Cough!
'I better not act too obvious.'
"Hori-san, what are you doing there?"
Controlling my face to hide any happy thoughts, I turned my eyes toward the girl who appeared from behind the car. Kyouko Hori is one of the anime girls from my class. Unlike the other girls, she's one of the few who actually talks to me.
"Kobayashi-kun…"
What is this? Why are her eyes getting teary? Did I say something I shouldn't? Despite graduation and becoming a man, don't forget I still carry the essence of my past self. There's no way I could distinguish a girl's emotions so quickly. But there was one thing I could see in her eyes:
Relief. Instead of replying, she just ran up to me and hugged me, catching me off-guard.
"H-Hori-san! What are you…"
Instead of stopping, she hugged me more tightly, and I just stood like a statue. My hands, which were up in surprise, slowly came down, embracing her in return. And I knew the exact words I needed to say in this situation.
"It's alright. Don't worry, I'm here."
"Waah!"
When Hori-san heard that, her simple cries turned into loud sobs, which was, admittedly, inconvenient given the situation. We're in an apocalypse, and these zombies move by sound. But still, there was no way I could stop the moment. I was comforting an anime girl. And by hugging her, no less.
'To think, just after the appearance of the tower, I'm already this popular.'
In just a span of a week, I've lost my virginity and am now embraced by another beautiful and popular girl. If the boys saw me, they'd probably die of jealousy.
'That would be a pleasure to watch.'
Setting aside my enjoyment, I waited for Hori-san to calm down. Her feelings—I could understand them. Unlike me, an anomaly, she's an ordinary person. This sudden change is too much to handle.
The appearance of monsters, the tower, dungeon gates, and now players. Not only that, but she was the first victim of the monsters, only to be saved by my heroic entrance. The trauma of a near-death experience—she probably won't forget it easily.
My mentality as a reincarnator helped me see this sudden change as an adventure I longed for, but it's different for her. This incident made me realize one thing.
'I better not act happy about this tower and dungeon's appearance. Who knows if I'll offend someone?'
Still, to think she's a player as well—Kyouko Hori. I knew she was an anime character, but I was still a bit surprised to find her inside the tower. I mean, if someone like Asuna were a player, I'd accept it, but Hori-san…
And judging by her state, she doesn't seem alright. I looked her over. She was in her school uniform and looked a bit haggard, which makes sense given the sudden teleportation into the tower.
I didn't ticket in; it means I was teleported at the same time as the other players. Meeting Saeko was a stroke of luck that not only got me some action but also a roof and meal for a night. But what about the other players?
I came out very lucky.
'Wait! If she's a player, then doesn't she have that?'
Skills—the most distinct way to differentiate between a person and a player. I've noticed one thing. I don't know about the future, but so far, there isn't a way to measure power between players.
No stats, no numerical differences like LVs that indicate power among players. Status only has skills and achievements. Right now, the deciding factor between players will be skills, especially innate skills.
And that's what makes me wary. My innate skill—3rd Person's Perspective—is overpowered. If mine is that powerful, who knows what others might have?
This makes me more cautious around players than NPCs, especially since I know the most notable NPCs on this floor. And this floor is an apocalyptic world. This type of place pushes humans to their limits, and eventually, players will come out as leaders—first for survival, then for greed.
'Am I overthinking?'
Maybe I'm assuming the worst. But the chances aren't zero. With that said, what is Hori-san's skill?
'I need to ask.'
If it's useful, I can make her my comrade and utilize it. Well, I'm not going to abandon her even if it's trashy; after all, I'm a perverted gentleman. But if she has a good skill, all the better.
"Hori-san?"
Hori-san, who was still clinging to me, finally came to her senses after I called her. She stopped wiping her tears and snot on her shirt, released me instantly, and jumped back.
"Kobayashi-kun, that was…"
She looked at me with a shy expression. Despite being a bit boyish and modern compared to typical Japanese girls who are innocent and pure, Kyouko Hori is still a girl. Hugging a guy, especially one her age, and crying in his arms would make anyone embarrassed.
Now she's just searching for an excuse to normalize her behavior. Having seen too many of these situations (obviously in anime), I knew the reason her face turned red like a tomato.
"Don't worry too much, Hori-san."
"T-Thank you."
What else could she say? And honestly, I should be the one thanking her. Amid the apocalypse, I got to hug a beautiful girl. I could smell her, and it was amazing.
'Do all girls naturally smell this good? Or is it because she's a known character?'
Regardless, I enjoyed it. But still, something was missing in that hug. What was it? Wanting to find the answer, I scanned Hori-san from head to toe. And it didn't even take a second to figure it out.
I found it—the one flaw in this beautiful maiden. Kyouko Hori is stunning, but… she has a flat chest!