Asagiri nodded in approval. He genuinely found Asuna impressive. Most girls, after just clearing a dungeon and witnessing such bloody scenes, would probably be traumatized—eager to avoid any further involvement. Yet, she had calmly analyzed the situation and made the most logical choice.
"Alright then," Asagiri said, "let's schedule our next dungeon dive for Saturday."
"Saturday?"
Asuna frowned slightly. "Why not register now? That way we could enter by Thursday."
Asagiri shrugged and spread his hands. What he said next left Asuna genuinely baffled.
"Thursday is a school day."
"Huh?"
She stared at him, incredulous. "Wait....don't tell me you're the type who actually hates skipping class?"
Asagiri chuckled and shook his head.
"Come on. I skip class like it's a sport."
"Then why wait?"
His eyes sharpened slightly, a thoughtful edge entering his tone.
"What if… there are other Players in our school?"
He dropped his smile and spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"This is the first week of school—and also the first day since we became Players. If there are others like us here, and both of us suddenly take leave or skip class on Thursday—especially after arriving together this morning—it'd be too obvious. Suspicious, even."
Asuna paused, then slowly nodded.
"You're right. I didn't think about that."
She fell into thought, her brows slightly furrowed.
"The app doesn't say exactly what time we have to enter the dungeon on our chosen day… but Friday's out too. If we suddenly vanish during class hours, it'll be a huge red flag."
Then, as if remembering something helpful, her eyes lit up.
"But we do have one advantage. The app says if friends queue together, they're guaranteed to enter the same dungeon."
"Then it's settled," Asagiri said with a slight shrug. "Let's just hope this game doesn't use dynamic difficulty—the root of all evil."
"Dynamic difficulty?"
Asuna tilted her head slightly, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
She'd never really played games, so the jargon flew over her head.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Asagiri leaned back, his tone turning more relaxed and explanatory.
"It's a system game developers use to keep things challenging. If the game becomes too easy, players get bored and quit—so dynamic difficulty adjusts the challenge based on your performance. Basically, the stronger you get, the stronger the enemies become."
Asuna's expression darkened, her brows knitting together.
"You're saying… because we did too well in the beginner dungeon, the difficulty might spike next time we go in?"
"Exactly."
She sighed, frustration creeping into her voice.
"Then what's the point of getting a high rating in the first place? If the better we do, the harder it gets, aren't we just punishing ourselves for doing well?"
"That's why... it's very important."
Asagiri's eyes gleamed with excitement, a subtle grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"If even that detail is handled well, then this game might actually be interesting."
Asuna let out a small sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead, looking like she was already tired of this conversation.
"I'm starting to think that playing the kazoo in class wasn't part of some deal with Ashikaga-sensei to attract attention. It was just you having fun, wasn't it?"
"No need to suspect."
Asagiri didn't even try to deny it. His response was immediate and unapologetic.
"I was just having fun."
After saying this, Asagiri stood up and walked towards the office exit.
"Alright, I'm going to buy bento. I remember there's a gym inside Shuchiin Academy. Let's meet there after lunch."
Hearing the word 'bento', Asuna seemed to remember something and suddenly stood up.
"I felt like I forgot something. I've been thinking about the dungeon so much that I forgot to bring my bento to school. Let's go buy bento together."
"Are you sure?"
Asagiri asked back with a smile.
"I'm a bit of a celebrity at Shuchiin Academy now," Asagiri said with a shrug. "And not the good kind. Plenty of people are already hostile toward me. You're a new transfer student too—if they see you hanging around with me, you might get targeted or ostracized."
Asuna didn't even blink. "Hmph. Who I choose to be friends with is my business."
Her tone was firm, almost proud. "Besides, we've already been through life and death together. What kind of person would I be if I pretended not to know you at school, then turned around and asked for your help in the dungeon? That's not who I am. If I get ostracized, so be it. I'm not afraid of that."
Asagiri chuckled, clearly impressed. "Oh? You're more rebellious than I thought."
.......
After locking the office door, Asagiri and Asuna went together to the supermarket counter inside Shuchiin Academy.
It has to be said, that Shuchiin Academy is indeed Shuchiin Academy.
The Bentos sold here, besides the regular ones fluctuating around 800 Japanese Yen, also included high-end bentos like steak sets for up to 5,000 Japanese Yen and seafood sets for 7,000 Japanese Yen. After all, not every student at Shuchiin Academy comes from an extremely wealthy family. Some students' parents are very busy with work and don't have time to prepare bentos, and they feel that the bentos sold at convenience stores outside aren't very healthy, which is why there is this on-campus supermarket counter.
"What bento do you want?"
Hearing Asagiri's question, Asuna looked up at the bento types and prices written above.
"Just... a regular pork cutlet bento, I guess."
"Okay, two pork cutlet bentos, how much?"
"That will be 1,600 Japanese Yen."
"Alright, pay together."
Seeing Asagiri reach into his jacket pocket, as if to take out his wallet and pay directly, Asuna quickly took out her own wallet and offered.
"Let me treat you."
"Okay."
What Asuna didn't expect was that Asagiri actually moved away from the front of the supermarket counter without hesitation.
"I was just waiting for you to say that. Alright, go ahead."
"Huh? You—"
Asuna stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words. He agreed that fast? That eagerly? She had been genuinely offering to treat him, but now she was starting to regret it just a little.
Asagiri, on the other hand, wore a perfectly calm expression as he casually waved a hand.
"No need to thank me."
"Thank you?" Asuna nearly choked.
"I'm the one treating you! Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
Asagiri tilted his head slightly and spoke as if explaining something to a child.
"Hm? That logic seems flawed. Think about it—being given the chance to treat the great Asagiri-kun to lunch, and even sharing a meal with him. That's clearly a blessing from fate. Shouldn't you be grateful for the opportunity?"
He finished with a serious look, but the glint in his eyes gave him away.
"…You're insufferable," Asuna muttered, suppressing the urge to sigh—but a small smile tugged at her lips despite herself.
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