In the anime, people are in everyday Tokyo, but they are playing the reincarnation game Chapter 122

Chapter 03: The Assistant.

Facing Ashikaga Miwa’s sudden question, Asagiri didn’t show any panic on his face and simply nodded.

“Since you know the term ‘player,’ it means you already have some understanding of this ongoing game.”

“Indeed… you are a player…”

Although Asagiri’s affirmative reply was an expected answer, when she heard it with her own ears, Ashikaga Miwa’s expression couldn’t help but become somewhat complex, and she let out a heavy sigh.

“I knew it… Since you had no intention of becoming a fighter, why did you come to me for special training, and even brought along Yuki and that Kato from another school? Unlike you, who are a natural sports genius, their outstanding physical abilities were obtained through game rewards, right?”

“Right.”

“Since you and Yuki are both players, then Iwanaga Kotoko, who suddenly transferred to our class and whose father joined the school board, is she also…?”

“That’s right, she’s also a player.”

Hearing Asagiri’s continuous affirmative answers, Ashikaga Miwa’s expression grew even heavier, and she sighed while rubbing her forehead.

“There are actually three players in our school…”

“Three?”

Asagiri corrected with a smile.

“There are five: Shinomiya and Fujiwara from Class B are also players.”

“They too?”

Faced with such astonishing news, Ashikaga Miwa’s emotions were even numb with shock.

“There are five players in just the first year? This is 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, “Ashikaga-sensei, how did you know about players and the game?”

“Don’t underestimate me too much.”

Ashikaga Miwa sighed, first stood up and walked to the coffee machine with her cup. She didn’t care that the coffee inside was already cold, poured a cup directly, and then drank it all in one gulp, her movements even appearing somewhat bold.

“I am, after all, a member of the Shuchiin Board of Directors and own many businesses. I have many connections in the police and political circles. More than one person has reported to the police, saying they were dragged into some death game and became so-called players. At first, the authorities thought these people were crazy, but as the number of reporters grew, they also began to take it seriously.”

“And the decisive evidence is that these people who claim to be players can take out things that didn’t exist before through some kind of interdimensional pocket-like means. Also, a few days ago, several people who insisted on staying at the police station, claiming to be players, directly disappeared in plain sight.”

“The day they disappeared was exactly the day they claimed they would be forced into a dungeon by the game system.”

“The evidence currently held by the authorities is that people selected to become players will have an eye icon app on their phones that ordinary people cannot see. They are forced to enter a dungeon once a month, can actively choose to enter dungeons, and receive rewards after clearing them.”

After sharing the information she possessed, Ashikaga Miwa paused before looking at Asagiri and asking, “So, you, Yuki, Iwanaga, Shinomiya, Fujiwara, and that Kato from another school, are you all… partners in clearing dungeons?”

“Not Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika.”

Asagiri shook his head, replying calmly.

“We know that Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika are players, but they don’t know our identities.”

“I see…”

Ashikaga Miwa breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then quickly urged, “Then you must be careful, absolutely do not let Fujiwara, and especially Shinomiya, know that you are also a player. Although I also have some connections, if someone from the Shinomiya Group targets you, it will be difficult for me to protect you outside of school.”

“You seem to misunderstand Shinomiya Kaguya.”

Asagiri leaned back on the soft leather sofa and said lightly, “Shinomiya Kaguya has not told anyone in the Shinomiya family about her player identity or game-related information. As for the reason, you should be able to understand.”

Ashikaga Miwa frowned slightly, thoughtfully, “Is it because she wants to use the power gained in the game to resist the Shinomiya family’s constraints? …Never mind, the focus of this discussion isn’t her.”

Ashikaga Miwa did not dwell on Shinomiya Kaguya’s choice as a player but skipped the topic. Instead, she opened her drawer, took out a black handgun from it, gently placed it on the table, and looked at Asagiri, asking, “A handgun, do you know how to use it?”

“I know a little, but I’m not a professional.”

“It’s fine, just knowing how to disengage the safety and aim is enough.”

Ashikaga Miwa put the handgun back into the drawer, then said with a serious expression, “I’ll keep this gun here. If you encounter danger, you can use it at any time, don’t worry about anything. I’ll handle the aftermath and cover-up. Your safety is the most important thing, understand?”

“Ashikaga-sensei…”

Seeing Asagiri’s emotional expression, Ashikaga Miwa initially thought that this boy was deeply moved and about to thank her. However, the next second, she heard Asagiri lightly chuckling and teasing, “You’re not trying to play teacher-student romance with me, are you? I refuse.”

“What teacher-student romance? Don’t talk nonsense, you brat.”

Ashikaga Miwa frowned, waving her hand exasperatedly.

“It’s just as insurance. Although with the security level of our Shuchiin, it’s unlikely anything will happen, it’s still better to be safe than sorry.”

“Mm, that’s good.”

Asagiri first replied with that, then told Ashikaga Miwa about Shinomiya Kaguya coming to him earlier, hoping that he would participate in the student council election with her. The latter had no particular reaction after hearing it, only saying calmly, “So, have you decided?”

“Yes, I’ve decided. From the moment you said you put a gun in the drawer as insurance for my safety.”

Asagiri’s smile faded as he looked at Ashikaga Miwa, who was sitting behind the desk, and spoke softly, “I will participate in the student council election, and I will win.”

…

After school that day, at a cafe on a Tokyo city street.

“So, Ashikaga-sensei already knows our identities…”

Kato Megumi remained calm and gentle after hearing Asagiri’s narration, only saying unhurriedly, “I don’t really care. From Ashikaga-sensei helping us with special training, and her guessing Utsunomiya-kun’s identity without telling anyone, instead going directly to him, and even putting a gun in her office drawer as insurance, through these actions, I believe we can trust her.”

“I have the same opinion.”

Yuki Asuna picked up a small piece of strawberry shortcake and put it in her mouth. The soft cake texture, combined with the sweet cream and strawberries, instantly made her feel better.

“Just as Asagiri said, Ashikaga-sensei is a pure idealist. Compared to the potential benefits of this death game, she seems more concerned with the future of Shuchiin. In short, she doesn’t seem to have any intention of using us or blackmailing us with this secret. She even provided us with information from the authorities. We have no reason not to trust her.”

At this point, Yuki Asuna turned to Asagiri beside her, unable to help but ask curiously, “By the way, since Ashikaga-sensei can become a director of Shuchiin, it means she has a very strong background, right? What exactly does she do? She can’t just be a simple martial artist, can she?”

“Oh, it’s actually nothing much.”

Even in the cafe, Asagiri’s drink was still a glass of iced cola. He gently stirred the cola in his cup with a straw, explaining casually, “She has dojos all over Sakura Province, and training classes for Kendo, Kyudo, Judo, etc., are basically run by her affiliated companies. She’s the industry leader in handcrafted cold weapon collectibles, the owner of Sakura Province’s largest high-end bodyguard company. Oh, and she’s also one of the organizers of the fighter competitions.”

Hearing Asagiri’s understated introduction, Yuki Asuna couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Ashikaga-sensei is that amazing?”

“What did you expect? You wouldn’t think that just any board member would dare to openly embarrass Shinomiya Huangguang during a board meeting, would you? If we’re talking about business scale and wealth, Ashikaga Miwa can’t compare to the Shinomiya Group, but the Shinomiya Group doesn’t belong to Shinomiya Huangguang, whereas all the businesses I just mentioned belong to her alone. Plus, with her identity as a direct descendant of a warrior noble family, she is fully capable of competing with Shinomiya Huangguang for the position of Shuchiin Board Chairman.”

“So that’s how it is…”

Yuki Asuna nodded, half-understanding. Although she was also considered a rich young lady, a daughter of a prestigious family, her father was only the CEO of a general electronics manufacturer. Among the students at Shuchiin, her family background was not among the very top. The Shinomiya Group and Ashikaga Miwa were already beyond the level she usually had contact with.

After Yuki Asuna finished asking, Kato Megumi then inquired, “Then doesn’t Ashikaga-sensei want to become a player? After all, for someone like her who has been training in martial arts since childhood, gaining powerful strength must be very tempting, right?”

Without Asagiri needing to answer, Iwanaga Kotoko, who was sitting next to Kato Megumi, took the initiative to explain, “Ashikaga-sensei doesn’t have that idea, at least for now, she won’t personally enter the game. Not just her, but those important figures who have already learned about the game situation also won’t become players for the time being. After all, they cherish their lives. The safest way is to first let some of their subordinates become players, and once their subordinates have sufficient strength, they can then team up with them to enter the game, just like power leveling in ordinary online games.”