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

Page 14

Is this an attempt to curry favor with someone powerful?

No, if you want to curry favor with someone powerful, you should go find that guy in the suit who starts bragging and demanding command as soon as he enters the instance.

“Violet”.

When Asagiri suddenly called out her code name, Asuna Yuuki was taken aback, wondering why she was suddenly calling out her code name.

Could it be that...

"Get ready to make your move."

"Shall we make our move? Right now, right here?"

Asuna Yuuki immediately stood up, staring intently at the masked face of the girl in the Western-style dress. Her right hand was already extended to her side, her five fingers slightly spread, making a gesture as if she were holding a sword hilt.

Although she didn't know why, since Asagiri, as the leader, had given the order, she should carry it out.

"Hey, I just separated from those two, and you're already planning to attack me?"

Even though she sensed the tense atmosphere in the air, the girl in the dress still spoke with a smile, as if she wasn't nervous at all. She even stared at Asagiri with interest and asked a question.

Why are you attacking me?

"Because you're very suspicious."

Asagiri returned the smile and spoke softly.

"Your initiative to team up with me is against common sense, and I'm starting to suspect that you might be a disguised evil spirit planning to take advantage of us two weakest players when we split up."

But what the girl in the dress said next took Yuuki Asuna by surprise.

"Are you still acting? You're clearly the strongest of the five players this time, right? That idiot in the suit can't see that, he's just stupid, but I'm not stupid at all."

The girl in the Western-style dress not only didn't back down, but instead took two steps forward, raised her head and stared at Asagiri's face with a smile in her eyes.

"That guy didn't realize that ordinary players wouldn't sign up for the dungeon at this time. Anyway, the month-long period is far from over. Those who would actively sign up for the dungeon at this time are more or less confident in completing it and must have achieved good evaluations in the newbie dungeon."

"Based on this premise, the disbelief you showed when you heard him say that he got a B+ rating was obviously an act. And most importantly, when you were facing him just now, you didn't show any fear at all. On the contrary, you had a condescending attitude, like a strong person looking down on a weak person."

At this point, the girl in the Western-style dress paused, looked directly at Asagiri's face, and said softly with a smile.

"However... since I'm assuming you're the strongest player in this dungeon, you couldn't possibly be unaware of this. The only reasonable explanation is... you're deliberately baiting me, and I'm the fish that takes the bait, right?"

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028 A girl named Kotoko Iwanaga

Hearing the words of the girl in the Western dress, Asagiri's expression did not change at all; she simply maintained her smile.

"Since you can think of these things, then you should understand why I suspect you are an evil spirit in disguise."

"Yes, I am indeed the most suspicious one."

The girl in the Western-style dress wasn't angry because Asagiri doubted her; instead, she smiled and said...

"You and the player next to you are probably friends and team up. The man in the suit and the woman in makeup also claim to be teaming up. Assuming there really is an evil spirit disguised as a player, it would be too difficult for two out of five players to be evil spirits. Besides, for a player like me who has no teammates and is all alone, yet still dares to sign up for the dungeon, if there is no evil spirit impersonating a player, then there are only two possibilities left."

"The first type is someone who is foolish but thinks they are very smart, just like that man in the suit, who thinks they can easily clear the level and easily get the dungeon rewards. The second type..."

When the girl in the Western-style dress was halfway through her sentence, Asagiri interrupted her and said what she was going to say next.

"You achieved an extremely high completion rating in the newbie dungeon, along with generous rewards including this cane and the mask you're wearing, giving you confidence that you can complete the dungeon even if you're playing alone."

"Your guess is completely correct."

Hearing the girl in the dress still talking to Asagiri with a smile, and considering her strange behavior of asking to team up with Asagiri earlier, Yuuki Asuna suddenly felt a little displeased. She took two steps forward, stood in front of Asagiri, looked directly into the girl's eyes, and said in a cold tone.

"So, even though you have the ability to clear the game on your own, you still volunteered to act with the two of us and did something so suspicious. You must be up to no good, right?"

"you misunderstood."

The girl in the dress shook her head, and then said something that surprised Asuna Yuuki.

“I didn’t know you two were teammates before. I have no interest in you. The only person I’m interested in is him. You have nothing to do with me.”

"You guy..."

Yuuki Asuna gritted her teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to summon the rapier and pierce the girl in the Western dress, and turned to look at Asagiri.

"This guy is definitely up to something. I suggest we just leave her behind."

Upon hearing this, the girl in the Western-style dress calmly removed her mask, revealing a face with fair, delicate, and adorable skin, as beautiful as an angel, instantly winning one's favor. Then, she put on a pitiful and endearing expression, like an injured fawn seeking help, staring at Asagiri with her dark purple eyes, her soft voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want to leave such a lovely young girl like me alone in this hotel haunted by evil spirits, would you? What if I encounter one..."

To the girl in the Western-style dress's surprise, before she could finish speaking, Asagiri interrupted her.

"I don't care, I'm not interested. If I die, so be it. What does it have to do with me? Goodbye."

Immediately afterward, amidst the slightly surprised look in the eyes of the girl in the Western-style dress, Asagiri spoke directly to Yuuki Asuna.

"gone."

"Oh well."

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, the girl in the dress couldn't help but stomp her foot and mutter angrily to herself.

"What? They actually abandoned me and just left like that? That's... no, that's not right."

Halfway through her self-talk, the girl in the dress changed her mind. Instead of being angry, she nodded as if she were quite satisfied.

"Faced with a request from such a cute girl like me, he didn't hesitate at all and just turned around and left. It seems he's not the indecisive, saintly type, but a very good player... Hmm... I'll think of a way to show my value as a player in this dungeon, and then go find him to team up with."

...........

On the other side, Asuna Yuuki, who was walking down the hotel through the fire escape, which was also the stairwell, with Asagiri, suddenly stopped, pursed her lips, and looked worried.

"Are we really going to leave her there alone? Although I don't really like her, she hasn't done anything hostile to us, and she even took off her mask herself. With the possibility of encountering evil spirits at any moment, can she really make it back to the room alive...?"

"You're just stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside."

Asagiri said this first, and before Yuuki Asuna could refute it, she asked a question in return.

Don't you recognize her?

"Huh? I don't know him. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Here's a hint: her right eye is a prosthetic eye, and her left leg is a prosthetic limb."

"Right eye...left leg..."

Asuna Yuuki muttered to herself, then suddenly, as if she had just realized something, her pupils widened in surprise.

"That girl...could she be that young lady?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Asuna Yuuki has remembered.

Five years ago, a suspected kidnapping case occurred, which attracted widespread attention from the public. The protagonist was Kotoko Iwanaga, the eleven-year-old eldest daughter of the Iwanaga family.

Kotoko Iwanaga comes from an extremely wealthy family; even within the private Shuchiin Academy, they are among the most prestigious and aristocratic families.

When Kotoko Iwanaga was eleven years old, she suddenly disappeared from her home. Her parents immediately reported her missing to the police. However, even though the Metropolitan Police Department did its best, it could not find any clues. Just when the Metropolitan Police Department was at a loss and did not know what to do, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly appeared on a park bench.

Two weeks had passed since she disappeared, and when Kotoko Iwanaga was found, she had lost her right eye and left leg.

Even more strangely, after Kotoko Iwanaga woke up, she claimed that she remembered nothing.

As a fellow heiress from a wealthy family, Asuna Yuuki had never met Kotoko Iwanaga in person, but she had heard about her. She never expected to meet her in person in this instance.

"In that case...we must protect her even more!"

Asuna Yuuki wondered how Kotoko Iwanaga, a disabled girl who had difficulty moving around and needed a cane to help her walk, could survive in such a dangerous dungeon.

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't worry yet."

Asagiri only needed one sentence to bring Yuuki Asuna back to her senses.

"Think about it carefully. A petite girl with a disability dares to sign up for a dungeon. What does that mean? It means she is fearless. As a player, Kotoko Iwanaga must have either obtained a special class or unlocked a powerful exclusive talent, or even both, like me."

029 It's just Persona, activate!

"Too."

Yuuki Asuna realized that she had lost her composure, and after calming herself down, she let out a long sigh.

"Since she has voluntarily signed up for the dungeon, it means she has the corresponding awareness. Even if she dies in the dungeon, it is her own choice. We should still focus on the goal at hand, which is to clear this dungeon."

"Yes."

Asagiri first agreed, and then followed Yuuki Asuna down the dimly lit stairwell with a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.

During this process, Asuna Yuuki chose a very specific position: she was slightly ahead of Asagiri by half a body length, and at the same time, she made sure that every time she went down a floor and was about to continue down, she was on the outside, that is, near the door connecting the corridor and the stairwell.

This is based on rational considerations.

Judging from the dungeon's hints, it's almost impossible for Asuna Yuuki to defeat the evil spirit one-on-one with only a regular weapon. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a hint telling her to avoid fighting the evil spirit as much as possible.

But Asagiri was different; the system's advice to him was to finish the battle quickly.

Asuna Yuuki's idea was simple: she was a melee class, while Asagiri was a support-type diplomat. Although the other party could use the power of the Persona, it would take at least two seconds from forming the gun-shaped summoner to completing the summon.

If Asagiri is ambushed and loses her fighting ability, it will mean the annihilation of the entire group. Therefore, when the evil spirits attack, it is most reasonable for her to act as the first line of defense to buy Asagiri time to summon her Persona.

"There's no need to be so nervous."

Seemingly sensing that Asuna Yuuki was too tense and constantly on guard against possible evil spirits, Asagiri spoke softly.

"As I said before, the worst thing a good game can do is punish players when they haven't made any mistakes. Between the elevator and the stairs, we chose the latter, which couldn't be the wrong option, so we're unlikely to encounter any evil spirits. The dungeon is only just beginning. If you're in such a high-tension state, your mental state will reach its limit in less than two hours."

Asuna Yuuki nodded, forcing a smile.

"Okay, I understand. I'll try to relax..."

Just as Asuna Yuuki was speaking, a strange sound suddenly came from below the stairwell, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave and instantly freeze.

"woo woo woo woo..."

Hearing what sounded like a woman crying, mixed with the sound of a sharp object scraping against the wall, Asuna Yuuki's face turned deathly pale. She turned her head shakily, looked at Asagiri's profile, and said with trembling lips.

"Leader, what should we do...?"

"persona!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Asagiri summoned his human Shura. The moment the massive black ghost appeared in the stairwell, it rushed down with him, seemingly impatient.

"You like to cry, huh? I'll make you cry your fill today!"

"I go..."

Asuna Yuuki paused for a moment, then immediately followed, thinking to herself, "Isn't this a bit too reckless?" According to the plot of horror movies, shouldn't one retreat immediately after hearing such an eerie crying sound? Why is someone advancing instead of retreating, bravely charging forward?

"Those who invade our territory, we will surely defeat them!"

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, even in such a tense moment, Asuna Yuuki almost couldn't help but blurt out a sarcastic remark.

Wait... isn't this a dungeon? Isn't this the territory of the evil spirits? How did it become yours?

When Asuna Yuuki turned the corner of the stairwell and arrived at the next step, she saw a scene that she could hardly believe.

The masked persona of Asagiri, Shura, was pressing his large hands against a female ghost who was wearing a blood-stained red nightgown, barefoot, with long black hair covering her face, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with resentment, and fingernails of exaggerated length.

Asagiri herself wasn't idle either; she had already raised one foot and stepped on the female ghost's head.

For some reason, Asuna Yuuki suddenly felt that the scene resembled a wicked young master, accompanied by his burly bodyguards, bullying a weak and vulnerable woman.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

"Crack!"

Just as the red-clad female ghost was about to cry out, Ren Shura ripped off one of her arms and handed it to Asagiri. Asagiri, in front of Yuuki Asuna's horrified gaze, stuffed the ghost's arm directly into her mouth.

"Well..."

Use someone else's own hands to shut them up?

This was a scene that Asuna Yuuki had never seen before.

"Violet, equip your weapons."