I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"really……"

He fell onto the grass, but because of the hilt of the rapier that was thrown at him, he didn't have time to adjust his posture. He could only barely lift the one-handed sword, which had no light effect, and try to turn it into a shield in front of him.

As his outstretched arm slowly fell, he finally saw the dazzling light that was rushing towards him, brighter than the sun and as brilliant as falling stardust.

In his memory, only one person could wield such beautiful yet dangerous swordsmanship.

In his memory, there was only one person whose speed was so fast that he couldn't even react in time.

She was a chestnut-haired rapier wielder, his former online companion and former online lover...

She was also my ex-girlfriend.

For him, sound and light are unforgettable things, and this has always been the case, never changing.

Slowly narrowing his eyes, Yuu Tenkuji smiled somewhat helplessly.

'Compared to before, they've improved so much...that's truly amazing.'

As the sigh in my heart subsided.

The rapier, accompanied by a sharp, cone-like gust of wind, struck him heavily.

"Stardust Flying" is an eight-hit thrusting sword technique of superior quality!

——Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Almost instantly, eight wounds appeared on Tenkuji Yu's virtual body, and a scarlet effect light flashed on its body.

"Ok?"

Even after finally managing to hit him, the rapier user didn't relax at all.

She frowned and realized that Tenkuji Yu had actually used the bare blade of his one-handed sword, devoid of any swordsmanship flair, to deflect the thrust aimed at vital points.

'You really are amazing, Tenkuji-kun…'

Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but smile, a strange heat surging through her heart, making every cell in her body begin to boil.

'However, I still emerged victorious!'

If the items in the arena weren't all infinitely durable, this one-handed sword would have been shattered into pieces long ago, and the man in front of her would have been instantly killed by her.

But it doesn't matter. Even if he didn't win in one hit, he was knocked into the air by his own attack, and his remaining health was as fragile as a candle in the wind!

The rapier gripped the hilt tightly again, his wrist snapped back, and the effects of the other sword techniques lit up seamlessly, blazing brightly as he inhaled sharply.

"The final blow—"

If this shot hits, victory is yours.

"Thank goodness you knocked me into the air."

His magnetic voice, tinged with amusement, gently rang out in front of me.

The brief moment of surprise caused Asuna Yuuki to miss the opportunity to react immediately.

"You played well, but you've missed your chance."

The timing almost overlapped with the time when the words fell.

The imaginary object, covered in wounds and falling backward, suddenly had a bright blue light shining from its feet.

The rapier user's pupils constricted sharply as he attempted to forcefully cancel his sword technique and defend himself.

However, Tenkuji Yu was faster than him.

The next moment, his toes traced a crescent moon trajectory, and he kicked the swordsman hard in the abdomen, sinking deep into him without mercy.

"Go away!"

Physical technique, "Crescent Moon"!

"Pfft!"

With a muffled groan as if he had just breathed his last, the rapier flew backward, landing almost at the same time as Tenkuji Yu, even tumbling several times, his body covered in grass clippings in a disheveled state.

"Huh, huh..."

The wind seemed to gradually calm down.

On the devastated grassland, two people lay on their backs, with only a huge countdown slowly advancing above them.

Chapter 163 He will use all his strength to defeat Yuuki Asuna

In this hypothetical world, there is no such thing as physical strength.

Before their stamina and satiety levels reach their limit, no matter how much they fight or move around, they won't feel tired or experience any decline in their condition—especially in this special area specifically designed for arena battles, where they can truly unleash their full potential and fight from morning till night without stopping.

However, the psychological impact will be more pronounced.

For example, one might be out of breath after a major battle, or break out in a cold sweat from fear—as long as one subconsciously believes that one should react in a certain way at that time, it will be faithfully presented in the imaginary body.

"Ha—that was close, I almost died."

Covering his mangled wounds where the crimson glow had not yet faded, Tenkuji slowly sat up from the grass, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Seemingly completely unconcerned about the health bar that had turned red, and ignoring the countdown that only had one minute left.

He seemed to have completely given up on the match, and said to the enemy in the distance in a casual tone, "Hey, Asu... Yuuki-kun, should I welcome you to Soubu High School's cultural festival first?"

The sound echoed across the wide meadow.

Knowing that those outside couldn't hear the conversation inside, he didn't try to hide anything and spoke to the 'unworthy' rapier wielder quite naturally.

Of course, this casualness was also a facade—in reality, Yuu Tenkuji was extremely nervous, and even had a vague feeling of stomach cramps.

Because he didn't know the bearded man was Asuna, he seemed to have said a lot of ominous things just now...

Hoping to change the subject like this, Yuu Tenkuji secretly prayed.

To his surprise, the first thing Asuna Yuuki did after getting up from the ground was neither to answer his question nor to immediately question those words.

Instead, she touched the imaginary body's abdomen, which had about eight-pack abs, with lingering fear, then glared at him fiercely with tears welling in her eyes.

"He actually kicked a girl in the stomach, and kicked her so hard! Tenkuji-kun, I never thought you were this kind of man!"

"???"

Yuu Tenkuji was completely bewildered, but before she could speak, she instantly turned her gaze away, unable to bear looking at the terrifying sight of the burly man with tears in his eyes.

Although it's really unfair to Asuna to say this... well, she's really an eyesore right now.

"What do you mean I even kick girls in the stomach? Are you not going to reason with me?"

"How am I being unreasonable?!"

"Putting aside the fact that you look completely different from a girl, you didn't hold back when you stabbed me with your sword, did you? Besides, who cares about that when you're fighting in a game? If you want to argue, just say so!"

Asuna Yuuki panicked and slapped the grass hard with her large, fan-like hand.

"You only kicked me after you heard my real voice, right? That means you knew I was Yuuki Asuna, yet you still kicked me in the stomach without any mercy! You're the one who's looking for trouble!"

Before he could answer, the duck sat on the ground looking weak, and Yuuki Asuna covered her lower abdomen, sobbing a little aggrievedly.

"Waaah, that's so cruel... Do you know how important the lower abdomen is for a girl? If something happens to the organs inside, then..."

"I'm begging you, please don't use that appearance to say things like that..."

Too lazy to even comment on this insincere fake crying, Yuu Tenkuji listlessly tilted her head back, supporting herself on the ground with her hands.

"Also, the lower abdomen is important for men too, okay? I didn't even mind that those swords you just stabbed were all aimed at my kidneys..."

"That was an accident! Who told you to cover your heart!"

"Do you know how important the heart is to a man?!"

With a pout, Asuna Yuuki turned her thin lips to the side and said discontentedly, "Hmph, you stingy person! It's not like I'll hurt you by poking around a few times in the game."

Out of politeness, Tenkuji Yu glanced at her, then quickly looked away: "Aren't you ashamed of being so blatantly hypocritical...?"

"Gu..."

Seemingly having run out of things to say, she let out a somewhat resentful sound.

Tenkuji Yuzuru gazed at the leisurely white clouds overhead, and during this natural conversation, the corners of his mouth unconsciously relaxed.

Just listening to the voice, I only felt a sense of pleasantness and nostalgia, and I no longer felt the disgust that made me want to gouge my own eyes out.

I remember when we were just teammates, I would bicker with her and go on adventures together, leaving our mark on sparsely populated maps.

The quests we solved together, the monsters we killed together, the otherworldly scenery we admired side by side, and even that all-out sword fight we just had...

Everything seemed like years had passed, and the photos, which had turned yellow, regained their former colors in just a few minutes.

Despite the less-than-optimistic situation, Yuu Tenkuji couldn't suppress the joy welling up from the bottom of her heart.

Even without romantic feelings, those seventeen days were still a very colorful and precious memory—a treasure that belongs to me and will not be taken away by the system.

Such sentiments, given the five missions, will likely recur five times in his life.

"Tenkuji-kun, isn't there anything you're curious about?"

My mind, which had been drifting away like drifting clouds, was pulled back by the girl's gentle and pleasant voice.

Asuna Yuuki seemed to have let go of the incident of being kicked in the stomach, and asked in a suddenly normal tone.

brush--

Yuuki Tenkuji could hear her getting up, but because he really didn't want to see the bearded man making a girlish voice, he simply didn't look down.

He continued to gaze lazily at the sky, even setting aside his one-handed sword, as if waiting for time to pass so that he could naturally lose the duel.

"As for things I'm curious about... of course there are, like how you ended up here, why you did that to the virtual research group, and why you chose a male virtual subject to go on stage, and what strange fetish that is it..."

At this point, she interrupted him, full of embarrassment and annoyance: "It's not a fetish! I just didn't want you to find out right away, so I used a male imaginary body to disguise it!"

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but retort, "Even if you choose a female character for the test account, the appearance should be random, right? Why did you have to go through all this trouble? And why don't you want me to find out?"

"Because...because..." She seemed to have something difficult to say. She mumbled a few words vaguely at first, and then shouted loudly as if she had given up on herself.

"Okay, okay, I confess! I just wanted to take this opportunity to see what it would feel like to play games with a male virtual body. Who knew I'd randomly get this middle-aged man's image? I thought if it was Konno-chan's helmet, I could play with a male virtual body that looked similar to her..."

"Ha, you're really unlucky." Without any intention of making fun of her, Tenkuji Yu shrugged. "But I can understand, because I also wanted to try what it would be like to play games with a female imaginary body. It's just that there were people I knew watching me in the audience, and I'm not very thick-skinned, so I gave up on doing so."

"Don't talk like I'm shameless, okay?" Yuuki Asuna said irritably, then explained herself, "As for why I didn't want you to find out... it was just a subconscious reaction. That Virtual Research Club president shouldn't have said anything wrong, right?"