Sword Art Online: Altforv

Intermission: A Birthday

Spring had lept on to the trees with pastel colors of green, pink, and white swirling outside the squished window that viewed into a tiny apartment, where Koharu and her roommate were sitting at a small table enjoying a meal.

The two had barely been living together for a month however had already started a routine in such a small time frame. So it came as a shock to Mai when Koharu dipped the spoonful of breakfast away from her lips and looked up at her friend.

"My parents are going to stop by for a quick visit today, and then I am getting a ride to go out for a bit," she said in a calm tone.

"Oh," Mai slightly jumped at the sudden announcement, "is something wrong?" Mai hadn't been sure if Koharu entirely liked living with her, sometimes she found the green eyes hard to read, and her voice was usually devoid of emotion save for the spare joke or remark here or there.

Koharu shakes her head, "No, everything is alright. I just felt like seeing them today and go out for a bit, luckily my parents happened to be free."

Mai taps her chopsticks slightly against the table and puts on a fragmented smile, "Alright, well, that sounds good to me. Are you coming back home in the evening?"

Koharu returns the uneasy smile, "Yeah, I should be back home by then." She then fixes her smile into something more genuine, "I have something for you, by the way."

"Eh?" Mai tilts her head, "You sure have a lot of surprises for one morning."

Koharu snickers some, "Sorry, I didn't know a gift would be a burden to you."

Mai's cheeks spark some as she shakes her head, "No it's not a burden, just alarming slightly. It's not my birthday, by the way." She decided to tag that last bit as she hadn't even mentioned to Koharu when her birthday was.

Koharu rolls her eyes, "It doesn't have to be your birthday, here, show your hands."

Mai sets down her chopsticks and holds her hands out over the table, a curious smile dancing on her lips. Koharu retrieved something from her pocket and pressed it into Mai's hands.

It was cold to the touch, and only when Koharu slips her hand away from her own that Mai saw the object. A small earring sized pin was in the palm of her hand, shaped like a jasmine flower.

"Oh," a breath escapes Mai, she wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't this, "thank you, it's beautiful."

"It's a brooch," Koharu explained, "my mother gave me one when I was little and I still have it. You are already pretty cute, I thought you could use something to help get that point across even more." She goes on, "I also figured, well, you have done a lot to help me even though I have done so little, I hoped that this could show you that I appreciate everything you do for me."

Mai finds it hard to keep the fire on her cheeks to stop burning, "Well thank you, this is certainly unexpected but-" she cuts herself off, trying to think of what to say but nothing comes to her.

Koharu finds herself snickering once again, "Your welcome," she says gently, just then there is sudden- Ba-ding! Koharu tilts her head to see her phone that had jumped in alarm and smiles, "My ride is here, would you mind helping me downstairs?"

Mai nods, finally letting the inferno on her face steam and cool as she gently helped Koharu downstairs. Koharu tells her friend good-bye and makes her way awkwardly out the front of the apartment complex lobby, where a familiar old black car was waiting.

As she approached a gentle-faced man exited the car, he was much taller than her, not that it was hard to be too much taller than Koharu, and as he drew closer Koharu couldn't help but smile. Then the man was followed by a woman who had onyx hair, faded with several gray streaks.