Great, we're doomed now!

Asuna didn't reply immediately, focusing intently on her own screen.

The payback period for a key project is counting down, the numbers are ticking away, and every change affects her expression.

"Finally done... Of course, I've learned a lot of valuable experience from Ms. Ruri." Asuna wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her breathing hadn't fully calmed down, but one could still feel the strength within it.

So much so that Gui and the others were stunned for a moment, and inexplicably realized something:

Asuna and Ruri seem to be getting serious.

This game seems to have some off-field factors involved...

"You take every step steadily, never changing your pace because of temporary gains or losses. I've been trying to imitate you, but I'm always just a little short."

Asuna paused for a moment: "I think what I lack is that kind of... persistence."

It's that drive to keep moving forward no matter what you encounter once you've set your sights on a goal. I always hesitated, had reservations, and even considered giving up at crucial moments... but now I know that was wrong.

Liuli looked at her, a strange glint in her eyes.

"I'm just doing what I want to do."

"That's why I've always admired you... Understanding your own feelings and steadfastly putting them into action—that's something to be envied!"

Ruri's opinion of Asuna changed drastically; she seemed surprised that this girl dared to confront her directly without backing down.

The maid leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers twice on the armrest: "You're smart and learn quickly. If it were a different opponent, you might not lose—but the intensity of your training is not on the same level as mine."

You're quite strong among mortals, but I've been chasing a monster every day. Long before you joined the battle, I had already defeated countless nameless nobodies... the combat intensity is on a completely different level."

Asuna was silent for a few seconds, then nodded, as if seriously accepting the assessment.

"Ok?"

Chika, who was listening nearby, was completely confused and turned to look at Kei: "What are they talking about?"

"I don't know," Gui blinked blankly. "But it doesn't seem like you're talking about games?"

Mengye then opened the auxiliary evaluation system and enthusiastically began to comment: "Wow! Sister Liuli's combat power has reached 530,000. She truly deserves the title of 'Queen of Financial Street'!"

But Asuna is no slouch either. In order to counter the aggressive Ruri, she specially equipped herself with the 'White Knight' she drew five rounds ago and summoned mysterious funds into the field. Her combat power is also increasing exponentially, and she will launch a combo attack in the next round. Awesome!

Now let's invite the 'Great Demon King' Mr. Kuze to give his evaluation. I wonder what you think of those two—ah! My eyes!

She turned her head to look in Ye Shou's direction, and then her VR glasses suddenly flashed!

Modern VR equipment is generally safe, so there's no risk of explosion. However, Mengye always sets her senses to a high level when playing games, and her vision immediately blurred.

She was only exposed to the bright light for a moment, and her eyes immediately reddened, as if she had been hit by a flashbang, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Waaah—" she covered her eyes and let out a soft gasp.

Chika was the first to react, leaning over to support her shoulder: "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"They actually have... a combat power of 120 million... What an astonishing number!"

"If things have gone this far, stop! Are you even a professional commentator?!"

"Ugh, sister...it's so bright!"

Ye Shou moved closer, a look of concern on his face. He had no siblings and had always treated Fujiwara Moeha as a half-sister, even though the child could be quite a handful at times…

"Let me see!"

"Brother Ye Shou~"

Moe-ye smoothly slipped away from Chika and nestled into Ye Shou's arms, startling the pink-haired young lady. Although Moe-ye and Ye Shou were already very close, she vaguely felt that something was amiss.

"..."

Ye Shou smiled helplessly. He looked down at Meng Ye, whose eyes were red and tear-streaked, and who looked up at him with a wronged expression.

"You brought this on yourself. There are safety regulations, why did you set it to 'high intensity'? If it were Kayaba's N... it wouldn't be a problem."

When this was mentioned, Ye Shou subconsciously glanced at Asuna, who was playing against Ruri, and then felt a pressure on his arm. His attention was immediately diverted as Moe Ye grabbed Ye Shou's arm with both hands.

The two of them are now sitting cross-legged on the soft cushion. Thanks to this traditional Japanese sitting posture, when Moeha leans to one side, her center of gravity is almost entirely on Ye Shou, so you can clearly feel the softness.

However, Ye Shou remained unmoved.

"I feel a little dizzy, probably from playing games for too long."

Meng Ye hugged him and shook him playfully, saying, "Come outside with me for some fresh air, Ye Shou-ge~"

"Alright then." Ye Shou turned his head. "Kui-chan, you take Moe-Ye with you—"

"Let's not trouble Kei-chan, she must be very tired too... right?"

"Huh?" Gui nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. "I guess so."

"Hehe~ See you later, sis~"

"Oh... um?"

Moe leaned weakly against Ye Shou, turned around and greeted Chika, then was led... no, more like Ye Shou was taken hostage and left the room, leaving several girls there to watch Ruri and Asuna's fierce battle.

Volume 11: To the Day of Destiny: Chapter 488: The True Master of Love Has Appeared! (4K)

'This little guy seems to be planning something.'

Ye Shou seemed to be deep in thought, but did not expose Meng Ye's acting skills.

To put it bluntly, he dotes on this little sister quite a bit. As long as her requests aren't too outrageous, he'll usually grant them, even treating her better than he treats Qianhua.

The Japanese garden inside the hotel is not very large in terms of space. Its small size and exquisite details are also characteristics of Japanese style. Several neatly trimmed dwarf pines are planted on both sides of the stone path, and there is a stone lantern in the corner, with dim candlelight illuminating the moss and pebbles below.

The moonlight streamed down from overhead, bathing the entire courtyard in a pale silvery-white hue, making even the air feel a bit chilly.

Mengye stood under the eaves, rubbing her eyes, which were still red and stained with tear tracks. But she looked up at the moon, then turned to look at Ye Shou, a subtle smile curving her lips, revealing a docile expression.

"The night breeze is so cool, it makes me feel much better," she said, her voice even softer than usual, like a spoiled kitten.

Ye Shou put his hands in his pockets, smiled gently, and didn't expose her. He always turned a blind eye to Meng Ye's dishonest little actions—after all, in his heart, children are indeed more adorable when they act cute.

Although I'm not a siscon, as an otaku, I have to spoil my little sister since she's my sister~

"...Tonight...the moon is so beautiful tonight."

Mengye raised her head and looked at the round moon on the horizon, which was bathed in a soft light. Her voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, but she had clearly mustered up the courage to speak so that someone could hear her clearly.

Then, her nose turned red, and she suppressed her shyness and quietly turned her gaze to the side, landing on Ye Shou's profile.

Ah~ she's so captivating no matter when you look at her.

My prince~

— Meng Ye's eyes sparkled, and I couldn't help but be mesmerized.

It might sound scary, but she really did fall in love with Ye Shou at first sight... during her elementary school years.

After all, that person has been different from others since childhood. Compared with his peers, he has a superior maturity, and Mengye naturally likes this kind of reliable and older person!

He always appears when she encounters difficulties or is sad, offering advice and help to her when she is at a loss. He loves her like a child, but never looks down on her because she is a child, and always respects her opinions.

At that time, Ye Shoulin bravely protected a bullied child at school, which changed the school's atmosphere, which was extremely rife with class discrimination.

Of course, there's also the one who's very handsome...

She fits Moeha's "taste" in every way; you could even say that there isn't such a perfect character design in shoujo manga.

So Moeha realized her feelings much earlier than Chika... but she also knew very well that her older sister had the advantage of being childhood friends, while she was just a naive little girl next door, so she waited patiently.

She never expected things to take such a sudden turn... In Mengye's original plan, her older sister probably wouldn't have any "femininity" until she graduated from high school, and she wouldn't take Ye Shou seriously as a romantic rival. She would have plenty of time to win over this older brother who was obsessed with the game of capital and had no interest in women.

But who knew the world would suddenly turn upside down!

Monsters, monstrosities, giants, aliens, Gundams… the world is changing rapidly, and the bonds between some people are also quickly deteriorating. By the time Meng Ye came to her senses, not only was her older sister gone, but Ye Shou was already surrounded by women on both sides.

This is really bad!

She knew very well that once her older sister awakened, her powerful romantic mind would turn her into an incredibly powerful enemy... and what kind of masters were these who could compete with Chika-nee without being at a disadvantage?

So much so that when Carmilla appeared, Moe Leaf almost gave up on herself.

But I still don't want to give up!

It should have belonged to someone else long ago!

Just because she's two years younger, she can't join the battle, and in a romantic comedy, she doesn't even qualify to be a loser—that's just too unreasonable!

Mengye has decided to take a gamble!

"call……"

Taking a deep breath, Meng Ye, whose makeup made her look more mature today, quietly puffed out her chest and stared at Ye Shou with her big eyes.

The cool moonlight outlined his facial features, from his forehead to his nose and then to his chin, the lines distinct yet soft... The girl must have been imagining some scene, because her cheeks were tinged with a light pink, which was not very clear in the night.

Is the moonlight beautiful?

When Ye Shou heard Meng Ye say that, his heart skipped a beat.

Something seems off...

He also looked up at the moon, his gaze calm and focused.

“It’s really beautiful,” he said.

Then, changing the subject, he said, "The lunar base is almost finished, and soon even the small urban area will be completed. At that time, we can organize large-scale tourist trips, and everyone will have the opportunity to walk on the lunar surface."

"..."

Mengye's eyelashes trembled slightly. The obedient curve of her lips remained, but the light in her eyes dimmed for a moment, as if it had been gently extinguished by something.

However, she quickly cheered up, smiled and moved closer, and once again affectionately hugged Ye Shou's arm.

"Brother Ye, could you give me a special favor and take me to the lunar base right now? Don't wait for the metropolitan area."

Ye Shou thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"It's unsafe, especially lately."

Mengye frowned slightly and pursed her lips without saying a word.

She lowered her head, silently looking at the grain of the wooden floorboards in the corridor, then let go of his hand, took a step back, stood behind Ye Shou, and gently rested her forehead against his back.

Through the thin fabric, Ye Shou could feel the girl's slightly higher body temperature and the rhythm of her breathing.

“I already took Sister Qianhua there.”