Confused, Asuna confird the trade, and the scroll appeared in her hand. She opened it.
"This is what I found in the mailbox outside the door."
Yuu set down his teacup, explaining as Asuna examined it: "See the item na? Love Nation Trial Scroll (1/10). It ans we need to complete ten missions to obtain the Beloved Flower and leave this place."
"It’s that tough..." Asuna frowned slightly, muttering a complaint before reading the scroll’s brief text in a soft voice.
"First trial, Speed of Love... Please note, once this scroll is used, the trial will begin imdiately. If you fail, it cannot be retaken?"
"Eh—"
She let out a startled exclamation, her eyes widening as she looked at Yuu. Her fair, beautiful face, illuminated by the warm yellow lamplight, looked utterly adorable in her shock.
"Not only is the mission na weird, but failing once ans no retries? That’s way too harsh! And there’s so little information, no ti to prepare at all, even though we worked so hard to get here!"
"Don’t jump to conclusions," Yuu said calmly, sipping his tea, in stark contrast to Asuna’s slightly panicked expression.
"It says it can’t be retaken, but it doesn’t specify if that’s just this trial or all trials. Usually, vague ga text like that isn’t ant to confuse but deliberately leaves room for interpretation—and for us, the latter is more likely."
Her expression gradually cald, and Asuna looked at him: "What’s the basis for your confidence?"
"First, a gar’s instinct."
"Here we go again... Yeah, yeah, I know you’re a pro gar," Asuna said with a resigned expression. Noticing his empty teacup, she picked up the teapot and refilled it for him.
"Oh, thanks."
His lips touched the cup’s rim, and amid the steam, Yuu raised an eyebrow, flashing a restrained, confident smile.
"Second, if we clear all the trials, we won’t need to worry about what happens if we fail, right? Information gathering is limited, so in the end, adaptability and strength are what matter."
"..."
Asuna stared at him in surprise, her expression as if she wanted to say sothing to doubt him. But in the end, she only gave a faint smile, leaned back casually in her chair, and huffed:
"Alright, we’ll go with what you say~"
Yuu frowned: "What, you have an opinion? You can share it, and we’ll discuss."
"Nope~"
Asuna deliberately dragged out her voice, covering her curved, pink lips with her teacup, then said in a cheerful tone, like reading an ad:
"I’ll leave the mission stuff to you and the house stuff to —husband and wife splitting duties, a perfect couple! So of course, I’ll follow your lead."
"...Asuna."
*CRACK!*
Yuu set his teacup on the table, looking at her oddly, finally voicing the doubt he’d felt since earlier.
"Yesterday, you were all resistant to accepting this, so why are you so okay with our husband-and-wife status today?"
"Well..."
Her fingers slowly traced the teacup’s handle, Asuna’s gaze lowered briefly before lifting to et his eyes.
"Of course, it’s for the mission! It’s just a few days anyway. You won’t take advantage or misunderstand anything, and it’s been a while since I played house with soone..."
She shrugged casually, a gesture very characteristic of Yuu.
"So, might as well dive fully into this scenario, try things I never thought of before—that’s what makes the ga fun!"
Scratching her increasingly flushed cheek as she spoke, Asuna let out a dry laugh:
"Today, I planned to put myself in the wife role and tackle the trial with that identity... Well, if you don’t like it, I won’t do it."
"..."
Yuu stared at her wordlessly. After a few seconds of silence, he rubbed his temples and sighed:
"You’ve said all that—how could I say I don’t like it?"
"...Well, I’m not forcing you to say anything."
Asuna hid her small face behind the teacup, trying hard to keep the corners of her lips from lifting, but her eyes wandered. Sotis she glanced at the swaying curtains, sotis she secretly peeked at his expression. The atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
The lamplight in the house was softer than the night outside, as if surrounded by curtains, making their breathing and heartbeats more audible. They gazed at each other across the table, their eyes occasionally eting, as if probing each other’s thoughts or unsure how to break the current silence, simply passing the ti together.
Finally, Yuu spoke first:
"Let’s go. I’ve got a rough idea about the first trial—no need for prep, no problem. Let’s see how many we can clear before logging out today." After speaking, he stood, having finished the tea and biscuits on his plate.
"Ah, wait a sec!"
Snapping out of her daze, Asuna hurriedly cleared the table, then ran to the kitchen and upstairs to her room. After about a minute of scrambling, she returned to Yuu at the front door.
She’d changed into a gallant yet innocent female swordsman outfit, her long hair flowing and waist slim. Her fair thighs, wrapped in high socks, peeked out from under her skirt, perfectly radiating the youthful charm of a girl.
"Okay, where to? Or should we just tear the scroll here?"
Following him out of the house, she habitually checked if the door was locked. Holding the trial scroll, Asuna tilted her head slightly to look at him, asking with mock seriousness.
Yuu thought for a mont, then suddenly stepped back, standing side by side with her, gazing at the tranquil night enveloping the streets, lit by streetlamps. They were so close that the back of his hand accidentally brushed hers.
The warm touch was like an electric shock, and Asuna instinctively shivered, reflexively wanting to pull her hand away. But Yuu swiftly grabbed it, his fingers skillfully intertwining with hers, giving the little white rabbit no chance to escape.
He said simultaneously: "Use the scroll, Asuna."
"Eh?! B-but, your hand..."
Asuna bit her thin lips, a blush spreading across her snow-white cheeks, her words stumbling in panic. Though her face showed disbelief, it was almost the sa as when she held his hand and stepped through the gate. After a token struggle, she obediently let him hold on tightly.
"Your acting’s still lacking, wife."
Yuu, who said this, had a gentle voice, his lips smiling, his gaze toward her full of warmth and affection: "For a married couple, holding hands is just the first step, got it? Relax a bit."
"...I-I know! You don’t need to tell !"
Her heart beating irregularly, Asuna quickly pushed aside her embarrassnt, then shouted loudly to cover her feelings:
"Use the item in hand!"
The ga wasn’t just manually controlled; so actions could be done via voice commands. As she spoke, the scroll in Asuna’s hand turned to dust, and a clock, similar to a duel tir but much larger, appeared above their heads.
[Mission: Speed and Love.]
[Description: While holding hands, reach the civil registry office within five minutes to complete the trial.]
[Hint: Estimated arrival ti for players—four minutes fifty-five seconds.]
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