Today You Were Especially Handsome!...

The two stood facing each other. One had his hands raised in surrender, looking awkward; the other had her arms crossed defensively, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger. They remained locked in a standoff, but before long, a sudden lake-blue glow lit up on the teleport platform, breaking the deadlock between them...

The moment she saw that glow, Asuna seemed to remember something and snapped out of it. Forgetting that the person before her had just taken advantage of her, she hurried behind him, grabbed his clothes, and warily stared toward the teleport platform. Wu Yan, meanwhile, clearly had not yet caught on and merely stared blankly at Asuna's actions.

The next moment, a figure clad in heavy white armor trimmed in red emerged from the teleport gate. Asuna's expression became even more wary at the sight of him, while Wu Yan froze briefly before suddenly understanding.

The newcomer was naturally Asuna's guard, Kratiel...

"Lady Asuna..."

The instant he stepped out of the teleport gate, Kratiel spotted Asuna. He also saw Wu Yan standing before her, and his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly before he turned to Asuna with feigned composure. "Lady Asuna, acting on your own like this puts me in a difficult position..."

"What do you mean, acting on my own?..." Asuna shouted angrily. "There isn't a guild event or an assault mission today. Don't I even have the right to move about freely?..."

"Please don't say such willful things, Lady Asuna!" Kratiel flicked his cape and stepped down from the teleport platform. With a serious expression, he said, "You know perfectly well how dangerous it is for someone of your status to travel outside alone. Isn't that why you have a guard like me?..."

"That still doesn't mean you get to decide where I have to go!"