Sword Art Online - Phantom Bullet

Chapter 4

The moment she stepped through the school gates, a dry and chill wind blew against her face.

Asada Shino paused, tightly re-wrapping her white muffler.

Wearing cell-frame glasses, with more than half her face hidden in the fabric of the muffler, she once again started walking. She continued at a brisk pace on the sidewalk covered by autumn leaves, heaving a small sigh from deep within her chest.

...Now, out of the total 608 days for 3 years worth of high school, 156 days have passed.

A quarter at last. With that thought, she was staggered by the asceticism that was imposed on her for much too long. However, if she were to add in middle school, then already 60 percent of the days had faded away into the past. It will end, someday... it will end, someday. She repeated those words in her mind like a mantra.

Of course, although graduation day was approaching, it wasn't as if she had something she wanted to do or someone she wanted to become. Simply, her current self was in the middle of being forced to belong; she wanted to be free from the group known as «high school students».

Attending that asylum-like place day by day, listening to the lectures of lethargic teachers, exercising and doing other things alongside a bunch of people whom she doubted had changed in even a single way since childhood. What kind of meaning was there in doing any of that? Shino really could not understand. In very exceptional circumstances, there were also teachers who gave lessons which she found meaningful, and there were also students who should be respected. But to Shino, none of their existences were essential.

Shino had once told her grandparents, now her legal guardians, that she wanted to work immediately or train for employment at a vocational school, rather than go to high school. Her old-fashioned grandfather had turned red with anger, while her grandmother had cried, saying that she wanted Shino to properly go to a good school and marry into a good family, otherwise she wouldn't be able to stand apologizing to Shino's father. She had little choice but to study desperately, getting admitted into a fairly well-known metropolitan high school in Tokyo, but she was surprised when she entered and got a look. There was essentially no change at all from the public middle school in her hometown.

In the end Shino, just as she had in middle school, routinely counted the remaining days as she journeyed out of the school gates each day.

Shino lived alone in an apartment located halfway between the school and the JR train station. Although it was only the size of six tatami mats, no larger than a small household kitchen, it was nice and conveniently situated right next to the shopping district.

The shopping district at half-past three in the afternoon still did not have many people in sight.

First, Shino browsed through the shelf display of the bookstore. Though she found a new book from her favorite author, she held back because it was a hard cover copy and left the store. If she reserved it online, in about a month she could borrow it from the municipal library.

Next, she went to the stationery store to buy an eraser and a grid-ruled notebook. After checking the remaining amount in her purse, she headed to the supermarket located in the middle of the shopping district while thinking about the menu for dinner. Naturally, Shino's dinners were simple and basic meals. As long as the balance of nutrition, calories, and cost were met, taste and appearance were of secondary importance.

While thinking of making carrot and celery soup along with a tofu hamburger, she passed the front of the game center next to the supermarket she was about to enter.

"Asada~—"

In the space between the two shops, a voice called out to Shino from the narrow alley.