Chapter 420: The Golden Haired Failure Secretly Watching
A bit later, in a top floor office of a building in Tokyo.
"Damn it!"
Shido Masayoshi gritted his teeth.
Recalling the humiliation he had suffered when facing Miwa Ashikaga at Shuchiin Academy, he could not help slamming his fist onto the desk.
Under that punch, the thick, sturdy solid wood desk shattered with a crash, turning into a pitiful pile of splinters.
"She didn't attack me after all... It seems she's more patient than I imagined..."
After venting his anger, Shido Masayoshi barely managed to regain his composure.
Cutting off cooperation with the Ashikaga Budo Association and all unofficial Player factions.
Suddenly visiting Shuchiin Private Academy today.
Arrogantly provoking Miwa Ashikaga.
Demanding that she hand over the NERvGear.
All these actions had been deliberately done by Shido Masayoshi.
His goal was simple.
To provoke a conflict.
Although Shido Masayoshi's rise had been rapid, it had not been smooth sailing.
Many felt that he was too unscrupulous, and there were suspicions that he had dispatched his subordinate Players to eliminate his rivals.
For someone who wanted to become Prime Minister, these were obstacles he had to overcome.
He wanted more than just the Ashikaga Budo Association's NERvGear.
His ambitions did not stop there.
Shido Masayoshi wanted all Players to obey him.
He wanted to firmly grasp the powerful force known as the Player community in his hands, and then ascend to the pinnacle of power that no one had ever reached before.
He wanted to eliminate all Player factions not under his control.
And the most prominent one, the Ashikaga Budo Association, was the first target.
However...
Shido Masayoshi's ideas found no support from anyone.
Even those Cabinet councilmen who originally had no particular opinion of him firmly opposed his desire to take strong measures against the alliance formed by the Ashikaga Budo Association, the Shijo Family, the Shinomiya Family, Dai Sakura Bank, and other factions.
Become hostile with the Ashikaga Budo Association?
Don't be ridiculous.
That would mean becoming enemies with Shadow.
During the Tokyo Tournament, those councilmen had witnessed Shadow's performance firsthand.
And at that time, Shadow might have only been in a state where he had cleared a third stage Dungeon.
Now, they were already more than halfway through the fifth stage.
Who knew what terrifying growth in strength or unimaginably powerful abilities Shadow had gained after clearing two more Dungeons?
The Ashikaga Budo Association had not done anything intolerable.
On the contrary, it was precisely because of the deterrence of the Ashikaga Budo Association and Shadow that the world had not erupted with incidents of Players running rampant.
The Ashikaga Budo Association was not an enemy of the official side.
It was the cornerstone ensuring that order could still function normally and that innocent people could survive.
What reason was there to deliberately provoke conflict?
The proposal Shido Masayoshi had announced for his own ambitions was unanimously rejected.
Precisely because of this, he wanted to provoke the Ashikaga Budo Association and incite Miwa Ashikaga's anger into attacking him, a Cabinet councilman.
That way, he would have an excuse to purge the Ashikaga Budo Association, as well as all unofficial Player factions that were not under his control.
The result was that Miwa Ashikaga had not only refused to take the bait, but had even treated him with a kind of breezy indifference.
As if he were not even worth considering as a person.
And...
"That woman... was she threatening me..."
Recalling the words Miwa Ashikaga had said, Shido Masayoshi frowned deeply and silently made a decision in his heart.
He absolutely had to bring all his trusted aides when going out lately.
To be cautious, the next time he entered a Dungeon, he should have all the Players under his command team up with him and enter the same Dungeon.
...
At the same time, at the entrance of Toyosaki Private Academy.
"I see."
After listening to Asagiri's account of Shido Masayoshi's sudden visit to Shuchiin Private Academy, as well as the meeting between Miwa Ashikaga and him, Yamauchi Sakura, who was carrying a backpack, first nodded.
Then she asked curiously,
"But for Ashikaga-sensei to say such things and show such undisguised hostility, won't that alert that guy?"
"That's exactly the point. To alert him."
Asagiri held the strap with one hand, casually slinging his single shoulder bag over his back, and said with a smile,
"Although we don't plan to kill him in the real world, he doesn't know that."
"Until he enters the next Dungeon, he'll remain in a state of fear and high tension."
"Just imagining that scene is quite amusing to me."
"And when he does enter the Dungeon, he'll definitely call all the Players under his command."
"That's perfect for us to clean them all up at once, saving us the trouble of dealing with them one by one back in the real world."
"I see."
Yamauchi Sakura's mind was not particularly sharp.
She was not very good at thinking about such matters.
Moreover, she felt that since it was a decision made by Asagiri, it must be correct.
"Speaking of which, where are Asuna and the others?"
"They went to the wilderness with Ashikaga-sensei."
"The wilderness?"
Seeing Yamauchi Sakura's confused expression, Asagiri explained with a smile.
"With their current power, they can no longer continue practicing within Tokyo."
"Even a nuclear bomb shelter can't withstand their full power attacks."
"So, they have no choice but to practice in the wilderness."
"But once we collect data once, it won't be so troublesome later. They can train directly in the NERvGear."
"I see..."
Yamauchi Sakura nodded first.
Then she looked at Asagiri beside her and smiled openly.
"Then, want to go get something to eat together?"
"Sure."
"Let's go, let's go..."
Disregarding the other Toyosaki Academy students around them, Yamauchi Sakura intimately linked arms with Asagiri.
That was her personality.
Having confirmed her feelings and with her physical illness cured, she went straight for an all out offensive.
"There's a particularly delicious place nearby. I'll take you~"
Meanwhile, dozens of meters behind them, hiding behind a utility pole, a beautiful girl wearing the Toyosaki Private Academy uniform stood with golden twin tails and skin so fair it seemed to glow under the sunlight.
She bared her cute fangs, staring with unwillingness at the retreating figures of Asagiri and Yamauchi Sakura.
"Hey."
Feeling a touch on her shoulder, Eriri jumped in fright and instinctively wanted to go on guard.
But when she turned around and saw Kasumigaoka Utaha's face, with that exasperated expression, she let out a sigh of relief and lightly bit her silver teeth.
"You! Don't sneak up on me from behind like that! I almost attacked right away."
"Sneak?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed slightly.
"I'm not an assassin type class. I'm a mage like you."
"Besides, I didn't deliberately soften my footsteps or suppress my presence."
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Eriri with an expression as if she were looking at an idiot and stated bluntly,
"Your attention was completely focused on peeping at Utsunomiya Asagiri."
"Pe... peeping!? Don't talk nonsense! I wasn't peeping..."
"Stalker."
"I am not!"
"Obsessed pervert."
"You're the obsessed pervert!"
After this obviously weak retort, Eriri's face turned slightly red, and she muttered softly,
"I just... just wanted to see him from a distance..."
"You really..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed helplessly.
"Are completely hopeless."
...
A bit later, at a yakiniku restaurant near Toyosaki Private Academy.
"Mmm... I'm alive again~"
Yamauchi Sakura picked up a piece of grilled meat and put it in her mouth, her face filled with happiness.
Immediately afterward, she selected another piece of freshly grilled meat, placed it in the bowl of Asagiri sitting across from her, and revealed a playful smile.
"Guess which part this meat is from?"
Asagiri picked up the meat in his bowl, glanced at it, and replied casually,
"Tripe, right?"
"That's right! It's offal~"
Yamauchi Sakura smiled with full energy, propping her cheek with one hand.
"If I had to say my favorite food, it's grilled offal~"
Asagiri put the piece of grilled tripe into his mouth, then picked up the icy Coca-Cola beside him and took a sip.
Looking at the smiling Yamauchi Sakura, he asked,
"What about food you dislike?"
"Dislike... hmm..."
Yamauchi Sakura thought hard for a moment, then shook her head.
"There's nothing I particularly dislike."
"If I really had to say something I don't like... it would probably be bland tasting food."
"You don't like sushi, right?"
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Yamauchi Sakura showed a look of surprise.
"My acting was flawless, yet you actually discovered it?"
"Where exactly was it flawless, may I ask?"
Asagiri said with a smile while placing meat from the plate onto the grill.
"Although your physical fitness is the weakest among the five members of the team, your appetite is shockingly large. Roughly equivalent to one and a half Asunas and Megumis, or four Kotokos."
"Yet yesterday, you only ate four pieces of sushi and stopped."
Upon hearing this, Yamauchi Sakura's pupils shrank in shock, and she showed an expression of disbelief as she exclaimed,
"What meticulous powers of observation..."
"That's not it."
Asagiri put down his chopsticks, looked at the incredulous Yamauchi Sakura, and chuckled.
"You only spent less than two minutes eating the sushi."
"For the remaining hour or so, you were just staring at me with that silly smile on your face."
"It was really hard not to notice you."
"A silly smile?"
Hearing this, a blush spread across Yamauchi Sakura's pretty face.
She immediately wiped away her smile and tried to put on a straight face, but she could not even hold it for two seconds before bursting into laughter.
She raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes and said while struggling to contain her mirth,
"Sorry, sorry. I usually have a smile on my face, and besides..."
At this point, Yamauchi Sakura paused slightly.
After taking a deep breath for a few seconds to compose herself, her eyes, fixed on Asagiri's face, filled with tenderness and shyness.
Amidst the aroma of roasting meat and the sizzling sound of rendered fat, she spoke in a soft voice.
"Whenever I'm with you, I feel very happy."
"I feel..."
"It's really great to be alive until now."
.....
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