A crossover anime/manga story, set in everyday Tokyo, but within a loop of a game.

The same choice led to completely different outcomes, and there are two fundamental reasons for this.

Asagiri's team includes Megumi Kato. As long as she uses her ability to reduce her presence, the four members of the team can perfectly avoid the guards at the train station and successfully board the train.

As for the second reason...

Kaguya and the others were not quick enough.

Before the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau began its formal investigation, the kind-hearted Mita, who possessed magical hacking skills, had already located the approximate location of the research institute's base. After encountering a specialist from the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau, Asagiri used Crazy Mita's exclusive ability to directly obtain information from the specialist's phone and immediately headed to a train station in Tokyo. The entire process wasted not a single moment.

Kaguya Shinomiya and her two companions, who needed to be interrogated and threatened to extract information from the demi-human countermeasures bureau specialists, were delayed in this step. As a result, by the time they arrived at the Yokohama train station, the demi-human countermeasures bureau had already become aware of the threat posed by these suspicious individuals and deployed a fully armed mobile force for defense at such an important location as the train station.

The team consisting of Kaguya Shinomiya, Ai Hayasaka, and Chika Fujiwara is indeed one of the strongest player teams at this stage, but Ai Hayasaka has only just become a player, and this is her first time entering a dungeon.

And Asagiri, Asuna Yuuki, Kotoko Iwanaga, Megumi Kato...

Whether it's individual ability, teamwork, or experience in tackling dungeons, this four-person team is undoubtedly the strongest.

……

Later that evening, in a room resembling a war room in a high-rise building in Chiba City.

"Mr. Tozaki!"

Seeing his subordinate in a suit push open the door and barge in, the white-haired man in the head seat, wearing a white suit and glasses, frowned slightly, but did not reprimand him. Instead, he spoke calmly.

"Have you captured those four demi-humans?"

"No... not..."

Upon hearing the white-haired man's question, the subordinate shook his head, his voice revealing barely suppressed terror.

"Our mobile units stationed at the tram station... have all lost contact..."

"What? Missing!?"

Upon hearing this, Tozaki Yu's expression changed, and he slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Were they all wiped out? How is that possible... Did they send back any messages before they lost contact?"

"Yes, but..."

The man in the suit replied cautiously.

"The on-site commander said they were preparing to launch an attack... and then, there was no further news."

"They lost contact without even sending back any news about the target? Could it be..."

Yu Tozaki murmured, a look of disbelief on her face.

"How is this possible...? Could it be that an elite mobile unit was wiped out without even having time to report the situation on the ground...? Just four demi-humans, how could this be..."

"Um, Mr. Tozaki."

Just then, the man in the suit cautiously added something else.

"The mobile unit members at Yokohama train station... have all gone missing..."

Upon hearing the news, Yu Tosaki was so shocked that she became somewhat numb.

"Heh... The mobile unit there has also lost contact... Could it be that guy in the hat...? No, even if it were him, it would be impossible for him to wipe out a mobile unit so easily, and this has happened in two places... By the way, have you captured any targets suspected to be demi-humans?"

"Yes, there are, but..."

The man in the suit replied hesitantly.

"After they were killed, those people did not revive. The on-site specialists concluded that... they were not demi-humans."

"Isn't he a demi-human...?"

Upon hearing this answer, Tosaki Yu frowned. After thinking for several seconds, he finally made up his mind, looked at the subordinate in the suit, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Suspend all pursuit of suspected demi-human targets. We can't let our agents sacrifice themselves in vain. Deploy the most elite and experienced mobile units from each city to the vicinity of the research institute base. Judging from their route, those guys' target is likely the research institute base. We absolutely cannot let them succeed. Ensure the defense of the research institute base. We absolutely cannot let them take away the demi-human we captured with such difficulty!"

……

On the other side, in a mountain forest in Chiba Prefecture.

"The general situation of this instance is now clear."

Asagiri leaned against a large tree, looking at Yuuki Asuna and the others in front of her, and slowly began to speak.

"A dozen days ago in this world, a high school student named Kei Nagai was involved in a traffic accident and was resurrected in front of everyone, which exposed his identity as a demi-human. Although there was no news report, the current situation is that he has been captured and taken to that research base to be used as a tool for scientific experiments by the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau."

Kotoko Iwanaga nodded noncommittally, then asked.

"How is the research base defended?"

"It is difficult to break through by force."

Asagiri spoke in a calm tone.

"Although it's called a research base, it's essentially a military fortress. Not only is it heavily guarded, but there are also multiple metal doors on the road leading to the core area that even bombs can't budge. Not to mention that we don't know the exact location of the so-called experimental data, even if we knew the route, it would be impossible for us to get there successfully."

At this point, Asagiri suddenly changed the subject, looking at Iwanaga Kotoko, Kato Megumi, and Yuuki Asuna who seemed to be deep in thought, and revealed a smile.

"However, I already know what will happen in twenty hours that will allow us to break through the research base's defenses."

30

Chapter 30: The extremely dangerous demi-human leader.

Asagiri didn't keep them in suspense, but slowly began to recount the information Crazy Mita had obtained from the on-site commander's phone.

"Among all the known demi-humans, the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau is particularly wary of one person, and that person's name is Sato. Because he always wears a dark green beret when he appears, he is also known as 'The Hat'."

"Sato was once a special forces soldier. He has excellent judgment, action, and the skill to perfectly carry out missions. From individual combat and overall operations to the formulation and execution of plans, he can be said to be flawless. Even most of the soldiers of Blackwatch are far inferior to him."

"However, Sato's style of action is extremely cruel, cold-blooded, and cunning. Moreover, he seems to have a very serious psychological problem. He has shown an abnormally violent personality tendency since childhood. He likes danger and yearns for it. Only battles on the edge of life and death can bring him pleasure and excitement."

Upon hearing Asagiri's words, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but speak up.

"Wait a minute... the more I hear Sato's description, the more familiar it seems... I've seen it before."

"Oh?"

Asagiri looked somewhat surprised and asked curiously.

Have you ever encountered someone like this before? Do people like this exist in our world?

Asuna Yuuki: "...Flawless, possessing excellent action and judgment, seeking the thrill and pleasure that danger brings, isn't that you?"

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm not like Sato."

Asagiri waved her hand and said with a smile.

"While I do enjoy the thrill and fun of this death game, I do consider the risks involved. And while I can be ruthless in battle, I don't actively seek out hostile relationships that lead to mutual destruction unless necessary. Ultimately, I'm a player who enjoys the thrill and excitement, while Sato is a twisted and brutal killer. Perhaps we are similar in some ways, but we are not the same kind of people at all."

Asuna Yuuki nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"Yes, go on."

"Actually, there's not much to say."

Asagiri shrugged and said casually.

"Sato once broke into a research base in another location and took away an Ajin who was being held there by the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau and used as an experimental subject. He claimed to be the leader of the faction that wanted to liberate all Ajin from the hands of humans. However, given his personality, he did not care about the lives of his fellow humans. He just wanted to start a war against the human faction in this world to get fun and excitement. In order to expand his organization's power, Sato would definitely go to rescue the Ajin who was imprisoned in the research base."

"Could he really break through the defenses of that research base by himself?"

Kato Megumi frowned slightly, expressing her doubt.

"Even we can't break through this defense, so what can he, a mere flesh and blood, do?"

"No, that's not the case."

Before Asagiri could answer, Iwanaga Kotoko began to analyze thoughtfully.

“If an ordinary person possessed the ability to resurrect from the dead, it wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with; one could simply use a tranquilizer gun or continuously shoot them. But someone like Sato, with exceptional individual combat skills, outstanding tactical awareness, and a background as a special forces soldier, would be extremely difficult to deal with even if he were alone. Moreover…”

Kotoko Iwanaga murmured, her dark purple eyes gleaming.

“Sato’s previous successful breach of the research institute’s defenses wasn’t solely due to a direct assault. He’s originally from this world, and perhaps… no, he definitely has an accomplice whom the Demi-human Countermeasures Bureau doesn’t know about. He wasn’t just fighting alone. Wait a minute…”

At this point, Kotoko Iwanaga seemed to have thought of something, looked at Asagiri who was sitting by the big tree, and tentatively asked.

"Sato's abilities are so outstanding, so according to the system's judgment, he should be qualified to become a player. Could it be that Sato, like Crazy Mita in our last dungeon... has also received a mission from the system to obtain player status?"

"It's very likely. Given Sato's personality, even if there's no reward for killing a player and taking their phone, he would still attack the player just to enjoy the thrill and excitement of the battle."

Asagiri nodded, her eyes shining with excitement, and even the corners of her lips turned up.

"The paths of the three factions—the Ajin, the Ajin Countermeasures Bureau, and the players—converge at the research base. These three factions are also hostile to each other, and a war to the death is about to break out. This is so exciting... no, so worrying."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki retorted, somewhat speechless.

"You just let it slip, didn't you?"

"Humph."

Asagiri, with an inscrutable air, crossed her arms and slowly began to speak.

"I see that this Sato is nothing more than a scapegoat. You all warm up the wine first, and I will quickly kill him in battle!"

"Why are you using Three Kingdoms references again? Like killing Sato while the wine is still warm?"

"Um... I'd like to interrupt your flirting for a moment."

Kato Megumi said this first, looking at Yuuki Asuna, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, and spoke in a gentle tone.

"We have a most pressing problem that we need to solve now."

"what is the problem?"

"I'm hungry, and you guys must be hungry too."

Upon hearing Kato Megumi's words, Yuuki Asuna's stomach rumbled softly as if in agreement.

"Ugh, how embarrassing!"

Seeing Kotoko Iwanaga's mocking expression, Asuna Yuuki looked somewhat embarrassed, but then retorted without backing down.

"Hmph, I didn't expect being short to have this advantage, it makes me standby time longer."

"you……"

Kotoko Iwanaga was choked and became somewhat exasperated. She stared intently at Asuna Yuuki's chest and waved her fist in rebuttal.

"Hehe, it's because those two places waste too much energy and are not energy-saving or environmentally friendly at all!"

Seeing this, Asagiri smiled and spoke.

"I should be the least energy-efficient and environmentally friendly one, right?"

To Asagiri's surprise, upon hearing his words, both Asuna Yuuki and Kotoko Iwanaga blushed simultaneously, turning their faces away and whispering shyly.

"What...what were you saying in front of the Phantom? How could you say something like that in public..."

"what?"

Asagiri was stunned for a moment, then looked speechless.

"You two have gone too far. What are you thinking? I was saying I'm the tallest."

Upon hearing this, Asuna Yuuki realized that she and Kotoko Iwanaga had misunderstood Asagiri's meaning, and blushed with embarrassment.

"You... then explain yourself clearly..."

"How would I know?"

Asagiri retorted confidently.

"I thought that since you were hungry, you would be thinking about eating something, but who knew that what you wanted to eat was..."

"Stop, stop, stop! You're not allowed to say any more!"

Yuuki Asuna knew Asagiri's personality too well and could completely guess what kind of raunchy words he was about to say. She quickly stopped him and interrupted him. Then she glanced at Kato Megumi and saw that the other person's expression was calm and normal. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, cough twice, and bring the topic back to a serious matter.

"Indeed, there are still 20 hours until we enter the instance. We've been through two battles and traveled for so long. If we don't eat something and get enough rest, our condition will definitely be severely affected."

By this time, Asuna Yuuki had fully realized the difficulty of this dungeon.

Ordinary players who aren't thinking about seizing experimental data only need to consider how to hide in the city, because they don't necessarily have to fight. They can even go without resting or eating and just hide and play casually.

For high-level players who are tasked with clearing this dungeon, there are many things to consider.

First, you need to know the location of the research institute's base. Then you have to travel a long way to Chiba Prefecture. You will inevitably encounter dangers along the way. Even if you successfully reach Chiba Prefecture, you will definitely be exhausted and need to eat and rest as soon as possible to adjust your condition and prepare for the real war.