Open, relieved, relaxed, indifferent…
Performing flawlessly with all his might could certainly deceive himself.
As long as no one exposed him, Yuu could remain strong, with a heart as unyielding as steel.
Unfortunately, the girl beside him seemed far more resolute than he was.
…Truly, didn't that render all the resolve he'd built up beforehand meaningless?
He no longer wanted to be a hero, so why wasn't he even allowed to be a strong, mature ordinary person?
—Indeed, both the system and Asuna were too much for him!
Yuu grumbled to himself, but a faint smile crept onto his face.
"I'm not that weak. After the last lesson, I've become immune to parting with the people I love."
Seeing Asuna's smile, this mission had already left him satisfied, and Yuu didn't want to hope for more.
But if…
If one day, they could truly recall the beautiful moments they shared, moments that existed only in his memory…
Yuu thought he might be deeply moved.
Indeed, if they remembered that they had once dated him, it would cause countless problems—the more people who experienced it, the bigger the mess.
But that would still be better than being told "nice to meet you" by someone he loved.
If so, perhaps it could be called… a problem that's too blissful?
"So this time, I'll say goodbye properly."
Yuu opened his eyes, tilting his head.
Long chestnut hair, an oval face as fair as snow, a full chest and slender waist—his sweetly smiling girlfriend came into view.
The gentle breeze swept through the grass and brushed against his gaze, which was almost too tender.
Yuu suddenly realized.
The courage to move forward wasn't always about overwhelming strength; it could also be the gentleness that embraces wounds.
Asuna always said she learned so much from him, but hadn't Yuu learned just as much from her?
Even if his steps faltered, he forced himself not to face reality.
After avoiding, at least take one more step forward.
So as not to regret the choices that had accumulated up to now.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The two kept talking under a clear sky that seemed never to dim.
They spoke about everything—about Haruno, about that damn system.
Time felt slow yet passed quickly. A dozen minutes slipped by, yet it felt like they'd chatted for a full year.
Yuu no longer hid anything.
He was happy now, truly happy.
He even wished this moment could last forever—a feeling he'd experienced once before.
He wanted to shout, to wish they could stay together forever, to curse the rotten system to die, and so on.
But Yuu held back, continuing to chat as if nothing was wrong.
Because this was the last moment, he could part with her with a smile.
This Overtime, saved by her steadfast heart, gave him the courage to face himself.
"Yuu-kun, I have to go."
Startled for a moment, Yuu smiled and clapped his hands. "Great job! No lingering attachments. Starting tomorrow, be a strong swordswoman who listens to no one!"
Just as he finished speaking, Asuna turned from the grass, propping her hands beside his ears, looking down at him.
They gazed at each other for a few seconds before she leaned down and kissed him.
The force was better described as a coerced kiss.
"…Is this a goodbye kiss?"
After her soft lips parted from his, Yuu smirked.
"No, I just wanted to say…" Asuna suddenly laughed, lying on top of him, listening to his heartbeat with a joyful expression. "I won't listen to you, Yuu-kun!"
"You're too stubborn…" Yuu patted her head resignedly.
Though they had to say goodbye, the heart-to-heart warmth still filled his entire being—he might never forget this feeling.
"Yuu-kun, is that all you wanted to say for the last time?" Asuna seemed a bit dissatisfied, looking up at him.
Yuu thought for a moment.
"I'll be waiting for you in the future."
Asuna, nestled in his arms, smiled with satisfaction, hugging him even tighter.
Because she knew Yuu always kept his word.
And so, the girl said, "Yes, I'll go soon, running!"
—May you one day reunite with the one you love.
In the end, those words remained.
The next second, she vanished.
Simply gone.
Disappearing from Overtime, as if she had never existed.
"…Goodbye, Asuna."
Yuu spread his arms, facing the vast sky with an empty embrace.
The warmth in his body quickly faded, the autumn chill sweeping through the green grass.
The surroundings fell silent, and he closed his eyes.
The pain brought tears, and after his heart was torn apart again, Yuu struggled to hold back the tears threatening to fall, then opened his eyes once more.
At some point, he had returned to that silent, desolate world.
In the pale gray sky, besides the golden jade orb emitting sunlight, there was also a deep blue sphere of light.
Rain began to fall softly—a sunshower scene.
"Oh, so warm…"
Yuu lay back on the ground, facing the rain, unable to help laughing. The laughter grew louder, freer.
"Hahaha—"
Sorrow and longing turned into laughter; tears and pain dissolved.
Because, until the very end, this time was too joyful not to laugh.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the desolate world, his loud laughter echoed far.
Only the ruined buildings, two glowing orbs, and the flickering screen with a snow effect listened to his carefree laughter in silence.
After who-knows-how-long, Yuu stood up. Despite the drizzle, his body wasn't wet at all.
"System, I have to go."
"Confirmed." A stone gate resembling the Sage's Gate rose from the ground. "Host, you can still change the option to release emotions. Would you like to cancel the release of emotions toward the target—Yuuki Asuna?"
"Huh, why?" Pushing the gate, Yuu looked at the avatar on the screen in surprise. "My mission's done here, right? Are you leaving?"
"…No, not yet."
"Then that's that. Go ahead and release my feelings." Yuu shrugged, stepping forward as he spoke honestly.
"I'm not mature enough. I can't be a Pirate King, loving someone while being someone else's boyfriend… If my feelings aren't released, I'm afraid I'd seek out Asuna in the middle of a mission."
The system replied, "If this is the Host's choice, the system will maintain the original command, releasing the Host's emotions."
"How many times are you gonna say it? So annoying."
With half a foot already in the white light, before leaving, Yuu removed the ring from his ring finger and placed it on the ground.
"Let me warn you first, damn system—don't mess around and secretly help me, or help Asuna or Haruno regain their memories…"
"A girl who can truly do something like that on her own, no matter how many times her feelings are taken, I'll love her again—definitely."
The gate closed, his resolute voice echoing in the uninhabited world.
"So, stay out of my love life!"
Chalk dust fell.
Silence enveloped the ruins, the rain quietly slicing through the sunlight, falling to the ground.
The avatar on the screen didn't respond or move. A few seconds later, it flickered with a snow effect and went dark.
The ring on the ground blinked a few times before vanishing.
After an unknown amount of time passed.
"World correction completed… Host's emotion retrieval completed."
The system's voice sounded soft.
"Detected excessive in-game mood fluctuations from the Host. Heart Technique (Limited) status automatically activated—consuming Heart Technique (Limited) status."
The screen lit up with a click, showing a girl sleeping soundly on her bed, a virtual headset beside her.
A silver diamond ring, adorned with crystal flowers, transitioned from virtual to real, slowly floating toward her left ring finger.
But just as it was about to settle, she turned and swatted it to the corner of the wall.
System: "…"
At that moment, the chestnut-haired girl on the bed mumbled as if sleep-talking, reaching out into the air as if trying to grasp something.
"…-kun, wait for me… I'll find you soon…"
Her voice's echo faded, followed by steady, soft breathing.
The silver ring lay in the corner for a moment, then suddenly glowed and vanished from its place.
After that, the girl continued dreaming of chasing something, yet always unable to reach it.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
The next morning.
September 22, 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Yuu woke up on time. After rubbing his eyes, his gaze first landed on the spot beside his bed where glasses usually sat.
Now, there was nothing there.
"…"
He sat on the bed, staring for a few minutes, before smiling resignedly and rubbing his chest.
"What a pity."
Commenting casually, Yuu picked up the virtual headset beside his bed and logged into Sword Art Online.
His account was a level-five noob, with sword skills, equipment, and the like barely different from a day-old player—naturally, no high-end accessories like rings.
Checking his friend list and confirming it was empty, Yuu logged out of the virtual space with satisfaction, placing the headset in a corner of the room, planning not to touch it unless necessary.
A buggy game like this would be more fun played together after the official version came out.
"Alright, morning run!"
After doing all that, Yuu looked out the transparent window and decided cheerfully without overthinking.
He cleaned up as usual, changed into athletic wear, and quietly left the house.
The world was still quiet, waiting for people to wake it.
The morning sun shyly hid between buildings, but a ray of golden light broke through, kissing his shoes on the gray pavement.
Yuu closed his eyes, his hands hanging casually at his sides, tilting his head to breathe in the cool air.
"The future… Huh."
"Then I'll look forward to it. Both the past and the present."
He smiled faintly to himself, then soon took a step, jogging lightly and rhythmically toward the sunrise.
If possible, Yuu really didn't want to have another girlfriend.
But the system wouldn't grant his wish. This time was done, but there'd be another, until he could use the glowing orb to make a wish and expel it from his body.
So until then, at the very least, he had to learn how to enjoy the process of love, to hold happiness in his hands.
And when the time came to let go, to say from the depths of his heart—
"It was wonderful to love you. Thank you for the beautiful memories you gave me."
This standard shoujo manga scene might be the target of Yuu's next mission.
"Whoever it is next…"
Thinking this, he couldn't help but pray silently, hoping it wouldn't be someone troublesome.
(Chapter End)
Volume Afterword
It's done.
Volume two.
I don't want to delve into the details of my inner process, but in short, I feel relieved and hope those who skipped parts will push through to read it to the end.
After all, I poured a lot into it. While planting foreshadowing, I also gave the main character's inner growth some subtle changes, not leaving him unchanged after going through so much.
Honestly, if I wrote a lighter, less complicated story, this book might have turned out better. Unfortunately, my writing style can't be changed—as you know from my previous work, it always has that vibe.
In this volume, there were very few knives (painful moments), almost none, and I apologize to the friends disappointed by that… I'll try harder to improve in the future, but honestly, I don't want to write too many stomachache-inducing moments (uncomfortable scenes).
For volume three, we'll officially enter the school arc. Various activity plots, challenging situations, and so on will increase, returning to my usual daily-life writing style, no longer forcing strange plots.
Having learned from past lessons, I won't promise to write something that satisfies everyone this time. I'll just do my best to complete this story and give them a decent ending.
Thank you to all the readers who subscribed, commented, and posted, especially to one reader who consistently teased every chapter—half of many chapters are your teasing.
You are all my wings. I love you all, mua~ prprprprprprpr~
…Looking at it now, it might take a million words to finish volume three.