“What are you talking about, Diya-san?” Kazuma’s jaw tightened as he spoke. “And why are you calling me like that?”

His mouth curved. “Your work’s over, right? Then leave.”

She remained silent, her lips pressed tightly together.

“And tell Sakuragi neesan not to worry about us,” he added, then walked back without waiting for an answer.

“You! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Diya exclaimed, stomping hard on his foot.

“Aw…” Kazuma hissed, glancing around quickly before catching her hand and teleporting instantly.

****

“You! What are you doing, idiot?” he smacked her head lightly.

“What can I do?” she said, shrugging. “I can only tease you in public, right?” Her grin widened as she added, “Here, you’ll scold me straight… hey, let’s do a mind voice exchange agreement. I’ll talk whenever I want!”

“No, who would believe you?”

“You!” she poked his chest. “I’m your sister!”

“So what?” he said, his face and tone deadpan.

“Hey…” Her tone softened just a little. “You know we all think about you. Don’t talk like you don’t care. Think about Maa, idiot.”

“You just came using Sakuragi as an excuse,” Kazuma muttered. “Ren came, right? Not satisfied yet?”

“Hey, you too, I want you to come!” She took a step back, grinning. “In public, I’ll act like you’re my little brother, alright? This time I got my chance.”

“Okay… let’s do the mind voice art,” Kazuma said dryly.

“You agree?” Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Yeah. If you behave like that, I gotta show my anger too, right?” Kazuma’s smirk deepened.

“Huh? Then I don’t want to,” Diya mumbled nervously, turning away like a wounded fox cub.

“Okay,” he replied calmly, his voice steady as ever. “Even so, it’s not a problem… and don’t act too familiar around everyone.”

“We came for a purpose, that’s why we didn’t say anything,” he explained softly. “I told you because... Ren said he wants to talk with you all. So, please... try to understand the situation.”

Diya went silent, lowering her eyes slightly.

“Coming now and lecturing me... you changed.” She mumbled.

Kazuma pointed to his body as he spoke, “Yeah. Don’t you see me right in front of you?”

“Oh, I didn’t laugh,” Diya snapped dryly. “You may talk to others like that, but to me... you’re different. I want to talk to you more. You don’t know, idiot, how much I cried? My baby... died at birth too.”

Kazuma’s voice softened, “You think only you suffered? We did too. Mainly Ren. I understand you... but you got Yuna, right? You’re only thinking about yourself. Just once... think about others.”

“Why are you saying all this?!” Diya punched his chest like a child throwing a tantrum. “I don’t want that! I just want you to come! At least come! You don’t have to tell everyone if that’s a problem!”

“Okay, okay. I’ll come. It’s not a problem to come.” Kazuma replied, catching her hand mid-air. “We can come anytime... and leave anytime too, but you have to manage properly when we do.”

Diya’s face lit up. “Really?! Then—”

“Not now, go, idiot,” He interrupted with a wry smile. “I’ll come when I feel like it.”

“Hmph! You... I’ll curse you. Go, upma!” She pouted and turned away.

Kazuma chuckled under his breath. “Really now... you’re calling me upma?”

“When will you bring her?”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Who?”

“Ren-nii’s daughter, idiot!”

Kazuma stared. “Huh?! What’s with Sakura? He didn’t even tell her about you all.”

“I didn’t ask that,” Diya said, grinning mischievously. “I know that he didn’t. I’m asking... she loves you, right?”

“That idiot told you that too?!” His mouth fell open. “H-Hey! I didn’t agree to anything! Don’t go assuming things yourself.”

“Haa? what do you mean?” She leaned closer, brows pulled tight, her hands dropping from her hips like they were ready to fly up again any second.

He didn’t even flinch. His eyes stayed sharp. “I said don’t assume things, that’s it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, don’t even try to think about it. Ren-nii’s daughter means, who could say no to her? We wouldn’t object, you know? Maa already said you both changed your bodies fully.”

Kazuma turned his head slightly, lips barely moving. “Did I say anything? We have an understanding.”

“Tch,” she clicked her tongue, clenching her fists. “I’m saying, if you don’t feel, then say it early.”

“You don’t know anything, Diya.” His voice didn’t rise, but it sliced. “Don’t even talk. Do you know even one thing about her?”

Diya’s face stiffened. Her lip twitched like she was about to reply, but nothing came. “...Idiot,” she muttered under her breath.

“I’m not the Kazuma you used to know, Diya. Don’t expect anything from me,” He gave a tired smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

She looked away sharply. “Who’s expecting from you?”

“I know you want…” He said, his voice dipping quieter, shoulders sinking slightly. “Well, I always think about you all. That’s all I can say. And that idiot, tell him to meet me. We need to talk.”

“Who? Niisan?” Diya blinked at him. “What do you wanna talk about? Say to me, I’ll tell him.”

“Heee~” he smirked faintly. “Go and do what I say.”

“Hmph, go and talk to him yourself. Why my help?” She huffed and turned on her heel. “You can meet him anytime. I’m going.”

But two steps later, she paused.

Silence stretched between them.

Then she spun around, dashed forward, and hugged him tightly, like she was about to cry.

“Baka…” Her voice trembled.

Kazuma didn’t hug back, but he leaned into her slightly. His voice softened, as if only for her ears.

“I know you will come back again… I ate the rolls Maa made... don’t worry too much, Diya. I’m also... a human.”

****

The place in front of the palace shimmered under the gold-streaked morning sun at around 9 AM.

Contestants, instructors, and volunteers stood in orderly lines facing the palace steps, looking up expectantly.

From the balcony, Inori stepped forward, her voice calm yet radiating the warm authority only she could command.

“You volunteers,” she called out, gesturing gently toward the open courtroom doors beneath her. “If you want to instruct, step forward. We’ll explain your roles inside.”

Her view shifted toward the contestants below. “And you... Contestants,” she smiled faintly. “75 participants in this round - 74 qualified, and Yui earned it.”

Her eyes lingered on Yui for a heartbeat before she turned. “Rules and details will be explained later. For now, Haruki will explain the favors and details according to it.”

She walked back inside, her tunic swaying gently while walking.

Kazuma stood still near the left edge, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the crowd.

Mei slipped quietly beside him.

“Azuma-saaan.” she whispered, her eyes peeked up mischievously.

Kazuma’s gaze didn’t shift. “Don’t ask now.”

She blinked, lips curling into a pout. “Please… Just tell me, my Mom said, right?”

“After he says the favors,” he replied without looking at her.

“...Here, no?”

He gave a tiny nod. Mei folded her hands behind her back, nodding as if she’d just pocketed a treasure.

Haruki stepped into view above them, arms wide as his voice echoed.

“You all start with five Kairo tokens.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“But, Inori-sama said no combat—”

“She did,” Haruki cut in, lips tugged into a faint grin. “These tokens? Just the name. They’ll circulate throughout Round Three. What matters now is how you use them.”

“Round Name - Gamble of Kairo Tokens.” He raised his hand, three fingers pointed skyward. “Now listen. Favors.”

“Controllers,” he began. “For not using your ability in the last round... you get 20 extra tokens.”

People murmured louder, some jaws dropping in surprise.

“Dual Core users, who agreed to not use their avatar ability... 10 extra tokens.”

People glanced around, clearly calculating.

“And finally...” Haruki smirked, holding up a dice between his fingers. “...for those who submit extra unused crystals, you’ll get a roll of this. Chance to gain 1 or 2 tokens, depending on luck.”

“Huh? Just 1 or 2?” Minu frowned with anger.

“I did say it’s a small favor. Don’t compare with other Favors, you know right?”

Saya placed her hand on Minu’s shoulder. “Still, something’s better than nothing, right?”

Himari elbowed Jin sharply. “See?! I knew they’d say this! You made it sound like we will get a big favor.”

“Even a single token can shift qualification, Neesan.”

“Tch, so you’re not agreeing with me. Are you saying I’m wrong now, huh?” she snapped, her eyes were narrowing.

Jin raised an eyebrow, remaining silent.

“Haruki-san… is it that? Are you going to tell any further details?” Kazuma asked without blinking.

Haruki scratched his neck, buying time. “Ah... you just have to reach the target using that token. I mean, you have to use tokens to get more tokens. You’ll know later.”

His gaze tightened subtly, aimed at Kazuma like, ‘Inori-sama already told you, right?’

Kazuma turned his head, feigning ignorance, eyes blank and lips pressed shut.

Haruki scratched the back of his head again, voice dropping a little. “And… one more thing. Um… I don’t know how to put it properly, but… just listen, alright?”

“You might hear the name Reha around. But she’s not just anyone. She’s…” He paused, and then exhaled with a tiny smile. “She’s Tanvika-sama’s granddaughter. Yuna. She’ll be joining normally from this round onward.”

He gave another pause. “Don’t ask why, she just told me ‘I’m not a kid.’”

The words dropped like a soft bomb into the silence.

For a second, the whole place blinked in silence.

“Huh?”

“Yuna?”

“That girl is… Yuna?!”

“She is Yuna?”

Necks craned. Eyes darted.

Yuna didn’t flinch.

She raised her chin slightly, eyelids halfway down, as if even the sky bored her more gently than these people.

“Haruki-san,” she called out, voice calm but laced with sulkyness. “Why did you say it like that?”

Haruki quietly looked away, announced under his breath, “A-ah... that’s it for now. Come at 10.”

****

“I’ll go,” Diya said, reaching for her hood. “Wait here, okay? You remember what I told you, you have to play with them.”

Yuna’s lips pushed out, cheeks puffed. “Hmph… Maa, if I play with them, can I win? I can win with Ralen.”

(*Ralen - Older brother-in-law)

Diya leaned down and cupped her face, thumbs pressing softly near the temples. “Hey, please. They’re from your mother’s side. Don’t underestimate them. You said Ken guy knows that, right?”

Yuna gave a small nod.

“And that other guy… Sakuragi told me he’s clever.”

“Um… well… okay.”

Diya kissed her forehead gently. “That’s my bujji, okay, I’m going.”

****

Mei skipped over to Kazuma, a cheeky spark in her eyes. “Azuma-saan~”

Kazuma backed away slowly. “Why are you coming near me like this? Shoo! It’s not that useful. Go, go.”

“Pleaseee, Dad talks so much about you.” Mei clasped her hands with a dramatic pout. “Whatever it is, even if it’s nonsense, just say it!”

Ren, leaning against the wall, sighed and clapped his hands. “Okay, okay, gather everyone. He’ll share.”

Mei squealed and spun around excitedly. “Yayy~!” she grinned, skipping away to call the others.

****

Once all nine of them were in Ren’s room, Himari raised a brow. “Ugh. Why are we meeting here? Can’t we just go to your room, Yui-san?”

Yui shook her head. “Airi’s in mine. If she hears this, it might spread. And it’ll affect your mom.”

“Listen.” Kazuma raised his hand showing 5 fingers, voice steady now. “The third round will have five sections.”

“Huh?” Mei tilted her head. “You mean like… yesterday?”

“Just listen,” Kazuma groaned, rubbing his temples and letting out a long sigh, “It’s not like before - finish a task, get rewarded. This time it’s about tokens.”

“She didn’t reveal any section, but she said one thing clearly: you need 500 tokens in 2 hours to pass. Everyone who gets that much, passes. It’s not based on ranking or halves.”

Mei’s eyes widened. “Master said we will get 5 tokens already…” She lifted her fingers, mumbling, “And we didn’t submit any extra crystals… so we still need 495?!”

“Exactly. And it’s individual. Not tied to your team score,” Kazuma nodded, his expression calm but serious, “You can form teams temporarily, and you can borrow tokens from others.’”

He continued, “But, If you already have enough tokens, you can’t borrow from others.”

“That’s it?!” Mei moved closer. “Any other details?”

“Yeah, she mentioned something about two locked token types and one usable token type.”

He let out a sigh, “Let’s say Ken gets 20 tokens, he can either lock them toward his total, or use them in the round. But once you lock them, it can’t be touched.”

“What about the second locked type?” Jin asked, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.

Kazuma shrugged. “She didn’t explain. Just said it’s tied to the sections. Couldn’t reveal more.”

“Hmph. So Mom didn’t say anything about those sections.” Himari scowled.

Yuta replied dryly, “Are you deaf or what? She said there are five sections.”

Himari shot him a death glare. “I meant the details, you walnut.”

Kazuma leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees while replaying Inori’s words in his mind.

“I think the second locked type,” he began slowly, “is something we can’t pass to others. But it’s usable during the round... Not by favor, it’s earned inside the sections themselves.”

Jin’s lips twisted in thought. “Hm... might be,” he murmured with a nod.

In the middle of the group, Ren sat with hands clasped, eyes lazily bouncing from one face to another. Beside him, Hisagi sat up straight like a student in front of others, stiff with alertness.

Sakura slid in beside Hisagi, folding her legs under her with a small sigh. She didn’t say anything, just offered a sideways glance.

A beat later, Mei spun toward Hisagi, her brow arched like she questioned, lips twitching into a smile. “You’re fine, right?”

Hisagi’s back stiffened. “A-Ah... fine!” he replied too fast, voice cracking slightly.

“Ufff… Haruki-san said it’s a Gamble round, didn’t he?” Yuta rested his whole body on one side of the bed. “Then the sections themselves are probably… risky games or luck based.”

Kazuma nodded again, slower this time, like connecting threads in his mind. “That’s obvious. He said the tokens will circulate.”

He gave a pause and added, “So that means, we’ll need to use them inside each section, maybe rotate them between games, and stack them.”

He sat on the bed with a stretch. “Well, that’s it.”

****

In Daikin’s house…

Hina’s eyes stirred open slowly. Sunlight spilled through the curtains, and… silence.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, looking around. “Eh?” she mumbled. “Where’s everyone?”

Her gaze landed on a folded note on the bedside table.

She picked it up, unfolded it: Hina, eat the breakfast I kept on the table. I’ll come take you after 10.

She pouted. “Hmph… if I had woken up earlier… maybe Dad would’ve taken me too.”

Author’s Note: Please read last paragraphs too,

Hi 👋! I think you might be mispronouncing these character names.

Name → Correct Pronunciation

- Diya → Dhi-ya

- Yuta → Yu-tha

- Toshi → Tho-shi

- Daen → Dha-ye-n

- Bunta → Bu-n-tha

- Daikin → Dhai-kin

- Daichi → Dhai-chi

- Tarkin → Tha-r-kin

- Haruto → Haru-tho

- Darven → Dhar-ven

- Takeshi → Tha-keshi

- Tanvika → Than-vi-ka

- Takshiro → Thak-shiro

- Daisuke → Dhai-su-ke

- Vikato → Vikato (not tho)

- Ayan → Aa-yan

- Aviru → Aa-vi-ru

- Arata → Aa-ra-tha

Continued below...