Yuuki Asuna's face turned bright red. For a second, she could barely get the words out.
"W w what are you saying… They're all still here. Don't say sothing that embarrassing…"
"What's happening? What's happening!?"
Private Shuchiin Academy's number one vinegar king, wielder of green light, the God of Wisdom of the Anomalies, and the Princess of the yokai, Iwanaga Kotoko, stord over with righteous fury written all over her face.
"What is this supposed to be? Doing this right in front of ? No way, no way! I can't take it anymore!"
Asuna's heart sank.
If they handled this wrong, it could actually fracture the entire team.
But before she could say anything, Kotoko ran up to Asagiri, rose onto her tiptoes, and pressed her forehead against his chest, rubbing against him like a spoiled kitten.
"No way, no way. It's only fair if you touch too!"
Asuna froze, then let out a helpless sigh.
Right. Of course.
It was Kotoko. Being a little abnormal was practically her baseline.
Asagiri didn't argue. He simply lifted a hand and lightly ruffled Kotoko's golden hair. Kotoko's lips curved into an outrageous grin, and her arms started to reach forward, clearly aiming for his waist.
"Hey. That's enough."
Asuna grabbed Kotoko's wrist and yanked her back, irritation sharp in her voice.
"You lewd loli. Don't push it."
"Hmph."
Kotoko pouted, visibly displeased, but she still released him.
"Player, Player, too, too."
Hat Mita hurried over in tiny steps, took Asagiri's hand, and pressed it against her cheek. She even stuck out her tongue, looking absurdly pleased with herself.
Right after that, Short haired Mita and Cute Mita also ran up, taking turns to get head pats like it was so sacred ritual. Watching from the side, Kind Mita's eyes flickered with sothing like longing. She hesitated, then finally stepped forward, trying to sound composed.
"Um… too."
Asagiri finished, and then Kotoko and Asuna's gazes turned in perfect sync toward Kato gumi.
gumi, who had been standing there like she was completely detached from the chaos, flinched slightly and spoke with rare hesitation.
"Eh? Do I have to participate in this too?"
"Of course."
Kotoko dashed over, grabbed gumi, and dragged her right in front of Asagiri like she was presenting evidence in court.
"We're teammates. We share hardships, and naturally we share blessings too. No favoritism. He touched us, so he has to touch you."
Asuna shook her head, half exasperated, half impressed.
"The logic isn't wrong, but the way you say it is… violent."
"Heh heh. I haven't even said the more straightforward stuff yet, you philandering cat."
As Kotoko and Asuna started bickering again, gumi's lips curved into the faintest smile. She looked up at Asagiri, pressed her lips together, then cautiously extended her right hand.
"Then, Leader… let's shake hands. You have to co back safely. We'll all be waiting."
"Okay."
Asagiri gently squeezed her hand.
Then his figure blurred, fading as if swallowed by the red barrier itself.
…
Fifteen minutes later.
"Why hasn't Leader co back yet…"
Kotoko sat on the sofa, brows drawn tight, watching Kind Mita pace in anxious circles.
"You're sure the core area isn't dangerous? What if sothing happened?"
"This…"
Kind Mita slowed, uncertainty finally surfacing in her expression.
"I haven't been inside either, but logically there shouldn't be danger. The only danger in this world is that crazy—"
Her words cut off.
Asagiri's phone, resting on the table, suddenly lit up.
A girl's voice spilled from the speaker, bright with a manic laugh.
"Crazy… are you talking about ?"
The next second, a hand pushed through the phone screen.
Then a twin tailed girl climbed out after it, like the glass had turned into water.
Yuuki Asuna reacted instantly. Her left hand snatched up Asagiri's phone, and her right thrust the Exorcist Longsword straight toward the intruder's chest.
Clang!
The twin tailed girl jerked back and, as if pulling it from nowhere, produced a chainsaw. The spinning blade caught Asuna's strike and sent sparks screaming through the air. She used the recoil to retreat several steps, eyes gleaming.
"You… you are…"
Kind Mita stared at that face, almost identical to her own, and at that cruel smile, those upturned lips that carried madness like perfu. Her pupils widened.
"That's right. It's ."
Crazy Mita's voice was sweet, but her expression was all teeth.
Kind Mita's gaze flicked to the phone in Asuna's hand, horror dawning.
"You… you've been hiding inside the Player's phone the whole ti?!"
"You reacted quickly."
Crazy Mita tilted her chin, eyes sweeping over the room, over the four Mitas, and over Yuuki Asuna, Kato gumi, and Iwanaga Kotoko. Then she put on an exaggerated expression of pity and sighed theatrically.
"What a sha. That strongest Player can't co out anymore."
Kind Mita's lips parted. Even though her mind had brushed the truth, she still refused to accept it.
"No… as long as the Player reaches the core area, he can delete you directly…"
"Even now, you still think that was the route to the core area? Hahaha. You really are foolish and naive."
Crazy Mita laughed, delighted, like she was hearing the best joke in the world.
"What route? That was just a BUG area I made myself. You didn't seriously believe you just happened to find the core, did you?"
Her smile sharpened.
"But your performance didn't disappoint . It wasn't for nothing that I locked you up and kept guiding the Player down the path to death."
She paused, then leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping into sothing almost tender.
"So? How does it feel? Knowing you led the Player you Mitas love most into a dead end. Knowing you personally killed him. I'm really curious."
"I… I killed the Player…"
Disbelief flooded Kind Mita's eyes.
Nearby, Cute Mita, Short haired Mita, and Hat Mita looked like their world had collapsed. Their faces drained of color, their bodies stiff with despair, unable to accept the word dead.
"But there's one thing that's too bad."
Crazy Mita shifted her gaze to Short haired Mita, disappointnt flashing across her features.
"I thought the Player and his companions would kill you the mont my trap triggered. That would've been so fun. Imagine it, the truth revealed right as you died."
Kotoko's calm voice cut through the room.
"You hid in his phone all this ti, but only ca out now. Is that because you were afraid of him?"
Crazy Mita's smile froze.
Her expression turned cold, the sweetness dropping away like a mask.
"Heh. I really don't want to admit it, but yes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"After I infiltrated his phone, I saw his personal information as a Player. Not the Player in this world. A Player from your side."
A ripple of annoyance twisted her features.
"I wasn't confident I could beat him. But…"
Her lips curled again, madness blooming in her delicate face like poison flowers.
"He's already dead. Now it's your turn."
She slowly raised the chainsaw, like a trophy.
"As long as I kill all of you and take your phones, I inherit your items and equipnt. And most importantly, I won't be trapped in this virtual world anymore, stuck with a bunch of boring programs."
Her eyes shone.
"I… will beco a Player."
Yuuki Asuna frowned, gaze fixed on Crazy Mita's eyes.
"If I rember correctly, we never discussed that rule. There's nothing about it on his phone either. How did you know?"
"Heh heh. Curious?"
Crazy Mita's smile approached sothing unstable. She didn't answer. Instead, her thumb pressed the chainsaw switch.
The engine scread to life.
"I won't tell you. Just die!"
She lunged.
The chainsaw howled through the air, closing the distance in an instant. Kind Mita's breath caught, despair rising like ice in her chest.
Then a calm voice echoed through the room.
"The children's make believe ga ends here. Co out…"
"Human Asura."
Crazy Mita's eyes widened.
A towering shadowy figure materialized out of thin air and swung a massive palm toward her.
She flung herself backward at the last mont, barely avoiding the strike.
The air bood where the blow landed.
Crazy Mita staggered, then looked past Human Asura and saw him.
A gray mask. Black clothes. A presence that made the room feel smaller.
Her voice ca out thin, disbelieving.
"You… why are you here…"
"Haven't you figured it out even now? How foolish and naive."
Asagiri's tone was flat, almost bored, and it echoed the words she had used to tornt Kind Mita.
"Long before we t Kind Mita, we already guessed you were hiding in my phone."
Crazy Mita shook her head as she backed away, pupils trembling.
"No… that's impossible. How could you possibly know…"
"That's why I said you're foolish."
Asagiri stepped forward. Slowly, he raised his right hand.
White frost gathered in the air. In the next breath, an Ice Spear ford, radiating sharp cold that made the room feel like winter.
He aid it at the retreating Crazy Mita and spoke evenly.
"From the mont you pulled us into this ga, the ending was already decided."
.....
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