A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

Page 25

After entering the mansion and arriving at the living room, Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri sat on the sofa. Iwanaga Kotoko then pointed to the brewed black tea and the delicate-looking pastries on the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, the tea might be a little cold because we need everyone to leave early."

Asuna Yuuki quickly waved her hand, somewhat reservedly.

"it does not matter."

"Well, I'm glad you don't mind. Now, let's get down to business."

Kotoko Iwanaga didn't say a word of politeness. She took out her phone, opened the app with the eye icon, and handed it to Asagiri and Asuna Yuuki.

"This is the information about the rewards I received for completing the level."

Asuna Yuuki looked at her phone screen and saw that Kotoko Iwanaga's completion rating was almost identical to hers. The only difference was that she received an S+ rating, while Kotoko Iwanaga only received an A- rating, and the completion reward was just a short line.

[Congratulations on obtaining the completion reward: Unlocked the basic class "Warlock", gained the skill "Cursed Gaze", and a slight increase in mental strength]

Warlock: A basic combat support class that uses mental energy to cast spells, dealing mental damage to enemies.

【Cursed Gaze: When making eye contact with an enemy, this skill consumes a certain amount of mental energy to activate. If the player's mental energy is higher than the opponent's, the enemy will experience symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, and unconsciousness. The specific effect depends on the difference in mental energy between the two parties. If the player's mental energy is lower than the opponent's, the skill will fail to activate, and the player will suffer a 50% backlash from the skill's effect.】

"This...this reward..."

Asuna Yuuki looked hesitant, as if she wanted to say something, but she was afraid of being too blunt and rubbing salt into Kotoko Iwanaga's wounds. So she could only force a smile and say something.

"Um... this reward is quite suitable for you..."

"This reward is really garbage."

Before Asuna Yuuki could even offer any words of comfort, Asagiri had already switched to her outspoken mode.

"However, an A- level completion rating is indeed only worthy of this level of reward."

"You're right."

Kotoko Iwanaga did not show any displeasure upon hearing this; she simply smiled and nodded.

"However, this was somewhat expected. After all, to be frank, even without me, the two of you could have cleared the dungeon in the same way. And unlike Yuuki-kun, I didn't actually participate in the battle. So, in the system's assessment, it's reasonable that I was given this level of evaluation and reward because my contribution to clearing the dungeon was too small."

After saying this, Kotoko Iwanaga held the tray in one hand and picked up the teacup on it with the other, taking a sip of black tea with an elegant and composed demeanor.

She looked at the morning mist and smiled slightly.

"Although I fell in love with you at first sight, if I've shown such sincerity and you still don't trust me, my innocent heart will be deeply hurt."

Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but retort.

"You? An innocent girl? Give me a break. I've never heard of an innocent girl actively asking a boy to do...do that thing to her..."

"Oh, you mean I want Asagiri to help me develop certain parts of my body?"

Kotoko Iwanaga's fair and lovely face showed no trace of shyness; instead, she replied with great confidence.

"I didn't ask just any boy to help me; I specifically asked Asagiri to help me. Isn't that what you call being innocent?"

051 Kotoko Iwanaga's Exorcism Invitation

Asuna Yuuki sighed, rubbing her forehead, and said with a helpless expression.

"Your attitude is so self-righteous, I don't even know where to begin complaining..."

Next, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna told Iwanaga Kotoko about the rewards they received after clearing the game.

"Red Epic quality!?"

When Kotoko Iwanaga heard about the quality of the "Reversed Pocket Watch" and the functions it could perform, she couldn't help but show a look of shock.

"Rewind time by one minute? And it automatically activates upon the holder's death? It even retains memories from before the time rewind? This is just too much..."

"Almost got it."

Asagiri waved her hand, interrupting Kotoko Iwanaga, and said with a smile.

"You don't need to use the same words to shock me again, since Yuuki-kun has already been shocked once."

"Too..."

Kotoko Iwanaga nodded, picked up her teacup and took another small sip. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression, as she slowly began to speak.

"After clearing this dungeon, if we want to enter it again, considering the seven-day cooldown and the three-day advance registration period, it will be at least ten days later. What are your thoughts on the next steps?"

"The next move..."

Seeing that both Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga were looking at her, clearly seeking her opinion as their leader, Asagiri pondered for a long while before finally speaking slowly.

"Exercise regularly, pay attention to your diet, and get plenty of rest."

Asuna Yuuki: "...Is this some kind of public service announcement for children...? That's it? That's it?"

"Then what do you want to do?"

Asagiri spread his hands and said casually.

"Although we can use power in reality, and you can awaken your own sword skills and activate the effects of your own talents in real-world battles, such as increasing your speed when you kill enemies, the problem is, who are we going to fight? Other players? Or do we all just transform into righteous Kamen Riders and start fighting against the evil in this world? That doesn't seem very realistic."

"No...maybe not."

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly seemed to have thought of something, and she raised her fair index finger, a smile appearing on her lovely face.

"Actually, many of the requests the demons gave me involve force, such as removing a cursed object from a certain place or eliminating a terrifying evil spirit that cannot communicate. If you are willing to help me handle these kinds of requests, you can familiarize yourself with your own power and grow stronger through combat in the real world. And most importantly, you will gain my gratitude~"

"The last one doesn't matter."

Yuuki Asuna replied curtly at first, then seemed to be thinking.

"However, helping you deal with strange incidents... is indeed a good proposal. After all, the power and skills gained after clearing the game need to be mastered through combat. I don't want to become one of those players who only has high stats but completely lacks combat awareness, Utsunomiya-sensei..."

Just as Asuna Yuuki was about to call Asagiri by her usual name, she suddenly remembered the affectionate way Kotoko Iwanaga had addressed Asagiri. A slight blush rose to her cheeks, and a hint of resentment flickered in her eyes. She pretended to be calm and said...

"Asagiri, the decision is in your hands. I will listen to you."

Asagiri chuckled and teased, "You'll listen to me? Then can you wear a bunny girl outfit for me?"

Asuna Yuuki was both embarrassed and angry, and said angrily.

"What nonsense are you spouting? We're talking about serious matters!"

"I'm talking about serious matters."

The frivolous smile on Asagiri's face vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression. He stared directly at Asuna Yuuki's face and slowly began to speak.

“Even my ideas aren’t always right. If you always agree with me and only follow my train of thought, our team might fall into a cognitive bias someday. So, I hope that as my teammate, you can think independently and give what you believe to be the right answer.”

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki was stunned.

It was only then that she realized that from the moment she became a "player" and met Asagiri in the hospital room, she had indeed been dependent on him, even...

They've become too reliant on it.

Asagiri was well aware of this.

Asuna Yuuki has many strengths, such as the courage to remain calm and think in dangerous situations, a mind that is far superior to that of an average high school student, and a strong determination and will that result in excellent execution. However, she has one major weakness.

That means she's not very good at... or rather, she simply can't think independently.

There was nothing that could be done about it. After all, for a young lady from an elite family like her, every step of her life from childhood to adulthood was arranged by her parents. Whether it was elementary and junior high school, or coming to Tokyo alone and transferring to the private Shuchiin Academy, she never considered whether this was the path she wanted to take.

"In this case..."

Asuna Yuuki pursed her lips, looking slightly hesitant.

"My suggestion is that if we can ensure that the players' identities are not exposed, then I will vote in favor."

"Yeah, I agree."

Asagiri nodded in satisfaction and said casually.

"After all, there are only about twenty days left before the game difficulty increases."

"Huh? The game difficulty has increased? What does that mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Facing the puzzled looks on Asuna Yuuki's and Kotoko Iwanaga's faces, Asagiri explained in a calm tone.

"The difficulty of this so-called game increases every month because every player needs to clear the dungeon at least once within thirty days. In other words, even if there are players who slack off and don't actively sign up for dungeons, after the month-long period ends, they will either die in the dungeon or successfully clear it. So every month, the number of players will decrease, the overall strength will increase, and the difficulty of the dungeon will increase."

"this..."

Asuna Yuuki frowned slightly and muttered to herself.

"What is the ultimate goal of this so-called game? Is it to complete the game? Or... will the game only end completely after all the players have died?"

"It's highly unlikely to be this type of game with a twisted sense of humor."

Asagiri shook her head and smiled slightly.

"If this so-called game is really aimed at killing all players, or enjoying the desperate look of players struggling to survive in dungeons, then it shouldn't give us dungeons like the hotel, where completing the objective is effortless."

"Compared to the torment of a perverse sense of humor, this game..."

"It's more like using dangerous dungeons to encourage players to grow mentally and physically, but we can't judge what the purpose is yet."

052 The God of Wisdom who Maintains Order

"Anyway, since you two have agreed, that's great."

Kotoko Iwanaga's face lit up with joy as she gently clasped her hands together and spoke with a smile.

"It just so happens that when I came back from the dungeon today, a few monsters came to ask for my help. They said that an exceptionally powerful and incommunicable evil spirit had recently invaded the place where they used to live, and they wanted me to eliminate it so that they could return to a peaceful life."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

"An evil spirit... Where is it? Tomorrow is Sunday, no classes. If it's in Tokyo, I should be able to deal with it that day, right? Perfect opportunity to familiarize myself with my new skills."

"Right here in Tokyo~"

Kotoko Iwanaga smiled and said a place name.

That place is...

"Toyonosaki Academy, a private high school in Tokyo."

...............

The following day, Sunday morning, outside the private Toyonosaki Academy.

"Why......."

Asuna Yuuki looked at Kotoko Iwanaga, who was wearing a half-face mask for a masquerade ball, a dress, and a top hat, looking both exquisite and glamorous. Then she glanced at Asagiri, who was wearing a black casual outfit and a gray mask, the diplomat's exclusive "Unpredictable Mask," and couldn't help but sigh.

"Why...why are you two dressed so elegantly, while I'm the only one wearing a mask, sunglasses, and this baseball cap? I look like a perverted stalker!"

"really."

Asagiri nodded, looking at Yuuki Asuna, who was dressed in sportswear, wearing a black mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. If you ignored her bright, long, flaxen hair, you would hardly be able to tell her gender. She then smiled and teased her.

"You're completely out of the same style as Necro and me. To give you an example... she and I are like a mysterious villainous organization from a shonen manga, while you... well, you look like you ran out of Tail Chaser 3."

"I don't know what 'Tail Chasing 3' is, but judging from your tone, it doesn't seem like something serious..."

"presumptuous!"

Asagiri frowned slightly, crossed her arms over her chest, and spoke with righteous indignation.

"That was a pioneering masterpiece that set a new era in both graphics and gameplay! How can you make such a hasty judgment!?"

"The more you say that, the more inappropriate it seems to me."

Asuna sighed softly, looked at the nearly four-meter-high wall in front of her, first took a step back, then used her skill Wind Protection to accelerate, pushed off the wall slightly, and stood on it.

Asagiri, on the other hand, didn't even take a running start. He jumped up from the spot, grabbed the wall with one hand, and gently pulled himself up, landing in an extremely cool and dashing pose.

"Eh, no..."

Kotoko Iwanaga, standing on the ground, looked up at the two people standing by the wall and said speechlessly.

"You two...you don't actually think I can jump up there, do you?"

"It's okay, I'll pull you up."

Asagiri crouched down, reached out her hand to Iwanaga Kotoko on the ground, and spoke with a smile.