Prologue

November 1st, I was still in school at the time, 2nd year of my secondary school. I had my hair done, my school clothes neatly cleaned, and my bag ready to go. Leaving my house and heading towards my school building.

"Kanao!!"

"Huh?" I turned my head.

Running up to me was my best friend, Inoue Emi, she's been there for me since primary school. I smiled at her, fist bumping her as a greeting. Emi did the same, both of us smirking and chuckling, continuing our walk towards the school. We approached walked on crosswalks as Emi and I were talking about the latest news.

"Did you see the new anime? 'Till the heart drops?"

"No, I heard it had a decent first episode though."

"It does! Oh man! I couldn't-"

"ah- ah- no spoiling Emi."

"sorry"

We chuckled as we walked past a boy wearing a black hoodie, his hair was brown with a split on his left side, his eyes were emerald green, a rare eye color. I turned my head around slowing down my walking pace slightly to get a better look at the boy curiously. Emi noticed this as she smirked almost sinisterly.

"Ehhh? Checking out boys now Kanao?"

"H-Huh?!? No! I was just- curious about his eyes!"

"Ehhhhh! His eyes huh? That sounds like a fat lie to me."

"Shut up!!"

My face was bright red, storming off from Emi's teasing, I just wanted to see his eyes more, I've never seen green eyes before, so I wanted to get a clearer view. Eventually, Emi and I walked into our school. Unlike most of the girls in the school, I don't mind wearing pants or skirts.

I grabbed my clean pair of pants from my locker, walking towards the girl's bathroom and heading into a stall to put it on. I felt like wearing a skirt in school didn't sit right with me, especially with everything underneath the skirt being exposed so easily.

While putting on my pants, zipping up the zipper, I heard a small creak, stopping in my tracks I slowed my breathing. Shit...Please don't let it be the popular girls... I moved slowly, hearing multiple footsteps as they just suddenly stopped.

Shit do they know I'm here...?

I slowly lowered my body to the floor, kneeling to grab my bag, just then a large volume of water was thrown above the stall's door, splashing down into the stall and all over my clothes. Laughter came from the other side, I silently stood up firmly and lightly unlocking the stall door.

I took a deep breath as I kicked it open, slamming the stall door into one of the girls' faces. I stormed out of the stall, looking at the three girls, one with a bloody nose.

"Which one of you three thought it was funny to throw water huh..."

I had put on my stern voice, the three girls trying to put the blame on each other. I sighed as I just walked out, not wanting to deal with whatever they're trying to do. My neatly done hair and cleaned clothes were now drenched, I began walking towards the gymnasium to get a fresh pair of clothes.

While walking, I heard rapid footsteps coming towards me, I looked over my shoulder as Emi came running over.

"What happened?!"

"The popular girls...doused me in water."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"What about you? How did you hear about what happened?"

"Well...Mai came into class with a napkin stuffed up one of her nostrils, soaked in blood..."

"Gee, I wonder what happened..." My tone was obviously not the greatest.

"What did you do to her?"

"I kicked open the stall door and she happened to be standing there."

"Owch...Well where are you going now?"

"The Gymnasium, getting my spare clothes from my locker."

"Alright, I'll be back at class then Kanao."

"Alright."

Emi ran off again, I walked through the double doors and entered the gym, walking across to the other side of gymnasium, going into the girl's locker room. I walked up to a locker numbered 31 as I began unlocking the dial lock, click! It opened as I opened the door.

I took off my soaked tie, dress shirt, pants and socks as I pulled out my spare clothes from a duffle bag stuffed into the locker. Before putting on a new shirt, I looked down at my abdomen, pinching the right side of my abdomen. I'm getting a little chubby...I need to burn it off tomorrow... I put on a white dress shirt, buttoning it up as I threw on my spare jacket and put on my spare pants.

Good thing Haruo lent me his spare clothes...

I made my way out of the locker room and out of the gym, heading towards my classroom as I only had a few minutes left before the bell rang. Making it in the Knick of time, I sat down sighing briefly. I turned my head to look over at Emi, sitting next to me as we both sat at the front left of the room, near the window.

She gave me a thumbs up as I gave her one as well, class then began as we were learning about chemistry. While writing down my notes, I felt a couple of small, crumpled up pieces of paper hit the back of my head, ignoring it as I kept doing my work. However, the pieces of small and crumpled up pieces of paper kept hitting the back of my head.

I gripped my pencil rather hard; However, Emi was there to keep me in check, patting my shoulder to reassure me. Emi gave me a smile as I took a deep breath, calming down and continuing with my work. After class I was packing my bag when I heard someone screaming, turning my head towards the door, I picked up my bag, rushing out to see what the screaming was about.

"Really Emi?? Only 3,100 Yen? (nearly $20 USD)"

"I could buy something better with this money, wouldn't you agree piggy bank?"

Two girls, Eris and Mai, were in the hallway as Emi was on her knees holding her abdomen. her face planted straight on the floor as those girls were laughing. That was the last straw for me, coming out of the crowd was a yellow folder, flying overhead and smashing into Mai's face.

"What the hell?!?"

Mai looked around, while she turned around, I came out of the other side of the crowd, storming out and chucking my bag at them. She turned around to have their face smashed in by the bag, falling back onto the floor.

"Huh?!?"

Eris looked at Mai startled, turning to me as I tackled her, forcing her foot off Emi's head and slamming her back against the wooden floor.

"DON'T YOU EVER!!! DON'T YOU EVER TREAT EMI LIKE THAT EVER!!! YOU HEAR ME SCUMBAG!!!"

"Kanao! Kanao!!!"

My ears toned out the sounds around me, for the first time in my life I was fueled by nothing but anger and pure bloodshed. My arms were then grabbed, being pried off the girl, her face bruised, and my knuckles swollen. Emi watches as I begin to calm down, taking heavy and controlled breaths.

***

I sat outside of the principal's office, both my knuckles were lightly bandaged, I kept sitting there anticipating what my parents would say about this. It wasn't my first outburst of rage, nor did it feel like it would be my last one either. I usually kept these outbursts at home, normally it would be fine but in public it felt humiliating, having a whole crowd witness my anger.

Creeak!

The door opens as I turn to look, seeing my dad walk out first, leading my mother out and closing the door behind her. My mother was...cold sometimes, giving me the cold glare she's known for, makes me wonder how my dad even ends up with a woman so cold.

"Kanao...We need to talk when you get home."

My mom's voice was stern, she was serious about it. I knew I was going to be scolded once I got home. I nodded in response getting up with my bag, my dad and I looked at her walk down the hall, my dad sighing as he turned to me.

"Did my little girl leave her a black eye?"

"Pfft, you know better, I left her with some broken teeth possibly." I chuckled.

"Even better, I'll see If I can ease the scolding princess."

"Okay dad, I'll see you at home."

"Later my little princess."

My father patted my head, he stood nearly six feet tall and had black hair with golden yellow eyes. He walked down the hall, jogging a little to catch up with my mom, sighing in relief, I began heading back to my homeroom. During my walk I noticed a poster on one of the lockers, I stopped to look at it as it caught my eye.

Sword Art Online...?

It was a video game, one that takes place within a virtual world, it sounded weird to me, I had tried out video games before, but I wasn't really into it. Arriving at the classroom, I had many eyes on me upon entering. I quietly made my way towards my desk, hearing muttering as I ignored it, trying to keep my bursts or rage to a minimum.

Class then continued as usual, unusually quiet as nothing was thrown at me this time, I quietly and calmly finished my work. I looked up from my notebook, looking to my side to look at Emi, seeing the small bandage on her forehead as I passed my notes quietly.

Emi looked at my notebook, looking over at me as I just gave her a warm smile, Emi accepted my offer, taking my notebook as she referenced off it.

DIING! DIING! DIING!

The bell rang for lunch, the time was moving rather slow than most other days, I came out of the room with Emi staying close by me, we went to the library, Ms. Chun always lets me and Emi off the hook on our noise. If we were alone, she wouldn't mind, but as soon as a student walks in her librarian voice comes in.

Emi and I sat at a table, eating as we made sure to clean up our mess. Emi stared at her phone as she scrolled through social media, chuckling at funny cat videos and awing at puppy videos. I couldn't help myself but glance over at her phone occasionally. I looked over while eating a small bag of chips and saw her watching a trailer for Sword Art Online.

Isn't that the same thing I saw on the poster...?

"Hey Emi?"

"Yeah Kanao?"

"What's that game?"

"What? SAO?"

"Yeah, that game."

"Well, uhm, It's the first VRMMO that utilizes a weird but ground-breaking technology, I think it's called the Nerve gear."

"Nerve gear?"

"Yeah, supposedly it keeps all five senses of the human body and lets you touch virtual things, it sounds so cool on paper."

"Huh...I guess it does sound cool..."

"Right! And the release date is like two days away!"

Emi kept talking about it but my interest in this game did start to intrigue me, a game that uses new technology that enables the human senses. It seems and sounds like fiction, but it was all over the media as of late.

***

After school, Emi and I stayed at school, Emi had turned in boxes of papers to the student council. I stayed to make sure Emi wasn't being picked on like last time, carrying another box of papers.

"Thanks for your help Kanao."

"Anytime Emi."

"..."

"Something on your mind Emi? You've gotten quiet since the incident." I turned to look at her.

"I...I don't know how to thank you Kanao..."

"Thank me for what?"

"For standing up for me...I'm sure Eris and Mai would have torn me to pieces..." Emi's fist clenched into a fist, onto gripping her own shirt.

"Emi, I would have kicked their ass many times over you know. It's what friends would do if they saw their friends being picked on."

"That's...true...to an extent..."

Emi and I laughed it off, carrying the boxes off to the student council. Afterwards, we began walking down the same way we got to school. While crossing a crosswalk, I noticed the same boy carrying groceries, his eyes seemed to be looking somewhere else as I looked away. Emi was too quick however, spotting me staring at the same boy from the morning, Smirking, she began to tease me more about it.

"Staring at the same boy huh?"

"N-No! I just-"

"Save it for the ball dance Cinderella, your prince charming is surly to come soon!"

"Emi!!"

Emi and I would eventually part our ways, Emi walking down the street more as her house was farther down. I walked to my front door, locking the gate behind me as I grabbed onto the doorknob. Why can't I get that game out of my head... I internally kept thinking about SAO, my mind stuck on what Emi had told me.

I guess I'll have to look it up when I get into my room...

After a quick consulting with my train of thought, I opened the door, swinging it open a bit.

"I'm home."

Creeak...Click.