"Yui, what's wrong? Is dinner not to your taste?" Hong Hong asked.
Yui looked at the little fox, forcing a smile onto her face, then shook her head.
"No, Tohru-nee's cooking is delicious."
"Then what is it?" Hong Hong tilted her head. She didn't want her good friend to look unhappy.
"It's nothing. Come on, let's keep playing." Yui didn't elaborate, but the usual smile returned to her face.
However, the sharp senses of the Mount Tu's fox clan detected the heavy troubles hidden beneath that smile.
'Yui's troubles... Unfortunately, Hong Hong couldn't read minds.' Admitting she couldn't guess Yui's thoughts, Hong Hong quickly thought of a solution.
Although she hated to admit it, no one understood a child better than their parents. So, Hong Hong immediately thought of Yusei.
'If it's Yui's father, he should be able to figure out why Yui is unhappy, right? Mhmm, I'll go find him quietly later.'
Yusei, who was eating the dessert Tohru made, looked towards the door.
A little fox with fiery red fur was sneaking in.
Her cautious movements made her look like a little mouse coming to steal something.
Yusei looked at Hong Hong amusedly. With a thought, he used gravitational force to lift her up directly.
Placing her on his lap, Yusei teased her by pinching her little ear, "What's this? Are you coming to my room to steal something? Sneaking around like that."
"Hmph! Who would steal from you?! Ah, don't falsely accuse this fox!" Hong Hong's milk teeth bit Yusei's hand, but she didn't use much force, leaving only faint marks.
After giving Hong Hong a good petting, Yusei set her down.
"Alright, what's the matter? It's rare for you to come find me on your own."
'As if I want to come find you! You look like a typical exploiter!' Hong Hong complained inwardly. But for the sake of her good friend Yui, she had sacrificed herself come to find Yusei.
"I noticed Yui seems to have something on her mind. She wouldn't tell me when I asked, so I thought I'd ask you, her father. What's wrong with Yui?" Hong Hong got straight to the point.
"Yui hasn't been happy lately?" Yusei was startled. Yui always seemed like a happy little sprite around him.
Hearing this, Hong Hong shot Yusei a disdainful look.
"Would you show your unhappy side to your family?"
"Well... no, I wouldn't." Yusei usually kept his troubles to himself.
"There you go! Yui has something on her mind. I hope you, as her father, would pay a bit more attention." Hong Hong snorted cutely, and her small body quickly vanished.
'Did I need a little fox to remind me to care about Yui?'
Of course, Yusei cared deeply about Yui.
But he couldn't read minds either, so he couldn't know what was wrong.
'It seems I need to spend more time with Yui-chan.'
Yusei thought for a moment, stood up, and walked towards Yui's room.
Pushing the door open, he found Yui lying on her bed. Although she was a 'ghost', she usually maintained a physical form, no different from a normal little girl.
Yui didn't notice Yusei enter. She seemed engrossed in looking at something on the bed.
Yusei came up behind Yui and was slightly taken aback when he saw the virtual projection in her hands.
"Is this... a photo from SAO?" Yusei's voice sounded.
Yui, who had been looking through the photos, was startled by the voice.
"Papa!" Yui put away the photos, a cute smile on her face. She knelt on the bed and threw herself into Yusei's arms.
Stroking his daughter's hair, Yusei wasn't fooled by this 'façade'. He continued the previous topic.
"Were you just looking at photos from the 22nd floor?"
A complex expression flickered across Yui's face, but she nodded, "Mhmm."
Yusei understood now. He knew what was troubling Yui, why she had looked so lonely.
He lovingly patted Yui's little head, his voice full of apology, "I'm sorry, Yui. Papa has been neglecting you and Mama."
"It's okay, Papa has your own things to do too," Yui said understandingly.
Looking at his adorable, well-behaved daughter, Yusei made a decision.
"Tomorrow, let's go out, just the three of us."
That very night, Yusei personally went to Tokyo University to pick up Asuna and bring her home.
Asuna, who had just finished class, was pleasantly surprised to see Yusei there to meet her.
"Yusei-kun, what made you suddenly decide to pick me up?" Asuna was wearing a red coat and a white blouse today, with a knee-length skirt and black tights. She looked incredibly beautiful and charming.
Hearing Asuna's teasing, Yusei felt a bit embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, "Where's Kaguya? Aren't you in the same class?"
"Kaguya went to the Kyudo Club to practice archery. You must have heard about the Tokyo University's campus event, right? Kaguya is quite interested. She signed up for Kendo and Kyudo."
Yusei nodded. Actually, besides Kendo, Kyudo was also one of Kaguya's strong suits.
It was just a pity she would run into Yusei during the competition. Yusei hadn't used the [God of Archery] Authority yet, but with the title [God], it obviously wouldn't be weak.
"Did Yusei-kun come find me today just to ask about Kaguya? That would make me so sad." A glint of mischief flashed in Asuna's eyes, though she pretended to look 'disappointed'.
"Of course not! I came specifically to pick you up, Asuna. How about the three of us going out to play tomorrow? A three-person date... no, a 'family date' sounds more fitting, right?" Yusei said with a laugh.
"Family date?" Asuna was momentarily stunned by the term, then also recalled their time in SAO. That period was her happiest time.
Having a daughter and a husband, waking up early to cook for the father-daughter pair, then going out in the morning as a family of three to see the sights, spending the afternoons watching the father and daughter fish while she kept them company.
Occasionally seeing Yui exclaiming "Papa's amazing!", she would smile under a nearby tree, then prepare afternoon tea and snacks for them when they got tired.
Simple, ordinary, yet incredibly warm days… their world, just the three of them.
As Asuna thought about this, a tear involuntarily formed at the corner of her eye and slowly trickled down.