"What are you talking about..."

Asuna felt herself go rigid at Eriri's question, but Eriri just stared into her eyes.

"Don't think I can't see it. I'm the author of the comics. I know what my comics look like. In fact, I'm a popular writer who has sold thousands of comics on CM. I've seen all kinds of otakus, fat otakus, and perverted otakus, but no one like you, even the most disgusting NEET fat otaku, would fall to this level because of a mere comic. But I know why you do this. Comics are meant to give people fantasies, because things that can't be done in reality, or even in dreams, can be expressed through pictures to temporarily satisfy one's needs. I can understand this, but... what are you afraid of?"

“…”

In response to Eriri's question, Asuna lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. Then, she clenched her fists and spoke softly.

"My family... the Yuki family is a famous family in Kansai... Since I was a child, I have worked hard as a member of the Yuki family. My mother is a very serious and earnest person. She has always supervised me and designed my future life goals for me. What I need to do is to work hard to get into a good university, then find a good job, date outstanding people, get married, and build a career to live up to my mother's expectations and the name 'Yuki'."

Asuna's shoulders gradually drooped as she spoke.

"Honestly, I never thought about playing any games. This full-dive device was not bought by me, but by my brother. He had to go on a business trip, and I happened to be a little interested in this strange game, so I asked him to lend it to me for a day... Obviously, I just wanted to come in and experience it... That's all..."

"So you've been trying your best to attack."

Hearing this, Eriri finally understood why Asuna had been trying so hard to complete the game. People like her, Kuroneko, and Gabriel all chose to enter here because of their strong interest in the game.

Although being forced into the death game would certainly bring about some dissatisfaction and fear, on the other hand, at least one could continue to play the game openly - this idea also existed to some extent. For example, Gabriel once stated very bluntly that she wanted to stay in this world for the rest of her life and never come out again.

However, Asuna is different. She is the apple of her family's eye and the hope of her family. She carries heavy expectations. For her, this game is just a way for her to relax when she is curious. It's like a person who wants to go into a haunted house out of curiosity, but never wants to enter a different world full of ghosts.

"…When I entered the game, I was in the third year of junior high school. This year was obviously very important to my mother and me. What I should do now was to study hard, learn knowledge, and then follow my mother's wishes and get into a prestigious school like my other brothers and sisters. If everything had gone well, I should have entered the high school campus and started a new life…"

Asuna's body began to tremble slightly when she said this.

"But what's the truth? I'm trapped in this death game, and my body may be lying in a hospital bed. What will everyone think of me? And what will they think of my mother? Will they think that I deserve to suffer because I'm addicted to games? But the fact is, I have almost never played video games! Now more than half a year has passed in the game, but I don't know how long it will take to clear the entire Aincrad...! Two years? Three years? Four years? No one can be sure, but if I can't leave this world and can't go back, my life will become a mess...!"

“…”

Looking at Asuna's trembling body, Eriri sighed silently and reached out to hug her.

It's not that Eriri can't understand Asuna's thoughts. She is also the child of a diplomat and understands to some extent how much pressure people like her have.

But fortunately for Biasuna, Eriri has a pair of parents who support her interests. Not only do they not care about Eriri's behavior of drawing in the book, they even help Eriri buy games and books that she cannot buy because of her age.

Therefore, although Eriri has to pretend to be a well-educated and obedient girl at school, at least at home, she can wear a green sweatshirt and lazily lie in front of the table to draw in a book.

However, Asuna obviously did not have such good luck.

This is also why Asuna and Eriri's anxieties are completely different. Eriri has a pair of parents who love her. For her, all she has to do is live well until the day she leaves the game and returns to her parents' arms.

As long as she could return to the real world alive, it would be the best way to repay her parents. And Eriri also believed that no matter whether it was five, ten, or fifteen years, her parents would always love her.

Moreover, for Eriri, there are many paths ahead. Perhaps the pen name Kashiwagi Eriri will fade from readers' memories as time passes, but when she returns to the real world, she can start drawing new comics again under a new pen name.

Even if Eriri doesn't wake up until she's twenty, she is confident that she can find her future goals and path.

But Asuna is different. For her, every day spent in the game is equivalent to "wasting" another day of her life, and she will be further and further away from the path and life goals she was supposed to take.

If Asuna waited until she was twenty years old to leave the game and return to reality, she would probably have no idea what to do - perhaps by that time, for Asuna, dying in this game world would be a better choice and relief.

This is a problem.

While gently patting Asuna's back and soothing her emotions, Eriri frowned and thought. She now understood why Asuna was so obsessed with it. Her anxiety was increasing day by day. It can be said that she became more anxious with each passing day. No normal person could live with such pressure all the time. No wonder Asuna was so obsessed with the book... She was simply trying to escape from reality.

Although Eriri really wanted to comfort Asuna, when the words came to her lips, she didn't know what to say.

At a time like this, if Mr. Fang Zheng were to... That's right!

Thinking of this, Ying Lili's eyes lit up.

"Asuna, let's go on a date tomorrow!"

"Huh? A date?"

Asuna was stunned when she heard Eriri's suggestion, while Eriri nodded with a smile.

"That's right. You, Mr. Fang Zheng and I, the three of us are going on a date. To be honest, I don't know how to comfort you, but I think Mr. Fang Zheng will definitely have a way. I can guarantee that."

This is also Eriri's own experience. After all, half of the reason she entered the game was to escape the intimate interactions between her childhood sweetheart and his girlfriend in reality. But now, Eriri can be sure that if she leaves this world again and sees the intimate interactions between her childhood sweetheart and his girlfriend again, she will not have any reaction to it.

All this is thanks to Fang Zheng.

And now, in Eriri's opinion, Asuna's problem also needs to be solved by Fang Zheng.

“…”

Hearing this, Asuna was silent for a moment, then she nodded.

"OK……"