After his break rotation, Kirito walked out and sat on a bench in the hallway, letting out a long breath before taking the cup handed to him from the side and drinking some water.
"Hm?"
Soon, he turned back and looked at Sato in surprise.
"When did you come back? Weren't you going to rehearse?"
"They can't spare the time right now."
Sato sat down beside Kirito, then raised his brows with a grin.
"Brother, that outfit actually looks pretty good on you. I think there are only a few girls in our class who could beat you."
At the moment, Kirito was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit along with a waist-length black wig. Combined with his slender figure and naturally delicate-looking face, he genuinely gave off the aura of a black-haired straight-haired beauty.
Sato seriously suspected that more than half the customers outside had come specifically for Kirito.
After all, once Kirito went on break, Sato heard several disappointed sighs.
"Get lost!"
Kirito immediately glared at him in embarrassment and irritation.
Right then, Sato felt the vibration of the phone in his pocket. He took it out, glanced at it, and quickly answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Satoshi, I've already arrived at your school. I'm with Megumi right now. Which class are you guys in?"
"Class 1-A. Just go to the end of the second floor in the first teaching building."
"Alright, I'll come find you right away."
"It's them?!"
Kirito couldn't help asking.
"Yeah."
Sato nodded lightly.
Today just happened to be a day off, and they had arranged to meet the online friends they'd met in SAO.
Besides Asuna, Megumi was coming too. Even though they attended the same school as Megumi, they had never formally met in person before. Without a proper reason, it would have felt too abrupt no matter what.
"Then I'm going to change clothes!"
Kirito immediately stood up, only for Sato to press him back down.
Smiling, he looked at Kirito and said:
"What's there to change? What's there to be embarrassed about? You'll just have to change back later anyway, what a hassle."
Kirito tried to resist, but Sato firmly pinned him down.
While inwardly shocked by Sato's terrifying strength, Kirito couldn't help rolling his eyes.
"You're not the one wearing it, of course you wouldn't be embarrassed."
In fact, more than half the boys in Class A wore expressions of complete despair. They sat in a circle inside the classroom, acting as background disciples watching over the "dojo."
"Speaking of which, Kazuto..."
Sato's tone suddenly became strangely subtle as he stared at Kirito with an eerie look.
"What?"
Kirito's heart jumped as he looked at Sato warily.
"I suddenly remembered something. A few days ago, I heard Asuna mention that in the game, you..."
Kirito's eyes instantly widened.
"How does she know?!"
Sato was completely stunned by his intense reaction. He stared at Kirito in disbelief.
"No way. Don't tell me you actually started an online romance with that girl named Sachi?!"
"N-No! We're just online friends!"
Kirito firmly denied it.
"Satoshi? Kirito?"
Suddenly, a hesitant voice came from behind the two of them.
Yuuki Asuna looked uncertainly at the two figures standing with their backs to her. Just now, she seemed to have heard her own name and the word "Sachi" from their conversation.
Sato and Kirito turned around and saw the two girls behind them.
The first thing that caught their eyes was a girl with beautiful flaxen long hair. She wore a simple pink dress that perfectly highlighted her slender and flawless figure. Her high ponytail looped past her fair, delicate neck and draped over her right shoulder, while a silver butterfly ornament hung from the silver chain at her collarbone.
Beside her stood another girl who looked especially gentle and calm. She wore the private mixed high school uniform, her complexion clean and pale. Her brows and eyes were as vivid as a painting, and every feature on her delicate face seemed perfectly placed. Looking closely, she appeared adorable from every angle.
However, although her appearance was not inferior to the girl beside her in the slightest, people would unconsciously overlook her if they weren't paying attention.
Sato had seen this girl a few times before, and he immediately realized who they were.
Sato stood up and slightly bowed toward the two girls.
"Hello, I'm Nohara Sato. Please take care of me."
Kirito quickly stood as well.
"I'm Kirigaya Kazuto. Please take care of me."
A smile appeared on Yuuki Asuna's face. She glanced at Kirito with a somewhat strange expression.
"I'm Yuuki Asuna. Please take care of me."
"I'm Katou Megumi. Please take care of me."
After introducing themselves, the group officially became acquainted.
Sato glanced at the visibly nervous Kirito and couldn't help calling him a coward in his heart.
Then he looked up at the two girls before him.
"You two are even prettier than in the game."
Yuuki Asuna smiled brightly.
"Thank you!"
Meanwhile, Katou Megumi merely looked at Sato calmly and said in a completely emotionless tone:
"Haven't we already met several times before, Nohara-kun?"
"Uh... well, Katou-san should know about your attribute too."
Sato coughed awkwardly twice.
Although he considered his memory fairly good, when it came to this girl who naturally possessed a weak-presence talent, he could only retain a vague impression of her.
After roughly getting acquainted, Yuuki Asuna curiously turned her gaze toward the embarrassed Kirito in his maid outfit.
"Kirito... I mean, Kirigaya-kun, what exactly are you doing?"
"Uh... it's part of our class activity."
Kirito scratched his head awkwardly and couldn't help glancing at Sato.
This is all your fault!
"Then Satoshi, aren't you in the same class as Kirigaya-kun?"
Yuuki Asuna shifted her curious gaze toward Sato, a faint trace of disappointment flashing through her eyes.
"I'm part of the executive committee."
"So this was your idea?"
"Of course not. I somehow ended up becoming an executive committee member myself without really understanding how."
"But this doesn't really look like a maid café."
"Yeah, this is a kendo maid experience hall."
"Kendo? Maid?"
Yuuki Asuna blinked.