"Hmm? Isn't that Rika-san?"
Silica, curious about the commotion at the school gate, happened to notice Lisbeth walking toward the center of the crowd. Her words quickly caught Asuna and Kirito's attention, and both of them turned their heads in the direction Silica was pointing.
Just as she said, Asuna and Kirito saw Lisbeth, neatly dressed in her school uniform, walking out of the school building and heading toward the gate, more precisely, toward the center of the crowd where the commotion was taking place.
Even though the three of them were on the third floor, they could clearly see that Lisbeth was well-dressed and wearing a light touch of makeup.
"Why does Lisbeth seem to be dressed so well today? Is there some occasion?" Kirito tilted his head, genuinely confused as to why the usually tomboyish Lisbeth suddenly looked so put together.
Meanwhile, Asuna and Silica could only roll their eyes at his cluelessness. Unlike him, the two already knew that Lisbeth was meeting someone, possibly for a date, since the three girls had been together until just earlier.
"You don't have to think too much about her appearance, Kirito-kun. You wouldn't understand even if we explained it to you," Asuna sighed, shaking her head. Silica nodded in agreement beside her.
Seeing the two girls' reaction, Kirito was left speechless. He felt their response was a little too much, but he chose not to argue back since he know that trying to reason with girls often led nowhere.
Instead of pushing the topic further, Kirito shifted his attention back to Lisbeth, who was now entering the crowd of students below. Asuna and Silica did the same, no longer commenting on Kirito's cluelessness.
...
In front of the school gate, Lisbeth made her way forward, but it was difficult to pass through with so many students blocking the exit.
She frowned slightly, confused as to why such a large crowd, especially of female students, had gathered at the gate. She wanted to check what was happening, but the thought of Shido waiting for her made her anxious to get through quickly.
However, just as she squeezed her way through the crowd, a familiar male voice called her name. Lisbeth froze for a moment, her heart fluttering the instant she recognized it.
"Rika."
Lisbeth turned her head, trying to see who had called her. Before she could find the source, the crowd of students suddenly parted, creating an open path for someone to pass through.
A moment later, the owner of that voice stepped forward, calmly walking toward her with a familiar, smile, as if silently asking, "Surprised?"
Lisbeth stood there in a daze for a second. A handsome young man was approaching her so naturally that her mind blanked for a moment. But as her thoughts caught up, she remembered who she was supposed to meet. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized the person walking toward her was Shido.
As for how Shido recognized her so quickly, Lisbeth had customized her appearance in-game to match her real-life looks, just like Asuna and the others did.
Her heart pounded so loudly that she could hear it herself. The entire area had fallen silent, and she could feel the eyes of the surrounding students on her, most of them filled with envy after realizing that she was the girlfriend Shido had mentioned earlier.
When Shido finally came to stand in front of her, his gaze quietly swept over her from head to toe. He immediately noticed the light makeup she had put on, subtle yet enhancing her natural charm. This made Shido smile, as he understood how much effort she had put in just for today.
"Rika."
"Y-Yes?!"
When Shido called her name again, Lisbeth flinched in surprise, her voice coming out higher than she intended. Embarrassment rushed to her face immediately, dyeing her cheeks a soft pink.
Shido found her reaction adorable. Without hesitation, he reached out and boldly took her hands. The girls surrounding them let out small squeals of excitement at the sight.
Lisbeth, however, felt like she could sink into the ground out of sheer embarrassment. Even so, she didn't pull away. Instead, she allowed Shido to hold her hands firmly, accepting his touch despite her flustered state.
"You don't need to be nervous, we're just going on a date." Shido said gently, giving her small hand a soft squeeze to reassure her.
"U-Un, I understand, Shido…" Lisbeth nodded shyly, her voice quiet but obedient.
Satisfied with her response, Shido smiled and asked, "Then, shall we go?"
Lisbeth returned his smile, cheeks still rosy, and replied, "Un… please take care of me."
Hearing her reply, Shido led Lisbeth over to his motorcycle and gently placed a helmet on her head, earning yet another wave of squeals from the surrounding girls. Their excitement only made Lisbeth shrink further in embarrassment, while Shido could only remain silent, unsure whether to laugh or sigh at their energy.
Once everything was set, Lisbeth climbed onto the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around Shido from behind, holding him close. Before they left Shido glanced up toward one of the school buildings, giving a short nod, then started the engine and drove off, Lisbeth pressed against his back leaving behind the envious stares of countless female students.
...
"Did he just look in our direction?"
Kirito, watching the scene below, was surprised when Shido suddenly turned his head toward them and gave a small nod, as if he recognized someone up there.
Silica, hearing Kirito's words, was equally surprised. "Eh? Really?"
As the crowd of students parted to let Shido pass, the three of them finally got a clear view of what was happening, and saw that all the commotion was because of a handsome young man around their age.
However, what surprised them even more was that he rode off on his motorcycle with Lisbeth, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Asuna and Silica immediately realized that this was the person Lisbeth would be meeting. Even from a distance, they could tell that the man was handsome.
"Yes… before he rode off on his motorcycle, he turned his head toward us and nodded." Kirito explained. "It seems like he recognized someone he knew. Do any of you know him?"
As Kirito spoke, he glanced at Asuna, who seemed deep in thought, and at Silica, who simply shook her head.
Although Kirito was somewhat clueless when it came to romance, he was still sharp in other matters.
He was still unsure who the man could be, but then he suddenly heard Asuna speak, prompting him to turn his attention to her.
"I think I may have an idea who he is." she said.
Kirito and Silica were both surprised by Asuna's words and quickly asked her about the young man's identity. Asuna shared her guess, and upon hearing it, both of them were stunned.
Kirito couldn't believe it could be that person, while Silica felt a mix of delight and envy, happy that her "prince" was handsome in real life, but jealous that Lisbeth had already gotten a head start.
Seeing their reactions, Asuna simply shook her head. She, too, felt a spark of curiosity about the young man, having only met him once before in the game.