Hearing Kotoko's words, although Asuna felt a bit shy about the topic, this time, she didn't intend to back down. Instead, she looked at Asagiri, who was sitting there looking like he was enjoying the show, and forced herself to ask, suppressing her shyness.
"You, you must still like girls with normal figures, just like a normal high school boy, right?"
"Hmm? How did it suddenly turn into this Shura field atmosphere?"
Seeing both Kotoko and Asuna staring intently at him, waiting for his answer, Asagiri showed no trace of panic in the face of this sudden Shura field, where a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction. He calmly and slowly spoke, giving a perfect answer that left both Asuna and Kotoko unable to respond.
"Big or small, huge or flat, I don't have any particular preference. As long as they're good-looking, I like them all equally. What is this called? This is called God loves the world."
Asuna sighed slightly, a look of helplessness on her face.
"Where did this absurd logic come from…"
But Kotoko pursued the question relentlessly.
"Then, compared to Asuna, I'm definitely cuter, right? Right? Right?"
"Equally cute."
"Tch… What kind of perfunctory answer is that…"
Kotoko seemed dissatisfied with this answer. With her hands on her knees, her fair and lovely face puffed up, turning directly into a steamed bun.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open. Megumi was holding a tray in her right hand with a few pastries and paper cups on it. In her left hand, she was holding a bottle of barley tea just taken from the refrigerator. Since both hands were occupied, she could only gently nudge the door open with her shoulder.
Seeing this, Asuna quickly stood up, took the tray from Megumi, and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, Megumi. Coming to visit so suddenly, you must be quite troubled, right?"
"No, not at all."
Megumi placed the drink on the table, then knelt beside the low table. Looking at Asagiri, Kotoko, and Asuna, she shook her head and replied in a gentle and friendly voice.
"On the contrary, I'm quite happy that you came to find me. After all, if we team up, the chances of surviving in the dungeon will be much higher, right? I'm just a little surprised. I didn't expect two of you to look the same age as me, and you even brought a child."
Kotoko pouted and muttered with slight dissatisfaction.
"I'm not a child. I'm in the same age group as you."
"Is that so? I'm sorry, I misunderstood."
"Uh… you don't have to be so serious…"
Kotoko discovered that she wasn't very good at dealing with Megumi.
The other party's personality, how should I put it...
She was a little too calm, so calm that Kotoko, who liked to say strange things, felt a sense of powerlessness like punching cotton when facing Megumi.
"Megumi, I'll be direct then."
Asuna took the initiative to handle the negotiation with Megumi. After all, to be honest, she felt that among the three of them, only she could be considered a normal person.
Kotoko and Asagiri?
These two were heavyweight abstract players. Don't let them scare Megumi later.
Megumi nodded, placing her hands on her thighs, her tone calm and polite.
"Okay, please speak."
Asuna took a deep breath, adjusted her emotions, then looked directly at Megumi's face and said in a very serious tone.
"The first thing I need to tell you is that we have killed other Players. Although they attacked us first, that's not the point. The point is, can you accept our way of doing things? If you are the type of Player who, no matter the circumstances, even if attacked, is unwilling to take another person's life, then perhaps… You are not very suitable to join our team."
"Hmm…"
Megumi didn't answer immediately after hearing this, but thought carefully for a while before asking in return.
"Then would you actively attack other Players without any prior grudge?"
Asuna shook her head: "No."
"Then… if we encounter danger in the dungeon, would you sacrifice me to ensure your own safety?"
"This…"
Asuna couldn't answer this question. After all, she wasn't the Leader of the team. She could only turn her gaze to Asagiri, who replied without hesitation.
"No."
"Why not?"
Megumi's tone was very gentle, but it didn't give a feeling of weakness.
"Compared to them, I'm the last person to join the team. We have no emotional foundation. Let alone being friends, I don't even know your names yet. Why are you so sure that even if we encounter danger in the dungeon, you won't sacrifice me?"
"This has nothing to do with feelings or anything like that."
Asagiri showed a slight smile and patiently explained.
"Trust is something that cannot be quantified, and once it is broken, it can never be fully restored. If I, as the Leader, choose to sacrifice you when we encounter danger in the dungeon, what would the other two think? Since I can sacrifice you, who can guarantee that I won't sacrifice them? If trust is lost between us, then the so-called team no longer has any value and will instead become a burden."
"More importantly, I am not the kind of captain who can only come up with a plan to ensure my own safety by sacrificing teammates. I have absolute confidence in my ability and judgment as a Leader."
"I see…"
Megumi first nodded noncommittally, then showed a gentle smile.
"Okay, then from now on, please take care of me, the three of you."
"That's great."
Hearing that Megumi agreed, Asuna breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted. After all, any normal person could realize how powerful Megumi's unique talent was.
Lowering her own presence, even when standing still, even Kotoko, who specialized in mental power, couldn't detect her.
If she were to acquire a profession like Assassin or Rogue… No, even if she acquired a support profession that buffs teammates or heals, as long as she had this talent for lowering her own presence, she could ensure that she wouldn't become the enemy's priority target.
Moreover, Megumi's extraordinary calmness and composure were also essential qualities for becoming an excellent Player.
"Oh, right, Megumi."
Asuna looked at Megumi and asked.
"If we sign up for the dungeon today, the time to enter the dungeon will be Wednesday. Is that okay?"
"Yes, that's fine."
Megumi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and replied softly.
"I can just ask for time off in advance. And my parents trust me completely. As long as I say I'm going to a friend's house for a sleepover on Tuesday night, it'll be fine."
"Okay, let's add each other as friends first."
After adding each other as friends, Megumi looked at the notification that popped up in the eye-icon APP and softly murmured.
"Kotoko, Asuna, Asagiri… Okay, I've firmly remembered all your names."
Hearing this, Asuna couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly.
"You don't have to be so serious~ Except when we're in the dungeon, we're just normal high school friends hanging out. There's no need to be so reserved."
"Okay, got it."
After the conversation ended, Asagiri clicked on the eye icon APP and began signing up for the dungeon.
He was a high-level Player and had the privilege of choosing keywords and entering the corresponding dungeon at will. Therefore, he would definitely be the first to sign up for the dungeon, and Asuna, Kotoko, and Megumi, as teammates, only needed to actively sign up for the dungeon on the same day.
After Asagiri clicked to sign up, several dark red words gradually appeared on the phone screen.
[Zombie][Forest][Voyage]
"Are these the keyword hints for the next Optional dungeon…"
Asuna and Kotoko looked at the three keywords that appeared on Asagiri's phone screen and began to think seriously. Although Megumi didn't know what they were doing, she just sat quietly and didn't make a sound to disturb them.
"Voyage… we can rule that out first, right?"
"Yes, I agree."
Hearing Kotoko's opinion, Asuna nodded and said thoughtfully.
"Since it says voyage, the dungeon location is likely to be a cruise ship or passenger ship sailing on the sea. None of us have water-related talents or skills, and if the dungeon location is a ship, the space is somewhat narrow, the cabins are too complex, and the visibility is easily obstructed, which is not conducive for Asagiri to use 'King's Gambit' or for me to utilize my speed advantage. So this option can be ruled out first."
After Asuna finished speaking, Kotoko immediately analyzed.
"The remaining two… the terrain of the forest is also very complex, and this hint word is about location, so we don't know what type of danger is in the dungeon. Sigh, it's really troublesome. If there were hint words related to abnormalities, we could choose directly, because with our current team composition, what we are best at dealing with are abnormal-type dungeons."
"Let's choose Zombie."
Hearing Asagiri suddenly make a decision, Asuna couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Why? How did you decide so quickly?"
Asagiri shrugged and explained.
"One reason is that compared to a dungeon where I don't know the specific danger, I prefer to enter one where I know the source of the danger. On the other hand…"
Asagiri looked at Asuna's face and said with a smile.
"Isn't your unique talent that for every enemy you kill, you gain enhancements in agility, speed, and reflexes? It's hard to say about the dungeons corresponding to the other two keywords, but a zombie-themed dungeon will definitely have a considerable number of zombie-like enemies. Compared to a dungeon with only a few enemies, this dungeon is the most suitable for you to gain strength enhancements through the effect of your unique talent."