Bab 1813: -1793- You can't lie to me
The next day, after washing up, having breakfast, and doing morning exercises with Kirito and Suguha, Rozen picked up his gaming headset, placed it on his head, and logged into the game.
"Zing!"
Amid the glow of flowing data streams, Rozen's virtual character materialized in a small wooden house.
This was, of course, the home of Rozen, Asuna, and Yui on the 22nd floor of Aincrad—the "Forest House."
As soon as he logged in, three bursts of light appeared around Rozen.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou appeared within the light, their wings emitting a phosphorescent glow. They hovered mid-air for a moment before perching on Rozen's shoulders, nuzzling his cheeks affectionately and letting out endearing chirps.
"Happy New Year, little ones," Rozen greeted, teasing Saichou and Hanachou with his fingers, a warm smile on his face.
Shortly after, another small figure emerged in the light, flapping fairy-like wings and floating before Rozen.
"Papa!"
Yui, yawning with a drowsy expression, called out sweetly to Rozen, instantly filling his heart with joy.
It had to be said: daughters are indeed a father's little sweetheart. Having such an adorable daughter call him "Papa" every day with such affection was a delight that could drive anyone to lose all reason. Rozen would have been willing to pluck the stars from the sky for her if he didn't have any self-control.
And truthfully, plucking stars from the sky wasn't something beyond his reach.
So, Rozen reached out and poked Yui's cute little face with his finger, grinning with joy.
"Happy New Year, Yui. Have you been behaving yourself?"
Hearing this, Yui, as if feeling ticklish, held Rozen's finger with her tiny hands and puffed her cheeks.
"Papa, really! My core program is in your AmuSphere. Unless you or Mama, who has remote program access rights, log in, I can't even appear in ALO. If neither of you is online, how can I behave?"
Yui sounded like she was complaining.
It couldn't be helped. During their time at the Yuuki family's home, neither Rozen nor Asuna could log in to the game. Even when they visited the Yuuki family's main house, they had to spend the entire day in formal attire greeting others. At night, their temporary accommodation lacked Wi-Fi, rendering the AmuSphere useless. This left them unable to log in at all during this period.
However...
"Even if you couldn't log in, you could still use my phone or computer freely. It shouldn't have been boring for you, right?"
Rozen continued poking Yui's little face, seemingly enjoying the tactile sensation, eliciting more playful protests from Yui.
"Not true! Watching Papa and Mama happily chatting with others while leaving me aside is very lonely."
Yui continued to protest.
For the obedient and considerate Yui to voice such complaints, it was evident she had truly felt lonely.
"Alright, my fault." Rozen chuckled inwardly but feigned a serious expression and said, "From now on, Papa and Mama will spend time with you every day. Even if we're busy and can't log in, we'll make sure to chat with you over the phone. Does that work?"
"Really?" Yui's face lit up like sunshine after rain, breaking into a big smile. "You can't lie to me, okay?"
"Of course." Rozen smiled back. "I would never lie to my sweet little daughter."
"Hehe." Yui blushed slightly but was overjoyed, laughing happily.
"Gu!"
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou chirped again, reminding everyone of their presence.
"Haha, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you two." Rozen laughed in amusement.
Thus, in the cozy living room of the wooden house, father, daughter, and their two companions played together, filling the space with constant laughter.
Before long...
"Zing!"
Another burst of light resembling a data stream flashed, and a slender figure appeared in the living room.
Who else could it be but Asuna?
"Mama!" Yui gleefully flew over to Asuna.
"Gu!"
Saichou and Hanachou also chirped in welcome.
"Yui-chan."
Asuna turned her head, smiling gently as she reached out to catch Yui in her arms.
Meanwhile, Rozen...
"Hmm?"
Rozen slightly furrowed his brow as he looked at Asuna, standing in the living room.
The reason was simple. Compared to her tired but cheerful demeanor during their New Year's visit to her family, Asuna's smile now seemed even more forced, her eyes reflecting not exhaustion but sadness and disappointment.
"Asuna?"
Rozen tilted his head slightly, calling out to her with a hint of concern.
"Rozen..."
Asuna turned to look at him. Her lips moved as if to say something, but she seemed to swallow the words, taking a deep breath instead. Her smile became more natural.
"Good morning," Asuna greeted in her usual gentle and elegant manner.
But Rozen didn't respond with his usual smile.
"What's wrong?" Rozen asked directly. "Did something happen?"
"No... Nothing." Asuna shook her head quickly, clearly trying to avoid the question. "Why would anything happen? The most troublesome New Year gatherings are over, and there's nothing else to deal with now. I'm fine."
Her words were clearly insincere.
Before Rozen could press further, Asuna quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, let's head to the guild. We haven't logged in for quite a while. If we don't show up and wish everyone a Happy New Year, they'll start complaining."
Her attempt to divert the conversation worked on Yui.
"Since Papa and Mama are the guild's leader and vice leader, of course, everyone would want to see you and wish you a Happy New Year."
Yui chimed in.
"That's all the more reason we should go right away," Asuna said with a soft smile. She walked over to Rozen, reached out, and held his hand.
"Come on, let's go."
Asuna smiled as she urged him forward.
Looking at Asuna, Rozen fell silent for a moment before finally smiling back.
"Alright."
Rozen nodded.
The group left the Forest House and headed toward the guild's base on the 20th floor.
Only a slight unease lingered in the air, unnoticed by anyone.
...
Meanwhile, at the guild's tavern, everyone had gathered to drink and chat instead of going out hunting.
"Everyone, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
"We're here to wish you all a Happy New Year."
Rozen, Asuna, and Yui entered the tavern, accompanied by Saichou and Hanachou, greeting everyone.
"Guild Leader!"
"Vice Leader too!"
"You're finally here!"
"Happy New Year!"
Everyone's faces lit up, and they stood up to greet Rozen and the others as if they had been waiting for a long time.
"You're finally here! Took you long enough."
The first to voice dissatisfaction was Lis, her tone filled with mock annoyance. Following her lead, Rozen's close friends—Kirito, Leafa, Lis, and Silica—all gathered around.
As for Sachi, Klein, and Agil, they were absent, whereabouts unknown.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone