Shiro and Kanna were talking, discussing when they should wear masks and ride Kanna in dragon form. But suddenly, they felt a murderous intent rapidly approaching them.
Shiro said expressionlessly, "Kanna, electric ball."
Kanna went "Pii!", and a ball of electricity instantly formed in her small, fleshy hand and shot out.
PoH, who was rapidly moving, saw the electric ball coming. But before he could even react or figure out what it was, the light had already reached his eyes.
The light arrived before him.
"What... is this...?"
PoH was greatly alarmed. He simply couldn't dodge. He barely managed to utter a few words before his entire being was submerged in the electric light, unable to offer any resistance. PoH instantly turned into data fragments and vanished without a trace.
Kanna looked curiously at the spot where he disappeared. She said to Shiro, "Why did he disappear?"
Shiro glanced at her. Her tone didn't change, "He died. You killed him."
Kanna tilted her head, then quickly put the matter behind her.
"These things aren't important. Let's hurry and find Nii."
"Pii! Kanna misses Yusei."
The two little girls, who had just killed someone, now acted as if nothing had happened and continued walking deeper into the forest.
After killing the last Laughing Coffin's member... Yusei suddenly heard the sound of thunder in the distance and felt a sense of foreboding.
Asuna was panting heavily. Her HP had also dropped considerably. She had killed no less than ten people today. But she didn't feel scared or fearful.
However, these Laughing Coffin's members were truly lunatic. They fought completely recklessly, willing to trade their lives. So, she and Yusei couldn't afford to hold back during the fight. Sending them to jail was out of the question.
As for the morality of killing... at this moment, neither of them was in the mood to dwell on it.
Yusei helped Asuna sit on a nearby rock and used a recovery crystal on her. Soon, her HP was full.
"Thank you, Yusei-kun." Perhaps because she had used up her strength, or because Yusei was right beside her, Asuna's face, which had been pale from the battle, now showed a hint of blush.
"It's alright. Don't blame yourself for this." Yusei looked at her beautiful eyes.
But Asuna shook her head, a worried expression appearing, "I'm not blaming myself. I'm worried... when we leave this game, will the police come for us? After all... we killed..."
A flicker of fear passed through Asuna's eyes. She was worried about herself, but even more so about Yusei.
"Don't worry. No one will know it was us. We just need to be careful not to let others see our red names." Yusei sat down beside her and gently patted Asuna's back to comfort her.
Asuna finally realized how close she and Yusei were sitting, or perhaps she was only now allowing herself to notice it.
"For now, that's all we can do."
After a brief silence, Asuna seemed to remember their current state, and a blush spread across her cheeks. She stammered, "Um... Yusei-kun, thank you for today."
"Thank me for what? Weren't you protecting me too?" Yusei looked at the shy Asuna who was lowering her head and couldn't help but gently stroke her hair.
Feeling the warmth of the large hand on her head, Asuna felt an indescribable sense of security. It felt like... no matter what happened, she would be safe. Her heart, for some reason, grew stronger.
"Yusei-kun, you dared to fight back even when surrounded by so many people. You even took the initiative to kill the red players behind me first..." When she said this, Asuna's face turned even redder.
"What... what were you thinking at that time?"
'What was I thinking?' Yusei looked at the adorable Asuna and suddenly felt his heart stir. The words 'Finish this quickly and go home' that he was about to say were swallowed back.
His heart raced fiercely. Looking seriously at the shy girl beside him, he made a decision. He wanted to tell her.
"You really don't know what I was thinking, Asuna? Just like how you protected me later, I was protecting you." Although she had guessed this might be the answer, hearing it directly still made Asuna's head spin.
Asuna seemed to have forgotten to withdraw her hand. Her eyes seemed like they could release steams. She didn't dare look at Yusei anymore, instead looking down at the ground, leaving only a perfect profile. A few strands of hair hung by her ear, gently swaying in the breeze.
Yusei's heart stirred. He reached out and gently tucked the stray hair behind her ear.
"Asuna, you're so beautiful."
Hearing his praise... Asuna bit her lip, mustering the courage to look at Yusei. Her small face was full of shyness and nervousness.
"I... I also think that way about you..."
Yusei smiled slightly and gently pressed his finger against Asuna's lips, stopping her from continuing. A trace of determination flashed in his eyes, "Let me say the rest. Don't all girls look forward to this moment? If you say it, it might lack a bit of surprise."
A flash of touched emotion flickered in Asuna's eyes. Her gaze towards Yusei grew increasingly gentle.
Then, under Asuna's expectant gaze, Yusei gently embraced her soft figure. The system prompt asking if punishment should be applied appeared. Asuna slowly clicked [No].
Held in the warm embrace, Asuna felt a sense of safety she had never experienced before.
'So warm.'
She felt that all the fear and anxiety she had felt before coming to SAO had vanished at this moment.
This was the first time she had felt such peace of mind since arriving in SAO. It was as if, at this moment, even if the sky were to fall, she could still smile gently, hold the hand of the person beside her, and face the collapsing sky together.
"Yusei..." Asuna called out softly, her voice filled with infinite dependence.
Yusei gently stroked her back and didn't say anything more. He knew Asuna was waiting for his words now.
The two separated, facing each other at close range. They looked into each other's eyes, both extremely serious.
Asuna looked at Yusei expectantly yet nervously. This was a moment every girl would feel her heart race.
"Asuna."
"I'm here." Asuna looked gently at Yusei, waiting for him to continue.