The matter Asagiri had asked Iwanaga Kotoko to help with was very simple.
He had rely asked her to find a relatively frightening yokai, then have it suddenly appear and scare Yamanouchi Sakura when she was at her most relaxed and least guarded.
There were two kinds of people who could see yokai.
The first were special individuals like Iwanaga Kotoko and Sakurakawa Rikka. The second were Players who originally could not see Cursed beings, but gained that ability after participating in the Ga.
Combined with the fact that Yamanouchi Sakura could notice Kato gumi's presence and even actively greet her, it was almost certain that she was a Player.
"Student Yamanouchi, huh..."
Kato gumi's expression remained calm as she walked down the street, holding Asagiri's hand.
"Although she's a popular and lively girl, her grades are average, and she doesn't seem especially good at sports either. Why would the system choose her as a Player? Or did she take another Player's phone... No, the Student Yamanouchi I know isn't soone who would do sothing like that."
Asagiri did not imdiately jump to a conclusion. Instead, he asked first.
"What kind of person is Yamanouchi Sakura in your impression?"
"Hmm... She's very friendly, very cheerful, very noticeable, and quite lively, but not annoying. If I had to describe her, she's the complete opposite of in terms of presence. But I don't dislike her."
Kato gumi looked at Asagiri's profile beside her and continued softly.
"Although I don't mind it, Student Yamanouchi actively greets every day. Maybe it's because she sees that I don't have any friends at school and worries I'll feel lonely. She also invited a few tis to have lunch with her, but I already have enough friends, and there are many things I can't talk about, so I politely declined."
Asagiri could not help teasing her.
"You have enough friends... By 'enough,' are you referring to Asuna and Kotoko, for a grand total of two friends?"
"Four, actually."
Kato gumi let go of Asagiri's hand, stopped walking, raised four fingers, and said seriously,
"Asuna and Kotoko are my second and third friends, Ashikaga-sensei is the fourth, and you are the first."
"So we're friends?"
"You beca my friend first. Only later did you beco my lover."
Kato gumi affectionately linked arms with Asagiri, raised her other hand to tuck a strand of long black hair behind her ear, and said softly,
"Besides, given your own situation, you're in no position to say I have few friends, are you? Aside from Ashikaga-sensei, do you have any other friends?"
"Of course I do."
Asagiri answered without hesitation, listing nas as casually as ordering from a nu.
"Kaguya Shinomiya. Fujiwara Chika."
"Uh... Leaving those two aside, why didn't you ntion Student Hayasaka?"
"Hayasaka Ai? I'm really not close to her. We haven't talked much."
"Oh?"
Kato gumi pursed her lips and chuckled softly, saying aningfully,
"I thought you considered every cute girl you knew who hadn't beco your lover yet to be a friend. So that's not the case."
"Little gumi, there's a hint of sarcasm in your words."
"Little gumi... What a cheesy nickna."
Kato gumi lightly bumped Asagiri's shoulder, and Asagiri bumped her back without backing down.
Kato gumi seed unconvinced and bumped him again. The two of them playfully bumped shoulders on the street until Asagiri finally said, "What is this, a children's quarrel?" Only then did Kato gumi laugh and stop.
"Getting back to the topic."
Asagiri put away his smile and asked softly,
"Do you think Yamanouchi Sakura, as a Player, is worth recruiting? Or rather, is she soone trustworthy?"
"Hmm..."
Kato gumi did not answer directly. Instead, she asked,
"When you say recruitnt, do you an the Player force Ashikaga-sensei is building, or do you an joining our small team and clearing Dungeons with us?"
"Both."
"If it's joining a force, I think Student Yamanouchi is quite suitable. If it's joining our team, based on her personality and her compatibility with Asuna and Kotoko, I don't think there would be any major issues. But in terms of strength and ability type, I can't say. After all, we don't even know whether she has already joined a team."
After sharing her impression of Yamanouchi Sakura, Kato gumi could not help asking Asagiri,
"Why are you asking this? I heard from Kotoko and Asuna that there's also a Student Shijō Maki in your Shuchiin Academy who is suspected to be a Player, and she's excellent in all aspects, isn't she? Didn't you consider recruiting her?"
"Recruit Shijō Maki? Impossible."
Asagiri shook his head and explained patiently,
"Shijō Maki is different from Kaguya Shinomiya. Kaguya Shinomiya has no authority in the Shinomiya Family, and she doesn't trust the people in the Shinomiya Family. But Shijō Maki is a genuine young lady of the Shijō family. Now that the Ga has progressed to this stage, the Shijō family may have already started building their own Player force. As a mber of the Shijō family, Shijō Maki would naturally join her family's force, or even beco its spokesperson, just like our relationship with Miwa Ashikaga. How could she abandon her own family's force to join us? Are you really treating like the Tokyo Succubus?"
After saying the last sentence, which was clearly a joke, Asagiri noticed Kato gumi looking serious, as if she were carefully thinking about sothing. He could not help giving her a speechless look.
"You don't actually think I could recruit Shijō Maki, do you?"
Kato gumi pursed her lips and smiled charmingly.
"Hard to say."
Asagiri reached out and ruffled Kato gumi's hair, smiling.
"Hard to say what? You're stealing my line."
"Utsunomiya-san, that isn't very nice to say, you know~"
Kato gumi raised her hand and lightly poked Asagiri's nose. Then she placed both hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, and gave him a playful smile.
"We're family who can entrust our lives to each other. What's yours is mine, so how can you call it stealing?"
"Are you just going to keep throwing my own words back at ?"
Asagiri first replied with a smile, then asked,
"So, where should we go next?"
"Huh? Aren't we going to continue tutoring?"
"You can fool , but don't fool yourself."
Asagiri looked at Kato gumi's face and smiled.
"Although your grades aren't exceptionally outstanding, there's absolutely no need for tutoring, is there? And you're not the type to spend your precious free ti after school desperately studying."
"Honestly..."
Kato gumi puffed out her cheeks, making a cute pouting face, and complained in a low voice,
"Sotis, not exposing a girl's little thoughts makes her happier, you know."
"Incorrect."
Asagiri took Kato gumi's hand and walked with her along the street ahead, saying softly,
"Only by letting you know that I saw through your little thoughts, but am still willing to accompany you anyway, can I prove that I also want to go on a date with you."
"Is that so?"
Although Kato gumi sounded doubtful, judging from the smile on her lips, she was clearly appeased. Her hand tightened slightly around his.
This was Kato gumi.
Although she occasionally threw little tantrums, she was very easy to coax, and she never made people feel like she was being unreasonable. Instead, it only made her seem even cuter.
"Well, if that's the case..."
Kato gumi pursed her pink lips and said softly,
"I've thought of a good date spot."
...
Half an hour later, inside Tokyo Skytree.
"Wow..."
Kato gumi stood in front of the transparent floor to ceiling window, looking down from hundreds of ters above at Tokyo, which now seed tiny beneath them.
She reached out and tugged Asagiri's sleeve. Her usually calm voice carried a rare trace of excitent, making her sound like a little girl.
"Look. From up here, the Tokyo we live in looks so small."
"Tokyo Skytree..."
Asagiri's gaze was not on the scenery outside the window. It had remained on Kato gumi beside him the entire ti.
Bathed in the warm sunlight, Kato gumi's already adorable face looked even more beautiful.
Kato gumi also noticed his gaze. A blush appeared on her fair cheeks, but she did not look away, because she too was quietly admiring Asagiri beneath the sunlight.
"So we ca here for a date, huh? It feels... quite ordinary."
"Quite ordinary..."
Hearing Asagiri's evaluation, Kato gumi was just starting to feel a little displeased when she saw him raise his hand and stroke her soft black hair. He smiled and added,
"But because I'm here with you, it isn't ordinary at all."
Kato gumi, who had nearly gotten upset, instantly brightened when she heard this. A trace of shyness appeared in her eyes. She turned her face away and whispered,
"You always launch these sudden attacks I can't resist at all... Do you really like that much?"
"Like? No, no."
Asagiri shook his head, put away the smile on his face, and held Kato gumi's hands.
Standing before the transparent floor to ceiling window of Tokyo Skytree, the two of them looked like a beautiful picture filled with youth and sunlight.
"Just saying 'like' is too superficial. My feelings for you..."
"Wait a mont."
Before Asagiri could finish, Kato gumi gently pressed her fair index finger against his lips.
She stood on tiptoe, leaned close to his ear, and spoke with breath as soft as orchids.
"I probably know what you want to say, but compared to hearing it here... I'd rather wait until tonight, when it's just the two of us. Say it then, and... I'll tell you then too, okay?"
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
Reviews
All reviews (0)