Let us review the days and nights that have passed so far.
There were 14 players: the werewolves Cú Chulainn, Tamamo-no-Mae, Miyu, and Kuro; the Werewolf King Ritsuka; the Dreamcatcher Sakatsuki; the Witch Artoria; the Hunter Mordred; the Seer Draco; and the unlucky civilians Sasaki Kojirou, Diarmuid, Mash, Kiyohime, and Illya.
On the first night, Ritsuka targeted herself but was Dreamcatched by Sakatsuki, resulting in an unexpected peaceful night where no one died.
On the second day, Cú Chulainn drew too much attention with his careless words and was voted out. Werewolves -1.
On the second night, Ritsuka was Dreamcatched to death by Sakatsuki, while the werewolves' attack on Draco was thwarted by Artoria. Werewolves -1.
On the third day, Miyu was exposed due to her excessive concern for Illya and was voted out. Werewolves -1.
On the third night, Sakatsuki's masterful play was anticipated by bronze-level predictions, and Draco was killed by the werewolves. The Seer was dead.
On the fourth day, Mordred rebelled and was collectively voted out, taking Artoria with her. The Hunter and the Witch were dead, leaving only the Dreamcatcher among the divine roles.
On the fourth night, Kuro was Dreamcatched to death by Sakatsuki, and Diarmuid died. Civilians -1, werewolves -1.
Now, on the fifth day, Tamamo-no-Mae, realizing the inevitable, surrendered. The last werewolf was dead, and the game ended.
"This Dreamcatcher was way too precise! Every Dreamweave targeted a werewolf!"
Kuro grumbled. If not for the Holy Grail system's absolute fairness as the game master, she would have screamed "hacks!"
"You're still 20,000 years too early to beat me," the white-haired, golden-eyed boy chuckled, leaning back in his chair with infuriating smugness. "Only Ritsuka could give me a run for my money—too bad I took her out on the second day~~"
[The MVP has been selected. Player No. 1, please claim your reward.]
Golden light instantly illuminated the night. Under Ritsuka's envious glare, Sakatsuki calmly grasped the Holy Grail.
[Please make your wish.]
"Ah... then let Diarmuid be exempt from punishment. After all, he died because of me."
The moment these words left his mouth, the entire room was stunned.
"Huh?!" Ritsuka yelled, grabbing Sakatsuki's arm in an attempt to wrest the Holy Grail away. "Get a grip! This is the Holy Grail we're talking about! Your wish is way too casual—you don't even need the Grail for something like this!"
"Indeed, Mr. Sakatsuki, there's no need to go this far for me," Diarmuid also urged, but Sakatsuki merely smiled nonchalantly.
"Too late. It's already in effect."
[Wish granted successfully. The werewolf faction, please prepare for punishment.]
As the system announced this, Diarmuid felt a lightness in his spiritual core, as if a great will had lifted its gaze from him. Meanwhile, Ritsuka, Miyu, Kuro, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Cú Chulainn suddenly tensed, a prickling sensation creeping up their backs.
"Wait..." A terrible premonition dawned on Ritsuka, freezing her in place. She even forgot about snatching the Grail. "Do we have to suffer punishment again even after being punished during the game?"
[In-game punishments and post-game punishments are fundamentally different.]
The Holy Grail coldly reminded them before proceeding mercilessly:
[Randomly selecting a dare punishment... Selection complete.]
[Punishment: The punished must kiss the nearest participant]
???
Holy Grail system, what the hell are you doing? I specifically deleted this during setup—who the hell put it back in?!
A thousand curses roared through Sakatsuki's mind as his eyes widened in shock. He instinctively tried to retreat, but his vision suddenly darkened.
It was red—flame-like hair that radiated passion.
Unable to resist the Holy Grail system's forced intervention, the girl closed her eyes, leaned down, and pressed her lips against Sakatsuki's.
There was no helping it. Ritsuka had left her seat to fight for the Holy Grail, so the closest person to her now wasn't Mash, but Sakatsuki, who stood right before her.
Gasps erupted one after another. Mash covered her mouth, her face burning red; Illya stared at Sakatsuki and Ritsuka, her grip loosening unconsciously, freeing Miyu, who immediately locked lips with Kuro; seeing her Master kiss someone, Kiyohime nearly lost control, but Tamamo-no-Mae grabbed her shoulders and 'bit' down on her.
"Secret Technique—Swallow Reversal!"
Amidst the dazzling sword light, Cu Chulainn was sent flying, his lips still puckered mid-air—a sight too horrifying to behold.
"Get the hell away from me!" Kojiro clutched his cheek, his usual calm utterly shattered. It didn't need saying who Cu Chulainn had targeted.
Looking around, Ritsuka had claimed Sakatsuki's lips; Kuro switched from defense to offense, kissing passionately; Kiyohime and Tamamo-no-Mae tangled together like a snake and fox, their ears flushed crimson; as for Cu Chulainn…
Well, good ol' Hound was still on respawn cooldown.
"Damn it, just wait till I find out who designed this punishment!"
The five werewolves and the collateral victims cursed inwardly, unaware that the very person—or rather, dragon—who had sneakily reinstated this punishment was now drowning in regret.
She'd secretly added it back and tweaked the system to seat herself next to Sakatsuki. Two overlapping expectations should've brought even more anticipation, granting her a dreamlike moment of happiness. Yet, why—?
Smack!
A sharp sound rang out as Draco felt a stinging pain on her rear. She glared up, only to find someone forcibly prying Ritsuka away, flashing her a terrifying grin.
"Tonight, we'll have plenty to talk about," he said.
"But… I want to sleep…" Draco blinked, feigning innocence and pitifulness.
"No, you don't."
"Hah… hah… You two really get along, huh?" Ritsuka panted, drenched in sweat as she struggled against the Holy Grail system's restraints. "But Draco's just a kid, Sakatsuki. You can't possibly… do that kind of thing… ah."
"You've got the nerve to joke at a time like this, Ritsuka." Sakatsuki raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm not interested in flat-chested Draco. If I were to do anything… heh, it'd have to wait till she reaches her third Ascension."
"Over my dead body! I'll never take that form!" The little red dragon reacted with her usual defiance, but when Sakatsuki smiled and raised his hand, even the lawless emperor couldn't help but flinch. "W-Wait… it's not entirely impossible…"
Finally, Ritsuka let out a long sigh of relief, her tense body finally relaxing as he slumped forward, only to be caught by Sakatsuki—no, by Mash who had rushed over.
"Senpai, are you alright?!"
"Mash..." Ritsuka's face was still beaded with sweat as he immediately slipped into theatrics, lips trembling. "I'm sorry, I'm tainted now, I'm ruined, wuwuwu..."
"N-No, it's okay, Senpai..." Mash was successfully led astray. "I-I'll always stand by your side!"
"Kuro, that's enough!" Illya desperately tried to pry Kuro off. "Miyu's about to pass out—her eyes are rolling back! There's a limit to mana transfer, you know!"
"Pfft—ahh, thanks for the meal~~"
"Miyuuuu—!"
"Mikon~ Master, what's the big deal? Kissing the cheek is allowed too, right?"
"My... my pure and chaste body... the beautiful face I wanted to offer only to Master! Now even Master has been defiled by that man, why... why must things turn out this way?!"
"Calm down, little Kiyohime! Ah, don't unleash your Noble Phantasm!!"
In short, amidst all the chaos, everyone was thoroughly exhausted and took their leave to rest in their rooms, spending some time trying to forget (or remember) today's embarrassing incidents.
Thus, tonight's dinner was postponed.
***
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