After exiting the company and bidding goodbye to Rinko with a kiss on her lips which made her shy, Shido got on his motorcycle, wave at Rinko then rode off under Rinko's happy yet reluctant gaze.
Shido opened the can of coffee he had bought earlier from a vending machine by the side of the road and took a sip while gazing at the setting sun.
As he sat on a bench in the park, his phone suddenly rang. When he picked it up, the voice of a girl he hadn't heard from in a while came through.
"Shido-san." Suguha's voice could be heard on the other end of the phone.
"Suguha, it's been a while since I last heard your voice. So… what's up? You're suddenly calling me?"
It had been a few days since Shido last spoke to or saw Suguha, as he had been busy with Lisbeth. Today, he was accompanied by Kanzaki and Rinko, so hearing Suguha's voice made him smile. Truthfully, he also missed this sweet girl, but of course, he didn't say that, he didn't want to make Suguha feel awkward around him.
Meanwhile, Suguha wasn't satisfied with Shido's casual response. His words made it seem like he hadn't even intended to tell her that he and Lisbeth were already dating. If Lisbeth herself hadn't admitted it to her, along with Asuna and Silica, Suguha wouldn't have known that the two of them were already in a relationship.
This made Suguha snort and grumble quietly to herself at how shameless Shido was. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. Even though they had only met in real life once, they were close in ALO and had even gone to a party together.
On top of that, Suguha felt an inexplicable closeness to Shido that made it hard to stay mad at him or forget her feelings for the boy even though she know it was wrong since he already have a girlfriend.
Yes, he could be a bit annoying, but that was precisely what made being with him so much fun. Still, Suguha wasn't about to let him off easily. She snorted and huffed into the phone, and said, "Hmph! So now that you have a girlfriend, I can't call you anymore?"
Suguha's words were casual on the surface, but Shido could clearly hear the pout in her tone. Hearing her speak this way made him feel helpless as her words hinted that she knew he and Lisbeth were now dating, and they carried a subtle mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment.
While Shido could be a scumbag, he wouldn't toy with the hearts of the girls involved with him. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Of course not. You can still call me like always."
"Hmmp! I thought you'd ignore me now that you have Lisbeth." Suguha snorted on the other end of the phone, making Shido smile wryly.
"Um, Suguha-san… are you upset with me?" Knowing that women could be unreasonable and often didn't listen to logic when angry, Shido decided it was best to calm her down first.
"Upset? No, I'm not upset. Why would I even be upset with you in the first place?"
This time, Suguha didn't sound annoyed. Instead, her voice softened, and she gave a wry smile. Shido noticed the sudden change in her, and he let out a quiet sigh, he knew he had stirred something in her maiden heart.
Suguha was silent for a moment before continuing, "I just wanted to know… why you didn't tell me about you and Lisbeth."
Hearing her words, Shido didn't hesitate and replied honestly, "It's not like I'm hiding it. I'm planning to tell you and the others about the two of us, but we only confirmed our relationship yesterday. I was planning to tell you tonight."
"…I see. I'm sorry for misunderstanding you, Shido-san." Suguha fell silent for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. She hadn't even doubted that Shido might be making an excuse.
Well, not that Shido was really lying since he really planned to tell everyone about him and Lisbeth in ALO tonight. It was just that Suguha had asked him a little too early. As for Asuna, she already knew about their relationship, having seen them together that morning. Only Silica remained unaware until Lisbeth admit their relationship first.
Nevertheless, it seemed that Lisbeth had already told them, which was why Suguha had called.
"Un, I'm glad you understand, Suguha."
As Suguha calmed down, Shido knew he couldn't let her wait too long and risk hurting her feelings. This weekend, they would go out together and settle things properly, especially since she had asked him out earlier.
"Please take care of Rika-san." This time, Suguha didn't call Lisbeth by her in-game name, she used her real name instead.
The two of them talked about his relationship with Lisbeth. From Suguha's tone, Shido could tell that she was feeling sad and disappointed. But he promised her that he would explain everything when they went out on Saturday.
When Suguha heard this, she was momentarily speechless, but then let out a light chuckle. "You still want to go out with me even though you already have a girlfriend?"
Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm, but Shido, as thick-faced as ever, ignored it. He shook his head and said softly, "Well… I promised you, after all."
His voice was gentle, and Suguha could almost feel his breath through the phone, making her ears flush red.
While Suguha felt a warm flush spread through her body from Shido's soft voice, she couldn't help but think that he had forgotten the promise to go out with her when they had met by chance. Yet, it seemed he hadn't forgotten after all.
Still, she felt a twinge of resentment, Shido had taken so long to ask her out, and now that he finally remembered, he already had a girlfriend.
Seeing Suguha fall silent, Shido gently called her name. "Are you still there, Suguha?"
Hearing the concern in his voice, Suguha snapped out of her daze. Flustered, she replied, "Y-Yeah! I'm still here."
Actually, Suguha was just teasing Shido. Deep down, she still wanted their date to continue, even though he already had a girlfriend. She had already sensed that something was going on between him and Lisbeth back in ALO, but it still surprised her and made her a sad to realize that her friend was now dating the person she was interested with.
She might not have been the first to meet Shido in ALO, and her feelings for him had always been a little complicated. Now that Shido and Lisbeth were officially together, Suguha finally understood… though it was too late. So instead, she decided to fully enjoy the date with Shido this weekend.
"So… do you agree?" Shido asked carefully, waiting for Suguha's response.
As for what Suguha's reply was… well, that was obvious, wasn't it?
After confirming her answer, Shido finally hung up the call. He set the phone down, his thoughts lingering on Suguha.
At that moment, he noticed a female student walking alone along the side of the road, she was short-haired and wearing glasses. Coincidentally, the girl also noticed him causing her eyes to widen in surprise and elation.