I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"……what?"

Somewhat bewildered, Coach Anma blinked, his mouth slightly agape in astonishment.

She glanced back at Yuu Tenkuji, then looked at the slightly chubby middle-aged coach in front of her.

Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, but a beautiful, gentle smile appeared on her face.

"I'm very interested in tutorial battles. If you don't mind, could I try it out first?"

"..."

For some reason, even though the girl's tone was gentle and she was smiling, Coach Anma felt a chill rise from his tailbone and pierce his forehead.

Things gradually deviated from his expectations.

……

They stood on either side of a soft cushion.

Coach Anma on the left managed to maintain his composure, holding a bamboo sword in a standard mid-stance.

On the right, Asuna Yuuki laid her sword flat, slightly bent her knees, and pulled her arms back. After adjusting her posture, she remained motionless like a statue, her eyes fixed on the middle-aged man opposite her with a gaze as sharp as a knife.

A cold and sharp aura emanated from her, as if she could slice through the air at any moment, inspiring awe in all who beheld her.

"Either...or I can't find a reason to refuse..."

Looking at the wooden sword tip hovering motionless in mid-air, even though the sharp edges had been worn smooth and he was wearing heavy protective gear, Coach Anma was still sweating profusely, feeling a deep sense of regret, and even considered calling a halt to the game.

That girl definitely lied!

Putting aside the imposing presence, how could someone's hands be that steady without practicing for a while?

Unaware of what he was thinking, Yuu Tenkuji, standing in the middle as the referee, simply raised his hand and slowly began to count down:

"Both sides, to your positions, get set—"

"Wait! That's not how you shout it during a match..."

Before the other person could finish speaking, Yuu Tenkuji cut him off.

"Coach, this isn't a competition. We're just here to have fun, so it shouldn't matter what we shout, right?"

"Uh……"

Coach Anma had nothing to say, and could only grip his bamboo sword tightly, facing the girl who was poised to strike.

Yuu Tenkuji didn't keep them waiting long, and simply waved his hand down.

"start!"

The moment the words fell, a dull thud echoed as her feet stomped on the ground, and the pure white skirt billowed like waves of snow.

"Drink up!"

With a familiar shout, Asuna Yuuki, with her left hand protecting her side and her right hand holding a rapier straight, used her long, white-stockinged legs to shorten the distance by stepping on the soft mat, and rushed straight towards Coach Anma like a swallow.

The trajectory left by the slender sword resembled a brown meteor.

A scene that evokes fond memories.

With these thoughts in mind, Yuu Tenkuji watched as Asuna rushed up to the coach and delivered a "four times pain strike" that wasn't quite standard and wasn't as fast as in the game, aiming straight for the part of her upper body covered by protective gear.

Bang bang bang bang!

He seemed to have been careless; he neither dodged nor adopted a defensive stance, but simply stared blankly at the fierce-looking girl in front of him, who seemed determined to exterminate all the minotaurs.

Facing an opponent who offered no resistance, Asuna paused for only half a second before her chestnut hair spun and she gracefully spun around, using the momentum to cancel the stiffness in her body and smoothly unleashing a second sword strike from her side.

"Slanted thrust!"

Just then, Coach Anma finally raised his bamboo sword, seemingly about to slash downwards.

Asuna frowned slightly, her movements continuing, already preparing herself for a counterattack—

"Stop! I admit... no, that's enough for the tutorial! You can play on your own now!"

"..."

Asuna was stunned to see Coach Anma raise his hands, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his feigned composure in a surrender pose. But the sword in her hand had already been drawn and she couldn't stop.

Even though he had tried to reduce his strength, the tip of the rapier, which had been smoothed out, still pierced the side of the unsuspecting Coach Anma, causing him to cry out and fall to the ground in a sorry state.

"You, you young people, you have no martial ethics..."

Asuna: "..."

△

Ka!

The sound of a wooden rapier clashing with a one-handed sword echoed deep within the vast guild hall.

"I did sense that he had ill intentions towards me, although I didn't know why... but I didn't expect you to step forward and take the blame for me."

Tenkuji Yuu casually unleashed a thrust, the tip of his sword tracing a circle as it swept diagonally upwards from the lower left of the pleated skirt.

"It was just a feeling... The way he looked at you was really annoying, and that training battle seemed really strange, so I couldn't help but want to make a move."

Asuna Yuuki dodged the diagonal slash with a small jump, and the extremely fast rapier followed up immediately, stabbing at the protective gear on his left wrist.

Her gaze sharpened, and she hissed, "Anyone who wants to mess with my boyfriend will have to get past me first!"

Pong!

He reversed the hilt of his sword to deflect the sudden attack, and then, with an unorthodox posture and deliberately slowed speed, he slashed at her four times in succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Retreating several steps, Asuna managed to parry the attack with some difficulty, her face filled with disbelief: "Horizontal Square Formation Slash... How can you use such a complex sword technique?!"

"My physical abilities can keep up, but yours can't." With a light touch, she returned to her position, sword in hand, and chuckled, watching the beads of sweat forming on her smooth forehead. "Using 'Four Times the Pain' is your limit, isn't it? You think you can protect me like that? Go back and practice more, rapier wielder."

"Hmm~" With a pout of dissatisfaction, Asuna took a deep breath, and her expression slowly became serious.

She lowered her slender body again, placing the rapier flat at her side, its tip precisely aimed at his protective gear.

That is one of the top-tier sword techniques for rapiers in the game "Sword World," the fastest and most powerful one—"Flash Thrust."

"If you don't dodge this next attack... it might hurt a bit!"

With that soft shout, Asuna Yuuki suddenly stopped, her figure transforming into a chestnut-colored flash, thrusting straight towards him—

If he hadn't tripped, this is what the scene would look like.

"Waaah!"

Unconsciously leaning forward, Asuna frantically waved her hands in mid-air. Before her mind could even process what was happening, her body crashed directly into a familiar embrace.

As if to absorb the force, he fell lightly backward, letting her press him down and become a cushion.

Two wooden weapons lay to the side, but apart from Coach Anma, who only dared to watch from a distance and supervise the two people's safety, no one paid any attention to them.

"See, I told you I was right?"

Lying unharmed on his back, Tenkuji Yuu looked at Asuna's slightly dazed face and smiled with amusement.

"So, until you become stronger than me, I'll protect you, Asuna."

"..."

Lying on his chest, Asuna blinked in surprise, not replying immediately, but silently gazing at his face.

From the eyes to the nose, and from the nose to the lips, every detail was meticulously scanned.

She gazed at it quietly and intently, as if she wanted to etch it all deep into her heart, her eyes flowing with a gentle, melting light.

"What's wrong?" After a long while, Tenkuji Yu asked.

Despite the protective gear, her softness still clung tightly to his body; if the occasion weren't inappropriate, he might have been aroused.

"...It's nothing, Yu-kun."

Asuna Yuuki shook her head, revealing the same smile as always.

She suddenly opened her arms and hugged him tightly as he lay on the ground, then let out a satisfied sigh.

"I just wanted to say that I really like you."

Without the slightest surprise, Tenkuji Yu patted her head, smiling helplessly as if treating a child:

"I already knew that."

written request for leave

After about a week of inhumane routines, it's time to adjust my schedule again today.

Where did I go, the guy who used to write 8,000 or 18,000 words a day? If anyone finds him, please let me know. I want him to come back to writing.

Anyway, I'll be updating at least three chapters tomorrow. I want to finish Volume Two with a bang and then think carefully about the content of Volume Three.

Because of the structure, this book should get better as it goes on... I say "should" because I was proven wrong by the first volume's author's words, and I'm not very confident anymore.

Anyway, all sorts of memorable scenes will appear later, including memory recovery, multi-person melee, and the fact that I was supposed to come first... This book will be at least a million words long, and as long as the sales are good enough to make a living, it could easily be written to two million words.

I'll tidy up the outline and then go take a break. Thank you to all of you who have been quietly subscribing all this time, and a special thank you to the active readers who left comments and messages, making this book less deserted.

See you tomorrow.

Chapter 85 Someone who's truly going to fight you for something can't be hidden by a pair of glasses.

When Yuu Tenkuji and Asuna Yuuki left the experience center, almost all the customers and instructors watched them go, each with a strange expression.

It wasn't just because when the two were sparring, their merciless slashes and thrusts, displaying both fluid and stylish sword techniques, made it seem like a truly exciting scene of two swordsmen fighting each other on the field.

Or perhaps it was because the two of them, while fighting, ended up hugging each other and started whispering sweet nothings, completely oblivious to everyone else, appearing deeply immersed in their own world of romance.

Those in relationships will naturally smile knowingly, but for those who are still single and just want to come here to exercise, this is undoubtedly a direct hit to the chest, as if a ton of dog food has been stuffed into their mouths, and the air is filled with an cloyingly sweet smell.

The gaming experience was extremely poor.

Unfortunately, the noise they made when they fought was so frightening that even the coach didn't dare to approach them casually. The girls were alright, at most they just had high coordination and were a bit fast, but their basic skills weren't very solid, so a coach who wasn't too bad at it could handle them.

Boys are more terrifying.