Translator: Reflet

  Editor: ryunakama

  Apparently, they had dozed off unawares.

  Eyes half open, he looked up at the ceiling, hearing sleeping noises next to him.

  Slowly looking sideways, he saw Akiha sleeping in the corner of this vacant room.

  She was on her back, hands folded around her navel area, sleeping silently.

  「One hell of a sleeping posture……」


  Taiyou muttered, getting up.

  It was like seeing a vampire in a casket or at least someone buried in a grandiose tomb.

  Taiyou scratched his head looking at her.

  How much time had passed since then?

  In a space with no phone, no watch, no windows, no doors- nothing, his sense of time was utterly screwed.

  As much as he felt a day could have gone by, it also could have hardly been an hour from what he recalled.

  Perhaps a normal human would give up here, but Taiyou had a trump card; a joker.

  「Hera」


  「Ta-ta-daaa」


  The fairy that was summoned warped in midair as per usual.

  But for an instant he wondered if she might not show up, but Taiyou was relieved when she did in fact appear.

  「You indeed called me, Taiyou-chan?」


  「Yeah. I have something to ask you」


  Unlike Hera and her normal tone, Taiyou whispered in a low voice.

  「Got a lot I wanna know. Where are we? What happened to the others?」


  「……」


  「Hera?」


  「I am indeed sorry」


  Hera slumped midair, bowing.

  It was not like her usual carefree self, but with an expression of absolute apology.

  「Sorry? What do you mean?」


  「I have indeed been threatened. I am not to say anything regarding this place to Taiyou」


  「Threatened? By whom?」


  「I am indeed sorry. I cannot indeed say that」


  「But you can just ignore them」


  「Well, about that……」


  Hera didn’t usually look this sad.

  「If I break what they’ve instructed, a punishment awaits me」


  「Punishment?」


  「Yes indeed. Yami-chan’s lariat」


  「……Oh, that」


  Taiyou recalled when he had fought Hera who was possessed by the manmade magic sword, Blood Soul.

  Shirokiyami had hit her plenty of times.

  She had hit her, sent her flying, caught up with her, hit her again, and repeat the process at high speed.

  From the sideline, it looked like a tennis lariat, but done only by Shirokiyami.

  「If I ignore what she has instructed, then I have to endure that punishment for 24 hours」


  「No way she’d……Ah wait, she might very well be capable of that」


  「Yes indeed. She already did that to me nonstop for 10 minutes……so dizzy」


  「Yeah, but you don’t suffer any damage」


  「You indeed do not understand, Taiyou-chan!」


  Hera suddenly had a fit.

  「That’s endless pain without being allowed to die. Taiyou-chan, you do not understand that」


  「Overboard……But if that’s the case, then she won’t be harsher than necessary」


  Taiyou secretly thought.

  A large amount of money was necessary to mobilize Shirokiyami. Hiring her for one day would amount to about one million in cash.

  Taiyou had experienced that before, having paid her himself……He still had some debt.

  And then there was Hera, fearful and in a bind, but not thinking at all about resistance.

  If this were an「enemy」, then Hera would devote herself to attempt resisting. Even if Shirokiyami were her opponent.

  The person he had once paid a million to for a day- also someone who Hera had not perceived as an enemy.

  「……Youran, then」


  The remaining possibilities would naturally come.

  Taiyou could be at ease if Youran were involved, regardless of her intentions.

  「Oh yeah, can I ask about levelling up?」


  「Levelling up?」


  「I’m trapped in here anyway, so wouldn’t it be a good use of time to level up?」


  「I indeed see」


  Hera thought briefly, then answered.

  「Please wait a bit. I will ask if it’s okay to tell you」


  「Okay」


  Taiyou nodded, sending Hera off.

  The 30 centimeter fairy slipped through the wall, exiting the vacant room.

  Taiyou glanced at the sleeping Akiha. She had her eyes closed and didn’t seem to have awoken.

  (Please sleep a bit longer), thought Taiyou inwardly.

  After a minute, Hera returned.

  「Sorry to keep you waiting」


  「So?」


  「Yes indeed. I have gotten permission to tell you 」


  「Alright. So what should I do?」


  「Uhh……」


  Hera spun around looking for something.

  「Over there」


  He followed where her finger was pointing. At that moment, the area that had been a wall changed.

  A square hole opened, and ring-shaped things were thrown into it.

  The hole immediately closed.

  「I didn’t know there was a hole」


  「Uhh, I heard that it’s a place to bring in things like food」


  「I wonder if I could get out……Nah, probably pointless to try. They locked me in here, so it’s probably expected that I’d try to escape」


  Taiyou said, sighing as he picked up the ring-shaped things.

  Looking closely, they were rubber rings.

  Nothing peculiar. Two rubber rings.

  「And what do I do with these?」


  「Cross them together to make an 8」


  「Like this?」


  「Then squeeze it and untie it」


  「Okay, I get it」


  Hearing her explanation, Taiyou sat on the ground, beginning to level up.

  「Kay, you can go now. It’d suck if Akiha were awake while you were here」


  「I indeed understand. I will come again once you have leveled up. Because that was the only thing I was allowed to help with」


  「Alright. See ya」


  Seeing Hera off again, he set to focusing on the rubber rings.

  Tying them, untying them, tying, untying.

  At least he had something to do with these two rings.

  (This happens a lot though), thought Taiyou.

  He did it mindlessly.

  His hands grew more mechanical, and his thoughts went off in another direction.

  He thought of ways to get out.

  Although he figured there wasn’t much point.

  Youran was certainly involved, but Aoba was the one who had allowed it.

  Judging from what Aoba had said in the hotel before he fell asleep, she was one of the main culprits.

  Which meant that Aoba wanted this.

  With a male and female of the same age trapped in the same room……it was easy to imagine what would happen.

  Forcibly make a fait accompli? He felt his brides were telling him to do that.

  「Ah, what should I do」


  「About what?」


  「……You’re awake huh」


  He looked in her direction. Akiha was lying down, facing his way.

  「Yeah, for a bit. But what did you mean by “what should I do”?」


  「Well, I figured out how to leave here. I was wondering what to do about that」


  「Are you going to try and knock me up?」


  Taiyou slowly shook his head.