Excerpt from Cradle of the Moon 2

这样回应着，桐人将亚丝娜从身后轻轻抱住。
马上，全身都失去了力气，像这样已经是很久以前的事了——基本被当做前世生活的浮游城艾恩葛朗特的新婚生活，亚丝娜每天不知道几次像这样坐在桐人的膝盖上，有时就这样睡着了。
就那样过了很长，很长的时间，在被这样抱着的时候，有种被完全保护的感觉什么恐怖的事情都不会感到害怕，这种感觉没有变。两手握着龙毛的梳子，就这样靠在桐人胸前闭上眼睛。
想要就这样睡着，然后被桐人抱到床上...但是这是不行的，如果现在睡着了，一直不安分的代表剑士就会离开大教堂，去寻找行踪不明的三个哥布林吧。
在午后举行的临时会议上，决定以人界统一会议和整合骑士团的名义对南圣托利亚行政府发出调查命令书，但是当时已经响起下午五点的钟声，所以执行也只能等到第二天早上了。而且恐怕出现的旅店的官员应该是假的，所以就算调查行政府应该也只会了解到“并没有发出转移山地哥布林的命令，也没有那样的官员。”对于行动迅速的杀人犯，亚丝娜也认为给予一整天的延期是一步坏棋。但是就算的桐人，在不可能在广阔的圣托利亚漫无目的地寻找哥布林们。也有出现和奥布迪西亚那时相同陷阱的可能性。
而且首先亚丝娜拜托，委任了见习骑士罗涅照顾剑士桐人，并得到答复。她也一定会信守承诺。
一想到罗涅认真挂念桐人的表情，胸口就传来刺痛。与骑士爱丽丝三人彻夜长谈的时候就发现了，但是亚丝娜一直，没有和罗涅谈这件事。
还是十七岁的她，抱有无法到达的想法是很痛苦的，亚丝娜也很难受。但是，虽说如此，并不知道该怎么办才好。
这种郁闷的心情，和现实世界时的感受重叠了。
在偶然的世界中遭遇，被羁绊连接起来的亲友们...莉兹贝特，西莉卡，诗浓，还有莉法。她们都对桐人抱有强烈的感情，亚丝娜以前就注意到了，但都被用玩笑糊弄过去了。不仅如此，还对亚丝娜给予帮助和鼓励。
亚丝娜在感到高兴的同时，也感到苦恼。对于在那种危险状态下无法给出明确答复的桐人，感到稍微有点埋怨。
但是桐人，在艾恩葛朗特第一层相遇的时候就已经是那样的人了。双手张开全部接受，自己绝不会舍弃——正因为是那样的人，在极度危险的迷宫区上部，对自暴自弃结果失神的亚丝娜伸出援手。接着在第一层的楼层boss攻略战中，将对元测试者憎恨汇集一身，明明作为攻略组的主力但却选择作为封测者被鄙视的道路。
正因为是这样的人，亚丝娜才是挨着桐人的。
因此对于亚丝娜来说，和桐人一起被困在这个世界，感到既有些安心也有些熟悉。
在异界战争的尾声，整合骑士爱丽丝只身一人脱离到现实世界而自己则留在Underworld，因为从一开始就一心决定不能将桐人一个人留在这个世界。不，实际上考虑到这点的时候已经全部结束了，现在也想不出当时能够登出的方法。就这样可以独占桐人这样的想法也不是完全没有过，恐怕和再也见不到的家人和同伴们怎么道歉都不够的想法也越来越强。
尽管如此——
如果是这个世界的话，就不需要在对莉兹贝特和西莉卡的愧疚和自己的恋情之间左右为难，而只能藏在心中的一角了。
亚丝娜把梳子放在膝盖上，然后双手与环抱自己的桐人的手重叠。
抱住的力量，也一点点变强了。
在暗黑界领土《终焉的祭坛》再会的时候。桐人坐在白色的石台上面悲痛万分，不停的流下泪水。不问也明白，那是因为想到再也见不到现实世界的人而流泪。
自那以后已经过了很长时间了，桐人从来没有提及过对现实的回忆，以及永远分别的伙伴们还有彼此的家人。当然这个世界要考虑和要做的事情实在是太多也是理由，而亚丝娜自己心中也没有把这些感情整理好，恐怕，桐人也是一样的。
就因为是那样的状态，所以至少想要真诚地面对罗涅。不做和现实世界同样的事情，到底能为她能做些什么，该做什么。最近总是这样想——
“....差不多该睡觉了。”
亚丝娜小声说道，右耳很快收到桐人“是啊”的回应。


Responding with that, Kirito softly hugged Asuna from behind.
Her body immediately went limp. This sort of situation had been long lost to the past — their honeymoon lifestyle in the floating castle of Aincrad that she now treated essentially as a past life altogether, during which Asuna had lost count of how many times she would sit on Kirito's knees every day just like this, and sometimes fall asleep, just like this.
Hugging each other just like that, they would pass long, long stretches of time, feeling unafraid of even the scariest things imaginable. That feeling had not changed. She leaned on Kirito's chest and closed her eyes, her two hands grasping the dragonfur brushes.
She wanted to fall asleep like this, and then she wanted Kirito to carry her onto the bed... but that wouldn't be good. If she fell asleep now, the ever-uneasy Representative Swordsmen would leave the Cathedral and search for the three disappeared goblins.
The temporary meeting after lunch had intended to issue an investigation warrant to South Centria in the name of the Human Empire Unification Council and the Integrity Knight Order, but just then the five 'o clock afternoon bell had sounded, so the proceedings had to wait until the next morning. Moreover, since they were concerned that the officers at the hotel could be imposters, so even the investigative agency only understood the situation as: "there had been no order to move the mountain goblins at all, nor are there any officers like that". As for the fast-moving killer, Asuna believed that giving him an entire day's worth of headstart was a serious disadvantage on their part. But not even Kirito would be searching aimlessly for the goblins in the wide expanse of Centria, since ambushes like the one in Obisidia were equally likely to appear here.
So Asuna pleaded for Trainee Knight Ronye to take good care of Kirito, and received an answer. She would also keep her side of the promise.
When she thought of Ronye's earnest, concerned expression upon Kirito, pain would prick her chest. She'd found out during that all-nighter disussion with the other three, including Knight Alice, but Asuna had never once brought it up with Ronye.
At the age of seventeen, Ronye's feelings of unreachable yearning were definitely miserable, and it bothered Asuna very much. But even so, she didn't know what course of action was best.
This depressive mood overlapped with her feelings in thr real world.
Her dear friends whom she had met under terrible circumstances and developed close bonds with... Lisbeth, Silica, Sinon, and Leafa. They all harbored intense feelings for Kirito, and Asuna had not been oblivious to it, but she had laughed it off as a joke. On the contrary, it had helped and encouraged her.
But in the midst of her happiness, Asuna felt distress. She even felt somewhat resentful towards Kirito, who was unable to give a clear answer in his dangerous situation.
But she knew that Kirito was just this kind of person ever since meeting him on the first floor of Aincrad. He accepted everyone with open arms, never leaving anyone behind — it was this personality of his that drove him to extend a helping hand to a despaired, stupefied Asuna at the top of the labyrinth, in extreme danger. And then, during the first floor boss fight, he bore all of the hate against beta testers on himself, becoming the central arm of the Progressors' strength while still walking the prejudiced path.
It was this personality of Kirito's that drew Asuna to him.
That was why Asuna felt peace of mind, and somewhat familiar, at being trapped with Kirito in this world.
Near the end of the otherworldly war, Integrity Knight Alice had escaped to the real world alone, while Asuna had stayed behind in Underworld, because from the very beginning she was determined not to let Kirito stay in this world alone. No, it was useless to think about this now since she could not think of any way she could have escaped at the time. She could not deny considering that this would result in her taking Kirito for herself, and she was increasingly worried about how any apology would be enough, to her parents and friends whom she would never see again.
But even so—
In this world, she did not need to be sandwiched between her own love and her guilt towards Lisbeth and Silica, while receding to a corner of her heart.
Asuna placed the brushes on her knee, and placed her own hands atop Kirito's hands around her.
The strength of the hug slowly grew.
When they reunited at the Dark Territory «World End Altar», Kirito had been sitting atop the white stone, deeply anguished, weeping nonstop. A mere glance told her that those were tears for the people in the real world he would never see again.
A very long time had passed since then, and Kirito had never brought up memories from the real world, nor the friends or family they had departed forever. Of course, they had much too many things to consider in this world, and Asuna had not sorted out these feelings in her heart yet. Kirito was likely the same way.
It was this state of hers that compelled her to at least treat Ronye sincerely. To not do what she would do in the real world, but do what she could do for her. That was how she always thought recently—
"... About time to go to bed."
Asuna murmured, and Kirito's "Yeah" came quickly into her right ear.