Chapter Twenty: Sword Art Online

As Anhe's words faded, the room plunged into a heavy silence.

Rena Serizawa glanced at Anhe out of the corner of her eye, her expression somehow reminding him of the first time he had gone to the hospital for a minor surgery, and how the surgeon had looked at him when she saw his treasure.

[Are you being underestimated? Seeing the expression on her face, you curl your lips and consider unzipping your pants to summon the dragon king. But first, you'll need to find a way to subdue her so she can't make a sound, or perhaps take down Yui Serizawa in the room as well. Conveniently, you still have Amamiya Sawu's sleeping pills in your pocket. When the time comes, you just need to…]

Ignoring the narrator's mischief, Anhe looked at the girl before him, her face full of disdain, and guessed what she might be thinking.

“Don’t believe me?” he asked, a confident smile appearing on his face. With one hand, he opened the sketchbook to a blank page and laid it flat on the table, while the other hand reached out toward Rena Serizawa.

She seemed to understand his intention and handed him the marker without hesitation.

Taking the pen, Anhe took a deep breath and looked down at the blank paper, pondering how to begin. He was skilled at drawing fan characters, but when it came to those wearing clothes, he still felt some pressure.

After a long while, he finally reached out, marker in hand, his fingers moving swiftly across the paper like a nimble serpent, leaving arcs behind. In no time, the outline of a female character’s head appeared on the page.

Rena Serizawa, barefoot and standing on the sofa, watched the scene from above, raising her brows in surprise. She quickly stepped down, approaching Anhe to get a closer look.

Anhe didn’t notice her movements. At that moment, his focus was solely on the pen and the sketchbook in front of him.

As time passed, the image of the chestnut-haired girl, standing with a sword and dressed in a red-and-white uniform, gradually took shape on the page.

When he finished the last stroke, Rena Serizawa was already leaning in eagerly, unable to wait any longer. She was like an adventurer who had discovered a treasure, her eyes shining as she stared at the drawing, her hands hovering above as if yearning to touch it but afraid she might damage it.

Seeing her reaction, Anhe felt a surge of pride, stood up, and moved to the sofa, leaving the seat for her.

She immediately took his place, sitting at the table like it was her own treasure, and gently stroked the sketchbook.

After a while, she looked up, her big eyes blinking at Anhe. She picked up her communication sketchpad, scribbled a message, and held it up for him to see.

“Does she have a name?”

“Of course,” Anhe replied, lifting his chin and crossing his arms with an air of pride.

Seeing this, Rena Serizawa’s eyes sparkled even brighter. She quickly turned the sketchpad and scribbled again, then held it up, shaking it vigorously in front of Anhe.

“What’s her name, what’s her name?!”

Amused by her excitement, Anhe didn’t hold back. He curved his lips into a smile and said, “Her name is Asuna.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Of course, you can also call her Yuuki Asuna—that’s her real name.”

Her real name?

Rena Serizawa tilted her head, confused, clearly not understanding what Anhe meant.

Seeing this, Anhe remembered how much she loved light novels and couldn’t help but smile slyly, pretending to be casual as he said, “Ah, it’s nothing, really. Just a heroine I came up with when I was bored.”

Hearing this, her eyes lit up instantly, and she imagined a story of a swordswoman venturing bravely into a demon castle to rescue a prince.

“Can you tell me the story?” she wrote on her pad, holding it up to Anhe, hoping he would share this interesting tale.

But Anhe acted as if he hadn’t seen, reclining on the sofa and twisting his neck, muttering, “Ah~ my neck is so sore from drawing. If only someone would give me a massage right now.”

Rena Serizawa understood his intentions immediately. After a moment’s hesitation, her desire for the story overcame her pride.

If his story isn’t good, then I’ll bite his neck later, she thought, but her face showed only a cute, gentle expression. She moved to the sofa and sat beside Anhe, reaching out to massage his neck.

The scent of lavender floated in the air, and her soft, delicate hands kneaded his neck. Anhe closed his eyes in comfort.

So relaxing~

He sighed inwardly, and not wanting to make her wait any longer, began to recall the first volume of “Sword Art Online” and slowly started telling the story.

“One day in the future, humanity achieves the fusion of reality and virtual space, developing an online game called ‘Sword Art Online.’ By connecting to the network, players can immerse themselves in a world full of imagination and exotic charm—the floating city of Aincrad…”

Anhe told the story in detail, explaining unfamiliar terms along the way.

At first, Rena Serizawa was a bit lost, but when she learned that once players entered the game, they couldn’t log out, and that dying in the game meant dying in reality, her face went pale with fright.

Clearly, she had already placed herself within the story.

Anhe continued, narrating the arrival of the protagonist, Kirito, and how a grand adventure of blades and swords unfolded before the young girl’s eyes.

From the first meeting between the male and female leads, their first cooperation, to Kirito’s heroic defeat of the first floor boss, each highlight left Rena Serizawa excited. By the end, she was sitting on Anhe’s lap without even noticing.

Anhe could only smile helplessly, cradling her like a child as he went on with the tale.

Rena Serizawa was very sensitive. When she heard of the protagonist’s first teammate dying, she couldn’t help but cry.

Anhe stopped, gently lifted her black-rimmed glasses, wiped away her tears, and stroked her head to comfort her. “There, there, it’s just a story. Don’t take it to heart.”

“But, but they’re so pitiful!” she waved her small hands, gesturing in protest, but soon remembered that Anhe didn’t understand sign language. Her eyes reddened with grievance, and unable to hold back, she buried herself in Anhe’s chest, weakly pounding him with her fists in silent protest, as if punishing him for telling such a cruel tale.

Anhe could only sigh helplessly.

Fortunately, after a while, the bedroom door opened, and Yui Serizawa emerged in loungewear.

Seeing the two embracing on the sofa, she paused, thinking Anhe was bullying Rena Serizawa.

Just as she was about to head to the kitchen for a knife, Anhe noticed her and called out loudly, “Come comfort your sister, I can’t take it anymore!”