"People are always unsure where to go, because the paths ahead are either too many or too few, and most can't find a direction that suits them…"
"Alright, Yuuki-san, please take a seat."
"Okay."
After finishing a paragraph, Asuna sat down holding her textbook. Her fingers gently glided over the text she'd just read, then she turned to gaze at the sky outside the window.
The relentless autumn rain draped the city like mist. The gray sky blurred time, remaining unchanged from morning to afternoon, as if only the arrival of night could alter it.
Propping her chin, Asuna stared at the calm, drifting rain, lost in a slight daze.
(Waiting, and holding onto hope… Yuu-kun, how long must I wait?)
Unconsciously, last night's conversation surfaced in her mind. Thinking back now, Asuna couldn't help but be surprised at her own courage—though she was terrified that morning, by night, spurred by a few words from her mother, she mustered the bravery to contact Yuu.
Did this mean she had taken a step forward?
Not only had she firmly contradicted her mother, voicing her opinions loudly, but she also no longer let the boundary between virtual and reality hold her back, saying words to him equivalent to "I want to meet you…"
Feeling shy, Asuna also wondered—had she, by making these choices, already stepped onto the path Yuu mentioned, a true path she'd never regret?
"Having such confidence is truly something incredible…"
Sighing softly, she couldn't help but recall yesterday, when she admitted to her mother that she had someone she liked. Her ears heated, her cheeks flushed, but no matter what, Asuna didn't want to deny her feelings in this matter.
"So, when did I start liking him?"
She pondered this question until school ended but found no answer that satisfied her heart. After all, as her mother said, she had become a naughty girl caught up in online dating.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After school, Asuna prepared to leave the classroom. Her friends, greeting her, said with smiles:
"Yuuki-san, you seem in a great mood today. Your face looks much brighter than yesterday."
"Really?" Asuna touched her cheek, frowning as if puzzled. "I didn't notice. I didn't see any change when I looked in the mirror."
"No, really! Did something good happen?" Someone nearby eagerly asked again, their curious voice a bit louder.
Instantly, the gossip atmosphere acted like a strong magnet, drawing in the girls around who weren't in a rush to leave.
"Oh, that…"
Seeing the situation becoming harder to dodge, Asuna quickly turned, waving to her friends who stared at her with probing eyes.
"I-I'll talk about it tomorrow! I still have tutoring, so I'll head out now! See you all!"
Disappointed sighs echoed behind her, but Asuna felt no guilt toward those who loved gossiping about others.
Walking toward the shoe lockers, she happened to see members of the fencing club warming up in the first-floor training room. They held Western swords with graceful postures, their beautiful forms clad in white and gray protective gear, moving back and forth rhythmically against their opponents.
With just a few glances, Asuna couldn't help but sigh:
"So weak…"
Though far stronger than a Frenzy Boar facing Orcs or Minotaurs, they probably wouldn't last a few minutes before being shattered and captured alive.
They had the form but lacked the sharpness and resolve enveloping a blade. Such swordsmanship couldn't defeat anyone.
If this were Aincrad…
No, even now, if Asuna were given a rapier and told to fight recklessly against the fencing club members, she might be able to slice them all into polygonal fragments in no more than five minutes—such confidence unconsciously surfaced in her mind.
Asuna shook her head, no longer lingering, and continued to the shoe lockers to change her shoes.
"If it were him, he probably wouldn't need a minute."
With a helpless tone, the corners of her lips curved slightly, her eyes narrowing into thin crescent moons. Though she hadn't seen Yuu act many times, this trust was far stronger than the confidence from earlier.
After all, some things only needed one fight to be deeply understood.
"…One fight, huh?"
The thought flashed through her mind, and Asuna considered it seriously before her shoulders slumped in surrender. Let alone accepting a duel challenge… With her mother's temperament, she'd never agree to let her enter the virtual world with him.
Besides, the mindset of solving everything with a fight felt too brutal, not at all like a girl… even though she loved it.
Her smile turned bitter, but Asuna suddenly realized that, though she felt she lacked the courage to change the reality before her, she had unknowingly become a little different from her old self.
Though her steps were slow, the footprints she left along the way were, in the end, her own.
Yes, just like that.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Asuna had changed her shoes and stepped out of the school building. Though it was drizzling outside, as long as she opened her umbrella, there was a clear sky beneath it.
Raising her pristine white umbrella overhead, Asuna walked alone into the rain. The drizzle, carried by the wind, dampened her body, a chill creeping in from her jacket's collar.
The school gate was quite far from the pickup area. When no one was around, she pulled out her phone, opened LINE, and nervously made a call.
The busy tone didn't ring long before connecting. She cleared her throat and asked in a deliberately sweet voice, "Hello, is this Tenkuji Yuu?"
There was a brief silence on the other end before a deep voice replied:
"No car loans, no insurance, no credit cards, no promotions or temptations accepted—unless you're a beautiful 17-year-old girl, there's nothing to talk about."
Asuna: "…"
"Alright, anything else to say? If not, I'm hanging up."
"You…" Her teeth gritted slightly. Asuna took a deep breath, inhaling the earthy, damp scent of the rain, and said with a mix of irritation and amusement, "Are you teasing me again on purpose? Who doesn't know who's calling and talks like that right away!"
Yuu responded with a slight chuckle. "It's your first time calling me. Isn't it normal that I didn't recognize your voice?"
Asuna spoke in a tone that sounded both complaining and sulky. "Don't lie~ I called via LINE. It clearly shows who's calling before it connects."
"Alright, no need to pretend," Yuu said. "What's up? I'm studying—got a lot of assignments today."
"Oh, am I disturbing you? Sorry…"
"It's fine. As compensation, try meowing a few times for me."
"Yuu-kun, save your dreams for tonight," Asuna replied, suppressing her playful side with a gentle yet firm tone. After hesitating for half a second, she continued:
"Should we meet in the real world?"
"Really? I'd get nervous."
His clearly joking words dispelled the last of Asuna's hesitation, and a smile bloomed on her face. "Then how will you team up with me? Are we just going to keep talking over the phone?"
"Good point…" Yuu sighed. "Alright, since you're so eager to meet me, let me prepare, and we'll arrange a nice place to meet."
"That's really troublesome for you…" A vein pulsed at Asuna's temple, her face radiating an aura of wanting to stab him with a rapier, though sadly, no one could see it.
While chatting with him, she had unknowingly left the school gate. Seeing the familiar sedan in the pickup area, Asuna's tone grew slightly more serious. "So, is this Sunday okay? I'll try hard to get time from my mom."
"Yeah, I'm free. I can work around your schedule."
"Good," Asuna sighed in relief. Before ending the call, her slender fingers tightly gripped the umbrella handle, and she finally decided to speak:
"Yuu-kun!"
"What's up?"
"After leaving, I realized I really love that world, and… I miss the days of playing the game and teaming up with you."
"Yeah, me too."
"Sorry, I lied."
"…"
Lowering her head, Asuna gazed at the ripples beneath her feet, seeing her blurred reflection in the rainwater. Some things could only be said over the phone—if they were face-to-face, her heart might pound so hard she couldn't speak.
Asuna pressed her lips together tightly, a soft, joyful smile slowly spreading across her face, like a white clematis blooming brilliantly in the rain.
She smiled and whispered softly, "What you said, I always remember… Thank you for always being by my side, giving me the courage to move forward, Yuu-kun."
"When we meet again, can I hold your hand?"
"…"
There was a brief silence on the other end, but it didn't last long.
"As long as you don't mind if my hand's sweaty in the real world."
"Is it really sweaty?"
"If it happens to be raining when we hold hands, yeah."
Asuna looked at the gentle drizzle ahead, her cheeks flushing, and she smiled with immense happiness.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the car, Sada informed her of something.
"Madam has business tonight and will borrow the car. She asked you to take a taxi straight home after tutoring, be careful, stay alert, and don't go anywhere else."
Asuna asked, puzzled, "Why didn't she tell me directly?"
"Madam thinks you've been rebellious lately. If she told you herself, you'd deliberately defy her due to your childish nature."
Sada spoke with a faint, bitter smile, her tone gentle and helpless.
"Rebellious phase…" Asuna seemed at a loss for words, pressing her temple as if dizzy. "What's Mom even thinking… Whatever, I was planning to go straight home anyway."
Besides, if she got home and her mother wasn't there, maybe she could search for the NERvGEAR in her room? At that thought, her round brown eyes sparkled.
She quickly suppressed her naughty thoughts, not letting her mother's spy—Sada—notice anything odd. Asuna casually pulled out her workbook and began studying.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Opening her umbrella and stepping out of the car, after bidding farewell to Sada, Asuna avoided puddles on the ground and entered the tutoring center.
Tutoring was different from school. Everyone came here, paying for their future, to improve their grades. Few wasted time socializing or chatting, as if they wanted to squeeze every spare moment, cramming as much knowledge from books into their brains as possible.
So when Asuna pushed open the classroom door and glanced inside, she saw many students already seated at the long tables in the tiered lecture hall. The heavy, silent atmosphere pressed on everyone's shoulders, with only the sound of pens scratching paper.
The stifling room had only the "Unstoppable Genius" banner at the back adding a touch of youthful spirit; the rest was almost grim. After all, this was an exam-prep class for top-performing students only. Nearly forty percent of each cohort got into the University of Tokyo, with many others entering Keio, Waseda, or medical schools.
Placing her umbrella in the rack outside, Asuna entered quietly, walking along the wall to the empty seats on the left side, near the window overlooking Tokyo's nighttime view.
The gray drizzle still fell, slowly blending into the night's darkness, the misty world soon to transform. She checked her phone, confirming Yuu hadn't sent any messages, then set it to silent, put it away, pulled out her workbook, and began studying.
"Excuse me, may I pass?"
A voice came from behind, likely someone sitting in the back row. Focused on studying, Asuna didn't care, briefly glancing before returning her full attention to the upcoming lesson.
She didn't notice the dark, sinister gaze hidden under a hood staring at the back of her head, chuckling softly, licking its lips, hands restlessly rubbing together under the table in excitement.
But soon after, the hooded figure's shoulder was suddenly tapped.
"Excuse me, could you come with me for a moment?"
Startled as if shocked by electricity, the hooded man looked up, his demeanor turning hostile as if guilty.
"Huh? What? Who are you?"
The person before him smiled slightly. "Just a passing Kamen Rider."
Both kept their voices low, so even in the quiet study room, they didn't cause much disturbance. At least, they didn't make the studious girl turn with curiosity.
"Are you sick?" the hooded man snapped, preparing to brush off the hand on his shoulder. But his hand was tightly gripped, and the other person leaned in, whispering in his ear:
"Sorry, but soon you'll be the one in pain. Don't talk—shut your mouth and come with me!"
"…"
Shortly after, the tutoring instructor entered, announcing that one student left early today and a new student had enrolled. He asked everyone to get along well and so on.
Seeing most students didn't care, the instructor didn't ask the new student to introduce themselves in front of the class, starting the lesson immediately, not wasting a moment of the costly tutoring time.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The intense, oppressive lesson lasted two hours.
When it finally ended, students scattered out. Asuna began packing her things and walked out of the classroom.
"For some reason, I kept feeling watched…"
Snapping out of her focused study mode, Asuna immediately sensed something off. After exiting the elevator and taking two steps toward the building's entrance, she suddenly turned but found no suspicious gazes or objects.
With her thin brows slightly furrowed, Asuna shook her head. To shake off the strange feeling, she pulled out her phone and sent a message:
Asuna: {Ugh, tutoring today was exhausting~ Yuu-kun, have you ever been to tutoring? The lessons here are as fast as a jet. If you zone out even a little, the next second you're lost.}
Yuu: {I think it's decent. The content's solid. I've learned a lot myself.}
Asuna: {What do you mean?}
Yuu: {Nothing much. I recently looked into tutoring too. Heard the instructors are great, but some students have studied until their minds are warped…}
Asuna: {Ugh, that sounds scary. Thankfully, my tutoring center doesn't have people like that…}
Yuu: {Hehe.}
Asuna: {Eh~ What's so funny?}
Replying to messages, Asuna lowered her head and smiled. The sound of rain hitting her umbrella and her footsteps on the road seemed to brighten with her mood.
After leaving the tutoring center, heading toward the intersection, she remembered a large puddle by the roadside, so she shifted earlier to avoid it, then kept looking at her phone.
The night was as dark as ink, with car lights occasionally flashing at the corner of her eye, the sound of speeding engines becoming background noise. The damp night breeze brushed her face, but the warmth in her chest and cheeks kept Asuna from feeling cold. She was immersed in their chat, like a bird finally soaring in the sky.
Suddenly.
"Asuna, stop where you are! Raise your umbrella to your left!"
A familiar voice rang out like a parental command. Asuna instinctively stopped, her body reacting automatically, lifting her umbrella to the left, shielding half her body.
The next second, a speeding car's shadow flashed past the sidewalk, its tires harshly rolling over a large puddle, splashing water onto the umbrella she'd raised just in time.
*SPLOOSH—*
"…Huh? Huh?"
Perfectly blocking the attack, watching dirty water drip from her umbrella, Asuna blinked blankly, still holding the phone she was chatting on, completely unaware of what had happened.
The drizzle continued. Another umbrella was raised above her now-unprotected head.
"Even if you're happy chatting with me, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings when you're out. You're such a clueless honor student."
"…"
At that moment, her mind froze. Asuna slowly raised her head, meeting his exasperated gaze.
"Yuu… kun?"
The night enveloped them like the rain. The sound of her heartbeat went from silent to thunderous.