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

Upon hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's report on the investigation results, Asagiri nodded noncommittally and then inquired.

"What was the cause of death?"

"He died from blood loss after having his throat slit with a sharp weapon. Judging from the modus operandi, the murderer did not use any special force."

"I see."

Asagiri smiled nonchalantly and said in a relaxed tone.

"Finding the culprit is the Metropolitan Police Department's job, it has nothing to do with us. But what we can confirm now is that someone has already started to exploit that hidden pattern, whether it's for items and equipment or for the player's registration rights, in short, someone has already started to make moves in the real world."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki's face showed worry, and she murmured.

"The three of us are fine. At school, Ashikaga-sensei, who is a member of the board of directors, is helping to cover for us. Asagiri and I both live alone, and Kotoko's family won't interfere much in her affairs. But Megumi..."

"Do not worry."

Kotoko Iwanaga raised her hand, patted Asuna Yuuki's shoulder, and comforted her with a smile.

"So far, we have been very careful in our actions, and I had already thought of this. I have instructed the youkai around the private Toyonosaki Academy and the area where Megumi lives to report to me immediately if they discover anything suspicious or any suspicious person, so there is no need to worry."

Asuna Yuuki breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Ah That's good."

Kotoko Iwanaga not only possesses the reward abilities after clearing dungeons, but her most important and crucial ability is actually the ability to command the monsters in the real world. Although she cannot order them to attack humans, she can easily have them perform tasks such as investigation, vigilance, and intelligence gathering.

Her ability is enough to give the team a significant intelligence advantage, but in return, she also needs to help the monsters with their requests.

"Let's call Hui over after school today and discuss the next steps?"

Upon hearing Asuna Yuuki's suggestion, Asagiri nodded.

"Okay, we can also have a get-together to celebrate the successful completion of the first phase of the dungeon."

Asuna Yuuki smiled gently: "Okay, I'll email her later."

Just then, a steady knock came at the door.

Asagiri stood up, walked over, and opened the door. She saw Ashikaga Miwa standing outside, dressed in a professional suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and looking as meticulous and serious as ever.

"Utsunomiya-kun, I'd like to talk to you."

Asagiri smiled and nodded, then stepped aside.

"Perfect timing, I also have something to discuss with you."

Upon seeing this, Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga tactfully stood up.

"Then let's go have lunch first."

After Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga left, Miwa Ashikaga walked behind the large desk and sat down in her seat.

Then, Ashikaga Miwa looked at Asagiri, who was sitting on the black leather sofa, and slowly began to speak.

“Utsunomiya-kun, you…”

"You're a player, right?"

3

Chapter 03 The Helper.

Faced with Ashikaga Miwa's sudden question, Asagiri did not show any panic on her face and simply nodded.

"Since you already know the word 'player,' it means you already have some understanding of this ongoing game."

"As expected... you're a player..."

Although Asagiri's affirmative answer was expected, Ashikaga Miwa's expression still became somewhat complicated when she heard it with her own ears, and she sighed heavily.

"I knew it... If you didn't intend to become a fighter, why did you come to me for special training, and why did you bring along Yuuki-kun and that Kato-kun from another school? Unlike you, who were originally athletic geniuses, their outstanding physical abilities were obtained through game rewards, right?"

"Correct."

"Since you and Yuki are both, then what about Kotoko Iwanaga, who suddenly transferred to our class and whose father is on the school board? Could she also be...?"

"That's right, she's a player too."

Hearing Asagiri's repeated affirmative answers, Ashikaga Miwa's expression grew increasingly heavy, and she sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"There are actually three players in our school..."

"Three?"

Asagiri corrected him with a smile.

"There are five. Shinomiya and Fujiwara from Class B are also players."

"Them too?"

Faced with this shocking news, Ashikaga Miwa was so stunned that she was almost numb.

"There are five players in the first year alone? That's too much... I really don't know what to say."

Asagiri picked up the Coca-Cola on the table, took a sip, and then asked.

"Mr. Ashikaga, how did you know about the players and the game?"

"Don't underestimate me."

Ashikaga Miwa sighed, stood up, took her cup to the coffee machine, poured herself a cup of coffee (which had already cooled down), and then drank it all in one gulp, her actions even appearing somewhat bold.

“I am, after all, a member of the board of directors of Shuchiin University and own so many businesses. I have many connections in the police and political circles. More than one person has reported to the police that they have been pulled into some kind of death game and become a so-called player. At first, the authorities thought these people were crazy, but as the number of people reporting the case increased, they began to take it seriously.”

"The decisive evidence is that this group of self-proclaimed players can use some kind of extradimensional pocket-like method to take out things that did not exist before. Also, a few days ago, several people who refused to leave the police station and claimed to be players disappeared in full view of everyone."

"The day they disappeared was the very day they claimed they would be forced into a dungeon by the game system."

"The evidence that the authorities have at this stage is that those who are selected to become players will have an eye icon app on their phones that is invisible to ordinary people. They will be forced to enter a dungeon once a month, but they can choose to enter the dungeon themselves, and they will receive rewards after clearing it."

After sharing the information she had gathered, Ashikaga Miwa paused for a moment before looking at Asagiri and asking a question.

"So, you, Yuuki-kun, Iwanaga-kun, Shinomiya-kun, Fujiwara-kun, and that Kato-kun from another school, you guys are... partners in conquering this dungeon?"

"There is no Kaguya Shinomiya or Chika Fujiwara."

Asagiri shook her head and replied in a flat tone.

“We know that Kaguya Shinomiya and Chika Fujiwara are players, but neither of them knows our identities.”

"That's it..."

Ashikaga Miwa breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and then quickly gave her instructions.

"Then you must be very careful not to let Fujiwara-san and Shinomiya-san, especially Shinomiya-san, know that you are also a player. Although I have some connections, if someone from the Shinomiya Group is targeting you, it will be difficult for me to protect you outside of school."

"You seem to have some misunderstandings about Kaguya Shinomiya."

Asagiri leaned back on the soft leather sofa and said softly.

"Kaguya Shinomiya did not tell the Shinomiya family about her player identity or game-related information. You should be able to understand why."

Ashikaga Miwa frowned slightly, as if deep in thought.

"Is it because she wants to use the power she gains in the game to rebel against the Shinomiya family's control...? Never mind, she's not the focus of this discussion."

Ashikaga Miwa didn't dwell on Kaguya Shinomiya's choice as a player. Instead, she skipped the topic, opened her drawer, took out a black pistol, gently placed it on the table, and looked at Asagiri to ask a question.

"A pistol, do you know how to use it?"

I know a little bit, but I'm not an expert.

"It's okay, you just need to know how to take off the safety and aim."

Ashikaga Miwa put the pistol back into the drawer, then said with a serious expression.

"I'll keep this gun here. If you encounter any danger, you can take it out and use it anytime. Don't worry about anything. I'll take care of the aftermath and cover it up. The most important thing is your safety, understand?"

"Master Ashikaga..."

Seeing Asagiri's emotional expression, Ashikaga Miwa originally thought that the kid was deeply moved and was about to thank him, but the next second, he heard Asagiri chuckle and tease him.

"You're not thinking of having a teacher-student relationship with me, are you? I refuse."

"What teacher-student relationship? Don't talk nonsense."

Ashikaga Miwa frowned, waved her hand dismissively, and said irritably.

"It's just as insurance. Although with the level of security at our Shuchiin, it's unlikely that anything unexpected will happen, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Well, that's fine too."

Asagiri replied with that first sentence, and then told Ashikaga Miwa about how Shinomiya Kaguya had come to her, hoping that she would participate in the student council election with her. After listening, the latter did not have any special reaction, but just said in a flat tone.

So, have you made up your mind?

"Yes, it's decided. It'll start from the moment you said you put a gun in the drawer as a safety precaution for me."

Asagiri suppressed her smile, looked at Ashikaga Miwa sitting behind her desk, and spoke softly.

"I will run for student council, and I will win."

……

Inside a coffee shop on a street in Tokyo after school that day.

"So, Master Ashikaga already knows who we are...?"

After listening to Asagiri's story, Kato Megumi maintained her calm and gentle demeanor, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"I don't think it matters. From the fact that Ashikaga-sensei helped us with special training, and after she guessed Utsunomiya's identity, she didn't tell anyone but went directly to him. She even kept a gun in her office drawer as a safety measure. Based on these actions, I think we can trust her."

"I agree with you."

Asuna Yuuki picked up a small piece of strawberry cake and put it in her mouth. The soft and chewy texture of the cake, combined with the sweetness of the cream and strawberries, instantly lifted her spirits.

"Just as Asagiri said, Ashikaga-sensei is a pure idealist. Compared to the potential benefits of this deadly game, she seems to care more about the future of Shuchiin. In short, she doesn't seem to have any intention of using us or blackmailing us with secrets. She even provided us with information from the official side. We have no reason not to trust her."

At this point, Asuna Yuuki turned to look at Asagiri beside her and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"By the way, since Ashikaga-sensei can become a director of Shuchiin Academy, it means she has a very powerful background, right? What exactly does she do? She can't just be a simple martial artist, can she?"

"Oh, it's nothing actually."

Even inside the coffee shop, Asagi still ordered a glass of iced cola. He gently stirred the cola in his glass with a straw and casually explained.

"She has dojos all over Sakura Province, and training classes for kendo, kyudo, judo and the like are basically run by her companies. She is the leader in the handcrafted cold weapon collectibles industry, the owner of the largest high-end bodyguard company in Sakura Province, and oh right, she is also one of the organizers of combat competitions."

Hearing Asagiri's casual introduction, Yuuki Asuna was somewhat surprised.

"Wow, Ashikaga-sensei was that amazing?"

"What do you think? You don't think any random council member would dare to openly embarrass Shinomiya Kōkō during a council meeting, do you? In terms of scale of business and wealth alone, Ashikaga Miwa is no match for the Shinomiya Group, but the Shinomiya Group doesn't belong to Shinomiya Kōkō. The businesses I just mentioned, however, all belong to her alone. In addition, given her status as a direct descendant of a samurai noble family, she is fully capable of competing with Shinomiya Kōkō for the position of chairperson of the Shuchiin Institute."

"So that's it..."

Asuna Yuuki nodded as if she understood. Although she was considered a rich heiress and a member of a prestigious family, her father was only the CEO of a general electronics manufacturer. She was not among the students from the most privileged backgrounds at Shuchiin Academy. The Shinomiya Group and Ashikaga Miwa were beyond her usual reach.

After Asuna Yuuki finished asking her question, Megumi Kato followed up with her own.

"Doesn't Ashikaga-sensei ever want to become a player? After all, for someone like her who has practiced martial arts since childhood, gaining great power would be an extremely tempting thing, wouldn't it?"

Without Asagiri needing to answer, Kotoko Iwanaga, who was sitting next to Megumi Kato, offered her explanation.

"Master Ashikaga doesn't have that idea. At least for now, she doesn't plan to enter the game herself. Not only her, but those big shots who already know about the game are also unlikely to become players for the time being. After all, they value their lives. The safest way is to first let some of their subordinates become players. Once their subordinates have enough strength, they can team up with them to enter the game, just like a power leveler in a regular online game."

4

Chapter 04 Student Council Election Plan

Upon hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's words, Megumi Kato seemed to have thought of something and said thoughtfully.

"Finding players' tracks in the real world, killing them, and stealing their phones is not only likely to leave traces, but it's also inefficient. However, in a dungeon..."

"Yes."

Kotoko Iwanaga nodded, picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and then spoke slowly.

"Those who want to seize player identities and build their own factions will definitely target other players in the dungeon. They are different from players like us. Compared to getting a high-level completion rating, they value more how many player registration rights they can seize in the dungeon."

Asuna Yuuki frowned and murmured.

"So... PVP?"