Chapter 357: Yuuki Asuna's Prayer
Later that day, inside a well-known chain restaurant in Kyoto.
"So this is the legendary... beef bowl!"
Seeing Yuuki Asuna stare at the beef bowl in amazement, Asagiri rested his cheek on one hand and teased her.
"What's so amazing about a beef bowl?"
Yuuki Asuna looked up when she heard this, then explained with an extremely serious and adorable expression.
"I've heard of Yoshinoya before, but I've never been here. I heard their most famous dish is the beef bowl, so I've wanted to try it for a long time. But for a girl to come here alone... it feels a little awkward."
Chain restaurants like Yoshinoya in Japan had a status similar to ramen shops. They were places office workers often frequented.
If a girl came alone, it would indeed feel a little out of place.
And since Yuuki Asuna was thin-skinned and easily embarrassed, she had never come here before.
Asagiri watched Yuuki Asuna take small bites of the beef bowl, looking completely happy, and spoke softly.
"I thought you would want to go somewhere with a better environment and a more romantic atmosphere. After all, this is technically a honeymoon trip."
Hearing the words "honeymoon trip," Yuuki Asuna's pretty face flushed, and she spoke shyly in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
"It's fine. I was the one who suggested coming here anyway... Besides, as long as I'm with you, no matter what we eat... I feel very happy."
"Me too."
Asagiri smiled and replied, then asked,
"Is there anywhere you want to visit? We have the whole afternoon, since we aren't returning to the Hotel until after dinner."
"Hmm..."
The blush on Yuuki Asuna's face deepened, and she spoke softly.
"There is a place I want to go, but when we get there, you aren't allowed to make fun of me..."
Half an hour later, in front of a shrine.
"A shrine? Why did you suddenly want to come to a place like this?"
Hearing Asagiri's question, Yuuki Asuna pursed her lips and said somewhat shyly,
"Before coming here, I checked online. I heard this shrine is very effective. If couples come here to pray together, they will... they will receive the deity's blessing, or something like that..."
"Is that so?"
To Yuuki Asuna's surprise, after hearing her reason for coming to the shrine, Asagiri did not say much.
He simply reached out to her and smiled.
"Then let's go pray together."
"Eh? Aren't you going to make a snarky comment?"
Yuuki Asuna gently took Asagiri's hand, her face slightly flushed.
"I originally thought you would say something like, praying is meaningless, or, we have a genuine deity right beside us, and one who likes telling dirty jokes at that..."
"I do think praying is meaningless."
"Then why..."
Before Yuuki Asuna could voice her question, Asagiri intertwined his fingers with hers, looked straight into her eyes, and spoke softly.
"But since you want to come here, then for me, praying has become meaningful."
Yuuki Asuna's face flushed bright red when she heard this, and she let out a soft sound in response.
Even though she had been dating Asagiri for several months, and the two of them had already become far closer than ordinary lovers, she still could not completely withstand his straightforward attacks.
"By the way..."
While walking into the shrine hand in hand with Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna spoke in a gentle tone.
"Coming to pray with you alone makes me feel a little guilty. When you're with Megumi and Kotoko, you should bring them here too."
"Isn't that a bit excessive?"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's words, Asagiri could not help laughing.
"Bringing different girlfriends to pray for blessings is already outrageous enough, and to the same deity? It's hard to imagine how that deity would feel."
Yuuki Asuna imagined the scene and could not help covering her mouth as she giggled.
"That's true. The deity would probably be shocked by the complexity of our relationships. Besides, Kotoko herself is a deity. With her personality, she definitely wouldn't pray to some other so-called deity."
After entering the shrine, Yuuki Asuna pulled Asagiri by the hand and quickly walked to the offering box.
She took out two 500-yen coins, handed one to Asagiri, and the two of them tossed the coins into the offering box together.
"I pray to the deity..."
Yuuki Asuna put her hands together, closed her eyes tightly, and prepared to pray in her heart.
But halfway through her silent prayer, she suddenly opened her eyes, looked at Asagiri beside her, and smiled beautifully.
"I've changed my mind."
"What, not praying anymore?"
"Yeah, not praying anymore."
Gentle affection welled up in Yuuki Asuna's beautiful eyes.
She raised her hand and gently touched Asagiri's cheek with her fair fingertips, her voice unbelievably soft.
"From the start, I didn't come here to pray for any deity's blessing. I just wanted you to know that I, Yuuki Asuna, want to be with you, Utsunomiya Asagiri, forever. No matter what happens, I want us to face it together as lovers and never be separated."
"Ahem..."
Asagiri coughed twice, turned his face away, and spoke softly.
"Me too."
"Oh my?"
Seeing this, Yuuki Asuna stepped in front of Asagiri, tilted her head slightly to stare at him, and smiled.
"Could it be... you're shy? So you're a glass cannon after all."
"Not a glass cannon."
Asagiri suddenly reached out with both hands, cupped Yuuki Asuna's cheeks, and looked straight into her eyes.
"It's just that your straightforward attacks have too much lethality. They're basically true damage. Even if I had the highest defense, I couldn't withstand such a terrifying attack."
Yuuki Asuna had not expected Asagiri to possess such high level counterattack techniques in matters like this, and she was instantly defeated.
"Geez... can't you let me win just once..."
"You're still far from it."
Asagiri reached out and gently stroked Yuuki Asuna's cheek, then smiled and asked,
"Now that we're done praying, where to next?"
Yuuki Asuna pursed her lips.
A faint mist welled up in her eyes. She gently stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Asagiri's ear, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
"I want to buy some Kyoto specialty snacks to try, and then... then there's nowhere else I want to go. We can return to the Hotel early. Megumi and the others aren't there, and I want to..."
"Good, that's enough. No need to say more."
Asagiri's expression turned resolute. He clenched his fist and spoke impatiently.
"Then let's hurry up and buy those snacks!"
After returning to the Hotel room, before Yuuki Asuna could even put down the things in her hands, Asagiri hugged her from behind.
Yuuki Asuna could not help letting out a soft sound, but then said shyly,
"What's the rush... We haven't confirmed whether they're here or not..."
"Don't worry, they aren't."
Asagiri leaned close to Yuuki Asuna's fair neck, saw her delicate ears flush red, and chuckled.
"Did you forget? I have Castling bound to them. If they're within fifty meters, I can sense it directly."
"Don't use your abilities for such strange things..."
After entering the bedroom, Yuuki Asuna half resisted and half yielded as she lay on the bed.
Although she was extremely shy, she still took the initiative to remove her white short-sleeved top and took the hair tie from her wrist, tying her flaxen hair into a high ponytail.
"Mmm..."
Yuuki Asuna bit her lower lip and let out a soft, trembling sound. The corners of her eyes were already slightly moist from nervous excitement.
"Pause for a second."
Just then, Asagiri suddenly got up, walked over to the two suitcases in the corner of the bedroom, opened one of them, and took out an elegant pure white outfit that, just from looking at it, made Yuuki Asuna's face flush red, along with a pair of white silk stockings.
"You... why did you bring these things all the way to Kyoto? No wonder you dragged two suitcases..."
Although Yuuki Asuna said this, she still forced herself to overcome her shyness and changed into the outfit.
The pure white fabric and stockings made her look even more delicate and alluring.
"I can't wait anymore."
Asagiri walked straight to the bed and picked up Yuuki Asuna.
Yuuki Asuna could not help letting out a small cry of surprise. Her two fair arms subconsciously wrapped around Asagiri's neck. Her pretty face was flushed slightly as she spoke in a shy, coy voice, soft and sweet.
"Honestly, being so rough all of a sudden... Mmph..."
Before Yuuki Asuna could finish, Asagiri had already leaned in to kiss her.
And she began responding with equal passion.
"This... why did you have to pick me up? This is way too embarrassing..."
The curtains swayed gently in the afternoon breeze, and the scattered sunlight fell across the room, hiding the rest of their time together in warmth and silence.
One hour later.
Yuuki Asuna lay on the large, soft bed, her eyes slightly unfocused.
Her long flaxen hair spread across the snow-white sheets, her whole body still carrying the lingering softness of intimate affection.
"You guy, you're just too much..."
Yuuki Asuna looked at Asagiri lying beside her, complaining weakly with a blushing face.
"How could you activate Human Asura Mode at a time like that..."
Asagiri explained with a straight face.
"This was training for you."
"Hmph... who would believe you..."
Yuuki Asuna tucked her head under the covers, leaving only her misty eyes exposed as she spoke in an aggrieved voice.
"You just wanted to see me unable to take it, with tears in my eyes while I begged for mercy. You're such a pervert…"
.....
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