Looking For Something Real (Sword Art Online)

14. The First Day

Chapter 14- April 14th 2025 "The First Day"

SAO Survivors School

The hostel which had been set up for the survivors attending the school was actually rather impressive, I was expecting it to be shared rooms but each pupil had their own space.

It seemed to be an old converted hotel of sorts, with each of the living spaces consisting of three rooms. Behind each door was a small living room which had a single chair, a two seat sofa, a sink and a small fridge. The second room had a toilet and shower, while the last was a bedroom just large enough for a single bed and a wardrobe.

The hostel had been split in two between boys and girls dormitories and at the centre of the hostel separating the two, was a large cafeteria which served breakfast, lunch and dinner to the pupils. It also had an area with a pool table and several sofas set up to act as a place to socialise.

However I had little time to actually check out these facilities since I spent most of Saturday traveling and had spent all of Sunday with my brother and father.

I had tried to keep an eye out for someone who looked like Liz, but with the hostel split into male and female dorms and the fact that I hadn't visited the cafeteria beyond my initial tour I hadn't seen many female survivors at all.

However a few pupils had caught my attention. Just like Kirito had said I saw a few people I recognised from one place or another. I was thankful that I was nowhere near as famous as Asuna or Kirito and that I could slip under the radar.

In fact I had made it all the way to lunchtime on the first day and thus far had only been recognised once.

That morning, when I sat down on one of the school buses which shuttled pupils from the hostel to the school, a small girl had rushed up the aisle to take the seat next to me. I looked down at her a little confused as she smiled up at me. Eventually the penny dropped as I looked into her azure eyes.

"Tori?" I asked.

The girl leaped at me and took me in her arms. "Tyzn, I didn't know you were going to this school."

"Errr... yeah it's my first day." I answered feeling a little awkward at the affection.

"It's good to see you again, if we are at the same school it means I can thank you for saving me every day."

I patted Tori on the back gently and replied. "There's no need for that, you helped us save many more people. You're the real hero."

Tori let go of me and beamed a smile straight at me. "Well if I can't thank you I can at least sit with you on the way to school right? I mean you are like a big brother to me."

This was getting awkward, but I could at least understand her affections, even if it was a little weird. "Ok sure."

We spent the rest of the journey talking about where we had come from, the school and the housing complex in which we stayed. As we arrived at the school we said our goodbyes and went to our respective classes.

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Like Kirito had said, it just felt like a normal school after that. The pupils all shuffled from one class to the next chatting and gossiping before settling down to hear teachers give their lectures. It all felt so familiar.

As the lunch bell tolled I left my math class and walked out into the corridor, through the hustle and bustle of the students I was trying to glimpse a sign to show me to the cafeteria, when I caught sight of someone out of the corner of my eye. I did a double take and my eyes went wide as I saw her.