Sword Art Online Crossover: They're all close friends, how did I become a player?

Chapter 156: I'm laying my cards on the table, I'm not pretending anymore.

The gentle morning light of the next day bathed every corner of the town. Yu Bai, accompanied by Bu Yue, strolled slowly to the flower shop he used to run. The laundry shop that used to be right next door had now quietly transformed, blending into the rows of ordinary residential houses, the traces of time leaving mottled marks on them.

There were some elderly women with white hair sitting happily in rocking chairs by the door, fanning themselves leisurely while squinting at Yu Bai and Bu Yue standing at the flower shop entrance.

A small round coffee table is placed at the entrance of the flower shop, covered with a fabric tablecloth with a small floral pattern.

On the coffee table, a delicate porcelain vase holds a bunch of freshly trimmed wildflowers. Although the wildflowers are not expensive, their natural appearance and fresh fragrance add a touch of wildness and elegance to this little corner.

At that moment, a man was standing with his back to them, squatting on the ground, carefully arranging the potted plants placed by the door.

Noticing someone standing behind him, the man slowly stood up and turned to look at Yu Bai and Bu Yue. However, it would be more accurate to say that he was specifically looking at Yu Bai rather than the two of them.

As he turned around, Yu Bai finally saw his face clearly—about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a thin face, fair skin like jade, delicate and well-proportioned features, thick eyebrows that were unadorned and naturally flowing, and clear and bright brown eyes that revealed a sense of composure and determination.

But Yu Bai noticed immediately that the person was actually wearing colored contact lenses to change their natural eye color.

He has a straight nose, but when he smiles, he reveals a row of neat, white teeth, giving people a friendly feeling.

Bu Yue sensitively noticed that the man's gaze lingered on him for only a few seconds before turning to Yu Bai without hesitation. It was an almost obsessive gaze that made him feel displeased. So, he gently pulled Yu Bai behind him and used his body to block the overly intense gaze.

"Hello, welcome to 'Yiyu' Flower Shop," the man said in a gentle voice, a hint of amusement in his smile. "I am the specially hired manager of this flower shop, Kawakami Anya. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"...Jingguang, long time no see." Yu Bai peeked out from behind Bu Yue and greeted Kawakami Anya, who called herself a specially hired store manager, with a bit of helplessness.

"Jingguang? Who is that? Is he someone you know, sir?" Kawakami Anya's smile remained gentle, but a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, as if she were genuinely asking about a completely unfamiliar name.

hey~

Yu Bai sighed inwardly, knowing that Morofushi Kagemitsu was expressing his dissatisfaction in this way.

Life is unpredictable, fortunes change, and before, Yu Bai was pretending not to know Date Wataru and Furuya Rei.

Now it was Morobuchi Kagemitsu's turn to pretend he didn't know him.

Knowing that Morofushi Kagemitsu was angry with him after hearing Furuya Rei and Date Wataru's descriptions, Yu Bai could only plead with his friends in a gentle voice.

"Jingguang, I was wrong~ Really, I didn't mean to hide it before, I just didn't know how to tell you. So I just had a brain fart and avoided it."

"Heh, I'll forgive you this time. Come in, I've prepared some iced cocoa for you."

After all, he was a friend who had been lost and found again. Seeing Yu Bai's apologetic and pitiful appearance, the anger in Zhu Fujingguang's heart dissipated.

You can't just break off a friendship you made with someone, can you? Let's do it this way.

……

"Ah Bai, it really is you. I knew you were back when I saw you at Poirot Cafe that day."

Rei Furuya sat leisurely by the window, gently picking up his water glass. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a golden glow on his shoulders. He couldn't help but squint his eyes contentedly.

Shortly after Yu Bai and Bu Yue arrived, the other members of the police academy group of five also arrived at the flower shop.

Everyone was very excited when they saw Yu Bai. Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji even stepped forward and wanted to pounce on Yu Bai.

However, Bu Yue stopped them all.

Somewhat surprised, Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji exchanged a glance before turning their attention back to Yu Bai.

"Ahem, I'm really sorry about before, Zero. I had some issues back then and lost my memories of how I met you all." Yu Bai picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and tried to ease his nervousness. Under the intense gazes of the five people, he felt immense pressure.

“Oh, right. This is my best friend, Fuyuki.” Yu Bai introduced Fuyuki to the five members of the police academy group one by one, and then turned to introduce them to Fuyuki, “Fuyuki, these are the friends I’ve mentioned to you: Furuya Rei, Matsuda Jinpei, and Hagiwara Kenji.”

After introducing Furuya Rei and the other two, Yu Bai pointed to Date Wataru and Morofushi Kagemitsu and added, "These two are Date Wataru, we met yesterday. This is Morofushi Kagemitsu, but he is disguised now, his original appearance is not like this."

"Hello."

Fuyuki responded politely, while scrutinizing everyone with keen eyes. Meanwhile, Rei Furuya and the others were also observing Fuyuki discreetly, trying to glean more information from him.

However, as they observed further, Rei Furuya and the others frowned more and more deeply. The inhuman aura emanating from Furuya was simply too intense to ignore.

"Hello, hello. May I ask what you do for a living, Mr. Futsuki?" Rei Furuya asked Futsuki with a smile, trying to find more clues from the conversation.

Although this person didn't give him the same menacing feeling as the Black Organization, it still made his internal radar go off incessantly.

He vaguely felt that, in some ways, Bu Yue might be even more dangerous than the members of the Black Organization.

Even when he made eye contact with Fuyuki just now, Rei Furuya felt like the hairs on his entire body stood on end.

"Hey~ Stop worrying about Buyue. I think you all have a lot of questions about me, right? Like, what is the origin of the amulets I gave you? Like, how did I disappear in that explosion? And like, why do I seem to have stopped looking and getting older even now?"

……

Yu Bai: I'm tired. I'm coming clean. I'm not pretending anymore.

Rei Furuya/Toru Amuro: Why does this person seem more dangerous to him than the Black Organization?