The Shadow Noir Nexus [Sword Art Online Fanfiction]

Status Update

After her morning login, Akihiko figured he could take Kirito out to eat and see how she handled it. His plan was to take her out twice that day and observe how well she'd take the outings. She seemed progressively better in some situations and some took him aback by how adverse she'd taken them. He had to be careful about these things.

"Where are we going?" she asked him, obviously nervous.

"Lunch," he told her. Still looking nervous, he sought to calm her with more information. "We'll be ordering through the Drive-Thru at Wacdonalds. Is there anything you particularly like there?"

She looked thoughtful and only just slightly less tense. A marked improvement, even if a small one.

"Chicken Nuggets is fine with me," she finally replied. "And some fries please."

He nodded and turned into the lot, heading for the Drive-Thru. He ordered for her and then got himself a simple salad, and then drove on to pay and receive their food. Then he parked in the parking lot. Her nervousness came back and she'd started wringing the bottom of her shirt.

"We're not going back?" she asked him hesitantly.

"We will," he reassured her. "But first I'd like to just eat here with you. We don't have to even eat inside the restaurant."

She swallowed, but nodded slowly. He handed her the bag with her food and then started to eat in silence for a minute.

"I'm a huge fan of Go," he started first, causing her to startle. She dropped a fry in surprise, but he just continued talking. "I don't play a lot, but I like playing it myself for fun. It is a good hobby."

"Do you have any favorite players?" she asked curiously.

"My favorite is Ogata Seiji," he shared. "I'm also fond of Shindou Hikaru and like most fans of the game, I'd admired Touya Kouyo."

"I know them," she said. "I don't play, but sometimes I run across their names on the web. I've seen pictures of Shindou-san and Ogata-san together. They're cute, though she's much younger than him."

Akihiko's lips twitched. "Yes, they're quite the odd couple."

"I don't think they're odd at all," she mused. "I'd say sweet. The differences seem rather complementary in a way. They're just like my favorite chef and her husband."

"Oh?" he asked, this time the one curious. He was also glad that she seemed to be opening up and also distracted enough from their talk to not be tense about where she was and get anxious about it. "And who's that?"

"I really love the food from Cantina!" she beamed at him and he was actually struck by the happiness on her face and her whole countenance. It made her already youthful and beautiful appearance staggering, and he mentally frowned at himself and shifted in a mix of confusion and discomfort. "Chef Kitazawa Najika is in charge of that restaurant and I love all of her recipes. I've seen her with her husband, the Director of Seika Academy, and like I said, they're like Shindou-san and Ogata-san."

"I know Director Kitazawa actually," Akihiko hmmed. "And I've met his wife a few times, as well as sampled her cooking. It is quite delicious."

"Really?" she asked, completely excited. It made him actually smile back at her, pleased with her reaction.

"Yes. I was introduced to them by a friend, who's a big name in the film industry —Producer Kuresaki? If you're not familiar with him, you might be familiar with his wife, the actress Mogami Kyoko."

At that, to his surprised but clear pleasure, her face lit up and she was completely excited at that.

"I love Kyoko-san! She's my absolute favorite actress and Dark Moon was my favorite show."