Chapter 167: Kato Megumi's Invitation
"Ugh…"
With Fujiwara Chika crying loudly and pressing down on her chest, Kaguya Shinomiya could not help letting out a small groan. She tried to keep her voice calm, but irritation still made it tremble.
"I just came to the infirmary. I am not dying. Stop wailing already."
"Oh, so you are not dying."
Fujiwara Chika's mood flipped instantly. Kaguya Shinomiya sighed, helplessness creeping into her expression.
"You are doing this on purpose just to annoy me, aren't you?"
"Eh, do not say that~"
Chika wore her pure, innocent smile, shaking her head as she denied it in a sweet voice.
"I care about your health~ I even skipped class and came all the way here to check on you. Doesn't that prove how much I care?"
"Heh."
They had been close for years. Kaguya saw through her at a glance.
"You just wanted an excuse to skip class. Stop dressing it up."
Fujiwara Chika's face turned to shock, as if she had been struck by lightning.
"What?! As expected of Kaguya, you saw through my flawless disguise with a single look!"
"Flawless, huh…"
Watching the two of them bicker, Asagiri, who had been sitting by the bed, stood and smiled.
"Since someone is here to stay with you, I'll head back. I still have class, after all…"
"Alright, alright. You do not need to say more. I understand."
Kaguya Shinomiya wore a tired, speechless expression and let out a long sigh.
"You are first. The strongest. Carrying the heavy burden of being the strongest. Something I will never experience. So you cannot skip class casually. Yes, yes. I understand."
"Oh, you learned to answer before the question is even asked? Fine. Enjoy yourselves, then. I'm leaving."
Asagiri left the infirmary. The moment the door shut, Fujiwara Chika stared at Kaguya Shinomiya with a mischievous glint, covering her lips as she giggled.
"Oh dear. Should I not have come?"
Kaguya frowned, not understanding.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you not like Utsunomiya?"
Fujiwara Chika wore the kind of smile an auntie got when she smelled gossip. She started rambling as if narrating a drama.
"A beautiful girl who always acts tough collapses from exhaustion. The only one who can see the fragile heart beneath her strong exterior is that handsome young man who is usually rough and blunt, but gentle when it matters most. The two are alone in the infirmary, and it is not just the distance that becomes close, but also two hearts that are clueless, yet tasting first love…"
"Can you stop babbling?"
Kaguya Shinomiya sighed heavily. Her expression was complicated.
"I know you act innocent, but your ability to read the atmosphere cannot be this bad. Leaving aside my condition, Utsunomiya and I are both Players. We only interact because of the game."
She spoke slowly, as if forcing herself to be rational.
"Compared to some childish romance fantasy, what I should be thinking about is how to survive and how to gain strength. Utsunomiya should think the same way."
"Is that so…"
Fujiwara Chika tilted her head, as if she could not understand Kaguya's logic at all. Then her lips curved up again.
"But you talked so much, and you still did not deny the one point that matters most. In your heart, Utsunomiya really is special~"
Kaguya Shinomiya froze for a moment, then lightly shook her head.
"That is only because he is strong. Whether as a Player or as my rival at school, he is strong enough to make me want to defeat him. That is all. It has nothing to do with what you call first love."
"I see."
Fujiwara Chika responded noncommittally. Then she rested a hand gently on Kaguya Shinomiya's shoulder, her voice turning unexpectedly soft.
"Either way, rest first. I'll stay here with you."
…
After school that day, at the front gate of Private Toyonosaki Academy.
"Utsunomiya."
Kato Megumi, still in her Toyonosaki uniform, walked up to Asagiri. Her eyes flicked over him and noted the black casual clothes.
"You are not wearing your school uniform."
Asagiri walked along the road with her, smiling as he answered.
"Because wandering around in a Shuchiin uniform is a bit too conspicuous."
At that, Kato Megumi turned her head slightly. She stared at Asagiri's profile, then glanced at the Toyonosaki students leaving school who were already looking at him with curiosity.
She murmured quietly, almost to herself.
"But even without it, you still draw so much attention… everyone notices you anyway… what does that even feel like…"
"You want to increase your presence?"
"Hm… at least I want to try."
Kato Megumi held her shoulder bag with both hands as she walked beside him.
"I know my abilities rely on being unnoticed. If I raise my presence, it might affect my performance in battle, but… I still want to raise it, even just a little. Sorry. It is selfish."
"Not even a little."
Asagiri shook his head, smiling.
"We are teammates and friends. Helping a friend is normal. Besides, the game is only part of life. If we live as if everything must kneel before the word Player, and we have to crush every personal thought for the sake of efficiency, that is just boring."
"Hm…"
"No wonder."
As Kato Megumi drifted into thought, Asagiri spoke again with a light smile.
"No wonder you grew your hair out, from a short bob to shoulder length. Are you trying to change things starting with your hairstyle?"
"Eh?"
Kato Megumi blinked, genuinely surprised.
"You noticed?"
"Ah?"
This time, Asagiri looked more shocked than she did.
"You are my friend. Noticing changes like that is normal. Why are you surprised?"
"That is true, but…"
Kato Megumi let out a quiet sigh, her eyes turning complicated.
"At school, my classmates do not seem to notice at all…"
"That is where I am great."
Asagiri praised himself as naturally as breathing, then continued.
"But in school, it is normal. Everyone wears the same uniform, and your strong points do not stand out."
"Strong points? Do I have any?"
"Of course you do."
Asagiri replied without hesitation.
"You are cute. Not the loud, attention grabbing kind like Kotoko or Asuna, but a softer kind. And your taste in clothes is good, much better than someone like me who wears black all year."
"You are just trying to make me happy."
Kato Megumi said it calmly, then added softly.
"Besides, compared to Asuna and Kotoko, the biggest difference is not appearance. It is that my personality is too ordinary."
Her voice lowered, but she kept walking beside him, steady.
"Asuna is always so strong, like she will never lose to anything. And she is gentle. Kotoko says strange things and acts absurd, but she never shows fear. And you… you never show fear either."
Kato Megumi's grip on her bag tightened slightly.
"Just being next to you makes people feel safe, like any problem can be solved."
"And compared to the three of you… I… I am too ordinary. Sometimes I even feel it was only coincidence, only luck, that I became your teammate."
She hesitated, then forced the words out.
"Maybe the teammate you truly need… is not someone like me."
Asagiri waved a hand immediately.
"Hey. What are you saying?"
Kato Megumi braced herself, thinking he would comfort her with something gentle.
Instead, his next words made her laugh despite herself.
"Kotoko and I are both mentally abnormal. This is the first time I have seen someone depressed because they are not mentally ill. From that angle alone, you are already not ordinary."
"Mental illness…"
Kato Megumi suppressed her smile, lips pressed together.
"But…"
"No buts. You are not ordinary."
Asagiri cut her off bluntly.
"Fear and panic are normal. If our team did not have you, Kotoko would never be afraid, Asuna would keep acting tough and arguing back, and I am the gambling type of Player. The three of us would be a suicide squad. Something would have happened a long time ago."
"And you do have a personality. It is just not as loud as theirs. In how many Dungeons so far have you stepped in at the critical moment and kept those two from escalating bickering into a real fight?"
Asagiri's tone stayed matter of fact, as if he were stating an objective fact.
"In my opinion, the word ordinary is just an insult. It has nothing to do with you. I see the greatness of Saint Megumi."
"Saint… that is a bit much."
Kato Megumi answered neutrally, but then a small smile appeared.
"Still… I am happy to hear you say that."
"Good. Be happy."
Asagiri smiled back, then sighed deeply, his voice overflowing with dramatic despair and resistance.
"So now can you tell me why you did not ask Asuna or Kotoko to go clothes shopping with you, which is boring and torturous, but asked me?"
...
[TL: Check out my newly Released fanfic]
[TITLE: Starting in One Piece with Vector Manipulation]