Date A Live Encore - Volume 6 - Chapter 1

Spirit New Year

 “I think it’s almost ready…” 

 Shido said to himself, using chopsticks to pick up the mochi swelling up on the grill before boiling it for a while and putting it into a vermillion bowl. Next, he added the fish, chicken and other ingredients to the bowl before finally pouring the clear soup that he’d prepared ahead of time. 

 Finally, he sprinkled a little bit of water celery and Shido’s ozoni soup was done. Shido split the ozoni according to the number of people, covered the bowls, placed them on trays one by one and brought them to the living room. 

 “Okay! I’ve finished cooking! Is the dining table ready?” 

 “Oh! I’ve been waiting for this!” 

 “Everything’s all set.” 

 Tohka and the others who were in the living room responded to Shido’s question with excited voices. 

 “—” 

 Shido walked into this scene and stopped immediately. 

 The Spirits protected by <Ratatoskr> were now gathered in the living room of the Itsuka household. Tohka, Yoshino, Kotori, Origami, the Yamai Sisters, Miku, and Natsumi, and—as of a few days ago, Nia who had just had her powers sealed. The living room had a total of nine girls chatting happily and joking with each other. 

 However, that wasn’t the only reason that they attracted Shido’s gaze. 

 The other reason was that the Spirits present were all dressed up in gorgeous kimonos. 

 They all wore sleeved kimonos and belts dotted with various gorgeous patterns such as flowers or birds. The Spirits’ beauty as they sat together with lovely flower petals seemingly scattered around them made the Itsuka living room seem much bigger than it actually was.

The Spirits didn’t dress up like this without a reason. It was now January, and everyone had just returned from the nearby shrine for their New Year’s visit. 

 Of course, Shido had already seen their kimonos this morning… But even so, it felt as though the living room probably looked like paradise with all the Spirits here. 

 “Hmm? Shido, are you okay? Did something happen?” 

 “Agreement. What’s with the startled look?” 

 After noticing Shido’s stunned expression, Kaguya and Yuzuru, dressed in black and orange kimonos, tilted their heads in confusion. 

 “Ah, no, it’s okay…” 

 After Shido suddenly recovered, he couldn’t but answer a little vaguely. So Miku, who was wearing a kimono dotted with lily patterns narrowed her eyes as she smiled and said: 

 “Oh, Darling? Could it be that you’re dumbfounded by us and our outfits~?” 

 “I-I just…” 

 He didn’t dare go against his conscience and try to deny it. Instead, Shido said nothing and silently put the tray on the dining table. 

 “Ah, Darling is so cute~!” 

 “…Don’t make fun of me. Come on, let’s eat.” 

 Shido responded while distributing bowls and chopsticks to everyone. Meanwhile, everyone else settled into their seats at the dining table with their hands together. 

 “Let’s eat!” 

 “Yes, please enjoy it.” 

 After Shido finished speaking, everyone lifted the lid of their bowls at the same time. The sealed heat rose gently, and the aroma of the broth scattered around the room. 

 “It smells so good…” 

 “That’s right. Ah, the mochi is also very fragrant.” 

 “…It’s delicious! What’s this? Does it taste like this when you boil it?” 

 “Ah~ Boy, your cooking is still amazing! I really want to hire you as my assistant to take care of my meals!” 

 The Spirits put the ozoni soup into their mouths and almost immediately showed an intoxicated expression upon trying it. 

 It seemed that they all liked the dish a lot. Shido smiled as he took the soup bowl and took a sip of the clear soup. The fat from the chicken dissolved in the broth and boiled with bonito and kombu. The taste was really wonderful. Even he had to admire his own handiwork. 

 “Umu, it’s delicious!” 

 “Tohka, I know it’s really tasty, but you need to slow down, otherwise you’ll choke.” 

 “Hmm! Uh… huh… ah!” 

 At that moment, Tohka’s eyes widened suddenly and she began to thump on her chest. It seemed that she did end up choking on the mochi. 

 “Ah, really?! Look out!” 

 “O-Oops!” 

 “Um, what should we do right now?” 

 “…I heard that we could use a vacuum cleaner to get it out…” 

 “A vacuum cleaner! Shido, where’s the vacuum cleaner!” 

 “I-I’ll get it right away…!” 

 “No! It’s too late for that! I’ll help her get it out~!” 

 While everyone else was yelling in panic, Miku suddenly stood up and grabbed Tohka’s shoulders and puckered her lips while making a “Mmm!” noise. 

 As a result, Tohka stumbled and fell back. 

 It seemed that the mochi that was stuck in her trachea managed to make its way into her esophagus at that moment. Tohka finally managed to swallow as she was struggling for breath. 

 “Are you alright, Tohka?” 

 “Y-Yeah, I’m alright now. Thank you, Miku.” 

 “I hate this! But it’s fine as long as you’re okay~!” 

 Miku twisted her body with regret. 

 However, she seemed to think of something and after clapping her hands together, she returned to her seat and devoured the remaining mochi from her bowl. Then, with a pretentious and tarnished expression, she pressed her chest in pain and acted as though she’d also choked on the mochi. 

 “Ahh~ Ahh~!” 

 “What… Miku! This isn’t good, Shido! Miku got mochi stuck in her throat!” 

 Tohka stood up in a panic. However, the other Spirits looked at each other calmly and nodded together. 

 “Kaguya, Yuzuru, hold onto Miku for a bit.” 

 “Fine.” 

 “Understood. Leave it to Yuzuru.” 

 “Uh huh!” 

 “Natsumi, bring the vacuum cleaner.” 

 “Understood.” 

 “Okay, Miku, open your mouth wide.” 

 “Huh~? AAAAHHHHH—!” 

 Kotori held the vacuum cleaner that Natsumi brought and flicked the switch. The loud sound of the vacuum cleaner approached Miku. Miku flailed her head violently. 

 “No~! You’re misunderstanding~!” 

 “Oh, you managed to swallow it. What a blessing.” 

 “Huh…?” 

 After Kotori finished, Miku showed an expression of alarm at being caught. Seeing this, she shrugged helplessly. 

 “Really… you’re not very good at acting.” 

 “Hmmm… Tohka, next time, let’s both eat ozoni together!” 

 “Huh? Just the two of us?” 

 “Ah~ Tohka, you can’t go off like that. If Miku asks you out on a date, you need to let me know first.” 

 “Umu, I know.” 

 “Ah~! Of all the rotten luck~!” 

 Miku twisted her body with her arms wrapped around her shoulders. Shido couldn’t help but smile wryly. 

 “This is getting a bit unbearable… it’s fine to be lively and energetic but if you keep this up, the ozoni will get cold.” 

 After Shido spoke, everyone returned to the table and continued eating. However, Natsumi, who didn’t seem to like the water celery very much, only managed to eat it after a lot of encouragement from Yoshino. 

 “Very good…” 

 Shido collected the empty bowls and chopsticks and took them to the counter. At the same time, Kotori, still clad in a red kimono, stretched out lazily while letting out a satisfied sigh behind him. 

 “Ah… it’s almost time to change clothes.” 

 “Eh? It’s rare to see everyone wearing such cute kimonos! Let’s just wear them a little longer~!” 

 Hearing what Kotori said, Miku immediately shouted in protest. In response, Kotori folded her arms and sighed. 

 “It doesn’t matter, but what else is there for us to do while we’re still wearing our kimonos? We already went to the shrine for the New Year’s visit and ate mochi and ozoni soup, didn’t we?” 

 “That…” 

 With Miku speechless, Nia, who’d overheard the conversation between them, suddenly raised her finger. Incidentally, the way Nia was dressed was different from everyone else. Instead of wearing a kimono like the others, she wore a dark-colored sweater and jeans. However, when she’d first been invited to join them for their New Year’s visit, she originally wanted to wear the sports jersey she normally wore while drawing her manga and a cotton-padded jacket to go out, so this was a significant improvement by comparison. 

 “Because we have such a rare opportunity, let’s play a New Year’s game.” 

 “A New Year’s game…?” 

 “What games are there~?” 

 Yoshino, and Yoshinon, both wearing the same light green kimono, tilted their heads in curiosity. 

 In response, Miku clapped her hands and answered: 

 “Ah! That’s a great idea! We could fly kites, or play Hanetsuki or Karuta. Ah! The kimonos lay looming, exposing beautiful porcelain skin! Or better yet, we could play a blindfolded face-scraping game! People might accidentally make mistakes and reach with their hands instead. After all, everyone will be blindfolded! There’s no way it won’t happen!” 

 Miku looked excited and breathless while the other Spirits watched on with sweat trailing down their cheeks. 

 “…Okay, but let’s play some other games instead.” 

 “Agreement. Yuzuru agrees.” 

 “Huh! Why?!” 

 Miku shouted loudly in protest. Kotori sighed helplessly. 

 “Speaking of other games to play in the New Year… there’s still card games and the like that we can play.” 

 Origami nodded, adding: 

 “Throwing sandbags and beanbags are also considered New Years games.” 

 “So that’s the chase. Then we have to choose from these…” 

 As Kotori was about to vote, Nia shook her finger and said, “No, no, no.” 

 “Imouto-chan, you forgot that there was still another game. This game is ideal for so many people to play together.” 

 “Huh?” 

 Kotori tilted her head in confusion and Nia continued confidently: 

 “It’s called Sugoroku!” 

 “Ah… that’s right.” 

 Shido put his hand on his chin and nodded his agreement. Sugoroku can indeed be played with a lot of people and unlike throwing beanbags, there won’t be a significant gap in physical fitness between everyone. 

 “Sugoroku?” 

 Tohka, dressed in a black kimono dotted with shiny flowers, asked with a puzzled expression. 

 Shido nodded and answered, “Yes.” Then he looked at Tohka. 

 “Simply put, it’s a game where you roll dice and advance a few spaces at a time. The person who reaches the finish line first wins, but there are also special spaces like ‘Skip your next turn’ or ‘advance three spaces.’ In this particular game, rolling high numbers won’t necessarily get you to victory.” 

 “So it’s that kind of game! It sounds like a lot of fun!” 

 “I want to play and see…” 

 Tohka and Yoshino were clearly excited, their eyes seemed to shine with excitement. Shido nodded his understanding. 

 “Then let’s play Sugoroku then.” 

 “Oh!” 

 “…Ah, but do we have Sugoroku at home? The number of people is also a problem. Should we buy a bigger set to play with…” 

 “Ah! Ah! Ah!” 

 Just as Shido was thinking, Nia flashed a fearless smile. 

 “H-How… what’s going on?” 

 “Do you think that I didn’t consider such factors?” 

 After she finished speaking, Nia pulled out several small while cards from her bag and put them on the table. 

 “These are…?” 

 Shido curiously picked one up. They were blank pieces of paper with nothing written on either side. 

 “Oh, these are normally used to print business cards. But we can still use them like this…” 

 Nia pulled out a pen and wrote on the paper the words “skip your next turn”, “advance two spaces”, “Go back to the starting line”, “advance ten spaces” and so on, before flipping them over and lining them up. 

 In that way, anyone could easily complete the self-made Sugoroku game. Next they just had to roll the dice like the normal Sugoroku and then flip the card over wherever they landed. They had to follow the instructions written on it. There was something exciting about not knowing what was written on the card until you land on it. 

 “Oh, I think I get it. That’s really thoughtful of you. If it’s like this then not only can you freely determine the number of grids but various applications can be made.” 

 “Well, that sounds like fun! Let’s play!” 

 “Hehe! Do you want to challenge the table games in this fortress? Anyway, let the Yamai that have conquered all entertainment crush your arrogance.” 

 The other Spirits also looked at Nia’s hand and watched with interest. Shido nodded. 

 “Okay, let’s play!” 

 “Oh!” 

 But at this moment, Shido still hadn’t noticed that several bright-eyed beasts were mixed into the game. 

◇◇◇

 After about twenty minutes: 

 “…Okay, that’s about it.” 

 After Shido wrote the text on ten cards, he capped the pen. 

 “I also wrote some.” 

 “This should also be okay~.” 

 It seemed that the Spirits had also written cards of their own. Shido put the pen on the table and began to organize his cards. 

 “Shido, what kind of cards did you make?” 

 “Mine? Well… they’re the kind that would appear in the ordinary version of Sugoroku…” 

 Shido glanced at his hand and answered Tohka who’d asked the question. 

 “Ah… but I did write one instruction that is very interesting. It’s one that doesn’t appear in the ordinary version of Sugoroku. You’ll only find it in this version of the game.” 

 “Oh! I’m really looking forward to it then!” 

 Tohka answered with sparkling eyes. Shido nodded with a smile as he collected cards written by others and shuffled the cards carefully. 

 “Then using these cards…” 

 He said while arranging the cards into a path. Although each person only wrote ten sheets, they all added up to one hundred. The road wound like a snake that covered the whole table. Then he put cards labeled “Start” and “End” at either end of the path. 

 “Okay, we’re all set. So everyone, put your player piece at the starting point.” 

 “Okay!” 

 “Understood.” 

 They made game pieces cut from the remaining cards. Nia drew illustrations for each one on the surface of the paper, which were very cute in terms of a temporary production. Incidentally, the dice used were also homemade by Shido by pasting scrap pieces of paper together. 

 Although it was very roughly made, there was a certain satisfaction in being able to play a game that was made by all the players from start to finish. 

 “Okay, in order to decide who will roll the dice first, let’s all guess a certain number. The winner will get to roll first…” 

 “Ah, wait a minute, Boy. There is still one last thing left undecided.” 

 “Huh?” 

 Just as Shido was about to raise his hand to encourage everyone to guess. Nia reminded him of one thing. 

 “What else is there to decide?” 

 “A grand prize. How can you possibly have fun in a game without prizes? Such an opportunity is rare. Everyone should write something they want on a separate card and put it at the finish line. Then, the person who reaches the finish line first can claim them all. There’s no need for anything expensive but something like snacks, small items, massage coupons and so on. 

 “Hmm … that’s what it is. That idea is very interesting.” 

 After Shido finished speaking, the Spirits nodded in agreement. 

 Then, just like before, everyone wrote down their desired prize on a card, and flipped them over at the finish line. 

 Incidentally, the prize that Shido wrote was “the right to propose dinner dishes.” 

 “Okay, then this time I really want to start playing. Come on, rock, paper, scissors…” 

 “Shoot!” 

 With those words declared, everyone threw out their hands at the same time. Somehow everyone chose rock, however, there was one person in the group who had thrown scissors: Kaguya. 

 “Hehehe! This is the victory of the fortress! Sure enough, true strength will always be favored by the Goddess of Victory!” 

 Kaguya shouted happily as she snatched up the dice before throwing them down while striking an impressive pose. 

 “Look at me! My trick. Dice Granaten!” 

 She rolled the dice, making a knocking noise as they rolled. 

 “What…!” 

 “It’s a little …” 

 “Mocking. It’s not worthy of being strong, the numbers thrown are different.” 

 Yuzuru covered her mouth as she snickered. Kaguya replied with a “Hmph.” as she moved her piece down the path. 

 “L-Look, it seems like you don’t understand that the point of this game is not the number of points rolled, but what instructions are on the card you flip over! Yes, my good fortune will lead me to be the strongest ever here!” 

 Kaguya spoke loudly before flipping the first card over. It read “Skip your next turn” written in a cute font. 

 “Why~!” 

 “Snicker. Hee hee hee hee hee!” 

 Kaguya yelled tearfully while Yuzuru didn’t bother hiding her laughter. In response, Yoshino looked at her apologetically. 

 “I-I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have written that one…” 

 “Yoshino, you don’t need to apologize. This is how the game is played. Instead, you deserve praise for your good work!” 

 “Ahaha! Kotori really understands people~!” 

 Yoshinon shook its head as though laughing. Kotori smiled as she picked up the dice. 

 “Okay… then next is my turn. I won’t lose.” 

 After finishing her dice roll, she rolled five points. 

 “Well, I advanced five spaces. Let’s see what’s written on the back of the card…” 

 Kotori flipped the card over and saw the instruction: “eat a bowl of ozoni soup” written on it. 

 “Oh! You won the prize, Kotori!” 

 Tohka clapped her hands excitedly as she shouted. It seemed that this instruction had been written by Tohka. 

 However, Kotori stared at the card and groaned with an embarrassed expression. 

 “Hmm… A second bowl. I’ve already done a lot for the New Year. I guess I’ll have to eat less for dinner next time…” 

 Kotori finished with a sigh as she rubbed her stomach. She headed for the kitchen and poured out the rest of the ozoni soup into a bowl and finished it completely. It may have been a little too much, though; the belt of her kimono started to feel a little tight around her waist. 

 “Anyway, the next one is… Yuzuru?” 

 “Acknowledgement. That’s right.” 

 Yuzuru nodded as she rolled the dice. 

 Shido and the others continued to roll the dice in order, completing the instructions written on the cards. 

 Origami, wearing a sleeveless kimono, easily managed to complete the push ups; Tohka tilted her head as she struggled to follow the puzzling instructions written by Kaguya; Nia did her best to “imitate Kotori’s arrogant attitude” toward Shido. 

 Kotori smacked her in response, but nonetheless, everyone was playing the game happily and it was an overall lively atmosphere. 

 However, when the game reached the next round… 

 An event occurred that caused a 180 degree change in the atmosphere that had been previously harmonious. 

 “…Let’s see, I think it’s my turn next.” 

 After Natsumi finished, she rolled the dice and advanced according to the number points and then flipped over the card. 

 “…Eh!” 

 After seeing the words written on the card, Natsumi held her breath in shock. The others looked at Natsumi’s hands with puzzled expressions. 

 “What’s wrong, Natsumi? What’s written on it?” 

 “Um… let me take a look. “Whoever lands on this space must kiss Miku’s cheeks ☆”… What kind of instruction is this?!” 

 After Shido shouted, everyone’s eyes focused on Miku. 

 “It’s unfortunate that there are such instructions~. Although it’s a little embarrassing, I can only accept it with some difficulty~!” 

 Miku said this as she flailed her body in excitement. Everyone watched her with her eyes alight with excitement as she talked nonsense. 

 “…In other words, you wrote this one, Miku.” 

 “Regardless of who wrote it, there is no violation of the rules, is there?” 

 “Hmm …” 

 After hearing what Miku said, Shido sighed in response. Indeed, there was no rule stating that such instructions couldn’t be written. Moreover, although this was still Sugoroku, it was a game that Nia designed. 

 “Hey, Nia, this kind of instruction…” 

 Shido looked to Nia for help but the words caught in his throat. The reason for that was simple. It was because an evil smile appeared on Nia’s face. It was one that clearly said: “I was waiting for a card like this for a while”. 

 “Hey, hey, what’s wrong Boy? When I explained the rules, didn’t you agree? I personally see no problem here.” 

 “Yes, there is no problem with the rules here. I also support Nia.” 

 He didn’t know why but Origami also nodded strongly in favor of Nia’s words. 

 “What…” 

 At that moment, Shido finally managed to recover. So far, the spaces that everyone had landed on so far are cards that had been written by Shido, Tohka, or Yoshino. The contents of the cards were mainly orthodox instructions similar to “Skip your next turn” or a simple punishment. The only controversial instruction so far had been one made by Yuzuru for a prank. 

 That’s right… It wasn’t until the second round that Shido finally discovered the true horror of this game: Miku, Nia, and Origami have also written a total of thirty cards and set them on the desk like mines. 

 “Okay, Natsumi! You’re welcome, so just kiss me! If you drag it out for too long, the game can’t go on.” 

 “Ahh…” 

 Facing Miku as she stepped closer, Natsumi felt sweat trickling down her cheeks. 

 However, perhaps it was because she couldn’t cause trouble for everyone else, but after hesitating for a moment, she showed a sad but resigned expression. 

 “…Close your eyes.” 

 “Okay~!” 

 Miku made a delighted sound as she closed her eyes and nudged her cheeks toward Natsumi. Natsumi clenched her fists in determination as she made up her mind. Her face flushed red as she kissed Miku’s cheek. 

 “…T-This should be okay…” 

 “Ah~! Such good luck at the beginning of the new year~!” 

 Miku made a high-pitched charming sound as she twisted her body excitedly. Natsumi narrowed her eyes and glared at her with contempt, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono. 

 Nia clapped her hands when she saw it. 

 “Oh, it was such a beautiful picture. The kiss of a shy girl. Ah, I’m glad I took a picture and saved it.” 

 “…No, don’t save it.” 

 Natsumi showed the most disgusted expression from the bottom of her heart. Nia laughed as she waved. 

 “Then, who will go next?” 

 “T-That would be me…” 

 Yoshino heard Nia’s question and raised her hand with a wince. It seemed that Yoshino, like Shido, had discovered the true dangers of this game. She rolled the dice with a tense expression. 

 “Three…” 

 “The back of the card says…” 

 “…!” 

 Yoshinon turned the card over and looked at it, and Yoshino’s cheeks instantly burned a bright red. 

 “H-How? What was written this time?” 

 After being asked by Kotori, Yoshino flipped the card over so that everyone could see. 

 It read: “Anyone who lands on this square must be pulled by the belt by a man, while turning around and saying ‘Don’t do this!.’” Incidentally, there was also an illustration of a woman with an ancient bun wearing a kimono having her belt pulled down in a temple. 

 “What…!” 

 “Ah, I wrote that card.” 

 Shido was speechless but Nia seemed to reply casually: 

 “Since the opportunity is so rare, I wanted to write an instruction that took advantage of the kimono. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a live performance of a kimono belt being removed. Fortunately, it’s not a teenager. Aren’t you so lucky? …No, wait, if you pull on the belt, it’ll only make them spin around…” 

 “…! Please provide further details.” 

 Origami responded enthusiastically to Nia’s mumblings. Shido could only sigh as he separated the two of them. 

 “Ignore the “man” in the instructions. …Wait, aren’t I the only man in the room right now?!” 

 “Aha, so you finally figured it out? This is a delicate gift I gave you, from Nia. Chu!” 

 Nia said that and blew a kiss toward him. Shido rolled his eyes as he caught the kiss and threw it back at her. 

 Nia took the blown kiss that was thrown back at her with her chest before slumping forward with a loud blow. She’d reacted just as quickly. 

 “…In short, Yoshino, you don’t have to do this, you know?” 

 Shido said with a sigh as he put a hand on her shoulder. However, Yoshino bit her lip and shook her head. 

 “No… I will do it. Just now, Natsumi-san worked so hard to complete her instruction…!” 

 “Y-Yoshino…?” 

 “C-Can I trouble you a little, Shido-san…?” 

 Yoshino stared at Shido, rendering him speechless. 

 However, since Yoshino said so, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse her. Shido fixed his gaze on Yoshino’s eyes. 

 “…Are you sure you want to go through with this?” 

 “…Yes, I am.” 

 Yoshino nodded and said yes. Shido then glanced uncertainly at Kotori. Kotori could only shrug as if to say that there was no other option. 

 Shido brought Yoshino to a wider space and touched her neatly tied belt. 

 “Yoshino, I… I’m going to pull on it.” 

 “O-Okay…!” 

 Shido tugged on Yoshino’s belt forcefully and continued pulling. Yoshino’s petite body spun like a top. 

 “Don’t… don’t do that~…” 

 Yoshino was still spinning in place as she said those words in a shy voice. It seemed that she was honestly trying to follow the instructions written on the card. Behind the Shido, there was an exclamation from the rest of the Spirits, “Whoa!” 

 Soon after, the belt that was wrapped around Yoshino’s body came undone. Yoshino started to feel dizzy and her stumbling footsteps swayed as she fell onto a nearby sofa. 

 “Yoshino! Are you okay?!” 

 “I… I’m fine…” 

 “If you can’t walk normally, you shouldn’t force yourself, it’s okay to rest…” 

 Yoshino answered weakly. Just as Shido was about to move to help support her, he immediately stopped. The reason is simple: her kimono, which had lost its neatly tied belt, was wide open: Yoshino’s fair skin could be seen looming in the lining of the kimono. Miku’s screams could be heard from behind them. Incidentally, while the belt had been loosened while she spun around in a circle, Yoshinon’s kimono belt also fell off. 

“O-Oh…” 

 “Alright, Shido. Bring her back.” 

 Just as Shido’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, Kotori came up from behind him and helped lift Yoshino. Then she helped him sort out the messy kimono and guided Yoshino back to her original location… She was really reliable at times like this. 

 The next player, Tohka, had already picked up the dice and stood at the table. Shido had also followed Kotori as he returned to the table. 

 “Natsumi and Yoshino are really admirable. I won’t lose to them!” 

 Tohka rolled the dice and six points appeared. 

 “Oh! I get to move forward a lot! Oh, the card instructions are…” 

 Tohka flipped the card over and read the text on the card and tilted her head in confusion. 

 “Huh, what does this mean?” 

 “…? What does the card say?” 

 Kotori asked, staring at the card in Tohka’s hand, and then— 

 “…What?!” 

 Instantly, Kotori flushed as she started to hold her breath. 

 “Huh, Kotori, is there something wrong? What does this mean?” 

 “Uh, this… Tohka…” 

 “I can understand the part where I have to take off my clothes in front of Shido but afterwards—” 

 “W-Whoa~!” 

 Kotori screamed loudly, immediately covering Tohka’s mouth. Tohka was so scared that her eyes started to roll around. 

 After seeing Kotori’s reaction, everyone started to wonder what was written on the card, and the Spirits gathered around her to peek at it. 

 “What…?” 

 “…Seriously?!” 

 “Oops~!” 

 With a few exceptions, all of the others showed expressions similar to Kotori’s. 

 “W-What was that, what was written on it? I have to take off my clothes…” 

 “Shido absolutely can’t look at something like that.” 

 Shido wanted to take a look at the card like everyone else, but after Kotori’s reaction, he promptly put the card back on the table. 

 “W-Who exactly wrote this instruction?!” 

 “…Ah…” 

 At that moment, Origami smacked her lips with regret. 

 “So it really was you~!” 

 “I didn’t plan to frame anyone else, but I wanted to do it myself.” 

 “Isn’t that more terrifying? In short, Tohka, you can just ignore the instructions on this card for this round!” 

 “Muu…? But Natsumi and Yoshino worked through their shame and did it, I…” 

 Tohka said, with her eyebrows furrowed uncertainly, like a 八 kanji. As a result, Natsumi and Yoshino, whose cheeks were still red, shook their heads vigorously. 

 “…Uh… I think this level is a little too much.” 

 “I… I also feel that this is too much…” 

 “M-Muu…?” 

 Tohka showed a puzzled expression but still showed the attitude of “since both of them said so, forget it” and ultimately gave up on the instruction. What did it say…? 

 However, things did not end there as Origami glanced around. 

 “Failing to follow the instructions of the card should be considered a violation.” 

 “You… you really aren’t going to let this go…” 

 “However, since the instruction can’t be executed, there’s no other choice. The punishment should be to re-roll the die, and move backwards based on the number it shows.” 

 “Hmm… I can’t really argue with that. Tohka, can you accept that?” 

 “Muu…” 

 Tohka had no choice but to reluctantly re-roll the die and move her piece backward. Tohka, who had originally been in the lead, immediately fell behind into fourth place. 

 Tohka’s turn was over, and then it was Shido’s turn. 

 However, would he be able to keep playing as they have been so far? Shido held the dice in his hand and whispered to Kotori: 

 “H-Hey, Kotori.” 

 “Hmm, what’s the matter, Shido?” 

 “Can we just keep playing like this? They’ve got more than 20 cards left…” 

 “What else can you do… Stopping the game now would only make them upset…” 

 “Right, then I shouldn’t…” 

 Shido shook his shoulders abruptly and looked at the final card on the grid—the “Prize” card stacked with everyone else’s at the end of the Sugoroku. 

 Kotori probably guessed his thoughts just from Shido’s gaze and she nodded. 

 “Yes… everyone’s real goal is probably not the randomly arranged cards but the ‘prizes’ at the end. Anyone unable to complete the instructions on the card has to stay away from the end point as a punishment. From this point of view, I think there’s nothing wrong. The person who makes it to the end first can claim all of the ‘prizes’, including the ‘prize’ that you wrote as well.” 

 “Huh…” 

 Shido’s voice trembled with fear. As a result, Origami, Miku, and Nia seemed to notice the incident and their eyes seemed to shine with interest. 

 “Um—can I just keep playing as we have been? But, to go on like this…” 

 Shido held the dice tightly with a serious expression, and nodded slightly in Kotori’s direction. 

 “I’m not going to ask you to just relax, but I suspected that something like this might happen, so I prepared a countermeasure ahead of time.” 

 “A countermeasure…?” 

 “Yes. But for now, just keep playing the game.” 

 “I… I got it.” 

 After speaking, he rolled the die in his hand, and a four was displayed. He advanced four spaces and flipped the card over. 

 “Huh…?” 

 After reading the contents of the card, Shido’s eyes widened. 

 But this wasn’t a surprise, of course. Because the card read: “if you land on this space, you can ignore the instructions on another card—you may also transfer this right to another player.” 

 “…! Kotori, is this…?” 

 “It’s about the right time for you to draw that. That’s right—this is the countermeasure I came up with just in case.” 

 After showing an arrogant smile, Kotori stared at Origami. 

 “…” 

 “It’s really difficult to reach the finish line without stepping on a mine, given the remaining cards, but if there is a card that negates the instructions, what will happen then?” 

 “Whoa!” 

 “You are awesome, Kotori!” 

 “…” 

 After hearing what Kotori said, Origami’s eyebrows twitched slightly. However, she didn’t show a stronger reaction and then picked up the dice—because after Shido’s turn, it was Origami. 

 “—2.” 

 Origami advanced two spaces according to the number thrown and then confirmed the contents written on the card—gently exhaled, lowered her eyes and then showed the card to others. 

 “What?!” 

 Everyone shouted in unison. The contents written on the card were: “if someone gains the right to negate instructions written on a card, you can use this card to invalidate it”. 

 It was written in neat text, as though typed; undoubtedly by Origami. 

 “Just in case, I also set up such a card.” 

 “Ugh… Damn it!” 

 After hearing what Origami said, Kotori regretfully clenched her teeth. 

 “Hmm, it doesn’t feel so much like Sugoroku anymore… it feels more like a trading card game…?” 

 Shido looked at such an offensive and defensive battle, and felt sweat trail down his cheeks. 

 —A dozen minutes later. 

 The living room of the Itsuka household was filled with tension. 

 Shido and the others continued to roll the dice in order, either executed the instructions written on the card or retreated helplessly, and continued to play the game. 

 …Incidentally, Kotori, Origami, Kaguya, and Yoshino had all had their belts pulled, Yoshino had been forced to sit on Miku’s lap, and Tohka and Yuzuru exposed their shoulders from their kimonos. Several kiss marks were pressed onto Natsumi’s cheeks and her bare neck. She promptly collapsed on the sofa afterwards. It was really quite the scene. 

 In addition, everyone now had a paper in their hands, which read: “Advance three spaces”, “Have someone skip their turn for the current round”, “Flip over the card and then assign someone else to carry out the task”, and other such things. These were all cards written by either Kotori or Natsumi, who’d had similar ideas. Although it was a card that could be used to exercise rights at any time in the future, it was easy to forget when there were so many people, so they were written on pieces of paper like this. 

 Fortunately, the trio of Origami, Miku, and Nia did not seem to roll high numbers, so they were in the same position as those who had occasionally had to move backward. 

 However— 

 “…” 

 The sound of saliva being swallowed practically rang throughout the otherwise quiet room. 

 However, this wasn’t a surprise, of course. The six squares before the finish line were all written by Miku, Origami, or Nia. 

 “Let Miku nibble on the earlobe of whoever lands on this space.” 

 “Swap the underwear you are wearing with Shido. If Shido lands on this space, you must exchange with Origami.” 

 “Play a game of baseball with the person closest to them, until one of them gets naked.” 

 “Let Miku lick the entire body.” 

 “Play a two-person double feather game with Shido while completely naked (Note: one person must wear a short gown and the other person hides behind him and puts her hands through his sleeves to accomplish it together).” 

 “Become Nia’s nude sketch model.” 

 Of course, in the beginning, all of these cards were face down. But as everyone moved forward and flipped all the cards over, they couldn’t execute the instructions and backed out, causing all six remaining cards to be revealed before the round ended. 

 “This is…” 

 Shido spoke hoarsely. 

 Six squares to the end. Naturally, the points of the dice are all one to six. 

 In other words, in order to reach the finish line, one of the instructions would have to be performed. 

 “Let Miku nibble on the earlobe”, which was six spaces from the finish line, was the least difficult instruction among them, but after seeing Natsumi’s misfortune at having drawn “Let Miku leave a kiss mark” card her previous turn, he didn’t dare say such optimistic remarks. 

 However, they couldn’t keep going forward and backward like this. Shido then looked around the table. 

 Origami, Miku, and Nia never seemed to roll high numbers, and were in a similar position to Shido and the others. 

 However, if they continued to just advance and retreat, they would soon catch up and overtake them. And, presumably, those three will bravely move forward with no regard for what they wrote on the cards, with nothing to stop them from claiming the “prizes” at the finish line. 

 “My… My turn.” 

 Tohka looked around nervously as she picked up the dice. 

 She rolled a six, so she advanced six spaces to the position just two spaces from the finish line. That is: “Follow Shido to play the double feather game while completely naked.” 

 “Muu… Double Feather… isn’t that the game that they played on TV before? I want to be naked with Shido…” 

 Speaking of which, Tohka was blushing. 

 “Origami… just what were you thinking in that sick head of yours!” 

 “C-Calm down, Tohka! There’s no need to get mad! Just retreat!” 

 Shido was quick to appease Tohka who looked ready to explode at any moment. 

 However, Tohka groaned while still blushing. 

 “B-But… if I don’t do it, won’t Origami reach the finish line first?” 

 “Well… y-yes, that’s true…” 

 “Muu…” 

 Tohka raised her arms and groaned for a while, then she raised her gaze to lock eyes with Shido. 

 “…What do you think, Shido?” 

 “Huh?” 

 Shido’s eyes widened in surprise and Tohka continued in embarrassment: 

 “Just … what do you think? I don’t hate the idea of playing with you…” 

 “Eh… uh… I…” 

 Hearing such unexpected words, Shido immediately felt incoherent. However, he was also a teenage boy, how could he hate it? But if it came down to whether this card should be executed, that was a different matter. After all, everyone would be watching them. Besides, how could he go so far as to disrespect Tohka in that way and do that kind of thing written on the instructions of the card…? 

 However, Tohka’s determination was strong, and she held her fist in front of Shido. 

 “Only… as long as Shido doesn’t do anything disgusting, I…” 

 “Tohka…” 

 Staring into Tohka’s dreamy eyes, he found himself unable to speak for a moment. 

 However, this atmosphere was immediately destroyed. 

 “Tohka, this is a big deal!” 

 It was ruined by Kotori’s thunderous voice. 

 “You shouldn’t create such a strange atmosphere! Tohka, you also shouldn’t let Shido have those kinds of thoughts!” 

 “A-Ah, I’m sorry. But I can’t let Origami win this game like this.” 

 Finally, Tohka glanced at the table. 

 The closest to the finish line, after Tohka, was Natsumi. However, one of Origami’s accomplices was immediately behind them. If Tohka and Shido retreated now, there was no doubt that she would single-handedly win the game. 

 But if they couldn’t break through the six squares before reaching the finish line, no matter what Shido rolled next time, they would have to move backwards. 

 “Ah…” 

 Shido looked at the situation sadly on the table. If they ended up passing this round, there would be no way to stop Origami. 

 Unfortunately, Shido was helpless. There were no helpful cards in his hand and all six of the cards in front of him were all turned facing up. If there was only a face down card, there was still a chance— 

 “Huh…?” 

 At that moment, Shido realized something. 

 There were a total of one hundred cards arranged from the starting and finish lines on the table. As the game progressed, the cards that were flipped face up one after another, leaving about ninety percent of them flipped over. 

 However, there was still one known card face-down: one that Shido had written, that hadn’t yet been used by anyone else yet, and was still sleeping somewhere on the table. 

 “Oh, if we get that card…” 

 Of course, he hadn’t planned for this situation to occur. He just wanted to make the game more interesting. 

 But that card could be the only card that could negate the current status quo. 

 However, there were only face up cards remaining in front of Shido. As long as they refused to follow the instructions on the card and move the piece backwards, they might stumble on it sooner or later, but if they did so, Origami, Miku, or Nia would reach the finish line first. 

 “Ah…” 

 It was at that moment— 

 Shido glanced at Tohka’s hand and realized a possibility. 

 Tohka had already finished rolling the dice. However, if it’s like this then that means— 

 Tohka, who’d been persuaded by Kotori, had moved her game piece with a regretful expression and was about to announce the end of her turn when Shido quickly shouted: 

 “Wait a second, Tohka!” 

 “Muu? What’s the matter, Shido? Do you still want to play the double-feather game?” 

 “N-No, it’s nothing to do with that…” 

 Shido blushed and coughed a little bit then pointed to Tohka’s list of rights that she had in her possession. 

 “Before you end your turn, there’s something I want to ask of you. Can you please transfer one of your rights to me?” 

 “Muu…?” 

 Tohka stared at Shido as she peeked at the note paper in her hand. There was a list of rights that Tohka obtained, including the right to “reveal a face down card and designate someone else to carry out the instruction”. Judging from the handwriting, it was a card that Natsumi prepared. 

 Usually the instructions of the card can only be done by the person who lands on that square, but by using Kotori’s card as an example, in this game, it was possible to transfer the rights to someone else. 

 “Yes… but what are you going to do, Shido? If you draw one of their cards with this right…” 

 “That’s a possibility, but we don’t have any other options. We have to rely on this strategy to win!” 

 “…” 

 Shido stared into Tohka’s eyes as he explained what he wanted. Tohka nodded as she handed over the note page in her hand to Shido. 

 “Then, I’ll believe in you. Please, Shido.” 

 “…Leave it to me!” 

 Shido nodded vigorously and took the note page from Tohka. He then held it high and declared it aloud: 

 “It’s my turn! I want to exercise the right that Tohka transferred to me! I want to use it to reveal a card that hasn’t been flipped face up!” 

 “…” 

 Hearing what Shido just said, Origami’s eyebrows twitched, but she couldn’t seem to figure out what he was planning to do. 

 After a deep breath, Shido stared at the table intently. 

 There were still eight cards on the table that were face down. The only way to get back into the game was to land on the correct one of them. 

 Of course, Shido didn’t know which card would be the one that he wrote. He gulped nervously and slowly reached out toward the card. 

 But… 

 “Shido.” 

 “…!” 

 At that moment, Tohka put her hand on Shido’s wrist to stop him, causing his eyes to go wide in surprise. 

 “What?” 

 “…” 

 After Tohka shook her head quietly, she held Shido’s hand and moved it to the card right next to it. 

 “Tohka—” 

 There was no way that Tohka could have known Shido’s idea. However-—somehow, Shido didn’t think that Tohka did this kind of thing for a joke or such nonsense. 

 Shido nodded in response to her gaze and strengthened his hand. 

 “I-I want to flip this card over!” 

 He then flipped it over and confirmed the contents. 

 What was written was in Shido’s handwriting which read: “Cover all the cards, reshuffle, and redistribute”. 

 “—Perfect!” 

 Shido couldn’t help but make a fist in victory. 

 That’s right. This was Shido’s ace in the hole, the only way to reconstruct the path of death to the finish line. 

 “—!” 

 “Hey! To think that there was such a card~!” 

 “Oh… I thought I had you, Boy.” 

 The Origami trio showed a surprised reaction. After Shido smiled slightly, he covered all the cards lined up in a path, took them back, shuffled them, and rearranged them again. 

 “Now! I’m going to roll the dice! It rolled—five!” 

 After the game piece advanced by five spaces, the card placed on that space was flipped over. 

 Then, after confirming the contents, Shido snorted. 

 “It seems that there really is a so-called Goddess of Victory in this world.” 

 “Huh…?” 

 “Question. What do you mean when you say that?” 

 The Spirits all showed confused expressions. Shido smiled arrogantly as he slammed the card on the table top with a thud to reveal the contents, which read “move two spaces forward”!” 

 “Hey! Wait a minute, Darling! You already advanced five squares, so…” 

 “That’s right—I made it to the finish line.” 

 Shido moved his game piece forward two squares and crossed the finish line. 

 Then, after a brief moment, the Spirits came to understand the situation and uttered an impressed cheer. 

 “Shido, you… that was amazing!” 

 “Hmm. You deserve the victory!” 

 “Well, today I shall grant you the honor of the champion title.” 

 “Acknowledgement. Congratulations.” 

 “…Trembling…” 

 By the way, Natsumi lay on the sofa and raised her hands weakly. 

 “Still, you won the prizes!” 

 Kotori stretched out her arms and exclaimed as she said so. 

 “Yeah… if Tohka hadn’t stopped me, though, I would have flipped the other card over—right, Tohka? By the way, why did you stop me in the first place?” 

 “Muu…?” 

 Tohka’s eyes went wide as she realized what he said. 

 “I don’t know what Shido was planning, but… I think that the card that you originally wanted to flip over smelled a little like Origami.” 

 She explained casually. This time, it was Shido’s turn for his eyes to go wide. 

 “Ha… haha. Honestly, it was all thanks to Tohka. Thank you.” 

 Shido stretched out his hand and stroked Tohka’s head as he faced the three accomplices. 

 “—Okay, I ended up winning. I won’t call what you did cheating, but will you absolutely follow the instructions on the card?” 

 The three nodded unexpectedly. 

 “No objections. Congratulations, Shido.” 

 “Hmm~… It’s a pity that I didn’t get to lick it, but I guess it can’t be helped~!” 

 “Hahaha! Your idea was really clever, Boy. It’s just like a protagonist from a novel.” 

 “What?” 

 Seeing such an unexpected reaction, Shido was a little stunned. Of course, they were the ones who wrote the problematic instructions by taking advantage of the rules of the game, so they didn’t have a right to complain. However, Shido never would have guessed that they would admit defeat so honestly. 

 However, if they said something wrong at that moment, and then changed their minds later, it would be a major headache. They must have realized that they were outnumbered and decided to admit defeat quietly. 

 Shido gratefully accepted their appreciation and answered: “Thank you.” 

 “—Oh, Shido! What are your prizes?” 

 As Shido let out a relieved sigh, Tohka suddenly spoke up. 

 Shido was so focused on stopping them from winning the prizes… Now that everyone conceded that he was the champion, though, it made sense that he would get everyone’s prizes. 

 “Well, everyone wrote one down, let’s take a look.” 

 “Okay!” 

 Tohka let out an excited voice. Shido picked up the ten cards stacked at the finish line and flipped them over to reveal the contents of the cards in order: 

 “Let’s see: Kotori wrote about a limited time flavor chupa chups lollipop; Tohka wrote about Kinako bread; Kaguya wrote about silver ornaments; Yuzuru wrote about handmade bracelets; Yoshino wrote about a help ticket; Natsumi wrote a about a hat dedicated to Yoshinon… this was written on the premise that Yoshino won.” 

 Shido chuckled with a wry smile and took a look at the next card. 

 “Ah, it’s Miku’s… huh?” 

 Shido stared at the card, stunned. This was because it read: “Coupon to take a bath with others. Take a shower with each other, Darling.” 

 “Huh…” 

 Despite the chaos in his head, Shido flipped over the next card. It read: “A spare key for my apartment”. It helpfully included an illustration of Nia. 

 However, it wasn’t over yet. The last one was from Origami with only three words written: “making love voucher”. 

 That’s right. It’s like—she had expected the prize to go to Shido. 

 “This… what’s going on here… weren’t you trying to win for yourself…?” 

 Shido asked with a trembling voice. The three of them looked at each other and then spoke: 

 “No, we figured that, as long as we used the cards’ instructions to incite everyone’s anxiety, you would definitely find a way to reach the finish line~.” 

 “Ah, I understand, I understand. It feels like how a novel protagonist would act in the same situation.” 

 “Since you have that voucher, I have no choice but to respect and obey.” 

 At last, Origami opened her kimono and moved closer to Shido. 

 “Hey! W-Wait a minute! Since it’s a voucher, shouldn’t I get to decide when to use it?!” 

 “If you look carefully at the card, it is written below that this is an automatic coupon.” 

 ‘Are you confusing this with a different game?!” 

 “No problem. Come on, Shido.” 

 “AAAAHHH!” 

 After Shido shouted, the Spirits who were still in a daze suddenly shook their shoulders in surprise and turned around to stop her. 

 “Hey, what do you think you’re doing, Origami! Let go of Shido!” 

 “T-That’s right! You can’t bother Shido-san like that!” 

 “I hate accepting other people’s prizes~! But there’s no reason why everyone can’t bathe together~!” 

 “Ah, Boy, I’ll just go ahead and hang my backup key in the key case~!” 

 …As a result, as usual, there was another scuffle. 

 It seemed that, this year, the Itsuka household would be very lively.