I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Despite not understanding the deeper meaning behind his words or why he felt so guilty, Asuna Yuuki shook her head, denying his apology.

A gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face as her complexion gradually returned. She gazed directly at Tenkuji Yu, her voice soft yet firm:

"It is because of you that I can sit here in peace now, instead of struggling alone in pain until I can't bear it anymore... So I should thank you, Tenkuji-kun."

"..."

Come to think of it, that's definitely the kind of personality I remember her having.

Coming back to his senses, Yuu Tenkuji let out a sigh of relief, as if he couldn't do anything about her, and laughed helplessly as well.

"Then I should thank you too, for saying thank you to me."

The two smiled at each other knowingly. Suddenly, Yuu Tenkuji remembered something and handed her the handkerchief from his pocket.

"Wipe your sweat and tears. Luckily no one noticed us, or I'd be getting a beating right now."

"No one would do that."

Assuming he was joking, Asuna thanked him, took the handkerchief, wiped the mess on her face, and then naturally put the handkerchief into her bag.

"I'll wash the handkerchief and return it to you when I get back. You can't refuse, unless you're the kind of pervert who likes to collect girls' tears and sweat."

"It's fine if I just give it to you directly."

Tenkuji Yu shrugged, picked up his black coffee, and gestured for her to have a sip to calm her emotions and soothe her throat.

When the two of them had quietly drunk half of their drinks, they looked at each other again. The atmosphere was calm and natural as before, but there were some indescribable emotions floating beneath the surface.

"So, where should we begin?"

Before she could finish speaking, Asuna Yuuki retorted, "You probably have something else to ask me, right?"

Seeing the undisguised surprise on Tenkuji Yu's face, she pursed her soft, rosy lips with a hint of smugness, her finger lightly tracing circles on the rim of the coffee-stained cup, and said calmly and confidently, "Don't think I can't tell, okay? You asked me about the school festival, it's not as simple as just wanting to do a survey for your junior, is it?"

"And then you immediately pressed me about the autumn performance... I reasonably suspect that the cultural festival I remember also had the same chaos and mistakes as back then, and Tenkuji-kun, you are the only one who knows the answer to this problem!"

With her chin slightly raised, the chestnut-haired girl crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows with a spirited air, as if silently saying to him, "See? I guessed right."

Her gentle, refined demeanor, like a sword drawn from its sheath, revealed a sharpness and vigor he was familiar with, while retaining the playfulness and charm of a young girl.

"Are all girls these days this smart...?"

Completely speechless, Yuu Tenkuji could only utter this exclamation of utter defeat.

"So what you really want to know is whether my memories match yours, right?"

After making this guess to herself, Asuna Yuuki raised her eyes thoughtfully, fiddling with her bangs, and murmured, "First of all, the reason I went to the Soubu High School Cultural Festival was twofold: first, to familiarize myself with the school before transferring; and second, to check if there were any problems with the helmet my brother lent out for the event..."

This time, Yuu Tenkuji didn't hesitate: "Don't force yourself to remember. Let me tell you the information on my end first—"

Before he could finish speaking, Asuna Yuuki reached out to stop him.

“I’ll ask you to do this when I have absolutely no other choice.” Her tone left no room for argument, and she said gently but firmly, “Since it’s my own memory, I want to find the mistakes myself and recall them myself… A little bit of pain is nothing, it’s better than being led by the nose in confusion.”

Seeing the slightly worried look on Tenkuji Yu's face, she couldn't help but feel happy and warm inside. She winked at him playfully, "Of course, if I end up like that again, I'll have to ask Yu-kun to save me again~"

"Alright, since you insist... um? Yu-kun?"

Yuu Tenkuji almost instantly noticed the oddity of the way she addressed her, but before he could ask, he saw Asuna Yuuki put aside all her emotions, close her eyes, and lower her head in deep thought.

The nerves still ached a little, but when I focused my mind completely and slowly gathered all the clues and doubts together, the pain was nothing compared to the few days a girl has every month, and I could easily ignore it.

Then, go and find the only ray of light in the darkness.

'Transferring schools... In the end, why did I transfer to Soubu High School? Even at the cost of going against my mother...'

'The school festival... I remember I should have had a purpose other than getting familiar with the school and checking helmets, but why can't I remember...'

'Virtual Research... I did try out the arena, but I came down quickly since there were no opponents. I also exchanged contact information with Konno-san and made a promise with her that I'd fight her sister in the game next time...'

'After leaving the Virtual Research Institute, it seems like I didn't do anything and just went straight home?'

No, nothing is right. This is so strange!

Without a reason to risk everything, there's no way I would convince my mother to let me transfer schools.

It hasn't been that long. With my memory, how could I not remember what the purpose of the trip was?

The memories of the arena battle were also strange. Only the first half was fine, while the second half was like a MAD video made by haphazardly piecing together random materials. At first glance, it might seem fine, but in fact, both the rhythm and the way it ended revealed all sorts of oddities.

Most importantly, Asuna Yuuki remembered obtaining something crucial from the arena tournament: a "cheat program" whose origin and operation were impossible for a professional technical team to trace, no matter how hard they investigated.

Its name is "Heart's Will". It can transcend system limitations and bring forth the light of miracles.

"So, to whom did I use this 'feeling'?"

The moment such a question arose in my mind.

Unconsciously, his "intention" suddenly solidified, and the slender sword, shimmering with brilliant light, suddenly pierced out, completely shattering the mirror that had always blocked his view and reflected countless false images.

At that moment, all questions were answered, the distorted world returned to normal, the ambiguous became clear, and the wrong was corrected.

"Oh right... I remember now!"

Asuna Yuuki suddenly looked up, slammed her hands on the table, and stared wide-eyed at Yuu Tenkuji.

What did you remember in Chapter Nineteen?

"You remember now?"

Yu Tenkuji gasped, instinctively straightening up and looking at her with a serious and somewhat nervous expression.

"What did you remember?"

"I remember..." With her hands on the table, Asuna Yuuki looked down at him, her pretty face gradually turning red for some reason, and she began to stammer.

"It's basically everything that happened before yesterday... including the fight between the two of us in the virtual research lab, and my transfer to Soubu High School, the reason for which..."

Seemingly thinking of something embarrassing, she subconsciously avoided Tenkuji Yu's gaze, lightly scratching her neck, looking somewhat awkward.

"I see."

Understanding her shame, Tenkuji Yu smiled without hesitation and said gently, "You came here to find me, right? You must have gone through a lot. Even though you don't remember anything, you still managed to make up your mind and do this thing that's like chasing after your husband all the way because of that inexplicable feeling."

"Chasing after her husband for thousands of miles, that's not it at all..."

Exhausted, Asuna Yuuki sat back down, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she pretended to drink coffee to hide her embarrassment.

However, after calming down a bit, her gaze gradually became complicated, and she looked at Tenkuji Yu with a hesitant expression.

"Well... let's not talk about what I plan to do."

"Tenkuji-kun, now that you have Yui-hama-san as your girlfriend, you'd better tone it down a bit when you talk to other girls, otherwise it's too frivolous..."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Tenkuji Yu realized that neither she nor Asuna had returned to their original state, and it was indeed inappropriate to use such a teasing tone with her ordinary friend Asuna.

He distanced himself again and apologized to her sincerely, "I didn't think before I spoke. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I was just saying. I don't really care... Never mind."

A belated regret flashed across her face, but Yuuki Asuna said nothing, only letting out a dejected sigh.

With her lips pressed against the edge of her back, she sipped her coffee slowly, letting the bitterness, different from that of a latte, slide down her throat.

However, his next words brightened his mood.

"But you don't need to worry. Before the cultural festival, I was very reserved when I talked to you, wasn't I? That's how I usually talk to other girls. I'm only flirtatious with people I'm very familiar with."

"...So, I'm someone special to you?" She quietly raised her bright eyes and asked in a low voice, as if to confirm.

"Of course." Although his feelings for her hadn't returned, Tenkuji Yu was still able to stand on the facts and nod affirmatively to her.

"I would say we are very special to each other—otherwise, so many strange things wouldn't have happened around us, right?"

"Ah, now that you mention it..."

Asuna Yuuki slowly put down her cup, her happiness didn't last long before worry and distress appeared on her face.

Recalling the light of intention that appeared in the arena, and the experience of having my memories covered and rewritten by a strange mist for the second time.

She and Yuu Tenkuji were indeed connected by a strange fate. The ring in the game and her current feelings proved that their past relationship was extraordinary.

Was it an online friend with whom I became husband and wife in the game? No, if it were that simple, I wouldn't be so persistent as to chase after him all the way to Soubu High School to see him.

Is he a terrifying suitor who has a one-sided crush on him? Although it seems that way, he tries his best not to recall it during the arena, looking as if something terrible has happened in the past...

However, Asuna Yuuki believed that her personality wasn't twisted to that extent, and besides, his expression at that time, rather than fear and unbearable memories, seemed more like he had some unspeakable secret and hoped that she wouldn't go astray.

That means the two not only became husband and wife in the game, but were also a close boyfriend and girlfriend in real life?

This is probably the most likely option, after all, Holmes once said (the rest is omitted)...

But if that's the case, why is he dating Yuihama?

Ever since the cultural festival, Asuna Yuuki has wanted to ask Yuu Tenkuji this question.

Before the Kyoto competition, she was in a state of amnesia. However, Tenkuji-kun, who knew everything, met her. Instead of trying to find everything from the past, he lied and said, "I've never seen you before." He then became boyfriend and girlfriend with Yui-hama.

After that, she convinced herself to give up on finding the truth and to pretend that nothing had happened...

If I really dated him, wouldn't that be definitely the behavior of a scumbag?

He abandoned his amnesiac girlfriend to find a new love. No wonder he was so angry during the match that he used his heart to stab him in the chest with his sword while saying he would never forgive him!

Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but glare at Yuu Tenkuji with resentment, then looked away at his bewildered expression, suppressing her urge to question him and continuing to sort out her thoughts.

Whatever their past relationship may have been, the only certainty is that a mysterious force is preventing them from recognizing each other, and even the light of their "hearts" cannot completely resist it.

After all, Asuna Yuuki couldn't recall the reason for going to the autumn performance or the beautiful piano melody. She only knew that it was all related to him and was the key to finding her original memories.

"But it turns out that 'heartfelt intentions' aren't just a cheat code in games, but my own superpower...?"

Suddenly realizing this, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but exclaim, "To be able to break through even the mysterious power that can seal memories, that's really amazing."

As she said this, she glanced at the table with great interest, picked up a new stirring stick and held it in her hand like a slingshot, then closed her eyes and began to prepare herself emotionally.

According to Asuna's understanding, the so-called "will" is a strong and firm emotion, whether it is the will to pursue the truth or the stubbornness to refuse to be manipulated by memories. As long as it is straight and sharp enough like a rapier, it can shine with miraculous light.

So now, what kind of intention should I use to test this out...?

"what!"

Not long after, filled with anger towards the scumbag, she suddenly thrust her sword at Tenkuji Yu, the tip of the stirring rod aimed directly at his forehead.

A strong wind howled, blowing Tenkuji Yu's bangs to both sides, revealing her pure and innocent, watery eyes beneath.