"You, too?"
Yūki Asuna was very surprised. She never imagined that this mysterious boy—who carried a chainsaw and a drill, was dressed like this, and still hadn't revealed his true face—was also a soon-to-be high school freshman, just like her.
And... he was also going to Shuchiin Academy?
Shuchiin Academy's admissions standards were extremely strict. It was the undisputed top school in the Sakura Prefecture. More than ninety percent of the students who managed to enter came from extremely prominent family backgrounds, and the remaining small percentage were exceptionally talented geniuses.
Yūki Asuna's father was the CEO of a large electronics manufacturer, and her mother was a university professor. Coupled with her elite education since childhood and her excellent academic performance, she earned the qualifications to enter the high school division of Shuchiin Academy.
"So that's the case..."
Yūki Asuna thought this as she and Asagiri walked out of the lobby.
Once outside, she finally saw the full picture of the so-called
"Sanatorium."
The structure here was completely different from a normal hospital. Several buildings, about four or five stories high, surrounded a central, dilapidated courtyard. The exit had no fences, guard booths, or other facilities, only two unlocked iron gate doors that swung slightly with the wind, producing a strangely eerie scraping sound.
The moment the two pushed open the iron gates and stepped out of the courtyard, a notification sound rang out from each of their phones.
Yūki Asuna took out her phone and tapped the eye-icon APP. Several lines of crimson text immediately appeared on the screen.
[Congratulations, "Player" Yūki Asuna, you have cleared the Novice Instance and obtained Formal Player status.]
[Clearance Rating: A+]
[Rewards: Basic Class "Swordsman" unlocked. Skill "Wind's Blessing" acquired. Equipment "Common Quality Sword" acquired.]
[Swordsman: A combat class specializing in the sword.]
[Class Passive: Increased proficiency when fighting with sword-type weapons. There is a chance to awaken a "Player's" personal exclusive sword skill during combat.]
[Wind's Blessing: An enchantment-type magic that consumes a small amount of mental energy to make the body lighter and more agile.]
[Common Quality Sword: Choose one type of sword and obtain the corresponding Common Quality weapon.]
When she saw the last line of text, the image of a rapier instinctively formed in Yūki Asuna's mind. The next second, she felt a slight weight in her right hand.
"This is..."
Looking at the slender rapier in her hand, which was exactly as she had imagined, Yūki Asuna was shocked.
Although she had already confirmed that the "Game" was real, this ability to conjure objects out of thin air was too bizarre. It doesn't comply with the law of conservation of energy, does it?
Meanwhile, on Asagiri's phone screen, similar text had appeared.
[Congratulations, "Player" Utsunomiya Asagiri, you have cleared the Novice Instance and obtained Formal Player status.]
[Clearance Rating: S+]
[Rewards: Special Class "Diplomat" unlocked. Exclusive Talent "Persona" unlocked. Item "Teddy Bear Doll That Recites Dirty Jokes" acquired.]
[Diplomat: Special Auxiliary Class.]
[Class Passive: When communicating with any type of target within an instance, enhance the effectiveness of all diplomatic rhetoric, including Threatening, Deception, Conciliation, Guidance, and Persuasion (Note: Cannot be used on other "Players," and the target of the negotiation must possess basic self-awareness and thinking ability).]
[Teddy Bear Doll That Recites Dirty Jokes: A non-living replica modeled after a certain otherworld Teddy Bear Doll. The startup time and volume can be pre-set. Once activated, it will continuously recite various dirty jokes (Note: At maximum volume, it can cause ringing in the ears).]
[Persona: A projection of your heart and beliefs (can also be used in the real world).]
[Persona is completely synchronized with your will. No need for specific commands. Summoning does not consume mental or physical energy. Persona consumes a certain amount of mental and physical energy during combat (Persona cannot be completely destroyed by any type of attack, but each time it is destroyed, it will consume a large amount of your physical and mental energy).]
[When different Personas are equipped, the corresponding strengthening effect will be obtained even without summoning.]
[Current Persona Slots: Three]
[Current Personas: ??? (Unlocked upon first summoning), None, None]
"Did you also receive the clearance notification?"
Hearing Yūki Asuna's question, Asagiri nodded.
"Yes, I did. Mine is S+. What about you?"
"A+."
Yūki Asuna wasn't disappointed or jealous that Asagiri's clearance rating was higher than hers. Firstly, being able to clear the instance safely was already quite an achievement, and an A+ rating was not low.
Secondly, she hadn't made any crucial contributions in terms of deduction or action, so a lower rating was only natural.
"By the way, what did you mean by the 'assessment' you mentioned earlier?"
Hearing Yūki Asuna's question, Asagiri explained with a smile.
"Team up? How about it? I've checked, and after becoming a Formal Player, the APP has a few more features, including adding friends. As I said before, your abilities and qualities meet my standards for a teammate. Most importantly, you received an A+ rating this time, and I received an S+. I suspect that not many people can achieve such high clearance ratings in a Novice Instance. If we team up, we'll gain more advantages in future operations."
"Team up... Alright."
Yūki Asuna didn't take long to decide and immediately agreed. After all, although this "Houseki Yōmei's" behavior was sometimes abnormal, his displayed capabilities were undeniably excellent. It was thanks to him that they were able to clear the instance safely and quickly this time. Teaming up was a smart choice.
Yūki Asuna took out her phone, lightly tapped the Add Friend button, and then gently touched her phone to Asagiri's. Immediately, both phones displayed a notification:
[You have successfully added "Player" Yūki Asuna as a friend.]
[You have successfully added "Player" Utsunomiya Asagiri as a friend.]