Money Can Buy Everything

030: Asuna's Transformation

"Tsk!"

The Dark Elf spat and swatted away Momo's hand, saying, "I just like Col, that's all. Don't wander around my place without a reason, I hate seeing you."

Faced with such a characterful NPC, Reimu was also stunned. The Dark Elf pretending to be human definitely had deep secrets, and it seemed that no one in the original story had discovered her.

Facing the Dark Elf's obvious aversion, Momo became even happier and patted his waist. "Rest assured, it's getting late today, but I'll come back tomorrow!"

After saying that, Momo ignored the hostile gaze from the Dark Elf and walked out of the blacksmith's shop confidently.

"Welcome to come again, young man."

The long-bearded boss shouted the NPC's lines with proper manners.

"Hey, Momo, how did you know that guy is a Dark Elf?"

This time, Reimu didn't mock at all, but instead was genuinely excited. After all, it was the result of their day's effort.

"Just because that guy has dark skin?"

Momo pinched his chin and said, "Actually, it's just a guess. Dark skin, and that almost unique headscarf. Of course, the most important thing is the Level 10 fine equipment being sold at the initial blacksmith shop on the first floor, all with the word 'elf' in their names."

"Of course, with a price of 10,000 col per piece, it's definitely a rip-off. It's probably going to be rumored as some kind of prized possession. But then again, think about it, what if there really is someone in the shop who can craft such equipment?"

"So in the end, it's still just a guess!"

"Well, it would be great if the guess is right!"

Momo looked at the distant sunset, his spirits even more invigorated. He stretched lazily and said, "Alright, tomorrow I'm going to start my life as a blacksmith. How about it, Little Reimu, looking forward to it?"

Little Reimu was a bit surprised and said, "Really? Are you really going to be a blacksmith? Aren't you a merchant? And isn't the fastest way to make money through trading?"

"Trading is right, but there needs to be something to trade. Value has to be created by the players. Right now, this world is in the toughest pioneering phase. All we can do is be a step ahead."

Reimu nodded, understanding it as well. The whole SAO had nothing, and there was no starting point for trading.

"Alright, Asuna must be getting anxious."

...

Asuna sat quietly on the bed, leaning against the wall.

Time ticked away, and she anxiously looked out of the window. But the view outside was fixed, with only the sun changing with time, and no players in sight.

Now Asuna understood, the so-called rooms in the inns were private instances. Otherwise, how could an inn accommodate thousands of people? So, the view outside the window couldn't be the real scenery.

That's good though, it made Asuna feel somewhat relieved, at least temporarily forgetting that she was in a death game.

"Momo... Why isn't he back yet?"

Asuna was a bit angry, looking at the empty milk bottle on the bedside table. Her stomach, however, began to growl with hunger.

"It's just a game... Why do I have this feeling?"

"Oops! Since there's a feeling, I slapped Momo this morning. Could he be angry? I'm the one who asked him to stay behind."

24 hours had passed, and even the greatest fear loses its edge after being tasted repeatedly for 24 hours. Humans are creatures like that, capable of getting used to things, or one could say, used to self-numbing.

"When he comes, I'll definitely apologize properly!"

Although the experience with Momo that morning wasn't pleasant, the distance between bodies often represented the distance of the heart. Asuna had taken the initiative to get close to Momo yesterday, allowing him to hold her, indicating that she wasn't averse to all of this.

As for the slap, as Momo said, it was just a form of greeting.

The above are Momo's shameless thoughts.

As Asuna pondered how to meet Momo again, her body suddenly tilted downward. She let out a surprised "Ah" as she fell onto the bed, sinking into it.

The originally several square meter room expanded several times over, the bed enlarging as well, and the hard, cold bedboard turned into a warm, soft cotton mattress, bringing a sense of warmth to Asuna.

However, Asuna immediately jumped up, nervously surveying the room. She realized that while the room had grown and become more luxurious, she relaxed when she saw it wasn't anything dangerous.

"Asuna, how is this little surprise?"

Momo's voice came from outside the door, and Asuna instantly understood that this was Momo's doing.

Asuna walked to the door with an annoyed expression, opened it, and was about to give Momo a lesson!

Is this the time to joke around in this situation?

However, when she opened the door, Asuna was stunned.

A sweet fragrance wafted in, and she immediately focused on what Momo was holding in his hands.

Momo held a small plate with a triangular cake on it, adorned with a bright red strawberry.

"Gurgle—"

A clear growl came from Asuna's stomach. Her intimidating demeanor vanished instantly, her face flushing.

"Alright, this is for you, a sweet dinner."

Blushing, Asuna lowered her head and murmured a thank you, then coolly shut the door.

"Haha, she got embarrassed! Upgraded the inn for 50 col, rented a floor for 50 col, bought the most expensive cake for 50 col, spent a total of 100 col, spent all the savings of an average player, and what's the result? She closed the door in my face!"

Reimu burst into laughter over Momo's head, but Momo's face remained with a smile. He returned to his room, took out a piece of dark bread from his inventory, and struggled to tear off a piece to eat.

The bitter, hard dark bread felt like chewing on wood and required considerable effort to chew. There was no taste to speak of. The only pleasure in eating dark bread was watching the "satiety" status bar increase little by little.

"Hey, angry? Desperate? Failed to charm her?"

Reimu taunted, her words sharp, but her actions showed more restraint. It seemed she was paying attention to Momo's expression, trying to gauge if he was truly sad.

"... 23, 24..."

However, upon closer listening, Reimu was left speechless. Momo was counting something, how many bites he had taken, perhaps?

"Oh no, he's really gone mad."

"What nonsense are you talking, Little Reimu? I'm calculating the time it'll take for Asuna to come and apologize to me. The longer it takes, the higher her fondness for me!"

"Haha, what kind of strange theory is that?"

"Well, if you don't believe it, go see for yourself."

Reimu floated out of the room and was startled to find Asuna actually standing at Momo's door. Turning her head, she saw that the cake capable of providing 100 satiety points had been completely devoured by Asuna.

Does she possess an eating champion attribute or something?

As expected, Asuna, blushing as Momo had predicted, stood at the door. She reached out to knock, but hesitated, mumbling to herself.

"...What should I do... I have no way to face Momo anymore..."

Asuna hesitated, then fell silent for a few minutes before finally turning back to her own room.

"Asuna."

Suddenly, Momo's voice came from his room, startling Asuna. She hurried back to her room, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm here."

"I've upgraded our room. We now have a bathroom as well. If you want to take a bath, you can do so anytime."

"A bathroom!"

Asuna immediately stood up, her eyes shining, but her face quickly turned red again. She stuttered, "I... I..."

"Ah, I understand. When you're feeling better, I'll take you shopping for clothes. But for now, you'll have to continue wearing what you have. Also, the bathroom door has a lock. As long as you lock it, no one can enter."

"Ah, alright, I understand."

Asuna quickly responded, but after answering, her face grew dimmer.

"I hope I'm not being disliked?"

Asuna's enthusiasm waned, feeling like Momo's words suddenly carried a distance.

However, looking at Momo's door, she still couldn't muster the courage to face him.

"What a disappointment."

Seeing this, Little Reimu thought it was getting boring, so she flew back into Momo's room, arms crossed, contemplating, "This is different from what you said. She didn't come in at all. How do you count that?"

Momo was checking his skills and said, "This is the best outcome."

"Huh? I don't understand, and I don't believe it either."

"Well, the more conflicted Asuna is, the more weight I hold in her heart. Now, I don't need to do much. What we need to consider most is how to develop from here."

Little Reimu looked skeptical, saying, "You're just playing with a young girl's heart! Watch, I bet she'll be taken away by Kirito sooner or later. Get ready to be NTR'd, hahaha!"

"Don't worry, if I really get NTR'd, I'll make a deal with the gods and buy your ownership... Hey, don't bite me!"

Amid Momo and Little Reimu's playful banter, Asuna remained oblivious. She entered the bathroom, staring at the door, lost in thought.

The bathroom door wasn't locked.

Though still somewhat nervous, Asuna decided not to lock the door. In her view, it was an act of mutual trust.

"Can't I trust Momo with something like this? He's already done so much for me, and I'm still doubting him! Even if he can't help much, at least..."

Countless thoughts swirled in Asuna's mind. The warm water was no different from real water, bringing warmth to her heart and relaxing her nervousness.

"At least... tomorrow... I'll thank Momo in person..."

The entire bathing process was tranquil, and Momo remained quiet the entire time. Wrapped in a towel, Asuna stood outside Momo's room for a few seconds, blushing, before returning to her own room.

It was a peaceful night. Even without Momo's hand, Asuna finally slept soundly, benefiting from the hot bath and comfortable cotton mattress.

The next day, Asuna woke up early, the outside still dim. After dressing, she opened the door and found her food neatly arranged outside.

Momo had already left the inn early.