"Power, huh..." Chika Fujiwara tilted her head, showing a simple and cute sweet smile, and then said with a grin, "I'm not very interested in that kind of thing, hehe~"
After saying this, Chika Fujiwara looked at Kaguya Shinomiya's face and said with interest, "I actively participate in the dungeons, partly because I want to protect you, to protect my important friend, and on the other hand..."
At this point, a strange excitement suddenly appeared in Chika Fujiwara's eyes.
"The Game itself is also very interesting~"
Noticing Chika Fujiwara's inexplicable excitement, Kaguya Shinomiya said in a flat tone, "It's precisely because of your personality that I think you're dangerous, whether as an enemy or a teammate."
"Oh dear, what's wrong with enjoying the fun of the game~"
Looking at the sweet smile on Chika Fujiwara's face, a strange idea suddenly appeared in Kaguya Shinomiya's mind.
For some reason, she always felt...
Her good friend Chika Fujiwara and that Asagiri Utsunomiya were quite similar in some ways...
◆◇◈◇◆
The next morning, Saturday.
"Alright, let's eat~" said Asuna Yuuki who was wearing an apron as she placed two bowls of miso soup on the table.
Staring at the warm dining table, filled with several delicious small dishes served along with miso soup, she couldn't help but show a gentle smile, one that was more fitting on the face of a virtuous wife than a high school girl.
"Although I really like my girlfriend showing off her skills as a housewife, but..." Starting with these words, Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was sitting across the table, looked at Asuna Yuuki's face and then finished his sentence, "You were also very tired from training yesterday. You could sleep longer, and we could just eat out."
"It's fine." While replying, Asuna Yuuki untied her apron and placed it on the chair next to her. She sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and smiled gently and virtuously as she continued: "I slept for nine hours, which is plenty of rest. Besides, when I'm here, I'll definitely cook for you. Oh, right, have those bruises on your body gotten better?"
"They're already healed," Asagiri Utsunomiya replied, rolled up his sleeve and showed his arm to Asuna Yuuki. The bruises that had appeared on his arm from being hit by rubber bullets yesterday had completely disappeared.
"That fast?" Asuna Yuuki said, surprised.
Asagiri Utsunomiya explained casually, "The improvement in overall physical ability naturally includes the body's recovery ability. Besides, it was only a superficial injury to begin with."
Asuna Yuuki's cheeks were slightly red, and she asked while pretending nothing had happened, "Then... Are we still going to Ashikaga-sensei for special training today?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya saw through Asuna Yuuki's thoughts at a glance and replied, "We won't go today. Ashikaga-sensei also needs rest. Besides, for a couple who just started dating, if their first date is spent with a strict, menopausal, middle-aged female teacher, that would be too painful as a memory of a first date."
Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, but then she complained a little awkwardly, "Hey, no matter what, Ashikaga-sensei did help us. Don't keep talking about her like that."
Asagiri Utsunomiya replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Didn't I help her too? Ashikaga-san and I don't have any teacher-student relationship. If anything, it's a relationship where both sides are equal, or rather, she needs my cooperation more than I need hers."
"Mm... is that so..." Asuna Yuuki responded noncommittally, then looked expectant and eagerly asked, "Then what are we going to do later? What do normal couples do at a time like this?"
Hearing this, Asagiri Utsunomiya immediately replied seriously, "At a time like this, to celebrate their first date, the girlfriend would put on a sexy bunny girl outfit and let her boyfriend admire her to his heart's content."
Although Asuna Yuuki had never been in love, she could tell Asagiri Utsunomiya was messing around. Her face turned bright red, and she said angrily. "You! What nonsense are you talking about?! Be serious! Let me think... maybe ask Chika..."
Midway through speaking, Asuna Yuuki suddenly fell silent. She remembered what Asagiri Utsunomiya had said about Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara being Players. Her expression became a little complicated, and then she looked up and said while forcing a smile.
"I forgot, it might not be appropriate to ask Chika..."
"It doesn't matter."
"Eh?"
Seeing Asuna Yuuki's surprised look, Asagiri Utsunomiya spoke with a relaxed smile: "Didn't I already say? Because Chika Fujiwara and Kaguya Shinomiya are close friends, and Kaguya Shinomiya's personality is too twisted and arrogant, she's not my ideal teammate candidate, and I don't plan to cooperate with them. However, that's only regarding the Game. You and Chika Fujiwara are already friends, so if you want to ask her, just ask."
After saying that, Asagiri Utsunomiya put down his chopsticks, looked directly into Asuna Yuuki's face, and spoke softly: "Furthermore, I believe you won't let your feelings for your friends affect your rational judgment, or accidentally let something slip in front of Chika Fujiwara. Whether as the teammate Violet or the lover Asuna Yuuki, I completely trust you."
A blush appeared on Asuna Yuuki's face, and her voice became gentle and soft as she shyly said, "You, you are... you always say such blunt and embarrassing things at unexpected times... it's really unfair."
Asagiri Utsunomiya didn't blush at all, just smiled and said, "Besides, Fujiwara is actually a pretty good person. She's quite cute and has a good personality. She comes from a prestigious family and attends a prestigious school but isn't arrogant like most students from there. She's great as a friend."
Asuna Yuuki puffed out her cheeks when she heard this, then said with unconcealed jealousy in her voice, "What, you think Chika is very cute?"
"What else? I'm not blind," Asagiri Utsunomiya replied confidently and without hesitation.
Asuna Yuuki was stunned for a moment, wanting to retort but couldn't find a reason, so she could only say angrily, "Anyway, you're not allowed to praise her!"
"Oh, it would have been simple if you had said so earlier," Asagiri Utsunomiya said and smiled nonchalantly, then immediately changed the subject, saying, "Chika Fujiwara actually has a lot of flaws, like..."
Asuna Yuuki quickly interrupted: "Hey, hey, hey, you can't slander her either, okay? She's my friend."
Asagiri Utsunomiya looked at Asuna Yuuki speechlessly and complained, "Are you having a rabies attack?"
"You're the one having a rabies attack!"
◆◇◈◇◆
A little later, inside a mall in the Ginza commercial district.
Seeing the rows of clothing stores inside the mall, and the sales assistants inside wearing professional suits, black stockings, and high heels, who were clearly well-dressed regardless of whether they were pretty or not, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but feel a little bewildered.
"Do you usually... buy clothes in places like this?"
"Haven't you been here before?"
Facing Asagiri Utsunomiya's curious question, Asuna Yuuki just shook her head and said softly, "No. My clothes are all bought directly by my mom. If I were shopping by myself, I probably wouldn't come to a place like this. After all, the clothes here look very expensive."
Asagiri Utsunomiya reached out, gently pinched Asuna Yuuki's chin, then, with a haughty smile befitting a domineering CEO, said, "Mm, thrifty and good at housekeeping. I'm very pleased."
Asuna Yuuki slapped Asagiri Utsunomiya's hand away and said with a slight blush, "Go away, go away, there are so many people."
However, soon after, Asuna Yuuki reached out again, quietly held Asagiri Utsunomiya's hand, and then changed the subject, saying, "So, have you decided which store to buy from? Or are we just browsing?"
"I've decided. The one up ahead. Let's go."
"Okay."
After entering the clothing store, a store saleswoman in her thirties walked over and greeted Asagiri Utsunomiya quite familiarly, "Utsunomiya-san, are you here to buy clothes?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya nodded and replied with a polite smile, "Yes."
The saleswoman's gaze turned to Asuna Yuuki standing beside him, and she couldn't help but ask curiously, "This is?"
"My girlfriend."
"Oh, I see."
The saleswoman had clearly just asked out of politeness. Although she was familiar with Asagiri Utsunomiya, she maintained good professional ethics and didn't continue chatting, instead showing an impeccable smile and saying, "Please have a seat. What style would you like this time?"
"Something comfortable for exercise, jacket, long sleeves, long pants, black."
"Okay, I'll bring it right over."
After sitting down, Asuna Yuuki looked around at the decor inside the clothing store and the single sofa she was sitting on, then murmured, "The lounge area is completely different from a normal clothing store; it's more like a VIP lounge at an airport..."
Soon after, Asuna Yuuki looked up at Asagiri Utsunomiya, about to ask something, but just then, her phone suddenly rang. When she took out her phone and saw the name displayed on the screen, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. After hesitating for a while, she still answered.
"Hello..."
Kotoko Iwanaga's characteristic voice, carrying a hint of amusement and a bit of a provocative, impish tone, came from the phone's earpiece.
"Hello, hello? I didn't call for anything special, I just wanted to ask what you're doing? You're not secretly doing something bad with Asagiri-san while I'm not in Tokyo, are you?"
Asuna Yuuki didn't know how to respond to this and could only remain silent.
"Eh? Eh!?"
Seeing that Asuna Yuuki didn't respond to her teasing as usual, Kotoko Iwanaga on the other end of the phone began to panic.
"You didn't really... you... you..."
After repeating 'you' a few more times, Kotoko Iwanaga's loud and angry voice rang out from the phone earpiece:
"You little home-wrecker!"