Upon hearing the word "bathtub," the red-dressed female ghost's pupils constricted suddenly, and her shoulders involuntarily trembled.
"Just as I thought..."
Asagiri noticed her emotional shift, revealed a slight smile, and murmured,
"If that's the case, this will be easier to handle."
As he finished speaking, Asagiri grabbed the ghost's damp, black hair and dragged her, forcefully pushing open the stairwell door and entering the hotel corridor.
Yuuki Asuna looked up at the floor number displayed above the stairwell, confirmed they were on the seventh floor of the hotel, and quickly followed.
"Bang!!!"
With one hand pulling the ghost's hair, Asagiri immediately found a nearby room upon entering the corridor, kicked open the door, and dragged the continuously struggling red-dressed ghost inside.
"Violet, go into the bathroom and fill the bathtub with water."
Hearing Asagiri's instructions and seeing the red-dressed ghost being pinned to the floor by Arsène, struggling incessantly but only able to let out faint whimpers because her arm was stuffed in her mouth, Yuuki Asuna didn't hesitate. She simply nodded and then stepped into the bathroom, turning on the faucet for the bathtub.
Along with the sound of rushing water, the water level in the tub gradually rose.
While waiting, Yuuki Asuna didn't stay idle. She carefully observed the bathroom environment, unwilling to miss any detail that might yield useful information.
As she suspected, this hotel was indeed the high-end type. Not only the suite where the Players first appeared, but even this standard double room's bathroom had been designed with wet/dry separation, featuring a separate bathtub, shower, and toilet, sectioned off by opaque frosted glass partitions.
Yuuki Asuna tried turning the faucet handle, but only cold water flowed out.
"Is the hot water supply system broken..."
As the daughter of a wealthy family, Yuuki Asuna knew that high-end hotels like this would not install household water heaters in the rooms. They typically used large gas boilers to supply hot water via storage tanks and piping to every room on every floor of the hotel.
Yuuki Asuna silently noted this information. After all, forty minutes had passed since they entered the Instance. Aside from the red-dressed ghost that Asagiri had... captured, the place looked exactly like a normal, functioning hotel.
The corridor lights were on, indicating the electricity supply was uninterrupted. There was no bloodstain or grime on the carpet or corridor walls. Honestly, the atmosphere of horror was far less intense than the previous Instance location, Mount Massive Asylum. The only currently suspicious detail that might be a clue was the minor issue of the lack of hot water in this seemingly operational hotel.
"Is the water ready?"
Hearing Asagiri's voice, Yuuki Asuna turned around, looked at her opponent, who was still grabbing the ghost's long hair, and nodded with a slightly complex expression.
"Mhm, almost."
"Good, let's begin then."
Asagiri dragged the red-dressed ghost in, then glanced at Yuuki Asuna and smiled.
"Do you want to watch, or wait outside?"
"You underestimate me, don't you?"
Yuuki Asuna crossed her arms over her chest, frowning slightly.
"All you're going to do is submerge it in water and interrogate it, right? It's not human. Don't worry, I won't feel any pity for it."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
Asagiri smiled in reply, then walked to the bathtub. He violently yanked the red-dressed ghost's hair, slamming her head against the edge of the tub. He then crouched down, staring into her eyes—eyes that were filled with terror and dread the moment they saw the water in the bathtub. He seemed about to say something, but then shook his head.
"Never mind. It's come to this; I can't be bothered with further verbal negotiation. I'm too lazy to speak, and you don't deserve to listen. After a little suffering, you'll understand. But even if you don't understand, I don't care. It'll be a good opportunity to test if water can drown an Evil Spirit, and if so, exactly how long it takes."
At this point, Asagiri stood up, and his Persona, Arsène, stepped into the bathroom. The towering black shadow exuded immense pressure. Then, to Yuuki Asuna's shock, Arsène, as if tearing a rag doll, ripped off the red-dressed ghost's other arm and both legs.
Seeing this, Yuuki Asuna felt physically uncomfortable, but she knew this was the safest approach, so she remained silent. She watched as Asagiri dismissed Arsène, then, holding the red-dressed ghost's hair with one hand, he slowly lowered her body toward the bathtub.
"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
The moment her body touched the water, the red-dressed ghost suddenly squeezed a piercing sound from her throat, seemingly trying to scream. However, her own arm was still shoved in her mouth, so she could only produce faint, muffled whimpers.
"No pain. This will be over quickly."
Asagiri said this first, then added with a smile.
"Of course, even if you are in pain, I don't care. The more you suffer, the more fun I find it. So, try your best."
"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
Just as Asagiri was about to push the red-dressed ghost's head under the water, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Holding the limbless red-dressed ghost with one hand, Asagiri pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the eye-icon APP.
[Diplomat Passive Skill Activated. Diplomacy Type: Fearful Coercion][Diplomacy Effect: Outstanding]
"The APP warning saved you."
After reading the alert, Asagiri smiled. He lifted the red-dressed ghost back up, threw her onto the floor, reached out, and removed the arm blocking her mouth, offering a benevolent smile.
"In that case, I'll give you one chance. Can you speak?"
The red-dressed ghost's body trembled, trying to curl backward, but her limbs had been ripped off by Arsène, making even that simple movement impossible.
Facing Asagiri, who was looking down at her, she shook like a sieve. After a few seconds, the blood-stained red pajamas on her body slowly faded, turning into a dull, yellowish white. She let out a hoarse voice.
"Yes... I can speak..."