Part 3
—[Underwood], Dinner in the Main Guest Quarters.
The sun had set and night has fallen. Listening to the gurgling water from the Great Tree, the [No Name]s have started their dinner feast.
Hearing word that the problem children were going to display their skills, Garol from [Six Scars] and Sala from [One Horn] had also joined in to make it a rowdier banquet than originally planned.
Garol, who brought his rum, was happily drinking in the food while showing praises upon the cooks who presented their cuisines for the banquet that night.
“Kuu Ha!! My, My! You guys also have to be better than the average in your cooking as well? It would be such a pity if you guys did not turn up for the culinary meet with this standard!”
“…… Oh, don’t kid around. My cooking skills are still within the range of personal interest. If you really want us to play in the competitive field, I think we can only choose Kasukabe to be the representative.”
Izayoi was slightly glum as he gnawed at his salty pie.
Asuka, who sat beside him, had also added listlessly.
“You’re right…… I really didn’t expect Kasukabe to be that proficient in cooking. And in turn, that really gives me a little bit of anxiety……”
“Is, Is that so?”
Yō scratched her head while revealing an embarrassed smile.
Before her was the vegetable soup that was ready to be served.
The aroma of the spices wafted up together with the steam from the hot soup to stimulate the noses of the diners. And it looked more appetizing in the cold evening of [Underwood].
Sala, who sat with them, took a scoop of the hot steaming potato to deliver it into her mouth with deliberation. A reddish glow then spread across Sala’s cheeks and her mouth relaxed as she nodded her head.
“No, this is really done quite well. It isn’t just the method of cooking, it looks like even the selection of ingredients have been taken into careful consideration.”
“Mhm. I specialize in the finding of the best parts of good. After all, I did live alone and in my goal of making delicious meals for myself, I have unknowingly reached this stage.”
Yō nodded and replied with a bit of pride. Izayoi only grew gloomier as he took another bite of the salty pie.
Just then, she turned her line of sight to watch Lily who sat directly before her.
“…… What’s wrong, Lily? Aren’t you going to start eating?”
“Aye…… ah, right! Itadakimasu[38]!”
Clasping her hands together for a while before frantically digging into her food. Everyone would have thought that Lily would immediately be happily cheering. But time passed and there was no sign of Lily giving that sort of response. Even looking to be distracted when she tucked into her food.
Noticing that, Asuka asked worriedly.
“Lily, what’s wrong? Do you have something bothering you?”
“No, that’s not it. It’s not like that.”
“But this doesn’t seem to be the usual you. In reality, something must have happened right?”
Leaning forward while pressing the questions.
Although Lily lapsed into a short troubled silence, she then quietly lifted her head a moment later to recount the incident in a way that seemed to be voicing her inner thoughts.
“Actually, I found a really amazing shop today…… there is this really beautiful brooch on the display which I really wanted to give to Kuro Usagi Onee-san.”
“Heh? Isn’t that good for you?”
“Yes. But…… I’m unable to buy it……”
Her kitsunemimi drooped dejectedly. Making a guess at the reason, Yō immediately followed it up.
“If you are short of pocket money, would you like me to chip in the rest?”
“No, it’s not like that! Although my pocket money is indeed insufficient, but it is also a shop that does not allow me to buy the items in another sense.”
“A shop that does not allow you to buy the items in another sense?”
Everyone turned to look at each other, puzzled.
But only Izayoi had this sharp glint in his eyes as he gave a grin.
“Could it be that this involves a Gift Game of sorts?”
“…… Yes. There is this [Geass Roll] stuck to the entrance of the shop that has the meaning of ‘only those who can pass the game, may purchase the goods as a customer’.”
“What a shop that doesn’t have the intention to sell stuff. Is that sort of shop common?”
Izayoi looked towards the Host, Sala and Garol.
The two of them had pained expressions but did not deny it.
“It is not like it does not exist. Many shops that have a high sense of pride in their Community’s Flag may set these sort of conditions.”
“That’s right. Even the shops of [Six Scars] also have the condition for new customers to pass a Game ….. but it is rare to see this sort of behavior when it is in a bazaar open to everyone.”
Garol supplemented the information with a tinge of displeasure in his voice. It must be the dissatisfaction of having a shop that is keen on selecting its own customers in the bazaar hosted by himself. In a normal context, this would have been a very impolite behavior.
But Lily shook her head in negation.
“About that, I feel that it isn’t a Gift Game with that sort of meaning to it. Because there isn’t any store owner in that shop.”
“What?”
Garol had really shouted in earnest surprise now. Lily then repeated the incident about the encounter with that store in the unlikely location with more supplements to it.
From the quietly extending dim passage way in the crevice of the cliff.
The black painted luxurious doors that were patterned with gold leaves.
The displayed goods that exhibited a different feel of condensed elegance.
The blue eyed doll that held the [Geass Roll].
“Houh. A maze-like passage way, luxurious doors, many grandiose displays in addition to the lack of a shop keeper…… usually for that sort of scenario, it is a type of trap set to deal with robbers isn’t it?”
“Yeah. If it weren’t a pure minded child, such as Lily, the person might be attacked upon taking the treasure.”
Asuka also nodded her head with her vigilance heightened at that thought. The topic was now floating in the midst of suspicions.
“Then, what were the contents of the [Geass Roll]?”
“Well, although I can’t recall the full text…… In the depth of the shop, there is this chair that seems to be placed for the shop keeper. And the contents seems to point to the repair of the doll that seats upon the chair……that seems to be all.”
“…… sounds really vague.”
Yō slightly tilted her head while Lily wagged her two tails and looked down with a troubled expression.
Perhaps they felt that thinking too much about it would not help things either, the problem children trio then stood up from their chairs,
“Anyways, if there exists a shop that is rigged with a lure and trap, it would spell trouble for us.”
“Yeah. We won’t be able to conclude anything if we do not see it with our own eyes.”
“Mhm. The most important part is that it sounds really interesting. “
After Yō said that, Izayoi and Asuka also nodded their heads in strong agreement.
Garol and Sala stared at the trio in a daze for a while before giving a slight shrug of their shoulders.
“Oi, Representative-san. Could I ask of you to come have a look at the location as one of the Hosts?’
“Understood. If it is a threatening existence, it would be okay to destroy it right?”
“Aahh. Destroy it before it causes any casualties.”
As the banquet ended, the direction of the next course of action was decided.
The problem children trio, Sala, and Lily left the Main Guest Quarters.
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