The next evening, after confirming via LINE that Asuna could log in today, Yuu logged into the game five minutes early. But as soon as he felt his body again, he froze for a moment.
"This…"
Yuu, who should've logged out standing, now logged in lying down. Confused, he lifted the blanket and sat up on the bed.
Did logging out in a room mean he'd automatically log back in as if waking up? Why did this game have so many weird features…
He opened the system menu, checking his equipment doll. The Beloved Ring was still neatly equipped in its slot, with a message: Cannot be removed until the mission is complete. The ring's buff was currently grayed out, only activatable when his partner was online.
"Hopefully it's not too troublesome a mission… Thanks to this weird system, I can't even play the game in peace and have to be careful not to get hurt."
After grumbling briefly, as he was about to close the menu, the empty spot beside him suddenly glowed. The blanket, previously flat on the bed, quickly bulged, covering a slender, well-proportioned figure.
In a sleeping position, her upper body seemed bare. Visible were smooth, elegant collarbones, rounded white shoulders, and a touch of adorable innocence; but closer inspection revealed two bra straps hanging there. Everything below the collarbones was tightly covered by the blanket. Yuu could only see the shallow curves formed by her side-lying position, prompting the thought that this girl's figure was quite full.
From the lighting to the completion of her login, it took less than three seconds.
"Ugh…"
As if confused by the situation, the girl under the blanket blinked blankly. She looked at the bed, then touched the pillow beneath her, nodding as if recalling something.
"I'm online…"
Realizing this, she lazily propped herself up, covering her mouth with one hand to yawn, letting her brown hair spill over her shoulders and the bed. After rubbing her eyes, which felt almost too real, she caught sight of someone sitting beside her. The girl greeted casually mid-yawn:
"Hauuuh… Good evening."
"Good evening. Didn't sleep well in the real world? You look super sleepy," Yuu said calmly, getting off the bed and blending into the air with his best acting, slowly backing toward the door.
"No, my sleep schedule's regular, and I don't feel sleepy when I log in." Still not fully awake, Asuna felt the still-warm bed, saying with slight confusion, "Is it this bed? It makes you feel like you just woke up after logging in…"
"Hm?"
Her voice faded, and the air slowly froze like ice. With his back to her, Yuu opened the door, silently counting seconds.
One, two, three, four, five…
It took five seconds for the girl's hysterical scream to finally erupt, shattering the night's silence.
"Aaa—! You, me, you… Why are you sleeping in the same bed as me?!"
"Ask the game's designer. I want to ask you why you took off all your clothes when you logged out?!"
After throwing out that retort, Yuu decisively walked out and closed the door. The thud of a pillow hitting the door followed, but the room's soundproofing was excellent, and he didn't hear what Asuna shouted next.
"Really…" Heading downstairs, he couldn't help shaking his head. "Kids these days have no manners, giving bonuses left and right."
Though he'd acted gentlemanly by not staring, as a guy, Yuu had still snuck a few glances, memorizing her beautiful, enticing curves. While not as mature and alluring as Haruno, Asuna had the pure charm of a teenage girl—though her body was data, its warmth and scent felt entirely real, stirring a slight, uncontrollable excitement.
Realizing this was a virtual world, Yuu suddenly had a bold idea. For example, inviting studios like Yuzusoft, August, or NEKO WORKs to join the virtual world, ditching sword-fighting games for ultra-realistic GALGAMEs for the benefit of all male players…
But that could drastically lower birth rates and hasten humanity's collapse, so he abandoned the terrifying idea. He found a seat in the inn's connected restaurant, ordered coffee, and waited for her to come down.
On his left ring finger, the heart-shaped diamond ring glinted faintly.
"Even if she's an online game wife, wearing this ring makes it feel like I'm really married."
Sadly, Yuu wouldn't get swept up in it. After all, it was all something that would fade sooner or later.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Clutching her chest, Asuna stared at Yuu with teary eyes and a flushed face for a long time, then huffed sulkily, looking away and venting her embarrassment and awkwardness on Frenzy Boars outside.
She was, after all, reasonable. After Yuu's explanation, realizing she'd removed her clothes herself last night per her real-world habit, with no connection to him, Asuna didn't scold him or demand accountability.
Still, her demeanor remained stiff. She avoided his gaze, occasionally covering her chest unconsciously, her ears slightly red. With an expression of "As a pure maiden, I need time to calm down", Asuna and Yuu began their journey to find the Land of Love's coordinates.
If they activated the Beloved Rings simultaneously, they'd receive the coordinates—some distance from the Town of Beginnings. It took half an hour to prepare before setting off, and another hour and a half to progress while clearing monsters along the way. Before reaching the coordinates, it was nearing 10 PM, and Asuna had to log out.
"Can't even log out outside, this damn ring…"
Grumbling through gritted teeth, Asuna watched Yuu set up a tent and hang an oil lamp in the forest. Her expression grew complex, and she slowly dropped her earlier avoidance.
Hadn't someone once said? If you can't fight fate, enjoy it… Enjoying might be impossible, but constantly dwelling on it wasn't fair to Yuu, who, despite seeing her body, showed no trace of lust and calmly, patiently walked with her this far.
Besides, wearing undergarments was like wearing a swimsuit… Being glimpsed briefly wasn't a big deal; she was just too embarrassed.
After comforting herself, Asuna quietly clenched her fists, walking toward him with a smile.
"Um, can I help with anything?"
"No."
"…"
His overly blunt reply made Asuna's face twitch, her smile stiffening.
"It's just an item tent—click and unfold, it's ready. Why would it need help?" Yuu gave her a strange look, then ducked into the tent.
"Come in."
Asuna followed, entering the small triangular space. Having tried it once before leaving, she didn't show curiosity. She sat cross-legged, keeping as much distance from him as possible.
Yuu lit the oil lamp again, illuminating Asuna's faintly flushed cheeks and her fidgeting fingers.
"Here, sleeping bag."
To prevent a repeat of them logging in together, Yuu had bought two sleeping bags, handing one to her.
"Thanks…" Taking it, Asuna glanced at Yuu preparing to slip into his sleeping bag, wanting to say something but hesitating. "Um, Yuu-kun…"
He paused, looking at her confusedly. "What? I'm not singing you a lullaby."
"I don't want one!" Asuna laughed wryly, shaking her head, ultimately saying nothing, only giving a faint smile. "Never mind, let's sleep."
"Sleep? This is logging out!"
"You're so annoying! Don't nitpick small stuff!"
Sliding into the warm sleeping bag, Asuna turned away to avoid looking at him. This time, she kept her clothes on. Hearing his steady breathing, she forcibly ignored her inexplicably racing heartbeat. She pulled a hand from the sleeping bag and opened the menu.
*DING-LING!*
With a clear bell sound, she clicked the logout option.
For some reason, she didn't press it immediately, instead glancing at him secretly. He seemed to be checking inventory items, then slid his finger down, clicking the panel. His virtual avatar and sleeping bag vanished in a flash of light.
After watching him go, Asuna shifted her gaze to the logout option before her and the heart-shaped diamond ring on her ring finger.
"He didn't even say goodbye, such an unromantic guy…"
She sighed, but the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted, her eyes sparkling with cheer.
She pressed logout, saying, "Until tomorrow."
Her soft voice faded with the light, leaving the tent empty.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Yuuki Family Residence.
At the Yuuki residence, the warm yellow desk lamp illuminated a dark corner of the room. After removing her FullDive gear, ensuring the door was locked tight, Asuna got up from the bed and eagerly walked to her desk.
Her fully charged phone lit up with a message.
Yuu: {Good night}
Sitting in her chair, Asuna couldn't help smiling, her heart filled with strange joy—she rarely felt this way, saying good night to a friend and looking forward to the next meeting. He was also the first guy she'd chatted with on LINE.
Asuna: {Mm, good night}
Asuna: {Next time, say goodbye properly when logging out, got it?}
Yuu: {Huh? Why?}
Asuna: {It's manners! I turned to ask you something, but you just vanished. At least say something!}
Yuu: {Can't we talk IRL? What did you want to ask?}
Asuna: {The real world is the real world, the game is the game! You have to separate them properly, Tenkuji-kun!}
Yuu: {Yeah, yeah}
Asuna: {You're really…}
Her fingers danced across the screen, and she laughed unconsciously. The lamplight illuminated the girl's face, like a starry sky outside the window lighting up the city.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Monday, September 8.
On Sunday, September 7, due to her mother's frequent GNAK meetings, Asuna couldn't log in. Yuu also took a day off, gaming in his little sister's room until around 11 PM, then dragging his drained, exhausted body back to his own.
Clearly, Sora had sapped his energy—helping her beat Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice solo tested even his Expert-Level Gaming skill, pushing him to his limits. He gave it his all, finally helping Sora defeat Naokatsu Kawarada.
Though he had no dreams, he could protect hers (her desire to complete the game).
"Fair point…" His heart stirred, and Yuu muttered to himself, "After all, I have money now, and plenty of system skills. Why not find a goal and put in some effort?"
Back then, for Haruno and his sister's better life, Yuu poured all his focus into building a good relationship with her, leaving no time for anything else. Now, with money, skills, and plans to casually complete system missions, he suddenly felt aimless, living day to day.
Yuu hadn't deeply considered fulfilling Asuna's wishes; he just played the game with her, barely caring about the rewards he got.
"Could it be my heart left with that mission, and I'll never feel sadness or joy again?"
The thought struck him, and he immediately asked the strange system. It replied:
[After the mission, per the host's request, only the host's romantic emotions toward the target were taken. The rest remain untouched.]
"Good then…"
Relieved, Yuu began wondering what else he could do besides school, part-time work, gaming, and pursuing girls.
With too many options, even by the next day, he hadn't found an answer.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
On Monday, September 8, the sky was slightly overcast, and as usual, the road to school bustled with vehicles and people. The trees lining the streets hadn't yellowed in September, a season where even a jacket felt stuffy.
The Autumn Tiger would only roar in October; for now, autumn was like a kitten, its soft, weak claws brushing against girls' short skirts and hair. The autumn breeze blew down the slope.
There, Yuigahama hurriedly stepped away from the wall she'd been leaning against, biting her lip. Then, she gave an awkward, shy smile.
"Yuu-kun… Good morning."
"…" Startled briefly, Yuu walked up, tapping her forehead with the coffee he'd bought on the way. "How long have you been waiting here?"
"Half an hour…" Lowering her head guiltily, Yuigahama showed a mix of confusion and joy. "I happened to wake up early today, so I thought you might pass this way to school…"
Yuu sighed resignedly. "I should've taken another route."
"…Ah, huh?"
Yuigahama's jaw dropped, her smile wavering as if she might cry. Yuu could only rub his temples, turning to walk ahead. "Just kidding, I'm not that mean. Let's walk together."
"…R-Really! Don't scare me! I could've actually cried! I'm not lying, I was really close to tears!"
After a brief pause, Yuigahama grumbled unhappily, flicking her neatly styled hair, then jogging to catch up. Looking at his back, she raised her hand, hesitated, wavered, then lightly hit his shoulder as if in retaliation.
"Yuu-kun, you idiot!"
Realizing he didn't dodge, the girl's long-held unease vanished. She relaxed her lips, smiling in relief.
Thus, the cloudy day gained a touch of sunlight, quietly blooming at the street's corner.