Chapter 3: Sword and Blade Public Test: Link Activated!

“Alright, alright, I was just joking, don’t take it so seriously.”

We’ve been childhood friends since we were little; how could I not know what kind of person you are?”

Did Auntie make more little cakes? Perfect—I went to the department store today and haven’t eaten anything yet.”

Since it was newly released, the NERvGear terminals were in high demand; to play a death game with Kazuto, Shengzai had lined up first thing in the morning.”

When Shengzai opened the dojo’s front door, Suguha naturally followed him inside and changed into her own slippers at the entrance.”

Shengzai’s house was a two-story building; the ground floor was the sword dojo, while the second floor was where he lived and slept.”

The ground-floor dojo was simply arranged: wooden racks held rows of bamboo swords, and in the center of the hall hung two large calligraphy scrolls, reading “Wenren” and “Perseverance.””

In the past, this time of day would have seen many people coming to practice swordsmanship, but since Shengzai’s grandfather passed away, the dojo had been temporarily closed.”

Now, the only ones still practicing swordsmanship in this dojo were Shengzai and Suguha beside him.”

“Shengzai-ge, haven’t you ever thought about reopening the dojo? Isn’t that also what Wenren Grandpa wished for?”

Looking at the empty, silent dojo, Suguha’s face wore an expression of melancholy.”

She truly loved kendo, and she also loved this place that held most of her childhood; she didn’t want the Wenren family’s dojo to fade away.”

“To reopen the dojo, I’d need to be an adult first to have the legal right to run it.”

“Besides, I’m busy with a lot of things now—even if I wanted to reopen it, I’d probably lack the ability.”

Reopening the family’s sword dojo had indeed been one of Shengzai’s original plans.”

After all, running a dojo was still quite profitable these days, especially in Japan, where bushido was still revered and kendo remained popular.”

But what was true before was no longer true now; originally, Shengzai had thought he was just an ordinary transmigrator.”

But now that he had a cheat system, merely opening a dojo would be too embarrassing for the transmigrator army.”

“Hmph, so the ‘a lot of things to do’ you mentioned is this?”

Suguha had naturally noticed the NERvGear box Shengzai was holding.”

Although Suguha rarely paid attention to games, NERvGear’s full-dive technology was a groundbreaking product; she had seen it on the news.”

“Your brother must’ve made you buy it—seriously, he wastes his own time, and now he’s dragging Shengzai-ge down with him!”

“When I get home, I’m definitely going to give him a good scolding!”

“Shengzai-ge, you’re a sword prodigy—Wenren Grandpa had such high hopes for you; you can’t let yourself fall into decline!”

Hearing the girl’s words, Shengzai couldn’t help but feel a flush of embarrassment.”

Although the girl was a year younger than both him and Kazuto, it was often them who got scolded.”

And since arriving at Shengzai’s home, Suguha acted as if it were her own house—she not only placed the little cakes she brought on a plate, but also brewed the accompanying buckwheat tea.”

To be blunt, Suguha probably knew the placement of every daily item in Shengzai’s house better than he did.”

Watching Shengzai wolf down the little cakes, Suguha rested her chin on her hands, gazing at him with a blissful expression.”

“So today, you didn’t eat anything and got up early just to buy this?”

“Shengzai-ge, you’re like my brother this way—I really don’t understand, is this game really that fun?”

Looking at the NERvGear on the table, Suguha was genuinely displeased.”

Since the dojo closed, Shengzai had spent far less time practicing swordsmanship with her; if he started playing this NERvGear, his time with her would shrink even further.”

It was all Kazuto’s fault—wasting his own time was bad enough, but now he was dragging the excellent Shengzai-ge down with him.”

“It’s not just about playing games—according to Kazuto, this SAO is a full-dive game.”

“That means the character’s movements sync completely with our consciousness.”

“And according to Kazuto, it’s a game centered on swords—real-world kendo masters can perform excellently in-game.”

“Since I don’t have any suitable opponents in real life, I might as well find strong ones in the game.”

“In the game, no one will care that I’m a middle schooler, and I can train my awareness and reaction speed—so I accepted Kazuto’s invitation.”

Hearing Shengzai’s explanation, Suguha’s face lit up with sudden understanding.”

Of course—she knew Shengzai-ge was nothing like her useless brother; while her older brother played games just for fun, Shengzai-ge was doing it to advance his kendo—there was a decisive difference!”

“If that’s the case, then I won’t say anything more. By the way, are there still any civilian NERvGear units left at the department store?”

The girl, who had previously resisted NERvGear, now felt a sudden interest in SAO after Shengzai’s explanation.”

And if she thought about it, if she played SAO too, then her time spent with Shengzai-ge wouldn’t decrease—perhaps it would even increase!”

Just imagining that possibility made Suguha’s heart burn with excitement.”

“Right now, it’s probably impossible to buy one—and SAO’s public test starts tonight, Suguha, you…”

“Shengzai-ge, I’ve got something to do, I’m leaving now. You can leave the dishes—I’ll wash them later.”

Before Shengzai could finish speaking, the girl had already dashed out.”

Watching Suguha’s retreating figure, Shengzai let out a deep sigh.”

Shengzai knew exactly what Suguha intended to do—but honestly, he didn’t want her to join them in SAO; this was a game where you could die.”

Still, knowing how scarce NERvGear units were and that today was SAO’s public test, he figured Suguha couldn’t possibly have gotten one—so he breathed a sigh of relief.”

That night, Kazuto called specifically, worried Shengzai would flake on him or didn’t know how to use the device.”

After hanging up with Kazuto, Suguha’s call came right after, regretfully informing Shengzai she hadn’t managed to buy a NERvGear unit.”

But she’d already asked a friend to secure one for her—she was certain she’d join them in the game in two days.”

“FullDive—!”

After connecting the device, a digital chime sounded, and Shengzai’s consciousness instantly entered the virtual game!”

(End of Chapter)