"Old Hode..."
Hearing Asagiri's intimate address for the tall, blood-faced monster, like an old friend, right before parting, and his words about meeting again next time, Yūki Asuna was filled with mixed emotions.
If possible... she never wanted to come back here.
Asagiri's thoughts were the exact opposite of Yūki Asuna's. He was certain that he would definitely return to this—for now—unnamed mental sanatorium, or rather, mental patient containment center, in the future.
Otherwise, what would be the point of the APP hinting at a small increase in the Careworker Hoder Franklin's favorability?
While leaving, Yūki Asuna continuously observed her surroundings.
She noticed that the structure of this corridor was similar to a normal hospital ward building, with many rooms. Each room had the same structure as the one she and Asagiri had stayed in—only single beds—unlike the normal twin or triple rooms found in regular hospitals.
Based on this detail, Yūki Asuna became even more certain that this was indeed a mental hospital, and the patients housed here were all those with severe violent tendencies, or perhaps it was an institution specifically confining mental patients who had committed serious crimes but could not be executed due to their condition.
However, the facility here seemed very old. Rusty railings, yellowing walls covered in moss, stains on the floor, and the kind of elevator with a metal sliding door that she had only ever seen in TV dramas.
Although there was an elevator and it seemed to be operating normally, Yūki Asuna and Asagiri both unanimously chose to take the stairs.
Who knew about the quality of the elevator here? After solving the puzzle and being just one step away from clearing the instance, it would be a tragically unfair death to get trapped due to an elevator malfunction.
After descending to the ground floor lobby through the gloomy stairwell, Yūki Asuna glanced outside and saw that the sky was very overcast. She could only vaguely make out what seemed to be a courtyard outside.
It was only then that she looked at Asagiri, who was holding the chainsaw and the drill, and slowly spoke.
"So, Mr. Houseki Yōmei, if I'm not mistaken, you know me, right?"
Asagiri didn't try to hide it and spoke candidly.
"I wouldn't say 'know,' but I certainly know your name and what you look like."
"So that's how it is..."
When leaving the room earlier, Asagiri mentioned that Yūki Asuna hadn't made up a fake name but had used her real one.
This revealed a piece of information.
If he didn't know Yūki Asuna's real name and appearance, how would he know that the name she provided was genuine?
"Who... exactly are you?"
Seeing the somewhat wary look on Yūki Asuna's face, Asagiri replied with a light laugh.
"Although I know what you look like and your name, this is genuinely the first time we've met today. The reason I know is very simple."
"Because I, just like you, am a freshman entering the high school division of Shuchiin Academy this year."