Chapter 175: The Battle with Asuna
A little later, at Asagiri's home.
"This… this is the not strange outfit you were talking about?"
Yuuki Asuna stared at the light pink, cute apron lying on the table, her face already bright red.
"It's just an apron. What's strange about it?"
Seeing Asagiri still acting perfectly righteous, Yuuki Asuna replied with shy indignation,
"An apron by itself isn't strange… but you want me to wear nothing else under it, not even underwear, just this apron… how is that possible…"
Asagiri spread his hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"There's no one else at home."
"There's no one else, and we've already done that… that kind of thing, but…"
Yuuki Asuna's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely louder than a mosquito's hum. The blush on her face became deeper and deeper.
Only after a while did she grab the apron off the table and mutter in a tone of total resignation,
"Honestly, since you behaved so well and accompanied me shopping today, I'll reluctantly agree to this request."
Before heading into the bedroom to change, Yuuki Asuna looked at Asagiri seriously and gave him a warning.
"Let me say this first. When I'm wearing this apron and cooking later, you are absolutely not allowed to take the chance to do anything weird."
Asagiri nodded with grave seriousness and made a solemn promise.
"Don't worry. Absolutely not."
…
Ten minutes later, in the kitchen.
"You… mm…"
Yuuki Asuna's face was flushed. Her head tilted back slightly as she felt Asagiri's soft kisses trailing along her fair, delicate neck. Her hands instinctively wrapped around his neck as she whispered shyly,
"Didn't you say… you wouldn't mess around…"
Asagiri paused, cupped her fair face in both hands, and admired her exquisite expression, which held a little anger but far more embarrassment. Then he smiled.
"I said I wouldn't mess around while you were cooking. Aren't we not cooking yet?"
"You… are you exploiting a loophole?"
Asagiri's hand slid under the apron as he replied righteously,
"A qualified Player should always look for loopholes in the rules, word by word."
"Mm…"
Yuuki Asuna's breathing gradually grew heavier. Asagiri directly lifted her onto the marble kitchen counter. The cool touch of the stone did not help her regain her senses. If anything, it only made everything feel even more overwhelming.
"Then… then be quick… I still have to cook…"
…
Two hours later.
"I can't… I really can't…"
Yuuki Asuna lay sprawled across the large soft bed, still wearing that light pink apron. Her fair, slender legs trembled weakly, and even her snow white toes curled helplessly.
Once again, she had deeply realized just how terrifying Asagiri really was.
Their battlefield had moved from the kitchen to the living room, then from the living room to the bedroom. For a full two hours, Asagiri had not given her the slightest chance to catch her breath.
At first, Yuuki Asuna had thought that after her physical ability improved, maybe she could finally have a proper, evenly matched head on battle with him.
And the final result was…
Lord Utsunomiya Asagiri, I am sorry. I have failed to satisfy you.
"Let me rest for a bit…"
Yuuki Asuna lazily rolled over and nestled into Asagiri's arm. She extended a fair finger and gently traced along his handsome face as she smiled softly.
"Then I'll go cook for you."
"No need."
Asagiri lightly kissed Yuuki Asuna's smooth forehead first, then rose from the bed, put on his clothes, and said with a smile,
"You rest. I'll cook."
"Eh?"
Yuuki Asuna could not help feeling a little surprised.
"Don't you not know how to cook?"
"Hm? When did I ever say I didn't know how to cook?"
"You know how? Then why did you tell me the first time I came here that you usually just buy bento from the convenience store…"
"Because it's troublesome."
Yuuki Asuna froze for a second, then sighed helplessly.
"That's a completely airtight reason…"
Then she suddenly seemed to think of something. Even though her body was aching and weak, she still forced herself to sit up. As she raised a hand to tidy her flaxen hair, she asked softly, her pretty face tinged red,
"Then… should we cook together?"
"We can do that next time."
Asagiri placed a hand on her shoulder and said with a light smile,
"You should rest properly first. After all, there's still a battle segment tonight."
"Again?"
The moment Yuuki Asuna heard him say there was still another round tonight, panic flashed across her face. In a sweet, pleading voice, she begged,
"Spare me… I really can't anymore… If I really can't, then call Kotoko and have her take over. I really can't…"
"Kotoko is out dealing with yokai requests."
Asagiri spread his hands and explained casually,
"She said that now that she has great strength and a fully restored body, she needs to adapt to it quickly. So she went off to handle requests from the yokai today and tomorrow. She's starting to show all the signs of becoming a battle maniac and won't be back until Sunday."
"Then… then…"
Yuuki Asuna curled up pitifully, looking weak, helpless, and miserable.
"Megumi…"
"Megumi went shopping with her mother and sister today."
"Then… the Metas…"
"To conserve mental energy, I'm not planning to use Persona abilities for this sort of thing. What if a fight breaks out unexpectedly?"
"But… if it really comes down to it, Ashikaga sensei…"
"I'm sorry, what?"
Asagiri was visibly shocked when he heard Ashikaga Miwa's name.
"That is way too abstract. How did Ashikaga sensei get dragged into this? Are you so desperate you're just grabbing at random straws now?"
"But I really can't anymore…"
Yuuki Asuna, who usually loved showing off and refusing to back down, now looked weak, pitiful, and helpless. Tears even shimmered faintly in her eyes as she pleaded miserably,
"Please spare me. I really can't anymore… Eh, what are you doing now…"
Seeing Asagiri start taking his shirt off again, Yuuki Asuna looked at the lines of muscle across his arms and abdomen. Even though her heart was tempted, her body simply could not keep up.
"You… you're really going again?"
"Seeing you teary eyed and looking this pitiful made me excited again."
"You… pervert…"
…
An hour later.
"The food you made is actually really good."
Yuuki Asuna picked up a piece of stir fried meat and put it into her mouth. She praised it with a smile first, then glared at Asagiri, who was sitting across from her, and said in a soft voice with reddened cheeks,
"But eating your cooking almost cost me half my life. Next time, let me cook…"
"Tonight?"
"Not tonight. Please spare me…"
Yuuki Asuna had now thoroughly understood the sheer terror of Asagiri's strength.
She alone was completely incapable of contending with the great demon king before her. Even if Iwanaga Kotoko were added, it would still only be a mantis trying to stop a chariot, or an ant trying to shake a tree.
And this was already with him not using Human Asura, which counted as him holding back.
How horrifying would he be at full power?
Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, Yuuki Asuna could only feel small, helpless, and utterly outmatched.
In order to satisfy Lord Utsunomiya Asagiri, and also for the sake of her own safety, Yuuki Asuna felt that perhaps it was finally time…
…to recruit new teammates.
…
Two days later, Sunday afternoon, in the living room of Asagiri's home.
"It's time to register for the next Dungeon."
Asagiri said this first, then looked at Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi, and Yuuki Asuna seated before him and asked with a smile,
"You've all read Ashikaga sensei's development suggestions, right? Have you decided on your future directions?"
"I'll still focus on control type skills."
Iwanaga Kotoko had already made up her mind, so she answered immediately.
"In the last Dungeon, if we'd had skills that could completely lock down enemy movement, things wouldn't have become so troublesome. It was the same in the hotel Dungeon. Many strange type enemies can't be killed directly. Our team doesn't lack damage output, so I'll focus on developing control abilities to make sure you can land your attacks and maximize your output."
"Then I'll develop toward long range attack and stealth sniper type skills."
Kato Megumi had already decided on her own future path as well. The stealth archer route was not only the best fit for her personally, it also suited the team's overall composition best.
On one hand, Kato Megumi's aptitude for close combat weapons was not especially high, nowhere near Yuuki Asuna's exceptional natural talent. On the other hand, both Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna were already front line damage dealers. Even though this death game had many settings that resembled a virtual RPG, it was not actually a game.
In an online game, multiple melee damage dealers could stand together without worrying about friendly fire or crowded space. Reality was different.
Unless the target was some giant monster, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna already occupied all the necessary space for close combat output. Adding one more melee fighter might actually interfere with them and prevent them from fully using their strength.
"I'll keep going as a speed type Swordsman."
After Iwanaga Kotoko and Kato Megumi had spoken, Yuuki Asuna also stated her own choice.
"My current direction is still the one that suits me best."
After Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko had all decided their future paths, Asagiri finally picked up his phone. His tone remained calm.
"Alright. Then it's time to decide which Dungeon we're entering next. The entry time is Wednesday. After this one ends, the game will enter the third phase."
"Mm. Let's look at the Dungeon keywords first."
"Okay."
Asagiri tapped open the Eye Icon APP on his phone. Dark red text condensed on the screen, forming three keywords that represented the next Dungeon's theme.
[Wasteland] [Snow Mountain] and… [Kyozan Mental Hospital]
.....
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