"Thanks, Rinko-chan," thanked Kouichirou. He smiled at his old college kouhai as she smiled back at him.
"Take care of yourself, ok, senpai?" she said before driving off.
Kouichirou held onto the handle of his luggage, watching Rinko drive away before she was no longer in his sight. He turned around to at the engawa house he lives in. He walked towards the front door, unlocking it with his key before opening and entering his home.
The inside has a modern yet luxurious structure with the furniture and other features a son of a rich family should have. Although he earned his money from working, he still feels like he's getting it from his father since he works for him as the Chief Financing Officer.
"I'm home," Kouichirou called out.
There was no response. Why would there be? He lives alone, after all. No pets, no wife. When his parents try to arrange marriages for him, he always pushes the girls they choose for him away. All the girls they choose are either snotty brats or boring women.
Kouichirou walked into his large living room and sat down on his white XL sectional sofa. He lifted his legs and rested them on top of his coffee table as he leaned his head back on the sofa.
The young man felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. When he pulled his phone out, he looked at the screen to see who was calling him at this time.
The name "Mayumi Reynolds" is read on the screen. She was a friend he met in America when he had a business meeting there a year ago. They got along pretty well and shared some interests. They stayed in contact after their meeting, but he felt no romantic feelings towards her, nor does he believe that she does either.
Kouichirou pressed the green answer button on his screen before hearing the phone to his ear.
"Hello?" he said in English, where he then hears a response from a woman's voice.
"I heard what happened with the game. Are you all right?" Mayumi asked with a worried tone.
"Well, it's not like I'm in the game," chuckled Kouichirou softly in response.
"But I thought you had a copy since you were involved in the game development?"
Kouichirou's face grimaced as his hand started shaking a bit while holding the phone. "I..." he was about to tell Mayumi about what happened to Asuna but stopped himself. "... I do, but I didn't get to play at launch because of a business trip," he fakes a laugh softly to hide his pain.
Kouichirou didn't hear a response from Mayumi. Only silence. It took a few seconds until she finally spoke.
"Are you hiding something?" Mayumi asked suspiciously.
"W-What?" stuttered Kouichirou. "I got nothing to hide, don't worry about me!"
There was silence again from Mayumi for another few seconds before he hears her voice in a serious tone.
"Fine then," Mayumi acknowledged. "Are you still in Japan?"
"Still in Setagaya, why?" he questioned.
"Good. I'm in South Korea right now, so I can book a flight and head over there as fast as I can."
Kouichirou's raised a brow from hearing what Mayumi said. "Huh?" he exclaimed. "What the hell you on about, Reynolds?"
"I know you well enough that you aren't the type to fess up unless it's in person," Mayumi stated. "So, I'm gonna come to you to get answers outta you! And you better pick me up from the airport!"
Who am I, her boyfriend? Kouichirou thought to himself as he facepalms himself. "Fine, fine, I will."
"Good!" chirped Mayumi, hearing a giggle follow afterwards. "I'll start packing, and I'll see you soon!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Yumi-chan," he chuckled softly, feeling a bit better thanks to her. "It's getting late here, so see ya."
"See you soon, Kouichi-kun!" she hung afterwards.
Kouichirou sighed as he puts his phone down to his side. He got up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen, going to the fridge to open it to grab a cold can of beer to drink his problems away.
When he opened the fridge, he had a disappointed expression on his face. There was no alcohol inside. He sighed and closed the fridge.
"I'll get more tomorrow."
~~~
The next day, Kouichirou exited out of a liquor store with a six-pack of beer. He walked to the store since it wasn't far from his home.
As he was walking back, a black sedan pulled over next to him. Catching Kouichirou's attention, he looks over at the side window as it rolled down, revealing a Japanese man in his 20s (probably the same age as Kouichirou) with short black hair and glasses.
The Japanese man smiled at him. "Yuuki Kouichirou, am I correct?" He asked with a polite tone.
Kouichirou raised a brow at him, wondering who this stranger was. He nodded in response before answering. "Yes, I am."
"Need a ride?" the stranger asked.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" questioned Kouichirou. He started to get suspicious of this man.
The stranger chuckled and shook his head. "I apologize for my rudeness," he bowed his head before lifting it back up to face him again. "My name is Kikouka Seijirou. I am an investigator in the SAO Case Victims Rescue Squad."
"A government guy, huh?" stated Kouichirou. "Only our government could think of shitty squad names."
The man, now known as Kikouka, only smiled at Kouichirou.
"May you come inside, Yuuki-sama?" Kikouka requests from him. "I'd like to talk."
Kouichirou sighed and walked around the car to get on from the other side. He sits down on the passenger seat next to Kikouka as he puts the pack of beer in between his legs.
"What is it you wanna talk about?"
"You are friends with Kayaba Akihiko, correct?" Kikouka asked. "You both were a part of the Mathematics club in high school."
Kouichirou chuckled softly as he looked down. "That club had geniuses with heads so far up their asses, they might as well be retarded," he chuckled a bit more as he continued. "Aki and I were the only two in that club who didn't give a damn, yet we were the MVPs in every competition they put us in."
"You both are prodigies," Kikouka said as he pulled out a folder from a bag, opening it to look at some documents that were inside. "You both scored the highest in your classes, sometimes even switching from the #1 and #2 spot in the school's overall grades."
"It was never a competition between us," Kouichirou sighs. "My old man expects me to do better than everyone, so I didn't have much of a choice but to reach for the top."
"You both went to the same college," Kikouka continued asking questions.
"Toto Institute of Technology," Kouichirou said.
"Right," the investigator nodded. "Now I wanna ask about the development of the NerveGear."
"I'm telling you," interrupted Kouichirou. "I did not know that the NerveGear would end up like that," he continued. "Aki and I did the blueprints for it, and we didn't put any device that can kill the wearer."
"I understand that you don't know," says Kikouka. "I am more worried about Kayaba being responsible."
Kouichirou looks at Kikouka with glaring eyes. "What? You think he's a suspect?"
"He is the number one suspect of this case," Kikouka confessed. "Ever since the game launched, he disappeared, as if he's trying to hide."
"That's bullshit," Kouichirou rebukes Kikouka's claim. "Why the hell would he wanna trap people in the game? It makes no sense."
"That's why we want to know where he is," Kikouka closed the folder. "Any idea where he would be?"
"Did you not check his house?" asked Kouichirou.
"No one was home," Kikouka answered. "We've been monitoring the house, and he hasn't been home since."
"Well, good luck with that," Kouichirou opened the door to get out of the vehicle.
"Wait," Kikouka stopped Kouichirou, who turned around to face him.
The investigator took out a small card from his suit and handed it to Kouichirou with both hands. "If you find out where he is, please call."
Kouichirou looked down at the card before taking it. "Sure," he bowed his head and grabbed his beer before closing the door and walking away from the vehicle.
~~~
The next day, Kouichirou was waiting in the airport terminal in Tokyo. Mayumi arrives today.
"Kouichi-kun!" a young woman shouted.
Kouichirou turned his head towards the escalator and saw the wavy-blonde-haired Japanese-American run down the escalator, squeezing through the people in front of her. She wore an elegant brown, long, woollen Korean-style coat over her black turtleneck that complimented the black leggings she wore with her black heel boots.
She really did come from Korea. Kouichirou thought to himself as he looked down at what he was wearing. He wore a dark grey field jacket over a light grey dress shirt with jeans and boots.
Kouichirou watches as Mayumi ran towards him with her luggage before stopping in front of the tall Japanese man.
"You know we're close to winter, right?" Kouichirou asked the half-Japanese girl with a smirk on his face, looking at the blonde.
"You don't look hot either, Yuuki Kouichirou," giggled Mayumi as she smirks back at him. "Let's go, shall we?"
Kouichirou sighs and nodded before escorting Mayumi out of the terminal and to the parking lot where his car was.
"Drove here by yourself, rich boy?" Mayumi teases the Japanese man as he opened the door to the driver's seat.
"I'm old enough to drive on my own," Kouichirou sighed before going inside of the car as Mayumi did the same.
Kouichirou started the engine and drove out onto the highway, making his way back home.
"Tell me what's wrong," Mayumi went straight to the point. Not even bothering to build up for it or slip in the question during a conversation.
"Can't we just wait till we get to the house?" asked Kouichirou, not wanting to talk about it at the moment.
"No, you'll just find a way to distract me and avoid it again," Mayumi pouts at him.
He glanced at the blonde, seeing her pout before turning his attention back to the road as he was driving.
"I gave my sister my NerveGear," Kouichirou confessed. "Now she's trapped in the game."
Mayumi looked at him in shock before giving him a pitiful stare. "I'm..."
"You don't have to apologize," Kouichirou interrupts, already knowing what she'll say.
"But..."
"It was my fault anyway. If anyone's gonna apologize, it'll be me," Kouichirou continued. "And I won't be expecting forgiveness from her."
"H-Hey, no need to put yourself down like that," Mayumi tries to console him. "It's not like you knew this was gonna happen."
"But I should've known that the NerveGear I helped designed would end up being a death machine."
Mayumi didn't know what to do or how to handle this situation. She knew Kouichirou felt responsible for taking care of his sister, and ever since he left for college, he lost contact with Asuna because of how busy he was at the time.
"I gave all my time to Akihiko for this game, and this is what happens?" Kouichirou grits his teeth as he stops at a red light. "We revolutionized Virtual Reality gaming, and it ends up trapping 10,000 people, including my sister, and I can't do shit because Aki is wherever God knows where!"
He punches the steering wheel's horn, triggering a loud honk. Startling Mayumi, more startled by Kouichirou suddenly punching the wheel more than the car honk.
"Kouichi," said Mayumi in a comforting tone as she puts a hand on her Japanese friend's shoulder. "You need to relax," Kouichirou was about to reply until she stops him. "Because once Asuna-chan gets out of the game, she will need you the most."
Kouichirou was taking deep breaths to calm himself down before sighing. "You're right," he looks at the traffic light, seeing it turn green before stepping on the gas.
~~~
Once they arrived at the house, Kouichirou and Mayumi went inside, helping her with her luggage.
"This place is nice you got here," Mayumi smiled at him. "Take my luggage to your guest room, and I'll prepare dinner."
Kouichirou looked at the blonde with a raised brow. "Dinner?"
"Well, I'm sure I can fix something up with whatever you have," Mayumi giggled before leaving him to find the kitchen.
Kouichirou chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Now she's acting as if she's my wife."