Inside the tent, the lamp glowed softly, illuminating the darkness in their pupils.
Huddled in their sleeping bags, they faced each other from opposite sides, yet somehow it felt like chatting by a fireplace.
"A goal?" Asuna blinked in confusion. "Why ask that out of nowhere?"
"Just seeking advice for a friend," Yuu said with a faint smile, once again using his imaginary friend as a shield.
An imaginary friend—intangible, untouchable, nonexistent, like some people's girlfriends.
"I see… Hmm." Without overthinking, Asuna pursed her lips, pondering briefly. "My current goal… probably saving Grandma Martha and seeing farther places, right?"
Yuu froze for a moment, then added with a hint of amusement, "I'm not talking about the game, but reality. Is there something you want to do in the real world?"
"Eh—" Asuna's expression clearly showed reluctance, her cheeks puffing slightly as she looked at him suspiciously. "Why talk about real-world stuff here? You're the one who said we should separate reality and virtual, but now you're asking about my real-world goals in-game…"
"Oh, you're right," Yuu sighed, shifting his gaze to the tent's ceiling, murmuring, "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything."
"…But it's fine to ask. After all, my brother's pretty close to you."
Perhaps Asuna didn't want the conversation to end there, or maybe she didn't want to see his disappointed expression.
After unconsciously finding an excuse to convince herself, Asuna turned, joining him in staring upward.
No romantic starry sky, just a narrow but warm blue canvas.
"A goal in the real world, huh… Maybe getting into a good university, then graduating and finding a good job?"
As if feeling her answer was too dull, she gave a bitter smile. "My parents have taught me that since I was little. Beyond that, I don't really know what else I could do."
Yuu turned to look at her. "Not interested in anything else?"
"I have a couple of interests, but…"
Asuna closed her eyes, lacing her fingers across her chest, then stretched her arms forward vigorously, letting out a lazy "Hmm—" groan.
Then, her voice, like a canary flapping its wings only to hit the cage, sounded briefly before fading into silence.
"My mom definitely wouldn't approve. She'd say not to pursue hobbies before getting into university and to focus on studying. So I haven't thought about it much."
"…I see."
Yuu didn't comment, just nodded thoughtfully.
"What about you, Yuu-kun?"
Asuna turned too, smiling faintly, as if searching for the shadow of a small fish darting in clear spring water, gazing intently into his eyes.
"Do you have a dream?"
"Me?"
"Mm, it's not fair if I'm the only one talking, right?"
Smiling as she said this, she watched Yuu pause as if thinking, then look at her with warm, bright black eyes like candlelight.
In them, a faint smile shone, as warm as a spring breeze…
(Wait, why's my heartbeat so loud?!)
(Just because he looks so handsome, what if he hears it?)
(No, no, he'll definitely misunderstand!)
"For me, I haven't figured it out yet… But soon."
As for what Yuu said next or the expression he wore as they parted, Asuna was too busy staying calm, trying not to overthink, and didn't remember much else.
Only one sentence stuck with her, clearer than anything—
"Good night, see you tomorrow."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"…"
Yuu removed his headset, sat up on his bed, and turned his gaze to the vast night sky outside the window.
A dark veil gently draped the city like a sheer skirt, with the faint hum of engines on the road carrying the lingering warmth of summer.
It wasn't that summer had passed and autumn had arrived.
After staring silently for a moment, Yuu suddenly smiled, a mix of resignation and relief.
"Making an awkward person smile genuinely, giving hope to someone who's lost it… Heroic ideas like that don't suit me."
Yet the damn system in his body was clearly pushing him in that direction.
Like a game with a predetermined ending, he was the protagonist—no matter the process, no matter what the manipulated character thought, the game wouldn't end until the goal was reached. He could only keep moving forward to finish for the sake of finishing.
This feeling of being pushed was deeply uncomfortable. Resisting would only make the system rewind time, so in the end, Yuu could only complete missions casually, protesting the system with an attitude of I don't need your rewards, my mood matters most, waiting for the day he'd collect all five mission completion items.
Looking back now, that version of himself was clever but also terribly cowardly.
Because he feared liking a second, third person… feared getting hurt in unavoidable missions, he cleverly devised ways to protect his mind and cowardly chose to suppress his emotions.
Earlier, while playing games in his sister's room, Yuu had asked Sora about her goals too.
Sora said: "Staying with Yuu and chasing away any vixens I don't like… Other than that? Hmm… maybe finishing all the games I love?"
"It's not that I love gaming that much… Especially after finishing a game, I feel satisfied and want to give the characters in it a perfect ending, feeling that even someone like me can help them… Ugh, why'd you make me say that! Forget it, why are you laughing!"
His sister was always so mature, sometimes making him, her older brother, feel inferior.
During lunch break, Yukino had also said that finding a purpose was simple—it was about the willingness to strive for what you value without making excuses.
If so, the answer was clear.
Stop deceiving yourself and ask your heart—
Is there something you want to cherish, to gain, to touch?
"…System."
Yuu lay back on the bed, casually replying to Asuna's message, then said softly with a calm expression: "Can I enter the system space now?"
The system responded emotionlessly: [Except during task completion and settlement phases, the host can only enter the system space by paying a price.]
Yuu asked in a low voice, "So, what's the price?"
[Consume the skill Deep Sleep (Advanced Level) once to enter the system space. Would you like to proceed?]
"Ho~" Yuu couldn't help raising an eyebrow.
The price was cheaper than he'd imagined…
Deep Sleep was a skill he'd recently acquired. Since it was too useless, he'd kept it for potential synthesis.
Using it now as a key to the system space was fitting—he wouldn't feel the least bit reluctant.
So he immediately said, "Agreed. Damn system, take me in."
[The host will enter a sleep state. Time flows the same inside and out. Please prepare.]
After agreeing, it was as if the system had given him a large bottle of sleep-inducing black tea. A heavy drowsiness instantly overtook his consciousness.
Yuu didn't resist.
He closed his eyes, letting the dark tide envelop his entire body until his consciousness completely faded.