Chapter 44: The Strongest Anomaly Within the Hotel
"Don't be envious." Kotoko spoke first, her tone casual. "My exclusive talent is very strong in Supernatural Dungeons, but it also comes with plenty of restrictions."
Then she smiled at Asuna.
"Besides, you deserve a lot of credit for eliminating the source of the Anomaly this time. You didn't hesitate, and you didn't show mercy. No wonder Leader chose to team up with you."
Asuna was just about to respond when Kotoko added, softly, as if remembering something.
"But next time, could you not act like a pervert?"
Asuna blinked. "What?"
"Standing on top of the water tank and whispering Leader's name like you were performing some forbidden ritual," Kotoko continued with a straight face. "That was… impressive in its own way."
Asuna's face turned bright red in an instant. She had not expected Kotoko to have heard her.
Back then, she hadn't been thinking anything weird. She had only been forcing herself to move, to commit, because if she hesitated even once, Asagiri might be the one paying for it.
"I… You're the pervert!" Asuna fired back immediately, desperate to regain ground. She sized Kotoko up, from her petite height to her delicate, doll like face that did not resemble a high school student at all.
"And seriously, are you even the same age as us? Your figure is basically a middle schooler's…"
"What!?" Kotoko's eyes widened. She followed Asuna's gaze, then looked down at herself. For a rare moment, her momentum faltered, but she forced it right back up.
"Heh. I'm just developing late. And I've heard if you massage regularly with skilled techniques, you can trigger a second growth spurt!"
Then she turned her head toward Asagiri, shamelessly frank.
"Leader, caring for your teammates' mental health and supporting their physical growth is also part of your responsibility, right? I'll leave it to you."
Asuna felt so embarrassed she almost combusted on the spot. Her cheeks were red, and her voice came out sharper than she intended, with a faint edge of jealousy she did not want to admit.
"Can you not say such vulgar things here? Please don't say such, such, such shocking words with that cute, innocent face!"
"Tch." Kotoko clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, completely unbothered, like someone who had decided she would either say something outrageous or die trying.
"I'm not asking you to do it. Mind your own business."
"You…"
"That's enough." Asagiri cut between them, expression serious.
He looked from Asuna to Kotoko and spoke slowly, as if offering a sincere solution.
"Just so you know, I have two hands. I can massage both of you at the same time."
Asuna froze, then her face turned even redder. She clenched her teeth, voice trembling with pure indignation.
"Who, who wants you to massage them! How did you get infected by her too…"
Then she paused, stared into the distance for a long moment, and sighed while rubbing her forehead.
"I forgot. If we're talking about who's crazier… you're probably worse than her. What kind of people did I team up with…"
"All right." Asagiri's tone shifted cleanly back to business. "Enough abstract relaxation. Let's talk about the important part."
He glanced at their phones.
"The app unlocked an early exit function. I didn't expect it. The icon looks scary, but for a game system, it's surprisingly user friendly."
Asuna nodded. The Dungeon's original objective had been to survive until the twelve hour limit. Now that the Anomaly at the core of the hotel had been eliminated, the earth bound spirits created through the water and pinned to each floor should have vanished as well.
There should be no remaining danger that could affect their clear.
That had to be why the app allowed them to leave early.
It was just that…
Asuna's brows knit as a thought returned to her. "What exactly did Necro's special Dungeon hint mean…?"
Kotoko had also received a high clear evaluation in the novice Dungeon, S minus, and she had been given her own special hint this time as well.
[The Most Dangerous Anomaly Is Not The Strongest Anomaly]
Kotoko hopped up onto the reception counter and sat like a child, legs dangling freely. She propped her cheeks in her hands and spoke in a soft, analytical voice.
"If we take it literally, the most dangerous Anomaly should be the Floating Corpse Evil Spirit we just eliminated."
She tilted her head slightly.
"But the hint says it wasn't the strongest. And the app specifically said we eliminated all hostile Banshees in this hotel."
Kotoko's eyes sharpened.
"That implies something else exists here. Something more powerful than the Floating Corpse Evil Spirit. Unlike those earth bound spirits, it wasn't created by that thing. It formed due to other factors."
Her voice lowered.
"And it isn't hostile toward us."
Asuna frowned, skeptical. "An anomaly entity without hostility… does that really exist?"
"Of course." Kotoko shrugged, smiling as if Asuna had asked whether water could be wet.
"Most yokai entities in the real world are like that. They just want a peaceful existence. They have no desire to hurt humans."
Her smile turned faintly colder.
"The ones who harm people are the minority. They show up often, cause trouble, disrupt the boundary that keeps humans and yokai's from interfering with each other. Things like the Floating Corpse Evil Spirit, killing out of resentment, tampering with the order maintained by the Banshees. Those are the ones that need to be eliminated."
"I see…" Asuna looked to Asagiri, then spoke carefully.
"But if that entity isn't hostile, we don't need to provoke it, right? You already used a lot of stamina and mental strength. I think we should end this operation here…"
She had barely finished half the sentence when a small, tender voice drifted through the lobby.
"Big brother… big sister… where… where are you going?"
The moment that voice landed, Asuna's blood ran cold.
Even Kotoko's body stiffened.
They turned.
Not far away, a little girl stood quietly. She wore a simple dress. Her blond hair was soft and neat, her blue eyes clear and bright, and her face was so cute it looked unreal.
Kotoko's shock flickered openly in her eyes.
She had not sensed this girl's presence at all.
Kotoko possessed the talent of the God of Wisdom of Strange Entities, and yet the girl had appeared without leaving even a trace.
Only after the girl spoke did Kotoko belatedly feel it.
A terrifying aura.
The kind that made her shudder.
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