I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"It would have been better if you had said that sooner."

Kasugano Sora nodded in satisfaction, then looked away from the screen in front of her, which was about to start the game: "So? What exactly are you worried about? It's not something you can't tell your family, is it?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two cars sped off from the starting line side by side, racing on the track neck and neck, occasionally throwing out props like banana shells and tortoise shells, doing everything they could to slow down the other.

"It's just the troubles of adolescence," Yuu Tenkuji said casually.

"..."

The red plumber's car suddenly slowed down, and Kasugano Sora turned to look at him, becoming wary.

"Is it related to girls?"

Chapter 41 Yuuki Asuna's Change

On the same night, Asuna Yuuki finally finished her day of tutoring.

The mother was driving ahead, while she gazed out the window at the deep night sky, devoid of any stars, as if looking at another world, her eyes distant and dreamy.

"Asuna," her mother suddenly spoke, pulling her back to reality, "Did you have a test at tutoring class today? How did it go?"

"Ah, yes." Yuuki Asuna hurriedly took out her schoolbag and was about to hand the test paper to her mother when she saw her tap the steering wheel, her voice still calm and serious.

"Just tell me your grades, I'm driving."

"...Well, I took three subjects. I got full marks in social studies and Chinese, but not in math..." Asuna hesitated, biting her lip and unconsciously lowering her voice.

"...90 points."

As expected, the moment the words fell, the car fell into a suffocating silence.

Her fingertips remained in a tapping position on the steering wheel. Her mother glanced at her through the rearview mirror, frowning, and spoke calmly yet authoritatively:

"Even if you're not good at math, this isn't the score you should have gotten... Were you distracted by something?"

"no!"

Clutching the exam paper tightly, Asuna subconsciously answered loudly.

But she quickly realized that her attempt to cover up her mistake was too obvious, so she quickly added, "It's just that the few questions I got wrong were outside the scope of the course. If we're talking about girls in general, my math score is still the highest in the class, so don't worry!"

The mother's expression didn't soften at all; instead, she scolded even more sternly, "Are you satisfied with being number one among the girls? The questions and grades don't discriminate based on gender. If the top ten in the grade were all boys, would you be content to be number eleven?"

"Asuna, when did you start having such a disrespectful attitude?"

"I……"

Yuuki Asuna opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to refute something, but when she met her mother's gaze in the rearview mirror, she gradually shrugged, remained silent for a long while, and then softly replied:

"I know I was wrong, I won't do it again next time."

The mother withdrew her cold gaze and ordered in an unquestionable manner, "Go back and bring me the exam paper. I'll take fifteen minutes to explain it to you... Honestly, I'm already busy enough teaching at university, and now I have to be your tutor at home. I really hope you can give me a break."

"Um, I'm sorry."

Asuna Yuuki quietly stuffed the exam paper back into her bag, gently leaned her head against the car door, and noticed that her reflection in the window had lost its expression.

The car was uncomfortably quiet.

Even though I'm used to being scolded by my mother, I can't help feeling down... especially when my grades drop, which might lead my mother to discover that I'm playing games, thus providing an explanation for my less-than-perfect grades.

Just imagining what she will do or what harsh words she will say is distressing and upsetting.

There was even a hint of fear and reluctance.

"Ugh……"

With a soft sigh, Asuna Yuuki gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

Tokyo, rushing past, was stretched out in long neon lights, its monotonous nightscape resembling an abandoned painting, hanging forlornly beside the highway.

She stared for a long time, but her heart remained unmoved. She closed her eyes in weariness.

Instead, the night view of Aincrad came to mind—even though she hadn't seen it often, it had already left a deep impression on Asuna's heart.

A clear and bright night sky, stars as bright as the Milky Way, and a gentle tranquility that seems to envelop the entire world...

As the images kept changing, a strange sense of emotion welled up inside me.

The chestnut-haired girl couldn't help but smile, looking forward even more to the day when she would don the attire of a rapier wielder and unleash the brilliance of her sword under the night sky.

A dull and tasteless reality, a fulfilling and passionate illusion... which one is the most real world for her?

Thinking this, the weight on my shoulders unconsciously lightened a bit.

While her mother wasn't looking, Asuna Yuuki secretly took out her phone and sent a message to the person at the very top of her friends list.

"It'll be a little late today, you can go online first."

He always reads very quickly, and his replies seem to come out without thinking, appearing in just two or three seconds:

"Okay, if you're online before I am, it means I'll be busy too. You can go level up nearby first. Anyway, I probably won't be later than you."

The screen's light illuminated her pretty face in the darkness. Asuna Yuuki blinked and sent a message curiously: "What are you busy with at this hour? Are you also attending cram school?"

"No, I'm out racing with my family."

"???"

"The Mario Kart on the NS is the kind that you can't lose even if you throw an entire Pacific Ocean of water."

It took Asuna Yuuki several seconds to understand what he meant. She couldn't help but grit her teeth slightly, and uttered a sentence filled with envy:

"I'm so envious!!!"

For the Yuki family, who raised their children with an elite education, the image of the whole family sitting in front of the TV, playing games happily, is absolutely impossible.

Unlike Yuu Tenkuji, who not only has strong gaming skills but can also play games with her family without worrying about simple entertainment causing her great harm...

That's so enviable.

Asuna Yuuki sighed, exchanged a few words, then put away her phone and leaned back against the car door.

The windowpane was a little cold, so she suddenly had an idea. She breathed on it and wrote the character's name in the misty fog with her finger.

"Haru".

"Asuna".

"When did I become so childish...?"

Despite complaining to herself like this, a light smile bloomed on Yuuki Asuna's face.

If you write it vertically, you can even draw a matching umbrella...

The thought inadvertently surfaced in her mind, and the girl's fair face suddenly flushed red. She quickly wiped the fog off the glass, then sat up straight and pretended that nothing had happened.

"What's wrong?" Hearing the noise, the mother asked casually.

"It's nothing, just changing positions to rest," Yuuki Asuna replied calmly.

Fortunately, the car was dimly lit, so the mother couldn't see her own expression.

His gaze drifted to the other side of the car window.

Asuna Yuuki, reflected in the Tokyo skyline, blushed for no apparent reason, becoming shy on her own while putting on a serious expression.

It really does look a bit silly.

She stopped looking, instead touched her left ring finger and sighed silently.

"If only we could start over instead of getting married right away..."

△

Back home, I received tutoring from my mother, a university professor, and quickly made sure she was satisfied before letting me leave.

After showering, brushing my teeth, and changing into my pajamas, it was almost 9 p.m.

Confirming that the person was online, Asuna Yuuki quickly turned off the lights, pretended to go to sleep early, but actually put on her helmet and whispered under the covers:

“Link Start!”

The dazzling lights reshaped the world, and the body seemed to be disassembled and reassembled.

The girl crossed the line between reality and virtuality, and Asuna Yuuki disappeared, allowing the free and unrestrained Asuna to step onto the stage.

"Well……"

The oil lamp cast a warm, orange glow, making the inside of the tent feel cozy, like a home.

Asuna crawled out of her sleeping bag, looked around, and then her gaze stopped, quickly locking onto the figure of a boy sitting cross-legged on the opposite side, seemingly flipping through a menu.

He didn't react, and I just stared at him for several seconds, as if I had forgotten to breathe.

When I came to my senses, a smile unconsciously appeared on my face.

Good evening, Yu-kun.

Chapter 42 The Daily Routine of Online Games Continues

With a refreshing and dignified air that was different from her real-life demeanor, the chestnut-haired rapier user packed up her sleeping bag and walked out of the tent with the man beside her.

Facing the peaceful and serene night outside, she excitedly raised her fist and shouted in a rather endearing way:

"Okay—we must find the entrance to the 'Land of Love' today! Grandma Ma is still waiting for us in the church!"

"Don't get too excited." After packing up the tent, Yuu Tenkuji didn't hesitate to pour cold water on her enthusiasm. "Finding the entrance doesn't guarantee you'll be able to get in. Quests like this inevitably have a challenge at each stage—for example, after finding the entrance, you have to pass some test to get in, and once inside, you have to complete a troublesome task to obtain the 'Flower of Love.'"

"Just to get a flower from a special map, we've been given a full fourteen days. This shows how difficult this mission is... So, let's prepare for a long-term struggle."

Asuna wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, she turned her head and smiled brightly at him, saying, "I understand! So today's goal is just to find the entrance and level up a bit, right?"

"Uh, that's right..."

"Alright, let's enjoy the game to our hearts' content!"

While stretching and cheering, the chestnut-haired girl ignored the fact that he was right next to her and started doing stretching exercises.

Her slender and graceful body could not be completely concealed by the leather armor. Her fair and firm thighs, her slender waist, and her prominent breasts all revealed their youthful vitality with each movement.

Yuu Tenkuji looked over openly and asked in a strange tone, "Asuna, why do you seem to be in a particularly good mood today?"

"Really?" She stopped what she was doing, her bright eyes shifting slightly upwards, her pretty face looking as if it had been given a natural light makeup by the moonlight, making her exceptionally beautiful.