"So, both of you have returned safely..."
Iwanaga Kotoko removed her beret, placing it against her chest with one hand. Every gesture reflected the demeanor of a high-society young lady—which, of course, she was.
"I have something I gathered. Are the two of you interested?"
Seeing Iwanaga Kotoko produce a manual-like object, Yuuki Asuna frowned.
"What is this?"
"A staff operations handbook for the hotel. It lists the location of all the hotel's facilities and the structural floor plans for every level."
Yuuki Asuna's face instantly showed surprise.
In a horror Instance with an unknown environment, the value of a handbook like this goes without saying, right?
For ordinary Players, they might not need this, as their goal is simply to find a safe place to hide, wait for the twelve-hour time limit to expire, and clear the Instance for the rewards, regardless of the rating.
But Yuuki Asuna and Asagiri were different.
Neither of them was willing to just coast through an Instance. In their view, failing to achieve a high clear rating was essentially a waste of the cooldown time before they could enter the next Instance.
"Do you want the information we gathered in exchange?"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's question, Iwanaga Kotoko shook her head, revealing a slight smile.
"No, I only want to ask you, oh, no..."
Here, Iwanaga Kotoko looked toward Asagiri, who was standing nearby, suddenly appearing a little shy.
"I only want to ask you one question. In exchange for your answer, I will give you this handbook."
Asagiri was calm. "Ask away."
Iwanaga Kotoko looked delighted, then asked a stunning question that left Yuuki Asuna wide-eyed and doubting her own ears.
"May I ask... do you have a girlfriend?"
What?
Yuuki Asuna stared at the slightly bashful Iwanaga Kotoko, her face a question mark.
You brought a staff handbook this valuable just to ask that?
If this were in the real world, Yuuki Asuna wouldn't be surprised at all; Asagiri was incredibly handsome, so it was normal for girls to try to flirt.
The problem was... they were currently in an Instance!
What kind of top-tier love-brain is this?
"No."
"That's wonderful."
Iwanaga Kotoko looked overjoyed at Asagiri's answer and immediately handed the staff handbook over to him.
"As promised, this is yours."
Just as Asagiri took the manual from Iwanaga Kotoko, two figures suddenly appeared from around the corridor corner.
"Hm? Are those three already here?"
The man in the suit and the woman with heavy makeup appeared together. Neither looked injured. But just as they were about to walk over, Iwanaga Kotoko frowned, immediately raised her cane, pointed it at the two of them, and slowly declared.
"You two... have been possessed by the hotel's anomaly (kai'i)."
"Po... possessed? What are you talking about?"
The woman with heavy makeup looked bewildered, while the man in the suit's expression darkened.
"We didn't even run into any Evil Spirits. Where does 'possession' come from?"
"Do not come any closer!"
When Iwanaga Kotoko suddenly yelled this, the man in the suit finally realized that this girl, who looked like a junior high student, was not joking; she was serious. His expression grew more displeased, and his tone hardened.
"Hey, what kind of attitude is that? 'Possessed by an anomaly'? That's just your word against ours. I suspect you're the one who's been possessed! You two, stay away from her. The four of us can discuss this; there's no need to pay attention to her."
Asagiri ignored the man in the suit, and since he ignored him, Yuuki Asuna also remained silent.
Seeing his words go unanswered, the man in the suit looked visibly embarrassed. He couldn't help but shout at Asagiri in a tone one might use to command a subordinate.
"Didn't you hear me? I told you two to come over here..."
"Shut up."
Asagiri cut the man off before he could finish. Then, to the horror of both the man in the suit and the woman with makeup, he pulled a black handgun from inside his clothes and pointed the dark muzzle at the man.
"Shh, quiet down. I'm considering whether I should just kill both of you right now."
"A gun... a gun?"
Seeing Asagiri suddenly pull out a gun and point it at him, the man in the suit's face instantly went deathly pale. His legs started trembling uncontrollably.
What's going on?
Didn't the rules forbid bringing any type of weapon into the Instance? Why does this guy have a gun?
Could it be... equipment rewarded after clearing the Instance?
That's unfair! Impossible! I got a B+ clear rating and only received a golf club as an equipment reward. How could anyone get a handgun as a clear reward!?
Iwanaga Kotoko also seemed a little surprised to see Asagiri suddenly produce a gun, but she didn't instinctively move away. Instead, she looked on with interest.
Among everyone present, only Yuuki Asuna knew the truth.
Asagiri's gun was actually his Persona Summoner and couldn't fire bullets at all.
However, when facing the "Carbon-Based Lifeform Calming Device," no one dared to move rashly unless they believed they could tank or dodge a bullet.
"Alright, let's begin your honest confession segment."
Asagiri offered a slight smile and spoke softly.
"Tell me everything you did, every single detail, since you separated from us. Otherwise, I will play the suona (Chinese funeral horn) and send the two of you off pleasantly."
Faced with Asagiri's threat, the man in the suit first exchanged a glance with the woman in makeup, then began to speak haltingly, completely stripped of his initial arrogance.
"I, after we split up, we first searched this floor... then went to search the twenty-first floor. Then... then when we saw there were no Evil Spirits on the twenty-first floor, we kicked open a room door, and then, then..."
"Then what?"
Seeing the man in the suit hesitate, the woman with makeup tentatively raised her hand, like an elementary school student, and stammered.
"Then... he told me to... to give him that thing... the biting thing..."
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna's cheeks flushed, while Iwanaga Kotoko looked highly interested, as if she'd heard juicy gossip and wanted more details.
Asagiri remained silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking.
"You two..."
"Are you brainless?"