Hearing the Gothic Lolita Girl's words, Asagiri Utsunomiya's expression didn't change at all; he just maintained his ease and said, "Since you can think of these things, you should understand why I suspected you were a vengeful spirit in disguise."
"That's true; I am indeed the most suspicious one." The Gothic Lolita Girl wasn't angry because Asagiri Utsunomiya suspected her; instead, she said calmly, "You and the Player next to you should be a team who added each other as friends, and the Man in Suit and the Woman with Heavy Makeup also claimed to be Players teaming up together. Assuming there really is such a thing as a vengeful spirit disguised as a Player, having two vengeful spirits among five Players would be a bit too difficult. Moreover, a Player like me, who has no teammates, is alone, yet still dares to voluntarily sign up for a dungeon, if it weren't vengeful spirits pretending to be Players, then there are only two possibilities left.
"The first possibility is that I'm very foolish, yet I think I'm very smart, just like that Man in Suit, who thinks he can easily complete the mission objective of this dungeon and easily get the rewards. And the second possibility..."
When the Gothic Lolita Girl was halfway through her sentence, Asagiri Utsunomiya directly interrupted, saying the rest of her words, "You received a very high rating in the novice dungeon, as well as generous rewards including this staff and the mask you're wearing, giving you the confidence to complete the mission objective of the dungeon even by yourself."
"Your deduction is completely correct."
Hearing that the Gothic Lolita Girl was still talking to Asagiri Utsunomiya in a carefree voice even at this point, combined with her previous strange behavior of voluntarily asking to team up with Asagiri Utsunomiya, Asuna Yuuki suddenly felt a bit displeased. She stepped forward two steps, standing in front of Asagiri Utsunomiya, looking directly into the Gothic Lolita Girl's eyes, and spoke coldly.
"So, even though you have the strength to complete it alone, you still voluntarily asked to act together with the two of us. Doing such a suspicious thing... You must have malicious intentions, right?"
"You misunderstood." The Gothic Lolita Girl said, shaking her head. Then she said something that Asuna Yuuki hadn't expected, "I didn't know you two were teammates before. I have no interest in you; the only person I'm interested in is him. It has nothing to do with you."
"You..." Asuna Yuuki bit her lower lip, forcefully restraining her urge to summon her rapier and stab this Gothic Lolita Girl with a single, clean thrust, then turned to look at Asagiri Utsunomiya and said, "This girl definitely has a scheme. I suggest we just leave her behind."
The Gothic Lolita Girl unhurriedly took off her mask, revealing a face with fair skin, delicate and cute, as beautiful as an angel, a face that made people feel good about her. Then, she showed a pitiful, heart-wrenching expression on her face, like a wounded little animal seeking help, staring at Asagiri Utsunomiya with those purple eyes, her soft, sweet voice slightly trembling as she said, "I believe you surely wouldn't bear to abandon such a cute girl like me alone in this Hotel infested with vengeful spirits, would you? If I were to encounter a vengeful spirit..."
What the Gothic Lolita Girl didn't expect was that Asagiri Utsunomiya interrupted her directly before she even finished speaking.
"Don't care, not interested, if you die, you die, what's it to me? Farewell."
Immediately after, under the Gothic Lolita Girl's slightly stunned gaze, Asagiri Utsunomiya spoke directly to Asuna Yuuki.
"Let's go."
"Oh, okay."
Watching the backs of the two leaving, the Gothic Lolita Girl first couldn't help but stomp her foot, muttering to herself angrily.
"What the heck, did they really abandon me and just leave like that? This is... No, that's not right."
Halfway through muttering to herself, the Gothic Lolita Girl changed her mind. Not only did she not feel angry, but she actually nodded as if very satisfied.
"Facing the request of such a cute girl like me, he didn't hesitate at all and just turned around and left. It seems he's not the indecisive, hero-complex type; he's a very excellent Player... Hmm... I need to think of a way to show my value as a Player in this dungeon, and then go find him to team up."
◆—⊰✧⊱—◆
On the other side, Asuna Yuuki, who was walking downstairs in the Hotel with Asagiri Utsunomiya through the fire escape, which was the stairwell, suddenly stopped, pursing her lips, her eyes showing worry.
"We... left her there alone, is that really okay? Although I don't really like her, in the end, she didn't do anything hostile towards us, and she even voluntarily took off her mask. In a situation where she could encounter a vengeful spirit at any time, can she really get back to the room and regroup alive...?"
"You're just tough on the outside but soft on the inside." Asagiri Utsunomiya said, and without waiting for Asuna Yuuki to retort, he asked in return, "Don't you know her?"
"Huh? No, I don't know her. Why are you suddenly asking this?"
"Here's a hint: her right eye is a prosthetic eye, and her left leg is a prosthetic limb."
"Right eye... left leg..." Asuna Yuuki muttered to herself; suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her pupils widened in surprise. She muttered, "That girl... could she be that young lady?"
"Yes. That's right." Asagiri Utsunomiya replied with a nod.
Asuna Yuuki recalled—.
Five years ago, there was a widely publicized case suspected to be a kidnapping, and the protagonist was the then eleven-year-old young lady of the Iwanaga family, Kotoko Iwanaga.
Kotoko Iwanaga's family was very wealthy; even within Shuchi'in Academy, they were one of the top noble families.
The then eleven-year-old Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly disappeared from her home. Her parents immediately reported it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. However, even with their full effort, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department couldn't find any clues.
Just when the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was at a loss and didn't know what to do, Kotoko Iwanaga suddenly appeared on a bench in a certain park. By that time, two weeks had passed since her disappearance, and when Kotoko Iwanaga was found, she had lost her right eye and left leg.
Even more bizarrely, after Kotoko Iwanaga woke up, she claimed she didn't remember anything.
As a young lady from a wealthy family herself, although Asuna Yuuki had never met Kotoko Iwanaga in person, she had heard about this matter. She didn't expect to actually meet her in this dungeon.
"Since that's the case... then we should protect her even more!"
Saying so, Asuna Yuuki thought—how could Kotoko Iwanaga, a disabled girl who has difficulty moving and needs to use a cane to help her walk, survive in such a dangerous dungeon?
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be." Asagiri Utsunomiya said to calm the agitated girl first, then explained patiently, "Think carefully, a small girl with a disability actually dares to voluntarily sign up for a dungeon. What does this show? It shows she has nothing to fear. Kotoko Iwanaga, as a Player, has either obtained a special class or unlocked a powerful exclusive skill, or possibly both, like me."