I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yuu Tenkuji thought he was going to get slapped, since that's how it always goes in TV dramas.

So he didn't resist, his face already tilted back, so the girl could vent her anger in her final moments.

But then he noticed a flicker of hesitation on Asuna's face. In the end, she lowered her hand and instead drew a beautiful slender sword inlaid with rubies from her waist, pointing the tip at him.

Then his gaze sharpened, piercing towards her like a falling meteor.

"...Wait a minute, this is not good!"

His pupils suddenly contracted, and Tenkuji Yu reflexively rolled away, the rapier piercing through the wooden bench—the spot that was originally his left chest.

Stepping onto the second-row bench, he stared at her incredulously: "Were you just hesitating about whether to kill me?!"

Asuna drew her rapier, her anger turning into a mocking smile as she smirked: "Anyway, with the protection of the gods, Yu-kun is practically immortal, right? It's like a nightmare; I won't remember anything, and you won't be affected when you return to reality. Piercing a few holes shouldn't be a problem."

"This is a huge problem! Whether I'm dead or alive, I can still feel pain!"

"Words are useless! You've deceived a young girl's feelings, so let this pain be your punishment!"

"Is there really that much resentment?!"

Amidst the complaints.

Asuna Yuuki stepped onto the wooden bench in the first row, her slender and agile body leaping into the air. The meteor flashed again, piercing straight into his chest without wavering.

But just as it was about to pierce through, it came to a steady stop.

Chapter 117 The Finale He and She Performed Here (Part 2)

Group 4⑧87 ④97⑨9

"...Why didn't you hide?"

As if she hadn't reacted, Tenkuji Yu stood straight in place, letting the sword tip pierce her clothes on her left chest.

He looked at the sharp-eyed, imposing girl in front of him, his expression equally serious.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you, why are there no thorns?"

"I won't have any thorns if you don't dodge."

"I didn't dodge because you didn't stab me."

"..."

They fell silent.

The two looked at each other and finally smiled helplessly.

Asuna Yuuki sheathed her sword, glanced at the unfamiliar armor she was wearing, and closed her eyes to concentrate for a few seconds.

When she opened her eyes again, the armor had transformed into a casual outfit consisting of an orange cotton top and a beige long skirt.

"This place is really convenient." She spun around on the spot, her long skirt billowing like an umbrella, and couldn't help but exclaim, "The physical sensation is exactly the same as in reality, but changing clothes is even more free than in the virtual world."

"Is that what you're concerned about? You're such a girl." With a sigh of relief, Yuu Tenkuji slumped back onto the bench, patting her chest with lingering fear. "I thought you were really angry, and I was all prepared to let you vent your anger."

"Of course I'm angry."

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Asuna Yuuki tilted her head and said matter-of-factly, "Anyone would be angry if they encountered something like this, right?"

However, her emotions were completely different from before. Not only was her violent and angry aura gone, but her gaze towards him was still gentle and tender.

Yuu Tenkuji was puzzled, but he didn't ask directly. Instead, he went along with what she was saying.

"Indeed, not only are we being targeted by some inexplicable entity, but we've also been deceived in our feelings by the person we like. How could we possibly accept such a truth so easily? So, this system is just deliberately causing us trouble!"

"System? Are you talking about that 'God'?"

Asuna walked to the seat next to him, pressed her hand against her skirt and sat down, her gaze still fixed on his profile: "Also, you've probably misunderstood something, Yu-kun."

"what?"

She suddenly laughed, her voice and expression equally gentle, and slowly said, "I don't think I've been deceived by you emotionally, and I also think that you might have had some reason for not telling me about that inexplicable 'mission' on your own initiative... So, whether you lied to me or approached me with an ulterior motive, I won't be angry about these things."

As for why I'm not angry, I'll tell you later—Asuna winked mischievously, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

Yuu Tenkuji was a little stunned: "So, what exactly were you angry about just now...?"

“Before that!” Asuna reached out and lightly tapped his nose with her finger. “You have to answer a few questions for me first. You can’t lie to me anymore, or I’ll really get angry with you.”

"alright."

Like a student being called on by the teacher to answer a question, Yuu Tenkuji was forced to sit up straight.

Beside him, Asuna seemed to be using her eyes as a lie detector, staring at him without moving.

"First of all, are you really unwilling to carry out the mission from 'God'?"

"...Why do you think that?"

“In all the time we spent together, I never felt that you wanted anything from me. Even the online boyfriend relationship was something I proposed first, and Yu-jun just agreed to it.”

"It just gave me a goal, and I can figure out how to do it without it teaching me... At least so far, I haven't had to do anything specifically for you for the mission."

Secretly admiring the girl's keen mind, Tenkuji Yu spread her hands and said nonchalantly, "Having feelings for me, liking me, and treating me as your boyfriend are all your own choices—I only did what I wanted to do."

Wow, what a narcissistic guy.

Asuna gave a slightly disgusted look, then nodded with an attitude of "whatever makes you happy": "Yeah, yeah, my liking you has nothing to do with you."

Tenkuji Yu crossed his arms: "It's good that you understand."

"Next question: Is your affection for me just an act? Was the promise you made to me a lie?"

Just like the perfect acting of her boyfriend or husband in the game.

Just like the promise to be with her forever, an unquestionable agreement.

Was all of this a lie? Asuna's eyes seemed to ask that question.

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, because she had promised not to lie to her, Yuu Tenkuji could only sigh and say, "I don't know hypnosis, and I don't want to force myself to like anyone... As for promises, once they are made, they must be kept. I have always done so."

"Yes, this is the Yu-kun I know!" She smiled with satisfaction, then asked, "Finally, which 'girlfriend' am I to you?"

"Second... um?"

After answering reflexively, Tenkuji Yuu realized something was wrong and looked at her strangely: "...Why are you asking about this instead of other things?"

"Idiot, for a girl, nothing is more important than this, okay?"

After giving a stern and righteous lecture, Asuna fell into deep thought and looked thoughtfully at the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"I see... I'm only the second one, and there will be a third one..."

Yuu Tenkuji, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Her tone and expression gave the impression that she was about to draw her sword and sever his wisdom at any moment.

He quickly tried to prove his innocence: "Asuna, let me say this beforehand, this is all the work of the system, that is, the 'god' you mentioned... It's my business who I like, but the one who started it all is undoubtedly the system, and it's also what made me have an ex!"

"I was really forced into this situation. If I could, I really wouldn't want to have a girlfriend anymore."

As he admitted defeat, Tenkuji Yu quietly moved his buttocks a little to the side.

Asuna snapped out of her daze, waved her hand, and smiled at him: "Oh, come on~ I'm not the kind of person who can't tell right from wrong."

"Logically speaking, if I didn't have an 'ex,' I wouldn't have had the chance to date Yu-kun, right?"

"...That's roughly how it is," Yuu Tenkuji replied cautiously. "I can't possibly start dating someone and then become someone else's online love interest in a game so soon after, can I?"

Asuna smiled and said, "Very good, a very upright character! So when you were dating me, Yu-kun wasn't thinking about other girls, right?"

Death question!

Taking a deep breath, Tenkuji Yu's expression hardened, and he nodded obediently.

"Although I've compared different girls, the only girl I truly like is you!"

Of course, Qiong doesn't count. If the girlfriend's status is number one in the world, then the younger sister is the supreme and only heaven.

Such things are naturally not something to be brought up for no reason—but this answer clearly did not satisfy Asuna.

"..."

She maintained her smile, her face slightly darkened: "Yu-kun, although I told you not to lie... the way you put it makes me want to hit you!"

Chapter 118 The Prologue to the Future Inspired by Lies (23/27)

Tenkuji Yu straightened his chest, looking as if he was ready to face his execution calmly.

"If hitting me will make you happier, then please."

He understood.

This "injury time" is not meant to make up for any regrets, but is a prank the system uses to torment him, the host—probably to let him experience the reactions of the girls who are the targets after they find out the truth.

Honestly, there's no joke worse than this.

Since things have come to this point anyway, if beating him up can make Asuna feel a little better, then Yuu Tenkuji doesn't care about the mere physical pain; he might even feel refreshed.

Unfortunately, just as he expected, Asuna had no interest in beating up her boyfriend, and had no intention of drawing her sword to scare him again.

"Although I'm very unhappy, it's an uncontrollable factor after all, and there's really nothing I can do... Let it be."

With her hands outstretched on her knees, Asuna kicked her calves in a fit of frustration, then sighed plaintively and suddenly asked:

What was her name? What kind of person was she?

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, showing no lingering feelings or resentment, and said in his usual tone, "Yukinoshita Haruno is not as frank as you."

"It's that lady... She seemed to have helped a lot during the fall performance."

She responded softly, and Asuna secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

—If all of this is not a dream, will he still use this attitude to refer to his own name in the future?

Just imagining it makes my heart ache with a tearing pain.

Shaking her head to shake off the disheartening thoughts, Asuna changed the subject and asked, "When did you two meet? How long have you been dating?"