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.
"Rika, Shino, Keiko, does the name 'Shoji' ring you all a bell?" Kirito asks the three. To his amazement though, all of the girls look shocked, especially knowing that they all know the boy indeed. The three all consider Shoji a great friend, but why would Kirito be calling him a moron?
"...Yeah. Lisbeth and I helped him to infiltrate Kamura HQ after he told us that Yuna's developer tainted her mind and did this behind Shoji's back." Shino tells Kirito, who was well-aware of this past event. Asuna called Kirito to ask for aid when Shoji required it, awaiting a solution from the black-clad warrior himself.
"But why do you say he is a moron? Did he do something bad?" Silica asks Kirito. Kirito almost has to laugh because of the little girl's question, because he is so certain he is right about this situation. Because that's who Kirito is. Once he has a thought he is so certain about, he won't let go of that thought, even if he would be wrong about it in the end.
"...If he did something bad. To keep is as appropriate as possible, we all did something with SAO's <Ethic Code>. Liz and Silica may know about it, but you probably wouldn't, Shino." And indeed, Shino has no clue what Kirito is talking about. Sinon looks at Lisbeth, asking for clarification. Liz moves her head towards Shino's head, whispering what the Ethic Code exactly meant. Hearing what Liz had to tell her, Shino had to cough once due to really not expecting that kind of answer. She also wouldn't know what to think of Kirito, doing something like that in the middle of a VRMMO.
"You all do it in the middle of ALO's dungeon? What in the world are you..." Shino then pauses herself, not allowing herself to complain any further. Kirito also didn't know what he was thinking back then, at first he also didn't like the idea that Asuna gave him, about making in in the middle of ALO's Dungeon Raid. Shino then allows herself to catch her breath again, continuing talking.
"Anyway, how is this related to hating Asuna and Shoji?" Lisbeth asks. Even though the three girls all got a feeling regarding what Asuna did wrong here, they got no idea how this is related to Shoji. And especially because they're questioning this, Kirito is happy enough to shed some light on this subject...
****
"Please, take a seat." I tell my marveling looking girl, who follows my lead and sits down on one of my chairs, with me sitting in front of her. Hesitating to begin what I want to tell her, I just decided to go with it. There is no need to stall any longer, since Yuna already knows that something is up because of my sudden behavior.
"When we returned from Tetsuhiro today, I've told you about Yuuki right?" In agreement, she nods. That means she also knows that she is deceased with HIV, thus not being able to recover from it. "Well, she asked a favor of me, and I... accepted." Right away, Yuna was really curious about what kind of favor she asked of me. She also could tell I was nervous about it, so she wouldn't want to let go of me until I told her the harsh truth.
"What kind of favor?" she asks me, with a smile like the sun on her face. I really hope she will be able to maintain her beautiful smile, after I tell her the one thing that could absolutely destroy our relationship. Destroying it or not, it's entirely my fault that this may become a reality, but it also depends on how she sees my reasoning.
"Yuuki asked me to... do it with her. I... agreed." For a short moment, we both kept silent. It was a silence that seemed to last for a lifetime, but I knew that this was a moment where I had to look at the girl with the right expression to let her know I feel terrible about it. From a smile, her face turned into a frown. She refuses to look me into my eyes, and instead looks down towards her legs.
"She is a dying girl, she loves me for a while now and if I refused her offer it would break her heart! She wanted to experience love with the one she loved most before she..."
"Stop talking." Yuna then demands of me, not allowing me to finish my sentence. I understand why she forced me to quit talking, but if I wouldn't explain the situation to her, everything could get even worse.
That's why I didn't obey.
"...Before she may not be alive to experience love anymore. Like everyone else, she deserves to know what it feels like, and she wanted me to..."
WHACK
Before I realized what happened, I was laying on the ground. This felt identical to what Tetsuhiro delivered to me: A fatal punch to the head. Yuna's fist was way softer than Tetsuhiro's, but it still hurts like hell. Especially because she hits me at the exact location where Tetsuhiro did.
I look up to the girl, whose knuckles were bleeding. I couldn't tell whether it was her knuckle that was bleeding, or if it was my own blood dripping from her knuckles. She looks at me, afraid of what she just did. Despite her fears though, I can read the expression of her face. She disgusts me, she has never felt this disgusted at me ever before. Her eyebrows greatly tell how she is filled with absolute rage, ready to hit me once more if I dare to oppose her.
"What the hell were you thinking!? Even if she is a dying person, you don't fuck with the one who isn't your beloved one!" she tells at me. I don't blame her for being angry. In fact, I anticipated she would be, even while I was certain she shouldn't be when Yuuki and Asuna ensured me she would stay calm.
It's strange. I regret my decision, but I also don't.
"I... need a lot of time to think. If I don't return, consider this goodbye." Yuna tells me, telling herself that this would be her last resort. With my focus laying on the bleeding as well, which clearly came from my head once again, I almost didn't notice she was walking away.
"W..Wait, Yuna!" I call out for her name, trying to stand up in order to chase her. As soon as I got back up, I slipped again, feeling powerless just like I were back at Tetsuhiro's. However, I won't let my body get the best of me. I stand up, even though I may faint if I would keep continuing.
With my vision being blurry, I chase the girl, who then summoned her mascot who she named Keiko, flying away. It was impossible for me to catch up, even though I try my hardest to get to her. Before I fall again, the only thing I can see while looking up in the sky is a glimpse of the diva, looking back at me. She says something to me, but I can't hear it since she's too far away.
If I could make something out of her lip movements, I would assume she said:
"Don't worry."