In the serene, pristine white cathedral, another nun seemed to have been excluded from this overtime space, leaving only the young man and woman in wedding attire, facing each other at close range.
Their palms overlapped, a perfectly matched pair of lovers, blessed by the floral wreaths of the Goddess statue—a scene that was undeniably sweet and warm…
But at this moment, Yuu felt a shiver run through his core.
For no other reason than the terrifying expression on the girl's face.
"Yuu-kun."
Asuna called again in a low voice, like a witch's whisper.
Beneath her neatly trimmed chestnut bangs, her dark eyes seemed swallowed by the night, a cold flame flickering like candlelight, mingling with confusion and sorrow.
The pressure from her small hand gradually intensified, as if intent on crushing Yuu's palm into minced meat.
"Asuna, what's wrong?"
While frantically asking the system in his mind what was happening, Yuu forced a calming smile, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
Her brows trembled slightly, and Asuna took a deep breath, speaking in a low, flat, emotionless voice:
"Just now, a voice suddenly spoke in my head."
"A voice?" Yuu froze for a moment, then cursed the system internally.
(I knew it had to be you, you treacherous bastard!)
Seeing Yuu, Asuna seemed to detect a hint of panic and anger, making her hazel eyes darken further.
"Yes, it said it was the administrator of the world, or you could call it a God… It said Yuu-kun met me under its orders, became my boyfriend to complete its mission."
"Now that the mission is complete, everything was supposed to end immediately, but due to some factor, there's leftover time for me to say goodbye to Yuu-kun… Even though I won't remember this time afterward."
Asuna explained briefly, and as the involved party, Yuu quickly understood the meaning of her words.
"It told you everything?"
Asuna shook her head, looking at him expressionlessly. "There were many strange things. I asked, but it didn't tell me—like why it did this or what that certain factor was… It was all vague, only saying it was forbidden for those without sufficient clearance."
Perhaps to avoid the girl's questions, Yuu reflexively asked, "And you just believed it?"
"Heh." Asuna slightly curled the corner of her lips, showing an unpleasant smile. "It showed me various scenes of us meeting in that desolate world, with you looking relaxed and enjoying it… If those scenes were fabricated and Yuu-kun knew nothing about it, I would choose not to believe it and only trust you."
After speaking, Asuna stared intently into his eyes, leaving no room for evasion or lies, her serious aura freezing the already heavy air.
"Yuu-kun, is it true?"
"…"
Under her gaze, Yuu fell silent, his lips parting slightly before closing again.
Lying to her now—what was the point?
After all, Asuna would forget sooner or later, so it would be better to calm her down in this bonus time, to bid a final farewell with a smile.
Whatever that damn system was thinking, revealing the truth he'd hidden by rewinding time… But for Yuu, the present mattered more than the future, and a kind lie could create a now where no one got hurt.
Yet, after a moment of silence, Yuu gave up on it.
Not out of some noble reason like not wanting to betray Asuna's trust, but simply because lying now wouldn't fool her at all.
After all, his unconscious silence when questioned was already the clearest answer.
"Yes, it's true."
The answer fell into the frozen air.
Asuna's lips were slowly bitten until pale, her pupils shrinking as if gasping.
"…So, you approached me with a purpose, that's true too?"
Her voice, coming from her throat, was sharp and fragile like icicles.
"Yes." Yuu nodded, the mask he wore gone, answering her question flatly.
Asuna continued, "…After the mission is complete, the fact that we know each other will vanish, and you'll find another girl for a mission, becoming her boyfriend too—that's true as well?"
Yuu couldn't help but click his tongue. "Tch, that bastard even said stuff like that?"
Asuna slowly lowered her head, her body trembling visibly.
"…So, all this time, you were just acting?"
"What can I say? Life's a play, and a play's like life."
Yuu shrugged, pulling his hand from Asuna's grip, which suddenly loosened.
"Talking about this now is pointless. After all, everything will be forgotten in the end, so just relax, Asuna."
Speaking casually, Yuu turned toward the pew beneath the altar, sat down, leaned back, and sighed with a grumble.
"They said it's for me to make up for regrets, but this is clearly torture time, and overtime at that… Can we just end it already?"
Unfortunately, the system seemed dead, offering no response.
But Asuna clearly heard his muttering.
Her slender, fair fist slowly clenched, faint veins protruding on the back of her hand.
As if responding to this anger, her wedding dress instantly transformed into red-and-white armor, a pristine white rapier sheathed at her waist.
Suddenly gritting her teeth, Asuna took a large step, standing in front of Yuu, and raised her hand high.
"Yuu-kun, you—"
Yuu initially thought she was going to slap him—after all, that's how drama series always went.
So he didn't resist, tilting his face up to let her vent her anger in their final moments.
But he noticed a flicker of hesitation on Asuna's face. In the end, she lowered her hand, instead drawing the ruby-adorned rapier from her waist, pointing its tip at him.
Her eyes sharpened, piercing like a meteor crashing to earth.
"…Wait, this is a bit much!"
His pupils shrank suddenly, and Yuu reflexively rolled to dodge. The rapier pierced straight through the wooden pew—right where his left chest had been.
Stepping onto the second row's pew, he looked at her in disbelief. "Were you hesitating to kill me just now?!"
Pulling her rapier free, Asuna laughed as if her anger had turned to amusement, curling the corner of her lips. "After all, with the protection of God, Yuu-kun must be immortal, right? Like a bad dream, I won't remember anything, and you won't be affected after returning to the real world, so a few holes shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"It's a huge problem! Whether I die or not, I still feel pain!"
"Talking's useless! For deceiving a girl's feelings, you'll pay with this pain!"
"Your grudge is that big?!"
Amid the shouting.
Asuna stepped onto the first row's wooden pew, her slender, agile body leaping forward. The meteor-like glint flashed again, thrusting straight at Yuu's chest without wavering.
But just before it pierced, she stopped steadily.