Chapter 03: The Duties of a "Caregiver"
Asuna's pupils widened in shock. Instinctively, she wanted to scream, but she quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth. Suppressing the fear welling up inside, she forced herself to stay silent, though her shoulders and legs trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Asagiri made a calm assessment in his mind.
As expected of Yuuki Asuna—raised with elite education, she can stay rational even in this kind of situation. Not like those brainless heroines in horror movies who scream and panic the moment something happens.
"Someone's here? Let's see what's going on," Asagiri said in a relaxed, almost playful tone. He picked up the chainsaw from the floor and began walking toward the door step by step. Asuna stared at him in disbelief.
When he was only two or three steps away from the door, the blood-covered figure outside suddenly reacted—as if provoked. Its head jerked back sharply before slamming hard against the observation window.
Bang!!!
The deafening impact made Asuna stumble back, nearly collapsing onto the floor.
"Oh ho, trying to scare me?"
Compared to the frightened Asuna, Asagiri remained eerily calm. Without hesitation, he walked right up to the door, separated only by the observation window, and stared directly at the bloodstained face outside.
Then, in a gentle, almost teasing tone, he said softly, "What are you staring at? Looking for your mother's urn?"
"Huh?"
Asuna froze for a moment, stunned. She hadn't made a sound when startled earlier, but now she found herself blurting out that single confused syllable.
Was that... an insult?
A girl like Asuna, raised in a refined environment, wasn't one to curse—but even she could tell that was a taunt. The strangest part was how polite it sounded. You... your mother... It was the most composed insult she had ever heard.
No, now's not the time to think about that.
Asuna shook her head and forced her focus back, frowning at Asagiri, who was still standing by the door with his chainsaw.
"Naruto, you're not planning to open the door and fight that thing, are you? That must be the 'Caregiver' mentioned in the hint. It said as long as our ward is closed, the Caregiver can't enter. That means we're safe, at least for now."
"Are you willing to cooperate with me and analyze the information we have?"
Asagiri didn't answer immediately. Without turning around, he kept his gaze fixed on the monstrous face pressed against the glass.
"It seems I'm a more experienced Player than you," he said lightly. "If you plan to cooperate with me, at least show a bit of sincerity by introducing yourself first."
After a brief pause, Asuna nodded. "You're right. My name is Yuuki Asuna."
She understood the situation perfectly well. This was no prank or elaborate show. With her social status and her parents' influence, no one would dare attempt something like that. And with the strict security of her Ginza apartment, no outsiders could have possibly staged this.
In this dangerous environment, cooperating with this strange Player was the only rational choice. Despite his eccentric personality, Asagiri was calm, decisive, and clearly strong.
Survival came first.
"Alright," he said with an easy smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."
Hearing him repeat the alias made Asuna frown slightly. Did he really think she was gullible enough to believe that was his real name? Or did he simply not care that she already knew it was fake?
"You said something wrong just now," he suddenly remarked.
"Something wrong?"
"Yes—wrong."
He didn't turn around, still facing the door, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. "It's not 'our ward.' It's 'the ward we're in.'"
Asuna blinked in confusion. "Is there... any difference?"
"Of course there is. And it's an important one."
His tone was calm but firm as he continued staring at the distorted face on the other side of the window.
"Our identity is that of 'Players.' That means each time we enter a dungeon, it's equivalent to starting a new game. And what's the first thing a Player does in any game?"
Asuna hesitated, then admitted honestly, "I don't play games. I don't know."
"It's to obtain an identity," Asagiri replied without pause. "Whether it's a simulation, an RPG, or an action-adventure game, the Player is always given a role—a perspective through which to experience the world."
Even without gaming experience, Asuna immediately understood. "So you mean that subtle change in wording is actually a clue to our roles? Since we don't have our own ward, that must mean we're not patients in this sanatorium at all?"
Asagiri nodded. "Most likely. Of course, that's assuming the game is designed intelligently enough for such clues to matter. If that's true..."
Before he could finish, realization dawned on Asuna's face. "The primary duty of a Caregiver... is to take care of patients. Since we're not patients in this sanatorium... the Caregiver won't actually stop us from leaving?"
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