"Making us cannon fodder? But... but..."
The man in the suit and the woman with makeup exchanged glances, recalling the Public Warning the system had given them before entering the Instance. Their faces turned extremely ugly.
[Absolutely do not attempt to fight the Evil Spirits. Flee immediately upon encountering one, as this might give you a chance to survive.]
The hints given by the eye-icon APP varied based on the Player's specific strength. The hint Yuuki Asuna received was to avoid fighting the Evil Spirits as much as possible, because before acquiring a specialized weapon against them, she couldn't truly destroy them with her ordinary rapier.
The hint given to Asagiri was to "fight quickly and avoid being surrounded by Evil Spirits." This implicitly acknowledged that, one-on-one, the APP recognized his current strength was sufficient to completely overpower the hotel's ordinary Evil Spirits.
"Please, I beg you..."
"Shut up with the constant begging. Are you a giant baby?"
Facing the woman in makeup's tearful plea, Asagiri merely frowned and said without mercy.
"You two aren't actually planning to hide in a safe place, expecting us to resolve the source of the hotel's anomaly so you can live, are you? I already told you, you have only two paths: either fight for your lives and become the scouting cannon fodder, or die now."
In the end, the man in the suit and the woman with makeup made their choice, agreeing to become the scouting cannon fodder.
Before starting the exploration of the lower levels of the hotel, Yuuki Asuna suggested resting for an hour. Her condition was good, but Asagiri had summoned his Persona while capturing the red-dressed ghost, incurring some physical and mental fatigue. Although the loss wasn't substantial, as a precaution, it was better to continue the exploration only after fully recovering to peak condition.
During the rest period, the man in the suit and the woman with makeup were locked in the innermost bedroom of the suite.
Since the two of them had drunk the hotel water and their bodies could explode at any moment, like the red-dressed ghost, this measure was taken as a precaution.
Considering that Iwanaga Kotoko had proactively shared the valuable staff handbook, Yuuki Asuna also held nothing back. After consulting Asagiri, she told Iwanaga Kotoko everything she and Asagiri had experienced.
Of course, she definitely did not reveal Asagiri's exclusive Persona talent, simply glossing over the process of how they captured the red-dressed ghost.
After hearing their experience, Iwanaga Kotoko analyzed,
"Mhm... From what you said, you also came into contact with the hotel water when you filled the bathtub, right? Yet, I don't sense any signs of anomaly infection on you. From this, we can infer that mere contact with the water is fine, but the water must absolutely not enter the body."
Yuuki Asuna nodded thoughtfully.
"So... if we just avoid contact with the hotel water, we can safely survive the twelve hours... Is it that simple?"
"It's not simple at all."
Asagiri sat on the sofa, speaking calmly.
"Haven't you noticed? The temperature inside this hotel has been steadily rising since we arrived."
"Eh, now that you mention it... it seems you're right."
Yuuki Asuna murmured, thinking.
"And it was fine on the seventh floor, but it seems even hotter since we returned to the twenty-second floor... The higher the floor, the higher the temperature? Could it be that as time passes, the hotel's temperature will keep rising, forcing Players to move toward the lower levels?"
Asagiri replied casually,
"Mhm, the normal procedure should be this: Players search floors, find an open room, which will contain clues about the water. The temperature rises, forcing Players to move down, where they encounter Evil Spirits. They escape, and during the escape, they suffer from dehydration due to the high temperature and strenuous activity. Finally, they have to find a way out or a solution."
"Especially now that we already have the information that the water is problematic, and the Earthbound Spirit on the seventh floor has also been eliminated..."
Yuuki Asuna realized that although they entered the same Instance, the man in the suit and the woman with makeup, who drank the water, were operating on a completely different level from her and Asagiri. In fact, she couldn't even consider herself on the same level as Asagiri.
Ordinary Player: Plays hide-and-seek with Evil Spirits, endures stamina loss and mental torment from dehydration, and dies upon capture by an Evil Spirit, desperately seeking a sliver of hope.
High-End Player: Can forcibly break through Evil Spirit barriers despite being unable to destroy them, and as long as they aren't completely incapacitated, they are unlikely to be stopped by a single Evil Spirit, moving about freely.
Overpowered Player (Cheat): "Are you done crying? Because I'm about to start the interrogation."
"By the way, you were actually able to tell that those two were infected by the hotel's anomaly... It seems you possess a very powerful ability."
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's loaded comment, Iwanaga Kotoko simply offered a slight smile, her tone light.
"Truth be told, my talent is indeed most suitable for Instances involving anomalies (kai'i). To be frank, simply clearing this Instance would present no difficulty for me. But I want to confirm one thing now."
At this point, Iwanaga Kotoko looked toward Asagiri, who was sitting there, and asked with a smile.
"What is your goal for this Instance? It seems you aren't satisfied with simply clearing it. Could you tell me your objective? If our goals align, we can form a partnership. What do you think?"
Asagiri replied with a smile, "I think that's a good idea, Iwanaga Kotoko."
"Then... eh?"
Mid-sentence, Iwanaga Kotoko suddenly froze. She, who had been completely unruffled until now, suddenly looked slightly flustered.
"Eh? You actually know who I am? Could it be... have we met before?"
"No."
"I thought so."
Although her identity had been revealed, Iwanaga Kotoko did not show panic or tension. She just smiled sweetly, placed her white beret on her lap, and looked at Asagiri's face, speaking in a soft voice.
"If we had met before, someone with your looks and demeanor, I would have certainly fallen in love with you at first sight. There's no way I would forget you."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna was stunned.
Love at first sight?
What does that mean?
Did this Iwanaga Kotoko really fall for Asagiri at first sight?