Seeing that Yoru was only a bit weakened and otherwise unharmed, Black Rabbit finally breathed a sigh of relief, then immediately lunged toward him.
Yoru was slightly stunned. He thought Black Rabbit wanted to give him a hug or something. But just as he opened his arms, the girl stopped in front of him and pulled out her folding fan, smacking him hard on the head.
"Lord Yoru, that was seriously too much! I can respect and understand your decision, but can't you also try to understand how I feel? We're companions in the same community! So don't go doing things that make your comrades worry like that!"
"Ah…"
Rubbing the spot on his head that didn't really hurt, Yoru gave a slightly helpless smile. Then, with a look of apology, he gently opened his mouth.
"Sorry, Black Rabbit. Can you forgive someone as selfish as me—if only as a companion?"
"Geez… Fine! But next time, you have to listen to what I say!"
Black Rabbit spoke with a flustered expression, looking incredibly cute, then gently leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Yoru.
"Because… we're companions. So stop acting tough on your own, okay?"
"What the heck? That seductive and lewd body of yours should belong to me alone."
"It's not lewd! And it doesn't belong to you! And Lord Shiroyasha too—why did you have to scare a poor rabbit like that?! Black Rabbit almost died from fright!"
As the three Problem Children looked on, stunned, Black Rabbit jumped up again and gave Shiroyasha another solid smack on the head with her fan.
"Even if you say that, I am the famous Demon Lord of the White Night! Being provoked by some youngster and not retaliating at all—how embarrassing would that be?"
Shiroyasha muttered as she rubbed her head, clearly not angry at all. In fact, she seemed to dote on Black Rabbit quite a bit.
This scene piqued the curiosity of Izayoi and the others, making them wonder just what kind of relationship Black Rabbit and Shiroyasha had.
"All right, all right, the little sideshow's over. Time to get down to business. You came here today to identify your Gifts, right? I think I've got a rough idea."
As Shiroyasha spoke, she turned around and began walking. Yoru and the others followed behind her.
"Lady Shiroyasha, have you managed to figure out what their Gifts are?"
"For most of them, not yet. But I can definitely say that this one's power is ice-related."
"Anyone with eyes can see that," Izayoi retorted with an eye roll.
"You don't get it, do you? Do you know how many types of Gifts there are even within the same elemental system, like frost? To figure out the specifics of a Gift, you need a high-level appraiser. This guy's power may be obviously ice-related, but if you're not an upper-floor appraiser, there's no way to determine the details."
"So after all that talk, you're saying you can't identify it?" Izayoi shrugged.
Shiroyasha looked a little embarrassed but cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.
"While I may not be able to do it myself, with this, it's easy."
With a clap of her hands, four cards emitting a faint glow suddenly appeared before them.
Each card not only had their names on it but also recorded the name of the Gift hidden within them.
The sky-blue card read: Izayoi Sakamaki – Gift Name: Unknown Identity.
The wine-red card read: Asuka Kudou – Gift Name: Authority.
The dark green card read: Yō Kasukabe – Gift Names: Life Directory, No Fixed Form.
Only the pale card that landed in Yoru's hand instantly froze over before its information could be revealed.
Each of the four took their respective cards.
Black Rabbit, clearly surprised, stared excitedly at the cards in their hands and called out their name loudly.
"Gift Cards!"
"Obon gift?"
"Year-end money?"
"New Year's cash?"
Hearing the three Problem Children throwing out all sorts of terms, Black Rabbit nearly collapsed to the ground.
"What's with mine?"
Yoru, holding up the frozen card in confusion, looked toward Shiroyasha for an answer.
The cold aura emitting from the card forced Black Rabbit and the others to instinctively take several steps back—even Shiroyasha herself felt discomfort.
The terrifying frost and cold that had just filled the air now seemed entirely concentrated within this tiny card.
"Ugh… your power really is unpleasant," Shiroyasha muttered with distaste, lowering her head to examine the few words faintly visible through the ice.
"Impure Frost."
Though blurry, she could make out those words on the card.
"Again with that… Impure Frost?"
Yoru muttered under his breath. The term wasn't unfamiliar. It was the same name Hestia's appraisal had given in the past.
"What could it mean?" he wondered aloud—just as Izayoi's voice piped up.
"Hm? What's mine say?"
Shiroyasha turned her gaze to Izayoi's card. Clearly written on it were the words: Unknown Identity.
"One nearly shattered the card, the other says 'Unknown Identity'… You guys… Don't tell me your Gifts are so high-level even the omniscient 'Laplace Script' can't fully identify them?"
"Either way, it just means they're unidentifiable, right? Heh… At least now I've finally pulled ahead of that monster for once."
Izayoi's final jab was directed at Yoru. Truth be told, after meeting Yoru, someone who called himself a monster like Izayoi had taken quite a blow to his pride.
After leaving Shiroyasha's game world, they arrived at a storefront draped with a warm curtain. Black Rabbit gave a respectful bow to Shiroyasha.
"Thank you so much for today, Lady Shiroyasha."
"Oh, it was nothing, really…"
Shiroyasha waved her fan, seemingly about to say more. But then she caught sight of someone approaching in the distance and held her tongue.
"Sorry, but the guest I've been waiting for is here. We'll talk next time."
Her words made Black Rabbit pause in confusion, while Izayoi and the others looked curiously toward the so-called guest.
As if sensing something, Yoru also looked up instinctively—and was immediately captivated by the figure walking toward them.
Icy blue eyes met his. The woman's long hair, matching the hue of her pupils, swayed gently. Glimmering snowflake-like particles danced around her like a dream. She was like a sculpture carved from ice and jade, so beautiful it was heartbreaking.
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