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

***

After everyone had already left, silence lingered in the air.

“Master… let’s team up, please?” Sakura stepped beside Kazuma, her voice taking on that hopeful tone she only used with him.

Kazuma didn’t answer right away. “After listening to the rules, then we will decide.”

“Master… Can I team up with you?” Hisagi leaned toward Ren, rubbing the back of his neck.

“You’re putting too much faith in me,” Ren chuckled. “I might lose too, you know.”

Kazuma’s voice echoed inside Ren’s mind. – Then play unfair. You already did, right?

– Hey, that was your idea. I played to help Yui and Hisagi, remember?

He continued, – If I don’t play normally, where’s the fun? But… fine, I’ll switch on when needed. Don’t worry.

Kazuma groaned internally. – Playing fairly, huh? I understand, but… nevermind, it’s your choice.

Ren’s voice softened slightly. – Hey, relax. They’re following our instructions, right? You said we still have time.

Kazuma sighed aloud this time, his hand on his hip. – Uff… fine. Okay.

***

Hina sat on the chair, her cheeks puffed as she munched noisily, mumbling, “Awm awum.”

She stuffed another piece of omelette in her mouth. “If I go to aunty, then I don’t have to worry about Dad... he’ll definitely come there… or maybe… he’s already there.”

Next to her, a plate of soft idlis waited, beneath it a folded paper. Curious, Hina tugged it open.

Written in bold: Hina, if you don’t finish everything, I’m not cooking for you again. No wasting food!

She froze. “Maa…?” she whispered, lips quivering in a guilty pout.

“But I’m already full… what do I do now?” she muttered to herself, scratching her head, eyes darting. “Can I… put it in the Himakan?”

(*Himakan - Fridge)

‘No, no, it’s idli… it’ll smell! Maa will definitely find it and then I’m doomed.’

She sighed, cheeks puffing again. “Ughhh... fine. I’ll eat it slowly. With water. If I drink, maybe it’ll slip down easily.”

She bit into one idli piece and swallowed it with a gulp of water. Then another. And another. It was a slow, dramatic war, but she won. She patted her belly and got up.

With a loud exhale, she closed the door behind her and skipped toward the palace.

***

At Saya’s Room…

“Hey, Haruki-san said we have to reach a target, right?” Riyash leaned against the wall, eyes gleaming with excitement. “If we get a chance to co-operate… let’s help each other. If Master sees us playing well, he’ll definitely praise us!”

“Definitely!” Minu nodded sharply, eyes bright. “Even if it’s individual… we can still share information, instead of tokens.”

Saya looked between them, thoughtful.

***

Palace – Inori’s Hall.

Hina peeked into Inori’s room. Empty. She crept to the hall…

There, Inori sat in a sunlit corner, sipping tea, lost in a book.

“You idiot!” Hina squinted, hands on hips. “When will you start the round?! I want to play.”

Inori looked up, her face instantly lighting up. “Hey, dumpling~! Come here.”

She set her tea down and opened her arms wide. Hina dashed into her embrace.

Inori scooped her up by the hip and spun her gently. “Don’t worry, you can stay with your dad and play as much as you want.”

“Aunty! Say the rules to me! I’ll act like the Sole Instructor.” Hina asked, eyes sparkling.

“Nope. Stay beside your dad. Esha particularly said so.”

“Hmph! You too, aunty?! Please please please~ my bujji aunty~” Hina pouted, clinging tighter.

Inori gave a mock stern look. “No means no. You’re your mother’s daughter, aren’t you? Obey her orders!”

Hina lowered her head, her fingers tapping nervously on Inori’s shoulder. “Okay…” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry. Esha also said she’ll cook all your favourite foods today,” Inori said with a gentle smile, kissing Hina’s cheek.

“Really? But in Daikin uncle’s house, she wrote on a paper that if I waste food, she won’t cook anything…”

“You silly dumpling! You are her whole world! Why wouldn’t she cook for you?!” Inori burst into laughter, wiggling her fingers under Hina’s arms to tickle her.

Hina giggled helplessly, wriggling in her grip, joy fluttering in her tiny chest.

****

All contestants arrived at the unused southern grounds, just like Haruki had mentioned earlier.

They stared at what used to be a plain open land, now transformed into a massive yard. A tall, wide enclosure loomed before them, like a secret base.

“Hey, Meena… wasn’t this just empty before?” Airi blinked in disbelief. “All this came up now?”

Meena said, “It did not come suddenly, baka, you just didn’t observe.”

“Go inside,” Haruki said simply, expression unreadable.

Inside, the organized chaos hit them immediately - the instructors had turned empty space into a proper competition area.

A sight to behold: ten tall towers stood in the distance - five on each side. Between the towers ran a long street, dotted with colorful stalls that buzzed with activity.

Two larger rooms flanked the street, one on each end. And beyond that, just in front of the towers, were ten covered rooms in one chamber, five per side.

🏯🏯🏯🏯🏯 | | 🏯🏯🏯🏯🏯

🔟🔟🔟🔟🔟 | | 1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣

9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣ | | 2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣

8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣ | | 3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣

7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣ _| |_ 4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣

6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣ _ _ 5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣

5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣5️⃣ | | 6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣

4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣4️⃣ | | 7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣7️⃣

3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣ | | 8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣8️⃣

2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ | | 9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣

1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣1️⃣ | | 🔟🔟🔟🔟🔟

___________ | | ____________

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

|___________| | | |____________|

👣 - Starting point

🏯 – Tower Section

| | – Merchant Street (central pathway with side roads, gaps, and turns)

1️⃣–🔟 – Puzzle Chamber (10 rooms)

🃏 Left side of Merchant Street – Cards Game

🎡 Right side of Merchant Street – Lucky Spin

(*The above layout gives a basic view of the round structure to help you follow the flow easily. But it is not accurate, card games, lucky spin I just give a box for easy understanding, side roads in Merchant street, gaps, and instructor rooms exist but aren’t shown in detail here, they’ll be revealed as the story progresses. Feel free to imagine the small details as you read.)

Kazuma narrowed his eyes. “Hmm… Looks like the street is one section. The towers, one. Those long rooms, another. And these big ones must be the other two.”

Just then, Haruto climbed onto a small stage, which is in front of all sections. He clapped his hands, activating KRC, his voice projecting clear and strong.

<“All of you, listen carefully, you’re looking at five different sections. Tower Tasks. Puzzle rooms. Lucky Spin. Merchant Street. And the Cards Game.”>

He gestured in each direction as he named them.

<“You have two hours. Your target: collect 500 tokens. Every player will be given a paper. On it:

Your usable token count.”

He raised his two fingers. “Two locked types: Favor Tokens and Section-Locked Tokens.

Tower section tokens can’t be shared. Two players are required to enter each tower.

Every tower is unique and even if you’ve done one, the challenge may change the next time… that means no easy sharing of information.”>

He paced slowly, letting it all sink in. A few people nodded, following along.

<“As for puzzles, the section has ten rooms, you must complete them in order. No skipping.” He spoke slowly for all to understand. “And it is also the same as tower rules; the rooms’ puzzles might change.”>

Airi whispered to Meena, “I know they will do like this.”

<“For every token you earn, an instructor will sign your paper. And when you use tokens, your number must not look like it has changed intentionally… if it does, you’ll need to go to the last instructor to verify it… then you will waste your time.”>

Haruto’s voice sharpened. <“So don’t even think of cheating.”>

Meena said, “He is talking about you only.”

“Baka, I’ll kill you.” Airi snapped.

<“You can use your favor token or lock it toward your total, it’s your choice. But remember, you can only choose one.”>

He paused, glancing at all the participants.

<“And the main rule, you must go to every section, no skipping.”>

Everyone listened with silent attention as he stepped slightly forward, <“In Merchant Street, your instructors become the merchants. Some will trick you... some may bless you with more tokens. You’ll have to use your mind.”>

<“You can share tokens to participate. And you can share after winning too, and borrow if you don’t have… but, it is restricted when you need to complete the target, when you have enough it’s not possible.”>

Airi turned toward Nivan. “Hey, we can convert the 2nd locked tokens and share, right?”

Nivan said with a shrug, “When we play, instructors will tell, don’t worry.”

He added, <“I said, right? Signatures are mandatory when count changes, so they know when to sign it.”>

The group murmured quietly, exchanging looks.

Haruto pointed toward the sections,<“There, they’ll explain the rules in detail.”>

Inori stood gracefully from the cushion placed on the stage and gently took the KRC. <“And the last one... a tip. EARN MORE.”>

Kazuma’s brows knit sharply. ‘A tip?’ His eyes narrowed in suspicion. ‘Huh? That means… it’s not just 500?’

****

All nine members started to gather, standing in a loose circle without much thought.

Suddenly, Yuna stepped up beside Ren without making a sound, blending in with the group.

“Huh? Why are you here?” Ren blinked, looking at Yuna with mild surprise.

“My mom told me to play with you.”

He tilted his head. “Diya-san or… my sister?”

That simple line stunned half the group.

“Your sister?!” Jin, Himari, Yuta, Mei, and Sakura said at the same time, clearly surprised.

“Ken, you mean… Sakuragi Aunty?” Sakura blinked a couple of times.

Ren nodded casually, turning to Yuna again.

Yuna lowered her head. “My mom... Diya.”

Ren gave a warm smile. “Then why’re you looking down?”

“I-I… didn’t accept her at first, right?” Yuna whispered. “Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Did I act like I hated you when I was in your home?” Ren asked, ruffling his hair. “I just got mad when you acted bratty, that’s all. And besides…”

He chuckled, “You’re her daughter. If I ever show anger at you, she’ll literally kill me.”

Sakura poked Ren’s side, her expression puzzled. “Hey, Ken, what are you talking about? I’m totally lost. Why’s Aunty in this?”

“Yuna is Sakuragi-neesan’s daughter,” Kazuma said calmly, glancing around to make sure no one overheard. “Wait, don’t shout or make a fuss, it’s not known to everyone yet.”

“Yuna?! Wait… Sakuragi-san?” Mei’s jaw dropped as she stared. “She’s the one in mom’s room recently, right?”

Jin frowned. “What’s going on?”

Sakura turned to Hisagi, glared. “Why didn’t you tell me when Aunty came?! You knew?!”

“H-Ha… I knew,” Hisagi said with a small laugh. “We three were in the same room, right?”

“Wait… are you saying Yuna is not Diya-san’s daughter?” Himari asked, blinking slowly.

Yuta stayed silent, glancing sideways at the others.

“I get why you’re surprised,” Kazuma said softly, nodding calmly. “But now isn’t the time.”

He turned to Yuna and smiled reassuringly.

“F-first say… if I play with you, can I win?” Yuna asked hesitantly, placing her fingers on chin.

“Huh?” Yui blinked in surprise. “Hey, Yuna! It’s individual, you have to win on your own!”

“If I’m good, why would I join your side?” Yuna looked at them with innocent eyes. “Please help me, I’m bad at this…”

“Alright, alright. We’ll try our best, okay?” Ren said with a chuckle, keeping his left hand on the katana.

Himari suddenly raised her hand. “Okay! Jin, Mei, come on. We three are a team. I’m the captain.”

“Huh?” Jin frowned.

“Do you have a problem with that?” She asked, narrowing her eyes. “I’m older. You’re the youngest here.”

“W-Well... okay, no worries,” Jin muttered, scratching his cheek nervously.

Mei leaned towards Hisagi, gave a playful wink. “Play well.”

Hisagi blinked, then watched as the three of them walked away.

****

“Hey, why did she wink at you, huh?” Sakura asked, nudging Hisagi lightly. “How does she even know you?”

“A-Ah… that’s because…” Hisagi stammered, looking away. “I stayed in the palace, right? She took care of me during rest.”

“Ohhh...” Sakura nodded slowly. “I see.”

Sakura then turned toward Kazuma, her face serious. “Master.”

“Yui, Ken, and I - one group. You, Yuta, Hisagi - another group,” Kazuma said, looking at her plainly. “Older and younger, split.”

Sakura frowned. “Huh? Why?! Please, Master—”

Hisagi added, “Can we swap positions? That way each group has one older person.”

“Wait. I don’t even know them properly,” Yuta said, keeping his hands in pockets. “Why are we grouped like this?”

Kazuma said teasingly, “You get to be in charge - you’re the oldest one. You’re the captain.”

“Hmm… okay,” Yuta said after glancing at Sakura and Hisagi, his expression shifting to one of reluctant acceptance. “I’m your captain.”

Yui nodded. “And If anything needs adjustment in other sections, we’ll change, okay?”

“Hey!” Yuna raised her hand, her voice quiet. “You didn’t include me.”

Ren smiled. “You can come with us.”

Just then, a boy around her age came to them. “Um, can I join too?”

Yuna waved at the boy who looked calm and collected. “He’s Ishar, my partner in the second round!”

Kazuma glanced his way. “You… dual-core user, right?”

“Oh yeah! He gets dizzy and has rashes, right?” Ren asked as if suddenly remembering.

Ishar rubbed the back of his head. “I touched without thinking. She said someone named Ken helped her. So… thanks, Ken-san.”

Kazuma said with a small laugh, “The four dual-core users are here now, huh?”

Sakura immediately chimed in. “We three users are a team, right? Then I’ll come to your side, Master. And Yuna can go to their—”

“No.” Kazuma’s voice cut in. “That’s it. No switching around. Go.”

Sakura pouted, hands on hips. “Hmph. One day when you ask me, Master, I’ll do the same to you.”

“Alright. I’m your captain. Follow me,” Yuta announced, clapping his hands once.

Kazuma grabbed Yuta’s shoulder. “Oi, idiot, where are you going?”

“Huh?”

“Go to the Lucky Spin. We’ll take Merchant Street first, then Tower Section, then meet at the last two.”

“Hmm… fine,” Yuta said, shrugging.

Sakura walked past Kazuma, her eyes glinting. “You… idiot Master. I hate you.”

Kazuma grinned without a flinch. “Then you’re most welcome.”

“Say it again and I’ll kill you,” she hissed, spinning back before storming off with Yuta’s group.

Hisagi and Ishar followed quietly behind her.

Inside Kazuma’s mind, Ren’s voice echoed. – Hey… I didn’t want to say anything but—

Kazuma cut him off, – Why are you worried? She’s happy.

– But you—

– Has she cried once because of me after I agreed? No, right? Kazuma cut gently and asked casually.

Ren stayed quiet. He didn’t reply to his question.

– Are you still not convinced? Kazuma continued. – Then I promise you… okay? Even now you doubt me?

Ren remained still. Just… quiet.

– Say it. Speak. I can’t read peoples’ minds.

Ren took a breath and let out. His eyes didn’t meet Kazuma’s. – Please, don’t understand this in the wrong way. I’m not saying I don’t trust you, but—

Kazuma cut in immediately. – Did I say you didn’t?