Anime Crossover: Tokyo Reincarnation Game — Chapter 96

Chapter 96: The Secret Passage in the Room

“This thing probably can’t talk. Continuing to torment it is just a waste of time.”

Hearing Kotoko’s assessment, Asuna tilted her head. “How are you so sure?”

“Because I am an expert in this field.” Kotoko raised her walking stick, pointing the tip at the female ghost currently restrained in Asuna’s grip. The entity had already endured a brutal slap from Asagiri and a vicious swing from Hat Mita’s baseball bat, yet the pure, venomous malice burning in its hollow eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

“Although this creature falls under the umbrella of ‘Anomalies,’ it is entirely different from the wraiths and Evil Spirits we’ve encountered thus far.” Kotoko’s tone took on a lecturing cadence. “It wasn’t formed from a deceased human. Rather… hmm, how should I phrase this? Simply put, it is a manifestation of a strange phenomenon. It was born from the concentrated thoughts of specific individuals within an area entirely consumed by the bizarre. It possesses no true sentience. It operates purely on raw resentment—a walking curse that fundamentally cannot be reasoned with.”

She lowered her stick. “Due to specific environmental factors, it took on this humanoid shape, but make no mistake, it was never human to begin with. It is no different from the contaminated water we dealt with in the Hotel instance.”

Asagiri nodded noncommittally. “Oh. I see.”

The very next second, the cold steel of his Rope Dart materialized in his grip. Without a shred of hesitation, he drove the sharp tip directly into the center of the ghost’s forehead.

“Since that’s the case, just hand over your mental energy and be useful.”

The entity let out a soundless shriek before its body rapidly dissolved into a dissipating cloud of black mist. Megumi, idly twirling her ominous dagger, watched the ashes scatter before turning her gaze to Kotoko.

“Is there any viable way to get through the corridor outside?”

“It seems our only option is to force our way through.” Kotoko tapped her chin thoughtfully. “However, we still don’t know the exact source of the Anomaly. Judging by what just happened, there is a hostile entity lurking within every single oil painting hanging in that hall. Not only are they numerous, but their individual power is far from weak. A brute-force breach carries an unacceptably high risk.”

“Could a challenge of this magnitude really be the intended path?” Megumi pursed her lips, her usual calm wavering slightly. “Are all the second-phase instances this brutal? Or is this specific instance just an outlier?”

Asuna’s brow furrowed tightly. A deep look of conflict swirled in her chestnut eyes as she analyzed their grim situation. “We don’t even know the primary objective for clearing this instance, and the system hasn’t provided a single public hint. To throw a terrifying corridor packed with Evil Spirits at us right out of the gate… How exactly are we supposed to survive this?”

“Calm down.”

Just as a heavy sense of dread began to settle over the group, Asagiri’s deadpan voice cut through the tension. He strode over to the living room door, his hand gripping the brass doorknob.

“Based on the overall combat strength of our team, if a stage appears that even we aren’t confident in breaching, it means the stage was never designed for Players to pass in the first place. also…”

Asagiri twisted the knob and pulled the door open. The eerie corridor stretched out before them, lined with the same unsettling oil paintings. However, the portraits that had previously crashed to the floor during their earlier skirmish were now immaculately rehung on the walls, completely pristine.

He pointed a lazy finger at the canvas closest to the threshold. “Why did the system warning only trigger after Necro walked exactly ten meters out? There was clearly a hostile presence hiding in the very first painting right by the door. So why the delay? In other words, why does this bizarre corridor have a strict ten-meter safe zone? What purpose does that buffer serve?”

“You mean…” Kotoko’s single eye widened slightly as the realization clicked into place. She immediately turned to the others. “Everyone, step out into the hall.”

Once Asuna, Megumi, and Hat Mita crossed the threshold and stood in the corridor, Asagiri firmly pulled the living room door shut behind them. Yet, instead of turning around to face the gauntlet of cursed paintings, he simply kept his hand on the knob and pushed the exact same door open once more.

Sizzle… sizzle…

A faint, static-laced hum filled the air. The space that greeted them was no longer the cozy, brightly lit apartment where Hat Mita resided. Instead, the architectural layout remained identical, but the atmosphere had plummeted into a suffocating, oppressive gloom. The walls were violently defaced. Hundreds of jagged, overlapping phrases spelling “I LOVE U” were smeared across the wallpaper in what looked distinctly like coagulated blood, radiating a chilling, psychotic obsession.

“So that’s the trick…” Kotoko murmured, her gaze sweeping over the bloodstained living room as she actively probed the air for any residual Anomaly signatures. “By stepping into the corridor, closing the door behind us, and immediately reopening it, the spatial connection shifts to this place. No wonder there was a ten-meter safe zone and an aggressive warning when the paintings shattered. The system was explicitly telling us that walking down that hall is a guaranteed dead end.”

“If the system deliberately left us a structural reminder,” Megumi noted, her voice steady, “does that mean the game still recognizes the parameters of this instance? Even though our system apps are completely locked, it hasn’t abandoned us to an unwinnable scenario.”

Asuna nodded firmly, her grip tightening on her sword hilt. “That has to be it. The system offered us the choice to enter this instance; it wouldn’t just throw us into a literal execution chamber without a single out.” She paused, her eyes narrowing as the pieces fell together. “In fact, the system has given us a hint.”

“A hint?”

“Yes. The complete lack of public objectives and the total blackout of our apps is actually a type of hint.”

Asuna shifted her gaze to the cute Hat Mita, who was still rhythmically swaying her shoulders side to side. “We haven’t encountered the twin-tailed Mita yet, but according to the data Miss Mita provided, all iterations of Mita are fundamentally internal game programs. If we combine that fact with the bizarre digital phenomena we experienced before entering, and the current lockdown of our phones… it stands to reason that the twin-tailed Mita possesses the administrative authority to interfere with our devices. She might be the one actively jamming the system app.”

“I see…” Megumi nodded slowly, though a subtle flicker in her dark eyes suggested her thoughts were already racing several steps ahead. She remained silent for a few seconds, processing the implication, before looking up to meet Asagiri’s gaze. “But, if we go by what Miss Mita said earlier… only Leader’s real name was exposed to the game’s database. Which means…”

Megumi abruptly cut her sentence short. She stared intently at Asagiri, waiting for his silent confirmation. The moment he gave a microscopic nod, she smoothly shifted her tone.

“Never mind. Let’s halt the analysis here.”

“Perfect timing.” Kotoko had spent the duration of their conversation scanning the blood-smeared interior. “I’ve done a preliminary sweep. There are no traces of Anomaly signatures within this room. However, do not drop your guard. My perception is strictly limited to Anomalies; I cannot detect physical or digital hostiles. Regardless, we need to move inside.”

They naturally fell into their established breach formation. Asuna took the vanguard, her blade drawn and ready. Kotoko and Megumi secured the center, while Asagiri brought up the rear, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Hat Mita. This specific arrangement wasn’t born out of any desire to develop a romantic atmosphere between the two. It was purely pragmatic. Asagiri possessed the highest combat lethality. If the seemingly innocent Hat Mita attempted any sudden betrayals, he was in the perfect position to instantly snap her neck.

Once the door clicked shut behind them, sealing them within the oppressive gloom, the group conducted a rapid sweep of the premises. Aside from the suffocating darkness and the psychotic crimson declarations of love plastered across the walls, the core furniture layout was a perfect mirror of Hat Mita’s apartment. The only glaring difference was the complete absence of personal effects. The items that defined her personality, like her signature electric guitar, were nowhere to be found.

“Huh? How could this be…”

Hearing Hat Mita’s genuine bewilderment, Asagiri glanced down at her. “What’s the issue? Notice something out of place?”

“It shouldn’t be like this…” Hat Mita’s face scrunched up in a cute, thoroughly confused expression. For the first time, her habitual, rhythmic shoulder-swaying came to a complete halt. “Logically speaking, every single room is programmed to have a corresponding Mita residing inside it. The system rules dictate there will never be two Mitas in one space, but there will also never be a space without a Mita. Judging by the foundational furnishings, this is undeniably a Mita’s home… so why is it empty?”

“Is it possible she just wandered off somewhere else?” Asuna asked tentatively.

“Highly improbable.” Hat Mita shook her head, unconsciously shuffling a half-step closer to Asagiri’s side for comfort. “Before meeting Player, Mita never once entertained the thought of leaving her room. After all, the core duty of our existence is to patiently wait for the Players to arrive. A spontaneous departure contradicts our base programming.”

“In other words,” Asuna murmured, her eyes scanning the blood-red walls, “the specific Mita assigned to this room actively violated her own programming and left of her own volition…”

The exact same chilling conjecture simultaneously surfaced in the minds of both Megumi and Kotoko. Could the missing occupant of this defaced, psychotic apartment be the very same twin-tailed Mita whose mental stability was clearly compromised?

Just as the silence threatened to suffocate them, a muffled, rhythmic noise echoed through the apartment.

Thump… thump… thump…

Asuna’s expression hardened instantly. She raised her Exorcist Longsword, the blade catching the dim light. She tilted her head, tracking the acoustic reverberations, before her frown deepened. “The source of the impact… it’s coming from inside the bedroom.”

“I’ll scout ahead.”

Megumi activated her stealth talent. Her presence instantly thinned out, blending perfectly into the ambient shadows as she slipped through the bedroom doorway. A few moments later, she reappeared at the threshold, looking back at Asagiri and the others.

“I don’t detect any immediate hostile threats. The noise is originating from inside the wardrobe.”

“The wardrobe?” Asuna repeated, stepping cautiously into the bedroom.

Sure enough, just as Megumi had reported, a faint, rhythmic vibration was rattling the wooden frame of the large closet, as if something was desperately trying to get out.

“Prepare for a breach.” Megumi glided over to the side of the wardrobe and gently rested her fingers against the cold metal handle.

Kotoko and Asuna immediately moved into flanking positions. Kotoko locked her singular, piercing eye onto the wooden doors, her mana surging as she prepared to unleash her Curse Gaze skill at a moment’s notice. Beside her, Asuna lowered her stance, the tip of her Exorcist Longsword angled for a lethal, lightning-fast thrust.

Asagiri, true to his nature, opted for absolute overkill. He bypassed his melee weapons entirely, pulling out a heavy-caliber sniper rifle in the confined space of the bedroom. He disengaged the safety with a sharp click, leveled the massive barrel directly at the center mass of the wardrobe doors, and rested his finger against the trigger. The moment a monster, or anything remotely resembling a threat, dared to jump out, he was fully prepared to introduce it to a permanent Carbon-Based Lifeform Cooling-Off Period.

Megumi took a silent breath and yanked the right half of the wardrobe door open.

However, the tense standoff instantly dissolved into confusion. There was no lunging monster. There was no screaming Anomaly. Instead, nestled flush against the back panel of the closet, was a heavy, deep gray metal door.

Asuna lowered her sword, blinking in surprise. “This is… a secret passage?”