Sahara

"I'm home," Yuzuru said while entering her apartment.

"Yuduru!" Shouko hurriedly hugged her, she was really worried about her.

"Nee-chan!" Yuzuru was startled.

"Sowwy! Sowwy!" Shouko said.

Yuzuru was smiling, "I'm sorry too, nee-chan-han."

Shouko nodded and they hugged each other again.

"That's right, I want to drink grandma's perilla juice," Yuzuru said.

Their grandma nodded and started to prepare perilla juice for them.

"Yuzuru, who is that guy really?" Yaeko came to them.

Yuzuru sighed, "His name is Yuuki, he is nee-chan's friend, I don't know anything further about him, he really likes to tease me that he will marry Shouko in the future," she said while grumbling.

"Hoo? Some boys want to marry Shouko?" Ito was surprised.

Ito is the mother of Yaeko and the grandmother of Shouko and Yuzuru. She was Shouko's and Yuzuru's primary caretaker after her son-in-law abandoned their family and Yaeko was forced to spend all her time supporting the family financially.

Shouko was blushing, "N-no! Youki is my freenn! An-and, I em suor he hass alreeedy a gerlfrieend," she smiled bitterly.

Yaeko, Yuzuru, and Ito were surprised it was their first time to see Shouko's to have this kind of expression.

"Oh, can you tell me more about him?" Ito asked.

Shouko nodded and started telling them about their meeting.

Yaeko felt worried about Shouko but she was very distant toward her, she wouldn't start to ask her, she didn't say anything and listened to her story.

Shouko told everyone that she met him when she lost her hearing aid, later, Yuuki helped him to search it and found it for her, but, her hearing aid was broken, he gave her a new one, she showed them his hearing aid on her ears.

Ito and Yuzuru were surprised, they thought it was her old one but it was new, they had never noticed it.

"He is a good boy, you should bring him here sometimes," Ito said.

"No way!!! I'm sure he'll take Shouko later!!" Yuzuru didn't want him to come.

"Yies, I wial breng hiim lateer," Shouko said with a smile.

"NEE-CHAN!!" Yuzuru felt betrayed.

Yaeko who heard the story about Yuuki felt he wasn't a bad person but she needed to know more about him, she knew hearing aid wasn't something cheap, it must be very expensive especially when she noticed Shouko could hear better when she was wearing his hearing aids.

Yaeko knew Yuuki must be from someone rich, she didn't believe in man, she had been abandoned by her husband because of her child, she knew the story of Cinderella where the poor girl being courted by a handsome prince was a big lie, she wanted to know his reason to get closer to her daughter.

Yaeko needed to protect them.

---

The next day, Yuuki had prepared himself to go with Shouko to meet Sahara. He didn't really want to meet her and Ishida, especially, he walked to the train station where everyone was waiting.

"Yuuki, you're late!" Yuzuru was mad.

"My bad, there is a black cat suddenly appeared in front of me, there is also an old lady that needs help to cross the street.." Yuuki talked about lame excuses, Shouko who was a gullible belief in him, but Yuzuru, Ishida, and Nagastuka looked at him hateful gaze.

"YOU'RE LYING!!" They had never seen someone so shameless like him.

"Doun't doubht him!" Shouko said, she still couldn't talk properly even though she could listen to their conversation, she was grateful for Yuuki to give her this hearing aids.

Yuuki smiled at them and received their glare, he shook his head and noticed the small guy beside Yuzuru and Ishida.

"I've known Yuzuru and Ishida, but who are you?" Yuuki asked the mushroom head near them.

Nagatsuka who was being called was startled then he smiled and hit his chest and looked very proud, "I'm Ishida's best friend, my name is Tomohiro Nagatsuka."

Yuuki nodded, "Nice to meet you, my name is Yuuki," He didn't mind to know this cool short guy in front of him, he really liked the scene where Ishida asked him the question about a friend.

They talked for a while until the train came, they would go to Sahara's school with a train.

Yuuki looked at the train and surprised to see a poster of 'Sword Art Online' on it. He didn't expect for Sonoko to work so fast, little did he know that his father had helped him.

Yuuki looked at the poster until someone tucked his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Yuuki asked.

[Do you like that novel?] Shouko noticed Yuuki was kept looking at the poster.

Yuuki shook his head, "No, that's my novel actually."

Shouko and Ishida were surprised, they didn't expect for him to be a writer, they talked about it and then talked about Sahara.

Shouko was very grateful to Ishida to help her to meet Sahara, Ishida nodded at her and told her 'it's fine.'

They continued to talk until they arrived at the station.

"Do you know where is she?" Yuuki asked.

"Wait, let me check my phone," Ishida said, "Let's see from here, we walk toward..."

Shouko and Yuuki were waiting and walked toward the escalator. Three of them talked to each other about how to find this 'Sahara' until someone called Shouko.

"SHO-CHAN!!"

Yuuki noticed a tall girl with freckles, gentle eyes, and short black hair.

Shouko and Ishida also turned their heads and saw the girl was running toward them.

"It's me, Sahara! Do you still remember me?" Sahara was in front of them and waved her hand, she noticed two boys beside her, "Ah? Ishida? And?" She looked at the handsome boy in front of her.

"Yuuki," Yuuki said.

Sahara nodded, "Yuuki."

That was how they first met.