"Ok class, we'll stop here for today. Assignment files 25 and 26 have been sent to you, please complete and upload them by next week."
With the sound of the bell's chime declaring an end to the morning period, the teacher turned off the large panel monitor and left the room, after which a relaxed atmosphere drifted across the vast classroom.
I manipulated the old-fashioned mouse connected to the terminal and opened the downloaded assignments for a quick glance. After sighing at the lengthy questions that were likely to be both plentiful and mind numbing, I unplugged the mouse and closed the terminal, tossing both into my backpack.
Still, that chime was quite similar to the sound of the chapel at the starting city on Aincrad's 1st floor. If they had designed the tone knowing this fact, the designers of this school building have quite a dark sense of humor.
Of course, none of the students wearing a matching uniform seemed to worry about that. They were chatting happily while leaving the classroom in groups of three and five to the cafeteria.
Zipping up my backpack, I slung it over my shoulder and was going to stand up when the boy that I got along with in the next seat looked up and spoke to me.
"Ah, Kazu, if you are going to the cafeteria, save me a seat."
Before I could answer, another student who sat next to him answered with a grin.
"Don't bother, Kazu has an audience with the «Princess» today."
"Oh, I see. Damn that's nice."
"Yeah, well, that's how it is. Sorry."
I put up my hand to forestall their usual complaining and slipped out of the classroom.
I walked briskly through the pale green hallway and out into the middle courtyard through an emergency exit, feeling relief as the sounds of lunch time faded away, I took a breath. Brand-new bricks painted a path surrounded by trees. The school building that I could see over the top of the trees was bare concrete with a cold appearance, but it was such an excellent campus that I could hardly believe it was a reused building left vacant by overall consolidation.
I followed the trail for a few more minutes, passing through a tunnel of greenery and found myself in a small round garden. Along the edge of the garden, surrounded by flowers, were plain wooden benches, one of which had a female student sitting while looking at the sky by herself.
Long brown hair hung straight down the back of her uniform's dark green blazer. Her skin was still pale white, but a tinge of red like that of roses had recently started returning to her cheeks.
Her long, slender legs were covered by taut black tights. Her figure, staring intently at the sky with the toe of her loafer making a pitter-patter sound as it tapped on the ground, was indescribably lovely. I stopped at the entrance of the garden, leaning on the trunk of a tree, continuing to watch the girl in silence.
She unexpectedly glanced over to where I was and broke into a smile as soon as she saw me. Then her face changed to a prim expression and she closed her eyes, with a 'Fuun', turning her head away.
I approached the bench with a wry smile and called out to her.
"Sorry for the wait, Asuna."
Asuna looked at me for an instant, pouting.
"Oh, why does Kirito-kun always try to watch from the shadows whenever he sees me?"
"My bad, my bad. Perhaps, I might have what it takes to be a stalker."
"Eh~......"
I sat down next to Asuna who was making an unpleasant face while leaning away, and stretched hugely.
