I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

He simply pushed the untouched strawberry cake toward her.

After an unknown amount of time, the crying gradually subsided.

Asuna raised her tear-streaked face and looked at Lynn. In her hazel eyes, washed clean by tears, something had undergone an eternal and irreversible qualitative change.

...

Night fell silently.

This room seems to have no night; outside the window is always the same unchanging, empty scene that appears to be composed of countless luminous dust particles.

But Asuna could feel that time was passing.

She couldn't sleep.

After changing into that pure white dress, she remained curled up on the sofa in the living room, hugging her knees with her arms and resting her chin gently on them.

The ethereal, moonlit light streamed through the window, bathing her in its glow and making her already fair skin appear even more translucent, as if it would melt into the light and vanish in the next second.

The footsteps were very light.

Lynn didn't seem to be asleep either. He was wearing simple home clothes, holding a steaming cup of milk, and walked straight toward her.

He gently placed the milk on the coffee table in front of her, sat down on the single sofa next to her, picked up a book, and quietly began to read.

It was as if his presence was solely for the purpose of keeping her company through this sleepless "night".

It was this silent, uncritical companionship that, like a key, gently pried open Asuna's long-closed heart.

“Mr. Guide,” she finally spoke, her voice soft but carrying an unprecedented calm.

"I've lived for more than ten years, but it seems like I've never lived a single day for myself."

She looked at the man in front of her.

He simply sat there quietly, yet he was more profound and more... captivating than the eternal starry sky outside the window.

An idea took clear shape in her mind.

I am already "dead".

Everything in the real world has nothing to do with me anymore.

Since that's the case, in this remaining world that belongs only to the two of us, let's make the first and last "choice" of my life that is entirely my own!

This is the best farewell to the self that has been imprisoned for more than a decade!

Asuna took a deep breath, got up from the sofa, and walked barefoot to Lynn.

Despite her pounding heart and burning cheeks, Asuna mustered all her courage, walked barefoot to Lynn, and knelt down slowly in an awkward yet sacred manner, offering up everything she had.

She raised her head, and her hazel eyes shone like two stars in the ethereal light.

“Mr. Lynn.” For the first time, she called him by his name.

"Before my soul... completely dissipates, please allow me to dedicate it to you."

Her voice was clear, yet incredibly firm.

“This is not begging, nor is it repaying a debt of gratitude. This is the first choice I, Yuuki Asuna, have made for myself.”

Lynn put down the book.

He could clearly sense that what the girl was offering at this moment was the first and "last" time in her life, the purest soul, entirely out of her own "will."

This feeling, passionate and clumsy, carries a resolute quality that can move anyone.

So he leaned down, gently lifted her chin, and calmly and openly responded to her clumsy yet passionate question.

When their hands parted, Asuna's cheeks were flushed, but her eyes became even clearer.

She asked shyly, "Tonight...can you stay with me the whole time?"

Lynn did not answer immediately.

He simply reached out and gently wiped away the last tear of joy from the corner of her eye, his voice remaining calm.

"Asuna, look at me."

Upon hearing this, the girl raised her head, trembling slightly.

“This is neither escapism nor dependence.” Lynn’s eyes were as deep as the starry sea at this moment.

"This is your 'destination.' It's the destination you chose for this journey, isn't it?"

Asuna looked at him, and in those eyes she saw her own reflection.

That version of myself, no longer confused or cowardly, but clear and resolute.

She nodded vigorously, and through her tears, a radiant, relieved smile blossomed.

"Yes, this is my home."

Upon receiving this answer, Lynn nodded slightly.

He didn't choose the possessive "princess carry," but instead took her hand and, like guiding a lost child home, led her step by step to the bed covered with pure white sheets, a symbol of new life and peaceful sleep.

The night was gentle, and the temperature inside the blankets gradually rose.

A pure white dress was carelessly tossed aside on the bedside, like a lily soaked by the rain.

Before her consciousness completely sank into the ultimate bliss, Asuna used her last bit of strength to leave a whispered confession in his ear.

"Please...remember me forever..."

...

That mark, and the night that followed, completely changed Asuna.

She seemed to have forgotten her impending "disappearance" and willingly regarded herself as the mistress of this "afterlife".

There was no trace of gloom on her face anymore; she always wore a happy and shy smile. Her hazel eyes were clear, as if washed by rain, reflecting Lynn's image.

She became very proactive.

At dawn, when Lynn stepped out of his room, he was no longer greeted by an empty living room, but by a mixture of the smell of burnt bread and the soft, flustered calls of a young girl.

"Ouch! It's burnt again!"

Asuna pinched a pair of blackened bread slices, her pretty little face scrunched up, and stomped her foot in frustration.

Lynn didn't say anything, but walked over to her, picked up a new slice of bread and put it in the oven, then tapped the timer three times with her finger.

Ding.

A perfect golden yellow.

Asuna looked at the perfect slice of toast, then at Lynn's calm profile, and nodded emphatically as if she understood something.

After wasting half a bag of toast, a reasonably presentable breakfast was finally served. She rested her chin on her hands, watching expectantly as Lynn took a bite.

"How about it?"

“Hmm,” Lynn put down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin, “It has… a soulful flavor.”

But Asuna clearly didn't understand this sarcastic remark. Just the word "soul" made her squint her eyes with joy, as if she had received the highest praise from the gods.

I spend most of my daytime hours on the sofa.

She would curl up in Lynn's arms like a docile cat, listening to him read stories from books to her in his slightly lazy and magnetic voice.

Those bizarre and fantastical legends were colors that had never appeared in her barren life, which was filled with formulas and textbooks.

"...In the end, the princess from the moon left the human world she loved so much on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival and returned to the cold moon palace."

When Lynn finished reading the ending of "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," the girl in his arms remained silent for a long time. He looked down and realized that she had been crying uncontrollably.

“Lynn…” She raised her head, her eyes, washed with tears, shining with an astonishing light, “If Princess Kaguya knew she would eventually leave, would she still have chosen to descend to the mortal realm?”

Lynn calmly assessed the situation in her mind, but casually asked aloud, "And what about you? If you knew that everything would disappear in three days, would you regret your confession?"

Asuna was stunned.

She didn't answer, but hugged him even tighter, burying her face deep in his chest, giving her answer through her actions.

She has no regrets.

To have these three dreamlike days was already the greatest blessing from the gods.

On her last night, she didn't sleep a wink.

She simply lay on her side, resting her head on his arm, and with her fingertips, gently traced his sleeping outline again and again.

From her striking brow bone to her high nose bridge, and then to the lips that once gave her courage and comfort.

She seemed reluctant to use sleep to shorten the already limited time left, wanting to deeply etch his image onto her soon-to-dissipate soul.

In the darkness, Lynn opened his eyes and accurately grasped her slightly cool hand.

The girl's body trembled slightly.

“I’m here with you,” his voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up, but it had a reassuring power. “I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”

She smiled, but a hot tear slid down her cheek and silently soaked into the pillow.

As the clock struck dawn and the ethereal light outside the window grew brighter, Asuna Yuuki knew that the time had come.

She did nothing, but after waking up in his arms, she clung tightly to him like an insecure cat, unwilling to leave for even a second.

She didn't speak or read; she simply rested her head on his shoulder, listening to his steady heartbeat.

It was as if that was the most beautiful music in the world, the only proof that she had ever existed.

After a long while, she spoke softly, in a voice that was almost like a dream.

"Lynn."

"Ok?"

"I...I'm not scared anymore."

"Ok, I know."

A satisfied, sweet smile touched the corners of her lips, a smile so pure and untouched by any worldly dust.

"To die like this, I feel..."

"I am the happiest person in the world."

Her voice carried a heartbreaking sense of relief at impending separation.

She tried her best to maintain that smile, as if it were the last and most perfect offering she could give to this deity.

"Lynn... thank you."

"These three days have been my entire life... Yuuki Asuna's entire life."

However, when she saw Lynn's eyes, which remained calm yet seemed to reflect all her reluctance, the strength she had built up with all her might suddenly crumbled.

That perfect smile was instantly washed away by tears.

"...I was just kidding."

Her voice was broken and trembling, filled with desperate sobs.

"I still...can't bear to part with it..."

Like a drowning person, she clung tightly to Lynn's clothes, burying her face in his chest, her tears instantly soaking his shirt.

“I don’t want to disappear… I don’t want to forget you… Lynn… I’m so scared…”

"Three days... is too short... really too short..."

"Please... give me half a day... no, even half an hour would be fine... I don't want to leave..."

She cried out incoherently, pouring out all the happiness, longing, and deepest fear of "death" she had experienced over the past three days without reservation.

She was not a god after all; she was just an ordinary girl who fell in love with a deity, who could cry and feel fear.

Chapter 83: Asuna's Journey from Soul Sacrifice to Social Death: All It Takes Is One Truth

In the [Emotional Perception], the light that represented Asuna, which had been gradually calming down, is now being completely submerged by a deep blue storm called "fear" and "reluctance".

Its intensity far exceeded that of when she first arrived.

Faced with her utterly broken, desperate, and tearful pleas, Lynn's face, for the first time, lost its divine gentleness and tranquility.