Chapter 60: A Class's Judo Class
"To stay calm and not even flinch when a girl as cute as me throws herself at you, you really do live up to your reputation."
Kotoko's shameless self praise landed like a clean hit.
Asuna swallowed the urge to snap back and only sighed.
"Fine. Then we'll wait until Sunday, when we need to register for the Dungeon, and find Megumi."
She glanced at Asagiri, voice turning serious.
"According to your conclusion, when we enter next time, the game should still be in the first stage, without any difficulty increase. I just don't know if, after a month, when it enters the second stage… will it change in other ways besides overall difficulty?"
"There will definitely be changes."
Kotoko placed her cane neatly across her knees and returned to the posture of a well trained young lady. Her tone was calm, almost clinical.
"I asked the yokai to peek into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. After gathering information, I confirmed two things."
She lifted one finger.
"First, the bodies of Players who die in the Dungeon do not return to the real world."
A second finger rose.
"Second, we still don't know how many people have been selected as Players, but it's definitely not a small number. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has received dozens of missing person reports recently."
"Of course, not all of them are Players, but some definitely are."
Kotoko's voice stayed steady, but the implications were heavy.
"As the game unfolds and more Players die, more people will vanish in the real world. And the APP rules don't restrict Players from using their powers in reality, or from telling others about the APP."
"In other words, even if we try to hide the game's existence, it's impossible."
"As long as someone inside the Police Department or the Prosecutor's Office becomes a Player, the truth will surface."
Asagiri listened, then spoke with the same calmness, as if he were commenting on the weather.
"The most interesting part is the hidden rule of Player identity transfer."
Asuna and Kotoko both looked at him.
Asagiri continued slowly.
"Only after a Player dies can an ordinary person see the eye icon APP on their phone."
"And by repeatedly tapping it, they can become a new Player."
Asuna frowned. Kotoko tilted her head.
"Why is that the most interesting?" Asuna asked.
"Because it's very interesting," Asagiri replied, a faint smile in his voice.
"There hasn't been a single PVP themed Dungeon so far. The game seems to push cooperation and survival."
"But in the real world, there are no constraints at all."
"And the only way for an ordinary person to become a Player is for an existing Player to die first."
His smile deepened slightly.
"So maybe the real world is the PVP Dungeon."
…
That afternoon, inside Shuchiin's gymnasium.
A burly male teacher in a judo uniform swept his eyes over Class A and spoke in a deep voice.
"I've already explained the basic precautions. Next, we'll do paired practice, one group at a time."
He paused, then added, "Has anyone here trained in judo before? I want to keep the matchups balanced."
"Me."
Kaguya raised her hand, expression gentle, voice soft.
"Sensei, I'm second dan."
"Second dan…" The teacher blinked, then looked around. "Any other girls with judo experience?"
No one else raised a hand.
The teacher's face tightened with trouble. Second dan wasn't legendary, but it was far beyond beginner level. In a contact sport like judo, he couldn't just assign a boy to Kaguya.
"Hi hi, Sensei. I'll pair with Shinomiya."
The sudden voice made him search the class. His gaze finally landed on Kotoko, who looked even smaller and more delicate among Class A, like a doll dropped into a room full of athletes.
He hesitated. "Iwanaga, right? You want to pair with Shinomiya? But…"
"Don't worry, Sensei."
Kaguya tucked her long black hair back, tone indifferent.
"I'll be careful. I won't hurt Iwanaga."
"…Alright." The teacher could only nod.
Kaguya wasn't the type to compete in everything. Sometimes she even held back on purpose, avoiding standing out too much and inviting alienation.
Studying was the only exception.
"Utsunomiya."
A tall male student, broad shouldered and built like a wall, stepped in front of Asagiri.
"Can I practice with you?"
"You want me?" Asagiri smiled. "I've never trained in judo. I don't know anything about it."
"Don't worry." The boy waved a hand, voice deep. "I'll go easy. I'll try not to hurt you…"
"Hm?"
Asagiri's smile didn't change, but his eyes did. He looked straight into the boy's face and cut him off, tone calm.
"What I mean is, I can't control my strength very well. If you get hurt, don't blame me."
"And you're going easy on me?"
"As the rumors say, you're arrogant, but…" The boy's expression sharpened, then he suddenly revealed his real goal. "If I win, please consider joining our judo club, Utsunomiya!"
Asagiri stared at him for a moment, then asked, genuinely curious, "You're doing the 'dagger revealed at the end of the map' thing right now?"
"The problem is your kingdom map is way too short."
"I already said I'm not joining any club."
"I heard you don't plan to join any sports club, but…" The boy inhaled, face full of burning sincerity. "I want to use my actions to make you feel the charm of judo. The passion. Youth. The pursuit of supreme technique…"
"I don't understand what you're talking about," Asagiri said flatly. "I play with a katana."
He didn't bother hiding his impatience.
"Let's start."
"…Okay."
The boy stepped back to create distance, took a few deep breaths, then bowed with a serious expression.
"Utsunomiya. I'll give it my all."
Asagiri nodded once, relaxed.
"Alright."
To prevent injuries, thick mats covered the wooden floor. The moment Asagiri answered, the boy lowered his stance and advanced cautiously, sturdy as a brown bear.
Around them, the rest of Class A stopped what they were doing. Even Kaguya and Kotoko paused, eyes turning toward the match.
"Hah!"
With a roar, the boy surged forward, closed the gap, and dropped his center of gravity. His hands shot out like pincers and locked onto Asagiri's right arm.
"It's over…"
Kaguya murmured under her breath.
That grip was the setup for a shoulder throw. With proper hip placement, even a slimmer person could slam a larger opponent to the ground.
Simple, direct, and dangerous.
On hard ground, a clean throw could seriously injure someone, even kill them.
Kaguya sighed quietly. So Asagiri wasn't lying. He really did know nothing about judo, otherwise he wouldn't have let the hold happen so easily.
The match should end here.
"Hm?"
Then Kaguya's eyes narrowed.
The boy rotated his hips with textbook form, trying to swing Asagiri over his shoulder.
Veins bulged on his neck. His face reddened from exertion.
And yet, Asagiri didn't move.
Not even an inch.
He stood there like an unshakable tower.
"Alright," Asagiri said with a smile, as if narrating the end of a play. "This passionate, youthful battle ends here."
Then he twisted his waist and hips with a small, controlled motion.
A slight force.
And the boy was the one who flew.
He slammed onto the mat with a heavy thud.
"How…?"
The boy stared up, stunned even after hitting the ground.
The watching students looked even more shaken.
Only Kotoko didn't seem surprised at all.
If anything, seeing everyone else stunned by Asagiri made the corners of her lips lift, pleased and proud.
The boy's technique was real. His shoulder throw was clean, standard, and properly trained.
It just didn't matter.
Technique could only bridge so much.
And the gap between his strength and Asagiri's was too large to overcome.
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