Anime Crossover: Tokyo Reincarnation Game — Chapter 104

Chapter 104: The True Form of Crazy Mita

Hearing those words, a furious blush spread across Yuuki Asuna’s cheeks. She stammered, entirely robbed of her usual composure.

“Wh-what are you saying… They’re still here, don’t say such embarrassing things out loud…”

“What’s happening? What’s happening!?”

Spotting Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri acting so intimately, Shuchiin Academy’s undisputed queen of jealousy, the glowing green beacon of envy, the God of Wisdom to the spirits, and the Princess of Yokai herself—Iwanaga Kotoko—came sprinting over with righteous indignation.

“What is the meaning of this? Flirting right in front of me? No way, absolutely not! I can’t stand for this!”

Watching Iwanaga Kotoko’s dramatic outburst, Yuuki Asuna’s heart sank slightly. If this kind of romantic friction wasn’t handled carefully, it could easily fracture the fragile dynamic of their entire team. But before she could intervene, Iwanaga Kotoko had already dashed right up to Asagiri. Standing on her tiptoes, the blonde girl pressed her head against his chest, rubbing against his jacket like a terribly spoiled kitten.

“No way, no way, it’s only fair if you give me some attention too!”

Yuuki Asuna blinked in surprise, then let out a long, helpless sigh.

That was true.

After all, this was Iwanaga Kotoko they were dealing with; it was practically a requirement for her to act a little unhinged.

Asagiri didn’t say a word. He simply reached out and gently ruffled Iwanaga Kotoko’s golden hair. Her lips immediately curved up into a wild, triumphant grin, and she reached both arms forward, fully intending to lock him in a tight embrace around his waist.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Yuuki Asuna reached out, firmly grabbing Iwanaga Kotoko by the wrist and pulling her back with an irritated glare.

“You lewd loli, don’t push your luck.”

Iwanaga Kotoko pouted, looking thoroughly displeased by the interruption, but she obediently released her hold on Asagiri.

“Player, Player, me too, me too~”

Hat Mita trotted over with quick, small steps. She grabbed Asagiri’s hand and pressed his palm against her cheek, sticking out her little tongue in a display of pure, adorable bliss.

Immediately following her lead, Short-haired Mita and Cute Mita hurried over, taking turns leaning in so Asagiri could pat their heads. Watching this display of affection, Kind Mita stood off to the side, a clear hint of longing swimming in her eyes. After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally walked over, doing her best to maintain a facade of calm maturity.

“Um… touch me too, please.”

Once Asagiri finished indulging Kind Mita, Iwanaga Kotoko and Yuuki Asuna both turned their gazes toward the last remaining girl standing quietly in the background—Kato Megumi.

Feeling the sudden weight of their stares, Kato Megumi, who had been perfectly content maintaining her detached, unconcerned aura, blinked in mild surprise.

“Eh? Do I have to participate in this part too?” she asked, her tone entirely flat.

“Of course.”

Iwanaga Kotoko marched over, grabbed Kato Megumi by the arm, and dragged her directly in front of Asagiri with absolute seriousness.

“We are a team. We share the pain, so naturally, we share the perks too. We absolutely cannot show favoritism. Asagiri touched us, so he has to touch you.”

Yuuki Asuna shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Your logic is sound, but your phrasing is absolutely atrocious…”

“Heh, I haven’t even brought out the heavy artillery yet, you homewrecking feline.”

Watching Yuuki Asuna and Iwanaga Kotoko instantly fall back into their usual bickering, the faintest trace of a smile tugged at the corners of Kato Megumi’s lips. She turned her attention back to Asagiri, pursed her lips, and cautiously extended her right hand.

“Then, Leader… let’s shake hands,” she said, her voice soft but sincere. “You must come back safely. We will all be waiting for you.”

Asagiri gave Kato Megumi’s hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. A moment later, he turned and stepped forward, his figure gradually dissolving into nothingness as he passed through the shimmering red barrier.

Fifteen minutes later.

“Why hasn’t the Leader returned yet…”

Iwanaga Kotoko sat on the edge of the worn sofa, her eyes tracking Kind Mita, who was currently pacing back and forth across the room. The clone’s brows were knitted tightly together in deep anxiety.

“Are you absolutely sure there are no dangers in the core area? Could something have happened to him?” Kotoko pressed.

“This…”

Seeing that Asagiri had been gone for so long, Kind Mita’s previous confidence wavered. “I haven’t actually been inside myself, but logically speaking, there shouldn’t be any threats in that zone. The only real danger in this entire world is that crazy guy…”

Just as Kind Mita was halfway through her sentence, Asagiri’s phone—which he had left resting on the center table—suddenly flared to life. The screen glowed with a harsh, unnatural light, and from the tiny earpiece speaker, the piercing sound of a girl’s manic laughter echoed through the quiet room.

“Crazy guy? Are you talking about me?”

The very next second, a pale hand violently breached the surface of the phone screen, stretching out into the physical world. It was immediately followed by the horrifying sight of a girl with twin tails dragging herself out of the digital display.

Yuuki Asuna reacted with blinding speed. The instant the entity began to materialize, her left hand snatched Asagiri’s phone off the table, while her right hand smoothly drew the Exorcist Longsword, driving the glowing blade straight toward the intruder’s chest.

Clang!

The twin-tailed girl was just as fast. She yanked a heavy, bloodstained chainsaw out of thin air, bringing the grinding metal teeth up to perfectly parry Yuuki Asuna’s strike. The force of the collision sent sparks flying before the girl leaped backward to create distance.

“You… you are…”

Kind Mita stared at the intruder, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks of absolute terror. The twin-tailed girl possessed a face completely identical to her own, but it was twisted by a cruel, mocking smile that radiated pure, unadulterated madness.

“That’s right, it’s me~”

Crazy Mita giggled.

Kind Mita’s eyes darted from the psychotic clone to the phone still gripped in Yuuki Asuna’s left hand. “You… you’ve been hiding inside the Player’s phone this entire time!?”

“You caught on pretty quick~”

Crazy Mita’s cruel smile widened. She tilted her chin up, her crazed eyes sweeping over the four Mitas, Yuuki Asuna, Kato Megumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko. She let out a dramatic, exaggerated sigh, feigning deep sorrow.

“What a terrible pity. Your strongest Player isn’t ever coming out of there.”

Even though Kind Mita had already begun to piece the horrific truth together, she desperately shook her head, refusing to accept it. “No… as long as the Player reaches the core area, he can directly eliminate you from the system…”

“Even now, you still think that was the path to the core area? Hahaha, you really are hopelessly naive.”

Crazy Mita threw her head back and laughed, the sound grating and metallic.

“What path to the core area? That was just a dead-end BUG area I coded myself. You didn’t actually think you were lucky enough to stumble upon the real route, did you?”

She revved the chainsaw, the engine roaring to life. “Still, your performance didn’t disappoint me. It wasn’t a waste of time locking you in that dungeon and manipulating you into guiding the Player straight to his execution.”

Crazy Mita paused, her smile turning razor-sharp as she locked eyes with Kind Mita.

“So, how does it feel? Now that you know it was you who led the Player—the very person you Mitas love so dearly—into a fatal trap. You personally killed him. What are your thoughts? I’m just dying to know~”

“I… I killed the Player…”

The light completely vanished from Kind Mita’s eyes. Beside her, Cute Mita, Short-haired Mita, and Hat Mita all collapsed to their knees, their expressions shattering into utter despair. The psychological blow of causing the Player’s death was entirely too much for their programmed minds to bear.

“But there is one thing I’m a little sad about.”

Crazy Mita shifted her gaze toward Short-haired Mita, clicking her tongue in disappointment. “I originally thought the Player and his little companions would slaughter you the moment they triggered my trap. If that had happened, revealing the truth right at the end would have been so much more entertaining~”

Just then, a calm, measured voice cut through the heavy atmosphere.

“You’ve been hiding inside his phone this entire time, yet you only chose to reveal yourself at this exact moment. Is it because you were terrified of him?”

Crazy Mita’s manic smile instantly froze. She turned her head, her expression dropping into a cold, hateful glare at Iwanaga Kotoko.

“Heh. I really hate to admit it, but you’re right. After I infiltrated his device, I managed to peek at his personal data as a ‘Player’—not a Player bound by the rules of this game world, but a Player from whatever twisted system you people belong to. I genuinely wasn’t confident I could survive a direct fight with him. But…”

Crazy Mita raised the chainsaw, pointing the jagged blade directly at Iwanaga Kotoko.

“He’s already dead. And now, it’s your turn. As long as I butcher all of you and rip those phones from your corpses, I can inherit your items and your equipment. But most… I will no longer be a prisoner rotting away in this virtual cage, surrounded by a bunch of boring, repetitive programs. I… will become a Player!”

Yuuki Asuna narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on the hilt of the Exorcist Longsword.

“If my memory serves me right, we never discussed that specific hidden rule while inside the dungeon, and there is absolutely no record of it stored on his phone. So how exactly do you know about that?”

“Heh heh, are you curious?”

Crazy Mita’s face contorted into a mask of pure psychotic glee. Rather than answering Yuuki Asuna’s question, she slammed her thumb down on the chainsaw’s throttle. The deafening, mechanical roar of the engine filled the room.

“I’m not telling you a damn thing. Just be good little girls and die!!”

Crazy Mita lunged forward, swinging the roaring chainsaw in a wide, lethal arc. Watching that deranged face rapidly closing the distance, Kind Mita squeezed her eyes shut, entirely consumed by despair.

But right at that moment, a chillingly calm voice echoed through the air.

“The children’s make-believe game ends here. Come out…”

“Demi-Fiend.”

As Crazy Mita watched in absolute, paralyzing horror, a towering, shadowy entity materialized out of thin air directly in her path. The demonic creature casually swatted its massive palm toward her. Operating purely on survival instinct, she violently threw herself backward, the sheer force of the near-miss tearing through the air where her head had just been.

Panting heavily, she looked past the imposing figure of the Demi-Fiend. Standing there, dressed in stark black clothes and wearing a smooth gray mask, was the very person who was supposed to be dead.

“You… why are you here…” she choked out, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Haven’t you figured it out even now? How hopelessly naive you are.”

Asagiri effortlessly threw Crazy Mita’s own mocking words right back at her. His tone was perfectly flat, devoid of any surprise or concern.

“Long before we even located Kind Mita, we had already deduced that you were hiding inside my phone.”

Crazy Mita shook her head frantically, stumbling backward as her mind desperately tried to process the reality in front of her.

“No… that’s impossible. There is no way you could have possibly known…”

“That is exactly why I called you naive.”

Asagiri took two slow, deliberate steps forward. He calmly raised his right hand, and the temperature in the room instantly plummeted. A massive Ice Spear, radiating waves of freezing white mist, materialized in the air above his palm. He looked down at the cowering, retreating form of Crazy Mita, his voice carrying the absolute weight of an executioner.

“From the very moment you dragged us into this little game of yours, the ending was already decided.”