After leaving school, Asuna and Asagiri walked together to the train station near the school. She pursed her lips and asked softly,
"Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Asagiri replied in a flat tone,
"There's nothing really to prepare. After all, the APP's rules state that no real-world items, equipment, armor, tools, or the like are allowed. I think since this APP and the so-called dungeons already involve real supernatural power, the chance of successfully exploiting a bug, while not absolutely zero, is negligible, so there's no need to waste time on that."
"Mm, I see..."
Asuna gave a small nod but said nothing more. She didn't walk away either—just stood there, uncertain, her gaze flickering as though she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. The silence stretched, tinged with awkwardness.
Asagiri picked up on it instantly. With a gentle smile, he broke the tension.
"Since we're teammates, it makes sense to stick together before heading into the second dungeon, right?"
Asuna opened her mouth as if to respond, then faltered. Her eyes caught Asagiri's teasing smile, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. Flustered, she quickly looked down and nudged a small stone with her foot, trying to appear nonchalant.
"If you say so… and you are the Leader, so I'll go along with it…"
"Asuna."
"Hmm? What?"
"Tsundere's kind of old-fashioned, you know."
"Wha—I'm not—! Who's being a tsundere?!"
Asagiri chuckled.
"Such a classic tsundere line."
Hearing Asagiri's teasing, Asuna's pretty face flushed. She felt both shy and a little exasperated at being called a tsundere. After letting out a soft snort, she raised her hand to adjust her flaxen long hair, pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and then bravely said,
"Then... go to your place... or come to my place?"
Asagiri frowned upon hearing this and asked back with a puzzled expression,
"What 'your place' or 'my place'?"
"Huh? Are you serious?"
Asuna frowned tightly and explained patiently,
"You aren't thinking that we'll just stay together in a cafe, internet cafe, library, or somewhere like that until it's time to enter the dungeon, are you?"
"Leaving aside whether staying in such places for too long would attract unwanted attention, we must ensure that the location where we enter the dungeon is absolutely private and safe. Otherwise, if someone sees us suddenly disappear and then suddenly reappear after some time, our identities would be exposed."
"And what if someone sets up an ambush at our return point while we're in the dungeon, just waiting for us to come back to launch a surprise attack?"
"In summary, only the two locations I just mentioned are suitable to be used as return points when leaving the dungeon."
"Wait a minute...."
After saying this, Asuna suddenly felt that something wasn't right. Suspicion appeared between her brows, and she stared intently at Asagiri's face.
"How could you not have thought of something I could think of? Are you testing me again?"
Asagiri nodded and smiled, "There is indeed a part of it that's a test."
Asuna pressed on, "A part? Does that mean there are other reasons?"
"Mm."
Asagiri looked Asuna straight in the eyes, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"I'm honestly starting to worry you're using the dungeon trip as an excuse to come over and scheme against me."
Asuna rolled her eyes with a sharp sigh. "Scheme against your head, more like..."
She shot him an annoyed glance, clearly unimpressed. But as she remembered what Chika had teased her about back in the classroom, a wave of helpless exasperation washed over her.
Sure, Asagiri was handsome—annoyingly so—but after spending enough time around him, Asuna had long stopped viewing him as the charming Tokyo high school heartthrob. That image had been completely shattered by his true personality.
The Chainsaw Devil of Tokyo, a psychic who can summon black phantoms at any time, a person without fear or pity, a Player who purely enjoys the thrill – in front of these weighty labels, mere outstanding appearance is no longer worth mentioning.
"Come to my place."
After teasing Asuna for a while, Asagiri switched to his serious Player mode, preparing to clear the dungeon.
"In case your parents suddenly decide to visit you on the weekend and happen to catch us just as we're about to enter or have just left the dungeon, that would be very difficult to explain. So, it's better to come to my place."
Asuna asked curiously upon hearing this, "But couldn't your parents also suddenly drop by?"
She only knew that Asagiri lived alone in Shibuya and didn't know his family composition.
Asagiri shook his head and replied with a smile,
"Heh, if something like that really happened, we'd need to call a professional exorcist."
......
After taking the train and arriving at the apartment where Asagiri lived, located in the bustling Shibuya area of Tokyo, Asuna felt a bit uneasy. After all, this was her first time coming to a boy's place, and... right now, there were only her and Asagiri in the apartment.
After settling onto the sofa, Asuna smoothed out her skirt, then reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a fresh set of sportswear. She folded it carefully and placed it beside her. Her gaze slowly wandered across the living room, curiosity taking over. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of place someone like Asagiri—an aloof dungeon Player by day, genius student of Shuchiin Academy by reputation—called home.
Just as her eyes lingered a moment too long on the sleek TV setup, Asagiri's voice cut through the silence.
"Asuna Yuuki, could you not stare at my TV like some kind of pervert?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, Asuna blinked, then nodded awkwardly. "Oh, uh, sorry... I was just—wait, who are you calling a pervert!?"
Asagiri grinned. "See? You're flustered again."
He casually opened the fridge, pulled out a can of ice-cold Coca-Cola, popped the tab, and took a long gulp. Then, glancing over at Asuna—still looking slightly stiff and unsure on the sofa—he smiled, his tone a touch more genuine beneath the teasing.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Mineral water is fine, thank you."
"Alright, catch."
After taking the mineral water Asagiri tossed over, twisting open the cap, and taking a small sip, Asuna's nervous emotions also eased. Looking at the other person sitting on the single sofa, she took the initiative to speak.
"Oh right, last night, I suddenly remembered the information we found in that Kyozan Mental Hospital last time. I tried searching online for 'Mount Massive Asylum' and the name 'Chris Walker', and it turns out that this place's name and the patient's name are both from a horror game called 'Outlast'."
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