I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Pull down with your right hand to bring up the menu and press the logout button.

A blinding white light flashed before her eyes, and as the data gradually dissipated, a thought suddenly flashed through Yuu Tenkuji's mind:

If only I could be like those successful guys who've had over a dozen girlfriends, can still roam the dating scene like they change girlfriends like they change clothes...

I guess life will be much easier now, right?

Before I could think about it carefully, the logout process was completely completed.

His figure disappeared into the streets of the "Town of Beginnings," and the bustling scene made of data remained unchanged despite his departure.

……

...

A world where no one exists.

The town ruins lay desolate on the ground, like a huge corpse that had been dead for a long time.

Half of the base was stuck in the concrete. On the dusty, slightly worn, crooked screen, the snowflakes that seemed to flicker forever suddenly stopped, and then briefly returned to clarity.

Like an old man typing on a keyboard, a line of small characters was slowly typed out:

"Even if memories can be retrieved, as long as emotions remain, other things will inevitably be preserved."

It's like answering someone's question, or like there's a bug in the program.

The next moment, the snowflakes flickered again, and the screen became blurry.

In the lifeless, desolate world of ruins, it seemed as if nothing had changed.

……

...

"call……"

After removing the boxing helmet-shaped virtual infiltration device, Yuu Tenkuji shook his head, taking a few seconds to adjust to the feeling of returning to the real world.

He lowered his head slightly, his hands gripping the air as if he could still feel the weight of the sword hilt and the impact of their collision.

"September 5th... I'll meet her then and have another fight with her."

Surprisingly, Yuu Tenkuji found that he didn't dislike the feeling of fighting against powerful enemies.

The sight of sparks flying before his eyes, the exhilarating feeling of fighting—even now, recalling these memories makes his blood boil.

With an involuntary smile, Yuu Tenkuji picked up his phone from the side and, without thinking, sent a message to Koichiro Yuuki.

"Your sister is amazing."

The message was read shortly afterward.

『？？？？？？』

After giving a wicked laugh and enjoying his shock, Yuu Tenkuji briefly recounted his encounter with Asuna in Sword Art Online, and then copied the video of himself slaying a wild boar from his helmet and sent it to him.

After receiving all the messages, he remained silent for a while before giving a thumbs-up in admiration.

"As expected of my brother, he's awesome no matter where he is!"

Tenkuji Yuu wasn't fooled and went straight to the point.

"So, you're not going to explain why you instigated your sister to attack me?"

He immediately and bluntly stated, "What's done is done, there's no need for explanations! I'll treat you to dinner next time, any price is fine, as an apology. You can bring your sister too, it'll be a good opportunity for our two families to formally meet and have a meal together to strengthen our relationships."

Tenkuji Yuu gave a helpless twitch of his lips.

"Don't be so eager to sell your sister, okay? Be careful she doesn't stab you to death with a rapier... I don't think you can beat her."

Koichiro Yuuki, however, remained nonchalant: "I'm the older brother. How could an older brother lose to his younger sister? You can't scare me."

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji decided that he would take the opportunity to stir things up in front of Asuna and urge her to wield the sword of rebellion against her foolish brother.

Once that guy is beaten to a pulp by his sister, he'll know whether he was just trying to scare him or not.

Before he could reply, Yuuki Koichiro suddenly changed the subject:

"Oh, right, You, you mentioned earlier that my sister was in a hurry to log off, it seemed like she got caught playing games, so I went outside to check on her..."

"What? Could it be that they really got caught?"

Tenkuji Yu raised an eyebrow, but felt little worry.

The system clearly states that I will be able to meet her at 8 PM on September 5th; therefore, before that, Asuna Yuuki should not be caught by her mother and lose the opportunity to re-enter the game.

Sure enough, after whetting his appetite, Yuuki Koichiro revealed the answer directly: "No, my mom just knocked on the door. NERvGear has an external disturbance alert function; as long as Asuna remembers to lock the door and hide the things, she shouldn't be discovered."

"Really? That's good." Yuu Tenkuji just casually remarked, after all, this was his future game partner and the next 'target' predetermined by the system.

But Koichiro Yuuki seemed to have misunderstood something and immediately sent a message in an ambiguous tone:

"Oh my, you're so concerned about her even though it's your first time meeting..."

Upon seeing it, Yuu Tenkuji immediately put away her phone and decisively ignored the message.

I don't know what he's plotting, but this guy always wants to be my brother-in-law, and he even seems to enjoy it—just like Grandma Susan's foot bindings next door, so annoying that you just want to kick his butt with your riding boots.

The time was around 10 a.m.

Ignoring the Yuki family's mess, he went to the balcony, saw that the weather was nice, hung up a towel, put on socks, and went for a jog.

Chapter Eleven: Black Sedan, Woman, Dog

Several days later.

September 1st marks the start of the new school year for the vast majority of schools, the day the second semester begins.

It was still hot in late summer and early autumn. Yuu Tenkuji put on his summer school uniform, which had been sitting unused for months, and adjusted his tie in the mirror.

After confirming that he was in good condition, he gave himself a handsome smile in the mirror.

"After experiencing so much during the summer vacation, I actually miss the daily life at school a little."

Thinking of this, his smile vanished instantly, and he let out a deep sigh.

Glancing at the virtual reality headset that hadn't been touched for several days, Yuu Tenkuji picked up her schoolbag, left the room, and went downstairs.

Rarely seen, Kasugano Sora was up even earlier than him, lying on the sofa with a rabbit and a dolphin plush toy in her arms, her two slender, smooth legs sticking out from under her skirt.

Hearing the sound, she looked away from the game console and spoke calmly to her brother who had entered the living room:

What time are you coming home today?

"Before dinner, but I'm not sure exactly. I'm going to the coffee shop after school."

Answering casually, Yuu Tenkuji placed her schoolbag on her dangling legs, pressing down the hem of her skirt that was about to slip down to her thighs.

"Yes..."

Qiong puffed out her cheeks slightly, but didn't say much. She just lazily slumped on the sofa and continued playing games.

After breakfast was prepared, she tossed her long, disheveled hair and sat down at the table, her light-colored eyes fixed on him.

"Yu, help me comb my hair later."

"Hmm?" Just as she picked up her chopsticks, Tenkuji Yu paused, looking at her in surprise. "Sure, sure, I got up early today anyway... Are you going out today?"

He calculated that his follow-up appointment at the hospital should have been on a weekend...

Why did she suddenly become so suicidal?

"Yu, your gaze is rude." Kasugano Sora wrinkled her nose and glared at him with displeasure. "I didn't say I was going out, I just messed up my hair."

After hearing her explanation, Tenkuji Yuu revealed her rude expression and leaned back in her chair, losing interest.

"Tch, what a waste of time."

"Hmm..." The anger level began to rise.

Picking up a golden-brown German sausage with a fork, Kasugano Sora stared intently at him with her bright eyes as she slowly stuffed the sausage into her slightly open mouth. After letting him see her rosy lips and delicate tongue, she suddenly snapped her white, moist teeth together and bit the sausage in half with a "Crack!"

Seeing him shudder and avoid eye contact, the silver-haired girl smiled smugly and began to chew, puffing out her cheeks.

The breakfast, which had a fairly warm atmosphere, soon came to an end.

On the sofa, Kasugano Sora untied the ribbon, letting her long, smooth hair fall down her back. With her back to Tenkuji Yu, she handed him the hair comb.

"Yu, this seems to be the first time I've asked you to comb my hair, right?"

She pinched the hem of her skirt with her fingers and spoke softly, her tone filled with anticipation and a touch of shyness.

Rubbing her incredibly soft hair with her fingers, Yuu Tenkuji casually replied, "Yeah, after all, your hair is so healthy, it doesn't split even without combing, you can just do whatever you want with it."

At the same time, the comb went down her head without encountering any resistance.

His slightly disheveled hair straightened again, and he picked up the comb and combed it once more, his movements gentle and light, like a warm spring breeze sweeping across the grassland.

Kasugano Sora couldn't help but squint her eyes comfortably, her lips curving into a cat-like smile.

He gently supported his head with his palm, letting his consciousness feel as if it were soaking in hot water, languidly unwilling to wake up.

"Yo~" Her voice was charming and alluring, as if her whole body had been softened by the combing.

The boy, focused on combing his hair, completely missed her tone: "What's wrong?"

"You've never combed my hair before, so why are you so skilled at it?"

"..."

Thump, thump, boom.

Suppressing his inexplicably disordered heartbeat, Tenkuji Yu coughed twice, without stopping his movements or speaking in a serious tone.

"I learned it online. I happened to see a video of someone combing a girl's hair, and I just happened to write it down."

"really?"

"really."

"Then why did you hold my head down and prevent me from turning it around?"

"Because I'm combing your hair, and you have so much hair, of course I have to comb it carefully."