Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's loud and angry voice, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but show a look of guilt...
'Wait, that's not right!'
Asuna Yuuki suddenly realized something.
What was there to feel guilty about?
It wasn't like Kotoko Iwanaga was already dating Asagiri Utsunomiya, and she was taking advantage of the time when the other person wasn't in Tokyo, handling monster requests, to steal him away.
Meeting, becoming teammates, entering the same school, didn't all of that happen with her first?
Thinking of this, Asuna Yuuki's confidence instantly soared. She frowned slightly and replied righteously, "Whatever Asagiri Utsunomiya and I do, that's our freedom, isn't it?"
"You, you, you..."
Kotoko Iwanaga said 'you' three times in a row, but seemed unable to find a reason to retort. In the end, she could only huff angrily and hang up the phone directly.
Seeing that Asuna Yuuki, after hanging up the phone, showed no joy but a slightly complex and melancholic expression, Asagiri Utsunomiya asked with a light chuckle, "What's wrong? As the victor, shouldn't you be triumphant at this moment and fiercely press the advantage against Kotoko Iwanaga?"
"What victor... This isn't a battle... *Sigh!*" Asuna Yuuki sighed helplessly, resting her chin on one hand, a look of melancholy in her eyes. She continued: "Kotoko truly likes you. After she finds out about us, the atmosphere within the team will definitely become a bit awkward, right?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya waved his hand dismissively and said calmly, "It's fine. You can just unfriend her and Megumi Kato, go our separate ways from now on, and become the initial two-person team with just you and me."
"What on earth are you saying?" Asuna Yuuki asked, her brows slightly furrowed, her expression clearly showing displeasure. This was the first time she had shown such obvious anger towards Asagiri Utsunomiya. Then, she continued: "Kotoko and Kato-san, no matter what, are comrades who have experienced life and death with us. Didn't you say that you would never abandon anyone? Now you're telling me that because our relationship has changed, we should abandon them? I can't accept something like that!"
Asagiri Utsunomiya didn't have any particular reaction, just deliberately put on a very troubled expression, then muttered to himself at a volume just loud enough for Asuna Yuuki to hear. "Oh, is that so? Oh dear, this is troublesome now. If jealousy causes the team to become divided and lose cohesion, that would be too dangerous. But we absolutely cannot go our separate ways. What should we do? It's really vexing. Is there any solution at all?"
Hearing this, Asuna Yuuki understood and said somewhat speechlessly, "...What you just said about going our separate ways and returning to a two-person team, that was you fishing for a reaction, deliberately wanting me to express strong opposition, and then bringing out your current words, right? In the end... you just want to have a harem, don't you?!"
Asagiri Utsunomiya shook his head and replied very seriously, "Whether I want to or not isn't the key. It's just that now, the difficulty of the game we are playing has taken a leap forward. It has risen from merely the safety of the four of us to a level concerning the survival of all humanity, a war between worlds. If a harem is the only path to a perfect ending, then naturally, I cannot refuse."
Asuna Yuuki rolled her eyes and said irritably, "After saying all that, the fundamental reason is that you want to have a harem, right?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya nodded very sincerely, not hiding anything, as he said, "Yes."
"You... you're still saying "yes" here? You really are..."
Asuna Yuuki held her forehead, already having lost the ability to organize her thoughts due to Asagiri Utsunomiya's blatant harem declaration and abstractness.
The only way to resolve the conflict and allow the team to continue...
Was it really a harem, just as Asagiri Utsunomiya said?
◆◇◈◇◆
Two days later, on Monday morning around nine o'clock, in the classroom of Class 1-A at Shuchi'in Academy.
Kotoko Iwanaga was lying on her desk, resting her chin on her arms. On her cute face there was an expression that revealed her feelings.
Not happy at all.
After maintaining that expression for a while, Kotoko Iwanaga turned her head to stare at Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was sitting next to her, and spoke sulkily
"Hey, why aren't you trying to coax me at all?"
Hearing this, Asagiri Utsunomiya looked up, gazed at Kotoko Iwanaga, who looked unhappy and was sulking, and replied with a light chuckle, "How should I coax you? Should I play a tune for you?"
"No, no, no!" Kotoko Iwanaga shook her head repeatedly, then pouted and said, "I heard that your so-called playing a tune is using that... kazoo, right? You think you can coax me over so easily? No way!"
"Then here you go," Asagiri Utsunomiya said, picked up a beautifully wrapped shopping bag from beside his seat, and handed it to Kotoko Iwanaga.
"This is..." Kotoko Iwanaga took the shopping bag and peered inside, only to see a white beret similar in style to the one she usually wore placed inside the bag.
"I didn't know what you liked, so when I was buying clothes, I picked this out for you."
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya's words, Kotoko Iwanaga, who had just been pouting, instantly turned her expression from sadness to joy. She gently held the shopping bag in her arms and said with a sweet smile, "I knew it! You definitely still love me~"
Kotoko Iwanaga belonged to the type who liked to get jealous, easily got jealous, loved throwing minor tantrums, but was especially easy to coax.
Kaguya Shinomiya, who was sitting a few seats in front of Kotoko Iwanaga, looking down at a book and constantly taking notes, suddenly spoke in a flat tone at this moment.
"Iwanaga-san. This is a classroom, a place for studying. Please don't say things like that and disturb others."
"Hehe~" Kotoko Iwanaga sneered, not showing any weakness, then said, "What does that have to do with you? I'll say what I want to say. What? The test is coming soon, and you're cramming now? Hmph, it's useless. You absolutely cannot defeat Asagiri-san!"
Hearing this, Asagiri Utsunomiya couldn't help but retort, "Good grief, can't you show off on your own? Why are you using my name to show off?"
Kotoko Iwanaga stood up, moved closer to Asagiri Utsunomiya's side, leaned down close to his ear, and said in a low voice, "I can't help it. Although I am the God of Wisdom, when it comes to academic performance... I really can't win against her."
Seeing Kotoko Iwanaga whispering close to Asagiri Utsunomiya's ear, Kaguya Shinomiya stood up, walked slowly to Asagiri Utsunomiya's seat, looked directly at his face. There was no emotional fluctuation in her red eyes as she slowly spoke.
"Utsunomiya-san, can I understand Iwanaga-san's words just now as you issuing a challenge to me?"
The moment Kaguya Shinomiya said that sentence, the entire classroom fell silent. The students who had been chatting in twos and threes all focused their attention on the corner of the classroom, eagerly anticipating what would happen next.
Kaguya Shinomiya, this year's Shuchi'in Academy freshman... no, she was the most eye-catching figure in the entire Shuchi'in Academy.
On one side was the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Family, adorned with various accolades, a perfect young lady impeccable in appearance, sports, grades, speech and manners, and social conduct.
And on the other side was the impure student who, on the first day of school, played his name throughout Shuchi'in Academy with the notes of a kazoo. Although he only entered in high school, he arrived at Shuchi'in Academy with the posture of a ruler. Even the homeroom teacher, Miwa Ashikaga, who was a member of the board, was extremely lenient towards him for some unknown reason. He had not shown any weakness since entering school, and the young lady of the Iwanaga Family had thrown down fifty billion cash just to be in the same class as him – the Impure Demon Lord of the High School Department.
Which side...
.
.
.
...would be able to achieve victory?
Facing Kaguya Shinomiya's declaration of war, what kind of response would Asagiri Utsunomiya make?
Under the expectant and tense gazes of the students, Asagiri Utsunomiya raised his head to look at Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes.
From a compositional perspective, Kaguya Shinomiya, standing and having a downward angle, should have had a stronger presence. However, the opposite was true. Asagiri Utsunomiya, simply sitting there, even when viewed from a low angle, still made people feel the confidence of an absolute strong person.
"Kaguya Shinomiya..." Asagiri Utsunomiya first said this softly, then shook his head, looked directly into Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes, ans continued with a disdainful smile, "Me challenging you? What arrogance! I am the first, the strongest! Anyone who comes before me can only be a challenger! The only goal I can see in my eyes is the first place! As for you..."
Asagiri Utsunomiya paused for a moment, shook his head regretfully, and finished his previous sentence: "Unfortunately, I can't see you at all in my line of sight."
Hearing this, the surrounding students first showed looks of shock, but after a few seconds, they felt it was only natural.
That's right, Asagiri Utsunomiya... is that kind of person!
Kaguya Shinomiya's expression was as calm as ever, she just spoke softly.
"You can't see me? After this exam is over, you will see... no, you will only be able to watch my back from behind."
"Oh? Are you going to challenge me?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya slowly stood up. Although Kaguya Shinomiya's figure was considered tall, she was still quite a bit shorter in front of him, who was over 1.8 meters tall. Her presence was even suppressed.
"You better think carefully."
Asagiri Utsunomiya's black eyes and Kaguya Shinomiya's ruby-like eyes, their gazes collided in the air, and Kotoko Iwanaga...
Kotoko Iwanaga was too short and was completely blocked by these two people. She could only stare at Kaguya Shinomiya with a vigilant expression, not wanting her to get too close to Asagiri Utsunomiya.
"I am an impure student, and you are a pure student. I don't put the person named Kaguya Shinomiya in my eyes, but if you are willing to bear the reputation of the pure students and challenge me..."
Asagiri Utsunomiya looked down at Kaguya Shinomiya and continued with a charming, haughty smile, full of confidence.
"Then perhaps, for the sake of enjoyment, I might accept your challenge, which is like a mayfly trying to shake a tree."