Chapter 377: Ordinary Player Lord Shadow
"The focus is Kyoto City."
The communication between Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko was smooth.
Both of them were types who were good at analyzing clues. The difference was that one focused more on specific angles, while the other was better at reasoning through a situation like solving a case.
"The location of the last Dungeon was Kyoto City, and the place where Laughing Coffin and the Sakurakawa Family are planning something is also Kyoto City. Is it really just a simple coincidence? I don't think so."
"Yeah, I feel the same."
Iwanaga Kotoko paused for a few seconds, carefully sorting through her thoughts, then spoke softly.
"Should we go investigate tomorrow? Even the faintest Cursed aura can't escape my eyes, and I can also ask the yokai if they have any information. This time, we're not in a Dungeon world filled with Cursed things, but in the real world, where evil spirits are rare. If Laughing Coffin and the Sakurakawa Family are really planning something in Kyoto City, they will definitely leave traces we can track."
"Alice can help too. As for Asuna and the others..."
Asagiri shook his head and spoke softly.
"If everyone moves out, it'll be too conspicuous and might alert the enemy. They don't have the ability to perceive Cursed auras. They're fine for combat, but they won't help with the search. We'll tell them first, then just the two of us will investigate."
Asagiri's idea was reasonable.
Except for Kato Megumi, whose lack of presence meant she did not attract much attention, the rest, Yuuki Asuna, Yamauchi Sakura, Kaguya Shinomiya, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai, were all beautiful girls with outstanding appearances and unique temperaments. They drew attention whenever they appeared in public.
One person alone would already be like that.
If all of them followed Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko, whose own presence was practically off the charts, then the amount of attention they drew would be comparable to someone walking down the street while blasting a suona.
"Ara~"
Speaking of this topic, Iwanaga Kotoko could not help covering her mouth and giggling.
"Besides the reasons you just mentioned, my dear boyfriend, do you also want to spend time alone with me, dating while we investigate?"
Asagiri nodded without hesitation.
"I do have that thought."
"Oh, don't be so blunt~"
Iwanaga Kotoko looked delighted.
She ran over and sat on Asagiri's lap, her petite body rubbing against him. Her face flushed slightly, making her look both shy and alluring, but her words remained as direct as ever.
"Then before the date, how about tonight we..."
"No."
"Eh..."
Seeing Iwanaga Kotoko's disappointed look, Asagiri planted a light kiss on her lips and chuckled.
"If we do that tonight, you might not even be able to get out of bed tomorrow, right? Since we need your observation skills, let's wait until this is over."
Hearing Asagiri's words, Iwanaga Kotoko still seemed a little unwilling.
"Can't we just have a little fun and then sleep..."
"What are you saying!?"
Asagiri looked as if he had heard something extremely absurd. Even his pupils dilated slightly in surprise as he spoke in a matter of fact tone.
"Facing such a cute girlfriend, you want me to stop while I'm still unsatisfied? Impossible. I can't control myself at all."
"Eh? Cute... hehe..."
Upon hearing Asagiri praise her as cute, and even say that he could not hold back at all when facing her, Iwanaga Kotoko blushed and instantly became docile.
"Alright then. Since I'm so understanding, I'll hold back for now. Once we've dealt with the enemies, I'll come back and have a wild time with you!"
"Good, that's the spirit!"
Facing Iwanaga Kotoko's bold offensive, Asagiri did not show any weakness and countered directly.
"We'll go all out then! But let me say this first. As the number one Eroge Shooter in Tokyo, I won't go easy on you. Compared to last time, this will be a real item match. I hope you're mentally prepared to be teased by me until you can't even make a sound, and can only whimper and beg for mercy."
Upon hearing this, although Iwanaga Kotoko showed a pitiful and cowardly expression, it was clearly an act meant to excite Asagiri even more.
Her deep purple eyes were already shimmering with intense anticipation, looking even more excited than when she selected rewards after clearing a Dungeon.
"Good! When the time comes, I, the God of Wisdom, will do my utmost, betting everything and my dignity, to challenge you!"
...
The next afternoon, on the streets of Kyoto City.
"Tsk..."
Iwanaga Kotoko opened her phone and glanced at it. After confirming that there were no new messages, she could not help letting out a listless sound and looked at Asagiri beside her.
"I asked so many yokai, but none of them noticed anything unusual these past two days. The authorities also sent people to investigate Kyoto City, but they found nothing either. Could there be a problem with the source of the intelligence?"
"Unlikely."
Without needing Iwanaga Kotoko to spell it out, Asagiri walked up to her, bent down slightly, and let her climb onto his back.
After carrying the petite Iwanaga Kotoko on his back, he walked forward and said indifferently,
"Sakurakawa Rikka isn't a fool either. If it wasn't verified information, she wouldn't have passed it on to us."
"I suppose so, but how can there be absolutely no leads..."
Just as Iwanaga Kotoko was saying this, she suddenly stopped.
Then she leaned down close to Asagiri's ear, as if they were a loving couple whispering to each other. From the outside, there was nothing abnormal at all, but her voice was low as she reminded him,
"The woman in the dress ahead. She has a very strong Cursed aura, just like those people who fused with Cursed Objects that we've encountered before."
"Is that so?"
Asagiri turned his head slightly, smiling as if he were chatting about intimate topics with his girlfriend.
Both he and Iwanaga Kotoko acted seamlessly. Even in such a sudden situation, they revealed absolutely no flaws.
"Should we follow?"
"Let's follow."
"Alright."
While Asagiri followed, Iwanaga Kotoko took out her phone, sent a message to Yuuki Asuna and the others, and turned on location sharing.
Meanwhile, a dozen meters ahead, the young woman in the dress and sun hat raised the corner of her lips in a Cursed arc and whispered in an almost inaudible voice,
"Fell for it."
...
Twenty minutes later, Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko followed the young woman's trail to a slightly old building that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time.
The entrance was cordoned off with yellow warning tape, and signs like [No Entry] and [Danger] were posted.
"Hmm... this building is emitting an extremely strong Cursed aura..."
Iwanaga Kotoko jumped down from Asagiri's back and observed the abandoned building in front of her.
She took out her phone, only to find that there was no signal.
"Heh, did they turn on a signal jammer..."
Asagiri shook his head and chuckled.
"They don't really think we'd be stupid enough to walk in, do they?"
Just as Asagiri finished speaking, a voice came from deep within the building entrance.
"Of course we wouldn't think you'd walk in, but leading you here is already enough."
Several Players, including the woman in the dress, slowly walked out of the building.
Dozens of figures emerged from the surroundings, forming a circle and surrounding Iwanaga Kotoko and Asagiri in the center.
"Oh? Playing dirty?"
Asagiri scanned the people around him and saw that most of them were wearing clothes with the Laughing Coffin pattern.
He could not help sighing as he looked at them with a faintly pitying gaze, as if looking at fools.
"Tell me, why do you have to wear your DIY clothes? Doesn't that make you instantly recognizable? Is this some kind of special exhibitionism?"
"Hmph. Still running your mouth when death is imminent."
A young man who had walked out of the building with a long sword at his waist looked at Asagiri.
His black pupils suddenly shrank, and the whites of his eyes occupied most of his eyeballs. The violent heartbeat coming from his chest was clearly audible, and even the blood vessels on his skin turned dark red and black.
"Confess who you are and which faction you come from, and perhaps we will consider giving you a quick death."
"Huh?"
Seeing Asagiri's surprised expression, the young man thought his words had frightened him and revealed a clearly mocking smile.
"Of course, even if you don't say it, we can slowly torture you after we catch you..."
"No, what are you talking about?"
Asagiri directly interrupted him.
Like Iwanaga Kotoko beside him, his face showed an expression that was difficult to keep straight, as if he were suppressing laughter.
"So you don't even know who we are, yet you dared to lead us here?"
"Heh."
The young man did not care about Asagiri's words.
He slowly drew the long sword at his waist, which emitted an eerie dark green light. His pupils also glowed with the same eerie dark green light.
He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, an almost manic expression appearing on his face.
"Never mind our numerical advantage. In front of me, who has completely fused with the Heart and can see the future, mere ordinary Players like you are simply not worth mentioning..."
"Ordinary Players? Funny."
Asagiri and Iwanaga Kotoko looked at each other, then turned their gazes back toward the young man in front of them.
The smile on Asagiri's face gradually faded, and he spoke in a flat tone.
"Two against thirty three. The advantage is mine."
"You, are you mentally unstable..."
Just as the young man spoke halfway, he saw Asagiri, who had originally been wearing ordinary casual clothes, change his outfit in an instant.
A black trench coat covered his body.
Pure black boots appeared on his feet.
Black gloves emerged over his hands.
The Rope Dart connected to a chain wrapped around his forearm.
And on his face, a pure black mask appeared.
"Sha... Shadow…"
.....
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