(100 Power Stone Bonus)
Chapter 2: You Have Been Cursed
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's question, Yumesaki gave a slight nod.
"What you said is correct. I am indeed not from the One Piece universe. For now, you can just view me as a Transmigrator. You should be able to understand if I put it that way."
Yuuki Asuna nodded repeatedly. She understood perfectly.
Otherworld reincarnation stories were practically flooding the market in Japan nowadays. She wasn't living under a rock, so how could she not know?
This also perfectly explained why Yumesaki was traveling with Smoothie. It turned out he had transmigrated into the One Piece world.
"Then what about Miss Medea and Miss Nero here? Which anime worlds did they come from?"
"From the Fate universe."
Yuuki Asuna shook her head, indicating that she had never heard of that particular series before.
Yumesaki wasn't surprised. Even though the Fate franchise was incredibly famous, its mainstream popularity still lagged slightly behind juggernauts like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece. It was perfectly normal for a sheltered daughter of the Yuuki family to be unaware of it.
"Anyway, let's focus on your world first."
Yumesaki clapped his hands together, steering the topic back on track.
Yuuki Asuna nodded, perking up her ears and preparing herself to listen carefully.
"How should I put this... your world is incredibly bizarre. It's a massive melting pot of too many strange things. Sword Art Online, Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Oregairu, The Prince of Tennis, Slam Dunk, Kuroko's Basketball..."
"Wait a minute."
Hearing this, something suddenly clicked in Yuuki Asuna's mind, causing her to immediately cut Yumesaki off.
She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him, her gaze a complex mix of anticipation and sheer dread.
"What you just listed... could those all happen to be titles of various manga?"
Yumesaki flashed a bright, radiant smile. "Bingo. Congratulations, you got it right."
Yuuki Asuna took a sharp, deep breath. "So... my world is also a manga world."
"At least in my original world, yes, that is precisely the reality."
Yuuki Asuna could only mutter, "Ah, this is..."
At this exact moment, she felt like her entire sky was crashing down.
She had only just digested the fact that the One Piece world was real, only to find out a split second later that her own world was nothing more than a two-dimensional creation.
The weight of this truth hit her like a runaway freight train, slamming into her before she could even brace for impact.
And right now, she didn't even have a chance to dodge it.
Her entire body felt completely numb.
"So, my world is actually a world where a bunch of different manga are just jumbled up together."
"Exactly. Back where I'm from, we usually refer to this kind of setting as a... crossover anime." Yumesaki gave Yuuki Asuna an approving look, as if praising a highly perceptive student.
In that instant, the last shred of hope in Yuuki Asuna's heart officially withered away.
Her brain began to race at a breakneck speed. "You called out my name directly earlier. Does that mean I'm also a character from some anime? Am I a main character, or just a supporting side character?"
Yumesaki didn't give her a straight answer. Instead, he flashed a mischievous smirk and threw the question right back at her, "Why don't you take a guess?"
Yuuki Asuna frowned. "How is anyone supposed to guess something like that?"
Despite her complaint, she still rubbed her temples, racking her brains to piece it together.
"Generally speaking, someone like me who comes from an elite family background and has a gentle personality would usually show up as the best friend of the actual heroine. You know, like Tomoyo Daidouji alongside Sakura in Cardcaptor Sakura."
"Oh? You actually know about Sakura? Please, do go on." Yumesaki watched her with a highly amused smile.
Yuuki Asuna continued her train of thought, "Logically, I could also be a secondary heroine type. But unfortunately, the people around me are mostly other wealthy young ladies. There isn't any main character around me who fits a profile like Sakura."
"So, I'll rule that option out."
"Furthermore, it's impossible for me to be an antagonist like an evil noble daughter. Even though I am a rich young lady, I'm not malicious, and I have zero interest in making life miserable for strangers."
"And I'm definitely not a tsundere, let alone a haughty noble tsundere character."
"Even though I'm the daughter of the Yuuki family, I don't have a dedicated entourage of followers or anything like that."
"Plus, the way you've been looking at me is completely unusual. It's like you're looking at a character you've been anticipating for a very long time."
"Therefore... I should be an actual, genuine main female protagonist... right?"
Clap, clap, clap...
Yumesaki couldn't help but applaud Yuuki Asuna's impressive deduction skills. "Spot on. You hit the nail right on the head, Asuna."
"Asuna?"
Yuuki Asuna blinked in confusion for a moment. "Asuna, Asuna, Asuna... I get the linguistic connection, but why would I be going by that name?"
In Japanese, the pronunciation of her name and the name used in the game were essentially identical.
So when Yuuki Asuna heard him say "Asuna," she knew Yumesaki was referring to her.
What she couldn't comprehend, however, was under what kind of circumstances she would ever use a name formatted like that.
Yumesaki stated plainly, "Sword Art Online."
"Huh?"
"Sword Art Online is the title of the manga, and at the same time, it refers to a game—a virtual reality massively multiplayer online game created by Akihiko Kayaba."
Yumesaki explained calmly, "Driven by a moment of pure curiosity, you end up borrowing the NerveGear belonging to your older brother, Kouichirou Yuuki, to log into the SAO network game as a complete beginner. And you ended up using your real name as your character's in-game name."
"Unfortunately, what you didn't know is that Akihiko Kayaba is a complete madman."
"That guy felt utterly dissatisfied with the real world of technology and fantasized about the existence of another world entirely."
"So, he created Sword Art Online—abbreviated as SAO—and trapped ten thousand players inside the game. The only escape is to clear the game normally."
"Otherwise, logging out midway is completely impossible."
"Any external attempt to shut down the power or forcibly remove the helmet will instantly fry the player's brain, killing them on the spot."
"Because of that, you got trapped inside the game as well. You went from being completely terrified and helpless at the start to rising up and becoming a top-tier front-line player in the clearing guild... Lightning Flash Asuna."
"Ultimately, alongside the main male protagonist, Kazuto Kirigaya, you exposed Akihiko Kayaba inside the game, defeated him, and finally conquered that world."
"While saving several thousand lives, you also found your true love."
"Due to your highly positive personality, an incredibly appealing character design, and your unwavering loyalty to the male protagonist, your popularity skyrocketed in the doujinshi community. The amount of fan-made works about you spread absolutely everywhere."
"And that is exactly how you earned the title of Doujin-na."
"Ah, this... wait... please hold on a second...!"
Initially, Yuuki Asuna had felt a tiny bit flattered by Yumesaki's praise. But when the conversation suddenly veered into doujinshi and fan-made works at the very end, she instantly fell into a state of sheer panic.
As a Japanese teenager, even if she was a sheltered young lady, she obviously still knew what doujinshi meant.
Even though she never read that kind of stuff, she truly never expected that she would one day become the premier star of the doujinshi world.
This was beyond mortifying.
In an instant, Yuuki Asuna's face flushed bright red, looking exactly like a perfectly ripe tomato—so red it felt like blood might actually start dripping from her cheeks.
Her entire body went rigid as she frantically flailed her arms around, desperately trying to cover Yumesaki's mouth to stop him from speaking another word.
Medea couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "You really do have an awful sense of humor, Master."
"What does this have to do with having an awful sense of humor? I'm just stating the absolute facts." Yumesaki laughed as he easily brushed Yuuki Asuna's hands away, shooting her a highly teasing wink that practically shouted, 'Yeah, I've definitely seen your doujinshi.'
At this exact moment, Yuuki Asuna genuinely wished she could just pass out on the spot.
This guy was incredibly infuriating! She couldn't let him keep dictating the pace of the conversation like this.
Yuuki Asuna forced herself to take a deep breath, composed her posture, pulled her hands back, and said with a completely serious expression, "I have one major question. Since I am supposed to be a main character, why did I die?"
"Right now, I haven't even played this Sword Art Online game yet, which means the main plot hasn't even officially started."
"Why on earth would I die before the actual storyline even begins?"
Yumesaki stared intently at the girl. Seeing how the tips of her ears were still bright red, he knew she was just swallowing her embarrassment and intentionally shifting the topic.
Deciding not to tease her any further, he clapped his hands and replied, "Excellent question. And that brings us exactly to the main point I wanted to address next."
"Like I mentioned earlier, this is a crossover anime world. Aside from Sword Art Online, countless other universes coexist here, such as Kuroko's Basketball, The Prince of Tennis, and Saekano which I brought up before."
"However, those ones fall under the slice-of-life and sports genres, so they don't really have any major overlap with Sword Art Online."
"The real issue, however, is that this world is just far too chaotic."
"On top of the sports and everyday slice-of-life settings, it also happens to be heavily blended with a massive number of supernatural series."
"For instance, Natsume's Book of Friends, Tenjou Tenge, Jujutsu Kaisen, the Monogatari Series..."
"In these specific series, you have Youkai, Cursed Spirits, martial arts masters, Oddities... All sorts of demons, monsters, and youthful daily lives collide to form this incredibly intricate world."
"As a result, this world is split into a surface side and a hidden side."
"On the surface side, it's an ordinary world where humanity thrives and technology advances."
"But on the hidden side, it's a world where demons roam free and Oddities lurk around every corner."
"These two sides represent the Yin and Yang of the world. The Yang side belongs to humans, while the Yin side belongs to the monsters and spirits."
"The Yin and Yang sides look just like a Taiji diagram—seemingly intertwined, yet completely separated by an invisible wall."
"And that wall is defined by... perception."
"Perception?" Yuuki Asuna looked utterly confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Yumesaki explained, "Whether it's a Youkai or an Oddity, the vast majority of regular humans simply cannot perceive them. And that is the sole reason why this world can function so peacefully."
"Because people can't see them, they naturally assume those things simply don't exist."
"Only those born with the natural talent can actually perceive them."
"For example, individuals like Onmyoji or Jujutsu Sorcerers."
A sudden realization dawned upon Yuuki Asuna. No wonder she had lived for over a decade without ever seeing a single demon or monster; it was simply because she lacked the ability to perceive them in the past.
"Then what about me? Why was I unable to see them before, but then suddenly I could see a Youkai, and even got killed by it?"
Yumesaki answered, "Even though the average person can't see these demons and monsters, don't you Japanese people frequently talk about Oumagatoki—the twilight hour?"
"The truth is, under very specific circumstances, ordinary humans can temporarily perceive these entities as well."
"And the moment an ordinary person catches sight of these monsters, they are almost always slaughtered by them on the spot."
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna finally put the pieces together. "So, I must have accidentally seen a Youkai, and that's why it killed me."
"No."
Yumesaki shook his head calmly and corrected her, "You didn't just accidentally catch a glimpse of a Youkai and get killed because of it."
"The truth is... you have been cursed!"
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