Kaito wouldn't be upset by Asuna's thoughts. In fact, it was only right for a normal person to think that way.
Seeing Asuna's disappointed expression, Kaito smiled helplessly.
He would just let time help her accept it. He had already said everything he needed to say.
"Huh? Asuna, why aren't you asleep..."
"!!!"
"Is that Kaito?"
Yuki Kyoko appeared.
She came downstairs rubbing her eyes, planning to use the bathroom and have some water before going back to sleep. At first, she saw Asuna's figure and thought she might have something on her mind. But when she saw Kaito sitting on the wooden sofa, she was completely stunned.
'Such a sudden surprise?'
Kyoko's sleepy expression immediately vanished, and she prepared to go over and greet him.
...
But after a few steps, she noticed something off about the way Kaito was looking at her, and she realized.
Her pajamas were a bit too revealing...
Not her fault, though. The 8th floor was quite warm, and there were no fans or air conditioning!
"Sorry, I'll be right back!"
Kyoko hurried back upstairs, swiped her hand in the air a few times, and changed into more conservative casual wear.
Her face flushed. Even though this was just a game world and not her real body, since it was a 1:1 scan and recreation, it was no different from her actual body!
'Ugh... how embarrassing... Kaito saw my body...'
Even though she was wearing undergarments, she couldn't help but feel shy.
She wondered what Kaito thought of her...
After all, she was Asuna's mother, not some young woman anymore...
"Hmm? Kyoko, what's wrong?"
"Ah, it's you, Shino. Nothing. I'm just happy that Kaito is here... Oh, he's downstairs. You should put on something proper before going down..."
"!!!"
Shino instantly lost all drowsiness.
"Is that true!?"
"Of course."
"Oh!"
Shino changed her clothes with lightning speed and rushed down to the living room.
Sure enough, she saw the person she had been longing for!
If it weren't for Kaito, she might never have overcome the trauma of her past!
Among everyone in this wooden house, Shino held the highest affection for Kaito!
"Yo, Shino. Long time no see."
"Kaito... it's really you... Oh, right! Leafa has been thinking about you too!"
"Is that so? Too bad she's still sleeping in, right?"
"Hehe, she fights very seriously during the day, harder than anyone."
In order to perfect her swordsmanship and catch up to Kaito, Leafa had always been in the main attacker position.
Her level and experience were second only to Asuna.
"Master?"
"Master!!"
Leafa had woken up too. Even if she was sound asleep, she would be disturbed by the voices outside.
She came downstairs rubbing her eyes, and upon seeing Kaito's figure, her eyes sparkled with joy, a glint of tears forming at the corners.
Without caring about what she was wearing, Leafa immediately jumped into Kaito's arms.
If Shino's feelings for Kaito were the highest form of affection, then Leafa's were a complex mix of emotions.
Respect, love, everything was there.
She was captivated by Kaito's swordsmanship, drawn in by his battle form.
Gradually, she fell in love with Kaito. After he left, she had been diligently practicing her swordsmanship, achieving the highest level of any player without relying on any Sword Skills!
"Master, I'm so glad you finally logged on!!"
Leafa couldn't control her feelings and cried in Kaito's arms. The more she realized how much she liked him, the more uncontrollable her emotions became.
Mika's urging for Kaito to find time to log in was largely because of Leafa.
"Well... alright, alright. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
Although the game's sensory realism was very high, and the large soft mound pressing against his stomach was quite enjoyable, Leafa's situation was precarious, so he needed to calm her down.
"Master, how many days can you stay this time?"
"Well... just one night. I have to leave in the morning."
"!!!"
It felt like all hope was lost instantly.
Her gaze became reluctant, looking like she might cry again.
Kaito found Leafa like this amusing. He wiped the tears from her eyes, had everyone sit down, and told Leafa to change her clothes.
After Leafa changed in a fluster, she just shrunk her head and sat beside Kaito.
She was going to play ostrich.
Soon, Kaito told everyone what he had told Asuna.
His identity as the Overlord of the Universe, whether they believed it or not, was true.
When it came to things like the GM account, surprisingly, Shino was the first to accept it.
She said she had been reborn in this world and had already forgotten all about her past.
Leafa didn't think much about it. If Kaito did it, then it must be right.
Thinking like that was wrong, but who could blame love for making people lose their sense?
Besides...
Knowing that there was only one life, Leafa had always given her all in battle, never treating her life as a joke.
Rather than playing a game in a virtual world, Leafa treated it entirely as surviving in another world.
As for Kyoko, as a young professor, she quickly understood Kaito's mindset towards this matter.
Although it was hard to accept, looking at it from another angle, he simply wasn't interfering with any of the world's actions.
After all, Kaito was from another world, not this one.
And as the Overlord of the Universe, Kaito certainly wouldn't care about the lives of these people.
Especially since Kaito had just mentioned that he had temporarily settled a war...
So, could that mean that Kaito had also killed countless people in that war?
A universal war—could it be compared to wars within a single planet?
"So, what's your choice? Should I give you permission to log in and out anytime?"
After Kaito posed this question, Asuna, the first to speak, actually hesitated...
Because after some mental struggle, she realized... she loved this world, or rather, she loved living in this world.
Not living as a university student in the real world, studying, then working, living the same life as countless others.
Here, she could live entirely as she wished, resting when she wanted, fighting when she wanted...
This was a completely different way of life from the real world!