Chapter 356: The Aura of Saint Megumi
The next morning, at the exit of Kyoto City Station.
"So this is Kyoto City..."
Yuuki Asuna looked at the crowd outside the station, then scanned the surroundings and murmured,
"The atmosphere feels completely different from Tokyo..."
"It has nothing to do with Tokyo."
Asagiri, standing beside Yuuki Asuna, smiled.
"I live in Shibuya, and you live in Ginza. Both are among the most prosperous areas in Tokyo. The place where Shuchiin Academy is located is also in central Tokyo, so most of the people you see on the streets are office workers in a hurry. Naturally, the pace of life feels much faster."
"Is that so..."
Yuuki Asuna linked her arm with Asagiri's, raised her other hand to tuck away her long flaxen hair, and smiled gently.
"It feels like living in such a slow paced place wouldn't be bad either."
Asagiri reached out and pinched Yuuki Asuna's cheek, teasing her.
"If it were the you from before, you wouldn't say something like that."
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Yes."
Seeing Yuuki Asuna's slightly dazed expression, Asagiri smiled.
"The Yuuki Asuna I first met was someone who wished she didn't even need to sleep, someone who would feel uneasy if she stopped for even a second. Although she didn't understand what it was for, she kept pushing forward desperately and obsessively, never stopping anywhere."
"That is indeed the feeling."
Kato Megumi, who was dragging her suitcase, spoke in a flat tone.
"When I first met Asuna, I always felt like she was in a rush, but I didn't understand what she was rushing for. In short, it was just rush, rush, rush."
"Indeed."
Asagiri nodded and added another blow to Yuuki Asuna.
"An urgency like having a whip lashing at your back."
Hearing this, Iwanaga Kotoko's face lit up with excitement, and she eagerly said,
"Whip me, whip me."
Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Yamauchi Sakura all looked at Iwanaga Kotoko with complicated expressions.
"You really are something else."
...
Half an hour later, inside a luxury Hotel in Kyoto City.
"Such a large room..."
Yamauchi Sakura swiped the room card to open the door. Looking at the luxurious duplex penthouse suite before her, she could not help exclaiming subconsciously.
"This is a Hotel owned by the Shinomiya Family. Considering we aren't just here to play, it's better for all five of us to stay in one room."
Hearing Asagiri's words, Yamauchi Sakura could not help asking in confusion,
"But the lady at the front desk who handled check in just now said there are only four bedrooms in this suite. Oh right, and the sofa, so that makes five..."
Just as Yamauchi Sakura was halfway through speaking, she noticed the slightly subtle atmosphere between Yuuki Asuna, Iwanaga Kotoko, and Kato Megumi.
Asagiri, the strongest Player who had experienced countless battles and survived numerous crises, encountered an unprecedented crisis at this moment.
Iwanaga Kotoko launched the first attack.
"Oh my, I am a warlock class with no melee combat ability. If an enemy suddenly attacked, it would be far too dangerous. I really need Asagiri to protect me, so he should sleep in the same room as me tonight~"
"Tch... this trick again..."
Yuuki Asuna gritted her teeth. She could not refute Iwanaga Kotoko's words.
After all, her own melee strength was extremely high. If one truly followed logic, Iwanaga Kotoko was indeed the person in the team who needed protection the most...
Eh?
No!
Just as she thought this, Yuuki Asuna suddenly discovered a blind spot. She pointed at Yamauchi Sakura, who was standing there, and retorted righteously,
"According to your logic, the person in the team who needs protection the most should be Sakura Yamauchi, right?"
Iwanaga Kotoko's expression stiffened, and she frowned slightly.
"To think you would play such a dirty trick... Asuna, you..."
A game.
It was all a game.
According to Iwanaga Kotoko's seemingly selfless logic, the member in the squad who needed protection the most was Yamauchi Sakura, so Asagiri should sleep with Yamauchi Sakura that night.
"Eh? Does this involve me too?"
Yamauchi Sakura was completely bewildered.
She had originally intended to just watch the fun, so how had Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko dragged her into the conversation while arguing?
Thinking of this, she stole a glance at Asagiri, who was standing there, and a thought could not help surfacing in her mind.
Sleeping with Utsunomiya-san... that wouldn't be impossible either.
"Actually, couldn't we just have him rotate rooms?"
While Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko were arguing, Kato Megumi had already put away her suitcase and spoke in an unusually calm tone.
"Changing rooms every three hours. Wouldn't that allow all four of us to spend the night with him?"
Yamauchi Sakura looked blank.
"Four?"
Asagiri, the person involved, heard Kato Megumi's proposed method and simply shook his head.
"That's too much trouble. It would be better if everyone just slept in one bed."
Kato Megumi nodded slightly, her expression calm.
"I have no objections."
Hearing Asagiri's proposal, Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko's faces turned bright red.
"Sleep together... that... that's a bit too..."
Asagiri crossed his arms over his chest and said haughtily,
"Hmph. You were arguing so loudly, but in reality, that's all you're capable of."
"Yes, yes."
Kato Megumi nodded in agreement, a faint, meaningful, and gentle smile appearing on her lips.
"Since that's the case, let's stop arguing over such boring things. We can decide when nighttime comes, shall we?"
Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko nodded weakly, like deflated balls.
"Fine..."
Saint Megumi, complete suppression.
"Let's discuss serious matters."
After successfully avoiding the confrontation, Asagiri looked at Iwanaga Kotoko and asked,
"Have the yokai gathered any valuable intelligence?"
"There is some."
Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head. A thoughtful look appeared in her deep purple eyes as she murmured,
"The yokai said that the number of evil spirits in Kyoto City has been decreasing recently, but the reason for this phenomenon might be the appearance of Players. After all, the number of evil spirits in Tokyo has also decreased significantly. Other than that, there is nothing. Whether it is Laughing Coffin or the organization mentioned by Sakurakawa Rikka, there are no traces of them."
Hearing this, Kato Megumi expressed her thoughts.
"Is it possible that it isn't a Cursed type Dungeon?"
"It's possible."
Asagiri first nodded, then immediately spoke.
"The only supernatural forces we know of in this world are Cursed types. Since it's a Dungeon, there must be a specific goal for Players to complete. Whether it's escaping a certain area or obtaining some item, it must be built on the premise of danger. Is there anything else in this world that could threaten a Stage Four Player... besides us Players?"
Yuuki Asuna frowned slightly and said,
"Surely they wouldn't set us Players as the Dungeon bosses, right?"
"Unlikely."
Iwanaga Kotoko rested her fair chin on one hand and spoke calmly.
"Players from other worlds aren't idiots. Unless things blow up, no one would even know they are running a Dungeon in this world. And since Players from our main world can also run Dungeons, considering the difficulty design, there must be a threat caused by non Player factors."
Asagiri spoke indifferently.
"Perhaps it's a Dead Realm that remained in Kyoto City and hasn't been resolved yet."
"The Dead Realm, huh..."
Iwanaga Kotoko's thoughts spun rapidly, and she immediately replied,
"That is indeed possible. However, if that's the case, we'd have to overturn our previous analysis. The key to this Dungeon wouldn't be PVP between Players, but rather that our goals align with the Players from the other world. In a sense, it would be a form of cooperation against a common enemy."
"If that's really the case, then things get interesting."
Asagiri spoke softly.
"To the Players from Blackwatch, we are the villains. To us, the Players from Blackwatch are enemies. But this isn't absolute. It's only hostility caused by the Game system's arrangements. Our goals as Players on both sides don't have irreconcilable conflicts. Or rather... the relationship between Players was never meant to be one of life and death hostility. As for whether that's actually the case, we'll know once the Hunt Dungeon begins."
"Yeah, we'll know everything once the Dungeon starts."
Yuuki Asuna replied, then asked somewhat bashfully,
"So, during this time... should we just wait in the Hotel room, or..."
"Of course, we should relax."
Asagiri spoke very seriously.
"It's a rare summer vacation. If we just stay in the Hotel room waiting for the Dungeon to start, that would be too boring."
"Then what should we do?"
"I suggest..."
Before Iwanaga Kotoko could finish, Kato Megumi covered her mouth and spoke in a gentle tone.
"I suggest you don't suggest anything."
"Mmmph!"
Kato Megumi ignored the dissatisfied huffing from the mischievous little gremlin and softly asked Asagiri,
"Is there anywhere you want to go?"
Asagiri did not hesitate at all. His gaze was incredibly firm as he said,
"I want to hold a summer long, sleepless, tireless private party in the Hotel room."
Kato Megumi fell silent.
"...I only covered this one's mouth. I forgot to cover yours, didn't I? But..."
At this point, Kato Megumi released her hand from Iwanaga Kotoko's mouth, glanced at Iwanaga Kotoko and Yuuki Asuna, then turned her gaze to Asagiri and spoke softly.
"Everyone will gather together every night, so for the daytime, I think it's better if we split up."
"As expected of Saint Megumi. I had the same thought."
Asagiri deeply agreed with the idea Kato Megumi proposed. Then, looking at Yuuki Asuna beside him, he said,
"Then today, I'll accompany Asuna first."
.....
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