Jealous of Her

Chapter 1

(A/N: Hello all, this is Akira, the author of Jealous of Her. This story was originally written and published in 2017, but I have rewritten it as of 2023.

Thus, the earlier comments on this book may not make much sense, as I have changed the writing and pacing quite a lot.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read Jealous of Her. I hope you enjoy it!)

~~~

Suguha's POV

Really?  I gave the quickly-approaching brunette a side-eye, checking the distance between us and her. Is she stalking us or something? Why is she always here whenever I'm trying to hang out with my cousin?

I looked away and kept up a brisk pace as I tried to think of any possible solution to get her away from us.

"Kirito!" I grinned quickly, and he turned to face me. His lips curved into a gentle smile and his eyes wrinkled the tiniest bit.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you'd want some sushi? I mean, it's been a while since we last ate, so why don't we grab lunch?" I suggested, shrugging. "There's a restaurant over there-" I pointed in the opposite direction of Asuna, "-that we could eat from. My treat!"

"Heh, sure, Leafa!" He agreed, smile growing wider. "Great timing, I was just getting hungry!"

"Yeah? Guess I can read your mind!" I swiftly grabbed onto Kirito's right arm, basically hugging it. "Think of a number from 1-10!"

"Hmm... Got it."

"You're thinking of... 7!"

"Lucky guess."

"Ha! See? It's the cousin telepathy!"

Kirito laughed and ruffled my hair.

"Oh, you," he teasingly said, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, let's go. Bet you can't eat more rolls than I can."

"Ohh, looks like someone's getting cocky! You're on!"

We headed out to the restaurant, and after a few paces, I glanced back at Asuna. Her head was cocked and mouth slightly parted. She caught my gaze and just gave me a slight smile before walking away.

My stomach lurched at her expression, but I kept walking. Served her right, anyway.

~~~

"Here we are!" Kirito announced, putting his hands on his hips as he grinned like a child. I chuckled at the sight, shaking my head. I swear, sometimes he seems more like my younger brother than my older brother...

He opened the door for me, and the bell overhead jingled to signify a customer entering the restaurant.

"After you, m'lady," he bowed.

"Why, thank you, kind sir!" I played along, putting a hand over my heart.

"Table for two, please!" I said to the NPC at the front desk. She nodded politely.

"Please follow me," she replied and showed us to our table, which we quickly sat down at. "Here are your menus. Please ring this bell when you're ready to order." She briskly walked back to the front desk, and I turned to my menu, my eyes feasting on the images of fresh fish.

"What do you want to have, Kirito?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the delectable appetizers. My stomach let out a growl, but thankfully the chatter of other people covered it up.

"I haven't decided yet, there's too much good food here!" He exclaimed, starry-eyed as he scanned the menu, his grin widening more and more.

"Well, this is the top-rated restaurant in this town, after all! I've been meaning to visit it for a while."

We sat in silence for a moment as we each picked out a few dishes for ourselves.

"So, what do you want to do after this?" I asked. "There's a new quest on- one made for sylphs and spriggans. Wanna do that?"

"Ah, I need to leave after," he said apologetically, rubbing his neck. "Mom wants me to go out to buy groceries."

"Oh, okay," I tried not to look too down about it. "That's fine! That just means we'll do it next time, 'kay?"

"Alright, next time!"

Soon, our table was covered in an assortment of dishes and we cracked open our chopsticks in unison.

"Ready?" He grinned.

"Let the challenge begin!"

"Whew, that was a really great meal!" Kirito rubbed his stomach, grinning. "We should come by here more often!"

"Yeah, sure!" I agreed, leaning forward. "Hehe, you've got a bit of rice near your mouth. Let me get it for you." I began to reach upwards to swipe away the grains of rice.

A slight shove on my back pushed me onto Kirito, my lips brushing against his. We both leaped backwards immediately and I whirled around, looking for the source of the push, but no one was there.

"I... you..." He muttered, not believing what just happened. People whispered all around us.

"Isn't he the Black Swordsman? Hero of SAO?"

"Yeah, and he's dating The Flash!"

"Oh my God, he's cheating on her?"

"What?! Shouldn't he know better...? I mean, just because he's all famous, it doesn't mean he can go around breaking girls' hearts."

I yelped, "No, no, I didn't mean to- I didn't-"

But Kirito stood up suddenly, and ran out the door, leaving me by myself.

"Hey- wait!" I cried, rushing after him, but the NPC at the front desk stopped me.

"Miss, you cannot leave without paying for your meal," she said, her smile dipping a bit. I shoved the money in her hands, then kicked open the door and activated my 'Search' skill, looking for Kirito.

"Kirito, where are you?" I screamed when I couldn't find him. "Did he already leave? I didn't mean to kiss him! I didn't want to... I... Damn it." I shook my head and went back into the restaurant. Everyone stared at me, and I could feel their eyes digging into me, passing judgment like they were the gods up above. I took a deep breath to alleviate the pressure.

"I swear, I wasn't trying to pull anything," I addressed them. "I was pushed."

"Yeah, right!" A Salamander girl spat at me. "I bet you'd do anything for attention."

"You're just another one of 'those' girls," an Undine guy crossed his arms.

"Yeah!" More people started to join in. I bit my tongue.

"Believe what you want, but I'm telling the truth. I guess it's just hard for you to comprehend," I turned around. "You'd say this stuff to me online, but in-person, I bet you'd keep it to yourself. Because on the internet... you can be anyone you want. But, really, I must ask you... Is this truly who you want to be?"

The door closed with a jingle.