A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

Page 126

Hearing this, Asuna Yuuki looked at Asagiri, who was checking the computer, and asked.

"Leader, have you made any discoveries?"

Asagiri looked up from under the computer desk and said something astonishing that made Asuna Yuuki and the others' expressions change.

"Someone has cleaned this place."

"Cleaning... what does that mean?"

"The hard drive in the computer case is missing, and there are no debris around it. Smashing the case was just to cover it up."

Asagiri glanced around the office and said in a flat tone.

“A mentally ill person wouldn’t do something like this. This proves that someone else had been here before us, perhaps to cover up some secret, or perhaps to retrieve data. In any case, they took the computer’s hard drive.”

"Could it be... Blackwatch? Are they the masterminds behind the so-called experiment? But I remember there was a news report about the riot at the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital in the hotel instance. Given Blackwatch's capabilities, they shouldn't have made such a mistake. Even if they did, it shouldn't have been made public, unless..."

At this point, Asuna Yuuki suddenly seemed to have thought of something and looked at Kotoko Iwanaga.

"Necro, you said before that people's opinions and rumors could be the reason why an area becomes strange, right?"

Kotoko Iwanaga immediately realized what was happening, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"You mean... that news article was deliberately published to portray Jushan Mental Hospital as a eerie place that no one should approach? But if that's the case..."

"Like I said before."

Asagiri said in a flat tone.

"Blackwatch has experience in handling bizarre events, and they possess a great deal of intelligence about the supernatural. They even know how to actively create a bizarre area. Of course, this speculation is based on the premise that the so-called experiment at the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital was indeed led by Blackwatch. At present, it is impossible to draw a definite conclusion; it is only a possible analysis."

67

Chapter 67: The Beautiful Woman with Purple Eyeshadow.

"Deliberately creating something eerie? What would be the purpose of doing something like this..."

"Of course, it's for power."

Hearing Asuna Yuuki's question, Asagiri replied calmly.

"In ancient legends, there were people who could command shikigami or invite gods to possess them, right? And there were also humans who merged with demons to gain power and became twisted beings."

"Although not all legends and stories can be taken as fact, since the strange world really exists, then a considerable number of legends and stories must be true."

"Assuming that Blackwatch is the mastermind behind the experiments at the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital, it's quite normal that they would sacrifice an entire city's population to research biological weapons, and try to gain power from the supernatural after coming into contact with it."

Just as Asuna and the others were about to reply, they suddenly saw a wisp of black mist drift in through the crack of the closed office door. Then, under their gaze, the black mist gradually condensed and transformed into the shape of a woman.

"Well, he's right."

Upon seeing the tall, slender woman in front of them, with light purple eyeshadow, and a strikingly beautiful face, yet exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe, with an elegant yet peculiar demeanor, wearing jeans and a white shirt, and appearing to be in her early twenties, Asuna Yuuki immediately drew her Glittering Light and transformed her clothes into Glittering Light Armor, quickly standing in front of Megumi Kato and Kotoko Iwanaga, watching her warily.

"who are you?"

"Don't be nervous."

The beautiful woman shook her head and said in a flat, emotionless tone.

"I'm a player just like you. In this dungeon, we don't have any reason to be enemies, do we?"

"what do you want to do?"

Asuna Yuuki remained vigilant, her eyes fixed coldly on the young woman. If she showed even the slightest hostility or made any strange move, she would attack without hesitation.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to exchange information."

The beautiful woman looked at Asagiri standing there and spoke softly.

"You're the leader of this squad, right? I overheard you talking about something when I passed by. It was about some kind of experiment. Could you share some information with me? Of course, in exchange, I'll provide you with this..."

The beautiful woman took out a diary with dark red bloodstains on the cover and said calmly.

"I found it on a corpse. It seemed to record a riot that had happened here, along with some strange words. I'll use that as the condition for the deal."

Hearing the beautiful woman's words, Kotoko Iwanaga couldn't help but frown.

This scene, these words, why do they sound so familiar?

When I first met Asagiri, didn't I fall in love at first sight? Then I presented him with information under the guise of a transaction, but in reality, I had ulterior motives and wanted to carry out a secret plan?

This woman, with light purple eyeshadow and a slender figure...

Could it be that they share the same idea?

Moreover, Kotoko Iwanaga sensed an aura about the other woman that instinctively disgusted her. Although she didn't know why, Kotoko trusted her intuition; this woman was definitely a dangerous person.

"trade?"

Asagiri looked at the blood-stained black diary in the woman's hand and smiled as she spoke.

"How can we be sure that this diary wasn't something you brought in yourself, and that you wrote random things in it to trick other players into exchanging information with you?"

"This thing has a system introduction."

Faced with Asagiri's questioning, the beautiful woman remained calm and composed, simply handing the blood-stained black notebook to Yuuki Asuna, who was closest to her, while her gaze remained fixed on Asagiri.

"If you don't believe me, you can let your companion touch it and see the system notification on the phone. That will show you that I'm not lying."

Asuna Yuuki turned to look at Asagiri, and after seeing the other nod slightly to indicate that she was okay, she gripped the shimmering light in her right hand and extended the index finger of her left hand to gently touch the black-covered notebook.

Then, she took out her phone with her left hand, opened the eye icon app, and just as the woman had said, information about the black notebook popped up.

[Giant Mountain Mental Hospital Laboratory Technician's Notebook (Gray Quality, Unidentified): A worn-out notebook left behind by a deceased man who claimed to be a laboratory technician at Giant Mountain Mental Hospital. It contains some of his supposed firsthand observations.]

"Using self-reference twice... it seems the system doesn't allow players to verify the authenticity of the notebook's contents..."

Upon seeing the notification on Asuna Yuuki's phone, Asagiri slowly stepped forward and stood in a position facing the beautiful woman, still maintaining a kind smile on her face.

"To exchange information whose authenticity is uncertain and could very well be a misleading trap for information that we have already confirmed to be true seems like a rather unfair deal, doesn't it?"

"You can't say that, can you?"

The beautiful woman remained calm and composed, simply raising her hand to tidy her black hair. Her dark yellow eyes were expressionless as she replied in a calm tone.

“The items I’m presenting are 100% confirmed to be products from this instance, while the information you provided to me lacks a system to help me distinguish between truth and falsehood. As the other party in this transaction, I bear the risk of you fabricating information that is worthless and even deliberately leading me to my doom in exchange for this black notebook. Personally, I believe this transaction is fair and even beneficial to you.”

"Then why did you come to us to make a deal? Is it because we were the first players you encountered in this instance?"

"Do not."

The beautiful woman shook her head and said calmly.

"I encountered two other teams of players before."

Upon hearing this, Asagiri smiled and asked casually.

"Then why didn't you make a deal with them, but instead came to us?"

"Of course it's because you guys look very strong."

The beautiful woman said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I don’t need equipment or props, I just need intelligence. Those two player teams looked quite disheveled, each of them with a cautious and shaken expression. But you guys are different. When I entered this room that way, you immediately became alert, but there was no panic or fear in your expressions. This proves that the three of you are very confident in your abilities... No, wait a minute.”

At this point, the beautiful woman suddenly paused, a strange light appearing in her originally dark yellow eyes as she turned her gaze to Kato Megumi, who was standing there.

"Sorry, it's the four of you."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki, Megumi Kato, and Kotoko Iwanaga were all shocked.

The other party... noticed Kato Megumi's presence?

It should be noted that at this moment, Kato Megumi had activated her unique talent, reducing her presence to the extreme.

The last person who could sense Kato Megumi's presence was Sato, who had undergone countless cruel scientific experiments and whose mental strength far exceeded that of normal people. However, what Sato sensed at that time was Kato Megumi, who was preparing to launch an attack and could not conceal all her aura fluctuations.

This time, however, Kato Megumi didn't move at all, but she was still discovered.

Doesn't this mean that the beautiful woman with light purple eyeshadow has a higher mental strength than Sato?

Or perhaps, like Asagiri, she possesses some kind of passive skill that grants immunity to mental influences?

"In that case, let's make a deal."

Asagiri, as the leader, didn't seem surprised that this beautiful woman had discovered Kato Megumi's existence.

"it is good."

Upon hearing that Asagiri had agreed to her trade request, the beautiful woman seemed completely unsuspecting and handed the black-covered notebook directly to Asagiri.

After accepting the black notebook, Asagiri did not go back on her word. As agreed beforehand, she told the other party about her speculations about the truth of the Giant Mountain Mental Hospital and her previous encounter with Chris Walker.

Of course, the specific abilities of the four members of the team were not mentioned during the process. After all, this is a player's most private secret that cannot be revealed to outsiders. Even Kaguya Shinomiya, Chika Fujiwara, and Ai Hayasaka did not discuss this matter with Asagiri and the others.

"A bizarre area with an endless loop..."

After listening to Asagiri's story, the beautiful woman spoke calmly.

"Yes, your analysis should be correct."

"whispering sound……"

Although her deduction was accepted by the other party, Kotoko Iwanaga still could not suppress her instinctive disgust for this beautiful woman, and made a disdainful sound, her brows furrowing slightly.

"The deal is done. Aren't you leaving? Are you waiting for us to invite you to stay for dinner?"

"Don't worry, I'll leave now."

Before leaving, the beautiful woman gave Asagiri a deep look and spoke softly.

"By the way, I encountered a guy on the road. It should also be one of the strange things that a mental patient has turned into. Strangely, it didn't attack me. Instead, it kept muttering that it was going to find some kind of bride. I could feel that it was very powerful. If you encounter it, it's best not to fight it."

"Okay, we'll keep an eye on it."

After receiving Asagiri's reply, the beautiful woman was about to turn and leave when she heard him add a sentence with a smile.

"Thank you for the information..."

"Miss Sakuragawa Rikka".

68

Chapter 68 Mermaid and Items.

"you……"

Sakuragawa Rikka, who had maintained a calm expression, finally showed a change in her expression when Asagiri suddenly called out her name. Her two delicate, willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows furrowed slightly. Although the change in her expression was not significant, at that moment, Yuuki Asuna and the others felt as if the temperature in the room had dropped considerably.

"Zizzizi..."

Kotoko Iwanaga's deep purple eyes were fixed on Rikka Sakuragawa, who was standing there. A cloud of dark particles, like grains of sand, had already gathered around her. Asuna Yuuki's rapier glowed faintly, while Megumi Kato took out her battle axe, her slender, white fingers gripping the handle tightly, ready to activate her skill "Throw".

In just a moment, a tense and oppressive atmosphere, making it hard to breathe, enveloped the not-so-spacious office room.

Facing the poised and ready Yuuki Asuna and the others, Sakuragawa Rikka didn't react in any particular way, nor did she make any suspicious moves. She simply looked at Asagiri and said in a flat tone.

"Have we met before?"

"No."

"Oh, is it so?"

Rikka Sakuragawa nodded noncommittally, then looked at Kotoko Iwanaga standing there, a sudden chill flashing in her eyes.

"Although I don't know the three of you, how could I not recognize this famous 'Princess'?"

Upon hearing Rikka Sakuragawa refer to Kotoko Iwanaga as "Princess," both Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato's expressions changed.

"Princess of the Yokai," "The Strange Goddess of Wisdom," "The One-Eyed, One-Legged God"—these are all honorific titles that Yokai use for Kotoko Iwanaga. Of course, the third title is no longer fitting.

Rikka Sakuragawa refers to Kotoko Iwanaga as "Princess," which means...

Did she know Kotoko's true identity?

"Oh, so that's how it is."

At this tense and serious moment, Asagiri suddenly smiled and said...

"No wonder, so you're a fan of hers."

"Eh?"

Sakuragawa Rikka never expected Asagiri to react this way after she said those words. For a moment, she didn't know what to say and could only subconsciously deny it.