I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

Yuuki Asuna subconsciously replied with a few words, then blinked. Her already confused expression gradually changed as her voice weakened, and her small mouth involuntarily opened slightly into an "O" shape as she incredulously shone her flashlight on his back.

"Ten...Tenkuuji-kun? What happened to you..."

"How did I end up in front of you? And where is Yang Nai now, right?"

Yuu Tenkuji finished her question first, pointed to the empty space behind her, and said helplessly, "I don't know where they went, but now it's just the two of us left, so it's nothing to worry about."

Turning around, she realized that Natsukawa Masuzu and the others had indeed disappeared at some point. However, Yuuki Asuna did not feel scared or timid. She just frowned slightly and asked him in confusion, "There are only the two of us left. Why don't we need to worry?"

"Because of this, therefore it is so..."

Without stopping, Yuu Tenkuji briefly explained what had just happened and her own conjectures.

Asuna Yuuki's reaction was similarly calm to Haruno's. After the initial shock, she quickly calmed down and began to think about what he had said.

"To relive it from an outsider's perspective... Can this method help me regain my memories and also help you rediscover the 'like' you once abandoned?"

However, after sorting out the current situation, she did not appear to feel relieved or fortunate.

Tenkuji Yu asked, "What's wrong?"

"To be honest, I didn't want to regain my memories this way." Asuna Yuuki said frankly, with a slight bitter smile, "But now that things have come to this, there's no room for me to be willful anymore... Sigh, in the end, I still couldn't remember our past on my own like Haruno-senpai did. I'm sorry, Tenkuji-kun, I broke our promise."

"..."

Tenkuji Yu fell silent, unsure of what to say.

He wanted to be considerate of Asuna Yuuki's feelings, but he couldn't possibly say something like, "Then we'll wait outside until you regain your memory before going in." He was completely clueless about any promises or anything like that... Not knowing how to comfort her, he could only remain silent.

"Don't worry about it. Maybe I just can't do it? The challenge failed when the time was up, and there's nothing I can do about it."

The chestnut-haired girl smiled nonchalantly, stretched lazily, and then turned her gaze to the road ahead, seemingly not wanting him to dwell on the matter any longer.

Before long, a door shimmering with a faint light appeared at the end of the road, just as he had predicted.

There was also a line of words on the door.

I'll be waiting for you in the future.

"I'll be waiting for you in the future..." A strange sense of familiarity welled up in her heart, and Yuuki Asuna murmured somewhat absentmindedly, "Didn't I say the same thing to you...?"

"Perhaps."

This time, there was no need for further observation or probing. Yuu Tenkuji stepped forward, pressed the doorknob, and pushed it open. Familiar light poured out from behind the door.

He turned to look at the girl who seemed dazed, as if searching for tiny fragments in the sea of ​​memories. He paused slightly and said hesitantly, "Should we... wait a little longer? If time is frozen for everyone else right now, perhaps we can take this opportunity to try one last time and recover our memories on our own."

"..."

This time, Asuna Yuuki fell silent, seemingly somewhat tempted.

After a long silence, she shook her head: "Forget it, we've come to the final moment. I don't want to act like a child who refuses to admit defeat... Even if I were to try, I don't know what I should do to regain my memories."

She slowly exhaled, the chestnut-haired girl smiled helplessly, and gently reached out her hand to cover the hand that was pressing the doorknob.

“I think I succeeded once, at the cultural festival—but in the end, I was like a little animal that was pushed back into its cage, and I don’t remember anything.”

"It's all my fault. If I had cooperated with you back then, you would definitely have been able to regain your memories in one fell swoop."

Although he didn't remember what happened at the cultural festival, Yuu Tenkuji intuitively felt that it was related to him, and there was a high probability that it was because he, who hadn't recovered his feelings, had hurt his girlfriends again with a rational and indifferent attitude.

"Hmm... indeed, if you had cooperated with me more back then, perhaps things would have been different?"

Deliberately echoing his words with a slightly reproachful tone, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling as she tried to put on a serious face, but she always failed: "Pfft... It's all your fault! I hope you realize your mistake and try not to repeat it next time!"

Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly, "There's no chance of repeating the same mistake, is there?"

"Who said that... Hahaha, never mind, never mind, I'm just kidding~"

Her laughter was like a bird taking flight, crisp and clear, with a cheerful spirit like soaring towards the blue sky, yet retaining the gentleness and playfulness of a young girl.

In short, it was so beautiful that it could even slightly brighten the dim tunnel.

"By the way, Tenkuji-kun... Yu-kun, before we go in, could you please do one last thing for me?"

"what?"

The light behind the door was too dazzling. He turned his head slightly, but could only see the girl's snow-white profile and the corners of her lips turned up.

Her soft voice was as quiet and clear as if it were ringing out in the rainy night.

"Close your eyes."

"..."

Tenkuji Yu didn't ask her why, nor did he presumptuously guess what she wanted to do.

He is still Yukinoshita Haruno's boyfriend—his memories of their relationship have been fully restored, and he hasn't lost his feelings. Logically, he should reflexively keep his distance from other women.

Unfortunately, he still retains his memories from when he entered the trial world.

Not only is he also the boyfriend of Iroha Isshiki and Utaha Kasumigaoka, but he also genuinely likes Asuna Yuuki and the others, considering these beautiful girls to be very important people to him.

Therefore, integrity, as precious as gold, is nothing more than a handful of edible gold leaf in their eyes.

Tenkuji Yu turned to face her, obediently closed his eyes, and even slightly bent his knees and squatted down to make it easier for her to move.

Then, as expected, something soft and warm pressed against my lips, accompanied by rapid, slightly hot and moist breaths.

"Sorry... I guess I'm still a little unwilling to accept it."

Asuna Yuuki spoke softly, pulling his hand back from the doorknob and then standing on tiptoe to hug him tightly.

Like a girl who has mustered the courage to confess to a boy she has liked for a long time, she intensified the kiss with all her might, even though her movements were still a little shy and awkward.

Sensing her determination, Yuu Tenkuji chose to respond to her.

Without showing off his profound skills, he simply caught the trajectory of her lips, gently pursed his lips to control the timing of each breath, and passed on a reassuring breath.

Even though it was the first time in my memory that I had kissed this girl so passionately, after only a few seconds of our lips touching, a familiar feeling kept surfacing, making our interaction more and more tacit and skillful.

It's as if we once shared that deep love, and passionately exchanged countless kisses.

Unbeknownst to him, Tenkuji Yuuya had lost his focus, immersing himself in a tender, long kiss with Yuuki Asuna. His hand gently stroked her smooth, straight hair, while his arm tightly encircled her slender waist, as if trying to penetrate her delicate body through her clothes with the heat that was rising within him.

By the time he came to his senses, the two of them had already stepped into the doorway. The intense white light flooded every corner of his vision, and his consciousness began to waver.

He simply closed his eyes again, continuing to succumb to the girl's charms without a care, until the two were separated by a strange force, at which point he stopped, his lips growing increasingly red.

"here it is……"

Upon opening my eyes, I habitually uttered this question.

Yuu Tenkuji couldn't help but be surprised by the change in the scene before her.

This is a church.

The room features stained glass windows with a religious feel, a high ceiling but not a very spacious interior, and a colorful flower field outside the window.

It was getting light.

Like a small and exquisite wedding chapel in the suburbs, a long red carpet extends from the foot of the foot to the entrance, with ten rows of benches on the left and right, the wood gleaming with a warm luster, and a quiet and peaceful atmosphere pervading the air.

The church was also decorated with many flowers, with heart-shaped wreaths regularly placed on both sides of the arcade. The goddess statue at the front even held a bouquet of white baby's breath. The fresh and elegant fragrance of the flowers was carried by the faint breeze, making people feel relaxed and happy.

Could it be that they first met in a place like this? Yuu Tenkuji wondered, as if something was beyond his expectations.

Not only has the environment changed dramatically, but people have also undergone unexpected changes.

Just moments ago, Asuna Yuuki was sharing a long kiss with him, but somehow she was now dressed in a white wedding dress that couldn't be described in detail according to censorship. Her makeup was exquisite, her lips were delicately painted, and her eyes were warm and gentle. She was so beautiful that it made people gasp.

He changed into a well-fitting, handsome white suit, his leather shoes were gleaming, and a silver ring on his left ring finger shone with a simple luster.

"How can we..."

Yuuki Asuna also snapped out of the tenderness of the long kiss, stunned speechless by the dramatic change before her eyes, and stood there dumbfounded for a long time.

What brought her back to her senses was the silver ring on her left ring finger that matched his, and the old nun standing not far away in front of the statue of the goddess, watching them with gentle and kind eyes.

"Wasn't this ring already discarded...? And Granny Ma? What are you doing here?!"

Following her voice, Tenkuji Yuuya turned around to look.

He hadn't paid much attention at first, but the moment his eyes met the other person's aged yet clear gaze, he was shocked and filled with horror.

"Can she see us?"

How can it be!

After entering the portal of memories, they should be in a position of God's perspective...

"The things presented by each door of memory are different. Don't be confused. Just accept them as different types of game instances."

Seemingly able to read his mind, the old nun, her face full of wrinkles but looking like she could kill a dragon, chuckled and said, "It's been a long time, adventurers. The last time I saw you two dressed in your wedding attire, preparing for your wedding, was back then."

"..."

Yuu Tenkuji was speechless for a moment.

Do elderly people understand nonsense literature nowadays?

No, that's not the point—

"Who are you? Are you an android from the system, or are you here specifically to help us, like 'Kasumigaoka-senpai'?"

Tenkuji Yu frowned warily; these were the only two answers he could think of in a short time.

The old woman's smile remained unchanged: "Don't worry, it's not like that. Just think of me as an NPC who will delete itself after the quest is over. There's no need to be so wary. At this point, no one can and no one will try to frame you."

Even if you say that…

"Grandma Ma, it's been a long time!"

Completely different from her own tense demeanor, Asuna Yuuki, pulling on her wedding dress, strode forward, grasping the old nun's hands with a mixture of surprise and confusion. She blinked adorably like a charming granddaughter: "Why are you here? This shouldn't be Aincrad. And what's with the NPCs who deleted themselves?"

Yuu Tenkuji spoke first, asking, "Asuna, do you know her?"

“Yes.” The chestnut-haired girl turned to him and introduced her, “This is Sister Ma, who took great care of me in ‘Swordsman Online.’ I learned my cooking skills and various recipes from her. Although she’s an NPC in the game, I always felt that Sister Ma was no different from a real person… Also, it was because of her reminder that I was able to discover that I had done a two-player quest with someone and found a ring as evidence in the item scrap inventory.”

Tenkuji Yu shifted his gaze from her to Sister Martha's nonchalant and kind smile, and pondered for a moment while stroking his chin.

"So, she's not just a simple NPC—she's someone who knows about our past quests?"

After she finished speaking, Granny Ma continued, "I'll just give a brief explanation. Once your memories return, you won't have any more questions."

She brushed aside the white veil on the girl's cheek with her fingertips and suddenly smiled mischievously: "Besides, you've finally changed into this outfit, don't you think it's a waste to spend your time having a long chat with an old, boring nun? It would be better to get to the point quickly."

“Grandma, that’s not true…” Asuna Yuuki wanted to say something more, but Sister Ma raised her hand to stop her.