When Hachiman woke up the next day, Asuna was already awake, her presence gone.
Hachiman, wondering if she was in the Japanese-style room, approached the door leading to it. That's when he noticed what sounded like a shout.
He quietly opened the door and peeked out.
Asuna could be seen doing sit-ups on the sofa. Hachiman secretly started the bath, grabbed a towel, and then watched Asuna with a warm, slightly resigned gaze.
"Phew, that's probably enough."
Asuna seemed satisfied, saying that with a slightly sweaty face. At that moment, Hachiman quietly offered her the towel.
"Here, a towel."
"Oh, thank you, Hachiman-kun... Wait, Hachiman-kun?! S-since when were you awake?"
"Let's see... [Beep] Roughly since the bath started heating up."
Just then, the sound of the bath finishing was heard, so Hachiman said that.
"T-that long ago?"
"Yeah, watching Asuna's chest bounce repeatedly was quite entertaining."
"O-o-o..."
"Oh?"
"Not my stomach?"
Hachiman had expected words like "lewd" or "pervert" in return, so he was caught off guard by her response. He then regretted that his words had impacted Asuna more than he expected and, to reassure her, stroked her stomach as he spoke.
"N-not now, please..."
"What part of this is fat? I really don't understand. Listen, Asuna, yesterday I only said you had good 'meat on your bones,' I didn't say you were fat. If Asuna were fat, then my sister would be a pig, a super pig, no doubt about it."
"Ah, n-no! Don't say anything more than that..."
"Who's a pig?"
The moment those words were heard, Hachiman froze.
"That's why I said no..."
"Oh, so it was that meaning..."
Hachiman, thinking today might be his last, resignedly turned to Yui and silently prostrated himself.
"I am truly sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? Hachiman-kun just honestly spoke his mind, didn't you?"
"I am truly sorry."
"For now, Hachiman-kun, put your hands forward silently."
"Y-yes."
Hachiman silently obeyed Yui's instructions. Something smooth to the touch met his hands. When Hachiman looked up, Asuna's stomach was pressed against his right hand, and Yui's stomach against his left.
"Wha...!"
"See? Check it."
"Ah, yes..."
Hachiman said that, then silently stroked both their stomachs and, in the manner of a tea master, said:
"An excellent presentation..."
"She said it, Asuna-chan."
"Good..."
"Alright, next is this way."
Saying that, Yui committed an outrageous act. Yui grabbed both of Hachiman's hands, pulled them upward, and pressed them against Asuna's and her own chest.
"Whoa!"
"Kya!"
"Come on, come on, compare these too!"
"W-wait, Onee-san..."
"How is it, Hachiman-kun?"
Hachiman, with a look of complete resignation, silently kneaded both their chests. And then, Hachiman honestly stated his impression.
"As expected, Onee-san's are bigger. But I prefer Asuna's chest."
That was Hachiman's utmost resistance, but Yui didn't mind it and instead questioned Hachiman.
"So, Hachiman-kun, where do you think this difference comes from?"
"Um... genetics... or something?"
"Then what about Yukino-chan?"
"I-I thought there might be a possibility..."
"Oh, Hachiman-kun is soft on Yukino-chan, aren't you? But that's wrong. A woman's chest is determined by the number of times a man kneads it! Yukino-chan's chest isn't growing because you haven't kneaded it!"
"There's no way I could do something so terrifying to Yukino! You idiot sister!"
Hachiman couldn't help but retort. Yui ignored him and, looking at Asuna, said:
"Asuna-chan, in these two days, have you ever had Hachiman-kun knead your chest even once?"
"U-uh, no, not once."
"See? The difference between my chest and Asuna-chan's is all your fault! With those hands that have made my chest grow this big, you need to make Asuna-chan's chest grow too!"
"Don't say misleading things! I've never once kneaded your chest, Onee-san!"
Hachiman retorted fiercely again. At this point, Hachiman was completely dancing in the palm of Yui's hand.
"Really?"
"Really, no, absolutely."
"Even when you were in SAO?"
"...Huh?"
At Yui's words, Hachiman looked bewildered.
"Are you saying that when you were sleeping in bed, I didn't secretly place your hand on my chest? If you claim that's not true, then prove it."
"W-w-w..."
"Wow, as expected of Onee-san, even Hachiman-kun is speechless."
"Listen, Asuna-chan, this is how you play with Hachiman-kun. By the way, everything up to making him knead our chests was all part of the plan."
"As expected of Onee-san!"
"E-enough..."
"Be quiet, you good-for-nothing."
Yui snapped at Hachiman, who tried to protest again.
"Wha...!"
"I went to all this trouble to put you two in the same room, and what have you been doing?! My magnificent plan is ruined!"
Yui said that to Hachiman, almost in a fit of reverse anger. Hachiman, though pressured, returned the question to Yui.
"P-plan?"
"That's right! My magnificent plan is for Hachiman-kun and Asuna-chan to accidentally get carried away here, make a baby, and then get married and build a happy family. Then, I, who can't marry Hachiman-kun, will marry the boy born between them eighteen years later, superimposing Hachiman-kun's image onto him, and finally fulfill my desires!"
"Are you sane, you idiot sister?! Denied, denied!"
Hachiman said that without an inch of room for argument. But Yui didn't give up and then said:
"Then I'll just have to become a politician and introduce polygamy. Is that okay with you, Asuna-chan?"
"If it came to that, it would be fine, but depending on the maximum number of people, it seems like there would be a huge fight."
"You're right. If I don't secure ten people, there will be bloodshed."
Watching their exchange, Hachiman admonished Asuna:
"Hey, Asuna, you don't have to seriously entertain that idiot sister of mine."
"Eh, but... Onee-san really seems like she'd do it..."
"Don't say scary things..."
Apparently deciding that the conversation was finally over, Yui quickly stood up and said to the two:
"Now then, you two, hurry up and get ready and go to Rinko's place. I, for one, have a lot of company work piled up, so I'll be taking care of that all day today."
"I mean, why did you even come here, Onee-san?"
"That's obvious, isn't it? My Hachiman-kun levels were low, so I came to replenish them."
"Hachiman-kun levels?"
Ignoring the bewildered Hachiman, Asuna spoke to Yui with concern.
"Oh, that must have been tough, Onee-san."
"As expected, Asuna-chan understands me well."
"Yeah, I sometimes get withdrawal symptoms too."
"What are you two talking about...?"
"Well then, see you both later."
And so, the morning storm passed.
"Haah... Asuna, should we take a bath first...?"
"You're right, we might need to hurry a bit."
And so, the two washed off their sweat, quickly changed, and headed to Rinko's place.
They decided to stop at a convenience store or fast food place on the way for breakfast. The two then left the driving to Kit and arrived at Rinko's in the Sleeping Forest, munching on rice balls they bought at the convenience store.
Rinko, who greeted them, immediately showed them the original footage and a VR recreation of it.
"Is this really VR? It looks just like reality..."
"Well, I suppose that's the genius, Kayaba Akihiko, for you. From every single blood vessel to the condition of the affected area, it's perfectly traced."
"Amazing... If we show this to Tomonori-san, perhaps..."
"I wonder. That might be difficult."
Then Keiko arrived, and all the relevant parties were assembled.
"Keiko-san."
"Good morning."
"Thank you both for coming all this way."
And Keiko stated her impressions.
"This alone probably won't be enough. After all, this is just observing the surgery from a distance. Normally, that might be fine, but the difficulty of this surgery is incomparable to that."
"I see..."
To the disheartened group, Rinko said with a smirk:
"Keiko-san, you shouldn't underestimate my and Akihiko's technical prowess. Actually..."
Keiko, hearing what Rinko said next, her eyes widened in surprise.
Hachiman immediately made an appointment with Tomonori and then visited Tomonori with Asuna.
And for two days from that day, Tomonori disappeared from all public appearances.
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