-1815- Make a bet?

////I'm back I guess?... I can finally move my hands now so I'll upload if I have energy... My hands still shaking though lol getting the doctor strange treatment. I got so much planned man...////

"Please help her completely forget about me and the 'Sleeping Knights."

When these words came from Yuuki's mouth, Rozen fell silent.

That's right.

Rozen was merely silent; he wasn't surprised.

Because he had already anticipated this situation.

The problem is...

"You already know, don't you?" Rozen looked at Yuuki and said, "You know that I know about your situation."

In response, Yuuki didn't give any direct reply but merely smiled.

"Do you know why I didn't invite you to temporarily join us and help us with the floor boss?"

Yuuki said with a bit of mischief in her voice. "It's not just because you're the leader of Crimson Wing and not just because you're too strong, but because, ever since that duel, I noticed the look in your eyes."

Yuuki's intuition was that sharp.

She had already noticed that Rozen had discovered her secret, which was why she didn't want to invite him to join, or rather, she didn't dare to invite him.

"I see." Rozen gave a wry smile and said, "Then I guess I understand why Kirito wasn't invited either."

In the duel with Yuuki, Kirito had lost to her because he had let his guard down after realizing some of her secrets.

However, what Yuuki truly wanted wasn't the victory or defeat but to find someone of similar strength to join them and help take on the floor boss.

Considering this, despite Kirito losing in the duel, his displayed strength should have been enough for Yuuki to invite him.

But Yuuki didn't invite Kirito, and it was likely because she knew that Kirito had seen through her secret, right?

Yuuki might not know who Kirito was, but when it came to people who had the strength to be invited but weren't, Yuuki knew of only one.

"You're talking about that guy in black clothes, right?" Yuuki nodded as if suddenly realizing, "I couldn't invite him either. He saw through my secret, and I couldn't risk that."

After all, Kirito had directly asked Yuuki: "Have you completely become a resident of this world?"

Such a question clearly indicated that Kirito had seen through her secret.

At that point, Yuuki couldn't invite Kirito to join them.

"After knowing about me and everyone in our guild, you must be feeling troubled and will probably carry bad memories with you, right?"

Yuuki turned her gaze back toward the forest and said this.

"We're all going to disband, and we've decided not to play the game anymore, so that's why we wanted to create some final memories in this beautiful world, to leave proof of our existence on that great monument, but our efforts have been continuously unsuccessful."

"But time is cruel. It keeps pushing us forward, forcing us to speed up, or else our wish may not be fulfilled. In desperation, we had a discussion and decided to find someone to help us."

"But some people were against it because if that person found out our secret, they'd leave behind bad memories, and we really didn't want that."

Thus, Rozen and Kirito, who had seen through Yuuki and the guild's secret, were naturally excluded, and Yuuki and her team had kept their distance from them, not wanting to grow too close, fearing that it would make parting too painful later.

Sadly, that idea still fell through.

"I can feel it. In just a day or two, everyone has already taken a liking to Asuna. Even I really like her and want to adventure with her and fly with her. I'm sure everyone feels the same. And before we knew it, we all got along with Asuna too well, and she invited us to this celebration banquet. We couldn't refuse, and even you and I got along so well. I really... don't know what to do…"

Yuuki's voice lost its usual liveliness and cheerfulness, becoming filled with sorrow.

This is the way of the heart: no matter how much we reject others, we cannot reject the emotions that rise from within ourselves.

"But this is where it ends. We can't go on like this any longer."

Yuuki then stared at Rozen with a near-pleading look, asking him to promise her something.

"From now on, we're going to leave and never log into this game again. We'll leave this imagined world forever."

"And Asuna probably won't be able to let go of this. I can feel it. She truly cares for us. Even if we disappear like this, she will definitely care."

"I just hope, Rozen, that you won't tell Asuna about me, so that Asuna's life won't carry the stain of someone like me."

With that, Yuuki lowered her head.

"Please, promise me."

The air became unbearably silent.

Rozen looked at Yuuki, who was in that state, for a long time, without saying anything.

Yuuki didn't raise her head, seemingly waiting for Rozen's response before lifting it again.

Rozen let out a sigh, not knowing how many times it had been.

But Rozen didn't immediately agree to Yuuki's request.

"How about we make a bet?"

Rozen suddenly said.

"A bet?"

Yuuki instinctively lifted her head and looked at Rozen.

"Yes." Rozen smiled faintly and said, "Let's bet on whether Asuna will forget about you or not."

Rozen then extended one finger.

"One week."

"For the next week, no matter what actions Asuna takes, I won't interfere or tell her anything about you. I'll just watch from the sidelines to see how much she truly cares about you."

"After one week, if Asuna still cares about you, I'll tell her everything."

"Then, I'll take Asuna to see you and, as compensation, give you an unforgettable gift for the rest of your life."

"How does that sound?"

Upon hearing these words, Yuuki was speechless.

Why do it like this?

Yuuki really wanted to ask.

But looking at Rozen's eyes, Yuuki knew that Rozen had made up his mind. No matter what she said, he wouldn't back down.

Yuuki fell silent again, her expression and gaze constantly shifting.

Rozen didn't rush her and quietly waited for her decision.

The air once again grew still, with the sound of the wind growing louder.

After a long while...

"Fine!"

Yuuki raised her gaze, speaking with a sense of resignation but also relief.

"Then it's a deal!"

When Rozen heard this, he smiled.

This was the final conversation between Rozen and Yuuki, and it was the start of the decisions that would shape Asuna and Yuuki's futures.