In the anime, people are in everyday Tokyo, but they are playing the reincarnation game

"Oh, so I can't die."

Seeing Fujiwara Chika's mood change instantly, Shinomiya Kaguya sighed slightly and said helplessly.

"You're just trying to piss me off, aren't you?"

"Hey, don't say that~"

Fujiwara Chika showed an innocent and lovely smile, shook her head, and denied it in a sweet voice.

"I'm concerned about your health. I even skipped class and came all the way to see you. Isn't that enough to prove my care and love for you?"

"Ah."

Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika have been friends for many years, and they can see through each other's hidden thoughts beneath their innocent appearance at a glance.

"You're just looking for an excuse to skip class. Don't make it sound so nice."

Fujiwara Chika looked shocked and said in disbelief.

"What!? As expected of Kaguya, you saw through my superb disguise right away!"

"Is it really superb..."

Seeing Fujiwara Chika and Shinomiya Kaguya chatting, Asagiri, who was originally sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up and said with a smile.

"Since someone is here to take care of you, I'll go back. I still have to go to class. After all..."

"Okay, okay, you don't have to say anymore, I know."

Shinomiya Kaguya looked speechless and sighed.

"You are number one, the strongest. I cannot understand the weight of carrying the title of the strongest, so you cannot skip classes casually. Got it, got it."

"Hey, you've even learned to answer quickly? Okay, you two can play by yourselves, I'm leaving."

After Asagiri left the infirmary, Fujiwara Chika stared at Shinomiya Kaguya with a malicious look on her face, covering her lips and chuckled.

"Oh, should I not have come?"

Shinomiya Kaguya frowned slightly, not quite understanding what Fujiwara Chika meant.

"what are you saying?"

"Don't you like Utsunomiya-san?"

Fujiwara Chika smiled like an auntie and talked to herself in a crazy way.

"A beautiful girl who loves to show off her strength collapses from exhaustion. The only one who can see through the fragile heart beneath her strong exterior is the handsome boy, who is usually rude and tough, but very gentle at the critical moment. The two of them are alone in the infirmary, and they are close not only in distance, but also in their two ignorant hearts, but also in their first love..."

"Would you mind not going crazy here?"

Shinomiya Kaguya sighed heavily, her face showing a complicated expression.

"I know you're quite natural, but your ability to read the atmosphere shouldn't be this bad, right? Putting aside my current situation, Utsunomiya-san and I are both gamers. We only crossed paths because of gaming. Rather than some boring and childish play-house love game, how to survive and how to gain powerful strength are what I should be thinking about. Utsunomiya-san and I should be thinking the same way."

"is that so...."

Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, as if she couldn't quite understand Shinomiya Kaguya's logic, but then she raised the corners of her lips and couldn't help but smile.

"But after saying so much, you haven't denied the most crucial point. It seems that in your heart, Utsunomiya-san is indeed special~"

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Shinomiya was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said lightly.

"That's just because he's strong. Whether as a player or as my rival in school, he's very strong. I want to defeat him, that's all. It has nothing to do with your so-called first love."

"I see."

Fujiwara Chika responded noncommittally, then gently placed her hand on Shinomiya Kaguya's shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Anyway, you should have a good rest first. I will be here with you."

.............

After school that day, at the gate of the private Toyonosaki Academy.

"Utsunomiya-san."

Kato Megumi, who was wearing the school uniform of Private Toyonosaki Academy, walked up to Asagiri, glanced at her who was not wearing the school uniform of Private Shuchiin Academy but was wearing black casual clothes, and spoke softly.

"You're not wearing your school uniform."

Asagiri replied with a smile as she walked forward along the road with Kato Megumi.

"Because wandering around the streets in the private Shuchiin Academy uniform is a bit too conspicuous."

Upon hearing this, Kato Megumi turned her head and stared at Asagiri's profile. Then she looked at the Toyosaki students around her who had just finished school and were looking at Asagiri with curiosity, and muttered to herself.

"But even without the Shuchiin uniform, you seem to be quite conspicuous... Everyone around you is noticing you... What's that feeling like?"

"Do you want to increase your presence?"

"Well... at least want to try."

Kato Megumi was walking side by side with Asagiri on the street, carrying the shoulder bag she needed for school in both hands.

"I'm well aware that my abilities are based on my low sense of presence. Improving my sense of presence might affect my performance in battle, but... I still want to improve my sense of presence. Sorry, this idea is very willful..."

"Not at all."

Asagiri shook his head and smiled.

"Since we're teammates and friends, it's only natural to help our friends. Furthermore, games are just a part of our lives. If we live solely for games, and everything has to give way to our identity as a gamer, and we have to suppress our own thoughts, then that would be too boring."

"Um..."

"No wonder."

Just when Kato Megumi was thinking about something, she heard Asagiri say with a smile in her voice.

"No wonder you grew your hair longer, from a short bob to shoulder-length hair now. Did you want to change your hairstyle first?"

"Eh?"

Kato Megumi was stunned when she heard this, and said with some surprise.

"Did you actually notice?"

"what?"

Hearing this, Asagiri looked incredulous.

"You're my friend, though. Isn't it natural to notice changes in your friend's appearance? What's so surprising about that?"

"That's true, but..."

Kato Megumi sighed slightly, her eyes looking a little complicated.

"When I was in school, my classmates didn't seem to notice this at all..."

“That’s what makes me great.”

Asagiri first boasted about herself as usual, then spoke.

"But it's normal that no one notices you in a place like school. After all, everyone wears the same uniform, so your strengths can't be highlighted."

"Advantages? Are there any?"

"Of course."

In response to Kato Megumi's curious question, Asagiri answered without hesitation.

"You're very cute, and unlike Iwanaga Kotoko and Asuna Yui, you're not that cute that's too eye-catching, but rather a very gentle kind of cute. And you have great taste in clothes, much better than someone like me who always wears black."

"Are you trying to cheer me up? After all, you don't need to dress up to look handsome."

Kato Megumi said this first, and then slowly spoke.

"Also, the biggest difference between me, Asuna, and Kotoko isn't our looks, but our personalities are both so ordinary and ordinary... Asuna is always so strong, as if she won't give in to anything, and she's also very gentle. Kotoko, while quite abstract and prone to saying strange things from time to time, has never shown any fear or panic..."

"And you, you've never shown any fear or panic. Just being around you makes me feel at ease, as if any difficulties can be easily solved."

"Compared to you three... I'm too ordinary. Sometimes I even feel that it's just by chance and luck that I became your teammate. In fact, the teammate you really need... isn't someone like me..."

After Kato Megumi finished speaking, Asagiri waved her hand.

"Hey, what are you talking about?"

Just when Kato Megumi thought that Asagiri was going to find a reason to comfort herself, the other party's next words made her, who was originally a little sad, burst into laughter.

"Iwanaga Kotoko and I are both mentally unstable. This is the first time I've seen someone feel lost because they're not mentally ill. From this point of view, you are no longer ordinary."

"Psychosis..."

Kato Megumi suppressed her smile and pursed her lips.

"but..."

"No buts, you're not ordinary."

Asagiri interrupted Kato Megumi's chanting and spoke bluntly.

"Feeling fear and panic is a normal human reaction. If you weren't on our team, Iwanaga Kotoko would never be afraid, Yuuki Asuna would be stubborn and reckless, and I'd be the high roller. A team of three would be like a death squad, and something would have happened a long time ago."

"Besides, it's not that you don't have a personality, it's just that your personality isn't as obvious as Kotoko and Asuna's. In the dungeons so far, how many times have you been able to mediate at the critical moment, so that the two of them didn't escalate from bickering to quarreling?"

"In my opinion, the word 'ordinary' is too derogatory, and you are absolutely not ordinary. I see the greatness of Saint Hui."

Hearing Asagiri addressing her, Kato Megumi remained noncommittal.

"Saint...isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

Then, Kato Megumi smiled and spoke softly.

"But I'm quite happy to hear you say that."

"Just be happy."

Asagiri first replied with a smile, then sighed, his voice filled with despair and resistance that was beyond words.

"So now you can tell me why you didn't go to Asuna or Kotoko for something as boring and torturous as shopping for clothes, but came to me instead?"


Chapter 53: 051 Contrasting Combination of Presence

"Ok?"

Kato Megumi stopped and moved closer to Asagiri. Although she pretended to be angry, her tone was obviously joking.

"Utsunomiya-san thinks that accompanying me shopping is boring and torturous. Is it because you think I'm a boring person?"

"Don't talk about you, even if it's..."

Having said this, Asagiri suddenly paused, and Kato Megumi couldn't help but feel a little confused when she saw this.

After all, in her impression, Utsunomiya-san has always been eloquent and can successfully resolve any situation with abstract ideas. This is the first time she has seen him hesitate to speak, as if he doesn't know what to say.

Could it be that... my joke went too far? Did it embarrass Utsunomiya-san?

Thinking of this, Kato Megumi quickly changed the subject.

"Well...I have a clothing store that I often go to..."

"Huh? Why are you suddenly saying this?"

Asagiri glanced at the bewildered Kato Megumi, and immediately understood what she was thinking. She smiled and waved her hand to explain.

"I am indeed a little embarrassed, but it's not because of the joke you just made. Don't take it to heart."

Hearing this, Kato Megumi couldn't help but ask curiously, "That is...?"

Asagiri replied seriously.

"In that context, I should have given you an example of someone who is more interesting and appealing to me than you, but I really can't think of one."

"lie."

Kato Megumi turned her head and whispered.

"Whether it's Kotoko or Asuna, in your heart, they should be more interesting than me..."

"Look at what you said. If I thought you were boring, I wouldn't have agreed to go shopping with you."

"But didn't you say that shopping is boring, even torturous?"

"Isn't that right?"

Kato Megumi looked puzzled when she heard this.