A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

"Who...who has tears welling up in their eyes?!"

As Yuuki Asuna retorted, she pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, took one out, and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

Just as she was about to say something, her phone suddenly beeped. She took it out and saw a line of text appear on the screen.

[Timeout for this instance has expired. You will be leaving in ten seconds.]

"Time is up."

Asagiri also saw the same sentence on his phone. He picked up the chainsaw and drill from the ground, discarding the books and magazines he had originally used for protection. Then, he looked up and smiled at Yuuki Asuna.

"Well then, Yuuki-kun, see you at school."

012 The First Day at Shuchiin

Accompanied by a thick red mist, Asagiri reappeared in her home.

"You're back..."

Feeling the comfort and softness of the expensive sofa, Asagiri did not relax immediately, but first looked down at it.

On the white sofa, there were two black lines he had drawn with a ballpoint pen along the outside of his legs before entering the dungeon. Now, those two black lines were on the left and right, right next to the edges of his legs.

"It seems that after leaving the dungeon, you will appear in the exact same position as before entering the dungeon, without any difference, not even the posture will change."

After confirming this, Asagiri looked up at the wall clock in the living room. It was the same time as her 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 time flow was synchronized.

Asagiri placed the chainsaw and drill on the coffee table in front of her, then took out her phone, opened the app with the eye icon, and sure enough, a few new lines of text appeared.

Congratulations on completing your first dungeon run! Please see the following notes.

1. Ordinary people who are not players cannot observe the apps located on your phone.

2. The app is not linked to your phone number, but to the player. You can change your phone at any time, and the app will appear on your current phone. You don't need to worry about accidentally losing or damaging your phone.

[3. Each time you enter a dungeon, 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 enter the dungeon wearing everyday clothing.]

4. Players will receive a notification three days in advance before entering a dungeon. Players must complete the dungeon at least once per month. If the time limit is exceeded, players will be forcibly teleported to a random dungeon.

[5. Players can choose to actively enter dungeons through the app's features (this requires a three-day wait and cannot be entered immediately; there is at least a one-week interval between dungeons). If a player achieved an A- or higher completion rating in the previous dungeon, they will receive a special notification upon entering the dungeon.]

[Time remaining until next entry into the dungeon: 0]

"The newbie dungeon isn't included in the cooldown time for entering the dungeon? That's quite considerate."

Asagiri nodded with satisfaction. After all, for him, the more times he entered the dungeon, the better. He had obtained an S+ rating in the beginner dungeon, which was only the first step. He needed to grow stronger as quickly as possible and make sure he was the strongest among all the players.

After all, this is a world created by merging various anime and manga. Although he hasn't discovered any supernatural powers yet, there are quite a few powerful characters in those slice-of-life anime.

There are many such people in the private Shuchiin Academy high school he is about to attend.

After reading these prompts, Asagiri opened the panel for himself as a player in the app. Of course, he knew how to use Persona, his own power, and its specific effects, even without the app.

[Current Persona: Human Asura]

[Human Asura: Facing the Fear of Death, the Persona Born Within You]

Strengths: Strength, stamina, defense, speed, agility

[Weakness: Lack of ranged attack methods]

[Human Asura's Passive: When switching to this persona, your physical attributes will be enhanced, and because Human Asura represents an unwavering and steadfast will, you will be immune to all mental attacks such as illusions, brainwashing, and hypnosis.]

[Corresponding Tarot Card: The Emperor (Upright)]

After reading the text in the app, Asagiri noticed that the sky outside the window was beginning to brighten, so she started washing up and changing clothes to prepare for her upcoming high school life.

Let me briefly introduce all the members of this family.

Asagiri Utsunomiya, a first-year student at the private Shuchiin Academy, and then...

Gone.

Orphaned, no sister, but owns a house, a single-level apartment of over 200 square meters in the bustling Shibuya business district of Tokyo.

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

Later that evening, early in the morning, outside the private Shujiwon Academy.

Wearing her Shuchi High School uniform, Asuna Yuuki stood at the school gate, constantly adjusting her long, flowing hair. She seemed a little nervous, but not because she was about to become a high school student today. Instead, she was waiting for the person she was waiting for.

Utsunomiya Asagiri, are you telling the truth?

Is the other person really also a student at the private Shujiwon Academy?

Asuna Yuuki has confirmed that the swordsmanship, skills, and rapier she obtained after clearing the dungeon will still be usable even after returning to the real world.

To be honest, she was very scared.

Yuuki Asuna's parents were both very busy with work, so she actually lived alone after starting high school. Her parents originally wanted to hire a nanny to take care of her daily life, but Yuuki Asuna felt that she should be independent after becoming a high school student, so she declined her parents' idea.

Looking back now, I'm glad I refused.

Otherwise, if she had suddenly disappeared in the early hours of this morning, her parents would have been extremely worried and might even have called the police. At that point, she wouldn't know how to explain herself.

Asuna Yuuki's only confidante was Asagiri Utsunomiya.

Just then, Asuna Yuuki noticed a familiar figure walking towards her from not far away.

Not only her, but many students near the school gate also turned their attention to the boy who was walking over.

Even at Shuchiin Academy, a private school with many beautiful female and handsome male students, the other person's appearance is extremely outstanding, the kind that can attract countless attention just by looking at them.

Although the boy was wearing the school uniform of Shujiin, he didn't button it up. Instead, he wore it as an overcoat. The Shujiin school uniform, which should have been solemn and noble, looked strangely dashing on him.

“Utsunomiya-kun.”

When Yuuki Asuna saw Asagiri walking over in her school uniform, she was overjoyed and a smile appeared on her face. She quickly went over to greet her.

"Yuki-kun."

Asagiri nodded as well, and greeted him with a smile.

Feeling the gazes around her, Asuna Yuuki felt a little embarrassed, realizing that her actions just now seemed a bit too intimate and enthusiastic. She raised her hand to tuck her long hair behind her ear before speaking softly.

"Um... I checked the class assignments for you. I'm in Class B of Grade 1, and you are...?"

“I know, Class A, Grade 1.”

"Huh? You already knew?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki felt somewhat puzzled, since the class assignments were not usually revealed in advance, but rather announced on the first day of school.

How could the other party have known in advance?

A heavyweight in Class 013A

Curiosity aside, Asuna Yuuki didn't ask too many questions. Although she and Asagiri had cleared a dungeon together once, they had only just met today, and it wasn't appropriate to pry into their privacy.

"Then... shall we go in together?"

"Okay, let's go in together."

Without any hesitation, Asagiri followed Yuuki Asuna into the private Shuchiin Academy, taking a deep breath and sighing with emotion.

"This refreshing and intoxicating fragrance is indeed the youthful vibe that permeates the air when high school students start school in early spring... Oh no, it seems to be coming from you."

Upon hearing this, Yuuki Asuna, who was hesitating about how to respond while discussing serious matters with Asagiri, was caught off guard and instinctively uttered a questioning sound.

"what?"

Then, she realized what he meant, and her fair cheeks flushed instantly, but she tried to remain calm.

"I...after that, I took a shower, didn't you?"

"Yuki-kun."

Asagiri glanced around and then said calmly.

"Your voice is too loud, and what you said is too easy for people to misunderstand."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki realized that the students around her all had extremely shocked expressions after she had just said those words.

She immediately realized that what she had just said did sound a bit inappropriate.

After that, she took a shower, and more importantly, to cover up her embarrassment, she subconsciously asked Asagiri, "Didn't you take a shower?"

This makes it sound like the two of them did something together that... required a shower...

"Um... let's walk a little faster."

Asuna Yuuki's pretty face flushed red. She lowered her head and whispered those words before quickening her pace and walking with Asagiri toward the Shuchiin Academy building.

The two didn't have a chance to talk about the dungeon along the way, since there were just too many students around.

Both Asuna Yuuki and Asagiri were well aware that their identities as "players" absolutely could not be exposed.

"Let's talk about it during lunch break."

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Asuna Yuuki nodded and then entered the classroom of Class 1-B.

The classroom of Class A, first grade, where Asagiri belonged, was right next door. He walked in confidently, ignoring the curious glances from the students who were already inside. He went straight to the innermost corner of the classroom by the window, the so-called "king's throne," and pulled out a chair to sit down.

The attention he received didn't last long. A few minutes later, a slightly noisy commotion suddenly broke out in the corridor outside the classroom, followed by complete silence.

In the silence, a beautiful girl wearing the school uniform of the private Shuchiin Academy, black calf socks, and a pair of exquisite leather shoes, with long, straight black hair, a pretty face, and a slender figure, slowly walked into the classroom of Class A.

All the students in the classroom subconsciously turned their gaze to the girl, but after seeing her face clearly, they immediately looked away, as if they were both curious and trying to avoid her.

Noticing the reactions of her classmates, Kaguya Shinomiya's expression and eyes remained unchanged, as if she had anticipated this situation.

It's always been like this, from childhood to adulthood.

As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, she is like a delicate yet chilling Japanese doll, causing those around her to unconsciously keep their distance.

Shuchiin Academy, a private school, has a junior high school section. Kaguya Shinomiya went up from the junior high school section here. She only had to glance at it to find that almost all the faces in the classroom were familiar, and there were even a few people who were her classmates in junior high school.

But... no one came up to greet her.

Everyone avoided looking at her.

Just like in junior high school...

"Ok?"

Just as Kaguya Shinomiya was thinking this, she noticed a boy sitting in the corner of the classroom staring at her. Unlike the other students, he didn't try to hide his gaze at all. When she looked over and met his eyes, he didn't avoid her gaze like a normal person would.

She had no recollection of this handsome boy, which proved that he was not a student who had come up from the junior high school of Shuchiin.

Could it be that...

The other person doesn't recognize me?

Kaguya Shinomiya thought this to herself, but on the surface, she maintained the etiquette of the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family. She nodded slightly to Asagiri, who was sitting there, without any shyness or awkwardness like an ordinary girl. She only showed the manners and demeanor that should be shown by the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family.

But that's all.

As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, it's impossible for Kaguya Shinomiya to greet a boy on the first day of school.

Seeing Kaguya Shinomiya sit down in the middle of the classroom, Asagiri turned to look out the window, her mind preoccupied with only one thing.

Is Kaguya Shinomiya a player?

He had to consider this issue, partly because Kaguya Shinomiya's various abilities were simply too outrageous, such as her genius mind, the psychological suggestion that forced her to think calmly, and her national championship-level archery and kendo skills. Compared to most characters in slice-of-life anime, she was practically a superhuman.

And the more important reason...

Kaguya Shinomiya was his classmate.

If the other party is also a player, then you must be very careful.

After obtaining Noguchi and Kawa's phones in the dungeon and learning that ordinary people could register as new players by clicking on icons, Asagiri actually considered whether to recruit Shinomiya Kaguya as a player, since with Shinomiya Kaguya's abilities, she would definitely be an excellent helper.

But he rejected the idea as soon as it came to mind.

How can we make Kaguya Shinomiya an ally?

This is simply not realistic.

The current Kaguya Shinomiya is in her so-called "Ice Kaguya" period, her mind filled with the cold-blooded ideas of imperial politics. She is adept at manipulating others and possesses an almost obsessive pride as the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family. Asagiri simply cannot believe that she would obediently become his ally after becoming a player.