Chapter 34: Iwanaga Kotoko Who Wants to Achieve Cooperation
"Cannon fodder? But… but…"
The suit man and the woman with heavy makeup exchanged a look, and their faces turned ugly as they remembered the public hint the system had given before entering the instance.
[Absolutely do not attempt to fight the Banshee. Immediately run away when you encounter a Banshee. This might give you a chance to survive.]
The eye icon APP's hints clearly varied based on a Player's strength.
Asuna's hint told her to avoid fighting a Banshee as much as possible, because without a weapon meant for Banshees, she couldn't truly eliminate one with an ordinary rapier.
Asagiri's hint was different. Finish the battle quickly, and don't let yourself get surrounded. Look at it from the other side, and it meant the APP had judged that in a one on one, his current strength could overwhelm an ordinary Banshee in this hotel.
"Please… I'm begging you…"
"Shut up." Asagiri frowned slightly, his patience already gone. "Begging nonstop, are you a giant baby?"
The woman's eyes welled up again, but Asagiri didn't even blink.
"You're not thinking of hiding somewhere safe while we solve the source for you, right? I told you already, you have two paths. Either you fight for your life and scout the way, or you die now."
...
In the end, the suit man and the woman with heavy makeup still made their choice.
They agreed.
Before heading down into the lower levels to start exploring, Asuna suggested they rest for an hour. She was fine, but earlier, when Asagiri captured the red clothed female ghost, he had summoned his Persona. It had drained some of his physical and mental strength. It wasn't much, but in a dungeon like this, caution was the difference between living and becoming a stain on the carpet.
During the break, the suit man and the woman with heavy makeup were locked in the innermost bedroom of the suite.
They had drunk the hotel's water. They could explode like the ghost at any time. No one was going to take that risk at arm's length.
And since Kotoko had proactively shared something as valuable as the staff manual, Asuna didn't hide their own findings either. After consulting Asagiri, she told Kotoko what they had experienced.
Of course, she didn't mention Asagiri's exclusive talent, Persona. She simply glossed over the exact method of how the red clothed female ghost had been captured.
After hearing everything, Kotoko tilted her head, thinking.
"Hm… when you filled the bathtub, you also touched the hotel's water, right? But I didn't sense any signs of you being invaded by the oddity. That means simple contact is fine. The real danger is letting the water enter your body."
Asuna nodded slowly.
"So… if we just avoid the water entirely, we can survive twelve hours. Doesn't that feel too simple?"
"It's not simple at all," Asagiri said, lounging on the sofa with the calm tone of someone discussing homework instead of survival. "Didn't you notice? Since we appeared, the temperature inside this hotel has been rising."
"Huh… now that you mention it…" Asuna muttered, focusing. "It was fine on the seventh floor, but once we came back to the twenty second, it got hotter. Is it hotter the higher you go? Or does it rise over time… forcing Players to move down?"
Asagiri replied casually, as if reading a script he'd seen too many times.
"Yeah. The normal flow should be this. Players search floors, open rooms, find clues about water or something similar. The temperature keeps rising, so they're forced downward. They encounter Banshees, run, and during that escape they get dehydrated from the heat and exertion. Then they reach the point where they have to choose between dying of thirst or drinking the wrong water."
Asuna's gaze sharpened.
They already knew the water was a trap. And the earthbound spirit on the seventh floor had been dealt with too.
For the suit man and the woman with heavy makeup, this Dungeon was a nightmare.
For her and Asagiri, it was starting to look like a puzzle.
A cruel one, but still a puzzle.
Asuna couldn't help comparing it in her head.
An ordinary Player played hide and seek with Banshees, enduring exhaustion and the slow torment of dehydration. Once caught, it was death. They hunted for a sliver of hope inside despair.
A high end Player might not be able to eliminate a Banshee, but could break through one head on. As long as they didn't lose their combat ability, a single Banshee couldn't stop them from coming and going.
And then there was Asagiri.
Are you done crying? If you're done, I'm going to start interrogating you.
"Right," Asuna said, meaningfully, looking at Kotoko. "You could tell those two were tainted by the hotel's oddity. Your abilities are… very strong."
Kotoko only smiled, relaxed as ever.
"To be honest, my talent is best suited for instances involving strange phenomena. And if I only wanted to clear this Dungeon, it wouldn't be difficult at all. But there's something I want to confirm."
She turned to Asagiri, her expression bright and curious.
"What is your goal for entering this Dungeon? You don't seem satisfied with simply clearing it. Tell me your goal. If our goals align, we can cooperate. What do you think?"
Asagiri smiled back. "Sounds fine, Iwanaga Kotoko."
"Then… huh?"
Kotoko froze mid sentence.
For the first time since they'd met, the always composed girl looked flustered. Her eyes widened, and her grip on her beret tightened slightly.
"Huh? You actually know me? Could it be… we've met before?"
"We haven't."
"That's true…"
Even after being exposed, Kotoko didn't panic. She simply smiled again, sweet as sugar, and placed her white beret neatly on her lap. Then she looked up at Asagiri with gentle sincerity.
"Someone with your looks and presence… if we had met before, I would have fallen in love at first sight. I wouldn't be able to forget you."
"Hm?"
Asuna blinked, genuinely stunned.
Love at first sight?
In the middle of an Dungeon?
So Kotoko…
Actually fell for Asagiri the moment she saw him?
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