"Um… Kato gumi…"
Asuna stared at the girl standing quietly by the water dispenser, her voice hesitant.
"Aren't you… scared at all?"
"Scared?" gumi blinked once, then gave a small nod, as if she finally understood what Asuna ant. "Ah. I see."
She casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her expression stayed calm, almost indifferent.
"Your appearance is… unusual. And the way you call each other doesn't sound like real nas. But if the three of you are Players, then that's normal, isn't it?"
"You know about Players?" Asuna's eyes widened.
"Yes." gumi answered without the slightest hesitation.
Asuna and Kotoko exchanged a glance. The thought was the sa in both of their minds.
Too calm.
She just said it. Just like that.
"Because…" gumi continued, her tone steady. "I'm a Player too."
For a second, the air went still.
gumi seed to notice their silence and added, almost politely, "Sorry. You might think I'm strange for saying it so suddenly."
Then she looked straight at them, unflinching.
"But if I pretended to be an ordinary student who knows nothing, you'd definitely suspect anyway. Even if it was unconscious, I did activate my talent on you."
She spoke like she was describing the weather.
"I saw the entire fight with that monster. And I know very well that if you wanted to kill , I wouldn't be able to escape. So… it's better to tell the truth. I really don't have any hostility toward you."
Asuna swallowed and turned to Asagiri, careful with her words.
"Leader… what should we do?"
"Kill her."
"…Kill her?!" Asuna nearly choked.
Even Kotoko frowned, though her objection was colder and more practical than emotional.
"There's no need. She didn't see our faces. She doesn't know our real nas or identities. At worst, the school staff will be confused about the ss here."
Kotoko's gaze sharpened.
"But if she dies on campus, the police get involved. That's unnecessary trouble."
"Relax." Asagiri shrugged, a faint laugh in his voice. "I'm joking."
He said it like he'd made a harmless pun.
"I'm not so morally bankrupt devil. I'm not going to kill soone over sothing this small."
Asuna finally exhaled, one hand pressing lightly against her chest.
"Good… then let's leave, quickly."
"Not so fast." Asagiri's eyes stayed on gumi. A smile curved at the edge of his mouth.
"In my opinion, Kato gumi is pretty capable. Why don't we recruit her?"
He sounded almost cheerful about it.
"From now on, we clear Dungeons together, split the rewards, and everyone wins. Doesn't that sound nice?"
...
Fifteen minutes later, they were outside Private Toyonosaki Academy, tucked into a quiet alley where no one passed.
"So…" gumi tilted her head slightly, her expression carrying a faint, honest confusion. "You want to join your team?"
Asagiri, still masked, answered solemnly.
"Hard to say. Think of this as an interview. First, we confirm whether you have the intent to join our company."
Asuna couldn't help muttering under her breath, "We're a strategy group. When did we beco a company…?"
"Sa difference." Asagiri waved it off.
"An interview… I understand." gumi nodded once, obedient, as if she were accepting howork instructions.
Then she thought for a mont and gave her answer.
"Yes. I'm alone right now anyway. And based on what I just saw, the three of you are far stronger than . If I join you, I'll feel more confident clearing those dangerous Dungeons."
She paused, then corrected herself with the sa calm tone.
"So yes. I'm willing to join your team… or your company."
Asuna let out a small sigh, looking helpless.
"You don't have to match his weird phrasing…"
"It's fine." gumi said simply.
Then she pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few tis, and held it out to Asagiri.
"I heard them call you Leader, so you're the boss, right? This is my resu."
Her "resu" was her Player profile.
[Player Na: Kato gumi]
[Physical Fitness Level: Normal (Regular Person Level)]
[Exclusive Talent: Weak Presence]
[Profession: Not Yet Unlocked]
[Player Level: Formal]
[Skills: None]
[Items: None]
[Equipnt: None]
[Weak Presence: When this talent is activated, it will greatly reduce your presence. Moving while maintaining the effect will continuously consu stamina and ntal energy. If you remain still, the effect will strengthen and will not consu stamina or ntal energy.]
"The effect of this talent…" Asuna couldn't hide her surprise. "It's really strong."
Then she frowned, confused.
"But why don't you have any items, equipnt, or skills? Have you only cleared one Dungeon?"
"No." gumi shook her head. "Including the novice Dungeon, I've cleared two."
She explained without rushing, like she'd already rehearsed it.
"I was at the school because I entered a Dungeon inside this building on Saturday afternoon. I t you right after I cleared it and ca out."
"Then how co…?" Asuna started.
"When I cleared the novice Dungeon, I got an A plus rating, but the only reward was unlocking my exclusive talent."
gumi's tone never changed.
"The second Dungeon was an old mansion on the third floor, haunted by a Banshee. The objective was to survive until the Dungeon ti limit ended."
Kotoko's eyes narrowed slightly, listening closely.
"In that Dungeon, I found an empty room, sat on the sofa, and activated my talent." gumi continued. "I waited for ten hours and cleared it."
She said it like she was describing a quiet weekend.
"So I got a C level clear rating. The reward was a slight increase in physical fitness. Nothing else."
"A C rating…" Kotoko murmured. "Because you didn't do anything…"
Then she lifted her gaze.
"But if you got A plus in the novice Dungeon, you should've received a special hint when entering the second Dungeon, right?"
"Yes." gumi nodded. "It said there was a piece of equipnt in the basent."
"Then…" Kotoko's eyes sharpened. "Why didn't you go?"
"I ignored it." gumi answered imdiately.
There was no bravado. No sha. Just a calm decision.
"I don't have combat ability. And there were other Players in the sa Dungeon."
Her eyes remained steady.
"In a situation with no safety guarantee, going into the basent for an unknown piece of equipnt, even with Weak Presence, was too risky."
She spoke with quiet certainty.
"So I didn't go."
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