After leaving school, Asuna Yuuki and Asagiri Utsunomiya walked together to the train station near the school.
Asuna Yuuki pursed her lips and asked softly, "Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya replied in a carefree tone, "There's nothing really to prepare. After all, the rules state that no real-world items, equipment, armor, tools, or the like are allowed. I think since this app and the so-called Survival Game 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 Yuuki said with a nod, then didn't speak again, but she also didn't leave. She just stood there, looking hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't, in an awkward manner.
Seeing this, Asagiri Utsunomiya instantly saw through her thoughts and said, "Since we're teammates, it's best if we stay together before entering the second dungeon, right?"
"Yes, I just..." Asuna Yuuki stopped halfway through her sentence when she noticed Asagiri Utsunomiya's smiling expression. A blush of embarrassment appeared on her face, and she quickly changed the subject, lowering her head and kicking a small stone on the ground, pretending to be calm as she said, "You... since you said so, and you're the leader, then I'll listen to you..."
"Yuuki."
"Mm? What is it?"
"Tsundere is outdated."
"I... I... who's being a tsundere with you?!"
"Such a classic tsundere line."
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's teasing, Asuna Yuuki's face flushed. She felt both shy and a little exasperated at being called a tsundere.
After letting out a soft snort, Asuna Yuuki 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 Utsunomiya frowned upon hearing this and asked back with a puzzled expression, "What's 'your place' or 'my place'?"
"Huh? Are you serious?" Asuna Yuuki asked with a frown first, then 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."
After saying this, Asuna Yuuki suddenly felt that something wasn't right.
"Wait a minute...." Suspicion appeared on her face, and Asuna Yuuki stared intently at Asagiri Utsunomiya's face as she said, "How could you not have thought of something I could think of? Are you testing me again?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya nodded with a smile and said, "There is indeed a part of it that's a test."
Asuna Yuuki pressed on, saying, "A part? Does that mean there are other reasons?"
"Mm." Asagiri Utsunomiya hummed affirmatively with a nod first, then looked directly into Asuna Yuuki's eyes and said very seriously, "I'm worried that you're taking advantage of the opportunity to enter the dungeon to come to my place and scheme against me."
"'Scheme against you' your foot..." Asuna Yuuki rolled her eyes and retorted irritably. Remembering what Chika Fujiwara had said to her in the classroom, she felt utterly speechless.
Asagiri Utsunomiya was indeed handsome, but Asuna Yuuki, who understood his personality, no longer associated him with the image of a handsome high school student living in Metropolitan City in the slightest.
If she really had to say it—
The Chainsaw Devil of Shibuya, 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 heavyweight labels, mere outstanding appearance is no longer worth mentioning.
After teasing Asuna Yuuki for a while, Asagiri Utsunomiya switched to his serious Player mode, preparing to clear the dungeon. He said, "Come to my place. 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."
Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki asked curiously, "But couldn't your parents also suddenly drop by?"
She only knew that Asagiri Utsunomiya lived alone in Shibuya and didn't know his family composition and situation.
Asagiri Utsunomiya shook his head and replied, "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 Utsunomiya lived, located in the bustling Shibuya area of Tokyo, Asuna Yuuki 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 Utsunomiya in the apartment.
After sitting down on the sofa, Asuna Yuuki smoothed her skirt, took out a new set of sportswear from her shoulder bag, folded it neatly, and placed it beside her. Then, she couldn't help but curiously examine the furnishings in the living room. She wanted to know what the home life of someone with Asagiri Utsunomiya's personality was like, apart from being a Player when entering dungeons and a genius at Shuchi'in Academy.
"Yuuki, please don't stare at my living room with eyes like a pervert, okay?"
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's words, Asuna Yuuki finally came back to her senses and nodded awkwardly, saying, "Oh, oh, sorry, I was thinking... Wait, who's the pervert!?"
"See, you're getting flustered again." Asagiri Utsunomiya, saying this, opened the refrigerator in the living room, took out a can of frozen Coca-Cola, twisted it open, took a big gulp, and then looked at Asuna Yuuki, who was sitting on the sofa looking a bit reserved. Then he offered with a smile: "What do you want to drink?"
"Mineral water is fine, thank you."
"Alright, catch."
After taking the mineral water Asagiri Utsunomiya tossed over, twisting open the cap, and taking a small sip, her nervous emotions also eased. Looking at the other person sitting on the single sofa, Asuna Yuuki took the initiative to speak: "Oh right, last night, I suddenly remembered the information we found in that 'Mount Massive Asylum' last time. I tried searching online for 'Mount Massive Asylum' and the name 'Chris Walker', and it turns out that the asylum's name and the patient's name are both from a horror game called 'Outlast'."