Honestly, even the donkeys on the production team might not be as productive as Yuu. Just twelve hours after ending the previous love story full of meetings and partings, the system assigns him a new goal—giving him only a name and leaving the rest for him to figure out.
"Good morning, hard worker!" It's as if he can hear the emotionless system's voice.
Yuu doesn't know if this time he'll have to play the role of a rented boyfriend again; and what could Yuuki Asuna, a refined young lady from a prestigious family with exceptional sword skills, possibly want from him?
"Whatever, let it be."
Muttering, Yuu casually closes the system panel and turns to walk toward the Town of Beginnings. The girl's virtual avatar has vanished, leaving no trace in the air. The small forest is quiet and somewhat eerie. Monsters seem to have just respawned, and faint rustling footsteps echo in the layered darkness.
For now, Yuu isn't interested in leveling. After returning and resting, he plans to log out and do something else. This has nothing to do with the system's sudden task.
He just feels it's rare to meet a companion worth adventuring with in this world. Leaving her behind to play alone feels disloyal and pointless. What can he do? The game's still in beta testing.
It's as lonely as a single-player game. After playing for just over an hour, his interest has waned significantly. In the end, despite his Master-Level Gaming skill, Yuu doesn't have the mindset of a professional gamer. He remains himself, doing whatever he wants, with his little sister and his mood as top priorities.
That includes this mission.
Yuu will approach it with the same laid-back attitude.
Looking back, in the past, because he tried too hard to earn rewards and dig into what he called a "goldmine," he unknowingly fell for Yukinoshita Haruno, genuinely liking her.
And Zocher Gendhrop once wrote: "Newton's Third Law also applies to human relationships."
Newton's Third Law—action and reaction. Realizing this, for his second mission, Yuu chooses to make a change.
The system's temporary funds are sufficient, and he lacks neither stats nor skills. Now he can slow down, adopting a stance neither passive nor aggressive, like casually solving math problems in a textbook. He'll complete the system's mission calmly.
In short, shifting from proactive to passive—not getting too emotionally invested in either people or mission rewards. That way, in the end, he can calmly accept the reality of parting and forgetting.
Thinking this, Yuu can't help but sigh:
"Even if emotions can be taken back, as long as memories remain, something else will linger…"
In the virtual world, he unconsciously touches his chest, thinking there's no heart inside, yet feeling a faint heartbeat.
Alright, a bit awkward…
What he meant was, even without a heart, there's a certain weight in his chest, like the system in his body, that won't turn into cold data.
Pulling his hand back, Yuu scratches his head, concluding resignedly:
"For my own good, I'd better adopt a Buddhist mindset."
His right hand swipes down, opening the menu and pressing the logout button.
A blinding white light flashes before him. As his data body slowly fades, a thought suddenly crosses Yuu's mind:
If he could be like those popular guys with a dozen girlfriends, flitting among flowers, changing partners as easily as clothes…
Maybe his life now would be much easier?
But before he can think further, the logout process completes.
His figure vanishes from the streets of the Town of Beginnings. The bustling scene formed by data remains unchanged by his departure.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
A world with no one.
The city's ruins lie silently on the ground, like the corpse of a long-dead giant.
Half of a base is lodged in concrete. On the dusty, slightly worn, slanted screen, the snow-like static that seems to flicker forever suddenly stops, then briefly clears.
Like an old man tapping a keyboard, a line of small text is slowly typed:
"Even if memories can be taken back, as long as emotions remain, something else will linger."
As if answering someone's question or as if there's a slight glitch in the program. The next second, the static flickers again, the screen blurs. In the dead, ruined world, nothing seems to change.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
"Haaa…"
Removing the boxing helmet-shaped virtual immersion device, Yuu shakes his head, taking a few seconds to readjust to the real world. He lowers his head slightly, grasping at the air, as if still feeling the weight of a sword hilt and the impact of clashing blades.
"September 5th… Next time we meet, let's fight again."
Unexpectedly, Yuu finds he doesn't hate the feeling of battling a strong opponent. The sparks of steel bursting before him, the exhilarating, boiling mood during combat—recalling it now, his blood still surges unconsciously.
The corner of his mouth curls up. Yuu grabs his phone from the side, sending a message to Kouichirou without thinking.
Yuu: [Your little sister's awesome]
Soon after, the message is read.
Kouichirou: [??????????]
Smirking mischievously, enjoying his shock, Yuu briefly explains meeting Asuna in Sword Art Online, and copies a video of him killing a boar from the helmet, sending it to him.
After receiving the messages, pausing briefly, Kouichirou sends a thumbs-up in admiration.
Kouichirou: [As expected of my sister, always outstanding wherever she goes!]
Unfazed by his praise, Yuu gets to the point.
Yuu: [So, you're not going to explain why you told your sister to attack me?]
Kouichirou: [It's already happened, no need to explain! I'll treat you to a meal later, anything you want, consider it an apology. You can bring your sister too, and we can have an official family meeting, bond and all.]
Yuu pulls the corner of his mouth resignedly.
Yuu: [Don't be so eager to pawn off your sister? She might stab you with her rapier… I don't think you could beat her.]
Kouichirou: [I'm her big brother; no way a brother loses to his sister! You can't scare me.]
"…"
Yuu decides that one day, if the chance arises, he'll provoke Asuna in front of him, pushing her to swing her rebellious sword at her foolish brother. Once that guy is thoroughly defeated by his sister, he'll know whether Yuu's trying to scare him or not.
Not waiting for his reply, Kouichirou suddenly changes the topic:
Kouichirou: [Oh, right, Yuu, you said my sister logged out in a hurry, probably caught gaming. I went out to check on her…]
"What? Was she really caught?"
Yuu raises his brows unconsciously, but he's not too worried. The system made it clear: he can meet her on September 5th at 8 p.m., so before then, Yuuki Asuna shouldn't be caught by her mom or lose her chance to log back into the game.
As expected, after a bit of teasing, Kouichirou reveals the answer:
Kouichirou: [No, my mom just knocked on the door. The NERvGear has an external disturbance alert setting. As long as Asuna remembers to lock her door and hide her stuff, she shouldn't get caught.]
Yuu: [Is that so? Good to know.]
Yuu comments casually—after all, she's his future gaming teammate and the next system-assigned target.
But Kouichirou seems to misunderstand, sending a message with a suggestive tone:
Kouichirou: [Oh my, you just met her for the first time, and you're already so concerned about her…]
Seeing it, Yuu immediately pockets his phone, firmly reading the message without replying.
Whatever this guy's scheming, he's always eager to become his brother-in-law, even seeming delighted about it—like Aunt Susan's foot-binding cloth next door, so annoying he wants to kick his butt with a boot.
It's around ten in the morning.
No longer bothering with the Yuuki family drama, Yuu heads to the balcony and looks outside. The weather's clear, so he hangs a towel, puts on socks, and goes for a morning run.