The next morning.
Knock knock knock!
Hmm?
As Sato was brushing his teeth, the sound of knocking at the door made him raise an eyebrow in confusion.
Who could it be this early in the morning?
Shouko? Umaru? It couldn't possibly be that fallen angel next door, right?
Finishing up his morning routine in a rush, Sato called out, "Just a moment!" as he made his way to the door.
When he opened it, a faint floral scent drifted in.
"Excuse me… Are you…?"
He looked over the girl standing in front of him, blinking in confusion.
No denying it, this girl was seriously cute. Her short, lavender hair was pinned back with two simple clips, revealing a sweet face. Her purple eyes exuded a calm, gentle aura.
But… he had never seen her before!
A beautiful stranger showing up at his door this early in the morning, what kind of situation was this?!
Vigne looked at Sato, equally surprised, then instinctively glanced at the door number beside her. Suddenly, her expression changed.
"Wait!"
"You're here to see Gabriel?!" Sato blurted, noticing that her school uniform looked vaguely familiar.
"Hi!"
The girl quickly bowed in apology. "I'm Tsukinose Vignette April. I'm a classmate of Gabriel's. I came to go to school with her today."
She glanced again at the number on the door and apologized once more. "I'm so sorry!"
Sato chuckled and waved it off, pointing next door. "Gabriel lives right over there."
"Thank you!"
The girl, Vignette, hurried over to the neighboring unit and knocked.
After a moment, the door creaked open. Gabriel appeared, yawning, with dark circles under her eyes.
"Oh, it's you, Vigne…"
Then she saw Sato and muttered sleepily, "Sato, you guys go on ahead today. I'm going with Vigne…"
"Sure."
Sato nodded and headed back inside, oddly content.
He hadn't expected Gabriel to make any friends, honestly. But the moment he saw that girl, he couldn't shake a strong feeling of déjà vu.
What was it?
He furrowed his brow, thinking deeply… and then it hit him.
That feeling… it was exactly like when I first met Gabriel. Don't tell me, Vignette is an angel too?
Curious, Sato pulled up her character card:
[Name: Tsukinose Vignette April]
[Job: Exchange Student from Hell]
[Race: Demon]
[Age: 16]
[Threat Level: B]
Sato: "..."
He blinked, double-checked the screen.
A demon… from hell.
"I feel like I just saw something I really wasn't supposed to…"
He murmured under his breath.
Never mind angels and demons becoming friends, the mere fact that the Underworld had sent an exchange student to the human world was enough to make his head spin.
When he first found out Gabriel was from Heaven, that had been shocking, sure. But angels and humans are usually on the "good side" of things.
Hell, the Underworld, demons? They've never had good PR.
But now the Underworld was sending exchange students?
Angels… Demons…
At this point, even if a full-blown dragon appeared, Sato wouldn't be surprised.
…
"Sato!"
At school, Kirigaya Kazuto waved enthusiastically, unusually chipper.
Sato raised an eyebrow and sat down beside him. "You take something weird today? You're unusually upbeat."
"I got it!"
Kazuto's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Got what?"
Sato blinked, confused.
"The gaming hardware!"
"The what? Wait, you mean for Sword Art Online?"
"Yes! They really shipped the gaming device! No conditions, no hidden fees, this isn't the email scam we thought it was!"
Now Sato was genuinely stunned, his mind momentarily blank.
Immersive VR gaming gear?
That kind of tech exists now?!
Sure, the concept of VR had been around for a while, but everything so far had just been shallow gimmicks. Immersive VR was on a completely different level.
"So… have you tried it yet?"
Kazuto's face twitched awkwardly. "No. I put it on but nothing happened. It says the system hasn't been activated yet."
That broke the illusion for Sato a little. The idea of future tech didn't seem so immediate anymore. "Maybe it's a scam after all?"
"I don't think so…" Kazuto replied, still uncertain. As a seasoned gamer, he was sensitive to tech developments and something about SAO just felt real.
But as a player, he desperately wanted it to be real.
Sato considered for a moment. "So what's the hardware look like?"
"It's kind of like… a headband."
"A headband? You seriously believe that thing works?"
Sato's expression darkened. That sounded more and more like a scam.
Even with rapid tech development, something that compact being capable of full VR immersion? That was pushing it.
At the very least, you'd expect something like a full VR capsule.
A headband-sized gadget for immersive gameplay?
He just didn't buy it.
"Well… maybe once you see it for yourself, you'll understand," Kazuto muttered, scratching his head helplessly.
He had no idea how to describe it properly.
After a few seconds, he just shrugged, throwing his hands up.
"What are you two talking about?"
Suddenly, a cheerful voice popped up beside them. A girl appeared, curiously eyeing Sato.
"Nothing important," Sato replied quickly.
Absolutely do not let Gossip Queen get curious about this. He had no doubt that Iroha Isshiki would hound him to death for answers, this girl lived for rumors.
"Hmph!"
Iroha pouted, clearly annoyed.
Then, her eyes gleamed mischievously. "Guess who I saw in Hanamachi last Saturday?"
Who?
Sato froze.
Then his mouth slowly opened in realization.
Was it… him and Eri?!