded her arms across her chest.