Chapter 220: Kaguya Shinomiya’s Bet

"I’m just weakened, not missing an arm or a leg."

Although Asagiri said that, he still went along with Kato Megumi and let her feed him a small sip of ice cold Coke.

"Mm, delicious. As expected, Coca-Cola has to be ice cold. There aren’t any convenience stores nearby, so where did you buy it?"

"Kotoko had someone stock the villa long ago. Not just drinks, but ingredients and all the other necessities too. I checked earlier, and even the sheets and pillowcases in the rooms were freshly changed. In short, everything was already arranged."

After explaining, Kato Megumi added softly,

"Kotoko handles things like arrangements, Asuna cooks, and as for me... I’m not especially good at anything, so I came to keep you company."

Hearing that, Asagiri smiled and teased,

"We’re not in a Dungeon right now. There’s no need for everyone to contribute, is there?"

Kato Megumi set the Coke can in the drink holder beside the beach chair, then knelt on the sand, propping up her face with both hands as she looked directly at him. Her tone was gentle, with a slight playful edge.

"Doesn’t this count as my KDA as a team member?"

"Of course not."

"Then..."

Kato Megumi suddenly leaned closer. Her fair feet pressed lightly into the golden sand, and she gently placed a soft kiss on Asagiri’s cheek with her pink lips.

"What about this?"

"Well..."

Faced with Kato Megumi’s sudden direct attack, Asagiri merely turned his head and smiled.

"Doesn’t this count as my KDA?"

"That’s too cunning... Ugh."

Before Kato Megumi could finish, Asagiri leaned forward and kissed her, then said with a smile,

"This can count as your KDA."

"That’s too cunning..."

A blush rose on Kato Megumi’s fair cheeks. Out of habit, she raised a hand as if to tuck her hair behind her ear and hide her embarrassment, only to remember that her hair was tied up in a ponytail today. Her hand ended up tucking back nothing at all.

"Then..."

Kato Megumi leaned in further and gently rested her chin on Asagiri’s arm. Her eyes appeared calm, but her voice held a trace of shyness and tenderness.

"There should still be about half an hour before Asuna finishes cooking... Should we brush up each other’s KDA a little more?"

...

Meanwhile, back in Tokyo, at Fujiwara Chika’s house.

Fujiwara Chika, Kaguya Shinomiya, and Hayasaka Ai, all of whom had voluntarily signed up to enter the Dungeon tomorrow, were gathered in Fujiwara Chika’s bedroom. Though calling it a bedroom was a bit misleading, its size was about the same as the living room of an ordinary house. After all, Fujiwara Chika was a true young lady from a wealthy family. While her home was not as exaggerated as Kaguya Shinomiya’s or Iwanaga Kotoko’s, it was still unquestionably a mansion.

"Kaguya~"

Fujiwara Chika lay sprawled on the bed, her fair, slightly plump legs swinging idly in the air as she propped up her chin with both hands. Turning toward Kaguya Shinomiya, who sat on the sofa, she asked curiously,

"What did you talk about in Ashikaga-sensei’s office today? Don’t tell me... you asked Ashikaga-sensei to act as a matchmaker between you and Utsunomiya?"

"Please keep your bizarre, illogical fantasies inside your own head and do not say them out loud in front of me."

Kaguya Shinomiya replied in her usual calm tone. Then she glanced at Hayasaka Ai, who was sitting nearby looking at her phone. Instead of answering Fujiwara Chika’s question, she hesitated for a moment before asking,

"Ai, can you teach me... how to take photos with a phone?"

"Huh? Take photos?"

Hayasaka Ai looked up, surprise flickering across her delicate face.

"Yes. I can, but... didn’t you used to say girls who casually pick up their phones to take pictures were boring and undignified? Why the sudden change...?"

Compared to Hayasaka Ai’s confusion, Fujiwara Chika looked as if she had understood everything. She covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Hehehe. If I’m not mistaken, you want to take pictures of Utsunomiya, don’t you?"

"Don’t talk nonsense."

Kaguya Shinomiya replied calmly.

"I simply feel that after the election is over and I become Student Council President, I’ll finally have some free time. After that... there may be moments I’ll want to preserve with photographs. That’s all."

"Kaguya-sama."

Hayasaka Ai put down her phone and looked straight at Kaguya Shinomiya, her expression growing complicated.

"Are you... trusting Utsunomiya Asagiri too much? I’m not trying to pour cold water on things. He is indeed very capable, and he is one of the strongest Players at this stage. But why do you trust him so absolutely, without even a trace of doubt? With all due respect, that’s very dangerous."

"Why do I trust him... Saving my life is part of it."

Kaguya Shinomiya’s beautiful red eyes reflected a hint of complexity as she murmured,

"But more importantly, maybe from the first moment I met him, I already felt it in my heart. This is someone who will never fail expectations and will never betray his promises."

Hayasaka Ai frowned.

"But you’ve completely thrown aside every possibility of doubt and chosen to trust him anyway. That isn’t like the person I know at all. It’s too dangerous."

"I’ve already made my decision."

"But..."

Seeing Kaguya Shinomiya and Hayasaka Ai about to argue, Fujiwara Chika quickly jumped off the bed and hurried between them, laughing awkwardly as she tried to smooth things over.

"Okay, okay, don’t fight. We’re teammates, after all. Since Kaguya, as captain, has already made up her mind, we should follow her lead. Besides, I also think Utsunomiya and Asuna are trustworthy. They’re our saviors, and after learning that we’re Players too, they didn’t use that against us or try to threaten us. Even if we can’t merge into a single team because our styles don’t match, our team and Utsunomiya’s team can still be considered trustworthy allies. There’s no need to keep doubting and speculating."

Seeing Fujiwara Chika step in, Hayasaka Ai merely sighed and did not press the matter further.

Kaguya Shinomiya’s red eyes flickered as she recalled the words Asagiri had spoken earlier that day in Ashikaga Miwa’s office.

"I will kill Oko Shinomiya."

As the eldest son of the Shinomiya Family, if Oko Shinomiya were to die, the Shinomiya Group would undoubtedly spare no effort in investigating the matter. Official institutions such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department might even form a special task force solely to catch the murderer, give the Shinomiya Group an explanation, and minimize the public fallout.

If it were exposed, Utsunomiya Asagiri would be in grave danger, and so would Kaguya Shinomiya, who had provided him with information. After all, Oko was her elder brother in name. If the Shinomiya Family ever found out that she had helped someone assassinate her own brother, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even so, Kaguya Shinomiya had still chosen to provide assistance.

She had used her own future as a stake, betting everything on Utsunomiya Asagiri.

...

Later that night, in the detached villa in Hakodate, Hokkaido.

"I’m full, I’m full~"

Iwanaga Kotoko leaned lazily back in her chair, looking utterly satisfied. When Megumi saw Yuuki Asuna start clearing the dishes, she immediately got to her feet to help.

"I’ll wash them."

"No need, no need."

Yuuki Asuna waved both hands repeatedly in refusal. Kato Megumi was about to insist when Asagiri stood up as well and began helping gather the dishes. Smiling, he said,

"No need to argue. The three of us will handle the cleanup. Kotoko, I’m leaving that to you."

Iwanaga Kotoko stood up at once, looking as if she understood everything perfectly.

"Don’t worry, leave it to me~"

"What are you two planning now?"

Seeing Yuuki Asuna’s wary look, Asagiri smiled.

"Just a surprise. Nothing special."

"A real surprise? I’m a little skeptical."

Yuuki Asuna knew Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko far too well.

Taken individually, either one of them was already a top tier abstract disaster that ordinary people could not handle. Put the two of them together, and they became abstraction itself.

So what exactly was the so called surprise this time?

If it followed Iwanaga Kotoko’s style, it might be some kind of strange little toy. If it followed Asagiri’s style, it might be some absurd beach bonfire party accompanied by kazoo music.

But if the abstract styles of the two of them fused and evolved together...

Yuuki Asuna did not even dare imagine it.

...

After cleaning up, Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi followed Asagiri outside toward the beach. The moment they stepped out, they saw Short-haired Mita unloading several large boxes onto the sand one after another, while Iwanaga Kotoko directed two IBMs to help.

"Those are...?"

"Fireworks."

"Hoo... So they’re fireworks..."

Hearing such a simple answer, Yuuki Asuna visibly relaxed and let out a breath. Then she smiled.

"So it’s just fireworks. Very normal, very ordinary... but that’s great..."

"Why is it that every time you summon me, it’s always for this kind of manual labor?"

Hearing Short-haired Mita’s soft grumble, Asagiri walked over and stroked her head with a chuckle.

"You won’t be working for nothing. You can set them off with us too."

At that, joy first flashed through Short-haired Mita’s eyes, though she immediately turned her face away and put on a brave front.

"I’m not interested in childish things like fireworks. But relaxing once in a while... isn’t impossible."

Yuuki Asuna walked over, knelt before one of the large boxes, and opened it. Inside were all sorts of fireworks, from handheld sparklers to ones that shot into the sky and burst.

"As expected, the beach and fireworks really do go together..."

Yuuki Asuna smiled and looked up. Halfway through speaking, however, she noticed that Asagiri was staring straight, openly, and without the slightest attempt at concealment, at the gap in her loose short sleeves. Her face flushed red as she clutched at her chest and asked shyly,

"What are you looking at?"

"I think..."

Asagiri replied very seriously,

"I’ve recovered from my weakened state."

.....

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