I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Looking bewildered, Asuna gazed at Sister Martha.

Only then did she notice that the black question mark, which had not been very noticeable in the church, had suddenly lit up and emitted a faint golden light.

"Ahem... Asuna, Mr. Yu."

Sister Mary coughed twice, her tired eyes looking at the two of them, and she spoke in a deep, weathered voice from her chapped lips.

"Although it's a bit sudden... could you tell me a story that isn't too long ago?"

After the two nodded in acceptance, the elderly nun squinted contentedly and, in the quiet and gentle night, began to tell a love story that was ultimately tragic.

Chapter Thirty: The Flower of Beloved Love (10/27)

Not so long ago.

The central cathedral of the town of Beginning is managed by a priest who always has a stern face and is serious at all times.

He never married and naturally had no children, always praying alone and silently in the church.

One day, a middle-aged priest suddenly adopted a girl and raised her as the successor of the church, giving her food, shelter, knowledge, and an imperceptible tenderness.

The girl successfully became a nun, always strictly following the priest's teachings, managing the church in an orderly manner, and maintaining a pure and ascetic character, never violating the precepts.

Until the day she came of age, a gunman unexpectedly broke into the church, and in doing so, also broke down the door to her tightly closed heart.

After various events, a month after they met, the nun understood what love was and soon confessed her feelings to the gunman.

The two fell in love, keeping it a secret from the serious and rigid priest. They would occasionally meet outside the church, sometimes in the confessional, and even behind the priest's back...

They secretly held hands and savored the bittersweet taste of love.

Unfortunately, just as all beautiful stories end in tragedy, the priest eventually discovered that the two were holding hands behind his back and doing things that clergy should not do.

The enraged priest not only kicked the gunman out of the church and ordered him never to see the nun again, but also threatened the nun that if she did not break up with the gunman, she would be expelled from the church and her relationship with him would be completely severed.

The nun loved the priest and didn't want him to fall ill from anger and be left all alone, so she had no choice but to accept confinement and wait day and night in the church for the day she could meet the gunman again.

Because when they parted, he told himself, "I will definitely come back to find you."

The nun believed, waited, and hoped in this way. Even as the priest passed away and she grew old and faded, she still prayed to the creator goddess Stia, hoping that the spearman would return and fulfill his promise.

This pure love never wavered until a tattered letter reached her hands—to Sister Mary of the Central Cathedral.

Twenty years ago, the Gunner went to challenge the Labyrinth Zone to prove his strength, but unfortunately he was surrounded and killed by monsters. He left behind only this letter and miraculously returned to the town of beginnings.

From that day on, the nun carried an incurable wound in her heart.

Regret for the past, repentance to the priest, lingering affection for the gunman, resentment towards herself... the empty heartache became a real curse. The healing potion and the antidote crystal could not save the nun who was healthy but whose heart was bleeding.

Because she couldn't shake off this heartache, she was not yet fifty, but looked like an eighty or ninety-year-old, withered and aged, only one step away from death.

The nun had long given up. Even though she had received a cure from the goddess Stysia, she had never tried it. She simply let herself quicken her pace to see the two people she loved most in this life again.

"I think this is pretty good too."

Sister Mary looked up at the clear, starless night sky and smiled sadly and wistfully: "What's the point of living alone until now? Constantly praying, constantly disappointed, look, even such a beautiful night sky can only be appreciated by myself."

A sigh of relief fell to the ground without stirring up a speck of dust.

"If this is what love is, then perhaps dying for it would be the best and most fulfilling ending for the nun?"

"..."

The two men supported her seemingly weightless, cold body in silence.

After a long silence, Asuna spoke softly, her voice trembling, "But you haven't given up yet..."

Her sense of relief was a lie.

If the nun had given up long ago, why would she tell this story to two adventurers who had just met?

Sister Martha turned her cloudy eyes to look at Asuna's red-rimmed eyes and smiled gently.

"Yes, even though I'm not afraid of death, and I'm looking forward to the day I go to the underworld and meet that bastard and that idiot again, I just want to keep living, I want to see it with my own eyes..."

As if recalling a beautiful memory, the nun couldn't help but squint her eyes, her expression gentler than the streetlights illuminating the street.

"As he said in his letter, that flower, which carries all happiness and love, and can soften even the most serious and rigid person's heart, prompting them to offer their blessings to our love—the 'Flower of Devotion'."

"Moreover, according to the goddess's instructions, that flower can also restore my health and dispel the curse that possessed me after losing love."

Sister Mary had barely finished speaking when the golden question mark above her head jumped up and turned into an exclamation mark, signifying the start of the mission.

A window then popped up:

"Accept the scenario quest: Find the 'Flower of Love'?"

"YES/NO"

"As expected..." Yuu Tenkuji thought to herself, "Although she's incredibly intelligent, this nun is still just an NPC created by the system. What happened just now was probably just a necessary quest activation process..."

He carefully examined the mission window, his gaming instincts rationally analyzing all the information the nun had just mentioned, and cautiously considering whether it was necessary to accept the mission.

Before he could finish his analysis, the chestnut-haired rapier beside him, more driven by emotion than reason, thumped his chest forcefully, tears welling in his eyes, and declared loudly to Sister Martha:

"Don't worry, we'll help you find that flower!"

The moment the sound fell.

Ding Dong!

The quest window disappears, and the team panel appears on the left, displaying the names and health of the two players.

In other words, even though Yuu Tenkuji hadn't said a word since the beginning, the system determined that Asuna would take on the mission on his behalf, and the two of them entered a default team mode to begin the mission.

"Oh my God……"

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but facepalm. Although he had expected Asuna to do this, he still felt like complaining.

Hearing his sigh, Asuna immediately turned around, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her little mouth adorably pouted: "What's wrong? Don't you want to save Granny Ma? Then why were you rushing so fast just now?"

"It's not that I don't want to save them, but you accepted the mission without even getting all the specific information. Aren't you afraid that something might happen that will prevent you from completing it?"

When accepting a quest in a game, you have to consider so many things, such as time, place, and what monsters are there. But the pop-up notification window only gave you a tiny bit of information, and you had to explore the rest yourself... So accepting the quest so decisively can only be described as reckless.

But what could she do? She was just a newbie to the game. Yuu could only ask her a simple question in return, hoping that she would consider her feelings to some extent.

Asuna, however, said matter-of-factly, "Since it's a mission, it should be within our capabilities, right? Besides, I believe Granny Ma won't deliberately make things difficult for us."

"It's just picking a flower, surely it can't take ten days and ten nights to finish, right?"

Tenkuji Yu pressed his temples: "...Fine, I was the one who said I wanted to team up with you, whatever makes you happy."

"Hmm... the way you're talking makes it sound like I've caused you some trouble. Just say what you want to say! It's not like I won't listen to your opinions!"

Asuna puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction at his evasive, secretive, and sarcastic attitude, staring intently into his eyes.

Sky Temple casually looked away: "I just wanted to say that I hope you won't regret it."

"What's the meaning……"

The mission continued as the two talked.

Sister Mary tugged at Rayasna's sleeve, took a box from her bosom, and gestured for her to extend her palm.

"To obtain the 'Flower of Desire,' you must travel to a special space called the 'Land of Love'—but since you are neither lovers nor spouses, theoretically you shouldn't even be able to find the entrance to the 'Land of Love.'"

"Therefore, please wear this item, enter the 'Land of Love' within fourteen days, obtain the 'Flower of Desire,' and then return to me."

After speaking weakly, Sister Mary closed her eyes slightly and rested, panting softly.

"Fourteen days left..." Asuna breathed a sigh of relief, shifted her gaze to the box in her hand marked "Quest Item," and clicked to open it.

Inside the box, a pair of rings caught her eye, along with equipment instructions.

"Item: Beloved Rings (a pair)"

"Attribute: Special/Quest/Trinket"

Bonus: None.

"Note: Rings are often seen as a symbol of love, with eternal love engraved on the ring."

"After a man and a woman wear this ring, they will be forcibly converted into a 'temporary married state' and will obtain an 'entry permit to the Land of Love'."

"Cannot be removed after being equipped; bound to character - Female ring: Asuna / Male ring: Haru."

"Hint: If two people wearing this ring are truly in love, something incredible might happen...?"

Asuna: "..."

As she stared at the lines of text with Yuu, her pretty face stiffened, and she fell into a long silence.

Then he tucked his head between his knees, letting out a shameful wail that echoed throughout the night sky of Aincrad.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Chapter Thirty-One: Will the Scenery Under the Snow Change?

Meanwhile, at Yukinoshita's house.

"The moving company has been arranged, tomorrow... how about I take the day off to help you move?"

"There's no need to trouble you, Father. We've already hired a moving company; I can handle the rest myself."

Yukino Yukinoshita decisively rejected her father's suggestion and, ignoring his seemingly hurt expression, left the living room.

Mrs. Yukinoshita stood at the door, her expression gentle and helpless, but her tone lacked tolerance.

"Although I reluctantly agreed to your request to move out and live alone... I still have to say, Yukino, you should focus on your studies now, and wait until you are an adult before you try to be this kind of pointless strongman."

Yukino Yukinoshita, who had debated this point with her countless times, simply replied, "It has nothing to do with being stubborn. Becoming independent early is also a form of learning."

"Is that so?" Mrs. Yukinoshita's lips curled up, revealing a chilling smile. "Isn't it because Haruno never stayed out overnight during high school? That's one of the few things you can surpass her in?"

"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying." With a flick of her long, dark hair, Yukino Yukinoshita walked past her without changing her expression, seemingly unmoved by such a simple provocation.

But the fist hidden at his side still clenched unconsciously.

"...Get some rest."

Mrs. Yukino sighed softly, finally shifting her gaze from her daughter, and slowly walked towards her husband, who was sitting on the sofa, looking dejected because their daughter had moved out.

Yukino Yukinoshita went upstairs and unfortunately ran into Haruno Yukinoshita, who had just opened the door.