Sword Art Online: Faithful Hymn

Chapter 49: False Notions

It has been an hour since I have given not only Yuuki a well-deserved treatment. Even though I don't feel that guilty about it anymore, since Yuuki got good reasons attached to them, I can't help it but to feel guilt a little bit at least. After we finished our 'job' and continued to clear the dungeon, with Yuuki dominating while I was merely spectating, we separated and I eventually left the VRMMO world.

I now then return to the real world, seeing that no one is around me. The moment I regain my consciousness in the real world though, I realize that something already is rather off. Instead of waking up calmly when I ascended to the real world at Asuna's home, I feel more pressured. And it's not just my worries regarding telling Yuna the truth about what happened that make me feel pressured, because this feels way more different than the moment I woke up from Sword Art Online, all those years ago.

Looking around me though, I don't see anything out of the ordinary. Looking at myself immediately after, nothing strange to be seen. It may just be my imagination, and for that reason I think it's best to look for Yuna, checking out where she could be right now. Since Yuna would never leave the house on her own, or without alerting me, the only place she could possibly be right now is downstairs.

"Yuna?" I call out her name, towards the direction of the stairs of my home. It didn't take long before I could hear a chair shove across the floor, and some footsteps coming my way. She sure sounds hasty. This sure gives me the feeling that I've been away for an eternity, with Yuna only being eager for my return. The white-haired idol runs upstairs, with me being barely able to catch her jumping into my arms. She was just so fast, that my body wouldn't be able to resist her quick movement.

"Shoji! It felt like a lifetime!" Yuna blissfully tells me while she continues to hug me. The more and more she seeks comfort from me, the more anxious I get. I know how I should approach Yuna on this, regarding Yuuki and Asuna, but there's no telling how she will respond to it. Before she is able to give me any more comfort, I prevent her from doing this by allowing myself to talk first.

"Yuna, there is something I have to tell you. Can you come downstairs please?" I tell her, with clear fear in my throat. She may or may not be able to hear that fear, but she definitely knows something is up now. She also doesn't hesitate to reply.

"Wha... of course." Yuna then interrupts what she wanted to ask. Knowing myself, I usually don't sound serious, excluding moments like this. As I descend down the stairs, Yuna follows me, being curious about what I want to tell her...

****

"God damn it, can you believe it?!" a black-haired boy violently slams his hand against a table while clearly, being furious about something. The three people in front of the boy scratch their heads, not being sure what to think of the situation.

"Kazuto, take a deep breath. What did you say Asuna did?" A girl with similar dark hair asks Kirito, who is barely able to speak properly because of the rage that's driving him. Not only does the dark-haired girl wonder what he is going through. The two other girls around the table wonder the same thing.

"So Asuna, Yuuki and this other moron were playing ALO. Yuuki and that guy eventually got trapped in a way too obvious trap, so I raised suspicion. The moment Asuna and I were looking for a solution to free..."

"Wait a second. Who is this moron you are talking about?" a brown-haired girl who sits next to Kirito asks the boy, who clearly is not in the mood to be interrupted by someone else. Since Kirito is not the kind of person to yell at someone without a very good reason, he tries to calm down, not yelling at the girl for interrupting him.