Chapter 180: Returning to Kyozan Mental Hospital
"Then may I ask, as the strongest Utsunomiya, do you have the confidence to confront the former Student Council President and Vice President head on and secure an unshakable advantage for us in the speech segment?"
Seeing Fujiwara Chika ask that in an exaggerated reporter-like tone, Asagiri crossed his arms over his chest and replied with overwhelming momentum,
"Of course. They are nothing more than weak chickens and stray dogs. I can crush them with a flick of my finger!"
"Ohhh, what spirit. Wanting to crush the enemy head on. As expected of Utsunomiya!"
"Naturally. This war will end in our victory!"
Watching Fujiwara Chika and Asagiri fire each other up with those absurdly grand declarations, Yuuki Asuna and Kaguya Shinomiya exchanged a glance. Without a single word, the two of them arrived at a strangely perfect mutual understanding.
Perhaps this was just the empathy that came from having to deal with abstract people.
"You two, that's enough."
Yuuki Asuna sighed heavily, like an old mother watching two children make a fuss, and could not help complaining.
"It's only a Student Council election. Why are you making it sound like the final battle for the fate of the world?"
Asagiri and Fujiwara Chika answered in perfect unison.
"I'm just cooperating with him." "I'm just cooperating with her."
At that moment, Yuuki Asuna had only one thought.
Thank goodness it was me who got matched into the beginner Dungeon with Asagiri, not Fujiwara Chika. Otherwise…
But halfway through that thought, Yuuki Asuna quickly shook her head.
What am I even thinking?
Isn't that just insulting my boyfriend's character and doubting how Asagiri feels about me?
I shouldn't think that way. I absolutely cannot think that way.
"So…"
Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Asagiri, adjusted her emotions, and said calmly,
"Do you truly have absolute confidence in victory?"
"Yes. Absolute victory."
"That's good."
Yuuki Asuna knew exactly where Asagiri's confidence came from. It was the passive ability of his special class, [Unrestrained Tyrant], which greatly amplified the effects of all negotiation related methods.
Still, she highly doubted that even without that passive ability, he would have answered the same way.
After all, ever since she had known him, she had never once seen him fail at anything.
Fujiwara Chika glanced at Kaguya Shinomiya, then at Asagiri, and said with a smile,
"Then for the next two days, let's start polishing the speech draft for next Monday…"
"Chika."
Before Fujiwara Chika could finish, Kaguya Shinomiya interrupted her. Then she looked toward Asagiri, raised a hand to brush back her long black hair, and said calmly,
"You're taking leave this Wednesday, aren't you?"
Asagiri nodded without hiding anything.
"Yes."
"Then focus on the more important matter first. The speech draft can be handled later."
Kaguya Shinomiya was not stupid. Last time, her team and Asagiri's team had entered the same Dungeon, and they had cleared it at the same time. That meant the cooldowns for both teams were synchronized.
Seven days of cooldown, plus signing up three days in advance, meant that if they registered on Sunday after the cooldown ended, then Wednesday would be the earliest possible entry.
However, because of personal reasons, Kaguya Shinomiya, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai could not enter a Dungeon in the middle of a school day from Monday to Friday.
The danger of a Dungeon spoke for itself. One careless mistake could lead to serious injury or death. Compared to the Student Council election, Kaguya Shinomiya could still tell which matter was truly more important.
Just as Kaguya Shinomiya was about to leave with Fujiwara Chika, she suddenly stopped. After hesitating for several seconds, she turned back to look at Asagiri, pursed her lips, and said in a soft voice tinged with complicated emotion,
"Be careful. Don't die in the Dungeon."
Asagiri shrugged and replied with a carefree smile,
"I'll try not to die. But if I really do die, then there's nothing I can do about it."
When Kaguya Shinomiya heard that, she simply looked deeply at Yuuki Asuna, as if she wanted to say something. In the end, though, she said nothing at all and merely turned to leave with Fujiwara Chika.
"Little Kaguya, that really doesn't sound like you."
After they had gone some distance away, Fujiwara Chika spoke with a meaningful expression.
"Are you worried about Utsunomiya?"
"Yes."
To Fujiwara Chika's surprise, Kaguya Shinomiya admitted it without hesitation. Then she added in a calm tone,
"I need him to help me win the Student Council President position. I need him to help me secure this election. If he dies before that, I'll be in serious trouble."
"Is that so?"
Fujiwara Chika's expression was noncommittal. In truth, she had long since seen through Kaguya Shinomiya's stubborn pride.
In the last Ajin Dungeon, when Kaguya Shinomiya had entered that "Idiot Kaguya" state because of mental exhaustion, she had willingly taken out that purple quality ring and given it to Asuna so she could help Utsunomiya.
Would Kaguya Shinomiya in that state really have been thinking, If Utsunomiya dies, I won't be able to become Student Council President?
After all, with Kaguya Shinomiya's usual personality, one so rational it could almost be called cold, ever since the last Dungeon ended, she had not once talked with Fujiwara Chika or Hayasaka Ai about how to deal with the fact that Utsunomiya now knew their Player identities. She had not even discussed preventive measures, like finding some leverage over him so he would never reveal their secret.
That alone was enough to prove one thing. In Kaguya Shinomiya's heart, Utsunomiya was already a special existence. When it came to matters involving him, it was no longer rationality that took the upper hand, but emotion.
Just imagining how things might develop from here on out…
Fujiwara Chika, professional lover of chaos that she was, found herself looking forward to it tremendously.
…
Wednesday morning, at Asagiri's house.
["Player" Utsunomiya Asagiri, beginning Dungeon entry now.]
[Dungeon location: Kyozan Mental Hospital. Because you already possess information about this hospital, the true name of the Dungeon location is displayed. For ordinary Players, it appears as ?? Mental Hospital.]
[Dungeon time limit: None.]
["Player" mission objective: Escape Kyozan Mental Hospital.]
[Public hint: Please remain quiet and do not attract the attention of the "patients."]
[Special hint: The area where Attendant Hoder Franklin is currently located is B2 Floor, Zone C. If he moves to a different area, you will receive a mobile APP notification.]
When the thick crimson mist before his eyes finally dispersed, Asagiri first confirmed that Yuuki Asuna and the others were all beside him. Only after that did he begin observing the place where the four person team had appeared.
It looked like a kitchen attached to some sort of dining area.
The metal stove was covered in large patches of filth. The oil stains on the floor had mixed with sticky, darkened blood and long since congealed together, giving off a foul, rotting stench. In the dim room, flies circled around those stains with an irritating buzz.
"Huh…"
Yuuki Asuna, who had a mild cleanliness obsession, instinctively covered her mouth and nose, stared at the room with visible suspicion, then turned to Asagiri and whispered,
"This… feels a little different from last time…"
"This may be underground."
Asagiri swept his gaze across the room. Other than a ventilation opening above and a single metal door, there was no obvious way out.
Meanwhile, Iwanaga Kotoko had already walked up to the stove. She examined the black and dark red stains that had crusted over its surface, then lifted the lid off the pot sitting atop the burner.
An even stronger stench flooded the room.
"Oh… so that's what was inside."
Iwanaga Kotoko observed it for several seconds, then turned back with complete calm and said with a smile,
"There's a boiled human head in here."
"Uh…"
Kato Megumi asked cautiously,
"Necro… aren't you being a little too calm?"
"Oh, it's fine. There's nothing scary about it."
Iwanaga Kotoko answered casually, her smile still relaxed.
"There's no Anomaly attached to it. It's just an ordinary half boiled, decaying human head. It's not like it's going to suddenly jump up and bite me. What exactly is there to fear?"
"I don't know whether to call you brave or just… fundamentally different from normal people…"
Just as Kato Megumi was saying that, she saw Asagiri walk over to the pot as well. He stared at the half cooked head inside and murmured thoughtfully,
"Hmm… that's strange. There are seasonings sitting right next to it. Why didn't they use any?"
"Huh?"
Yuuki Asuna frowned slightly, utterly speechless.
"Is… is that really the key point here?"
"Of course. Not even knowing how to season it properly means the cook's skill level is painfully ordinary."
Asagiri carefully examined the head in the pot, his expression grave.
"Male. The skin of the face was peeled off. There are massive bloodstains on the floor and stove. Judging by the amount and pattern of the blood, they were likely left behind when limbs were brutally hacked apart, and not from just one victim either."
At that point, Asagiri took out the Rope Dart and used it to lightly prod the head in the pot. He examined the jagged, uneven section below the neck and said calmly,
"This wasn't a clean decapitation. It was sawed off, something like that. The culprit's technique wasn't professional. Either they had no experience… or they simply didn't care at all."
"The skin of the face was peeled off…"
Hearing those words, Yuuki Asuna's expression turned thoughtful.
"Blood faced attendant… and a head with its face removed…"
Could this be… the head of one of Kyozan Mental Hospital's attendants?"
.....
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