I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Asuna froze, holding the ring. She blinked at him and stammered, "You... how could you be so decisive?"

"Huh? What else?" Tenkuji Yu looked puzzled, touching the gleaming silver ring that had appeared on the ring finger of her left hand. "It's like you need to buy a weapon before you hunt wild boars, what's there to hesitate about?"

A faint blush rose to her fair skin, and Asuna, seemingly at a loss, stammered, "N-no... after we put it on, won't we be forced into a 'married relationship'? It's like getting married in the game..."

"So that's what you were worried about." Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

He gazed into the distance, his voice tinged with a touch of melancholy, and said, "So, if you haven't experienced that era of online dating, when countless elementary school kids on a single map were calling each other 'husband' and 'wife,' it really..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but anyone could see his contempt.

Asuna's eyes twitched, and that slight shyness quickly turned into anger. Her face, which had darkened on one side, broke into a smile: "Yu-kun, if you have a problem with me, how about we go outside the city and fight right now?"

"Anyway, I don't care." Yuu Tenkuji quickly changed the subject, and said seriously, "It's just a change in the system's title. Even if this virtual world is very similar to reality, it doesn't mean that our relationship has changed."

“I won’t do anything to you just because you’re wearing this ring, and you don’t have to call me husband because of our marital status. Just think of it as another way of teaming up.”

"Anyway, once this task is completed, it's over. Our relationship."

Justified and convincing.

After hearing his words, Asuna gradually abandoned her girlish reserve and, with a helpless sigh, chose to equip the ring.

Ding Dong!

A window pops up with only a brief explanation:

"You are now married to Haru."

Next to his health bar, a pink heart symbol appeared... It seems to be a buff that only appears after marriage.

"I'm getting married already?"

Upon confirming this fact, Asuna Yuuki's breath caught in her throat, and she was somewhat dazed.

Of course she knew that this was just a marriage in a game, simple and even weaker than a verbal contract—but she was still a girl, a creature who valued love and marriage immensely, so how could she not be swayed?

She had never had a boyfriend, and her experience of even talking to boys was pitifully small, yet she ended up marrying a teammate she had only known for a few hours in a game and had no romantic foundation whatsoever?

This is not just skipping a bunch of steps, it's practically taking off on a rocket!

"If Mom found out, she'd probably faint from anger..."

A bitter smile played on her lips as she rested her right elbow on the table, supporting her slightly dizzy head.

Looking at the ring finger of my left hand, I really don't know how to explain my current feelings.

Unconsciously, Asuna Yuuki raised her gaze and looked at the handsome young man sitting opposite her.

I want to know what his expression is like now, whether he feels the same way I do about the word "marriage."

"Ok?"

Noticing her gaze, Yuu Tenkuji looked away from the game panel and quickly understood her current mood.

He thought for a moment, then said with a smile:

"Don't worry, I won't ask you for alimony after the divorce."

"..."

His slightly dazed expression suddenly froze on his face.

Then, she lowered her head, her hair obscuring her expression, as if she wanted to say something.

"……puff!"

The last thing that rang out was an uncontrollable burst of laughter.

"Haha, Yu-kun, you really are..."

Covering half her face with her hand to suppress her laughter, Asuna Yuuki quickly abandoned her long-standing reserve and etiquette, laughing until she was exhausted and slumped onto the table, letting her chestnut hair fall loosely across her face.

She laughed with ease and joy, as if she were trying to light up the inky night outside the window, laughing freely and without restraint.

"Well! Since you've put it that way... let's try to get along before we get divorced!"

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: Game (Master Level)."

"Congratulations, host, you have received the reward: Swordsmanship (Master Level)."

"Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: You must first attack a minion with Taunt (status) (once)."

"..."

In the silence, Yuu Tenkuji looked at the girl laughing happily in front of him with a subtle gaze.

—Hey classmate, I was just trying to lighten the mood, isn't your reaction a bit too much?

For some reason, Yuu Tenkuji felt a little scared of himself for being able to make girls laugh so easily.

Unable to log out of Chapter 33? (11/27)

After learning a little about the changes brought about by the "temporary married status," we discussed the way and preparations for our next trip to the "Land of Love."

It was almost 10 p.m., and Asuna was about to log off and rest.

"Next time I log on..." Asuna touched the corner of her soft lips with her finger and hesitated for a moment, "If nothing unexpected happens, it should be at the same time, right?"

"Then let's meet at this hotel tomorrow?"

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Asuna glanced at the matching rings on their left ring fingers, her face slightly flushed, cleared her throat twice, nodded to him calmly, and then pulled up the system menu.

Yuu Tenkuji lowered his head, just about to ask the dog system what exactly this ridiculously long-named one-time status was, when...

But then she suddenly exclaimed in surprise:

"Huh? Why can't I press the logout button?"

"What?" Turning her head, she saw that she had clicked on the system menu several times, but the virtual body did not disappear from the spot.

Tenkuji Yu frowned, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"Is the game broken? Why can't I log off?"

No matter how she tried, the logout button remained grayed out. Asuna couldn't help but raise her eyes and look at him with a hint of unease.

"I'll give it a try." Yuu Tenkuji swiped through the menu and clicked on the logout option.

She discovered that, like her, the logout button was grayed out and unselectable, and she was unable to log off.

"What on earth is going on... Is there a way to contact customer service within the game?" Suppressing her inexplicable panic, Asuna didn't hesitate and started clicking on all the buttons in the system menu one by one in order to find a solution.

Instead of answering her question, Yuu Tenkuji mentally questioned the system:

"System, is this your doing?"

The system, however, coldly replied in Onion Girl's electronic voice: "This is unrelated to this system. We suggest the host find the cause within the game."

"In-game... Holy crap, could it be?!"

A sudden inspiration struck her, and Tenkuji Yu's eyes widened as she quickly pulled up the description of the "Temporary Couple Status," finally finding a line at the very bottom:

"When players are on the same floor, married players can only log off in the same room."

"..."

I'll lead you guys to fight. Where did this damn designer come from to create this idiotic restriction?

Suppressing the urge to curse, he told Asuna about his discovery with a twisted expression. She breathed a sigh of relief, but her expression also became twisted.

"When I log off, I ask my brother what exactly happened!"

"If you can, help me beat him up," Yuu Tenkuji suggested emotionlessly.

Although the game may not have been designed by Koichiro Yuki, as the culprit who brought the two of them into the game, he is definitely to blame.

Asuna didn't answer. Instead, she took a few deep breaths, her face flushed, and suddenly started marching towards the hotel counter.

Tenkuji Yu asked in confusion, "Are you going to book a hotel room?"

"Don't be so blunt!"

Turning around in embarrassment and annoyance, Asuna bit her lip and glared at him, shouting in a self-deprecating tone, "We're already married, so we can only follow the game's rules, right? Or do you have a better idea?!"

"No, it's good that you've come to terms with it." Tenkuji Yu shrugged, got up from his seat, and walked with her toward the counter.

Fortunately, the NPCs only followed the rules and didn't look at the two of them with mocking or strange eyes. After they paid, they let them go upstairs on their own.

The room number is 201; it's the first room in front of the stairs.

Asuna opened the door first and went inside, then eagerly pulled down the menu.

"call……"

Seeing the logout button finally light up again, she sat down on the bed with a sense of relief. But the moment her eyes met his, she jumped up as if she had been electrocuted.

Asuna casually patted her skirt to cover up her mistake, her thighs pressed together without a gap, and then looked around the room.

"It's just a regular little wooden house, really simple..."

The sounds that eased the awkwardness actually warmed up the quiet room, and a kind of restlessness was slowly burning inside, making the roots of my ears uncontrollably hot.

Through the silvery light illuminating the room from outside the window, Yuu Tenkuji could see that her eggshell-like fair face was completely flushed, overflowing with obvious shyness and nervousness.

Her slender fingers rubbed the hem of her skirt, and she looked around in a panic, like a little rabbit caught in a trap.

No matter how decisive she appeared just now, this was still her first time "booking a room" with a man and being alone in the same room.

On the other hand, Yuu Tenkuji acted like a scumbag who often took girls to hotels, effortlessly enjoying her embarrassment.

"After all, it's the cheapest room, so it's sufficient as a drop-off point."

After saying that, Tenkuji Yu closed the door.

She trembled as if startled.

Sky Temple Yu smiled and said, "Alright, let's get down to business."

"S-Seriously!?"

His voice was so high-pitched it cracked. Asuna hugged her arms and quickly retreated to the corner, her slender body trembling as she looked at him in disbelief.

"You just said you wouldn't do anything to me just because you're wearing a ring!"

"Idiot, stop overthinking." Her smile vanished instantly, and Tenkuji Yu rolled her eyes at her without a second thought, pulling up a menu and selecting the logout option. "We're here to log out, don't get so nervous you forget our most important purpose, okay?"