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ArabicAnime Crossover: Tokyo Reincarnation Game — Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Team Member Codename
Yuuki Asuna wore a complicated expression, entirely unsure of how to even begin retorting. She paid for the two lunch boxes at the supermarket counter, shoved one into Asagiri’s hands, and waited until they were out of earshot from the cashier before finally speaking up.
“I felt something was off when we were in the dungeon, but it’s even more obvious now that we’re back at school. Your personality… is genuinely twisted. How can you say such incredibly narcissistic things with such a straight face?”
“Because I’m speaking the truth.”
Asagiri led the way to a quiet, secluded corner of the sprawling Shuchiin Academy campus. He took a seat on a shaded wooden bench, a faint, unapologetic smile resting on his lips.
“It’s already an established fact. Why bother hiding it?”
Asuna rolled her chestnut eyes, letting out a very un-ojou-sama-like huff. “Yes, yes. Thank you so much for bestowing upon me the grand privilege of buying you a bento. Is that enough?”
“It’s enough that you recognize your good fortune,” Asagiri replied smoothly. “I was just worried you wouldn’t know how to properly show your gratitude.”
He popped the lid off his bento box, snapped the wooden chopsticks apart, and took a casual bite before shifting gears. “Oh, right. There’s a highly urgent matter we need to decide on immediately.”
“What is it?”
“Codenames.”
Asuna blinked, the sudden shift in topic catching her off guard. “Codenames?”
“Exactly. Aliases we use to address each other during dungeon runs.” Asagiri pointed his chopsticks at her for emphasis. “Think about it. If we use our real names in front of other Players, wouldn’t that completely blow our cover? Imagine the scenario: ‘Utsunomiya-san, come save me quickly!”Utsunomiya-san, I’m so scared, let me stay close to you!”Utsunomiya, I’m too terrified to sleep alone, can I share your bed?’ ‘Utsunomiya, from now on, I suppose I should be called Utsunomiya Asuna…’ and so on.”
Asuna let out a long, exhausted sigh. “The first sentence was perfectly fine, but what on earth were those last few…? Are you just trying to sneak your own delusions into the conversation?”
“The general principle remains the same,” Asagiri said, entirely unbothered.
“Codenames, huh…” Asuna murmured. She gave a slow nod, keeping her expression perfectly composed. Beneath that calm exterior, however, a strange flutter of excitement sparked in her chest.
Codenames… secret aliases…
It just felt… incredibly cool. Naturally, given her pride, she would rather die than let Asagiri know she harbored such childish, mildly chuunibyou thoughts.
“Since you brought it up, have you already decided on your own?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“Of course.” Asagiri smiled. He straightened his posture, letting a heavy, dramatic aura settle over him as he delivered the words with absolute conviction. “Eroge Shooter!”
Asuna stared at him. “……..”
The silence stretched.
“Are you out of your mind?” she finally snapped. “Based on the exact scenario you just described, if I needed backup in a life-or-death fight, I’d have to scream, ‘Eroge Shooter, save me!’or’Eroge Shooter, I’ll flank them, you attack from the side!’? Even if you held a blade to my throat, I would never say those words.”
“Ah. What a tragedy.” Asagiri shook his head, his tone dripping with mock sorrow. “Such a flawless moniker, lost forever because of my teammate’s fragile sense of shame. Very well. Let us forget it. Consider this the ultimate sacrifice I make for the good of the team.”
Asuna rubbed her temples, looking as though she had aged three years in the last five minutes. “Yes, I’m so sorry my personal dignity dragged you down. Now, can we please discuss this seriously?”
“Fine. What do you think my codename should be?”
Asuna tapped her chin, genuinely considering the question. “Hmm… based on your abilities and your general attitude… how about ‘Monarch’? It fits that arrogant, condescending air you always carry around.”
Asagiri’s face immediately contorted into a mask of pure disgust. “Ew. That screams fake-mature chuunibyou. It’s trying so hard not to sound edgy that it loops right back around to being incredibly edgy. Veto.”
Asuna’s cheeks flared a faint pink. She knew the name was a bit much, but having it instantly shot down stung. “If you hate my idea so much, then come up with a better one yourself!” she snapped, trying to cover her embarrassment with irritation.
“Let’s just go with ‘Leader’. It means exactly what it says, and since I’m the captain of this two-person squad, it fits perfectly. Concise. Efficient.”
“Hmm. That one is actually fine,” Asuna admitted, her irritation fading. “As for me…”
She fell silent, racking her brain. She needed something that sounded elegant, wouldn’t invite Asagiri’s relentless mockery, wasn’t overly literal, and would sound cool when shouted across a battlefield…
Before she could settle on anything, Asagiri spoke up. “How about ‘Violet’?”
Asuna blinked, the word rolling around in her mind. She gave a slow, satisfied nod. It was actually a beautiful alias. Still, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity.
“Violet… That’s a surprisingly good choice. But why did you pick that specific flower?”
“Do you want the truth, or the lie?”
“There’s a truth and a lie? Let’s hear the lie first.”
At her request, the lazy amusement vanished from Asagiri’s face. He turned to her, his dark eyes locking onto hers with a sudden, piercing intensity. The air between them seemed to thicken.
“Because the way you move when you wield your rapier is as beautiful and elegant as a blooming violet. In my eyes, no other name could possibly suit you.”
Asuna’s breath hitched. She had mentally prepared herself. She knew—she knew—this was the lie. But seeing his usually mocking face stripped of all sarcasm, staring at her with such raw, focused gravity from just inches away on the bench… her heart betrayed her, hammering violently against her ribs.
A deep flush spread across her cheeks. Unable to hold his intense gaze, she timidly averted her eyes, staring down at her lap.
“Then…” she managed to whisper, her voice trembling slightly. “What’s the truth?”
“The truth is, it just popped into my head. Literally zero deeper meaning.”
“Oh… I see…”
A strange, hollow pang of disappointment settled in Asuna’s chest. She had known it was a lie, but… she definitely liked the first explanation better.
After finishing their lunch, the two of them relocated to the Shuchiin Academy gymnasium.
It was naturally impossible for a standard high school to boast facilities rivaling a professional athletic complex, but Shuchiin was no ordinary institution. It didn’t just pride itself on elite academic scores; its sports clubs—tennis, volleyball, basketball—routinely dominated national tournaments. It was an apex academy with zero blind spots.
Fueled by bottomless funding, the sheer scale and professional grade of the campus facilities left regular schools in the dust.
As for why they were spending their afternoon in a gym, Asagiri’s reasoning was characteristically pragmatic.
“Even though the system calls it a ‘game’, a dungeon isn’t virtual reality. We can’t rely on raw numerical stats to gauge our actual combat effectiveness. Assuming two people have the exact same physical parameters, the one who actively trains their body in the real world will adapt to the brutal rhythm of a death match much faster.”
[Inorin’s Note: “Chuunibyou” (Middle School 2nd Year Syndrome) refers to teenagers who harbor delusions of grandeur, often believing they have secret powers or edgy, dark personas. “Eroge” is a Japanese portmanteau for erotic video games.]