Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

Seeing his parents like this, Hachiman was so embarrassed that he apologized to Asuna:

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect my parents to become like this."

But Asuna wasn't listening at all, she was mumbling something with her head down. Hachiman leaned closer to listen in confusion.

"I want to be Hachiman-kun's bride, I want to be Hachiman-kun's bride..."

"Hey, Asuna."

Then Asuna suddenly said to Hachiman's parents:

"Although I'm not mature enough yet, please take good care of me from now on, Dad and Mom!"

Since then, the two of them have been doting on Asuna. By the way, under the arrangement of her parents and Komachi, the vacant room has been gradually transformed into Asuna's exclusive room.

In short, Hachiman successfully obtained permission to take the driver's license test. He wanted to consult Haruno first, but Haruno referred him to the butler Tsuzuki.

It turns out that Tsuzuki used to be a driving instructor. Haruno explained that "it's better to leave this kind of thing to former professionals", and Hachiman also agreed with this arrangement.

"Mr. Tsuzuki, is it okay to only take the automatic test?"

"Yes, nowadays most of the cars on the roads in Japan are automatic transmission cars, and new manual transmission cars are almost no longer produced."

"I see"

"Time is tight this time, so I'll prioritize getting my driver's license. I can then remove the restrictions when I need to drive a manual transmission. However, if you don't have an old car at home or at work, you'll rarely have this opportunity."

"I see. That's very clearly explained."

Listening to Tsuzuki's explanation, Hachiman felt that professionals were indeed different.

"I'm sorry for asking you to do this so suddenly."

　 "No, I'm enjoying it too, please don't mind."

Tsuzuki paused for a moment and then continued:

"Also, I hurt you before. Although it doesn't atone for my sin, I will do my best to teach you driving skills."

"Please don't say that. That's entirely my fault. But thank you very much, Mr. Tsuzuki. When the other two are alone, can you please address me as 'Jun'..."

"I understand. Then, Hachiman-kun, let's work hard together from now on."

“Please give me more advice”

Thus, Hachiman's training began.

"You should fill your course schedule as full as possible. It's okay if you can't remember the content, but don't fall asleep. Watch out for trick questions during the exam and cram before the test."

"The most important thing about practical exercises is to check repeatedly and remember that the examiner is observing your gaze."

"Keep left. Proceed along the left side of the road."

"The key is to develop a sense of the car. When parking, you should not only rely on your feel but also use the rearview mirror to slowly pull over."

"Pedestrians should be given priority on sidewalks without traffic lights. The examiner will be watching them, so don't miss them."

It is worth mentioning that the teaching is conducted at the dedicated training ground of the Yukinoshita residence using the Yukinoshita family's own training car.

At first, Hachiman was shocked by the private ownership of these facilities. However, under Tsuzuki's strict yet gentle guidance, Hachiman's driving skills improved rapidly.

The driving school instructors were all amazed, but Hachiman couldn't say he had practiced in a private facility beforehand, so he could only imagine Asuna's happy smile while trying to complete the rigorous course.

"Mr. Tsuzuki, driving is really fun."

"yes"

Tsuzuki smiled and added:

"It would be more fun if your sweetheart sat in the passenger seat."

"That sounds great."

"But carrying people is like entrusting their lives to others. Please remember this."

Finally, the day of the graduation exam arrived.

"Hachiman-kun, the test focuses on reasonable route selection, sufficient confirmation, and standardized parking. Come on."

"Definitely qualified"

"It seems that you are not nervous. Waiting for good news."

"I'll contact you immediately after the event"

When the test started, Hachiman recalled his practice with Tsuzuki and passed all the steps smoothly. The test ended with surprising ease and he got his driver's license on the same day. Hachiman immediately called Tsuzuki:

"Mr. Tsuzuki, I passed. Thank you very much for your time."

"Congratulations, your hard work has paid off. It's just that I feel a little lonely thinking that I can no longer practice driving with you."

"I can't bear to leave either. Next time we ride together, you'll probably be the one driving me and Sister Yang Nai."

"Maybe. After getting a driver's license, riding in someone else's car will bring new discoveries, which is also fun."

"Is that so? Then I look forward to riding in your car. Now let's go to the examination room to get the license."

"Keep going, and congratulations again on your graduation, Hachiman-kun."

"Really... Thank you, Tsuzuki-sensei."

The next day, Hachiman passed the test successfully and finally got his driver's license.

At Haruno's arrangement, a few days later, he picked up the new car and took Komachi for a few test drives. Komachi always insisted on sitting in the back seat - not because she didn't trust her brother's driving skills, but because she insisted that "the first passenger seat must be reserved for sister Asuna."

When the day came for Asuna to be discharged from the hospital, Hachiman turned the key in full gear and drove to the hospital.

ALO : Chapter 145: Survivor Academy

Half a year has passed since Asuna was discharged from the hospital.

During this period, the two of them were interacting smoothly while preparing for today.

Those SAO survivors who need to continue their studies have all completed rehabilitation not long ago. With this as a milestone, the long-awaited school for survivors finally opened today.

Former junior high school first and second graders are required to take special courses and be placed in regular classes based on their grades.

All former junior high school students were recognized as having completed compulsory education as special cases, and former students from the third year of junior high school to the second year of high school entered regular classes from the beginning.

By the way, due to land use reasons, the school is located in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, and the other four people except Hikigaya have confirmed that they will start living on campus.

The four people are Asuna, Kirito, Lisbeth and Silica. To be more precise, Chiba was chosen because the land was provided by the Yukinoshita family.

"Hey, it looks like everyone is in the same class."

Hachiman and Asuna were standing in front of the class division notice board when someone spoke to them. Lisbeth, whose real name was Shinozaki Rika, was standing behind them. Rika happily hugged Asuna.

"We're in the same class, Asuna!"

"Ah, um... yeah."

Although Asuna was happy, her expression was a little subtle. Kazuto and Rika noticed this and looked puzzled. Hachiman saw this and waved for them to come over to explain the situation.

"Actually, I heard from Mr. Kikuoka this morning, and I just told Asuna. It seems that this class division is based on the interpersonal relationships within SAO to a certain extent, to avoid causing problems. So we were just guessing that it would be like this, and it turned out to be as expected."

"Ah~ So Asuna must have been spoiled in advance, that's why she had that expression."

"Yeah, almost."

"Ah! I found you~!"

At this time, Silica, whose real name is Ayano Keiko, ran over with a smile on her face. Keiko hugged both of them like Rika hugged Asuna just now, and said excitedly, "We are in the same class!" Rika, who had experienced it herself, smiled bitterly and understood Asuna's feelings just now.

"Now I completely understand how Asuna felt just now."

"R-right? You can understand?"

"Hey? What happened?"

Facing the confused Keiko, Hachiman repeated his previous explanation.

"That's it."

"I see! But this is also good!"

Keiko spoke cheerfully, and everyone nodded. Then the school announcement sounded, announcing the start of the entrance ceremony.

It is worth mentioning that no parents attended - briefing sessions for parents had been held several times in advance, and attendance was prohibited on the day.

This is to prevent parents from leaking information to the media and avoid exaggerated reports. In fact, all media outlets are adopting a cautious reporting policy for fear of triggering public criticism, so it is almost impossible for problems to occur.

The moment the five of them walked towards the auditorium, all eyes were focused on them—or to be more precise, almost all eyes were focused on Asuna.

It's no wonder that everyone knows the appearance and name of "Flash Asuna", and even those stranded in the initial town know her through screenshots and other means.

"Wow, it's really spectacular."

Kazuto sighed, and Hachiman chuckled and said to him:

"It's only a matter of time before your appearance and name get out, right?"

"Ugh... Please forgive me if you're honest..."

"Be a little patient. After all, you did save all of us. There must be a lot of people who want to thank you, right?"

“There’s really no need to say thank you.”

"What if it's a girl?"

"No, men and women are the same. I don't want to put on airs."

By the way, there are only 3 girls among the 40 students in Hachiman's class, and they are the three in front of him. The number of girls in other classes is mostly 3-4.

This was more than Hachiman had expected, accounting for about 10%. Considering that Asuna was the only female player in the strategy group, her uniqueness was even more highlighted.

The school has 20 classes in total and will not admit new students next year. After the 20 classes graduate, it will operate as a regular school, enrolling five classes each year.

"There are 20 classes with 3-4 girls each, for a total of about 70 people. You're going to be popular, Kazuto."

Hachiman had barely finished speaking when Kazuto was about to speak when Rika's elbow jabbed him hard in the side.

"Humph, divine punishment!"

"Ugh... I'm not sure about anything, that's so unreasonable..."

Everyone around was stunned by the interaction of the five people, when the broadcast announced that the ceremony was about to begin.

Everyone sat upright and took seats according to their class areas. After the ceremony began, the guests gave speeches one after another. For health reasons, the speeches were brief and concise, but there were unexpected people among the guests.

"Next, please allow Ms. Yukinoshita, the chairman, to give a speech."

"Hey, could it be..."

Thinking it was Haruno, Hachiman stared intently at the podium. The person on the stage resembled two people he knew, but was noticeably older. Hachiman suddenly remembered—though he had never met them, they must be the people Haruno had mentioned at the fireworks festival that year—and a cold sweat broke out.

"Is it actually the hidden boss that appears?"

Noticing the chairman's presence, Asuna lowered her voice and asked:

"Hachiman-kun, could Yukinoshita be related to Sister Haruno and Yukino?"

Just as Asuna calls Yukino by her name, the way her companions address each other has become quite casual recently, though they still use honorifics for those who are obviously older than them.

"Hmm, that one is probably Sister Yang No and Yukino's mother. They look alike, right? In a sense, she is indeed a hidden boss."

"Hidden Boss... Hey? Hachiman-kun, are you sweating?"

Hachiman was indeed sweating, and he managed to answer:

"That person... I heard Sister Yang Nai say before that he is even scarier than her."

"Ah... I see..."

"Whoa!"

"What, what's wrong?"

Hachiman suddenly cried out strangely, and Asuna asked nervously in a low voice.

"That person...he kept staring at me after meeting my gaze..."

"Hey?"

Asuna looked up and saw that the chairman was indeed staring at Hachiman while he was giving a speech. Although the speech ended quickly, it felt extremely long to Hachiman.

After the ceremony, everyone was about to return to the classroom, but Hachiman was stopped at the door of the auditorium.