[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host has received the reward: Piano (Proficient Level).]
[Congratulations, Host has received the reward: Baseball (Proficient Level).]
Glancing at the system notifications popping up in the bottom left, Yuu shifted his gaze back to Asuna in front of him.
Asuna was looking down, kicking pebbles on the road. Though it seed a bit childish, her flushed ears clearly showed her attempt to distract herself.
On their way ho, moonlight draped the ground in a silver glow, the white stone path stretching endlessly, as if the entire world belonged to just the two of them.
"Looks like my earlier judgnt was off. It’s not about running hand-in-hand to the destination but maintaining an intimate position when entering the civil registry office to pass."
Soon after, Yuu broke the slightly awkward silence with a calm, gentle voice. A soft breeze lifted Asuna’s beautiful brown hair, her movents pausing briefly before she folded her hands behind her back and spoke slowly without turning:
"Yeah~ And good thing we helped those people we t along the way. Otherwise, even if we got there first, the system wouldn’t have counted it as a pass."
That was the biggest trap of this trial. It wasn’t just about reaching the destination within the ti limit but also helping those in need—love wasn’t only romantic or affectionate but also encompassed kindness and camaraderie. To obtain the Beloved Flower, none of these could be missing.
After all, the mission panel said as much, so there was no room to complain about being tricked. Still, the difficulty wasn’t too high. Even without Asuna’s ddling nature or Yuu’s cheat-like speed, knowing the trial’s contents beforehand would have made passing it manageable.
"Helping one person was enough to et the requirent, and we helped four in total, with the extra three counting toward future progress..." Asuna stopped leading, turned, brushed her fluttering brown hair from her ear with one hand, and smiled happily at him.
"We don’t need fourteen days at all—just six more trials to save Grandma Martha. Thank goodness!"
Yuu smiled too: "Yeah, the faster we clear this mission, the sooner we can explore other places and party with other players. That’s when the real fun of the ga begins."
Asuna froze for a mont.
"Oh... Mm, sounds exciting."
Her tone was a bit odd, and at the sa ti, she looked away. Her slender, fair fingers intertwined behind her back as she changed the subject: "Yuu-kun, I want to thank you."
"For being born into this world?"
"No! That’s way too serious?!"
The strange feeling was instantly replaced by a mix of laughter and exasperation. The corners of her lips curled into an uncontrollable smile as Asuna looked up at the bright moonlight and continued:
"Back then, I’d given up, thinking there were more important things to do, but my ddling made you fail the trial too. I should’ve listened to you—ignore those who are just algorithms and data and focus on the right choice in front of ..."
Her voice grew softer, a sense of self-bla like distant clouds enveloping her heart. As if unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, Yuu cut in: "You’re saying if it weren’t for , this trial would’ve failed because of you?"
"...Mm."
Asuna answered softly, like a sigh of self-pity. Facing the girl’s dejected expression, there was only one thing Yuu needed to do now.
"You’re right."
He nodded, speaking bluntly: "Even if you hadn’t helped those people on the way, if I’d only focused on chasing ti, the trial would’ve failed too—but we succeeded, so we should talk about the success."
"Catching up in the end was thanks to my Acceleration, while you unknowingly raised the trial’s difficulty, basically becoming a hindrance... Objectively, that’s the outco of this trial."
"..."
Asuna pursed her lips and fell silent, staring at Yuu walking beside her. Her heart felt a bit uneasy, but more than that, she wondered why he’d said sothing like that. Though he often spoke without a filter, using such a blaming tone on purpose... it didn’t feel like sothing Yuu would do.
Asuna didn’t stay confused for long. Under the warm yellow glow of the streetlamp, Yuu turned, giving her a faint smile, and said softly:
"So, are you apologizing for making a mistake or for holding back?"
His voice seed to blend with the air, enveloping her along with the gentle night. Asuna stopped walking, staring in surprise at the person beside her. The dark clouds happened to part, and the clear, water-like moonlight spread again, reflecting the brilliance of the stars in her eyes.
"Grandma once said—it’s exactly because every choice from the past to now was right that we can stand here, seeing the scenery of this place."
Yuu ruffled his ssy hair and stepped forward slowly.
"As long as it’s a choice you made and stand by, no matter how many tis you have to cry or feel sad, no matter how many difficulties and dangers you must face, everything you’ve experienced up to now is a truth you don’t need to regret—because along the journey, all of it is yours, a unique life."
His deanor was relaxed, his voice as if accompanying the night breeze, gently brushing through the girl’s long hair, flowing through everything under the night sky.
"Don’t you think having such confidence is pretty cool, Miss Rapier Wielder?"
The city was silent under the starry, moonlit night. The girl followed him, stepping slowly, blinking as she looked at him. She turned her head, thought for a mont, then squinted her eyes into beautiful crescent moons, saying with a relieved smile:
"Indeed, very cool! Soone like that."
"Thanks for the complint," Yuu nodded shalessly.
Asuna froze for a mont, then her face flushed with a mix of annoyance and amusent: "You, you narcissist! I didn’t... ugh, whatever, hmph!"
She huffed softly in dissatisfaction and looked away, but her fingers naturally hooked onto his pinky. Just like before entering the crystal gate, Yuu returned her grip, tightly holding her small hand in his palm.
Asuna smiled, no longer hiding her cheerful, joyful expression. She looked up at the sky, and though dark clouds passed, casting shadows, she couldn’t help murmuring softly:
"The night sky is so beautiful."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After returning ho, to their surprise, the mailbox contained the scroll for the second trial and an egg.
[Love Nation Trial Scroll (5/10)]
[Mission: Nurturing and Love.]
[Description: Hatch the egg, and the trial will be completed.]
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