A Life Too Safe

Chapter 7: Otaku Gathering

For the next two days, we spent any time we could watching Sword Art Online. Sadly, with the storm, we only had been able to keep watching up to the same certain point, in which Kirito would teach a newbie named Klein how to attack after he gets his groin hit by a boar, who is supposed to be as weak as slime in other MMORPG. We never got further than that. Our home wifi was failing as well, so we got bored and all decided to head out. The line at the opening of OtakUniverse would be worth waiting in in the end.

"Are you guys sure you need all that?" Natsumi asked, bewildered.

"What? We're traveling light!" Yami said, carrying two big bags. "Besides, we're entering a contest, and we'll need to change to different costumes!"

Even with her confusing logic, I still couldn't help wonder why I had to carry almost all the other stuff, an had to change into two other costumes too.

"Now, remember Ryuu! You need to remember these lines! Apparently, they were really dramatic lines from the series." Yami explained, being the "overnight Wikipedia reader" and "barely learned this stuff but I'm the know-it-all" tutor she was.

I read over the lines. "You want me to remember these?! All of these?!"

"Do you want to win?"

"It'd be nice."

"Then shut up, read one, and say it as much like Kirito as possible."

Sighing, I looked down the list and chose one.

Let's see if this'll impress her, I thought.

I looked towards Yami, and read aloud:

"If you married some, that means you lie every side of your magnificent other." I said, acting as sincere as possible, trying to be like the person who could actually say such a thing to a girl he likes. I paused, even taking a moment to gently clasp Yami's hand and look in her eyes before I continued. "So if you find a new side after to love, doesn't that mean you'll love your partner even more?"

I paused after that, slowly letting go of her hand. I grinned in that way people do where their eyes are closed. I asked, scratching my head, "So? How'd I do?" They stood there, amazed, Yami's jaw dropped. "W-whoa..." Natsumi stuttered. I looked at Yami, her face turning deep red.

"Hey, are you okay Yami? You coming down with a fever or something?"

"H-huh?" She stuttered.

I walked up, placing my forehead against the back of my hand as I placed it on her forehead. "It doesn't seem like you've got one. Well, anyway," I said, hoisting my bag back up on my shoulder, "take it easy. We wouldn't want you getting sick, now would we?"

I turned, walking along towards the street that would lead to the corner where it would eventually lead to OtakUniverse. I stopped, looked back over my shoulder, seeing Natsumi and Yami talking, huddled together. "Well," I called out, over to them, "you girls coming?"

"O-oh! Y-yeah!" Yami called out, realizing how far away I had already gotten. "Just wait a second!"

Hm..maybe she's just tired...

* * * * * * * *

25 minutes later....

"Whoa. this crowd is huge!" Natsumi exlaimed as we tried to travel across the sea of fans.

"Yeah, thank goodness we all decided it would be best to tie ourselves together like a group." Yami commented. "Yeah, because you were slowing us down. You were so smal compared to all the other people around us that I almost decided holding you up and having you sitting on my shoulders." I said this, pulling her rope so she would still be close. "Huh? Wh-why didn't you tell me? I want out of this rope! Let me get a ride!" "No riding me! I'm still in my Kirito costume!" I tried to keep my distance from her, but she grabbed on my arm and wouldn't let go. I lifted my arm up, and she was dangling off the ground. I laughed as I realized she was acting like Aria from "Aria The Scarlet Ammo", and Yami just puffed her face at me. "What's so funny? If you don't tell me, I will bite!" "Nothing. It's just that...Aria...and you...hehe.." "Huh, what was that? What about Aria?" "Remember when she went into Kinji's house for the first time?" "Huh?" She puased, looking at the sky, trying to remember. "........Oh yeah! HAH! I LOVED THAT MOMENT!" "Ahem," Natsumi spoke up, "can we keep moving? We're almost at the front."