Karasuno High School – Class III-A
June 13, 2025
The dull impact of Kirito's forehead meeting his wooden desk echoed through the tense classroom.
He didn't even bother lifting his head.
"Man… I am so ridiculously doomed!" he groaned, his voice muffled against the polished wood.
Beside him, Neji leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the chalk-smeared blackboard.
"Don't sweat it too much, Kirito. We'll pass… at least by the bare minimum marks," he offered.
His hollow tone, however, carried none of the confidence his words were supposed to have.
Neji slowly turned toward the desk to his left.
"What about you, Reno?"
Reno let out a bitter, lifeless laugh as he tapped his mechanical pencil against an empty notebook.
"We're all sinking in the exact same leaky boat, my friend."
Across the aisle, the atmosphere was no better.
Asuna dropped her head onto her folded arms, her shoulders slumping beneath the weight of despair.
"What am I supposed to tell Mom if I fail?" she whimpered.
Mitsumi leaned over and gently patted Asuna's back.
"It'll be fine, Asuna-chan! There's always the retake… right?"
The hopeful note in her voice sounded more like a question than reassurance.
Shibuya – Sam's Apartment
Evening
The atmosphere in the living room was suffocatingly tense.
Kirito and Reno sat stiffly on the edge of the leather couch, their knees locked and their hands resting awkwardly on their thighs. Their usual nonstop banter had vanished completely, replaced by a heavy silence.
Across from them stood Sam.
He looked less like a guardian and more like an imposing judge preparing to deliver a sentence.
In his right hand, he clutched two marked answer sheets so tightly that the papers had begun to crumple beneath his fingers.
His dark eyes burned with silent fury.
Sam released a long, heavy breath.
"What, exactly, am I supposed to do with you two?" he muttered.
He raised the papers like evidence in a courtroom.
"Kirito—21 out of 100. Reno—21.5 out of 100. Do you two honestly expect to pass with these pathetic numbers?"
Both boys swallowed hard.
"At this rate, you won't even make it past the threshold of the entrance exams next year," Sam snapped.
He spun on his heel and headed toward the kitchen.
For a moment, neither boy moved.
Then Kirito and Reno exchanged a glance.
They both exhaled at the same time, their shoulders dropping as the immediate confrontation seemed to have passed.
Their relief lasted approximately three seconds.
Sam's voice suddenly thundered from around the corner.
"No dinner for either of you tonight!"
The boys froze.
Their brief sense of relief shattered instantly.
Later that evening, the sharp chime of the doorbell cut through the gloomy silence.
Reno reluctantly dragged himself toward the entrance and opened the door.
Allya stood there with her gym bag slung over one shoulder, fresh from volleyball practice.
The moment she stepped inside, she paused.
Something about the apartment felt… wrong.
The usual noise and casual chatter were gone. Even the air seemed heavy.
"What happened to those two?" she asked, gesturing toward Kirito, who sat staring blankly at the wall.
"They're fine," Sam called curtly from the kitchen. "Go wash up for dinner, Allya."
Kirito's head snapped toward the kitchen.
He suddenly stood, his chair scraping harshly across the floor.
"If this is how it's going to be, we'll just go eat out—right, Reno?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stormed toward his room to change.
A few minutes later, Kirito emerged wearing a casual hoodie. He slipped on his sneakers at the entrance without sparing Sam even a glance.
Allya sat quietly on the sofa, scrolling through her phone while keeping a watchful eye on the unfolding drama.
"Reno, let's move," Kirito demanded.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a second."
Reno grabbed his phone from the coffee table.
The two boys left, and the apartment door slammed shut behind them.
Inside the dining area, Sam began setting plates on the table.
"Allya, come eat."
Allya placed her phone on the sofa and walked over, pulling out a chair.
"Aren't you going to say anything to those two?"
"No," Sam replied calmly, scooping rice onto her plate. "They're just blowing off steam. They'll be back once their tempers cool down."
An hour passed in quiet awkwardness.
Having grabbed a quick bite nearby, Kirito and Reno eventually trudged back up the dimly lit hallway of their apartment building.
As they rounded the corner, both boys stopped.
A familiar figure was standing directly in front of their apartment door.
"Huh? Kirito?"
Asuna blinked and turned around in surprise.
"Huh?! Asuna?!"
Kirito's eyes widened.
Reno slowly nudged his arm.
"Hey… Kirito… did we accidentally drink alcohol or something on the way back?"
"No! Why would you ask that?"
Kirito tilted his head in confusion.
"Because… I think I'm hallucinating. I see Asuna standing right at our front door."
"What? It's not just you! I see her too!"
Kirito stared at Asuna as though she were an apparition.
Before either of them could process what was happening, the apartment door opened.
Allya took one look at Asuna and immediately let out a dramatic shriek.
"Eek! A ghost of Asuna-chan?!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"
Sam's stern voice came from inside.
He pushed past Allya and pulled the door fully open.
Then he stopped.
Asuna was standing there in the flesh.
"I am REAL! Not a ghost!" Asuna shouted, her cheeks flushing bright red with embarrassment.
Behind her, Kirito and Reno covered their faces with their hands, their shoulders shaking as they struggled to contain their laughter.
Allya gripped the edge of the doorframe and glared at the two boys.
"Are you two idiots going to stand there laughing all night, or are you coming inside before I lock you out?"
Once inside, Asuna collapsed onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.
She buried her face in a throw pillow for a moment before lifting her head toward Sam.
"Mom kicked me out for the night because of my test scores…" she explained. "She said with grades like this, I'd never make it into a good university."
In the background, Kirito and Reno muffled their laughter behind their sleeves, practically bursting at the seams.
Sam glanced toward the two troublemakers and gave them a cold smirk.
"Ha! At least she scored higher than you two failures."
The laughter stopped instantly.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Sam leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
"Honestly, maybe I should take a page out of her mother's book and lock both of you out too."
"Don't even think about it!"
Kirito and Reno shouted in perfect sync, crossing their arms into an X.
"It'll backfire on you big time!"
Allya smirked from the kitchen counter.
"Look at you two. So brave a second ago, and now you're terrified the moment the tables turn."
Reno pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Don't get cocky, Allya! You've got your Parent-Teacher Meeting tomorrow!"
"Yeah!" Kirito chimed in. "Let's see what kind of 'legendary feats' your teacher reports back to Sam."
Allya flipped her hair with supreme confidence.
"I'll still do a hundred times better than you two combined."
Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose as the beginnings of a headache settled behind his eyes.
"If you three are finished squabbling, I'm going to sleep. I haven't slept properly in days, so do not make any noise that leaks into my room tonight. Got it?"
He looked toward Allya.
"And Asuna, you can bunk with Allya tonight. Is that fine, Allya?"
"Yep! No problem," Allya replied cheerfully.
After chatting quietly for a little while longer, the apartment finally settled into silence as everyone retired to their respective rooms.
The Next Morning – Training Ground
The early morning sun cast long shadows across the open training hall.
Sam stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed yet imposing.
"Come at me with everything you've got," he ordered calmly.
Kirito closed his eyes and took a deep breath, centering himself.
He gathered the mana latent within his veins, feeling the familiar hum of energy vibrating beneath his skin.
"Atomic Rain!"
A cascade of glittering blue mana particles materialized in the air, raining horizontally across the room toward Sam like a swarm of brilliant meteors.
"Not bad control for your first attempt," Sam remarked coolly.
"Atomic Dome!"
A shimmering hemispherical barrier of compressed magic snapped into existence around him.
The blue particles struck the dome and scattered harmlessly across its surface in bursts of light.
Kirito grit his teeth.
Long-range fire attacks require precise chemical combustion… I need to fuse hydrogen and oxygen particles on the fly!
He focused his mind, imagining the spark of heat produced by chemical ignition.
"Let's go—Boom!"
Instead of a fiery explosion, a massive wave of high-pressure water erupted from his palms.
The torrent drenched Kirito from head to toe.
"What the heck?!"
Kirito sputtered, wiping the dripping water from his eyes as his soaked hair clung to his forehead.
Sam merely smirked and shook his head.
"You still have a long way to go, kid."
Clearing his throat, Sam walked toward the center of the room.
"Alright, let's move on to mobility. I'm going to teach you a spatial acceleration technique."
Kirito tilted his head while wringing out his wet sleeve.
"Wait, why do I need a spell for that? Can't I just inject mana directly into my legs to boost my speed?"
"Because direct mana injection causes rapid muscle fatigue," Sam answered immediately. "You can't sustain it in long-term combat."
"So how does this spell work?"
"Listen carefully."
Sam gestured with his hands as he explained.
"Concentrate your mana down to your feet, combining it with the elemental slime property. Imagine the exact path you want to travel. Then, release the slime to render that vector visible. Once the line establishes itself, release your stored mana to propel yourself along that axis."
Sam shrugged lightly.
"Well, that's my personal theory on it, anyway. To put it simply: imagine the path, and the faster your mind visualizes the destination, the faster your body will move."
Kirito nodded.
He lowered his stance and closed his eyes.
Focus… imagine the path.
In his mind's eye, he recalled the insane velocity of Sam's Atomic Rail.
His internal mana began to churn.
A glowing blue vector line burst forth from beneath his boots, stretching rapidly across the floor.
Suddenly, an intense wind screamed past his ears.
The world around him dissolved into a blur.
The sheer acceleration knocked the air from his lungs, the force pulling against his skin as his body was hurled forward.
Did the spell work?!
Kirito squeezed his eyes shut against the rushing air and blinding dust.
Then—
The ringing of bells echoed through the darkness.
The roaring wind vanished.
In its place came the resonant chime of holy sanctuary bells, accompanied by the deep, mystical vibration of conch shells that seemed to reverberate through his very soul.
"Huh…?"
Kirito slowly opened his eyes.
He was no longer in the training hall.
He was levitating within a vast, endless void flooded with blinding divine light.
"Is this… a dream?"
He pinched his arm hard.
Pain shot through his skin.
"Ow…"
Kirito stared at his arm.
"No… this feels way too real!"
He slowly turned his head forward.
Then his breath caught in his throat.
Standing before him in the radiant abyss was a colossal entity—hundreds of times larger than any mountain, its immense form towering beyond sight and seemingly stretching into infinity.
Its true form remained shrouded in shifting ethereal mist.
Yet even without seeing it clearly, Kirito could feel its presence.
It was overwhelming.
Cosmic.
Absolute.
Then came the pressure.
An invisible force slammed into Kirito.
His lungs seized.
Every bone in his body seemed to creak beneath the overwhelming weight of the entity's divine mana.
"I… I can't… take this…!"
His vision began to darken.
"Ugh…!"
Kirito's eyes snapped open.
"Haaah… haaah…"
He sat upright, clutching his chest as heavy breaths echoed through the quiet room.
Above him, the familiar ceiling wavered in the pale morning light.
A faint ache lingered throughout his muscles, leaving behind the bitter aftertaste of a nightmare.
The bedroom door slowly creaked open.
Sam stepped inside, adjusting his dark tie with the practiced ease of a man who had already been awake for hours.
"Recovered your mana yet?" Sam asked casually.
Despite his relaxed tone, a subtle glint of concern flickered in his eyes.
Kirito rubbed his burning eyes with the back of his hand.
"Yeah… but man, I had the weirdest dream just now."
"It happens," Sam replied matter-of-factly, smoothing down his collar. "Severe mana exhaustion messes with your nervous system. You start seeing wild illusions. It's nothing to worry about."
Kirito squinted at Sam's formal attire.
"Where are you even going dressed like that?"
"To your sister's wedding."
Kirito stared blankly at him for two seconds.
Then he grabbed his pillow and hurled it at Sam's head.
"You moron!"
Sam caught the pillow effortlessly with one hand.
"Today is Allya's Parent-Teacher Meeting. I'm heading to her school now. You should get up too; HQ expects that paperwork on their desk by noon."
"Yeah, yeah, fine…" Kirito grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Where's Reno, anyway?"
"He went on a date with your sister."
"Will you stop messing with me?!" Kirito yelled. "Hurry up and leave or you'll be late!"
Sam smirked as he stepped into the hallway.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Take care of the house, honey~"
"Just get out already, you idiot!"
Kirito's shout followed him as the bedroom door slammed shut.
Outside the school gates, Sam's black sedan pulled smoothly to the curb.
Allya was already waiting near the entrance, her hair neatly tied back and her uniform spotless.
"Am I late?" Sam asked as he stepped out of the vehicle and locked it.
Allya smiled brightly.
"Nope! Right on time. We still have a few minutes before our slot."
Inside the academy, the hallway smelled faintly of chalk dust and floor wax.
They entered the classroom, where Allya's homeroom teacher sat reviewing files at her desk.
She looked up and smiled politely.
"Good afternoon, sir. Please, take a seat."
"I'm her current guardian, Sam. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Sam took the seat opposite her desk.
"How is Allya performing in class?"
"She is an exceptional student," the teacher answered warmly, sliding a report card across the desk. "First in overall academics, remarkably active in classroom discussions, and a star player in her club. Honestly, I have zero complaints about her performance."
"Thank you very much, ma'am. That's a relief to hear."
After reviewing the marks, the teacher asked Allya to step outside into the hallway for a moment.
Once the door closed, the teacher's warm demeanor shifted into quiet concern.
"May I speak with you privately for a moment, Sam-san?"
"Of course. What is it?"
The teacher lowered her voice.
"It's just… is Allya really doing okay at home? It hasn't been very long since her parents passed away. I've tried calling her older brother, Kirito, multiple times to check in on their living situation, but he never answers his phone."
Sam's eyes softened slightly.
He understood the woman's concern was genuine.
"I completely understand your concern, ma'am. But I assure you, she is doing well. I am their maternal uncle., and they are living safely under my care. I'll make sure to remind Kirito to respond to your calls."
The teacher released a quiet sigh of relief.
"I see… Thank you, Sam-san."
When they stepped back outside into the bright afternoon sunlight, Sam's phone began buzzing in his pocket.
He pulled it out.
"Hello? …Got the groceries, Reno? …Alright, we'll pick you up at the corner store on our way back."
He ended the call and turned toward Allya, who was walking beside him with a cheerful stride.
"Since you got stellar marks on your report card, is there anything you want as a reward? My treat."
Allya pondered the question for a moment.
Then her eyes lit up.
"I want to buy something for Kirito!"
Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Why Kirito?"
"His birthday is coming up," Allya said softly. "I want to get him a proper gift."
"When is it?"
"The day after tomorrow."
Sam stopped walking.
"The sixteenth?"
"Yes."
They eventually pulled up beside the designated corner store.
Reno was waiting outside with two heavy shopping bags.
He slid into the backseat and placed a sealed manila envelope on the center console.
"Did you open it?" Sam asked as he started the engine.
"No," Reno replied, shaking his head. "What's in there, anyway?"
"Nothing major."
Sam tore open the seal anyway.
Inside were official medical records and DNA analysis files belonging to both Kirito and Allya.
Sam glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Hey, Reno. Did you know Kirito's birthday is day after tomorrow?"
"Yeah, of course. The sixteenth."
Sam slumped slightly against the steering wheel as they stopped at a red light.
"So I'm literally the only person in this house who didn't know…"
He turned his head toward the back.
"So, Allya, what are you planning on getting him?"
Allya looked down at her hands.
Her voice dropped to a quiet murmur.
"I don't know yet…
Sam's expression softened.
"Don't overthink it, kiddo. Anything coming from the heart will be more than enough for him."
Reno leaned back with a proud grin.
"Well, I already bought my present for him."
Allya turned around in her seat.
"Really?! What is it?"
"A Z-Force 2 gun," Sam chimed in casually from the driver's seat.
"WHAT?!"
Allya's jaw dropped.
"A real gun?!"
Reno kicked the back of Sam's driver's seat.
"It's a high-end badminton racket, you absolute idiot!"
"Ouch! Hey, watch the leather!" Sam complained.
Allya tilted her head toward Reno.
"How do you even know he wants a badminton racket?"
"Because he plays badminton, dummy."
Reno checked his phone.
"Plus, I caught him drooling over it on a shopping website late last night."
Allya nodded resolutely.
"Okay! I'll ask Asuna-chan to go shopping with me today so I can find the perfect gift!"
"Alright, save the chatter for inside. We're home," Sam announced as the car smoothly coasted into the apartment building's underground parking lot.
When they unlocked the apartment door, an unexpected sight greeted them.
Kirito was sprawled flat on his back in the middle of the living room rug.
Sleeping peacefully on his stomach was a fluffy, snow-white Persian cat.
"Neko?!"
Sam and Reno exclaimed at the same time.
"Kyaaa! So cute!"
Allya instantly dropped her bag and darted forward, scooping the fluffy creature into her arms.
"You cutie-pie!"
Sam stared at the scene in confusion.
"Since when does Kirito have a cat?"
"Beats me," Reno said, scratching his head. "I didn't see any cat when I left this morning."
Kirito lazily opened one eye and gestured weakly toward the kitchen counter.
"She's not mine. She's Neji's pet."
"Whoa…"
Kirito pushed himself up and walked over to prepare fresh water, milk, and specialized cat food in small ceramic bowls on the floor.
"Her name is Nico," Kirito explained. "Neji had to leave town on an urgent family trip for a couple of days, so he asked me to pet-sit her."
"I'm keeping her forever!" Allya declared, burying her face in the cat's thick fur.
Kirito chuckled as he walked over and playfully pinched Allya's cheeks.
"You can barely take care of your own messy room. How are you going to handle a high-maintenance pet?"
"Stop messing up my face!"
Allya pouted.
Before Kirito could pull his hand back, she leaned forward and bit his thumb.
"Ouch! Hey! You wild animal!"
Kirito yelped and pulled his hand back, shaking it dramatically.
Sam glanced at his wristwatch.
"Alright, playfulness over. Kirito, we have to head to HQ now."
"Right."
Kirito sighed and grabbed his jacket.
He turned back toward his sister.
"Take good care of Nico while we're gone, Allya."
Allya stood at attention and snapped a crisp salute.
"Sir, yes, sir!"
An hour after the boys left, Allya decided it was time to feed her new feline guest.
She placed a small piece of fresh sushi onto a plate and set it down near Nico.
"Here you go, Nico! Fresh fish!"
The Persian cat sniffed the sushi once.
Apparently unimpressed, she hopped off the coffee table, trotted back into her travel cage, and curled herself into a ball.
Allya slouched against the floorboards, pouting.
"Why won't she eat? I thought all cats loved fish…"
She gently poked a finger through the cage wire.
"I just wanted to play with you…"
"Hey, Allya! Isn't Asuna here already?"
Reno's voice came from behind her.
He stepped out of his room holding a glass of water.
"I thought you two were heading out to the mall?"
"Ah! That's right!"
Allya suddenly jumped to her feet.
"Reno, have you seen my purse?"
"It's sitting right on the dining table where you left it."
Asuna stepped out from the guest room, adjusting her jacket.
Reno turned toward her with a sly grin.
"By the way, Asuna… what are you planning on getting Kirito for his birthday?"
Asuna froze mid-stride.
Her eyes widened in absolute terror.
"TODAY IS HIS BIRTHDAY?!"
"Relax, relax!"
Reno laughed, waving his hands defensively.
"It's not today. It's on the sixteenth. You still have two days."
Asuna clutched her chest and released a massive breath of relief.
"Oh, thank goodness… You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Allya grabbed her purse from the table and linked her arm through Asuna's.
"My goodness, let me catch my breath first! Come on, Asuna-chan, let's go find the best birthday gift ever!"
"Right behind you!"
Asuna agreed, and the two girls rushed out the door into the evening light.