Anime Crossover: Tokyo Reincarnation Game — Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Kotoko Who Wants to Reach a Cooperation

“Make us cannon fodder? But… but…”

The Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup exchanged terrified glances. Their minds flashed back to the blood-red public prompt the system had burned into their retinas before they even stepped foot in the dungeon. Both of their faces drained of color.

[Never attempt to fight evil spirits. If you encounter an evil spirit, run immediately; this way, there might be a chance of survival.]

The warnings issued by the Eye Icon App in this dungeon varied drastically depending on a player’s underlying strength. For instance, Yuuki Asuna’s prompt had explicitly warned her to avoid combat at all costs. Without a specialized weapon to sever the supernatural, her ordinary rapier couldn’t truly exorcise a spirit.

Asagiri’s prompt, however, had simply advised him to end battles quickly to avoid being swarmed. It was a subtle, almost insulting acknowledgment by the App: in a strict one-on-one scenario, his current strength was more than enough to utterly crush the ordinary evil spirits haunting this hotel.

“I beg you…”

“Shut up,” Asagiri cut her off. His brow furrowed in genuine annoyance. “Begging, begging, begging—are you a giant infant?”

Facing the woman’s tear-streaked face and pathetic whimpers, his voice remained entirely devoid of sympathy.

“You couldn’t possibly be thinking of cowering in a safe room while we eradicate the source of this hotel’s curse, just so you can piggyback your way to survival, could you? I’ve already laid it out. You have exactly two paths: fight for your miserable lives as cannon fodder to pave the way, or I kill you right now.”

Faced with his deadpan, absolute ruthlessness, the Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup finally broke. Trembling, they swallowed their sobs and agreed to act as the vanguard for the lower floors.

Before descending into the belly of the hotel to begin their exploration, Asuna suggested a one-hour rest. Physically, she was in peak condition, but capturing the Red-Clothed Specter had required Asagiri to summon his Persona, draining a fraction of his mental and physical stamina. The cost was negligible, but caution dictated they return to absolute peak condition before plunging into the unknown.

During this intermission, the two cannon fodder players were unceremoniously shoved into the innermost bedroom of the suite and locked inside.

Both had ingested the cursed tap water. At any given second, their bodies could violently rupture and spawn another Red-Clothed Specter. Quarantining them was simply basic hygiene.

Since Iwanaga Kotoko had freely offered up a crucial clue like the staff manual, Asuna decided to reciprocate. After a brief glance to secure Asagiri’s tacit approval, she relayed the events of their exploration thus far.

Naturally, she kept her mouth shut regarding Asagiri’s exclusive talent—his Persona—and glossed over the actual capture of the Red-Clothed Specter with a single, vague sentence.

Kotoko listened intently, her sharp mind already dissecting the data.

“Hmm… based on your timeline, you came into direct physical contact with the hotel’s water while filling the bathtub, correct? Yet, I don’t sense even a trace of the curse clinging to you. The deduction is quite simple: touching the water is perfectly safe. The fatal trigger is allowing it inside your body.”

Asuna nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “Then… as long as we strictly avoid ingesting anything from the taps, we just have to wait out the twelve-hour timer. Isn’t that a bit too easy?”

“It’s not easy at all.”

Asagiri lounged against the sofa cushions, his tone flat and utterly bored. “Haven’t you noticed? The ambient temperature in this hotel has been steadily climbing since we arrived.”

“Eh? Now that you mention it…” Asuna murmured, touching her collar. A thin layer of sweat had already begun to form on her skin.

“It was tolerable down on the seventh floor, but the moment we returned to the twenty-second, the heat spiked. Does it get hotter the higher up we go? Or is the temperature just rising universally as the clock ticks down, forcing players to abandon the upper levels?”

Asagiri gave a dry chuckle. “Yeah, that’s the standard developer logic. Players scour the floors, unlock rooms, and stumble across clues warning them about the contaminated water. As the heat turns the upper floors into an oven, they’re herded downward. They run into evil spirits, panic, and sprint for their lives. The extreme heat and intense cardio lead to severe dehydration. Eventually, the thirst drives them mad, forcing them into a lethal trap.”

“Especially since we already know the water is rigged, and the Earthbound Spirit on the seventh floor has been dealt with…”

Asuna trailed off. She suddenly realized the massive chasm in the dungeon’s difficulty scaling. Even though they shared the same instance, the Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup were playing a fundamentally different game. Hell, even she and Asagiri weren’t operating on the same plane of existence.

Ordinary Players: Forced to play a lethal game of hide-and-seek with ghosts while enduring the physical and psychological torture of severe dehydration. One mistake meant death. They clawed for a single sliver of hope in absolute despair.

High-End Players: Incapable of permanently killing the spirits, but strong enough to violently break through their blockades. As long as they retained their stamina, a single ghost couldn’t trap them. They could come and go as they pleased.

Cheater Players: ‘Are you done crying? Good. Now I’m going to interrogate you.’

“By the way, you managed to see that those two were tainted by the curse with just a glance… You must possess a rather formidable ability,” Asuna noted, her gaze lingering on the petite girl.

Kotoko simply smiled, her demeanor relaxed and entirely unbothered by the oppressive heat. “Truth be told, my particular talent is tailor-made for this exact type of supernatural dungeon. If my only goal was to clear the scenario and survive, it wouldn’t pose a challenge at all. But right now, I have something else I want to confirm.”

She shifted her gaze to the young man lounging on the sofa.

“What is your actual objective for this run?” Kotoko asked, her smile widening. “It’s quite obvious you aren’t satisfied with a simple clearance. Care to share? If our goals align, I’d be more than happy to reach a cooperation agreement. What do you say?”

Asagiri met her gaze, his lips curving into a faint, knowing smirk. “I think that’s highly possible, Iwanaga Kotoko.”

“Then… eh?”

Kotoko froze mid-sentence. The calm, collected aura she had maintained since her introduction shattered, replaced by a rare flash of genuine fluster.

“Eh? You actually know who I am? Don’t tell me… have we met before?”

“Never met,” Asagiri replied dryly.

“I thought so.”

Despite the sudden exposure of her identity, Kotoko didn’t panic. The tension melted from her shoulders as she offered a sweet, brilliant smile. She rested her white beret neatly on her lap, locked eyes with Asagiri, and spoke in a soft, melodic voice.

“With a man of your appearance and temperament, if we had ever crossed paths before, I would have absolutely fallen in love with you at first sight. I could never have forgotten you.”

Hearing the blatant declaration, Asuna blinked, utterly stunned.

Love at first sight?

What is she talking about?

Did this Iwanaga Kotoko… actually just fall in love with Asagiri on the spot?