"To be able to sit still and not be flustered when a girl as cute as me throws herself into your arms, you truly live up to your reputation."
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga say such a boastful remark, Asuna Yuuki suppressed the urge to retort and sighed slightly. Then she said, "Then, we'll wait until Sunday, the day we need to register for the dungeon, to find Megumi Kato. According to Asagiri-kun's conclusion, when we enter the dungeon next time, the game will still be in the first stage without any difficulty increase. I just don't know if, after a month and the game enters the second stage, besides the overall difficulty increase, there will be any other changes."
"There will definitely be changes." As she said this, Kotoko Iwanaga placed her cane horizontally on her knees, resuming the proper sitting posture of a well-bred young lady, and then she spoke seriously: "I asked the yokai and specters to look inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and after gathering some information, I confirmed two things.
"First, the bodies of Players who die in the dungeon will not return to the real world.
"Second, it is currently unclear how many people have been selected to be Players, but there are definitely quite a few, because the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has recently received dozens of reports of missing persons. Of course, not all of these missing persons are Players, but some of them are definitely Players.
"It is foreseeable that as the game gradually unfolds and more and more Players die, it means that more and more people will disappear in the real world. Moreover, the rules of the game do not restrict Players from using their powers in the real world, or telling others about the existence of the game. In other words, even if we want to hide the existence of the game, it is impossible to do so. After all, without any restrictions, as long as someone from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department or the Prosecutor's Office is selected to be a Player, the truth will surface."
When Kotoko Iwanaga reached this point, Asagiri Utsunomiya took over and spoke in a calm tone.
"The most interesting point is the hidden rule of Player's identity transfer. Only after a Player dies can ordinary people observe the app with the eye icon on the deceased Player's phone, and become a new Player by clicking the application icon three times in a row."
Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga were both puzzled after hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's words.
And the former asked, "Why do you say this is the most interesting point?"
"Of course it's interesting." Asagiri Utsunomiya first replied, then spoke with a calm tone, "Although there has never been any PVP type dungeon, and the seemingly main purpose of this game is for Players to cooperate and survive, there are no constraints on the Players' behavior in the real world, and there is even such a hidden rule that ordinary people can only become Players on the premise of the Player's death. Perhaps the real world is the PVP dungeon set up by this game."
◆◇◈◇◆
That afternoon, in the gymnasium of Shuchi'in Academy, a burly and strong male teacher wearing a judo uniform scanned the students of Class 1-A and spoke in a deep voice.
"I have already explained the basic precautions. Next, we will proceed with group practice one by one. By the way, has anyone had contact with judo before? I want to try to maintain the strength balance between the groups."
Hearing the physical education teacher's question, Kaguya Shinomiya raised her hand and said calmly, "Sensei, I am Judo Second Dan."
"Second Dan... Are there any girls who have had contact with judo?"
Seeing that no other students raised their hands except for Kaguya Shinomiya, the physical education teacher couldn't help but look troubled, wondering what to do.
Judo Second Dan, which is a judo black belt, although not very impressive, is beyond the beginner stage and is considered to have been properly trained.
But... there were no other girls in Class 1-A who had practiced judo who could compete with Kaguya Shinomiya. In a sport like judo that involved physical contact, it was impossible to assign a boy to Kaguya Shinomiya.
"Hi, hi~ Sensei, I'll be in a group with Shinomiya~"
Hearing this sudden voice, the physical education teacher searched among the crowd for a while before finally seeing Kotoko Iwanaga, who was particularly slender and petite compared to the other students in Class 1-A, like a doll, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. After regaining himself, he spoke with some hesitation.
"You are Iwanaga, right? Iwanaga, do you want to be in a group with Shinomiya? But this..."
"Don't worry, Sensei." Kaguya Shinomiya first calmed the teacher's anxiety as she tucked her long black hair, then said indifferently, "I will be careful and won't hurt Iwanaga."
"Well... okay."
Kaguya Shinomiya was not the type who was competitive in everything. Sometimes, she would even deliberately hold back. After all, in her opinion, deliberately losing to avoid being too outstanding and being alienated by those around her was just a way of dealing with things.
Of course, studying was an exception.
"Utsunomiya!"
Just then, a male student who was nearly six feet tall, very strong, and broad-shouldered, slowly walked up to Asagiri Utsunomiya.
"Can I ask you to practice with me?"
"You want to practice with me?" Facing the request of this tall and muscular boy, Asagiri Utsunomiya replied as he looked as relaxed and carefree as ever, and then he said, "I haven't practiced judo; I know nothing about it."
The muscular boy waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I will go easy on you, I will try not to hurt you..."
"Hmm? What are you saying?" Before the muscular boy could finish speaking, Asagiri Utsunomiya first interrupted while shaking his head, then looked directly into the other person's face and said in a calm and confident tone, "What I mean is, because I haven't practiced judo, I can't control my strength very well. If you get injured, don't blame me. And are you sure you're going easy on me?"
"As the rumors say, you are very arrogant, but..." The muscular boy said this first and then added in a solemn tone, "If I win, please consider joining our judo club, Utsunomiya!"
Upon hearing this, Asagiri Utsunomiya couldn't help but said back, "Have you finally revealed your true purpose? I already said that I have no interest in joining any club."
"Hmm, I heard that you... no, you have no intention of joining any sports club, but..." The muscular boy paused to take a deep breath, his face serious. Then he continued speaking: "I hope to use my actions to make you feel the charm of judo, the passion it contains, the youthful excitement, the pursuit of the supreme technique..."
"I don't understand. What are you talking about? I play with a katana." Asagiri Utsunomiya interrupted as he didn't really want to continue listening to the muscular boy talk about youth, passion, etc.
Afterwards, he said, "Then let's start quickly."
"Okay." The muscular boy first replied with a nod and took a few steps back, distancing himself from Asagiri Utsunomiya, then took a few deep breaths, bowed, and said with a serious expression, "Utsunomiya, I will give it my all."
Asagiri Utsunomiya nodded casually and just stood there. He said, "Alright."
To prevent students from getting injured, thick protective mats had already been laid out on the wooden floor of the gymnasium.
After getting Asagiri Utsunomiya's response, the muscular boy slightly bent down, extended his hands and moved closer tentatively. His sturdy body, which was quite burly for a high school student, looked like a brown bear.
At this moment, the other students in Class 1-A, including Kaguya Shinomiya and Kotoko Iwanaga, all stopped their original actions. Everyone was watching the contest that was about to begin.
"Hah!!!" The muscular boy roared, his speed increased, and he soon reached Asagiri Utsunomiya. Then he bent his waist even lower, his hands extending like pincers, firmly gripping Asagiri Utsunomiya's right arm.
Seeing this scene, Kaguya Shinomiya, who had some proficiency in judo techniques, murmured, "It's over..."
The move used by the muscular boy is the starting stance for an over-the-shoulder throw. By grabbing the opponent's arm and using one's waist and hips for force, if the most suitable angle can be found, even a thin person who is not very strong can use this move to throw an opponent who is larger and stronger than themselves to the ground.
Moreover, although that move is simple and direct, its lethality should not be underestimated. If a person who truly knows how to exert force uses this move on a hard surface, it is quite normal to seriously injure or even kill the opponent on the spot.
Kaguya Shinomiya sighed slightly, thinking that as expected, Asagiri Utsunomiya had not lied.
Asagiri Utsunomiya truly knew nothing about judo. Otherwise, how could he have allowed his opponent to so easily grab his arm and complete the setup for an over-the-shoulder throw?
The match should end here...
"Hmm?" Kaguya Shinomiya suddenly made a sound of surprise.
She saw the muscular boy twist his body and, using a very standard over-the-shoulder throw posture, attempt to swing Asagiri Utsunomiya around and throw him to the ground. But even though veins popped out on his neck and his cheeks were flushed red from using all his strength, Asagiri Utsunomiya's body remained completely still, like an immovable mountain.
"Alright, this passionate, youthful battle ends here." Asagiri Utsunomiya first said this with a grin, then directly twisted his waist and hips, applying a slight force that instead threw the muscular boy onto the judo mat.
"How could this be..."
Even after being thrown to the ground, the muscular boy seemed somewhat unresponsive, and the students watching the match around them felt even more disbelief.
Only Kotoko Iwanaga looked unsurprised. In fact, because the object of the surrounding people's astonishment was Asagiri Utsunomiya, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl upwards.
The muscular boy was indeed a genuine judo expert who had trained seriously. The over-the-shoulder throw technique he used was also flawlessly standard.
It's just that... The gap in strength that technique can compensate for is ultimately limited. Asagiri Utsunomiya's lead in strength over the muscular boy had reached a point where it couldn't be overcome even with technique.