Seeing the notification on the phone APP that they had successfully added each other as friends, Asuna looked up at Asagiri and said in a flat tone.
"It's really not easy to gain your trust, is it, Mr. Lucifer... No, Asagiri?"
"Isn't this the vigilance that a 'Player' should possess?"
Asagiri first replied with a smile, then placed the chainsaw and power drill on the ground. Next, he took off the black coat and removed the books and magazines that were originally taped to his body for protection. Finally, he took off the sunglasses and black mask he had been wearing.
The moment he took off his sunglasses and black mask and Asuna saw his true appearance, her eyes couldn't help but tremble.
His black hair was slightly messy without being untidy, a bit long, and his black eyes carried a hint of a smile that made people instinctively feel a sense of closeness. Just looking at his hairstyle and eyes, as long as the rest of his face wasn't too ugly, he could be called a handsome guy.
And Asagiri's other facial features were also very good-looking, and he didn't have the overly feminine softness that some idols have.
Coupled with his slender figure, slightly over 1.8 meters tall, simply put, he was very handsome.
"So that's what you look like..."
Asuna wasn't the kind of girl who swooned over a handsome face. The reason she made that remark was because something about Asagiri—his words, his actions, even his appearance—always seemed subtly at odds with each other, creating a sense of quiet contradiction she couldn't ignore.
"How is it, handsome?"
"Yeah, you are quite good-looking."
"Oh, you're too kind, Asuna. And you're very beautiful yourself."
Neither Asagiri nor Asuna showed the typical awkwardness or shyness one might expect from high school students discussing appearances. The reason was simple: Asuna had neither the time nor the inclination to dwell on such things. More importantly, she felt nothing special toward Asagiri. Yes, he was undeniably handsome—but she was merely stating a fact, nothing more.
Next, Asuna conducted a test.
The equipment rewarded from clearing the Dungeon, the slender rapier, seemed ordinary and unremarkable, but with just a thought, the rapier would instantly disappear or appear, which was very convenient.
While Asuna was making the rapier disappear again, Asagiri suddenly walked in front of her and then did something that surprised Asuna and made her face blush.
Asagiri didn't hesitate and directly took Asuna's hands, and it wasn't just a normal handshake, but an intimate way of holding hands, fingers intertwined.
"You... what are you doing...?"
No matter how composed Asuna usually was, she was still just a high school girl. When Asagiri suddenly took her hands in his, a flush crept up her cheeks, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Why are you blushing? Stay focused—don't get distracted by romance."
In contrast, Asagiri's tone remained calm and steady, his expression unreadable.
"Try it now. See if you can equip your rapier."
At that moment, Asuna realized what he was doing—he was testing whether a Player could still summon their equipment while physically restrained.
"Hmph! I… I just didn't react in time, that's all! It's not because I'm caught up in anything romantic!"
She snapped back defensively, then focused and attempted to summon the rapier. But nothing happened.
"I can't summon it."
"Okay."
Asagiri nodded: "It seems that equipment cannot be summoned when the body is restricted."
Upon hearing this, Asuna pursed her lips and softly responded, her eyes looking somewhat complex.
It wasn't because she was holding Asagiri's hand in an intimate interlocked-finger manner, but because she realized that ever since entering the Dungeon, he had been the one leading her forward. Whether it was escaping the ward, analyzing the true purpose of the "attendant," or obtaining information through experimentation after getting the clearance rewards, Asagiri's actions were always so efficient.
If it were an ordinary girl, being led like this and clearing the Dungeon without needing to exert herself, she would probably feel very happy. But Asuna was different.
Having received an elite education since childhood, her self-esteem wouldn't allow her to just be a freeloader, like a delicate and cute accessory, doing nothing useful and just relying on Asagiri to clear the Dungeon together.
Of course, Asuna also knew very well that acting impulsively driven by self-esteem would not only fail to provide help but would also become a hindrance. She simply made up her mind to adapt to the rhythm of the Dungeon as quickly as possible and strive to at least demonstrate her value as a teammate the next time she entered an Dungeon.
"Wait a minute, that's not right..."
After letting go of Asagiri's hand, Asuna suddenly frowned slightly and said.
"The reward from this APP is a Western sword... Although this kind of thing is not easy to buy, it's not difficult either. Since you can bring in a chainsaw and electric drill, wouldn't I just bring a weapon from the real world next time I enter an Dungeon? Although it has the convenient function of being readily available, as one of the rewards for an A+ clearance... isn't it a bit too ordinary?"
"Congratulations, blind student, you've found the key point."
Asagiri didn't explain directly but guided Asuna's thoughts by asking a question.
"Since I can bring weapons like chainsaws and electric drills when entering the Dungeon, if I were to exaggerate a bit more, if I had a gun with me at that time, would I also be able to bring it into the Dungeon? If players can bring their own weapons, what's the point of the so-called equipment rewarded by the Dungeon?"
Upon hearing this, Asuna mumbled thoughtfully.
"That's right, what's the point? Could it be that bringing your own weapons... is a special privilege for newcomers entering the Dungeon for the first time, and you won't be able to carry weapons when entering Dungeons in the future?... No, it's more than that, I understand, this Dungeon is a newcomer Dungeon, so being able to bring your own weapons is itself a hint for clearance!"
Asagiri asked with interest, "Oh? How do you figure?"
Asuna's exquisite face lit up with excitement as her thoughts suddenly opened up, and she immediately replied.
"Because the 'attendant' won't attack the 'players' at all, as long as you escape within the specified time limit, there's no need to fight at all. However, if you don't escape within the specified time, a certain anomaly will occur within the sanatorium, and you won't be able to leave anymore. So the key point is only when the 'player' deduces the true purpose of the 'attendant' and when they can muster the courage to open the ward door. As for whether the carried weapon is a knife, an electric drill, a chainsaw, or even nothing at all, entering empty-handed, it has no impact on whether you can clear the Dungeon or not."