Chapter 23: My House in Shibuya is Very Big
After leaving school, Asuna and Asagiri walked together to the train station near campus. Asuna pursed her lips and asked softly, "Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Asagiri replied in a flat tone, "Not really. The app rules say real world items, equipment, armor, tools, and the like are not allowed. Since this app and these so called dungeons already involve real supernatural power, the chance of exploiting a bug, while not absolutely zero, is basically negligible. There's no point wasting time on it."
"Mm, I see…"
Asuna nodded, then fell silent. She still didn't leave. She just stood there, hesitant, like she wanted to say something but couldn't, stuck in an awkward pause.
Asagiri immediately saw through her and smiled. "Since we're teammates, it's better if we stay together before entering the second dungeon, right?"
"Yes, I just…"
Asuna stopped mid sentence when she noticed his smile. A blush of embarrassment spread across her face. She quickly changed the subject, lowered her head, and lightly kicked a small stone on the ground, pretending to be calm.
"You… since you said so, and you're the Leader, then I'll listen to you…"
"Asuna."
"Mm? What is it?"
"Tsundere is outdated."
"I I, who's being a tsundere with you!?"
"Such a classic tsundere line."
Asagiri's teasing made Asuna's face burn even hotter. She felt shy and a little exasperated at being called a tsundere. After a quiet snort, she raised a hand to adjust her flaxen hair, drew a breath, and then, as if bracing herself, said, "Then… your place, or mine?"
Asagiri frowned and looked genuinely confused. "What do you mean, your place or mine?"
"Huh? Are you serious?" Asuna frowned tightly and explained, patience forced into her tone. "You're not thinking we'll just sit in a cafe, an internet cafe, a library, or somewhere like that until it's time to enter the dungeon, right?"
"Leaving aside how suspicious it would be to stay in those places for too long, we have to make sure the entry point is absolutely private and safe. Otherwise, if someone sees us suddenly disappear, then suddenly reappear later, our identities are exposed."
"And what if someone sets up an ambush at our return point while we're in the dungeon, just waiting for us to come back and launch a surprise attack?"
"In short, only the two places I mentioned are suitable as return points when leaving the dungeon."
"Wait a minute…"
Asuna suddenly realized something was off. Suspicion crept between her brows as she stared at Asagiri.
"How could you not think of something I could think of? Are you testing me again?"
Asagiri nodded with a smile. "Partly, yes."
"A part?" Asuna pressed. "So there are other reasons?"
"Mm." Asagiri looked straight into her eyes and said seriously, "I'm worried you're using the dungeon as an excuse to come to my place and plot against me."
"Plot against your head…" Asuna rolled her eyes and snapped back, remembering what Chika had said to her in class. She felt completely speechless.
Asagiri was handsome, sure, but after getting used to his personality, Asuna could no longer connect him to the image of a normal Tokyo high school boy at all.
If she had to describe him, it would be more like this.
The Shibuya Chainsaw Devil of Tokyo. A psychic who could summon black phantoms at any time. Someone with no fear and no pity. A Player who enjoyed the thrill.
In front of labels like that, his looks barely mattered.
"Come to my place," Asagiri said, finally switching into serious Player mode after teasing her enough. "If your parents suddenly decide to visit you on the weekend and catch us right as we're about to enter, or right after we come out, that'll be hard to explain. So it's better to go to mine."
Asuna asked curiously, "But couldn't your parents suddenly drop by too?"
She only knew Asagiri lived alone in Shibuya. She didn't know his family situation.
Asagiri shook his head and smiled. "Heh. If that happened, we'd need to call a professional exorcist."
—-
After taking the train and arriving at Asagiri's apartment in bustling Shibuya, Asuna felt a little uneasy. It was her first time at a boy's place, and right now, it was just the two of them.
She sat on the sofa, smoothed her skirt, then took a new set of sportswear from her shoulder bag. She folded it neatly and placed it beside her. After that, she couldn't help quietly studying the living room. She wanted to know what Asagiri's home life looked like when he wasn't a Player in a dungeon or the top genius at Shuchiin.
"Asuna, please don't stare at my TV with eyes like a pervert, okay?"
Asuna snapped back to reality and nodded awkwardly. "Oh, oh, sorry, I was thinking… Wait, who's the pervert!?"
"See, you're flustered again."
Asagiri opened the fridge, took out a frozen can of Coca Cola, twisted it open, took a big gulp, then looked at Asuna, who still sat a little stiffly on the sofa. He smiled.
"What do you want to drink?"
"Mineral water is fine, thank you."
"Alright, catch."
Asuna caught the bottle, twisted the cap, and took a small sip. Her nerves eased a little. Looking at Asagiri on the single sofa, she took the initiative to speak.
"Oh right, last night, I suddenly remembered the information we found in that Kyozan Mental Hospital. I tried searching online for 'Kyozan Mental Hospital' and the name 'Chris Walker,' and it turns out both the place and the patient name are from a horror game called 'Outlast.'"
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