Chapter 376: An Item That Baffles Asuna
"Shinomiya-san seems a bit strange."
Yuuki Asuna glanced at Kaguya Shinomiya's back as she turned and left, looking somewhat lonely. Then she reached out, tugged on Asagiri's sleeve, and whispered in a low, worried voice.
"She seems a bit down. Why don't you go comfort her?"
"Aren't you being a bit too generous?"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna's words, Asagiri asked back in surprise.
"Aren't you jealous?"
"How could I not be jealous?"
Yuuki Asuna replied first, then sighed softly.
"But after all, Shinomiya-san is our friend, and she's also a companion we trust to face the death game together. You don't know, when you were beaten to the brink of death by those three people infected with the Blacklight Virus last time, the grief on her and Chika's faces because they didn't know your specific abilities... even I felt sorry for them."
"You're too kind. Are you even this kind and generous about things like this? Hakina, you really..."
"Don't take the opportunity to give me weird nicknames."
Asagiri teased Yuuki Asuna first, then chuckled.
"Let her be down for now. Anyway, this stage of the Dungeon is finished, so it won't affect her game state. When we're alone in a couple of days, I'll find a way to cheer her up again."
"That's good then."
Hearing this, Yuuki Asuna first showed a relieved smile, but then she seemed to think of something.
She stared at Asagiri's face, her own face flushing slightly as she whispered a warning.
"Comforting is one thing... you're not allowed to do... that with Shinomiya-san without reporting it first."
Seeing Yuuki Asuna's wary gaze, Asagiri teased her with a laugh.
"What do you take me for? A walking human cannon?"
After saying this, Asagiri found that Yuuki Asuna did not deny it at all. She even asked back playfully.
"Aren't you?"
"You're insulting me."
Asagiri's expression turned serious as he spoke righteously.
"I'll have to give you a harsh punishment session later, and let you experience the full power of Utsunomiya Asagiri in Human Asura Mode!"
Recalling the astonishing strength Asagiri had shown when he activated Human Asura Mode a few days ago, lingering fear appeared in Yuuki Asuna's eyes.
Her arrogant aura vanished instantly, and even her voice softened.
"No, no, no, I was wrong, okay?"
"Heh, too late."
Asagiri leaned close to Yuuki Asuna's ear and whispered,
"To punish you, I've specially prepared some new toys."
"New... new toys?"
Yuuki Asuna's face flushed red as she whispered shyly.
"You... go experiment on Kotoko then. She likes that kind of thing the most."
"How could I do that?"
Asagiri frowned slightly and replied as if it were only natural.
"How can I use something specially prepared for you on Kotoko? Besides, today was meant for you. As an excellent boyfriend, how could I possibly leave you aside and ignore you?"
Hearing Asagiri's words, Yuuki Asuna bit her lower lip, gave him a flirtatious glare, and whispered,
"You're just manipulating me, aren't you?"
"Look at what you're saying. Isn't this rewarding you?"
"Um..."
Yuuki Asuna hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips. Her eyes misted over slightly as she looked at Asagiri timidly.
"Then... if you're willing to help me put on a kimono... I can satisfy your little request. But... don't be too excessive, okay?"
...
A little later, in the master bedroom of the Hotel suite.
"Does... does it look good?"
Hearing Yuuki Asuna ask for his opinion in a slightly trembling voice full of anticipation, soft and timid like a little rabbit, Asagiri sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his lover standing before him in a kimono.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"How could it not look good? Haven't you already looked in the mirror?"
"Hmph, really..."
Yuuki Asuna stomped her foot lightly, puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, and complained cutely.
"I wanted to hear you compliment me, honestly..."
At this moment, Yuuki Asuna was wearing an elegant kimono.
Pure white was the main color, with red accents on the sash, collar, and cuffs, along with faint golden stripes. Its colors were similar to her Armor of Flashing Light.
As for her hairstyle, Asagiri had tried helping her braid it, but after comparing them, her usual hairstyle looked better.
Although there was a tradition in Sakura Province that girls wearing kimonos should show their necks, they were only going to the Fireworks Festival, not some stiff formal occasion. It did not matter whether they followed that rule.
As long as it was pretty and cute, that was enough.
"Of course it looks good."
Seeing that Yuuki Asuna still seemed a little unhappy, Asagiri added with a smile.
"The kimono is fine, but mainly, it's you who looks good wearing it."
Hearing this, the corners of Yuuki Asuna's mouth could not help curling upward, and she said with a lively smile,
"That's more like it~"
"Then next..."
Asagiri took out a black package from his suitcase and spoke slowly.
"It's time for the wonderful little props to make their appearance."
Although Yuuki Asuna looked shy, deep down she was vaguely looking forward to what came next and could not help peeking at the things Asagiri took out.
A light pink eye mask and leather handcuffs.
She recognized both of these.
There was also an accessory that looked like a choker, with a small bell attached to a thin leather strap.
At first glance, she did not quite understand it, but Yuuki Asuna was no longer the innocent girl she used to be. After thinking for a moment, she immediately understood its purpose.
But she did not understand the last item.
It looked like a collar, but there was a round part in the middle that baffled her no matter how she looked at it.
"What is this for?"
Asagiri did not answer directly. Instead, he spoke meaningfully.
"Why don't I let you experience it through action?"
...
Later that night, in Iwanaga Kotoko's room.
"This is a message from Sakurakawa Rikka."
Asagiri took the phone from Iwanaga Kotoko. Noticing her solemn expression, he looked down at the screen and saw a long email from Sakurakawa Rikka.
[After investigating for a while, I discovered that the organization led by the Sakurakawa Family, which is managed by my grandmother and seeks to use Cursed powers, seems to have reached cooperation with a certain Player faction.]
[After further gathering clues, although I cannot reach a definitive conclusion yet, that Player faction is most likely "Laughing Coffin", which attacked us before.]
[They seem to be planning something recently. I don't know the specifics, but it is definitely related to Kyoto City. Please be careful.]
"Laughing Coffin again..."
After reading the email from Sakurakawa Rikka, Asagiri spoke calmly.
"Do you remember that the teammate of that Uncontrollable Player in the last Dungeon mentioned that the Player had obtained several Purple items through some method even his teammates didn't know about?"
Iwanaga Kotoko immediately understood what Asagiri meant and said thoughtfully,
"You mean... those items might have been provided to that Player by Laughing Coffin?"
"It's a possibility. After all, besides clearing Dungeons, there aren't many ways for Players to obtain equipment in the real world. Aside from special events like the descent of the Dead Realm, the only other way is obtaining equipment from other Players."
Asagiri's tone remained calm.
"A Player capable of providing several Purple items wouldn't be killed by that Uncontrollable Player alone. But if it were a Player faction, it still wouldn't explain why he hid it from his teammates."
"Thinking about it, the only explanation is that he joined a faction like Laughing Coffin, a rat in the street that dares not see the light. That's why he had to hide the source of his equipment, even from his teammates."
"If that's the case..."
Iwanaga Kotoko murmured to herself.
A look of realization suddenly appeared in her eyes.
"I see. If that's the case, everything makes sense. The so-called Uncontrollables are actually people who learned through some method that merging with Cursed Objects can grant them great power, and they don't care about the impact on their mental state."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's why they take a path completely opposite to normal Players. They don't clear the Heart to get a high rating. Instead, they want direct improvement by merging with the Cursed Objects in the Dungeon."
"If that's the case, a new problem arises."
Asagiri returned the phone to Iwanaga Kotoko and spoke.
"Even if those Uncontrollable Players know about merging with Cursed Objects, how could they be so sure that the Heart in the last Dungeon was something that could be merged with?"
"Was it a special system prompt? Or do the Sakurakawa Family and Laughing Coffin have someone who can predict Dungeon conditions to some extent through some power?"
"That possibility can't be ruled out."
Iwanaga Kotoko's brow furrowed. Her deep purple eyes showed unconcealed disgust as she whispered,
"The ability of the Kudan is to predict the future through its own death. Although Sakurakawa Rikka's prediction ability is to obtain a certain amount of clues if she dies in a Dungeon, everyone's exclusive talent is different."
"If there is someone like her who has eaten the flesh of both a Mermaid and a Kudan, it wouldn't be so unbelievable for them to know some of the situation inside a Dungeon in advance."
.....
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