Having realized what he needed to do, the next day unfolded.
The morning was filled with classes as usual, the afternoon spent at the cafe training the new part-time worker, and the evening returning home to cook dinner for his sister.
After completing this routine, around eight in the evening, twilight arrived.
Before going online, Yuu called Kouichirou, planning to gather some information from him first.
After some brief small talk, Yuu got to the point:
"Kou-nii, is the discipline at your house really that strict?"
"Hmm? Why're you suddenly asking that?" Kouichirou sounded taken aback.
Yuu explained calmly, "After chatting a bit with your sister in-game, I got curious."
"…"
A half-second pause, followed by an irritatingly knowing and suggestive hum from the other end.
"Oh, I see how it is~"
Yuu's grip on the phone tightened slightly. As if sensing the murderous aura he exuded, Kouichirou coughed, then said with feigned seriousness:
"Of course it's strict! My mom's a university lecturer, used to teaching and disciplining since we were kids. My dad's got family pressure too—every New Year back in Kyoto, he's compared to a ton of relatives…"
His tone grew a bit resigned here: "If it weren't for keeping face in our hometown and boosting influence in conversations, my parents' elite education wouldn't be so intense."
Yuu thought for a moment. "I see…"
He didn't press further, but Kouichirou kept talking nonstop: "My dad doesn't care much about grades, as long as we're doing fine. His job's already super busy, so he barely has time to discipline us…"
"But my mom, she was born in a village. To succeed in Tokyo, she worked her butt off. She's had a competitive streak since she was young. After having kids, she pinned her hopes on us—every test had to be top-notch."
"It's not that bad, honestly. She's the type of parent who chases truth and is strict about studying. In her eyes, only our future and growth matter—other stuff's irrelevant. It can feel suffocating, but it's not outright oppressive."
"If Asuna and I didn't have pretty good brains, getting high grades without much effort, maybe Mom wouldn't push so hard… She always tells us not to waste our rare talents but never forced us to learn piano or other skills."
"Oh, and don't listen to me making her sound like a villain. She's just cold-faced but warm-hearted. Since Asuna and I never dared defy her growing up, she's used to deciding things for us—like what schools we attend, our futures, engagements, and so on… You'll get it if you meet her once!"
"So, never fear the mother-in-law…"
Before he could finish, Yuu firmly hung up, sent a thank-you emoji, and ended the conversation completely.
Damn it, why can't this guy have a normal conversation?
Three sentences in, and he's already linking it to his sister. How desperate is he to sell her off…
Though, to be fair, Yuu did have a slight intention of scoping out his sister when he made the call.
"Family issues… No, a matter of personal will? If that's the case, there's not much I can do…"
Muttering to himself, Yuu grabbed his headset and entered the virtual world.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Aincrad, First Floor, Abandoned Mine Entrance.
Yuu slowly woke, greeted by the familiar tent ceiling for the second time.
He got up from his sleeping bag, and at that moment, the other sleeping bag glowed, and the graceful, elegant figure of a girl materialized from virtual to real.
"You're pretty punctual today. Your mom didn't mind?"
"Eh?" Just logging in and hit with this question, Asuna blinked, answering with slight confusion, "Should be fine… She's busy with work today and didn't have time to check on me."
"Good, then. I don't want to hear you can't log in one day."
Smiling, Yuu tidied his sleeping bag and stretched vigorously.
As he stood with her, Asuna studied him from head to toe, then said hesitantly, "Um, Yuu-kun… I feel like you're acting a bit weird."
"Weird how?"
Yuu tilted his head at her, puzzled, but a smile lingered on his lips, looking suspiciously like a creepy uncle about to kidnap a little girl.
"Ugh, that's what's weird!" Her slender shoulders shrank unconsciously, Asuna crossed her arms and stepped back twice, eyeing him warily. "It's like you're plotting something bad. That shady vibe… Are you thinking of new ways to mess with me?"
"Hey, am I that kind of guy?" Dropping his teasing expression, Yuu gave a wry smile.
Recalling something, Asuna's cheek twitched. "How dare you say that~"
She suddenly laughed in anger, her willow-leaf brows shooting up, fury clearly flashing in her eyes.
"Who was it yesterday saying Frenzy Boars come in male and female, and that killing female ones gives milk for cooking, then made me check the… the underside of every Frenzy Boar!"
"I went offline and asked my brother, and he said all Frenzy Boars are male—if you want milk, you need cow-type monsters!"
Asuna slowly advanced, raising her smooth white fist toward him, a dark shadow covering half her face, her smile growing eerily polite.
"So, how should I settle this with you? How about I make you check if there's a female pig-headed monster?"
"Wouldn't that be obvious at a glance?" Yuu said, subtly backing toward the tent's entrance.
Asuna kept pressing forward, her gentle yet menacing aura blending with the night sky.
"You actually checked?"
"Of course not. I'm playing a game, not messing around with monsters."
"Then you don't know, right? Just like before opening the box, no one knows if the kitten inside is alive—you don't know if that pig-headed monster is female either."
"Wait, are you treating O-jin pig-headed monsters like Schrödinger's cat?!"
"St-Stupid, don't talk so crudely!"
As Asuna froze, biting her lip with a flushed face, Yuu decisively turned and bolted out of the tent, leaving just one sentence:
"Alright, prep for the mission. Time's precious—we don't have any to waste on pointless stuff like this."
"…"
Damn it, who was wasting time first?!
But before she could retort, Yuu had already fled her sight, leaving Asuna's boiling anger without a target.
The tent fell silent, with only Asuna staring at the empty entrance, grinding her teeth.
"That annoying guy, next time I'll teach him a lesson with my sword skills…"
Though she muttered discontentedly, her eyes curved like crescent moons, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but lift slightly.
All the exhaustion from studying all day vanished, and her heavy shoulders felt much lighter… Well, maybe it was thanks to the virtual world.
It definitely had nothing to do with that jerk of a guy!
Quickly brushing off all the unpleasant thoughts, Asuna stretched, opened her equipment menu, and hurriedly stepped out of the tent.
"Yuu-kun, wait! You said we're doing the mission, but haven't we still not found the entrance…"
"Isn't that something you can find if you use your brain?"
"…Fine, let's duel right now. Immediately. I'll finish you in one minute!"
Accompanied by the sound of a sword being drawn.
The silver diamond ring on her ring finger glinted softly in the corner of her eye.