On the same night, Asuna finally finished her tutoring session for the day.
Her mother drove in front, while Asuna stared out the window at the pitch-black, starless night sky, as if peering into another world, her gaze distant and dreamy.
"Asuna." Her mother, Yuuki Kyouko, suddenly called, pulling her back to reality. "There was a test at tutoring today, right? How did you do?"
"Oh, yes." Awkwardly pulling out her school bag, Asuna was about to hand her mother the test paper, but Kyouko tapped the steering wheel, her voice flat and serious.
"Just tell me the scores. I'm driving."
"…Mm, there were three subjects. Social Studies and English were perfect scores, Math…" Hesitating, Asuna bit her lip, her voice unconsciously softening.
"…90 points."
As the words left her mouth, as expected, a suffocating silence enveloped the car.
Kyouko's fingers, still poised to tap, froze on the wheel. She glanced at Asuna through the rearview mirror, her brow furrowed, and said calmly but with authority:
"Even if you're not great at math, this isn't the score you should be getting… Were you distracted by something?"
"No!"
Clutching the test paper, Asuna answered loudly without thinking.
But she quickly realized her attempt to cover up was too obvious. She hurriedly added an excuse: "It's just… some of the questions I got wrong happened to be outside the lesson scope. Among the girls, my math score is still the highest in class, so you don't need to worry!"
However, Kyouko's expression didn't soften; instead, she scolded more firmly: "Are you satisfied with just being the best among girls? Tests and scores don't care about gender. If the top ten in your grade are all boys, are you okay with being eleventh?"
"Asuna, since when did you start having such lazy thoughts?"
"I…"
Opening her mouth, Asuna seemed to want to argue, but when her eyes met her mother's through the rearview mirror, her shoulders slumped, and she fell silent briefly before answering softly:
"I know I was wrong. It won't happen again."
Kyouko withdrew her sharp gaze, commanding in an undeniable tone: "Show me the test paper when we get home. I'll take fifteen minutes to explain it to you… Honestly, I'm busy teaching at the university, and I come home to be your private tutor. I hope you can ease my burden a little."
"Sorry."
Asuna quietly slipped the test paper back into her bag, resting her head gently against the car door. Her reflection in the window had somehow lost all expression.
The car was silent to the point of discomfort.
Though she was used to her mother's scolding, the oppressive feeling was always unavoidable… Especially regarding this drop in grades. Her mother might find out she was playing games, and that would become the reason for her imperfect score.
Imagining what her mother might do, the harsh words she might say, was enough to make her feel uneasy and sad.
There was even a hint of fear and reluctance.
"Hahh…"
Sighing softly, Asuna gazed at the Tokyo scenery flashing by outside the window.
Tokyo's rapid pace drew long streaks of neon light, the uniform night like an unclaimed painting hanging lonely by the highway.
Staring at it for a while, her heart unmoved, Asuna closed her eyes wearily.
Instead, the night scenery of Aincrad appeared in her mind—though she hadn't seen it often, it was deeply etched in her heart.
The clear, radiant night sky, stars twinkling like the Milky Way, and a gentle calm that seemed to embrace the entire world…
Those images swirled, an indescribable warmth blooming in her heart.
Asuna couldn't help but smile. She grew increasingly eager to transform into a rapier-wielding swordswoman, freely slashing her blade under the cover of night.
A dull reality, a passionate fantasy… Which was her truest world?
As she pondered, the weight on her shoulders unconsciously lightened a bit.
Taking advantage of her mother's distraction, Asuna stealthily pulled out her phone, sending a message to the person at the top of her friend list.
Asuna: {I'll be a bit late today. Go online first.}
Yuu always read messages quickly, and his reply came as if without thought, within two or three seconds:
Yuu: {Okay. If I'm online first and you're not there, I'm probably busy too. You can level up nearby. Anyway, I doubt I'll be slower than you.}
The screen's light illuminated her pretty face in the darkness. Asuna blinked, sending a message with curiosity:
Asuna: {What are you busy with? Tutoring too?}
Yuu: {Nah, street racing with family.}
"???"
Yuu: {Mario Kart on Nintendo Switch. A race so intense even dumping the entire Pacific Ocean on it wouldn't make me lose.}
It took Asuna a few seconds to grasp his meaning. She couldn't help biting her lip slightly, then sent a message full of envy:
Asuna: {I'm so jealous!!!}
For the Yuuki family, who raised their children with an elite education, the scene of a whole family sitting joyfully in front of the TV playing games was utterly unimaginable.
Unlike Yuu, who was not only skilled at games but could also play them with his family without worrying that simple entertainment would bring big trouble…
It was so enviable.
Asuna sighed. After a few more exchanges, she put her phone away and leaned back against the car door.
The window felt slightly cold. Suddenly, she got the idea to breathe on it, and on the white fog that formed, she wrote names with her finger.
"When did I become so childish…"
Grumbling to herself, a bright smile bloomed on Asuna's face.
If written vertically, she could even draw a shared umbrella…
The thought popped up unbidden, and the girl's fair face suddenly flushed. She quickly wiped the fog off the glass, sat up straight, and pretended nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" Hearing the movement, Kyouko asked casually.
"Nothing, just shifting to rest." Asuna replied, hiding her emotions.
Thankfully, the car was dark, and her mother couldn't see her expression.
She glanced at the window on the other side.
Asuna's reflection in Tokyo, with her slightly flushed cheeks for no clear reason, looked embarrassed yet pretended to be serious.
It did seem a bit silly.
She stopped looking, instead touching her left ring finger, sighing silently.
"If only we didn't get married right away and could start from the beginning…"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Back home, after being tutored on her homework by her university professor mother, who was quickly satisfied and allowed her to leave.
Showering, brushing her teeth, changing into pajamas—it was already 9 PM.
Confirming that person was already online, Asuna quickly turned off the light, pretending to sleep early. Instead, she put on her headset and whispered under the covers:
"Link Start!"
A dazzling light reshaped the world, her body as if broken down and reassembled.
The girl crossed the boundary between reality and virtuality. Yuuki Asuna vanished, and the free, elegant Asuna stepped onto the stage.
"Ugh…"
The oil lamp cast a warm orange glow, the tent's interior cozy like home.
Emerging from her sleeping bag, Asuna looked around, her gaze pausing, quickly landing on the young man sitting cross-legged on the opposite side, seemingly checking his menu.
Yuu didn't react, and Asuna stared at him for a few seconds, as if forgetting to breathe.
When she came to, a smile unconsciously spread across her face.
"Good night, Yuu-kun."