Asami: “Harumi?”
Yuji: “My… ex…” I whispered to her.
Asami: “Need me… to do anything?”
Yuji: “It’s fine… Just act natural.”
Harumi then approached me.
Harumi: “It’s been… so long…”
Yuji: “I’m surprised you recognised me…”
Harumi: “I would never forget you…”
Yuji: “That’s good to hear…”
Harumi: “How have you been?”
Yuji: “Normal I guess…”
Harumi: “What are you doing here? Did you move to Japan?”
Yuji: “Erm… no, just here to visit someone…”
Harumi: “All the way here?’
Yuji: “Yeah…”
Harumi: “Were you stuck in SAO when it happened? I was worried about you when I heard that the game was… Since you liked playing VR games, so I thought about it…”
Yuji: “I was… stuck in that game…”
Harumi: “Eh?”
Yuji: “It was hell…”
Harumi: “I’m sorry… Oh, yeah I’m sorry, but maybe you should introduce your…”
Yuji: “Oh, she’s Asami, she’s also a SAO survivor like me…”
Then Asami shaked her hand.
Asami: “Hi… I’m… Yuji’s girlfriend.” and she hooked her arms onto mine. I was shocked.
Harumi: “Ah… Looks like you found the one for you…”
Yuji: “Erm… yeah… What about you?”
Harumi: “Me? Nah… I don’t have the time… and besides, I still feel guilty about that day… even after so long…”
Yuji: “The time you broke up with me?”
Harumi: “Yeah… I think I’m not suitable to date anyone…”
Yuji: “Don’t say that… Everyone will get a chance. Maybe we are just not meant to be…”
Harumi: “I will stop interrupting your date…”
Yuji: “It’s fine…”
Harumi: “Do you want to exchange numbers?”
Yuji: “Erm… okay…”
Harumi: “How long are you staying here?”
Yuji: “Till after New Year’s Day…”
Harumi: “I see…”
And we exchanged contact details.
Harumi: “See you soon…” She turned around and left, while Asami and I walked away to meet the couple.
Yuji: “Why did you say you are my girlfriend?”
Asami: “I sounded kind of… sad when you are talking to her… You sounded like you don’t want to talk to her… So I decided to act as a girlfriend to help end the conversation quick… And I guess it worked…”
Yuji: “But still….”
Asami: “It’s all an act…”
Yuji: “Okay… I admit that I really don’t want to talk to her… And I thank you… for helping me out…”
Asami: “You are welcome.”
We both then meet up with the couple at the restaurant.
Usagi: “What took you two so long?”
Asami: “Yuji met someone along the way… so we talked for a bit…”
Takeya: “Who did you met?”
Yuji: “My… first ex…”
Takeya: “The one… that…”
Yuji: “Yeah.”
Takeya: “Okay…”
Usagi: “What’s going on? Who is she?”
Takeya: “You don’t want to know…”
Usagi then stopped questioning…
Takeya: “So… what do you two want to eat? Me and Usagi ordered because we couldn’t wait any longer…”
Asami and I then ordered our food. We had a great time together.
Yuji: “So is it safe to say that you two are officially dating?”
Takeya: “I… don’t know…”
Yuji: “I guess it’s a yes.”
Takeya: “Huh? I didn’t say yes!”
Yuji: “You are just too shy to say yes.”
After dinner, we split ways. Me and Takeya walked towards his house under the snow… I made fun of him, being shy about his relationship.
Yuji: “So… erm… what’s next? When are we hearing wedding bells…”
Takeya: “Not so fast…”
Yuji: “Hehe… Me and Asami had been observing you the whole day…”
Takeya: “Really?”
Yuji: “Yeah! You two looked… nice… I think I’m jealous…”
Takeya: “You do have someone… who likes you…”
Yuji: “Huh? Who? My ex?”
Takeya: “No… Oh yeah, talking about your ex… She’s here?”
Yuji: “Apparently yes… I didn’t know.”
Takeya: “Did you ask why is she is here?”
Yuji: “Didn’t had the chance… In fact, I didn’t want to talk to her…”
Takeya: “How did you get out of that?”
Yuji: “Asami helped out… a bit…”
Takeya: “I guess she acted as your girlfriend.”
Yuji: “How did you know?”
Takeya: “It’s kind of obvious… and besides, she likes you.”
Yuji: “Yeah she told me… Since SAO…”
Takeya: “Oh she did?”
Yuji: “But I… kind of pushed her away…”
Takeya: “I can understand…”
Yuji: “Yeah…”
Then a figure appeared in the snow…
“Hi… Yuji…”
Yuji: “Harumi… What are you doing here, under the snow?”
Harumi: “I… would say I’m lucky… to manage to bump into you again… May… I have a word with you, in private?”
Yuji: “Takeya… You go ahead first… I will join you in a bit.”
Takeya: “You sure…?”
Yuji: “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Takeya: “Okay then… Have… a good talk.” and he walked away.
Harumi and I then walked to a nearby park and sat down on a bench, we sat at the sides of the benches.
Harumi: “When… I saw you back there, I was actually happy…”
Yuji: “Oh… I see…”
Harumi: “I bet you felt… disgusted to see me.”
Yuji: “I admit… I did felt a little…”
Harumi: “I’m sorry for… leaving you… like that…”
Yuji: “It’s okay, I’m over it.”
Harumi: “How have you been while I was gone?”
Yuji: “Fine, I guess. The first few months were hell to go through. But eventually, someone helped me walk out of the darkness.”
Harumi: “I guess that’s your current girlfriend…”
Yuji: “No… I used to have a girlfriend, she died in SAO. I came to Japan to seek closure… The girl you saw just now isn’t my girlfriend. She’s just trying to help me to get you to leave.”
Harumi: “I see… Looks like my senses was right… You really do feel disgusted to see me…”
Yuji: “You did leave me with an impact after all… You can’t blame me for feeling that way on you.”
Harumi: “You are right. I don’t blame you.”
Yuji: “Anything else you want to talk about? If not, I’m leaving, it’s getting cold and I don’t want to get sick. I’m technically here on a vacation…”
Harumi: “I do want to ask you something…”
Yuji: “Okay, go ahead.”
Harumi: “After meeting you in the streets just now, I think something or someone is telling me that this is my chance to make it up to you for what I did… So…
Are you willing to date me once again?”