Abyss of the Shrine Maiden

Festival And Confession

August 30th, 2026, Koharu

“Are you sure this is okay, Asuna?” Koharu eyes the numerous bags the other girl carries as she sets them down on Koharu’s bed, then glances at her friend’s whose smile makes Koharu uncomfortable. What is Asuna planning?

As planned yesterday while in SA:O, Koharu, Asuna, and the girls will attend the festival in the neighborhood park. Unbeknownst to everyone except Koharu and by now Suguha and Alice, Asuna had also invited Kazuto and Joshua. Of course, it's probably best stated that Rika, Keiko, Shino, Kotone, and Nijika know that they're coming; it just hasn't been said they're coming.

“What are you worried about, Koharu? We spent the day getting you a yukata, and now I'm going to have you look gorgeous. Remember, this is for you. You've started this, now see it through. Sit.”

Koharu follows Asuna’s instructions and sits at her desk, but not without continuing her argument. “But...don’t you think this is too soon?”

“Ko, listen. Love is a limited-time quest. Do you know what happens if you let time pass without progressing? You fail. In your case, you're two and a half years behind after a long series of progress.”

Koharu internally sighs as Asuna begins to apply makeup to her face. “It’s uncomfortable to hear you talk about love and make it analogous to games. What did Kazuto do to you?”

Asuna smiles. “It's not like you to be unsure of what you want to be with Joshua. No matter what, you held on to one certainty; you two are partners. Nothing and no one, not even Kazuto and I, could get between that. Don't falter now.”

“In that case, why invite the competition? I don't see how you've endured these years with the girls and Kazuto.”

“What competition? A girl with pigtails and the body of an eleven-year-old, an AI who gets offended if you breathe in her direction, and a cousin whose only asset--and lack thereof--is her chest?”

Koharu gulps as Asuna’s trademark scary face makes an appearance. So she is aware of other girls liking Kazuto. “...I wouldn't say I like the look in your eyes.”

“Worry about yourself. I have Kazuto without fear of anyone else...though Blondie is pushing it sometimes. That's Joshua’s fault, in this case. You just need him to look your way, not anyone else's. Not at Liz. Not at Phil or Shinonon. You, and you alone, as he did in SAO. After all, you do have a promise between the two of you, right?”

Koharu nods and looks at the white yukata hanging in her closet. “I hope he remembers it… Okay, do your best, Asuna.”

“You got it.”

xxxxxxxxxx

That evening

When the two girls arrived at Yoyogi Park, Koharu was expecting them to come after the boys. That was the plan. But as Koharu knows well by now, any idea made by Kazuto, Joshua, Asuna, and herself is doomed to have a few impediments. The other girls were not supposed to be here yet. Asuna deliberately gave them a slightly different time to meet up so that Joshua’s attention would be on Koharu first.

Oh well. She can’t fault them for being early.

However, it is Joshua who notices the pair first. Unlike Kazuto, who’s actively engaging in conversation with the girls and another boy who Suguha is attached to… Oh right, the younger Kirigaya has a boyfriend. Anyway, Joshua stands off to the side alone, dressed like everyone else in a yukata in a black and red yukata, and even wears a pair of geta. He looks so uncomfortable that it makes her want to step up to him and laugh, but what keeps her docile is her nervousness. It has only been two nights since they came here together, and that’s still fresh on her mind.