012 The First Day at Shuchiin Academy
Accompanied by a thick red mist, Asagiri reappeared in his home.
"I'm back..."
Feeling the comfort and softness of the expensive sofa, Asagiri didn't immediately relax. Instead, he first looked down.
On the white sofa, there were two black lines he had drawn with a ballpoint pen along the outer sides of his legs before entering the instance. Now, those two black lines were perfectly aligned with the edges of his legs, one on the left and one on the right.
"It seems after leaving the instance, you appear exactly where you were before entering, without any difference, not even changing your posture."
After confirming this, Asagiri looked up at the wall clock in the living room. Like the time on his phone, it was six o'clock in the morning. An hour had passed in the instance, and an hour had also passed in the real world. The flow of time was synchronized.
Asagiri placed the chainsaw and electric drill he was holding onto the coffee table in front of him. Then, he took out his phone, tapped the eye icon APP, and sure enough, several new lines of text appeared.
[Congratulations on completing your first instance. The following are important notes]
[1. Ordinary people who are not Players cannot see the APP on your phone]
[2. The APP is not bound to the phone, but to the Player themselves. You can change phones at any time, and the APP will appear on the phone you are currently using. There is no need to worry about accidentally losing your phone or damaging it]
[3. When entering an instance, you cannot bring tools, equipment, items, weapons, or armor from the real world, nor can you use real-world items to disguise your appearance. Players are only allowed to wear everyday clothing when entering an instance]
[4. Before each instance entry, you will receive a notification three days in advance. Players must clear at least one instance per month. Exceeding the specified time limit will result in forced teleportation to a random instance]
[5. You can choose to actively enter an instance from the APP features (requires a three-day wait, cannot enter immediately; there must be at least one week between instances). If a Player achieved an A- or higher clear rating in the previous instance, they will receive a special notification upon entering the instance]
[Time remaining until next instance entry: 0]
"The newcomer instance doesn't count towards the instance entry cooldown? That's quite humane."
Asagiri nodded with satisfaction. After all, for him, the more times he could enter instances, the better. The S+ clear rating reward obtained in the newcomer instance was just the first step. He had to quickly grow stronger using a snowball effect to ensure he was the strongest among all Players.
After all, this was a world fused from various anime and manga. Although he hadn't discovered any supernatural powers yet, there were quite a few formidable characters even in the slice-of-life series.
Within the high school section of the Private Xiuzhiyuan Academy he was about to enter, there were many such figures.
After reading these prompts, Asagiri opened his Player panel within the APP. Of course, as his own power, he knew how to use his Persona and its specific effects even without the APP.
[Current Persona: Human Asura]
[Human Asura: Facing the fear of death, the Persona born from your inner heart]
[Strengths: Strength, Endurance, Defense, Speed, Agility]
[Weaknesses: No ranged attack methods]
[Human Asura's Passive: When switching to this Persona, your physical abilities will be enhanced, and because Human Asura represents unwavering determination, you will be immune to illusions, brainwashing, hypnosis, and all mental attacks]
[Corresponding Tarot Card: The Emperor (Upright)]
After reading this text in the APP, Asagiri noticed that the sky outside the window was starting to brighten. So, he began to wash up and get dressed, preparing to welcome his upcoming high school life.
Let me briefly introduce all the members of this family.
Utsunomiya Asagiri, a new student in Year 1 Class A at Private Shuchiin Academy, and...
That's it.
Parents deceased, no sister, but he has a house, and it's over two hundred square meters on a single floor in the bustling Shibuya commercial district of Tokyo.
........
A little later, in the early morning, outside Private Xiuzhiyuan Academy.
Yuuki Asuna, wearing the Shuchiin Academy uniform, stood at the school gate, constantly tidying her smooth long hair, looking a bit nervous. The reason for her nervousness wasn't because she was starting high school today, but because of the person she was waiting for.
Was Utsunomiya telling the truth?
Was that person really also a student at Private Xiuzhiyuan Academy?
Yuuki Asuna had already confirmed that the swordsmanship, skills, and the rapier obtained after clearing the instance could still be used even after returning to the real world.
To be honest, she was scared.
Yuuki Asuna's parents were both very busy with work, so after starting high school, she actually lived alone. Her parents had originally wanted to hire a nanny to take care of her daily life, but Yuuki Asuna felt that she should become independent after becoming a high school student, so she politely declined her parents' idea.
Thinking about it now, it was fortunate that she refused.
Otherwise, if she had suddenly disappeared in the early hours of the morning today, her parents would have been extremely worried, perhaps even calling the police. At that point, she wouldn't know how to explain it.
The only person Yuuki Asuna could discuss these matters with was Utsunomiya Asagiri.
Just then, Yuuki Asuna noticed a familiar figure walking towards her from not far away.
It wasn't just her; many students near the school gate also turned their gaze towards the approaching boy.
Even within Private Xiuzhiyuan Academy, which had many beautiful girls and handsome boys, his appearance was extremely outstanding, the kind that could attract countless attention just by looks alone.
Although the boy was wearing the Shuchiin Academy uniform, he hadn't buttoned it, wearing it like a jacket instead. The Shuchiin Academy uniform, which was supposed to be solemn and dignified with a hint of nobility, somehow gained a few touches of casual elegance when worn by him.
"Utsunomiya."
Yuuki Asuna's heart couldn't help but light up when she saw Asagiri walking towards her in the school uniform. A smile even appeared on her face, and she quickly walked over to greet him.
"Asuna Yuuki."
Asagiri also nodded and returned the greeting with a smile.
Feeling the surrounding gazes, Yuuki Asuna felt a little embarrassed. She realized that her actions just now seemed a bit too intimate and enthusiastic. She raised her hand to brush her long hair back, then softly said.
"Um... I checked the class list for you. I'm in Year 1 Class B, and you're..."
"I know, Year 1 Class A."
"Huh? You already know?"
Yuuki Asuna felt a little confused upon hearing this. Logically speaking, class assignments weren't supposed to be revealed in advance but were to be posted on the first day of school.
How could he know beforehand?