The Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup had flushed faces, clearly on the verge of arguing. But under the aim of Equality of All Beings, they didn't dare act out. Silently, they swallowed their frustration.
"I truly didn't expect to come across two such foolish Players," Kotoko said, still wearing her sweet smile. She shook her head gently, her tone soft but laced with faint reproach.
"I understand your craving for excitement, but given the outcome, you have no one to blame but yourselves. You lacked both clarity and strength. That said..." Her eyes narrowed slightly, still calm but now piercing. "That alone wouldn't be enough for the spirits of this Hotel to possess you. Keep talking. What else did you do?"
The Woman with Heavy Makeup hesitated, her lips trembling slightly before she finally spoke.
"That... after that, we searched the room, wandered around that floor... we didn't do anything else..."
"No."
Asagiri shook his head, his gaze fixed and unwavering as it bore into the two of them. His voice was low and deliberate.
"After all that, you drank the Hotel's water, didn't you?"
"Huh? How did you—?"
The Woman with Heavy Makeup froze mid-sentence, eyes widening in shock. Her gaze dropped to the handgun—Asagiri's index finger was already resting on the trigger. The unspoken threat chilled her more than any ghost ever could.
She gulped and quickly confessed, her voice cracking.
"Y-Yes. We saw bottled mineral water in the room, so we took two bottles and drank them..."
Asuna's expression twisted into a mix of disbelief and pity.
"You...you guys...How can anyone be this stupid..."
The Suit Man tried to defend himself.
"No, we didn't drink tap water. It was bottled mineral water. I checked—it was sealed. There shouldn't have been any problem."
"I said you were brain-dead, and you've gone ahead and proven it."
Asagiri didn't hold back, his voice sharp and mocking.
"The beginner's dungeon gave you some confidence, huh?"
He took a step forward, eyes cold.
"Banshee. Ever heard of one? Do you even know what a Banshee is? You think something like that needs to unscrew a bottle cap to mess with your water? Amazing logic. There's a tragic, almost artistic beauty in that level of brain deficiency."
The Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup went pale, trembling as a cold sweat broke across their skin.
"Th-then... what happens if you drink that water...?"
Asuna pursed her lips, glancing at the two with a conflicted expression.
"We're not completely sure yet," she said quietly. "But if I had to guess..."
She looked them dead in the eye.
"...your bodies are going to pop like balloons."
"W-we are going to explode!?"
The Suit Man's face twisted in horror. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. A moment later, he dropped into a desperate dogeza posture, bowing his head low as he pleaded with Asagiri.
"Please… save me. You know there's something wrong with the water here so you must know how to stop it, right? I-I'll give you anything! I'm rich—seriously rich! Once we get out of this dungeon, I can pay you! Name your price, anything!"
"Don't make me laugh."
Asagiri looked down at him, eyes cold and unmoved.
"You're the one who walked straight into death. Why should I save you? Am I your father or something? I don't owe you a damn thing."
Kotoko, who had been quietly observing nearby, took two casual steps forward. For a brief moment, Asuna thought the girl's conscience had stirred—that maybe she was stepping in to stop Asagiri, to plead for mercy on the Players' behalf.
But then Kotoko smiled.
A light, carefree smile. The kind that didn't match the words that followed.
"That's right," she said cheerfully. "If what you said is true—if their bodies could explode at any moment after drinking the Hotel's water—then they're basically walking time bombs. And if blood or... anything else splashes into our eyes or mouths when that happens, we might get infected too. So, my suggestion is simple."
Her smile widened.
"Let's just kill them here and now."
Asuna froze.
The words hit her like a slap—sharp, cold, and absurd. This adorable, loli-type girl, with her doll-like face and sweet voice, had just suggested murdering two people like she was offering tea.
Not to save them. Not even to help them die painlessly.
Just... to eliminate a future threat.
Rationally, Asuna couldn't deny the logic. Kotoko wasn't wrong. If the infection could spread through contact, the safest option was to cut it off at the source.
But to say it like that—with a smile?
Asuna's stomach churned.
Kotoko, the girl who had voluntarily signed up for the dungeon alone, was no ordinary Player.
She was something far more dangerous.
"Hey now," Asagiri said with a shrug, his voice light, almost casual. "Say what you will, but they're still alive. My morals don't really allow me to just kill people outright."
The Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup looked up, their pale faces flickering with hope. Tears welled in their eyes. There really are good people in this world, they thought.
But before the warmth could fully settle, Asagiri continued:
"Besides… killing you directly would be such a waste."
The hope drained instantly. Asagiri smiled—not coldly, but with a kind, almost reassuring expression. His tone softened.
"You two want to live, right?"
"Y-Yes! Please—"
"Asking me is pointless."
He cut the Suit Man off with a chuckle, brushing aside the plea with effortless cruelty.
"Based on the information we have, there's a Banshee in this Hotel—one stronger than the rest. Strong enough to casually destroy the other spirits. Most likely the source of the hauntings."
He crouched slightly, leveling his gaze with theirs.
"You drank the water. That means you're infected. Your only way out now...is to eliminate the source in this Hotel."
"As the saying goes," Asagiri began, casually brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve, "everything should be put to good use."
His voice was calm, even thoughtful.
"If the source of the spirits isn't dealt with, you're both going to die anyway. So, in that case—why not be useful and act as cannon fodder? Go ahead and scout out the unknown areas for us."
He paused, letting the silence hang like a blade.
"Of course, if you're not willing, that's fine too."
He smiled, but there was no warmth behind it.
"Then I'll just kill you here and now to avoid any future complications."
He shrugged, as though it were a minor logistical issue.
"The choice is yours."
The Suit Man and the Woman with Heavy Makeup stared at him, stunned speechless. For a second, it felt like their souls had left their bodies.
Good heavens, they thought. There are Players like this?
This guy wasn't just a master.
He was a walking Demon.
Off to the side, Kotoko tilted her head slightly. At first, she looked surprised. But a moment later, she gave an approving nod, her smile returning.
"Yes, I agree completely. If death is inevitable, then it's better to make the most of your remaining value. Being cannon fodder is, logically speaking, the most efficient use of your situation. As expected of you—your plan is far more reliable than mine."
"You flatter me," Asagiri said with mock modesty, bowing slightly. "It's just that my sense of morality is too strong. I still can't bring myself to kill people outright."
Asuna stood there, lips parted, unable to speak.
What the hell...?
These two had just met, and yet...
Why do they have such disturbingly good chemistry?
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