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ArabicAnime Crossover: Tokyo Reincarnation Game — Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Iwanaga Kotoko’s Unique Talent
“Save the act.”
Asagiri remained utterly unmoved by the blonde girl’s impromptu confession. His dark eyes were flat, devoid of even a flicker of warmth.
“Forget love at first sight,” he said, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm. “Even if you stripped down to a reverse bunny girl suit right now and gave me a pole dance on this very table, I wouldn’t trust you, let alone agree to some so-called cooperation.”
“How heartless.” Kotoko pursed her lips in mock hurt. She rested her cheek against her palm, her lips curling into a dangerously pretty smile. “But I must admit, I quite like this heartless, slightly sadistic, and terribly condescending attitude of yours~”
Listening to this exchange, Yuuki Asuna’s expression twisted into a complicated knot of disbelief.
She hadn’t expected this. First, they had run into two suicidal idiots in the lobby, and now, they were dealing with a pair of absolute lunatics. This Iwanaga Kotoko looked every inch the refined, elegant young lady from a prestigious family—so how on earth was she just as unhinged and abstract as Asagiri the second she opened her mouth?
“Um… Iwanaga-san,” Asuna interrupted, coughing twice to drag the conversation back to reality before it drifted into entirely inappropriate territory.
“To be brutally honest, neither he nor I can trust you. And conversely, you can’t fully trust us either, right? If we formed a party right now, built on nothing but empty promises, we’d just be waiting for a knife in the back. In a survival game like this, it’s safer to act separately than to constantly guard against your own teammates.”
“I see…” Kotoko’s smile deepened. “Then I suppose I shouldn’t hide my hand anymore.”
She shifted her gaze back to Asagiri, her golden eyes gleaming with calculated intent. “I want to form a party with you… oh, and the girl next to you, of course. Not just for this specific dungeon, but to establish a long-term partnership. How about it?”
Hearing herself tacked on as an optional accessory, Asuna frowned, a spark of annoyance flaring in her chest. “You can’t seriously want to team up with us over some childish crush, can you?”
“How could that be? While my affection is entirely genuine, the decisive factor lies elsewhere.” Kotoko tapped her finger against the table, her tone shifting from playful to analytical.
“You two solved the dungeon’s core mystery within a single hour., those two doomed players in the hallway just confirmed that the system warning explicitly stated: ‘Never attempt to fight evil spirits.’ Yet, not only are you capable of fighting them, you have the overwhelming strength to capture and interrogate them. That alone proves your combat prowess far exceeds the average player.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over them. “But more crucially, when I suggested executing those two possessed players, neither of you blinked. You even planned to use them as disposable cannon fodder. You aren’t indecisive, bleeding-heart ‘saints.’ If you were that kind of naive liability, I wouldn’t have bothered approaching you.”
“Of course, you might think it’s highly suspicious for a solo player like me to be so desperate for a team. But the truth is, I have my own fatal difficulties. You’ll understand once you see this.”
Without hesitation, Kotoko pulled her smartphone from her pocket. She tapped open the ominous Eye Icon APP, sliding the device across the table so the screen faced them perfectly.
“This…” Asuna blinked in genuine shock.
The personal status panel was the most heavily guarded secret for any player in the infinite game. It didn’t just display their real name and age; it exposed their entire arsenal—skills, equipment, talents, and class.
Yet, Kotoko had just casually surrendered her greatest vulnerabilities to two strangers.
Frowning, Asuna leaned in to read the glowing screen.
[Player Name: Iwanaga Kotoko]
[Physical Fitness Level: Weak (Physical fitness exceeds the human average, but the left leg is a prosthetic limb, severely restricting normal mobility.)]
[Player Level: Official]
[Exclusive Talent: God of Wisdom of the Oddities]
[God of Wisdom of the Oddities: All oddity-type enemies with rational thinking capabilities (evil spirits, ghosts, vengeful spirits, monsters, yokai) will not actively attack this player (with few special exceptions). Grants the ability to observe the aura and traces of ‘oddities’, grants immunity to oddity-based mental attacks, and enhances the effects of all ‘oddity’ type skills.]
[Negative Effects: Cannot master any skills or passive abilities outside the ‘oddity’category. When stamina falls too low, no skills can be activated. Cannot equip most weapons and armor. Cannot unlock any class outside the’oddity’ category.]
[Class: Locked]
[Equipment: Masquerade Mask, Princess’s Scepter]
[Masquerade Mask: A mask crafted from ordinary materials, boasting an exceptionally gorgeous appearance.]
[Princess’s Scepter: A cane specially crafted by the oddities for their Princess, Iwanaga Kotoko. The material is unknown, exceptionally tough, and nearly indestructible. When equipped, mental energy recovery speed is significantly increased.]
“This…” Asuna trailed off, her eyes wide as she processed the crippling restrictions on the panel.
Noticing Asuna’s shock, Kotoko offered a soft, self-deprecating smile.
“Now you understand, right? Without an unlocked class, I possess absolutely zero combat power. I can’t even learn standard offensive skills.”
She gestured vaguely to her left leg beneath the table. “Even if I could, the negative effects of my exclusive talent—specifically the inability to equip proper weapons and armor—combined with my physical disability, make me entirely unsuited for frontline combat.”
“In this specific dungeon, my talent is incredibly potent. But if my next assignment doesn’t involve oddities, my advantages vanish entirely, leaving me with nothing but crippling drawbacks.”
“Therefore, I need capable teammates.”
Having laid all her cards on the table, Kotoko looked directly at Asagiri. She was sharp enough to know that, despite Asuna’s input, the dark-haired boy held absolute decision-making power.
“So? What do you think?” she asked, her voice smooth and persuasive. “A player like me—burdened with fatal flaws and entirely reliant on her team, yet possessing sharp analytical skills, a ruthless style that matches your own, immense utility in oddity-type dungeons, and absolutely zero reason to betray you… I make the perfect candidate, don’t I?”
“Indeed.”
Asagiri nodded slowly, a faint, amused smirk playing on his lips. He turned his gaze to Asuna.
“I see this Iwanaga Kotoko is quite the hero. Why don’t we recruit her into our Strategy Group so we can conquer this dungeon and plot our grand rebellion together? What does my concubine think?”
“W-Who’s your concubine?!” Asuna’s face instantly flushed crimson, her tsundere instincts flaring up as she glared at him. “Stop spouting nonsense!”
She took a deep breath, massaging her temples with a sigh of deep helplessness.
“You sound like a bandit chief recruiting outlaws in Water Margin, but I’ll save my complaints for later. Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t object. You are the Leader, after all.”