"What's wrong?"
Only then did Asuna notice that something was off about Yuuki and the others. She turned around and asked, looking troubled.
Yuuki and the others were quite shaken by this.
"As... Asuna...?"
Yuuki stepped forward, looking at Yui, then at Asuna, and spoke uneasily.
"S-so you're already a mother? I had no idea..."
That one sentence made Asuna understand everything.
"N-no... It's not like that! You've misunderstood!"
Asuna hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head.
Unfortunately, no one listened to her at all.
"I... I had no idea Asuna already had children...!"
Atsushi looked utterly shocked.
"And they're already that old, too."
Teechi looked like he wanted to say something but held back.
"Th-that's amazing..."
Dalken wore an awkward expression.
"I never would have guessed, Asuna. Your child is already this old."
Koki looked at Asuna with an odd expression.
As for Juné, after a moment of silence, she hesitantly asked,
"Um... Asuna..." Juné asked tentatively, "how old are you this year?"
The question stabbed Asuna's heart, making it ache fiercely.
"S-so didn't I just say you misunderstood?" Asuna hurriedly explained. "I'm only eighteen this year!"
What Asuna meant was that she was only eighteen and could not possibly have a child this old.
But the members of the Sleeping Knight completely misunderstood.
"Eighteen?" Yuuki said in utter astonishment. "You already have a child this old at eighteen?"
If Asuna already had a child this old at eighteen, then how old had she been when she gave birth?
After thinking about it for a moment, everyone was both shocked and looked at Asuna with admiration.
Unfortunately, those looks made Asuna want to tear her hair out.
"That's not what you think!"
Asuna felt that she could no longer clear her name no matter what she said.
It