69novels Page 192
Page 192
After thinking for a moment, Asagiri replied with a smile.
"From the players' perspective, it's cooperation, but from our team's perspective, it should be called guidance and leadership."
"That's true..."
While Kaguya Shinomiya seemed lost in thought, Chika Fujiwara took the initiative to explain.
"The last instance we experienced only lasted twenty-four hours, so the situation was probably a little different from yours, but the core theme was quite similar. In the endless train that never stops, we need to keep moving forward. Every hour, there are five minutes when the train plunges into complete darkness, where eerie entities will take advantage of the time to attack players. After successfully killing a player, they will transform into the appearance of the dead player. I don't need to explain, you should understand how much panic this would cause among the players. If it weren't for Kaguya..."
"Alright, alright, that's enough with the introduction. There's no need to go out of your way to boast about Shinomiya's great achievements."
Kotoko Iwanaga interrupted Chika Fujiwara, glanced at Kaguya Shinomiya sitting behind her desk with a normal expression, and then looked at Asagiri beside her.
"If it were just our instance, it could be a coincidence. But considering the instances they encountered, we can speculate that, compared to the first phase testing mental fortitude and the second phase testing action, the theme of the third phase of the instance should be the ability to gather other players and control the situation of the instance."
"So this is what's called leadership..."
Kaguya Shinomiya frowned slightly, looking at Asagiri sitting there. After a few seconds of silence, she finally sighed softly.
"In this respect, I am not as good as you."
"Look what you said."
Upon hearing this, Asagiri waved his hand. Just when Fujiwara Chika thought he was going to say a few polite words, Asagiri spoke bluntly.
"There's no need to bring up something so obvious."
Kaguya Shinomiya: "...You've really gone too far with your arrogance."
After unable to resist making that comment, Kaguya Shinomiya reverted to her usual icy demeanor and spoke calmly.
"Besides the dungeon, there is another important thing."
"what?"
"The position of chairman of Shuchiin Academy has become vacant."
52
Chapter 52: Is it jealousy over a friend being taken away, or...?
Upon hearing Kaguya Shinomiya's words, Kotoko Iwanaga dismissed them.
"I thought it was something big. Ashikaga-sensei is a highly respected board member, and my parents, who are also board members, will fully support her in becoming the new chairperson of Shuchiin Academy. In addition, with her outstanding personal abilities, she will definitely become the new chairperson of Shuchiin Academy."
"It's not as simple as you think."
Kaguya Shinomiya sighed softly, a complex look appearing in her beautiful red eyes, and spoke in a low voice.
"My eldest brother, Shinomiya Akiko, has been able to hold the position of chairman of the board of directors of Shuchiin for so long, which has nothing to do with his personal ability. It is entirely because, from a certain perspective, Shuchiin has now become the private property of the Shinomiya family. Although Shinomiya Akiko is now 'missing,' the main Shinomiya family will most likely send someone else to take over. It may be my second brother, Shinomiya Seiryu, or it may be my third brother, Shinomiya Un'yō. If it is in the order of succession, it should be Shinomiya Seiryu."
"Your family situation is really complicated."
Asagiri rested her cheek on her hand, seemingly unconcerned.
"Why don't you just put righteousness before family and kill all your brothers and their relatives?"
Kaguya Shinomiya frowned slightly upon hearing this, her face showing hesitation.
“If I do this, the Shinomiya family will completely fall apart. The Shinomiya family has come this far thanks to my father's years of hard work. How can I…”
"No, you've actually started thinking about it?"
Asagiri looked shocked and slowly gave Kaguya Shinomiya a thumbs up.
"Sacrificing your entire family for the greater good, Shinomiya-kun, you are indeed a remarkable person."
Kaguya Shinomiya: "...I'm begging you, can you be serious for once?"
Asagiri shrugged and chuckled.
"Then tell me your thoughts. As far as I know, Shinomiya Seiryu and Shinomiya Kimi are from the same faction. Although I don't know much about him, if he becomes the chairman of the board of directors of Shuchiin Private Academy, it will not only be an obstacle for you, but also for us, right?"
"indeed."
Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly, tucked her long black hair behind her ear, and said softly.
"But killing him would only be a temporary solution. As long as the position of chairman of the board of directors of Shuchiin Academy remains in the hands of the Shinomiya family, we and you will all be restricted. Moreover, putting aside the interests of both sides, the value of the position of chairman of Shuchiin Academy itself is best entrusted to a trustworthy person. According to the information that Hayasaka Ai recently found out, Ashikaga-sensei seems to be gathering players. I suppose this is also a plan you and she have devised? In that case, instead of thinking about how to eliminate the competition, why not establish Ashikaga-sensei's position in one fell swoop, so that the position of chairman of Shuchiin Academy will have no other choice but to be her."
Hearing Kaguya Shinomiya's words, Asagiri showed no surprise and simply replied in the same calm tone.
"You mean the joint examination?"
"Yes."
Kaguya Shinomiya nodded slightly and began to explain according to her own plan.
"It's already June, and the final exams are in just over twenty days. If we can take advantage of this opportunity..."
"Private Toyonosaki".
"Huh? What's this private Toyonosaki?"
Seeing that Kaguya Shinomiya was stunned for a moment, Asagiri smiled and said.
"For the joint exam, let's invite the private Toyonosaki Academy. We have acquaintances there. Let's defeat that high school first. We can deal with things like 'Great Power High School' and 'Advanced Education' next semester."
After saying that, Asagiri seemed to realize it just then, and added with a smile.
"Is this alright, student council president?"
Kaguya Shinomiya turned her head to the side and said in a calm tone.
"Since you've said that, of course I can only say yes. You always act first and ask for permission later."
Although Kaguya Shinomiya said this, Chika Fujiwara, her longtime friend and a love detective, saw right through her little scheme.
Fujiwara Chika's imagined inner monologue of Kaguya.
"What!? Utsunomiya-kun made a decision without even asking my opinion? What a forceful and rude attitude, but why... why does my heart flutter at his forceful demeanor..."
Just as she was halfway through her thought, Fujiwara Chika suddenly realized something was wrong.
A tough and handsome guy, yet he occasionally reveals a touch of gentleness...
This doesn't seem to be Kaguya Shinomiya's standard, but rather her own.
"So, nothing special should happen for the next month, right?"
Upon hearing Kaguya Shinomiya's question, Asagiri sensed a hidden meaning in her words.
"Nothing special has happened, I probably won't be taking any more leave."
"Hmm...I see..."
Seeing the joy in Kaguya Shinomiya's eyes, yet her feigned composure, Kotoko Iwanaga snorted coldly, her tone full of aggression.
"You inherently evil, red-eyed female ghost, I, the god of wisdom, will now punish you..."
"Boom~"
Asuna Yuuki reached out and flicked Kotoko Iwanaga's fair forehead, watching her wince in pain, and said with a serious expression.
"Stop playing abstract games, we've finished discussing everything, go home and get some sleep."
"Hmm...yes, I'm so sleepy."
Kotoko Iwanaga stood up and rubbed her eyes. Seeing that she and Asuna Yuuki were planning to leave, Chika Fujiwara couldn't help but look puzzled.
"If you're still tired, why don't you get some rest and come back tomorrow? Actually, our business isn't that urgent."
Kotoko Iwanaga spoke with righteous indignation and righteous confidence.
"Of course, we're doing this to prevent you two from doing anything horrible to Asagiri while we're away... mmm~"
Seeing Yuuki Asuna blush and cover Iwanaga Kotoko's lips to stop her from saying anything more suggestive, and then pick Iwanaga Kotoko up with one hand and forcibly drag her out of the office, Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes flickered as she looked at Asagiri, who was sitting on the sofa and enjoying the iced cola she had just bought from the vending machine, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Utsunomiya-kun, your condition... doesn't seem like you just cleared a dungeon at all... it feels... it feels a bit too..."
Seeing that Kaguya Shinomiya seemed hesitant to speak, Asagiri took the initiative to remind her.
"That's perfectly normal?"
Kaguya Shinomiya nodded: "Yes, it sounds a bit unfriendly, but that's really what I think."
"Oh, don't be so polite."
Asagiri waved her hand, appearing magnanimous and straightforward, and spoke frankly.
"You're being so polite, I might feel embarrassed to verbally humiliate you in the future."
Kaguya Shinomiya: "...If that's the case, then I'll continue to be polite with you."
"I was just kidding. Even if I'm being polite, I'll still humiliate you."
"you!"
Seeing Kaguya Shinomiya and Asagiri start bickering, Chika Fujiwara wore a gentle, doting smile. She peeked out from beside the sofa like a whack-a-mole, her eyes brimming with genuine excitement, but…
For some reason, Fujiwara Chika felt a little awkward inside.
Perhaps he felt jealous because his friend Kaguya had been taken away from him.
……
That evening, at Asagiri's house.
"OK, let's start customizing the rewards for this time. Hui, you go first~"
Upon hearing Asuna Yuuki's words, Megumi Kato nodded slightly. After pondering for a long time, she looked up at Asagiri and spoke softly.
"What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Asagiri was slightly speechless and said, "'What do you think?' These four words are the amazing answer you came up with after nearly two minutes of thinking with your amazing wisdom?"
"um, yes."
Kato Megumi had a calm expression, but seeing Asagiri's speechless look, the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve upwards slightly.
“I don’t have many strengths, but I have a very clear understanding of myself. It’s better to let you decide on this kind of thing.”
"What you're saying makes absolutely no sense."
"That's it."
Kotoko Iwanaga echoed Asagiri's words and gave a serious critique of Megumi Kato.
"What if he asked you to draw a sexy outfit? Would you still draw it anyway?!"
Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki rolled her eyes, sighed, and retorted.
"A normal person would never think of getting sexy outfits or other rewards for completing the game... I don't know what to say about your thought process."
"Okay, that's all."
Asagiri's tone, which sounded like a dog trainer giving a command, made Asuna Yuuki feel a little dissatisfied, but seeing that Kotoko Iwanaga and Megumi Kato had no objections, she could only sigh and choose to comply.
"Mental strength, physical fitness, armor, skills, understand?"
Upon hearing Asagiri's arrangement, Kato Megumi, along with Iwanaga Kotoko and Yuuki Asuna, after careful consideration, felt that it was indeed the most reasonable solution.
Physical fitness and mental strength are definitely the two factors to consider. Physical fitness is the foundation of combat, while mental strength is related to resistance to mental attacks. Even though Kato Megumi, as an assassin, doesn't consume much mental energy, she can't let mental strength become a significant weakness.
At this stage, Kato Megumi is the only member of the team without armor. At this stage, not having armor makes her, who is already a ranged damage dealer, even more vulnerable.
As a stealthy archer role that supports combat, the Bloodthirsty Nightingale Bow's damage output is currently sufficient. Even if you want to enhance its attack power, skills are a more reliable choice than equipment that is likely to be phased out later.
"Okay, it's decided then."
Kato Megumi entered her own defined reward in the eye icon app, and the next second, a line of dark red text appeared.
[Your customized rewards have been confirmed as: enhanced physical attributes, increased mental strength, one skill, and one piece of armor.]
[Rewards: Significantly enhanced physical attributes, significantly enhanced mental strength, and the passive skill "Melee Archer"]
[You have been detected to possess the purple-quality bow weapon "Bloodthirsty Nightingale Bow". You have obtained one piece of the "Nightingale" set: Nightingale Armor.]
53
Chapter 53 Rapidly Increased Strength.
[Melee Archer (Passive Skill): When equipped with a bow, if an enemy approaches within three meters and their presence is detected, the user will gain a five-second physical enhancement with a ten-minute cooldown. During this state, the power of arrows fired will also be increased.]
The effect of this passive skill is obvious: it is designed to increase the margin for error for ranged classes. Although it can only be triggered once every ten minutes and the effect only lasts for a short five seconds, making it unsuitable for regular combat, it has no negative effects and can be used as a safety measure when an enemy suddenly gets close.