Yusei and Asuna stood at the door greeting their arriving friends. When they saw Heathcliff, a smile appeared on Asuna's face.
He was someone she had met early in the game. As the leader of the Knights of the Blood, he had given both her and Kaguya a lot of help, and Asuna had always been grateful to him.
Seeing Yusei and Asuna greeting guests at the door, a smile broke through Heathcliff's usually stern expression.
"Congratulations to you both. For a love like yours to blossom in this despair-filled world... For this, I wish you mutual support in hardship and a long life together until your hair turns white."
"Thank you, Guild Master. And thank you for all your help up until now." Asuna bowed slightly in gratitude.
Yusei looked at Heathcliff, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes, but he didn't show it, instead smiling as well.
"Thank you for establishing the Knights of the Blood Oath. It gives players hope to move forward. May we escape SAO soon."
"Yes, may we escape SAO soon."
The wedding banquet began. What surprised everyone, naturally, was Yusei and Asuna's marriage.
But when they actually arrived at the Kazami Household, they found there was more than just that to be surprised about.
Kiriko stared in shock at Yui sitting in Yusei's lap, her finger pointing at Yusei.
"A... a child?!"
The others also looked curiously at Yusei, wondering how he would explain. Heathcliff glanced meaningfully at Yui but didn't say anything.
Yusei rolled his eyes at the overly dramatic Kiriko, "Think about it. Can you have children in the game? And did you just skip over Asuna's entire pregnancy period?"
Yusei's blunt words made all the girls present blush. Asuna, her face red, pinched the soft flesh at Yusei's waist.
Unfortunately, in SAO, you couldn't feel pain, but her meaning was clear: stop saying such embarrassing things.
The others looked at Yusei and Asuna with knowing smiles, making Asuna blush deeply.
But then she thought, 'I'm already Yusei-kun's wife, there's nothing to be shy about.'
So, still blushing, she mustered her courage and looked back at the others.
"Don't just focus on us. What about all of you?"
The teasing looks on the other girls' faces instantly froze, and they awkwardly glanced around.
Kiriko and Kaguya unconsciously glanced at Yusei, but seeing him playing with Yui, their expressions darkened for a moment before returning to normal.
They hid it well.
Asuna's single sentence had killed the mood, but she felt quite proud, 'Hmph, serves you right for teasing me. Now you're all stumped, aren't you?'
Next was enjoying the feast prepared by Asuna herself. For this, she used all the highest-grade ingredients she had gathered, determined to create an extremely delicious wedding banquet.
And indeed, everyone unanimously praised Asuna's culinary skills.
After the meal, Heathcliff excused himself first, citing guild matters. He also gave Yusei and Asuna a wedding gift.
It was a revival item, similar to the Revival Crystal Kaguya had given Yusei before.
Asuna didn't think too much about the crystal's origin, simply thanking Heathcliff sincerely for the gift.
Besides him, everyone else also gave Yusei and Asuna wedding gifts. The gifts varied, their meanings differed, but none were judged by value.
What mattered was that they all carried the blessing for Yusei and Asuna's harmonious union.
Gradually, the wedding banquet drew to a close, and as time passed, the guests left one by one.
Yusei and Asuna cleaned up the dishes together. Yui had gone to play in the nearby forest with Shiro and Kanna.
With Shiro there, Asuna felt quite at ease.
In truth, she understood that if it came to a real fight, she might not even be a match for Shiro.
Asuna hummed a cheerful tune, happily washing the dishes. Next to her was her new husband, and outside was her playing daughter. All of this made her feel incredibly happy.
She glanced at Yusei beside her, expecting to see him smiling just like she was.
But... when she saw Yusei's thoughtful expression as he washed the dishes, she was taken aback.
She put down the dish in her hand and gently placed her hand over Yusei's, asking softly,
"What are you thinking about?"
Hearing Asuna's voice, Yusei started, but then quickly gave a reassuring smile.
"Nothing much. I was just thinking... it all happened so fast, from when we met until we got married."
Hearing Yusei mention their past, a reminiscent look also appeared on Asuna's face.
"Yeah, it really is. Now that I think about it, it was because of Kaguya that we even met."
"Speaking of which, I never asked how you and Kaguya met," Yusei asked curiously, looking at Asuna.
"Kaguya?" Asuna remembered the incident and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Back then, I was leveling in the wild and saw Kaguya had aggroed a bunch of bear monsters by herself, so I saved her. After that, we partied up and got to know each other."
"Now that you mention it, I just realized I never asked Kaguya why she challenged so many monsters at once back then," Asuna said with a puzzled look.
Hearing Asuna's words, Yusei thought of something and asked awkwardly,
"Was that not long after the game started? When Kaguya was around level 20?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Uh... I do know." Yusei told her about how he had joked with Kaguya back then, suggesting she rely on him, which made Kaguya's stubbornness flare up.
She declared she wouldn't rely on Yusei, left the party on her own, and went off to grind by herself.
After listening, Asuna first sighed in relief for Kaguya, then looked at Yusei again.
"You... Kaguya is a girl after all. How can you keep picking on her like that?"
"I really didn't! Do you know her real identity?"
"Her real identity? Isn't she just Kaguya?" Asuna asked curiously.
Regarding Kaguya's identity, it wasn't exactly a secret. After all, players who paid attention to Kendo Tournament naturally knew the name Shinomiya Kaguya.
Asuna, coming from a similar background, was one of them. She knew Kaguya was practically the heiress to the massive Shinomiya Group.