028 The Girl Named Iwanaga Kotoko
Hearing the Kimono girl's words, Asagiri's expression didn't change at all; he just maintained his smile and said.
"Since you can think of these things, you should understand why I suspected you were a Banshee in disguise."
"That's true, I am indeed the most suspicious one."
The Kimono girl wasn't angry because Asagiri suspected her; instead, she said with a smile.
"You and the Player next to you should be a team who added each other as friends, and the Suit Man and the woman wearing makeup also claimed to be Players teaming up together. Assuming there really is such a thing as a Banshee disguised as a Player, having two Banshees 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 an instance, if there aren't Banshees pretending to be Players, then there are only two possibilities left."
"The first kind is that I'm very foolish, yet I think I'm very smart, just like that Suit Man, who thinks he can easily clear the instance and easily get the instance rewards. And the second kind..."
When the Kimono girl was halfway through her sentence, Asagiri directly interrupted, saying the rest of her words.
"You received a very high clear evaluation in the novice instance, as well as generous rewards including this staff and the mask you're wearing, giving you the confidence to clear the instance even by yourself."
"Your deduction is completely correct."
Hearing that the Kimono girl was still talking to Asagiri in a smiling voice even at this point, combined with her previous strange behavior of voluntarily asking to team up with Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna suddenly felt a bit displeased. She stepped forward two steps, blocking in front of Asagiri, looking directly into the Kimono girl's eyes, and said coldly.
"So, even though you have the strength to clear 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 Kimono girl shook her head, and then said something that Yuuki Asuna 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..."
Yuuki Asuna lightly bit her silver teeth, forcefully restraining her urge to summon that Western sword and stab this Kimono girl with a single thrust, then turned to look at Asagiri and said.
"This guy definitely has a scheme. I suggest we just leave her behind."
Hearing this, the Kimono 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 deer seeking help, staring at Asagiri with those navy-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 Banshees, would you? If I were to encounter a Banshee..."
What the Kimono girl didn't expect was that Asagiri 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 Kimono girl's slightly stunned gaze, Asagiri spoke directly to Yuuki Asuna.
"Let's go."
"Oh, okay."
Watching the backs of the two leaving, the Kimono 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 Kimono 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, saintly type; he's a very excellent Player... Hmm... I need to think of a way to show my value as a Player in this instance, and then go find him to team up."
........
On the other side, Yuuki Asuna, who was walking downstairs in the Hotel with Asagiri 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 Banshee 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 said this first, and without waiting for Yuuki Asuna 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..."
Yuuki Asuna muttered to herself, suddenly as if she had thought of something, her pupils widened in surprise.
"That girl... could she be that young lady?"
"Yes, that's right."
Yuuki Asuna had already remembered.
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, Iwanaga Kotoko.
Iwanaga Kotoko's family was very wealthy; even within Private Shuchiin Academy, they were one of the top noble families.
The then eleven-year-old Iwanaga Kotoko 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, Iwanaga Kotoko suddenly appeared on a bench in a certain park.
By that time, two weeks had passed since her disappearance, and when Iwanaga Kotoko was found, she had lost her right eye and left leg.
Even more bizarrely, after Iwanaga Kotoko woke up, she claimed she didn't remember anything.
As a young lady from a wealthy family herself, although Yuuki Asuna had never met Iwanaga Kotoko in person, she had heard about this matter. She didn't expect to actually meet her in this instance.
"Since that's the case... then we should protect her even more!"
Yuuki Asuna thought, how could Iwanaga Kotoko, a disabled girl who has difficulty moving and needs to use a cane to help her walk, survive in such a dangerous instance?
"I know you're in a hurry, but don't be."
Asagiri used just one sentence to make Yuuki Asuna regain her composure.
"Think carefully, a small girl with a disability actually dares to voluntarily sign up for an instance. What does this show? It shows she has nothing to fear. Iwanaga Kotoko, as a Player, has either obtained a special class or unlocked a powerful exclusive talent, or possibly both, like me."