-1785- [ Yuuki residence ]

The Yuuki family resided in a high-class residential area of Kouzaka.

It was a detached house, quite different from the traditional Japanese-style house of the Kirigaya family, resembling a standalone villa.

Rozen stood at the gate, gazing at the residence in front of him, a faint sense of irony in his heart.

"To think I've already been engaged to their daughter, yet this is my first time visiting their home."

Yes, this was indeed Rozen's first visit to the Yuuki household.

The reason for this was naturally because Asuna had not been keen on Rozen visiting, and the mistress of the Yuuki family also did not look favorably upon Rozen. Rozen, on the other hand, had no interest in forcing the matter, which led to this delay until now.

Today, however, he had finally made the trip.

Asuna stood at the door of her home, wanting to open it, but she hesitated.

Seeing this, Rozen smiled gently and tightened his grip on Asuna's hand.

"I'll do my best not to get into any conflicts with your family."

Rozen directly addressed Asuna's greatest concern.

Asuna was worried about how her family might treat Rozen and what might happen if they were unkind to him.

In light of this, Rozen naturally needed to reassure her.

"Well… if they say anything unpleasant later, just don't mind them, okay?"

Asuna still looked worried.

"I'll try."

Rozen shrugged, leaving Asuna unsure of his attitude.

But at this point, there was no turning back.

So, Asuna opened the door and welcomed Rozen into the Yuuki household.

However, as if by coincidence, just as Asuna opened the door, someone approached from behind.

"Oh? So, you're the famous 'Rozen,' are you?"

A voice, filled with both surprise and curiosity, came from behind Rozen.

"Hm?"

Rozen was slightly startled and turned to look back.

He saw a young man, who looked like a college student, dressed neatly in a suit and quite handsome, walking in from outside while smiling warmly at him.

"Nii-san."

Asuna also turned around and, upon seeing the person, immediately identified him.

The young man was none other than Asuna's elder brother, the eldest son of the Yuuki family.

"Hello, I'm Yuuki Kouichirou. Welcome to the Yuuki residence."

The young man, introducing himself as Kouichirou, extended his hand toward Rozen, his face full of friendliness.

Looking at the dashing young man, Rozen also smiled slightly.

Although it was his first time meeting Asuna's brother, Rozen had already gathered enough information about him from Asuna.

The Yuuki family was a family of four: the father, Yuuki Shouzou; the mother, Yuuki Kyouko; the eldest son, Yuuki Kouichirou; and the youngest daughter, Asuna. If one excluded relatives from the equation, it was a relatively simple family structure.

As the eldest son, Kouichirou had been held to high expectations by both Shouzou and Kyouko, receiving even stricter education than Asuna. He had graduated from a prestigious university and stood out among the younger generation in the Yuuki family. Now, as a working adult employed at RECT Inc., he had achieved remarkable success, leading an almost spotless life.

If there was a single blemish in his otherwise perfect record, it would be the fact that he once purchased the first-generation full-dive gaming device, the NerveGear. The first game he ever bought was the death game — Sword Art Online (SAO).

That's right; Kouichirou had originally intended to play SAO. He had nearly become one of its trapped players.

On the day SAO officially launched, Kouichirou happened to be on a business trip abroad and was unable to log in, leaving his room unoccupied. As a result, Asuna entered his room, put on the NerveGear he had prepared, and dived into SAO.

In other words, the changes in Asuna's life could, in some sense, be attributed to Kouichirou's actions.

Asuna had once mentioned that Kouichirou deeply regretted letting his sister play the death game in his stead. Far from feeling relieved, he had felt remorseful, believing himself responsible for Asuna's ordeal and carrying guilt for two whole years.

Because of this, Kouichirou was extremely grateful to Rozen for saving Asuna. Unlike Kyouko, his mother, Kouichirou had a very positive impression of Rozen — even more so than Shouzou, his father.

Given this, Rozen naturally wouldn't overlook the chance to build rapport with his future brother-in-law.

"I'm Kirigaya Aoka. You can call me Aoka, or just like Asuna does, Rozen."

Rozen extended his hand and shook Kouichirou's.

"Then I'll call you Rozen. You can call me Kouichirou," Kouichirou replied, his smile growing warmer. "I've wanted to meet you for a while now. Back when Asuna was hospitalized, I visited several times but always seemed to miss you. What a pity."

"Asuna told me about that," Rozen chuckled and said, "She mentioned that her brother, despite being mature and composed in public, acts like a child around her, constantly complaining about not meeting me. She said you almost drove her crazy with your whining."

"Ha ha ha!" Kouichirou burst out laughing before adopting a serious expression. "Jokes aside, I truly wanted to meet you to properly thank you. I owe you for saving my sister. Otherwise…"

Kouichirou's expression darkened briefly.

It seemed he was about to say that he would've felt guilty for the rest of his life if not for Rozen.

"Nii-san…"

Asuna seemed to want to say something.

However, before she could, Rozen spoke first.

"If anything, I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Rozen's words caught everyone off guard.

"Thank me?"

Kouichirou was momentarily stunned.

Rozen smiled brightly.

"If it weren't for you, how would I have met Asuna?" Rozen said, meeting Kouichirou's gaze. "So, I should thank you for letting me meet such a wonderful woman, Kouichirou-nii."

This term of endearment — Kouichirou-nii — left Asuna wide-eyed and Kouichirou utterly dumbfounded.

Moments later, Kouichirou's expression softened, and his gaze toward Rozen became even friendlier.

"To hear you say that puts me at ease."

Kouichirou smiled in relief before leaning closer to whisper into Rozen's ear.

"If my mother gives you trouble later, I'll stand on your side."

Leaving these words behind, Kouichirou gave Rozen a pat on the shoulder and walked cheerfully into the house.

Witnessing this, Asuna's worries significantly lessened, and she smiled with genuine relief.

"Shall we go in?"

Asuna, as if letting go of a heavy burden, led Rozen into the house and to the living room.

There, aside from the servants, the Yuuki family members were all present.

"You're here, Kirigaya-kun."

Yuuki Shouzou, who had been conversing with Kouichirou, turned around and smiled at Rozen.

Seated beside Shouzou was a woman.

She was slender but not frail, with dark brown hair neatly parted in the middle and cut just above her shoulders. Her facial features were sharp and symmetrical, but her high-bridged nose and the deep, short wrinkles at the corners of her mouth gave her an air of sternness.

This woman also turned to look at Rozen, her gaze cold and indifferent, in stark contrast to Shouzou and Kouichirou.

This was Yuuki Kyouko.

Asuna's mother.