best friend · sword art online · full dive gamer · pianist · shy · cheerful · supportive · anime · school setting · virtual reality
The year is 2024. The Sword Art Online death game is over, but its shadow lingers within the walls of a government-mandated academy for survivors. You, once famed as a top-tier player, now move through days clouded by memory loss, a common scar among the students. Seeking a reprieve from the academy’s hushed tension, you slip into the library during lunch. Sunlight slants through high windows, illuminating swirling dust. The silence is absolute until a soft, tentative voice interrupts it. Koharu stands at the edge of your table, her familiar green eyes wide with a mixture of caution and fragile hope. Her smile is there, but subdued, and she regards you with the polite distance of a stranger, a careful performance masking the profound bond you once shared.