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

Moreover, if the movement speed is not fast enough, there may not even be time to rest, and one may have to break through the research base's defenses in a state of exhaustion and near collapse.

Intelligence gathering, concealment, operational efficiency, route planning, and dealing with armed enemies.

This is the difficulty of the second phase of the dungeon. Compared to it, the first phase of the dungeon is as simple as a child's game.

"We need to get something to eat."

Kato Megumi stood up, gently patted the dust off her clothes, and said in a soft tone.

"I'm in the best condition and I also have special skills, so I'll go down the mountain into the city and be responsible for collecting food and bringing it back."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki immediately stood up and spoke.

"I also……"

"No."

Kato Megumi gently pressed down on Yuuki Asuna's shoulder, revealing a soft smile.

"If I'm alone, even if I encounter danger, I can use my exclusive skill to dodge without consuming any energy while stationary. But if you come with me, I'll have to consume stamina and mental energy to use the skill. So I'll go alone. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"But it's too dangerous for you to be alone..."

"It's alright, leave it to Phantom."

Asagiri stood up, smiled and said this, then walked to Kato Megumi and took out a pocket watch with a light gold case from her bosom.

He looked directly into Kato Megumi's face and whispered his instructions.

"Take this. Use it immediately if anything unexpected happens. Don't hesitate. It's just a prop; it's far less important than you. Understand?"

“Leader…”

Kato Megumi looked at the "inverted pocket watch" that Asagiri handed her, and then glanced at the serious and earnest expression on Asagiri's face. She nodded obediently and accepted the "inverted pocket watch." Her fair fingertips inadvertently touched Asagiri's palm, which made her feel a strange flutter in her heart.

"Yes, I promise you, I will definitely come back safely."

31

Chapter 31 The Sage's Benevolence Establishes Great Merit.

After Kato Megumi left, Yuuki Asuna leaned against a tree trunk.

She looked up at the bright light filtering through the leaves, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and murmured to herself.

"To overcome all obstacles in such a complex situation and obtain experimental data about demi-humans... can we really clear this instance...?"

"We must get through customs."

Asagiri walked over and sat down next to Yuuki Asuna, also looking up at the sky, and said softly.

"If even we can't complete the mission, it means that all the players who entered the instance will die. We are not only carrying our own lives on our shoulders, but also trying to save all the players in this instance. We must succeed."

"Are you acting with the lives of all the players entering this instance on your shoulders...?"

Asuna Yuuki murmured and repeated Asagiri's words, then looked at the other person's profile beside her and couldn't help but show a gentle smile.

"To say something like that, this isn't like the person I know."

Asagiri smiled and replied nonchalantly.

"Because I don't care about the lives of the other players at all. Whether they live or die, what does it have to do with me?"

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but ask in confusion.

"But you just said..."

"That's just to help you strengthen your resolve."

Asagiri reached out and stroked Yuuki Asuna's long hair, then smiled and spoke.

"I don't care about the lives of any players outside our team, and I have no interest in becoming some kind of savior who takes on other people's lives. But you're different from me. It's not just your competitive spirit and resilience in not wanting to lose to this death game; the kindness in your heart that wants to save innocent lives will also be your reason to do everything in your power to clear the dungeon, no matter what. Simply put..."

"In my heart, you are the kind of hero who saves the world in a traditional shonen manga, and a hero doesn't run away from battle, right?"

Hearing Asagiri's words, Asuna Yuuki's eyes gradually brightened. Seeing the other person staring at her intently, she tucked her flaxen hair behind her ear and whispered somewhat shyly.

"I... I'm hardly a hero... but..."

Asuna Yuuki gripped the exorcist's sword tightly, her eyes gradually hardening.

"For the sake of the players who entered the instance this time, and more importantly for our own sake, we must break through the research base's defenses and complete this mission. We absolutely cannot, and absolutely will not, lose."

What are you two whispering about?

Just then, Kotoko Iwanaga came over. She first glanced at Asuna Yuuki, then at Asagiri sitting there, and then her face showed shock and horror.

"You guys aren't thinking that since there's no one else here, the environment is so beautiful, and you just finished a battle and need to release the pressure, you... want to do it here, right?! How can you do that? What if the Phantom sees us when she comes back? Should we invite her to join us? Will she agree...?"

"Stop acting crazy here."

Asuna Yuuki interrupted Kotoko Iwanaga's fantasies with a hint of annoyance, and gave her a stern rebuke.

"You're really something, aren't you? You've got a taste for it now, haven't you? We're still in the dungeon, and you're already thinking about all sorts of things... What a perverted little slut."

"hehe."

Kotoko Iwanaga rolled her eyes and said something that Asuna Yuuki couldn't refute at all.

"Then don't beg me to take turns; you can do it yourself."

"This……"

Asuna Yuuki's face flushed red, completely at a loss for words when arguing with Kotoko Iwanaga. After all, she still possessed the normal sense of shame of a young girl, and because of this weakness, she was utterly unable to contend with Kotoko Iwanaga on this topic.

"Oh, right."

Noticing the sudden silence, Asagiri spoke up.

“Phantom has already figured out what we're up to, so you two don’t need to put on that clumsy acting anymore.”

"Huh? She already knows...?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki was somewhat surprised, but then sighed softly.

"Well, that makes sense. Anyone with eyes can see it, and besides, she's always been very observant... So it's a good thing, I guess. To be honest, even though it's a rather private matter, we're all teammates, and I still feel a little guilty about keeping it from her."

Kotoko Iwanaga straightened her skirt, then sat down on the ground, rested her chin on her hands, and said something surprising.

"If you feel bad about it, why not just invite her to join?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki was taken aback for a moment, then replied irritably.

"What do you mean by joining... You're just here aiding and abetting evil."

"hehe."

Kotoko Iwanaga retorted without changing her expression.

"Before he does that to you again, switch your Persona to Asura, and you'll behave yourself."

……

An hour later, upon hearing a commotion in the distance, Asuna Yuuki immediately gripped her exorcist sword. When she saw that it was Megumi Kato who had returned, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the backpack Kato Megumi was carrying and the two plastic bags in her hand, she quickly stood up and went to greet her. Her first words were not to ask if the bags were supplies, but to inquire with concern.

"You didn't encounter any danger, did you?"

"Yes, the journey was safe and sound."

Kato Megumi nodded first, then handed the plastic bag in her hand to Yuuki Asuna, revealing a gentle smile.

"Because of the time constraints and the inability to stay for too long, I only brought back some bottled water, instant lunch boxes, and rice balls, etc. If that's not enough..."

"That's enough, that's more than enough."

Asuna Yuuki took the plastic bag from Megumi Kato, opened it, glanced at it, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"There are only four of us, and these supplies are more than enough; we can't even finish them all."

At this moment, Asagiri and Kotoko Iwanaga also came over. Asagiri glanced at Kato Megumi's hands hanging down. Although she put her hands behind her back after noticing his gaze, he still saw red and swollen marks on Kato Megumi's fair palms, which were caused by the heavy plastic bag handles.

"Thanks a lot."

"No, I'm also a member of the team. It's what I should do. It's not hard work at all."

Kato Megumi replied with that first sentence, then opened the backpack she was carrying, rummaged around inside for a while, and took out a can of Coca-Cola from under the various rice balls, bento boxes and high-calorie snacks that were packed full.

Her slender, fair fingers touched the Coca-Cola can, her eyes revealing a look of relief, and she murmured to herself.

"Great, it's still iced."

Immediately afterwards, Kato Megumi walked up to Asagiri, handed her the can of Coca-Cola, and said softly with a smile.

"Here, a frozen Coca-Cola."

Seeing this, Asuna Yuuki, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

Who can stand this?

Even as a girl myself, seeing Kato Megumi's gentle smile, hearing her soft voice, and seeing the cool Coca-Cola still lingering in her fair palm, marked with red and swollen imprints from the plastic bag handle, made my heart flutter.

"Thank you."

Asagiri took the can of frozen Coca-Cola handed to her by Kato Megumi, opened it, took a sip, and then replied with a smile.

"This has been a huge help; I'm fully recovered."

Kato Megumi tucked a strand of her black hair behind her ear, a gentle smile playing in her eyes.

"Ah That's good."

……

A few minutes later.

"I've never thought rice balls could taste so good, they're so delicious."

Asuna Yuuki turned her head and saw the petite Kotoko Iwanaga, who was holding a fast food rice ball in her hands and taking small bites. Her cute face was filled with a happy expression. She couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, took out a tissue and wiped a few grains of rice from the corner of her mouth, teasing her with a smile.

"Didn't you say you're energy-saving and environmentally friendly, and not hungry?"

Kotoko Iwanaga mumbled a reply while taking small bites of her rice ball.

"Although I'm all about energy conservation and environmental protection, as the team's strategist, the mental exertion is immense, so it's normal to get hungry quickly."

"You've even appointed yourself the squad's strategist? Seriously."

Watching Kotoko Iwanaga and Asuna Yuuki bicker as usual, Megumi Kato's lips curled up slightly. Then she looked at Asagiri, who was sitting against a tree trunk, eating her bento.

“Leader, while I was gathering food, I saw a few people in suits who looked like agents from the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau. I overheard their conversation, and it seems that the higher-ups at the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau have issued an order to temporarily halt the search and pursuit of suspected Demi-human targets, namely players, and to redeploy most of the mobile forces to a certain location. I suspect that the location they are referring to is the research institute base.”

"Huh? Stop the pursuit?"

Upon hearing Kato Megumi's words, Yuuki Asuna couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Why would the Special Bureau for Countering Ajin suddenly make such a decision? Could it be that some kind of change has occurred that we are unaware of?"

"Of course we know."

Seeing Yuuki Asuna's puzzled expression, Asagiri chuckled and spoke.

"It's highly likely that our actions, along with those of the other player teams, resulted in heavy casualties for the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau, leading their higher-ups to make this decision. Simply put... the higher-ups of the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau felt fear."

"I see."

Asuna Yuuki nodded thoughtfully, then asked.

"So what should we do next? Rest until we're ready to launch an attack?"

"Do not."

Asagiri shook her head, her eyes utterly calm, and slowly spoke.

“We are certainly not the only player team that was able to find the research base and successfully arrive at it. However, the player faction is different from the other two factions. Players do not trust each other and cannot cooperate in a true sense. They even have to be wary of each other and become obstacles to each other.”

"So before the actual attack on the research institute base is launched, those troublemakers who refuse to obey orders and try to take advantage of the chaos..."

At this point, Asagiri paused for a moment, her tone utterly calm.

"Kill them all."