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"This young lady, my name is Wenren Seiya. You could say I grew up together with this guy as his… troublesome friend.
Kirito's friends are my friends. If you want to borrow money, I can give you the maximum allowance.
And when it comes time to pay me back, I can accept either real-world currency or SAO currency."
Even though the figure sitting beside Kirito was wrapped tightly in a cloak, Seiya already knew perfectly well who she was.
Forget the cloak—even if she wasn't wearing anything at all… ahem—she was none other than the famous Doujin Asuna.
Having read plenty of her works, Seiya recognized her instantly, no matter how much she tried to cover up her looks and figure.
"You're willing to lend me money? And you'd even accept repayment in real-world currency?
Are you so sure we'll ever be able to escape this death game?"
Asuna was surprised by Seiya's words. From what she'd just overheard from those other players, borrowing from him meant there was indeed a set limit—but she had never heard of being able to repay in real money.
Inside SAO, one could at least sign contracts to avoid debtors running away.
But if repayment was allowed in real-world currency, that meant they could wait until they returned to reality to settle their debts.
But once she was back in the real world, wouldn't he worry about her defaulting? After all, game-world contracts would no longer have any effect in reality.
"That's why I said earlier: Kirito's friends are my friends.
Since you're a friend, of course I'll treat you differently. Borrow as much as you want—so long as it's within my ability.
As for your second question, my answer is this: we will clear this game and return to the real world.
Don't ask me why I'm so confident. If I didn't have that belief myself, then what meaning would there be in lending money—money I might never get back?"
Of course, Seiya knew perfectly well: in the real world, Asuna was a proper rich heiress. The chance she'd actually default on a loan was basically zero.
As for why he was so certain they'd escape—well, that was just empty talk. The truth was simple: he was a transmigrator.
Still, the reasoning he'd given was convincing enough for Asuna. She saw it as a way of giving herself faith to keep pushing forward.
She understood that feeling. Back when they were first trapped in the game, she too had gone through a period of confusion and despair.
If you don't know how to keep going, then just create a belief worth holding on to.
To Asuna, Seiya lending so much money to others meant that living to return to reality and reclaiming his debts had become their motivation and faith.
To Kirito, however, Seiya was simply giving him face. Which only made him feel a bit guilty—after all, he'd just betrayed his so-called troublesome friend… no, his best friend.
As for Seiya's real thoughts—he'd finally found a rare chance to milk a cash cow. A proper rich lady like Asuna was nothing like broke players such as Kirito. If he didn't take this chance to profit, he'd be letting himself down.
Torbana. Inside a restaurant.
Seiya sat across from Kirito and Asuna, staring blankly as the two devoured their food.
"So… you wanted to borrow money just so you could have a proper meal?"
Watching the cloaked Asuna eat like anything but a refined lady, Seiya was left utterly speechless.
Just a few minutes ago, he'd thought lending her money would lead to a huge real-world payday.
But he'd never expected that instead of spending it to strengthen herself or improve her survival chances, she'd blown it all just to feast.
"Even if I die right now, I'll have no regrets…"
Leaning back in her chair, moaning in satisfaction after eating enough for several people, Asuna left Seiya twitching at the corner of his mouth.
The Doujin Asuna in front of him seemed… rather different from the one he remembered.
Sure, Asuna being a foodie was part of her character. But this level of appetite? He'd never heard of it.
Seeing Seiya's expression, Asuna finally realized her behavior had been rather unladylike.
Back home, her family would have scolded her severely for such manners.
But here in the game, with only Kirito and Seiya—people she'd only just met—she decided to just let go. "Hmph. If you'd eaten nothing but those hard, tasteless black breads—like rocks—for an entire month, you'd know how I feel.
And don't forget, while you may be willing to lend me money, your so-called 'friend' and I have only just met."
As the eldest daughter of the Yuuki family, Asuna was not only disciplined but also raised with impeccable manners.
If it weren't for a month of nothing but those wretched breads, she'd never have asked to borrow money.
In SAO, aside from combat mechanics, the developers had also included "life mechanics."
If a character went without rest, they'd accumulate fatigue.
Similarly, if they didn't eat, their "satiety" level would drop.
Once satiety fell too low, HP would begin to decrease until eventual death.
The cheapest food available was exactly what Asuna had mentioned—the black bread. It could restore satiety, but it tasted so bad it was like chewing on cloth.
Kirito could tolerate it, but Asuna was a pampered young lady who also happened to love food. To her, enduring a month of flavorless bread had been torture.
So, after borrowing money from Seiya, the very first thing she did wasn't buying gear—but heading straight to a restaurant.
And generously treating both her new creditor and her teammate, Seiya and Kirito.
Because this was full-dive VR, with the brain simulating all five senses, taste was faithfully reproduced. That was why Asuna had been so moved.
"Seiya, do you think this raid will succeed?"
Once she was full, Kirito finally raised the question that weighed most heavily on his heart.
(End of Chapter)
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