Zeltran: Arc 2.1j

RIIING!! Nanase fumbled in the dark until she found her phone. It was Keiko. She checked the time. 3 AM. No way; not answering this. Nope. She thumbed the “deny” button, put her phone back down on the nightstand, and rolled over.

In the morning, she checked her phone again. “HOLY MOTHER OF SPAM!” There were five new voicemails, all from Keiko. Dreading what she was about to hear, she gingerly put the phone to her ear.

“Dude, pick up your damn phone! It’s all over the news: all those people in SAO just woke up! Call me!” Nanase wasn’t going to be fooled by another one of Keiko’s stupid pranks. Delete.

She took a shower, then put on the radio while she made breakfast. “… and the government has released a statement that all SAO Survivors will be enrolled in a remedial school with catch-up classes to remedy their lack of education while trapped in the game.” Whoa. Keiko was actually telling the truth for once.

After finishing breakfast, Nanase jogged down the block to the Kazamoto’s house. She had only moved into her apartment six months ago, so she had never met the oldest child, Tai. According to the news, he should be just waking up from SAO.

No one was home. Nanase wasn’t really sure what she was expecting to be at the house, since the family would logically be at the hospital. Kicking herself for not thinking about that, she walked back to her apartment, grabbed her bike, and rode to the hospital.

She got there around noon. Locking her bike, she went up to the front desk. “Kazamaki?” she asked the intern, who typed in the name.

“You family?”

“Uh, no.”

“No visitors except family until the day after tomorrow. Doctor’s orders.”

She came back two days layer. “Kazamaki?”

“Room 356 in Permanent Residence. Take the elevators over there.”

“Thanks.” A short elevator ride and a long walk later, she was standing outside 356. Moment of truth, Nase. Just as she went to knock, the door opened and Mr. Kazamaki came out.

“Oh, hello, Nanase. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I wanted to ask him about the game.”

“Oh.”

“Is that okay?”

“No, no, it’s fine. Go right ahead.”

“Okay.” In she went.

The room was bigger than she’d been expecting. It was decorated with all kinds of bric-a-brac, almost as if they had taken all the stuff from his bedroom and put it in the hospital room with him. Maybe they had.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” said the nurse when she saw Nanase. Pushing a few buttons on a machine, she went to leave the room.

“No, that’s alright. You don’t have to go.”

“I’m not gonna put a damper on this reunion. You two be good now.” She closed the door.

“I’m not- oh hell.” The nurse probably thought she was his girlfriend. Oops.