Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's words, although Asuna Yuuki felt a bit shy about the topic, this time, she didn't intend to back down. Instead, she looked at Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was sitting there looking like he was enjoying the show, and forced herself to ask while suppressing her shyness, "You... you must still like girls with normal figures, just like a normal high school boy, right?"
'Hmm? How come it's suddenly become an atmosphere of bloodbath like this?' Asagiri Utsunomiya asked himself.
Seeing both Kotoko Iwanaga and Asuna Yuuki staring intently at him, waiting for his answer, Asagiri Utsunomiya showed no trace of panic in the face of this sudden bloodbath where a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction. He calmly spoke, giving a perfect answer that left both Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga unable to respond.
"Big or small, protruding or flat, I don't have any particular preference. As long as they're good-looking, I like them all equally. What is this called? This is what is called equality."
Asuna Yuuki sighed slightly, and then a look of helplessness appeared on her face as she said, "Where did this absurd logic come from..."
But Kotoko Iwanaga pursued the question relentlessly: "Then compared to Asuna-san, I'm definitely cuter, right? Right? Right?"
"Equally cute."
"Tch..." Kotoko Iwanada made a sound of displeasure, then muttered, "What kind of perfunctory answer is that..."
Kotoko Iwanaga seemed not very satisfied with that answer. With her hands on her knees, her face puffed up, turning directly into a steamed bun.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open. Megumi Kato was holding a tray in her right hand with a few pastries and paper cups on it. In her left hand, she was holding a bottle of barley tea just taken from the refrigerator. Since both hands were occupied, she could only gently nudge the door open with her shoulder.
Seeing this, Asuna Yuuki immediately stood up, took the tray from Megumi Kato, and said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry, Kato-san. Coming to visit so suddenly, you must be quite troubled, right?"
Megumi Kato placed the drink on the table, then knelt beside the low table. Looking at Asagiri Utsunomiya, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Asuna Yuuki, she shook her head and replied in a gentle and friendly voice, "No, not at all. On the contrary, I'm quite happy that you came to find me. After all, if we team up, the chances of surviving in the dungeon will be much higher, right? I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect two of you to look the same age as me, and you even brought a child."
Kotoko Iwanaga pouted and muttered with slight dissatisfaction, I'm not a child! I'm in the same age group as you!"
"Is that so? I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"Uh... you don't have to be so serious..."
Kotoko Iwanaga discovered that she wasn't very good at dealing with Megumi Kato.
Megumi Kato's personality, how should she put it...
Megumi Kato was a little too calm, so calm that Kotoko Iwanaga, who liked to say something abstract to get a rise from her listener, felt a sense of helplessness like punching cotton.
"Kato-san, I'll be direct then." Asuna Yuuki took the initiative to handle the negotiation with Megumi Kato. After all, to be honest, she felt that among the three of them, only she could be considered a normal person.
Kotoko Iwanaga and Asagiri Utsunomiya?
These two were heavyweight abstract people. Asuna Yuuki didn't want them scare Megumi Kato later.
Megumi Kato nodded, rested her hands on her thighs, and her tone was calm and polite as she replied to Asuna Yuuki, "Okay, please speak."
Asuna Yuuki took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, then looked directly at Megumi Kato's face and said in a very serious tone, "The first thing I need to tell you is that we have killed other Players. Although they attacked us first, that's not the point. The point is, can you accept our way of doing things? If you are the type of Player who, no matter the circumstances, even if attacked, is unwilling to take another person's life, then perhaps... you are not very suitable to join our team."
"Hmm..." Megumi Kato didn't answer immediately, but thought carefully for a while before asking in return: "Then would you actively attack other Players without any prior grudge?"
Asuna Yuuki shook her head and said, "No."
"Then... if we encounter danger in the dungeon, would you sacrifice me to ensure your own safety?"
"This..."
Asuna Yuuki couldn't answer that question. After all, she wasn't the leader of the team. She could only turn her gaze to Asagiri Utsunomiya, who gave his reply without hesitation.
"No."
"Why not?" Megumi Kato's tone was flat, but it didn't give a feeling of weakness. "Compared to them, I'm the last person to join the team. We have no emotional foundation. Let alone being friends, I don't even know your names yet. Why are you so sure that even if we encounter danger in the dungeon, you won't sacrifice me?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya patiently explained, "This has nothing to do with feelings or anything like that. Trust is something that cannot be quantified, and once it is broken, it can never be fully restored. If I, as the captain of the team, choose to sacrifice you when we encounter danger in the dungeon, what would the other two think? Since I can sacrifice you, who can guarantee that I won't sacrifice them? If trust is lost between us, then the so-called team no longer has any value and will instead become a burden.
"More importantly, I am not the kind of captain who can only come up with a plan to ensure my own safety by sacrificing my teammates. I have absolute confidence in my ability and judgment as a leader."
"I see..." Megumi Kato first nodded noncommittally, then showed a gentle smile as she said, "Okay, then from now on, please take care of me, the three of you."
"That's great."
Hearing that Megumi Kato agreed, Asuna Yuuki exclaimed and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted. After all, any normal person could realize how powerful Megumi Kato's unique talent was.
Lowering her own presence, even when standing still, even Kotoko Iwanaga, who specialized in mental power, couldn't detect her.
If she were to acquire a Job like Assassin or Rogue... No, even if she acquired a support-type Job that buffs teammates or heals, as long as she had this talent for lowering her own presence, she could ensure that she wouldn't become the enemy's priority target.
Moreover, Megumi Kato's extraordinary calmness and composure were also essential qualities for becoming an excellent Player.
Asuna Yuuki suddenly looked at Megumi Kato and asked, "Oh, right, Kato-san. If we sign up for the dungeon today, the time to enter the dungeon will be Wednesday. Is that okay?"
Megumi Kato tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and replied softly, "Yes, that's fine. I can just ask for time off in advance. And my parents trust me completely. As long as I say I'm going to a friend's house for a sleepover on Tuesday night, it'll be fine."
"Okay, let's add each other as friends first."
After adding each other as friends, Megumi Kato looked at the notification that popped up in the Survival Game app and softly murmured, "Kotoko Iwanaga, Asuna Yuuki, Asagiri Utsunomiya Utsunomiya... Okay, I've firmly remembered all your names."
Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly, then said, "You don't have to be so serious~ Except when we're in the dungeon, we're just normal high school friends hanging out. There's no need to be so polite."
"Okay, got it."
After the conversation ended, Asagiri Utsunomiya clicked on the Survival Game app icon and began signing up for the dungeon.
He was an Advanced Player and had the privilege of choosing keywords and entering the corresponding dungeon at will. Therefore, he would definitely be the first to sign up for the dungeon, and Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato, as teammates, only needed to actively sign up for the dungeon on the same day.
After Asagiri Utsunomiya clicked to sign up, several blood-red words gradually appeared on the phone screen.
[Zombie]
[Forest]
[Voyage]
"Are these all the keywords for the next dungeons?"
Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga looked at the three keywords that appeared on Asagiri Utsunomiya's phone screen and began to think seriously. Although Megumi Kato didn't know what they were doing, she just sat quietly and didn't make a sound to disturb them.
"Voyage... we can rule that out first, right?"
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's opinion, Asuna Yuuki nodded and spoke thoughtfully.
"Yes, I agree. Since it says Voyage, the dungeon location is likely to be a cruise ship or passenger ship sailing on the sea. None of us have water-related Talents or Skills, and if the dungeon location is a ship, the space is somewhat narrow, the cabins are too complex, and the visibility is easily obstructed, which is not conducive for Asagiri-kun to use Castling or for me to utilize my speed advantage. So this option can be ruled out first."
After Asuna Yuuki finished speaking, Kotoko Iwanaga immediately analyzed the remaining keywords.
"The remaining two... the terrain of the forest is also very complex, and this keyword is about location, so we don't know what type of danger is in the dungeon. *Sigh!* it's really troublesome. If there were keywords related to oddities, we could choose directly, because with our current team composition, what we are best at dealing with are oddity-type dungeons."
"Let's choose Zombie."
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya suddenly make a decision, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why? How did you decide so quickly?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya shrugged and explained, "One reason is that compared to a dungeon where I don't know the specific danger, I prefer to enter one where I know the source of the danger. On the other hand..."
Asagiri Utsunomiya paused to look at Asuna Yuuki's face, then said frankly, "Isn't your unique talent that for every enemy you kill, you gain enhancements in agility, speed, and reflexes? It's hard to say about the dungeons corresponding to the other two keywords, but a zombie-themed dungeon will definitely have a considerable number of zombie-like enemies. Compared to a dungeon with only a few enemies, this dungeon is the most suitable for you to gain enhancements through the effect of your unique talent."