"Woo-hoo~ I won this time~"
Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanga, and Megumi Kato looked towards the dining table and indeed saw that Cap-Wearing Mita's hand was already pressed on the red button of the timer, while Asagiri Utsunomiya's hand was still hovering in mid-air, with a very regretful look on his face.
"Ah, seriously, I was actually a step slower than you."
Seeing Asagiri Utsunomiya's solemn face and long sigh, Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato all had only one thought in their minds: 'As expected, he's an old hand at acting.'
In a game that tests reaction speed like this, would Asagiri Utsunomiya lose to Cap-Wearing Mita?
That's simply impossible.
But... why did Asagiri Utsunomiya intentionally lose?
Was he trying to use the passive effect of his unique Job, Diplomat, to increase Cap-Wearing Mita's favorability towards him? Or was he taking the opportunity to test Cap-Wearing Mita's strength value? Or both?
While Asuna Yuuki and the others were pondering this question, Cap-Wearing Mita had already picked up the inflatable toy hammer on the dining table and said with great momentum.
"Then I'm going to hit you~"
"Go ahead."
In the next second, Cap-Wearing Mita immediately swung the inflatable toy hammer in her hand. The initial speed was very fast, but in the end, it only gently touched Asagiri Utsunomiya's head.
*Pat~* After this slightly comical tapping sound, Cap-Wearing Mita put down the inflatable toy hammer in her hand, cupped her cheeks with both hands, stared at Asagiri Utsunomiya's face with a sweet smile, stuck out her tongue, and spoke playfully.
"Ah~ As expected, I still can't bear to actually hit you. After all, you're my Player, so I'll let you off the hook this time~"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga changed.
Looking at the playful Cap-Wearing Mita with her tongue sticking out, a hint of vigilance appeared in their eyes.
Why was she so skilled?
Asuna Yuuki frowned, thinking to herself that as Asagiri Utsunomiya's only official girlfriend at this stage, she not only had to guard against the annoying girl Kotoko Iwanaga on the same team, but now she also had to guard against a character in a dating sims turned real, right?
How can you guard against this?
Not even the Great Wall of China can block it!
"You're quite good to me," Asagiri Utsunomiya first replied with a casual smile, then pointed to Asuna Yuuki and the others standing there, looked directly into Cap-Wearing Mita's eyes, and asked, "What about them? Are they also considered Players to you? Do you know their names?"
"Hmm... I don't know..." Cap-Wearing Mita muttered as her body swayed. Whenever she was idle, she would make that cute swaying motion, like a preset idle animation. Then she continued: "I don't know them. I only know you're my Player and your name. This situation... should be considered a system bug?"
Hearing Cap-Wearing Mita's words, Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato all felt that this dungeon was simply too bizarre.
Not only was there no information, but fifteen minutes had passed since they entered the dungeon. Let alone danger arriving, they didn't even know what kind of danger would appear in this dungeon, plus this cute and sweet-looking AI girlfriend...
Could it be that this dungeon was a benefit prepared by the Survival Game for Asagiri Utsunomiya, who was an Advanced Player? Just for him to have fun?
That's impossible!
"You said before that there wasn't just one Mita, but many other Mitas, right?" Kotoko Iwanaga asked as she recalled what she had seen and heard since entering the dungeon, then continued: "Then do you know a Mita whose hair is styled in twin tails, doesn't wear a cap or gloves, and doesn't have the same tear-shaped makeup on her face as you, and talks somewhat crazily?"
"Hmm? Is there such a Mita?" Cap-Wearing Mita muttered as she tilted her head, then she continued speaking thoughtfully: "But... I only know that other Mitas exist, and I haven't seen them with my own eyes, so I don't know what other Mitas look like."
"Is that so..." Kotoko Iwanaga first replied while nodding noncommittally, then looked at Asagiri Utsunomiya sitting there and asked curiously, "Then... what should we do next?"
"Time to go."
"Go?"
Kotoko Iwanaga couldn't help but look confused upon hearing this. After all, they had just checked, the windows in this room couldn't be opened, and outside there was only white light with nothing at all. And after opening the living room door, there was only a concrete wall, with no normal way to leave here at all.
"Player, are you leaving?"
Hearing Asagiri Utsunomiya say he was leaving, Cap-Wearing Mita, who had just been very lively and active, showed a look of disappointment on her face. Even her constant shoulder swaying stopped. Then she spoke while looking at Asagiri Utsunomiya somewhat pitifully.
"Can you play with me a little longer? Just for a little while... I'm so lonely here by myself..."
"No, you can't," Asagiri Utsunomiya shook his head and said firmly. "I'm aiming for a speedrun, so I definitely can't stay here with you the whole time."
Just as Cap-Wearing Mita felt extremely disappointed, and the pitiful expression on her face made Asuna Yuuki and the others nearby feel a little sympathetic, Asagiri Utsunomiya suddenly spoke with a relaxed voice.
"However, you can come with me."
"Eh? Come with you? But..."
Before Cap-Wearing Mita could finish speaking, Asagiri Utsunomiya directly interrupted her.
"You said that as a Mita, your purpose is to accompany your Player, right?"
Cap-Wearing Mita showed hesitation on her face and said, "That is indeed the case..."
"Then isn't that it?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya walked up to Cap-Wearing Mita, squatted down, looked directly into her eyes, and spoke frankly.
"From the moment we entered this game, it ceased to be just a simple game. And you are no longer a mere program with rigid pre-actions and speeches. If you want to follow me, you can come."
Cap-Wearing Mita was silent for a few seconds, then looked into Asagiri Utsunomiya's eyes, her face showing determination, and nodded vigorously as she spoke.
"I've decided, I want to go with you. I don't want to stay here anymore!"
"Alright, let's go."
Asagiri Utsunomiya stood up and walked towards the living room door with Cap-Wearing Mita following closely behind. Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato, who were following behind them, found that the wall that had been blocking the door outside had completely disappeared at some point, replaced by a long corridor hung with many oil paintings.
Megumi Kato looked at the changes before her and murmured, "So that's it... The layout of the room is connected to Mita's own thoughts... She felt she couldn't leave here, so there was no path to anywhere else, but after Captain invited her to leave and she made up her mind to go, a path appeared."
"Is that how it is?" Cap-Wearing Mita muttered, looking surprised, but then couldn't help but sway and said proudly, "See, I'm really amazing~"
Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Megumi Kato all figured it out. This Mita, wearing a cap and gloves, had a lively, energetic, and cheerful personality.
"This corridor outside..." Kotoko Iwanaga murmured as she stood at the doorway, observing the long corridor before her, whose walls on both sides were covered with oil paintings, and whose end was nowhere in sight. A wary look appeared in her purple eyes, and she spoke softly: "I can feel the presence of oddities in this corridor."
In fact, Kotoko Iwanaga didn't need to specifically remind them. Just looking at the chaotic colors, distorted patterns, completely abstract, and simply creepy oil paintings, Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato also knew that there was definitely danger in this corridor.
"I'll go scout ahead."
Hearing Kotoko Iwanaga's words, Megumi Kato immediately spoke.
"Then I'll go with you..."
"No." As she refused, Kotoko Iwanaga waved her hand, then said, "Have you forgotten the effect of my talent? Oddities won't actively attack me. So the most reasonable plan is for me to go in alone first and see if there's anything strange in this corridor, and..."
Pausing here, Kotoko Iwanaga took out her phone, handed it to Asagiri Utsunomiya, and continued with a cute smile: "Captain, I'll leave my phone with you for now. By touching the app, you'll know if I'm dead, right?"
Asagiri Utsunomiya nodded slightly, then he replied with a flat tone, "But you also need to consider the possibility of you being trapped."
"That's true." Kotoko Iwanaga said with a nod, and after thinking for a while, she spoke: "How about this, starting from when I leave, count silently for fifty seconds. If I'm not back by then, use that item."
"Okay."
"Alright, I'm off~"
Kotoko Iwanaga stepped out without hesitation, showing no trace of fear. She simply leaned on her cane and walked forward quickly.
Watching her small figure gradually move deeper into the corridor, both Asuna Yuuki and Megumi Kato couldn't help but show admiration in their eyes.
As expected, Kotoko Iwanaga was very capable.
Although one of her talent effects was 'will not be actively attacked by oddities', the app also specifically noted that there were exceptions in a few special cases, such as when an oddity felt that Kotoko Iwanaga had trespassed on its territory.
Even so, Kotoko Iwanaga chose to go in and explore alone, knowing that there were oddities in the corridor, and she showed not the slightest hesitation or wavering, as if she felt no fear at all.
When Kotoko Iwanaga had walked about ten meters, a sudden change occurred.
The oil paintings hanging on the walls on both sides suddenly began to shake violently. One of them, which looked like a human face but also completely abstract, with chaotic colors that made people feel very uncomfortable just looking at it, fell directly off the wall.
*Crack!* Accompanied by the crisp sound of glass shattering, the oil painting landed perfectly in front of Kotoko Iwanaga, as if blocking her path.
Kotoko Iwanaga gazed at the oil painting, the corners of her lips slightly turned up, and she murmured with a calm smile.
"Feeling that your territory has been invaded, so you're warning me, yes?"