Sword Art Online-Encroaching Shadows

Chapter 39

"Let's go, everyone inside! Hurry it up Himeko." Sister Katherine looked toward the western horizon as the sun began to set over the Saitama prefecture. Nearly two dozen children ranging from as young as eight years old up to sixteen jogged into the large building that functioned as their home. When the last one sprinted through the wooden double doors of the church, Sister Katherine gave one last look over the open playground before turning and following everyone inside.

"I'm starving!" One of the girls bounded through the hall, her black twin tails shaking back and forth with each step.

"You're always starving Himeko. Nothing new there." Himeko pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest slowing down next to the girl who had responded.

"Are you calling me fat Rika?" The girl jabbed her finger into Himeko's side making her yelp in surprise.

"My finger almost got sucked in! That was close!" Rika could barely contain her laughter with each word as Himeko turned red with anger. Rika Sakurai and Himeko Tachibana, sixteen and fifteen years old respectively had been best friends for the better part of the last six years. They both had grown up here in Saitama after Sister Katherine took them into the orphanage. Both arrived the same day which created a common ground for the two on which their friendship grew.

Himeko was the louder of the two and tended to cause the most trouble. Being one of the older kids in the orphanage meant she held a certain level of respect from the younger ones. A fact she would often exploit. It didn't help that at fifteen years old she was already becoming a beautiful young woman. Her hair was always perfectly straight, tied back into two tails. As black as her hair was it always seemed to shine in the sun. Energetic, combative, and proud were the three words most used to describe Himeko and she never denied any of it. She was tall and athletic which garnered a lot of envy from other girls.

Rika, being the older of the two, was the only person able to keep up with Himeko. In fact she was the only one who seemed able to challenge her. Rika's attractiveness came not only from the physical aspect of her body, but also her intelligence. She shared the same hair color as Himeko, but wore hers in a single ponytail tied back behind her head. Whereas Himeko tended to speak without thinking, Rika always thought about her words before she spoke. They were both charismatic and respected in their own ways, and being best friends meant that they were regarded as the idols of their orphanage.

"You're just jealous of my body Rika." Himeko flipped her hair with a hand and turned her nose upwards in a mock gesture of superiority.

"Hmmm, too bad there's not enough to be jealous of." Rika sent the barb that she knew would trigger Himeko's fury. They were friends, but that didn't mean they didn't enjoy teasing each other.

"Oh ha ha! Very funny!" Himeko rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the one thing she was jealous of Rika for. Unfortunately not all women are created equal and the powers that be had decided to bless Rika just a bit more than they did Himeko. She glanced down at her chest before looking back up at Rika who was already smiling broadly.

"I heard drinking milk helps." Rika turned forward, walking proudly as Himeko continued to fume.

"You would know since you carry those things around all day." Himeko growled angrily making Rika laugh and put her arm around her friend.

"Hello girls." The two rounded a corner and stopped just in time before running into the group of boys.

"Hey Shinji." Himeko waved and smiled playfully at the boy who had called out to them. Shinji Hasegawa was to the boys what Himeko and Rika was to the girls. He was handsome and confident. The boys admired him and the girls adored him. He was the same age as Rika putting him a year older than Himeko. It was common knowledge that the two had eyes for one another.