"Is this the so-called high-level Player privilege? It's really quite useful."
Asuna immediately grasped the immense help these two privileges, unlocked by Asagiri as a high-level Player, would bring to the team.
The first privilege lets them get keywords hinting at an instance when queuing and then choose the most suitable dungeon from several options. Given the current team, Asuna, despite her 'Stinger' skill and Exorcist Longsword for spirits, was still primarily a melee physical damage dealer. Kotoko, though her specific rewards were unknown, was clearly best suited for an anomalous dungeon, thanks to her unique talent and restriction to "anomalous" type skills.
As for Asagiri, the team leader... Asuna found him hard to define. His Human Asura provided potent close combat. The newly acquired Persona Alice was a large-scale AoE magic skill. His Diplomat profession offered no direct combat power, serving as an auxiliary, yet, combined with his unique style, it always delivered unexpected effects at critical moments. Then there was the wondrous skill 'King's Gambit,' which, with clear judgment, could instantly turn the tide. He was, in short, an all-rounder.
With Asagiri possessing this first privilege, he could now choose instances with the highest clearance chance based on their team's composition.
But the other privilege was the real game-changer: deciding the quantity and type of rewards themselves. This meant Asagiri could tailor rewards to his, or even the team's, needs. For instance, since he, Kotoko, and Asuna currently lacked armor, he could use the privilege to limit the system to issue only armor-type equipment for the next clearance.
"Asagiri, you—" Asuna turned, about to speak, when she noticed his complexion was poor. He looked exhausted. "What's wrong? Are you unwell, or were you injured in the last battle?"
Asagiri waved her off with a smile. "It's nothing, just excessive mental and physical energy consumption. My current condition allows for two consecutive summons while ensuring I can still move even if the Persona is destroyed. If I go all out, the limit's three."
"You were indeed forcing yourself..." Asuna quickly poured a glass of water and brought it to his lips, her brow furrowed. Her tone was a little displeased, but more so worried. "Why do you have to save face? If you're not well, couldn't you just tell me directly?"
"I don't drink water." Asagiri gently pushed the cup away, stating righteously, "There's chilled Coca-Cola in the fridge. Get me a can."
"*Sigh*......okay."
Asuna handed him the cold Coca-Cola. Asagiri took a huge gulp, and his spirits seemed to lift slightly.
"It's the Real Thing." As he spoke, Asagiri suddenly leaned closer, staring intently into her eyes. Asuna was startled, instinctively dodging back, a slight blush creeping up her neck.
"You... what are you doing? Have you gone wild?"
"Did you know, Asuna?" Asagiri's voice was slow and serious. "According to scientific research, after experiencing extremely dangerous situations, humans develop a strong desire to reproduce. It's an instinct etched into our DNA to ensure the continuation of our genes and species."
Asuna's cheeks flushed even deeper. She stammered, "You... you wouldn't be trying to find me...find me to...to..." She couldn't bring herself to say 'reproduce', her face burning crimson.
"I did before, but not now."
"Before..." Hearing his words, a pang of bitterness shot through Asuna. She abruptly stood, suppressing her emotions, let out a long breath, and calmly smoothed her hair. "Oh, I understand what you mean. Yes, Kotoko is very cute. Don't worry, I'll maintain an appropriate distance as a teammate from now on and won't let Kotoko misunderstand..."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Huh? What are you saying now?"
Seeing her puzzled expression, Asagiri raised a hand and pointed to her pant leg. "Didn't you jump into that water tank? The water had corpses soaking in it. Aren't you planning to take a bath right away?"
Asagiri's words finally clicked. A deep blush spread across Asuna's pretty face. "Oh, right...I need to take a bath, but..." She looked at him, sitting on the sofa, and tentatively asked, "You don't mind if I take a bath at your place?"
"Not at all. If we could shower together, that would be even better."
"Who...who wants to shower with you!" Asuna's face burned as she snatched the clothes she'd worn into the dungeon from the sofa and fled into the guest room's bathroom.
Asagiri took a bath too, of course, but not with her. His master bedroom had its own en-suite. It was a large, luxurious apartment in Shibuya, so naturally, it had more than one bathroom.
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After taking a bath, Asuna changed into clean clothes and walked out of the bathroom.
Although the clothes were clean, for her, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, the black tights she had worn all day at school would definitely not be worn a second time. So, she simply went bare-legged, her fair feet stepping directly onto the cold floor of the living room.
"Finished?"
When Asuna came out, she saw Asagiri, who had also finished his bath and changed into clean clothes, sitting on the sofa, wiping his hair with a towel.
A faint ray of morning light from outside the window fell on the side of his face.
At this moment, a wave of excitement surged in Asuna's heart.
Asagiri….
He's really good-looking...
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