Every object—table, chairs, carpet—was bolted to the ceiling. Even the bowls and spoons were glued upside down on the surface. The shelves were fixed in reverse to the side walls.

“Hmph. Another weird room,” Kazuma scoffed, stepping forward as his eyes roamed the ceiling. “Why are they doing it like this? Ren and Yui really got lucky.”

He crouched near a raised floor tile and brushed away the sand beneath it. “Nothing…”

“If this room is reversed...” he slowly looked up, mind ticking fast. “Then maybe it’s not down—we need to check up. Let’s try. If not, then it’s just another time-wasting room.”

Both palms lit up with controlled flames. With a swift flick, he launched a fireball upward—WHOOSH! The ceiling carpet burned away, exposing a small bowl, and inside it—

A box. Right above the same spot as the tile.

“Uff…” He smirked, stretching his shoulders lazily. “Now I have to get up there. It's fixed.”

He retrieved his avatars, then turned to the shelf. And again, he create ten avatars including himself. “Just stand there. I’ll climb over you guys.”

The avatars stacked slightly, Kazuma balancing with his usual careless elegance. “Move side. Straight to the box.”

He inched forward as the avatars shifted beneath him. With a quick grip, he opened the box and the token dropped down with a soft clink.

With a soft hop, Kazuma landed. “Done.” His avatars vanished like mist—quiet, efficient.

“Hmph. Not bad.”

****

“Huh? Why does this one feel different from the other three?” Yui touched the wall, tapping—tuck tuck. “Wood?”

She spun around, excited. “Hey, come here!”

Ren walked over, eyebrows lifted. Together, they pushed—creeeak—the wooden wall rotated, revealing a narrow, hidden room.

Yui gasped. “Huh?! Lucky!” She instantly high-fived him. At the far edge, a small box sat in the corner like a quiet reward.

“Really… you are lucky, Yui.” Ren let out a small breath, shaking his head in disbelief. “Getting it this easy…”

“If not, how long would we have to wait, huh?” Yui grinned proudly, lifting her palm with flair. “My hand brings luck—even in dice games!”

Ren blinked. “Yeah… guess it’s your hand.”

They began stepping down the floor, their mood lighter.

On the left side of the steps, Shoren gripped a kunai, poised to strike. Beside him, Darven stood with arms crossed, relaxed but watchful. Opposite them Minu (ID tag 257, age 21) and Saya (ID tag 255, age 21) stood firm, eyes locked, muscles tensed.

Saya lifted a token in her hand, voice calm but firm. “This is ours. We found it first.”

“Oi, idiot! I told you not to mess with girls!” Darven hissed, elbowing Shoren. Then he forced a smile toward Saya. “He started it—not me. I swear!”

Shoren’s eyes narrowed. “Stealing is acceptable…”

“Hey… what are you all doing?” Ren stepped down, rubbing his temple with an exasperated sigh. “Just search and come out—don’t fight mid-way!”

Shoren stepped back the moment Ren appeared, his eyes darting away to avoid Ren’s gaze.

Darven raised his hand halfway, his eyes fixed on Ren. “Hey, I don’t wanna fight with you,” he said, voice steady but tense. “But if you harm my partner, I’ll fight.”

Minu glanced between them sharply, then turned. “Yui-san, help us return to Haruto-san.”

Ren stepped down casually, his hand brushing against Yui’s shoulder. “Come, Yui. We don’t have to get involved. Sometimes leaving is better.”

Minu quickly called out, “Wait! We can trade.”

“Trade? With you?” Yui paused mid-step and spun on her heel with a smirk tugging at her lips.

Ren exhaled and turned toward Shoren, fingers tapping the katana hilt slowly. “Looks like I have to fight after all.”

Darven stepped in front, head held high. “We’re not afraid of you.”

Saya raised both hands. “We’re requesting you… please help us. We don’t want to waste more time here.”

“That’s the trade?” Yui raised an amused brow, clearly unimpressed. “Let’s go, Ken.”

Minu called out, quick. “Okay! Say what you want! Unused crystals? Help in future rounds? We’ll agree to anything.”

“Hey, you can trade with us.” Darven turned toward Minu and sighed. “I’ll convince this idiot.”

She scowled. “You should’ve asked before starting the drama.”

“You idiot!” Darven smacked the back of Shoren’s head. “I told you not to pick fights with girls—still you said we’ll get the token, now see!”

Ren said calmly, voice low. “So, Yui… what’s your call?” He glanced at Darven. “If you do want to fight, I don’t mind.”

Yui clicked her tongue. “How many unused crystals do you have?”

“One.” Minu folded her arms, chin lifted defiantly.

Yui narrowed her eyes and turned. “Let’s go, Ken.”

“Wait—three.” Minu sighed, cheeks puffing slightly in defeat.

“You are cunning, Minu!” Yui gasped dramatically, then leaned forward. “Well then, give us two—we’ll help you. Maybe even carry you to the checkpoint fast if you find the flag.”

“What?! That’s so unfair, Yui-san!” Minu snapped, frustration leaking out. “That’s our hard work. We’ll give one.”

Yui spun her finger. “Nope. Two.”

Shoren, cool as wind, walked into another room like none of this ever happened.

Darven stared, dumbfounded. “Hey! You started it—now you’re walking away in the middle?”

“We won’t win.” Shoren shrugged. “Don’t waste time.”

Darven sighed and turned to Saya. “Heee… okay. Saya, we’re leaving. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Ufff…” Minu groaned, dragging her hand down her face.

“Relaxing now?” Yui smirked like a fox, eyes gleaming. “We want that. So fight us if you don’t agree.”

“Huh?! Cheater!” Minu’s jaw dropped as she stepped back in disbelief. “You should show some spirit, Yui-san!”

“I don’t have that. But don’t worry, we’ll help you. Still—we need two unused crystals.”

Saya looked tired. “Give it to her, Minu… that guy has a dimension-opening portal katana.”

“I won’t use that.” Ren stepped forward, voice steady. “I’ll drop you at Haruto-san. After that, the deal's over. We have to search for the flag. If you’re near, we’ll help. If not—done.”

Minu sighed, puffed her cheeks, and finally handed two unused crystals to Yui with a dramatic pout.

Yui took them with a spark in her eyes.

The four started stepping outside the building, just as Kazuma walked in from the forest path. His eyes narrowed the moment he spotted something unusual—

And there it was—Velgorn, the beast, snoring under a tree like a lazy puppy.

****

Kazuma blinked. ‘What… is that?’ His footsteps slowed. Silent. Careful. Eyes locked on the beast like it might wake with a single breath.

“Master! Don’t do anything!” Sakura called out from under the next tree. “Ken already talked with it!”

Kazuma froze mid-step, glanced at her. “Huh?” He turned and walked toward Sakura. “What do you mean?”

“It came from a portal and attacked… my ankle too…” She tapped her fingers nervously on her lap. “Ken came and defeated it. That beast’s obeying Ken now.”

Kazuma’s eyes flicked back to Velgorn. “It attacked you?”

Sakura shrank a little under his stare, then—“Master… my ankle is in pain… can you carry me?” she said, blinking with a fake-innocent face.

Kazuma frowned. “Huh? Didn’t someone heal you? A healer might’ve seen you by now. There are only scratches—”

“Still I can’t walk… carry me!” Sakura puffed her cheeks and turned her head away with a tiny hmph!

Kazuma sighed, hand on his forehead. “Don’t act. Just walk, you idiot.”

Sakura pouted harder. “No, Master, it’s real. Please. Besides… you found the token, right?”

At that moment, the four came out of the building behind Kazuma, their voices and footsteps echoing through the quiet clearing.

Minu waved her hand. “Hey! Take us!”

Yui held up a palm. “Wait—why are you rushing?”

****

Meanwhile, at the checkpoint, Miko checked whether the crystals matched the same pair’s energy—or someone else’s.

– { Nivan and Meena… } she said to the other Sensemitters, – { One pair arrived. }

From another checkpoint, Renshiro looked up. – { Here too. Second. }

Mei raised her hand from the bench where she sat beside Jin. “Yeah, we passed.”

****

Kazuma looked at Sakura and sighed. “Hey… you’re doing this intentionally, right?”

Sakura looked down, fingers twiddling. “No, Master… well, if you feel it’s a problem, don’t worry. I can walk…”

“Now you're emotionally blackmailing too?” Kazuma exhaled louder, shoulders dropping. “Just come here.”

Sakura's face lit up like a lantern, and before she could squeal, Kazuma crouched a little and picked her up on his back.

“Are you okay, Master?” she asked gently, wrapping her arms softly around his neck.

Kazuma muttered, “Do I have a choice even if I don’t like it?”

Yui watched from the side and chuckled softly, unable to hold it in. Sakura leaned her cheek against Kazuma’s shoulder, peeking at his face from the side without blinking.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Kazuma turned his eyes slightly, avoiding hers. “Look at the other side. I know your leg is fine… but I can’t prove it.”

“Master…” Sakura’s cheeks turned a soft pink as she mumbled, “If you really didn’t like it, you’d prove it somehow. But you too…”

Kazuma narrowed his eyes. “Don’t talk nonsense,” he cut her words sharply.

“Hmph,” she pouted, and snuggled more tightly—wrapping her legs around his waist. “Master, please hold my legs too… or I might slip…”

Kazuma narrowed his eyes, bent slightly, and let her down. “Just walk,” he said, glaring hard.

“Master, please! Please, I won’t do it again! I promise!” Sakura begged with both hands joined, eyes sparkling with fake innocence.

“Hey.” Kazuma turned toward Ren, expression blank. “Put her in your katana’s vast space and open it once we reach the destination.”

“Wait! No! I’ll walk!!”

‘Tch… I went too far,’ she thought.

Kazuma side-eyed her. “Oh? Now your leg is fine?”

“You’re too cold, Master!” Sakura lightly punched his shoulder with both fists,

Ren held Minu and Saya’s hands gently. Kazuma gripped Sakura’s and Yui’s. In one flash, all six vanished—

—and reappeared exactly where Renshiro had explained the rules earlier.

‘Huh?!’ Minu blinked, caught off guard by the sudden teleport.

“Four keys and one token…” Haruto looked up as they arrived, voice calm. “And Yui, your pair needs eight keys and two tokens. You got them, right? Some pairs bring extras.”

“Yeah.” Yui flipped her hair slightly and turned to Minu with a sly grin. “Hey. You didn’t happen to bring more tokens, did you?”

Minu raised both palms. “No, no! If we had extra, why would we stop there? We’d have given one. That wasn’t worth two unused crystals.”

Yui narrowed her eyes. “Who knows… maybe you found more and wanted to block other pairs. If more than fifteen or twenty tokens end up in just a few hands, the number of competitors reduces.”

“To do that, we’d have to search more,” Minu said, crossing her arms tightly. “We thought about it. But we planned to trade unused crystals if someone else found tokens first. But you took from us.”

Yui raised a single brow. “You still have one. Submit it.”

Minu pouted. “Still you took two from us!”

Haruto raised his hand. “Okay, that’s enough. You still need to search for the flag too. Until now, all pairs had an equal chance at tasks… but this one”—he lifted his finger—“this is about who reaches the checkpoint first.”

The three pairs handed over all the tokens and keys.

Haruto handed one crystal to Kazuma and Minu’s team. Two crystals to Yui. Along with them, he gave two slips.

His voice was firm. “These slips are your flag clues. It was marked with your names. No other flag will work for your pair.”

“Now I get it.” Yui turned slowly, arms folding, eyes squinting with realization. “Yesterday you paused halfway through your sentence. This was the reason, right, Senpai?”

Haruto smiled faintly, calm as always. “Well… go.”

“Wait,” he said. “There was a signpost at that place. We just simplified the task.”

Yui narrowed her eyes. “You’re saying that, like we can pick any flag. Still, we have to find that place, don’t we?”

Ren held out his hand. “Give the slips.”

Yui handed them over without a word.

“So… can you guess where this is?” Ren handed the slips to Kazuma, voice steady.

§ • Between two stones like broken horns,

Where deadwood lies but was not torn,

Past silver glass that hums with the breeze,

The breathless path hides under trees. • §

§ • The breeze dies quiet where I begin,

Yet leaves always follow me in.

I steal the light, I echo fear. • §

“We’ll help you if you give just one crystal back.” Minu stepped closer, arms crossed and voice hopeful.

“Go away.” Yui didn’t even glance at her. “We don’t need it.”

Minu scoffed. “Hmph! Well, if we meet in the middle, our deal still holds, Yui-san. Even a few minutes... even seconds… can decide the winner.”

“Ha. If it happens, we’ll see.” Yui smirked, brushing off the warning like dust on her sleeve.

Minu and Saya turned and walked off, heads held high, shoulders stiff.

Yui, Ren, Kazuma, and Sakura stepped a little farther from Haruto, huddling into a tighter circle.

Kazuma scratched the back of his head, brows furrowed. “I think one riddle’s about what it is… the other’s where it is.”

He held up the smaller slip. “First, this line—‘The breeze dies quiet.’”

“Breeze dies?” Ren tilted his head, confused like the words just poked his brain.

“They mean… the wind stops. Just like that.” Kazuma pointed upward, explaining softly. “The second line says leaves follow, right? That means there's a breeze. I think… it’s somewhere still. Enclosed.”

He read on. “‘I steal the light. I echo fear.’” Then he looked at the others. “That’s it—it’s enclosed. Something that echoes… um… it has to be a cave. Or a tunnel.”

Ren blinked. “Tunnel? Reha mentioned something like that... but I don’t know if it’s the same one.”

Kazuma nodded slowly. “We saw one too. First day. Southeast side—I mean not the far edge, but toward the east. There was a small tunnel with a board. It said: ‘No one allowed.’”

Ren frowned. “Reha said it’s near the north-east…”

Yui tapped her fingers on her arm. “Then read the other riddle. Flags are all on the south side. So that means north-east is not possible.”

Sakura spoke up. “So… the one we saw—on the east—is the one?”

“We don’t know for sure.” Kazuma shrugged, voice still uncertain. “Let’s check the other riddle.”

He read slowly, squinting at the slip, “Between two stones like broken horns… it’s simple. Two boulders must be there.”

“Where dead wood lies but was not torn…” he continued, brow tightening. “Um… dead wood?”

Ren tilted his head, thoughtful. “I think it means… wood died?”

Yui glared at him, arms crossed with a loud tsk. “You just reversed the words and said it like you’re a genius. You want me to believe you scored ninety percent with this logic?”

“Dead wood means… the wood died, right?” Ren raised a finger like a tiny philosopher announcing a truth.

Kazuma sighed, one hand on his temple. “Somewhat correct. But focus on the second part—but was not torn. Um… I forgot how that place looks near the tunnel.”

He continued, “It says the wood’s fallen but not cut. Like a tree or branch just lying there… untouched. Not broken.”

Yui flicked her fingers toward the next line. “Read the next. Even if the second doesn’t help, we might identify it with the rest.”

“Past silver glass that hums with the breeze.” Kazuma’s eyes narrowed as he read, voice slow.