Chapter 123: A Date with Asuna
Hearing Asagiri's words, Yuuki Asuna finally loosened up a little. She managed a small smile, but the light in her eyes dimmed again, as if a thought had quietly weighed on her chest.
"I remember I only told you what my parents do," she said softly. "But did I ever tell you what it was really like growing up?"
Asagiri set his cola down, turned toward her, and kept holding her hand. His voice was steady.
"I want to hear the details."
"You don't have to look so serious." Asuna couldn't help saying that first. Then she pursed her lips and began, slowly, carefully, as if she was afraid the words would crack in her mouth.
"My father is always busy. It was normal for him not to come home for days, sometimes more than ten days. So when I was little, my mother handled almost everything about my studies and education."
She looked down at their joined hands.
"I told you last time that my mom is a university professor. Maybe it's her job, maybe it's just who she is, but she's very serious. In some people's eyes… she's even rigid."
Asuna's voice stayed calm, but each sentence carried something tight and restrained.
"From childhood to now, her requirement for me was simple. I had to be the most outstanding. Elite education, you could call it. So…"
She stopped.
Silence lingered for a long moment before she forced herself forward, and when she spoke again, her tone was complicated, heavy with emotion she had held back for too long.
"She demanded the strictest standards from me. And because I didn't want to disappoint her, I demanded the strictest standards from myself."
Her fingers curled slightly.
"I never really thought about what kind of life I wanted, or what goals I wanted for myself. The goals she set became my goals. The path she chose became the path I walked. Even enrolling in the high school division of Private Shuchiin Academy was her decision."
Asuna quickly added, as if afraid her words sounded like blame.
"I'm not saying I resent her. I don't. From her perspective, she chose the most correct path, the path that leads to becoming an elite. I know she loves me. I know that."
Her voice trembled, just a little.
"But after meeting you, Kotoko, and Megumi… after entering this death game… I felt relief. Like only when I'm with you do I actually live. Like I can breathe."
She swallowed.
"Deep down, I'm even… celebrating that this game appeared. Celebrating that I was chosen, and that I met you. That kind of thought is awful, isn't it?"
"It is a little awful." Asagiri nodded once, completely honest.
Asuna's shoulders tensed, but before she could spiral, Asagiri's tone shifted. A faint smile returned to his voice.
"However, it's not just you. Kotoko and I are also very glad we got pulled into this death game. When I was chosen and sent into the Dungeon, I almost couldn't hold back my laughter."
"Really?" Asuna blinked, startled out of her heaviness. "But you looked pretty calm back then."
Asagiri smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What are you saying? You were there, so I had to suppress it. If I suddenly burst out laughing in that situation, wouldn't you have thought I was insane?"
Asuna pictured it, and the image almost made her laugh despite herself. She nodded seriously.
"True. I was so nervous my legs were shaking. Your outfit was terrifying, and you were carrying a drill and a chainsaw. If you started laughing, I would have thought you were some kind of psychopathic killer."
Then, with a playful curve to her lips, she added, "Honestly, my first impression of you was already pretty close to that."
"That's only because I had a mask and sunglasses on, and you couldn't see my handsome face."
Asuna sighed and rubbed her forehead, half amused, half exasperated.
"You really are narcissistic."
"Aside from that…" Asagiri let the teasing fade. He looked straight at her, his gaze steady and unguarded. "Your thoughts aren't awful. I'm also glad I became a Player."
His voice softened.
"And I'm even more glad I met you because of this game."
Asuna's face flushed. Her eyes brightened, and she tried to hide it by looking away, but the shyness still spilled into her voice.
"You… you're doing a sudden attack again…"
Then she seemed to remember something. The mood turned lighter as a smile returned to her face.
"Oh, right. There's a place I've always wanted to go, but I've never been." She tilted her head slightly, teasing him with a sweet tone. "I'll leave it to my handsome boyfriend to take me there."
…
Half an hour later, they were inside an arcade in a large shopping mall in Shibuya Ward.
"This is where you wanted to come?" Asagiri stared at the bright machines and cheerful noise around them.
It was a mall arcade, not the kind tucked into a back alley, so it was clean and orderly. No smoke, no shouting. Mostly parents playing with their kids.
"Yes." Asuna's eyes sparkled as she looked around. Her expression was openly curious, like a child seeing something forbidden and wonderful at the same time.
"I've always wanted to come to an arcade, but you know my mom. Strict. Forget coming here, I haven't even really played games on a computer or phone."
She glanced at him, eager. "Have you been to an arcade before?"
Asagiri answered casually. "A lot in middle school. Not much after that."
"Why?"
"Because no one could beat me, so versus games got boring." He shrugged. "And for PVE games, I could clear them on one life, so those got boring too."
Asuna looked at him for a second, then laughed helplessly.
"Your life really is exciting."
After exchanging a hundred game coins at the counter, Asuna held the sealed bag and wandered through the arcade with Asagiri, searching for something that caught her interest.
A few minutes later, her gaze locked onto a basketball shooting machine.
"That looks fun." She pointed, eyes bright. "How do you play?"
Asagiri explained with an easy smile. "See the basketballs inside the fence? Once the timer starts, you shoot as many as you can into the hoop and it totals your score. If you hit the target score, you move to the next round. If not, game over. Simple."
Asuna studied the row of machines, thinking.
"So if we start two machines at the same time… does that mean we can compete?"
"Oh, you're sharp." Asagiri looked impressed.
"Of course." Asuna lifted her chin, the challenge on her face adorable and fierce at the same time. "Then let's compete."
"You want to challenge me?" Asagiri straightened slightly, confidence returning like a reflex. "I am the strongest."
…
Five minutes later.
"Yes, I won!" Asuna stared at the scoreboard and beamed, like she'd just conquered a kingdom.
Asagiri, on the other hand, was slumped with exaggerated despair. He clutched his chest, acting like he'd been struck by tragedy, like losing this match had stolen the meaning of his life.
Asuna couldn't help laughing.
"Alright, stop acting. I know you went easy on me." She narrowed her eyes, amused. "You're overdoing it."
Asagiri instantly switched expressions, as if a mask had flipped.
"Overdoing it?" he said lightly. "Isn't failure heartbreaking?"
"Tch…" Asuna made a small, inexplicable sound, like a spoiled kitten and a sulky child at the same time. She bumped his shoulder gently and pouted on purpose.
"You let me win, so it's not even satisfying." Her eyes shifted, a mischievous idea forming. "How about we bet on something?"
"Oh?" Asagiri leaned in a little, interested. "What kind of bet?"
Asuna thought for a few seconds. A faint blush appeared. She rose onto her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and whispered softly.
"If I win, I stay at your place tonight. If you win… you invite me to stay at your place tonight."
Asagiri blinked. "There's a bet like that?"
He tilted his head, teasing. "So you're staying at my place either way?"
"What, you not convinced?" Asuna crossed her arms and acted willful, chin lifted proudly. The smile tugging at her lips ruined any attempt at being intimidating.
"As your official girlfriend, my rights are unlimited."
…
That night, they stopped by the convenience store downstairs from Asagiri's luxurious apartment building.
"Um…" Asuna held his hand while carrying a shoulder bag. Her cheeks were still pink, but she spoke boldly anyway.
"Toothbrush, towel, bath towel, we need to buy them. After all, I'll be coming often from now on."
Asagiri refused to be outdone. He answered immediately, voice casual but eyes mischievous.
"Then why don't you just move in with me? Just the two of us."
"That won't do." Asuna rejected him without hesitation, but her reason was so specific it was almost ridiculous.
"If Kotoko finds out I moved in with you… what if she starts making a scene and insists on coming too?"
It was the kind of question that could summon a disaster on its own.
Asagiri didn't even hesitate. He answered like he'd already accepted the outcome.
"It doesn't matter. The most important thing is that the four of us live well together."
"Four?" Asuna frowned, confused. "Isn't it three?"
"You're mistaken." Asagiri waved a hand, serious in a way that made her not know whether to laugh or argue.
"Kato Megumi is part of our team too. Since we brought her into the strategy group, we share the good times and the bad times. How can we exclude her now? She'll be sad if she gets neglected."
[TL: My new fanfic is out now—One Piece: Pokémon Master of the Seas! Check it out!]
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