"The Instance Warning and the Special Hint are both different, then..."
Yuuki Asuna muttered, looking thoughtful.
"The difference in the Instance Warning must be due to the disparity in our abilities. This means that, in the APP's assessment, my current strength would likely be insufficient to defeat the Evil Spirits in a fight, while your power is sufficient to eliminate a single one. Is that why it gave different warnings? This APP is quite adaptive, actually. As for the Special Hint..."
Just as Yuuki Asuna was mid-sentence, Asagiri suddenly grabbed her pale feet. This sudden action caused Yuuki Asuna to freeze for a moment, and then her face immediately flushed crimson.
"You... why did you suddenly grab my feet..."
"Taping muscles and wrapping bandages."
Asagiri seemed to have switched from his daily abstract mode to his professional Player mode, not uttering any weird jokes. His tone was calm.
"Before professional athletes enter a game, they use muscle tape and bandages to stabilize their ankles. This reduces the risk of sprains. Although the APP rules say we can't bring any type of defensive equipment, this shouldn't count."
"Oh, oh... so that's what it is..."
Yuuki Asuna lifted her hand to smooth her long hair. Watching Asagiri place her foot on his lap and meticulously tear and wrap the bandage and muscle tape with both hands, her cheeks were slightly red, and she whispered apologetically.
"I'm sorry... I thought for a moment... I thought you were having strange ideas about me, that's why..."
"No need to apologize."
Asagiri stated candidly, "If you say I'm doing this preparation entirely out of lecherous desire, you're wronging me. But if you say I'm acting purely rationally, without any lewd thoughts whatsoever, then you're overestimating me."
"You... you bastard..."
Yuuki Asuna's ears turned red upon hearing this. She bit her lip and whispered.
"Per... pervert... to have those kinds of thoughts while touching someone's feet... you really are a pervert..."
"Don't falsely accuse me."
Asagiri replied with a light chuckle.
"It's not just anyone; it's when I touch you, Yuuki-san, that I get certain thoughts based on normal human urges. The limiting factor is you."
Yuuki Asuna lowered her head, seemingly unresponsive, only letting out a soft "Mm." In reality, she felt her cheeks burning, and steam was practically rising from her head.
A direct attack. Terrifyingly effective.
[Player Utsunomiya Asagiri, preparing to enter the Instance][Countdown 10, 9, 8... 1, 0]
The moment the countdown hit zero, a viscous, dark-red fog appeared before Asagiri's eyes. When the fog dispersed, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar room, resembling a hotel suite.
As he had speculated, measures like wrapping ankles with muscle tape and bandages to prevent sprains were not forcefully removed upon entering the Instance. This was reasonable, as a Player's ability to think of this and prepare for the Instance was a reflection of their personal competence.
After confirming this, Asagiri began to survey his surroundings. He noticed there weren't just two of them in the room; three other people, who also seemed to be Players, were present.
One was a young man wearing an expensive suit, tie, and slicked-back hair, with a handsome appearance. Standing close beside him, practically leaning on him, was a young woman wearing heavy makeup.
From the young woman's posture, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna could tell immediately that these two knew each other before entering the Instance, perhaps having formed a Player team.
The attire of the last Player, however, was somewhat unusual.
"Is that..."
This Player was quite petite, seemingly only about 150 centimeters tall. She was wearing a white, Western-style dress paired with white stockings, delicate leather shoes, and a white beret, and was holding something resembling a cane.
Most peculiar was the fact that, despite the APP warning that Players could not use real-world items to disguise their appearance upon entering the Instance, this person was wearing a fancy white half-mask, like one from a masquerade ball, covering the upper half of her face.
The girl... she must be a girl, right?
The girl noticed the other Players in the room staring at her but showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, she gently lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a perfect curtsy. Her voice was soft and carried a hint of a smile.
"Good evening, everyone."
The man in the suit scrutinized the girl, his brow furrowed.
"Hey, that mask you're wearing and that cane in your hand—those are equipment, aren't they?"
The girl nodded without hesitation and replied with a smile.
"Yes, they are."
"Hmph. To already possess two pieces of equipment upon entering the second Instance, you must have received a good rating in the Rookie Instance as well."
Seeing the young man in the suit merely glance at the girl's cane and mask before looking away, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna both realized that this man did not know the hidden rule: that after killing another Player, one could obtain their phone and randomly draw one of their pieces of equipment or items.
This was normal, as this was a hidden rule Asagiri had verified after killing a cleared Player in the Rookie Instance and stealing their phone.
While Asagiri was certainly not the only Player to kill someone in the Rookie Instance, those who managed to discover this hidden rule were likely few and far between. It was even possible that at this stage, only Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna were aware of it.
After all, to verify this hidden rule, the primary condition was obtaining another Player's phone. Second, the owner of the phone must have cleared the Rookie Instance and been promoted to a formal Player. The final condition was killing them and opening the eye-icon APP.
Achieving so many conditions in the Rookie Instance, and, more importantly, having the idea to verify the hidden rule in the first place, was nearly impossible.
"Tch... a little girl, and two... high school students, is it?"
The man in the suit glanced at Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri, an air of arrogance surfacing between his brows. He then spoke in a deep voice.
"I'll be direct. In this Instance, you must follow my commands. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it. If you do that, I will lead you to victory."
Hearing this, the masked girl in the Western-style dress spoke with a smile in her voice.
"Follow your commands? Since we are all Players, why should we do that?"
"Hmph, isn't that simple? Because my ability is the strongest."
The man in the suit crossed his arms over his chest and let out a cold snort.
"I forgot to tell you, in the Rookie Instance..."
"I achieved a high-level clear rating of B+."