"As expected…"
As the "Mission Started" text flashed before their eyes, the clock's needle began to spin, giving them no time to hesitate. Yuu muttered softly, tightened his grip on Asuna's hand, and suddenly exerted force with his legs.
"No time to explain, just run!"
"Eh? Ehhhhh~" Only managing a panicked squeak, Asuna was like a passenger dragged into a taxi, pulled by him as they sprinted straight toward the road outside.
They were in a residential area, the pitch-black night stretching to an endless horizon. The streets were quiet, with precisely placed streetlamps illuminating the path brightly. The civil registry office was quite far from the residential zone, requiring them to navigate numerous stairs and slopes.
In the morning, you could see housewives, couples, and children chatting and playing around. But at night, the lively daytime scene transformed into warm, glowing lights from houses, lulling the entire city into a cozy slumber.
The chaotic sound of footsteps disrupted the street's tranquility, but the lagging party quickly regained stability, gradually matching the other's rhythm, stepping in sync on the brick path.
"Based on the mission's route, if we maintain this speed, we can pass this trial in under five minutes."
Yuu opened the map, his feet still moving, his finger following the glowing path indicator: "But this is too easy, no challenge at all. Just running while holding hands, with the time set almost perfectly—casual jogging would do it. What kind of trial is this considerate?"
Her long brown hair fluttered, her legs under her short skirt keeping up with his speed. Asuna frowned: "On purpose? To get us used to the process, so the first trial is designed to be easier…"
Yuu shook his head: "Not that simple. If this is really a trial, there should be monsters or obstacles on the way to slow us down as much as possible."
"But this is a safe zone…" Hesitant, Asuna shifted her gaze forward. The calm, peaceful street, bathed in warm light, with tiered stairs stretching far ahead, didn't look like a place where monsters would attack or buildings would collapse.
But in the blink of an eye, a figure suddenly appeared in front of the previously empty stairs. It stood with its back to them, its hunched body faintly lit by the streetlamp, staggering and trembling as if it could dissolve into the bottomless darkness at any moment, turning into a ghost coldly staring at all passersby.
Asuna's face turned pale.
"Ugh—"
A silent cry escaped her throat, her pupils contracting with fear. Reflexively, she slammed on the brakes, quickly hiding behind Yuu, her whole body trembling slightly.
Yuu nearly fell from her sudden stop. After struggling to steady himself, he turned to her in confusion: "What's wrong all of a sudden? A monster appeared?"
"N-n-no, not a monster! A ghost! Something like a ghost appeared!"
Her teeth chattered, her small, sweaty hand gripping his tightly, her eyes shut tight, too scared to peek from behind him. Yuu looked back ahead, his eyes narrowing sharply, and Asuna quickly realized: "I knew it couldn't be that easy. We have to defeat it to move forward, right?"
"No, can't we just ignore it? Keep running."
"Try it." Pulling the slightly hesitant Asuna, Yuu slowly approached the stairs. He noticed the estimated arrival time steadily increasing, and his other hand moved to his back, gripping his sword's handle.
Only when they got closer did he realize it wasn't a ghost but an elderly woman with white hair. Her movements were slower than Asuna's fear of ghosts, climbing the stairs step by cautious step. Her shadow under her feet and the green cursor above her head confirmed her as an NPC.
Yuu let go of his sword, a bit resigned: "Just an old lady, Asuna."
"Not a ghost?" Peeking cautiously from behind him, Asuna's shoulders shrank as she saw the approaching elderly woman, then frowned and observed closely.
"It… it really doesn't seem like one… But I swear I saw her appear out of nowhere on the stairs…"
As she spoke, the old woman turned, her wrinkled face breaking into a kind smile, her cloudy yet gentle eyes looking at them: "Out on a date this late? What a romantic couple."
"Oh, um, you're too kind…" Asuna reflexively nodded and thanked her, then blushed slightly, feeling a bit shy.
Yuu squeezed her small hand, whispering a reminder: "Time's running out."
The clock above their heads had already ticked through nearly a fifth of the time, and the estimated arrival time on the panel had crept up to five minutes after they slowed and stopped. There was no time to waste here.
"Sorry, we'll have to run faster after this!" Asuna nodded at him with a hint of apology, then smiled politely at the old woman. "Sorry, we have somewhere to get to. Please be careful."
"Such a polite child. May you both be happy." The old woman smiled brightly, holding the wall, continuing to lift her trembling, frail legs to climb the second step.
Yuu had just pulled Asuna up the stairs when he felt another tug on his hand, forced to stop again. Turning, he saw her small face clearly showing hesitation, a soft, bright light flickering faintly in her eyes. Asuna, biting her lip, looked like a child who'd fought and been scolded by a parent but refused to admit fault—scared yet hiding a kind of resolve.
"J-just ten seconds!" Asuna awkwardly raised one finger, blinking at him hesitantly.
Yuu couldn't help sighing: "It's just an NPC…"
"You can't just ignore an old lady like that! Ten seconds, it'll be quick!"
"…I wasn't done. If she really appeared out of nowhere, it's likely tied to our mission and can't be ignored. So, be careful when interacting with her—back off immediately if something's off."
"Meaning…" Asuna's eyes slowly widened, a joyful smile blooming at the corner of her lips.
"Don't hesitate, hurry, we've got less than three minutes." Yuu pushed her shoulder.
"Mm!" Asuna smiled and nodded firmly, then quickly turned and ran down the stairs. But she noticed Yuu following her.
"Yuu-kun, you can go ahead, it's fine. I'll catch up soon!"
Yuu looked at her expressionlessly: "No, if our hands let go, the mission fails."
"R-right…"
Smiling awkwardly, her cheeks slightly warm, Asuna quickly helped the old woman up the stairs. Amid the woman's thanks, she pulled Yuu and ran full speed toward the civil registry office.
As their speed picked up, the estimated arrival time, which had reached six minutes, suddenly dropped back to three—matching the remaining time!
"Great, we can make it!"
Her hair fluttered, her breathing slightly uneven, her tone brimming with relieved excitement. But just as she finished speaking, Yuu pointed to a wide sidewalk where a little girl, cornered by a dog, was crying hysterically for help. He glanced at her with a faint smile.
Asuna: "…"
Soon after, a near-hysterical shout echoed through the air.
"How dare they exploit human kindness! Who's the jerk that designed this mission?!"
Helping the old woman, the little girl, an injured boy, and a heartbroken girl in succession cost them a lot of time. The two, running hand-in-hand, pushed their strength to the limit, finally arriving at the civil registry office—
—At the large plaza in front of it.
"Hah… hah… Damn, this is bad…"
Clutching her slightly aching side, Asuna looked at the tall building in the distance with a hint of despair. She cursed the game's realism in her mind. Long-distance running caused fatigue and shortness of breath, not to mention the burning in her lungs, muscle cramps from irregular breathing, and the heaviness from numbness—all these physiological reactions were reproduced so realistically in the game that maintaining full speed from start to finish was impossible.
Even if they could, they were still about five hundred meters from the goal, and the panel showed at least one minute to arrive—even though their in-game bodies were lighter and faster than in reality. Either way, there was only one outcome.
(We won't make it, will we?)
(It's all because I looked back then. Maybe ignoring those people was the right call…)
As these thoughts surfaced, her steps suddenly felt heavy, a sense of helplessness draining her strength, weakness filling her limbs.
Her pace slowed, and Asuna slightly bowed her head, gritting her teeth in frustration. Her long hair hid her expression. Yuu glanced at her, then slowed down too, saying casually:
"What, already tired?"
"You seem way too relaxed…" Sighing, Asuna let go of his hand, brushing the hair from her face, and said with a wry smile, "Sorry, I'm the one who made this mission fail."
Yuu raised an eyebrow: "Giving up this quickly?"
"What else can we do? Even in a game, running five hundred meters in thirty seconds is impossible… We've got twenty seconds left."
Taking a deep breath, trying hard not to show disappointment, Asuna looked up at Yuu seriously: "Or, do you have a way to turn this around? Like a hidden teleport or something."
"A game newbie, yet you know about teleportation…" Chuckling, Yuu suddenly stepped in front of her and crouched down with his back to her. The sword on his back was stored in his inventory, leaving only his sturdy, broad shoulders for her.
"Get on."
"Eh?" Asuna's eyes widened in shock.
Yuu urged: "Hurry up, no time to hesitate!"
"Oh… Right! I know…"
Looking at his back, Asuna was still a bit dazed, but her body instinctively followed his words. She stepped her long, fair legs to his sides, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her thighs slightly gripping, her upper body leaning forward as if to hug him.
When Yuu stood, her ability to think returned. Asuna instinctively bit her pink lips, feeling a wave of heat from their touching bodies, as if autumn had suddenly turned to summer.
Just as she was about to ask something, Yuu began stepping as if to run, ordering: "Hold on tight, don't open your mouth to talk—the wind's gonna be strong."
"…"
Asuna reflexively closed her mouth, completely unprepared mentally. The next second.
*BOOM!*
As if the air exploded beneath his feet, a powerful pull came from below, nearly throwing her off his back.
"Aaaaaahhh—"
The scenery blurred backward rapidly, her vision turning into distorted streaks of color, her body feeling glued to a train car, the fierce wind hitting her face like a giant hammer. Asuna couldn't help screaming, but her mouth filled with air. She quickly buried her head, clinging tightly to him, ignoring how her soft parts pressed against him, desperately trying not to be thrown off this temporary shelter by inertia.
"Told you the wind would be strong," Yuu's laughing voice came from very close.
Her ears ached from the blasting wind, her long brown hair streaming straight back like a koi flag. Asuna struggled to open her eyes, seeing his neck, her nose filled with his masculine scent.
"Th-this… is this a skill?" she asked with difficulty.
"Hm? You could say that. My unique skill—looks like you can't learn it."
In Acceleration mode, Yuu shot straight toward the civil registry office, glancing at his rapidly depleting HP bar. Not only that, a crushing pain spread through his body again. Though made of data, he could still hear his bones and muscles screaming in agony. He quickly adjusted, speaking as if nothing was wrong: "I only just thought of carrying you—good thing there was still time."
"I-I see…"
Asuna didn't say much—or rather, she felt she couldn't. She just wrapped her arms around Yuu's neck, pressing her cheek against his face and neck, biting her lip slightly, blushing silently.
Closing her eyes, the whistling wind in her ears, his quick yet light steps, and Yuu's steady, calm breathing were like a flame illuminating the darkness, swaying soothingly. Though in a game, this warmth seeped into her heart.
With only three seconds left, Yuu miraculously closed the distance, as if teleporting, the civil registry office's door right before them.
"Your… hands…"
"Oh, sorry, I don't carry people often."
Yuu quickly moved his hands from her soft, round backside, firmly supporting her full, toned thighs, no longer slipping backward. The odd sensation gone, Asuna let out a small breath, afraid her pounding heart might leap out of her mouth.
In the blink of an eye, they burst through the civil registry office's door, the clock's needle stopping at the final line.
[Arrived at the civil registry office within the allotted time, confirmed to have maintained intimate position—trial completed.]
The text flashed before their eyes, then a piece of paper fell from the air. Asuna reached out to catch it, her head resting on Yuu's, both looking at its contents.
"Marriage certificate…"
"…"
In the awkward silence, Yuu could feel Asuna's cheek against his heating up rapidly.