Arc-V: Collection of Stories

Spiral Fantasy Online (SAO-esque AU)

"Yuya, darling. There's new card expansions on the store. Do you want to buy it?" Yoko asked softly, knocking her son's room.

"No." came the faint reply from inside. "I'm not... in the mood. But if Okaa-san like to..."

Yoko wonders how many times her heart could break into million pieces and still can break.

It started about a month ago.

Her husband is supposed to duel The Sledgehammer, to see who can hold the title of champion. She still remembered how excited Yuya was that day. He had been unable to sleep the night before and yet he still managed to wake up early. He had insisted to arrive early despite the duel won't be held until hours later.

She still remembered what he said that day.

"Waiting is fine! We can pick best seat!"

But hours waiting and Yusho did not show up.

"Okaa-san, where's Otou-san?"

Yoko did not know what to answer.

Nor what to say when Yusho was disqualified for absent.

Things become downhill from there on.

People began to call Yusho cowards, saying he had run away from the duel. Yoko refused to believe so. Her husband was not a coward.

Furthermore, he never goes home and there's no way for her to contact him. The phone line goes unanswered, stated to be out of reach.

She was worried someone kidnapped her husband.

She remembered of storming the police station with Syuzo with her, asking them to investigate the disappearance of her husband. He had been missing over almost a week and no letter or call for ransom had arrived and it make her sick with worry! The police assured that they will do their best but,

But there was no lead.

It was as if Yusho had disappears from face of earth.

Sakaki become a name to be mocked. To be pitied.

Yoko had to endure whispering of "poor woman, abandoned by her husband" and whispering that her husband had found a mistress and eloped. The way people looked down on her, condescension, false pity, and rumors, she had to bore it all and keep herself strong.

All for her son.

Her son who has just a bad time as her, if not worse.

When they say children are cruel, it was not an exaggeration.

With people calling Yusho cowards, his family bore the brunt of the fallout.

Yuya was branded as Son of a Coward and being bullied for it. Oh, make no mistake, he never tells her any about it. Her son is sweet like that. But there's no way she did not pick up how other children mocks her son when she picks him up from school. Once, she even heard some child bet when she is going to disappears and abandon him like her husband did.

The nerve!

Yoko tried to assure him that the world is sooner become hell and being destroyed before she abandons him. And Yuya smiled at that.

But the damage is done.

Yuya had become withdrawn. Shrinking away from another child. It starts slow.

The way he preferred staying indoors or at You Show and not going to the park to play, if not for Yuzu-chan or Noboru-kun invites him to play. Even then, he become increasingly creative at making excuses to refuse the invitation. In the event he agrees to play, he would do it quick then going home.