"Um... Kato-san..." Asuna Yuuki began, looking at Megumi Kato standing there, then said with some hesitation, "Aren't you scared at all?"
"Scared? Oh, I get what you mean." Megumi Kato first replied while raising her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression calm and indifferent, then said calmly, "Indeed, your appearances are a bit strange, and the way you call each other doesn't sound like your real names. But considering all three of you are Players, that's quite normal, isn't it?"
"You know about Players?"
"Yes. Because I'm a Player too." Megumi Kato nodded, confessing directly without hiding anything.
Hearing her straightforward confession, Asuna Yuuki exchanged glances with Kotoko Iwanaga. They both had the same thought.
The reaction of this Megumi Kato... wasn't it a bit too calm? She had just directly revealed that she was a Player, right? Was this how a normal Player should react?
"Oh... I'm sorry, you might think I'm a weirdo when hearing me suddenly say something like that." Megumi Kato, who seemed to sense the confusion of Kotoko Iwanaga and Asuna Yuuki, first said this, then explained in a flat tone, "However, from my perspective, if I pretended to be an ordinary, clueless person, you would definitely be suspicious. Even though you didn't realize it, I did activate my talent on you.
"I just witnessed your battle with that monster, and I know very well that if you wanted to kill me, I definitely wouldn't be able to escape. In that case, it's better to tell the truth. After all, I truly have no hostility towards you."
"This..." Asuna Yuuki began with some hesitation, looked at Asagiri Utsunomiya, and asked cautiously, "Captain, what should we do?"
"Kill her."
"Kill her!? We can't do that, can we?"
Not only Asuna Yuuki, but even Kotoko Iwanaga, who wasn't very concerned about human lives, expressed opposition. However, her reason for opposing Asagiri Utsunomiya's order was colder and more rational.
Kotoko Iwanaga stated the reason for her opposition, "There's no need to kill her, is there? She didn't see our faces anyway, and she doesn't know our real names or identities. If only these traces are left at the scene, the authorities of Toyogasaki Academy will be very confused, but that's all. But if she dies here, the school authorities will definitely call the police. We don't need to create such trouble for ourselves."
"Just kidding." Asagiri Utsunomiya began with a shrug, then said with a light chuckle, "Hehe, I'm not some morally bankrupt devil. Why would I just kill someone over something this small?"
Asuna Yuuki sighed in relief, gently patting her chest. She muttered, "That's good. Then let's hurry and go."
"Not so fast." Asagiri Utsunomiya first refused, then looked at Megumi Kato, who was standing there silently, and said casually, "I think this Megumi Kato is quite capable. Why don't we recruit her into our team? From now on, we can clear dungeons and enjoy the rewards together. Wouldn't that be great?"
◆◇◈◇◆
Fifteen minutes later, outside Toyogasaki Academy, in a quiet, deserted alleyway.
"So... you want to team up with me?"
Looking at Megumi Kato's slightly confused expression, showing a bit of naive cuteness and simplicity, Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was still wearing his mask and hadn't revealed his true face, spoke solemnly: "No. It's hard to say right now. Just think of this as an interview. But first, we need to confirm if you have the intention of joining our company."
Hearing that, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but softly complain: "Aren't we a battle team? How did we become a company suddenly?"
"Anyway, that's roughly the meaning."
"An interview... Oh, I understand." Megumi Kato first replied with a nod, then gave a positive reply after thinking for a moment: "Yes, I'm just by myself right now anyway. Judging from what I just saw, the three of you as Players are far stronger than me. If I team up with you, I'll have more confidence in passing those dangerous dungeons. So, I have the intention of joining your team... oh no, joining your company."
Asuna Yuuki sighed slightly, looking a bit helpless. She said, "You don't need to go along with this guy and echo his weird remarks..."
"It's fine." After she replied, Megumi Kato took out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, and then actively handed the phone to Asagiri Utsunomiya, saying, "I heard them all call you Captain, so you must be the company boss, right? This is my resume."
What she called a resume was actually Megumi Kato's information as a Player.
[Player Name: Megumi Kato
[Player Level: Official
[Overall Physical Ability: Ordinary
[Overall Mental Ability: Ordinary
[Job: Not Available
[Talent: Low Presence
[Skill: Not Available
[Equipment: Not Available
[Item: Not Available]
[Talent Name: Low Presence
[Talent Introduction: When this talent is activated, it will significantly reduce one's presence. Acting while maintaining this talent's effect will continuously consume stamina and mental energy. If remaining stationary, the talent's effect will be enhanced, and it will not consume any stamina or mental energy.]
"The effect of this talent... it's quite impressive." Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but exclaim this upon seeing Megumi Kato's exclusive Talent, then asked curiously: "But why don't you have any skills, items, or pieces of equipment? Did you only complete one dungeon?"
Megumi Kato shook her head and replied, "No, counting the novice dungeon, I've completed two dungeons. The reason I met you at the school just now is because I entered a dungeon inside that school building on Saturday afternoon. I met you right after passing it and coming out."
"Then how come..."
"When I completed the novice dungeon, I got an A+ rating, but the only reward was unlocking my exclusive Talent. The second dungeon was in a third floor old mansion haunted by specters, and the Player's objective was to survive within the time limit."
Megumi Kato paused for a moment, then continued speaking in a flat tone.
"In the second dungeon, I just found an empty room, sat on a sofa, and activated my talent. In the end, I just idled away for ten hours and achieved the mission objective. As a result, I only received a C rating, and the only reward was a slight increase in physical fitness. There were no other rewards."
"A C rating... Is it because you didn't do anything that you didn't get a high-level rating?" Kotoko Iwanaga first muttered this to herself, then looked towards Megumi Kato and asked, "But, since you got an A+ rating in the novice dungeon, you should have received a special hint when you entered the second dungeon, right?"
"Yes, I did. It said there was a piece of equipment in the basement of that mansion."
"Then..."
"I ignored it." Megumi Kato began, then spoke at a moderate pace with a calm tone: "I don't have the ability to fight. Besides, there were other Players who entered the same dungeon as me. I felt that in a situation without safety guarantees, going to the basement to look for a piece of equipment whose type wasn't even known, even with the talent to reduce my presence, was simply too risky. So, I ignored that special hint."