At this moment, Asuna's heartbeat was indeed very fast, and it was only speeding up.
Watching Rozen approach her, Asuna felt a strange urge to flee, yet she couldn't bring herself to do so.
It was quite funny, really. They were already at the stage where marriage was on the table, yet aside from some hugging, they hadn't done anything intimate. They hadn't even officially started dating or confessed to each other. It was truly incomprehensible.
If it were a political marriage or an arranged match, that would make sense, but Rozen and Asuna were both willing participants, and things still developed this way. It was surprising, indeed.
Of course, the reason things had turned out this way was due to various events that had taken place.
So, even though it was a bit unique and different from others, this was the nature of the emotional relationship between Rozen and Asuna.
In this situation, with Rozen closing in on her like this, how could Asuna not feel her heartbeat quicken? How could she not feel nervous?
Asuna even thought that if she had a rapier in her hand, she would probably instinctively use the sword skill, Linear, on Rozen to escape her own embarrassment.
Unfortunately, this was not Aincrad, and she was not Asuna, the Flash, but Yuuki Asuna. Even if she did have a rapier, whether she could even use Linear was uncertain, let alone attack him with it.
In reality, Asuna was a proper young lady with refined manners, knowledge, excellent grades, and a good temperament, but still a delicate girl who knew nothing of combat skills. She hadn't even joined any school clubs. The only move she probably knew was a slap.
But could Asuna really slap Rozen?
Definitely not.
So, Asuna could only quickly grab a pillow and hold it in front of herself.
"W-what are you doing?"
Asuna hadn't even noticed that her voice was already trembling.
Fortunately, Rozen wasn't one to joke too much; otherwise, he might have simply replied with a single sentence—Do it.
Instead...
"Guess," he teased.
Rozen's playful words made Asuna want to throw the pillow right at his face.
But before she could, Rozen had already moved in close and sat down beside her.
Their bodies made contact.
"Ah!"
Asuna let out a startled cry.
The pillow she was holding was suddenly snatched away by Rozen and tossed aside.
"You...!"
Asuna, like a startled animal, prepared to jump away.
But Rozen moved faster, wrapping her in an embrace.
"...!"
Feeling Rozen's warmth, Asuna instinctively wanted to pull away.
Until...
"Don't move," Rozen whispered in her ear.
"Let me hold you."
His tone was no longer playful or teasing, but rather filled with a sense of longing. Asuna's body instantly froze.
Then, her body relaxed, her heart no longer raced, and a gentle warmth and satisfaction enveloped her.
Rozen felt the same.
"Reality feels so much better than the virtual world," he murmured, brushing his face against her hair contentedly.
What Rozen expressed mirrored Asuna's own thoughts.
"There's a big difference between the real and the virtual worlds," Asuna mused, leaning into Rozen's embrace, closing her eyes, and savoring the moment.
"Whether it's warmth, the texture of skin, the friction of clothes, or even the mingling of breaths—these are all sensations that can only be felt in the real world. The virtual world still has a long way to go before it can recreate them."
Her observation made Rozen chuckle slightly.
"Why does it sound like you're talking about something... naughty?" he joked.
"What's so naughty about it? Can you be serious for once?"
Annoyed, Asuna playfully slapped his back.
The way they were, they could've been mistaken for an old married couple.
"Alright, I'll be serious," Rozen said, a slight smile on his face. "There's likely to be some major developments soon."
"Major developments?" Asuna blinked.
"Yeah," Rozen nodded. "In regard to the virtual world."
Hearing this, Asuna perked up.
"What kind of developments?" she asked eagerly.
"Why? Are you interested?"
Rozen looked at her curiously.
He thought that, given the previous incidents in SAO and ALO, Asuna wouldn't care about the virtual world anymore.
To his surprise, she seemed quite interested.
Actually, Asuna's feelings were understandable.
"Putting ALO aside, if it were just SAO, I can't say exactly how I feel about it," Asuna admitted after a moment of silence, a touch of emotion in her voice. "I should probably hate that world, but when I think about it, I don't just hate it—I'm also grateful."
Grateful for what?
"For teaching me the meaning of existence, showing me that life isn't just about grades and status."
"For letting me see the preciousness of life and understand that human connections aren't all about competition."
"For allowing me to meet important people and encounter a partner worth cherishing and loving."
"For giving me the right to make choices, so I don't just have to follow my parents' plans."
Asuna's hand on Rozen's arm tightened.
"So, I no longer hate it. I'm only grateful. I don't want it to just disappear."
Asuna looked up at Rozen.
"Do you think I'm silly for feeling this way?"
Rozen smiled warmly.
"Of course not."
He spoke with certainty.
"Why?"
Asuna asked, curious.
"It's simple." Rozen gently pinched her nose, smiling. "If you're silly, then I must be as well. And I'm a genius—how could I be silly?"
Asuna blinked, then chuckled.
"You're certainly not silly," she replied, smiling. "If you were, then a lot of us, myself included, wouldn't be here now."
"Then you're not silly, either." Rozen continued in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't want the virtual world to disappear either."
After all, there were still so many games he wanted to play.
Not to mention...
"Only in the virtual world can Yui appear. Even if it's just for her, I need to reignite the flames of that world."
Rozen's determination was clear.
"And you…"
Asuna gazed at him.
"I…"
Rozen began to explain his plan to Asuna. At first, she was shocked, then increasingly astonished.
Eventually, though, her surprise gave way to delight.
"So, does that mean we can log in tonight?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes." Rozen nodded, smiling. "I chose today's gathering for this very reason."
"That's wonderful!" Asuna's joy was evident.
Rozen shared her anticipation.
Tonight was destined to be a grand celebration.
And the participants would be the entire world.