Chapter 45: The Person In Black Clothes
"Big brother… big sister… why aren't you talking to me?"
The blond little girl tilted her head, looking genuinely wronged as she spoke in a soft, childish voice.
"You killed that auntie. This place is the only one left now…" Her lips pouted slightly. "So how about this? Big brother and big sister, you stay here forever. Stay with me. Always."
Hearing such eerie words delivered with such an innocent expression, Asuna's spine went cold. She instinctively tugged on Kotoko's sleeve and lowered her voice.
"Hey… aren't you supposed to be an expert at dealing with supernatural entities? Think of a way to negotiate. She shouldn't be the one that actively attacks, right?"
Kotoko leaned closer to Asuna's ear, standing on her tiptoes to make up for their height difference. Her voice was quiet, unusually serious.
"This isn't an ordinary Banshee. No… I'm not even sure she's a Banshee at all."
Kotoko's gaze stayed on the girl, but her words were meant for Asuna alone.
"The only thing I'm certain of is that she really has no hostility toward us. In her mind, keeping us here forever, staying with her, is protection."
"This big sister is right."
The little girl took two small steps forward, looking anxious, like she was afraid they might vanish if she blinked.
"The outside world is too dangerous. If you go out, you'll definitely die. It's better to stay here with me."
Kotoko shifted smoothly, placing herself in front of Asuna like a shield. She looked directly into the girl's blue eyes, her expression calm and sweet, without a trace of fear.
"You know the outside world is dangerous?" Kotoko asked gently. "Have you ever left this hotel?"
"No."
The girl shook her head obediently.
"I can't leave here."
"I see."
Kotoko flicked her eyes toward Asagiri and Asuna, silently signaling them not to speak yet. Then she continued guiding the conversation in the same soft tone.
"What else do you remember? Were you a guest here before?"
"Hmm…" The girl frowned as if thinking hard. "I don't remember. I just remember I've always been here… Those aunties and uncles used to play with me."
Kotoko already understood who those "aunties and uncles" were. The earth bound spirits trapped across the floors.
But this girl was clearly different. The Floating Corpse Evil Spirit was gone, and yet she remained.
Kotoko didn't let her thoughts show. She simply asked another question.
"Then how do you know the outside world is so dangerous? Besides us, has anyone else come here?"
Perhaps because of Kotoko's talent, the girl didn't hide anything. She didn't even seem to realize the weight of what she was saying.
"Someone came before…" She nodded slowly. "But it was a long, long, long time ago."
Her voice lowered, like she was talking about a nightmare.
"They wore really strange clothes. Black clothes, black helmets. They looked scary. Not kind like you big sisters. I didn't dare to appear in front of them."
People in black clothes. Black helmets.
Asuna's mind instantly spun.
Someone else had been here before.
Were they Players?
No. The girl had said they entered from outside, not like them, not by being dragged into a Dungeon.
After experiencing two Dungeons, Asuna agreed with what Asagiri had said earlier. The three of them should be the first batch of Players in this "game."
And with the newspaper as evidence, it was reasonable to assume this world itself, Kyozan Mental Hospital and this hotel included, was a world where supernatural entities existed.
If that was true, then there shouldn't be any "veteran Players" freely walking around this place, people with rewards strong enough to move through the world at will.
So if they weren't Players…
Were they locals? Some kind of police force? Investigators? Something like the FBI?
Kotoko kept her voice steady. "Did they appear suddenly, like we did?"
The girl shook her head again.
"No. They came in from outside. After they came in, they went to look at the water tank over there. Then they left."
Asuna's heart sank.
The information was too heavy, and there was still far too little context.
They had checked the water tank. That meant they should have discovered the source of the strangeness.
So why didn't they eliminate it?
Why did they leave instead?
Asuna couldn't form a reasonable conclusion.
"I see…" Kotoko nodded slowly, noncommittal.
Then she glanced toward Asagiri, her eyes making the question clear.
Leave now, before it's too late?
Asagiri didn't answer her look.
Instead, he stepped forward with an easy smile, stopping a safe distance from the little girl.
"Little sister," he said warmly, "if we leave, will you be lonely staying here by yourself?"
Asuna's eyes widened.
The Diplomat was starting again.
"Yes…" The girl nodded quickly, eyes brightening with hope. "So big brother, can you stay with me?"
Asagiri didn't answer directly. He guided her gently, like coaxing a child through a stubborn tantrum.
"Little sister, that's not quite right. Even if we stay, we can only stay for a little while, not forever. And besides…"
He spread his hands slightly, as if presenting the empty lobby.
"Do you think this place is fun?"
The girl shook her head. "Not fun."
"Exactly." Asagiri smiled. "It's boring staying here."
Then, with a calm that made both Asuna and Kotoko freeze, he said something neither of them expected.
"So… do you want to come with us?"
"Huh? Come… together?"
The girl's face lit up with temptation. Then her expression crumpled into distress.
"But big brother, I can't leave here. I've tried. I can't…"
Asagiri's smile didn't change.
"Maybe others can't," he said gently. "But I can take you out of here. Come on."
As he spoke, a fluffy teddy bear appeared in his hand.
Asuna stared.
Where did that even come from?
Asagiri handed the teddy bear to the girl. Then he pressed a button on its back.
A moment later, a loud, painfully enthusiastic voice blared out.
"o yeah o yeah give it to me"
At the same time, the teddy bear began striking suggestive poses, moving like it was doing pole dancing.
The contrast between its innocent face and its shameless performance was so absurd that Asuna's brain nearly blue screened.
The little girl stared at it, eyes sparkling.
Asagiri casually reached out and gently patted her head, smiling as if he'd just solved a difficult puzzle.
"Well? Fun, right?"
Then he leaned closer, voice soft and coaxing.
"Come be my Persona."
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +50 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]