"Ahhh! What on earth is this?!"
Asuna flipped open the first page of the book. It was filled with a chaotic (and heavily suggestive) scene featuring her and a black-haired girl, parts of the page almost torn from aggressive flipping.
Her face turned pale, then blue, and finally a deep red—changing colors so quickly that Fang Xing barely had time to react.
Snap!
Asuna slammed the book shut and tossed it to the floor. Then, furiously, she began stomping on it with her feet as though it were something filthy.
"You definitely know something!"
"You called me Ben Zina! Is this why?!"
She glared at Fang Xing behind the counter, cheeks flushed, while he smiled innocently—clearly enjoying the show.
"No, no, no. As the store owner, I have no control over what comes out of the jar."
"All I can say is—Ben Zina—you're very lucky to have drawn that."
Fang Xing raised his hands in mock innocence, though the grin on his face completely betrayed him.
"Stop calling me that!"
"How much more of this stuff is there about me?"
"Tell me now, or I swear I'll fight you!"
Asuna's fury reached its peak. She drew her rapier and pointed it at Fang Xing in threat.
"Okay, okay, I'll talk!"
Fang Xing surrendered, hands raised.
"You've heard of Comic-Con, right?"
"What does that have to do with me?"
"At one of Japan's biggest anime expos, nearly half the booths were selling books about you."
"You're basically the queen of doujinshi—the undisputed ruler of the fan-made comic world!"
"Stop! Just stop talking already!"
Asuna's face went completely white.
"No… you're joking, right?"
Clinging to the tiniest shred of hope, she looked up at Fang Xing.
"I'm sorry, Ben Zina. Everything I said is true. If I'm lying—may lightning strike me down."
BOOM. BOOM.
At that moment, dark clouds gathered over Queens. Thunder roared—and then the rain came, pouring heavily outside the store windows.
"Hahaha! Even the heavens are on my side. And you still say you weren't lying?"
Asuna pointed gleefully at the window, eyes shining. The sudden storm crushed the last of her doubts.
After all, weather effects like this didn't happen in the SAO world. This had to be a real world. She really had escaped the death game.
"..."
Fang Xing had nothing to say. He was just as shocked as she was. Of all times for the weather to ruin his plans…
"Manager… why did that book appear?"
Asuna asked in a quiet, embarrassed voice. Her face turned red again as she even mentioned the word "book."
After calming down, Asuna had started to think more clearly. One major question lingered: Why had her doujin book appeared?
She wasn't completely naïve. Even if she wasn't into those kinds of things, she knew that "notebooks" like that were mostly created to satisfy the rotating obsessions of certain otakus.
Did that mean she had become…?
The thought made her shiver. The idea that her fate had been predetermined in such a way made her feel deeply uneasy.
"Bingo! Congratulations, Ben Zina. You've discovered the main highlight."
"That result? It's exactly what you'd expect."
"This…"
Asuna struggled to accept the truth.
"But does it really matter?" Fang Xing said gently. "The moment you stepped into this store, your fate changed—drastically. Those things can no longer define you."
"So..."
"So what?" Asuna leaned forward, intrigued by his words.
"So why not go for a ten-draw? We're having a grand opening special—only 900 points for 10 jars!"
"No scams. No tricks. Guaranteed at least one rare item! So what are you waiting for?"
As he spoke, ten glowing jars appeared before her with a flourish.
"..."
Asuna nearly collapsed from the sudden sales pitch.
She glanced at the jars, then looked at the point total on the card that had appeared in her hand when she entered the store.
To her dismay, she didn't even have half the points needed for a ten-draw.
"I don't have enough points… Can't I still draw?"
"Or maybe… what do you think of me?"
She looked at the jars longingly, then at Fang Xing with hopeful eyes.
"Sorry," he replied with a smirk. "We don't accept living people as payment here. I'm planning to offer some benefits to attract a certain harmonious beast instead."
As he spoke, the enticing row of jars vanished into thin air.
"Ahhh!"
Asuna let out a helpless cry, watching the jars disappear before her eyes.
She looked back at Fang Xing, who seemed like he was trying to usher her out the door. Then she glanced at her meager point balance, and bit her lip in frustration.
She didn't want to go back to that death game—where every day was a gamble, and survival was never guaranteed.
"…Then, can I work here?"
"Oh? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!!!"
After a long pause, Asuna responded with firm resolve. Her expression showed she had made up her mind.
At the same time, a new file—bearing Fang Xing's image—landed on a desk at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.