As morning approached, the stars began to twinkle in the sky, near the full moon, over the world of Little Garden.
The streetlights didn't illuminate the roads and paths with very bright light, but it seemed there was no one around and no auras nearby.
Haru gazed at the starry sky, admiring something difficult to see in his past world before he died.
"Such a beautiful night, the stars in the sky, and no one walking. If this could be seen in my world, you'd have to pay to enter this place," Izayoi said, looking at the stars.
"Because they're already used to seeing it, it wouldn't make a difference to see something they see every day for centuries," Haru said, hearing Izayoi.
"Haha, true, it'd be really boring," Izayoi agreed with Haru.
The bright light of neon signs, cars racing down roads that seemed never to tire of long journeys, and their constant noise. The sounds of entertainment venues and amusements open until morning, the buzz and passion of people in the streets that made up an era full of temptations. For Haru and Izayoi, who lived in that generation, observing the starry sky in a place where people lived was a refreshing experience. For Kudo Asuka, who came from the post-war period, the question that arose in her heart while gazing at the starry sky was entirely different.
"Is it normal for the full moon to be so bright and clearly visible, but why don't the stars depend on it? Isn't that strange?" Asuka asked.
"That's because the curtain of Little Garden was made to make it easier to view the stars," Kuro Usagi said.
"Here's how? But what's the use of that?" Asuka asked.
While Kuro Usagi explained to Asuka, Haru approached Izayoi.
"She says that because she didn't live in our generation," Haru whispered to Izayoi.
Izayoi simply nodded.
Kuro Usagi let the explanation drop, as explaining the real reason would take time, and they had already arrived at the store.
An emotionless assistant stood in front of the Thousand Eyes' door, greeting the quartet.
"They were expecting your arrival. The store owner and Master Lai are waiting for you inside."
"You mean you knew we were coming? So, being rude to us, you still have the audacity to say, 'They were expecting your arrival'?" Kuro Usagi retorted.
"…I don't know the details of the situation. Please enter and ask Master Lai about it," the assistant replied.
Upon hearing such a response, Kuro Usagi nearly exploded with rage.
Kuro Usagi and the others entered the store and crossed the courtyard to other buildings on the store's grounds.
Lai, who was in the room usually used to receive guests, immediately greeted them exaggeratedly when he saw Kuro Usagi.
"Woah! This is a rabbit! Wow! It's the first time I've seen a rabbit! Though rumors reached me, I didn't expect there'd really be a rabbit in the East! The miniskirt and garters really look erotic! I'll say, why don't you move to my Community?! I'll provide three meals a day, a collar, and gentle care every night!"
"Sorry, she already belongs to me," Haru said, placing a collar around Kuro Usagi's neck.
"No problem, we can negotiate."
"Oh! So, how much?" Haru asked.
While Haru negotiated Kuro Usagi's price with Lai, Kuro Usagi exploded with rage.
"What do you think you're doing, negotiating me?!" Kuro Usagi shouted, her hair turning pink.
After the situation calmed down, with Kuro Usagi out of the collar, Lai began analyzing Kuro Usagi in detail.
Disgusted by his actions, Kuro Usagi quickly moved her hands to her legs, and Asuka stepped forward, wanting to cover Kuro Usagi.
"And before us… an obvious villain. I'll say it bluntly, those sexy hips belong to us," Asuka declared.
"Right, right! Kuro Usagi's legs belong… Uh?! NO, that's wrong, Asuka-san!" Kuro Usagi protested.
"Right, lady, those beautiful hips already belong to me," Izayoi said.
"Right, right! Those hi… Ah, enough praise, please be quiet!" Kuro Usagi pleaded.
"We came here to talk about serious matters, please stop joking. Kuro Usagi is almost losing her patience!"
"Fool, I specifically tried to make you angry," Izayoi teased.
*Pak!* A paper fan flew sharply through the air. Kuro Usagi seemed very irritated today.
As for Lai's original goal, it was forgotten and completely ignored.
Looking at the end of their banter, he began to laugh.
"Hahahahaha! Huh? Here's how? The Nameless members are the actors who formed the Community? In that case, come to Perseus together! In fact, I really enjoy spending mountains of money on food, drink, and entertainment! I promise to take care of your life. Of course, those delicious thighs unfold on my bed every night."
"Declined. Kuro Usagi doesn't want to let a guy who doesn't understand the meaning of etiquette and manners see her body," Kuro Usagi retorted.
*She forgot she invited me and Izayoi to bathe with her, Asuka, and Yo,* Haru thought, seeing Kuro Usagi contradict herself.
"Huh? I always thought you dressed like that because you want to be seen?" Lai said.
"That's… That's not true! It was Shiroyasha who asked Kuro Usagi to dress like this when judging her Games! She promised to pay Kuro Usagi three times more if I always dressed like this. So, Kuro Usagi is reluctantly…"
"Huh? Reluctantly forced to wear those clothes?" Izayoi said.
"Hey, Shiroyasha," Haru called.
"Boys?"
Izayoi and Haru glared at Shiroyasha with fury. Exchanging glances, they raised their right hands simultaneously.
"EXCELLENT WORK!" the three said at the same time.
They raised their thumbs, inspired by a spirit of camaraderie. Realizing things weren't moving forward, Kuro Usagi collapsed helplessly. In the next second, the assistant at the door helped get back to business.
"Well, the number of guests has increased, and if everyone agrees, could you move to the store's guest room? In the end, broken dishes stayed here too."
"Well… that seems true."
And so, the group, deciding to start the discussion from the beginning, went to Thousand Eyes' guest room.
[Scene Change]
Arriving in the room, they settled opposite each other. Lai, sitting on the other side of the long table, kept anxiously staring at Kuro Usagi.
Though Kuro Usagi felt a chill from this, she decided to ignore Lai's gaze, starting to explain Shiroyasha's situation.
"The rude behavior of Perseus was mentioned earlier. Can Kuro Usagi confirm that you understand the issue?"
"Well… hmm. The Perseus vampire voluntarily entered the Nameless territory and caused some destruction; and the Perseus members sent to capture that vampire acted abusively. I confirm receipt of your complaint. If you want an apology from Perseus, I'll arrange it another day…"
"No need. An apology for that insult and rude behavior isn't enough to calm Kuro Usagi's anger. We believe the humiliation Perseus brought us must be settled through a battle between our Communities."
Forcing another Community into direct confrontation was Kuro Usagi's goal.
Obviously, the complaints about Leticia's destruction of the territory were fiction. However, to retrieve Leticia, there was no time to worry about such trifles now. They needed to use any means to achieve their goal and gain an advantage.
"We came today hoping that Thousand Eyes would cancel the withdrawal of the competition. If Perseus rejects our request, you may use the Organizer's name…"
"I object," Lai snapped.
"Uh?"
"What kind of battle are you talking about? Is this a joke? Do you have evidence that the vampire ruined anything?"
"As for that, we can release her to…"
"No way. She already fled before the deal; I won't release her. And there's a chance you're already conspiring, right? I'm right, OLD comrade!" Lai smiled, his words full of sarcasm. Due to the weight of his argument, Kuro Usagi couldn't refute it.
"Back to the heart of the matter, did the vampire flee to find you? Or perhaps you were going to steal my property?"
"Oh… what are you talking about?! Where's the evidence…?"
"Wasn't a vampire found in your territory?"
"Uh…" Kuro Usagi fell silent. When an opponent used this to attack, they couldn't defend themselves. Lai smiled viciously and continued his attack, "Forget it. If you really want this to turn into a duel, just thoroughly investigate the matter… but after a full investigation, I'm not the one in trouble."
"That's…"
Kuro Usagi turned her gaze to Shiroyasha.
Kuro Usagi really wanted to prevent even bigger problems from arising in this unfortunate saga.
"Well, I'll probably prepare transport to send the vampire to the buyer. I really don't like women who treat me so coldly, especially those who look like children… But as you probably already know, they seem very cute, and for people with a similar fetish, they must be rare standards? And there are people who like to crush strong women, handcuff them, exhaust them cruelly until they moan. Turning a woman into an eternal toy in a sunlit prison… don't you find it erotic?"
Lai provoked them with a description of various cruel outcomes for Leticia, who was about to be handed over to that person.
"Yeah, it's very erotic, but I'm not into lolis," Haru responded to the provocation.
Lai nearly choked on that statement; he didn't expect it.
"You… You're so! And you too, Haru, whose side are you on?" Kuro Usagi said.
"But she feels bad too. She's not just about to be sold in Little Garden, but she's also weakened by shameless comrades, passing her Gift to the Demon Lord."
"…What did you say?" Asuka shouted, unaware of Leticia's situation.
Lai didn't miss this opportunity.
"What a man who can't receive any reward for his stupidity. Gifts are necessary for survival in this world, and they're also part of the soul. But to stop her mediocre, foolish comrades from acting absurdly, she uselessly, voluntarily abandoned it all? The problem is that the freedom gained was just an illusion. Besides, suffering the greatest humiliation, becoming someone else's property, and rushing to comrades who simply forgot about it!"
"It'll be interesting to know how she felt when she woke up."
"Hah… what…"
Kuro Usagi's face quickly turned pale.
At the same time, it resolved many mysteries for them. Whether it was why Leticia, stolen by the Demon Lord, reappeared in the East District, or the reason behind the sudden loss of power in her Gift Card, Lai's words answered it all.
Leticia, who wanted to see Kuro Usagi and the others again, wouldn't mind selling her soul.
Lai smiled broadly, extending his right hand to the pale Kuro Usagi.
"I'll say, Kuro Usagi-san, if you let her go like this, wouldn't it violate the Community's moral code?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Let's make a deal. I'll let the vampire return to the Nameless, for which you'll belong to me forever."
"What?"
"This should be considered a form of love at first sight, right? And such a rare attitude from the golden lady of Little Garden's High Light shouldn't disappear."
Kuro Usagi fell silent again. However, Asuka, unable to contain her anger, shouted indignantly, slamming her hand on the table, "Though I knew you were a bastard, I never expected you to be so incorrigible! Kuro Usagi, let's go! There's no need to listen to this guy's nonsense anymore!"
"Please… please wait, Asuka-san!"
Asuka grabbed Kuro Usagi's hand, about to leave, but she quickly stood up and refused to leave the room.
Uncertainty began to cloud her eyes, and it was obvious that the proposal made her hesitate with anxiety.
*I should've stayed asleep; it'd be better than listening to all this crap,* Haru thought.
"Hey, hey, you're the Moon Rabbit? As long as it's for your comrades, even if you have to face the flames of purgatory, you'd still agree, right? It's, after all, a talent that's second nature to your race!" Lai taunted.
"Hey, what's the problem? Rabbits love what they call morality and repaying others' debts, right? Your strength and confidence weren't received from Indra in exchange for your cheap life as a cheap sacrifice to gain some benefits? Since your race's reason for existing in Little Garden is tied to remembering its victims, why not follow your kind's path and simply accept this offer? Hey, what are you thinking about, Kuro Usagi…"
"Shut up!"
*Klats.* Lai's lower jaw met his upper, and his lips closed tightly, leaving him suddenly confused. This was the result of Asuka using her power, as she didn't want to hear what he'd say next.
"You irritate me. Kneel and apologize!" Asuka commanded.
Still confused, Lai began to lean forward. However, he started resisting her power the next moment and forced himself to stand. Realizing what made him do it, Lai opened his mouth and growled, "Hey! Bitch! That power… only works on weaklings! Fool!"
Enraged, Lai took his Gift Card and drew Arpe (Arpe, a curved sword with a scythe at the end, from a flash of light).
He swung the sword, but Izayoi, not wasting time, appeared in front of Asuka as if to protect her and took the blow.
Using Sonido, Haru drew the Dark Repulser from his inventory and placed it at Lai's neck.
"You… It's you," ത
guys," Lai stammered.
"I'm the handsome Izayoi-sama. If you want a fight, I don't mind making it more interesting before collecting debts. Obviously, the interest rate will be 100% in ten days," Izayoi said.
"Well, I still have scores to settle with the arrogant idiots who invaded our Community," Haru said, referring to the intruders.
Izayoi laughed, grabbing the sword's hilt and returning it to Lai with a blow.
Lai couldn't withstand the attack, staggered back, creating some distance, and began planning his next move to counter the enemy's attack.
Haru coated the Dark Repulser with Armament Haki.
However, Arpe was blocked by Shiroyasha's fan.
"Enough! Stop now! Fools! If you can't resolve this through dialogue, I'll kick you out of this room!" Shiroyasha shouted.
"Ugh! But that woman started it first!" Lai spat, continuing to glare at them with murderous intent.
At this moment, Kuro Usagi stepped between them to end it.
"Yes, we understand. So let's leave everything that happened today as is and not discuss these matters further… On the other hand, regarding the earlier proposal… Please give Kuro Usagi time to think."
Kuro Usagi's response shocked Asuka, who shouted, "Wait… wait a second, Kuro Usagi! Are you saying you want to become that guy's property?!"
"Because of the need to discuss this with Kuro Usagi's comrades, please give me some time."
"Good, good! Then let's set a deadline for my Community to make a deal… I'll wait a week," Lai said.
Lai smiled broadly, and Kuro Usagi immediately left the room, having said all she wanted.
Asuka followed her, and Izayoi and Haru, who remained standing, shrugged in disapproval.
"Wow! Shiroyasha, you're lucky! Being sandwiched between a hard-to-communicate friend and a subordinate is a rare experience, right?" Izayoi said.
"Geez, I found something to say, but if you're jealous, we can always switch places," Shiroyasha replied.
"Not now… but if you think about it, the leader of Perseus is you, right?" Izayoi asked Lai.
"Uh? Well, yes, that's me. Though after everything that happened, it's a bit weird to hear a question you already know the answer to," Lai replied.
Lai's tone was quite irritable, which was understandable given everything that had happened.
Izayoi and Haru looked at Lai for a second before sighing in frustration and turning to leave.
"Wait, where are you going? What did that sigh mean?" Lai asked.
"It's such a wrong term. And I'm such a fool for looking forward to so much… something like that," Izayoi said.
"Hmph! In that case, I can forget my principles and accept that cheap challenge for a duel," Lai said.
Lai raised his Arpe. After all, he was still the leader of Perseus, who had defeated many demigods and gods to move his headquarters to the five-digit Outer Gates. His strength was on a completely different level from ordinary people. Though he likely lost in the earlier fight, in a real battle, Lai was confident he could win. Izayoi raised his eyebrows, sizing Lai up again, but in the end, he left the room, losing interest.
Haru also had no interest; the guy was too weak, even Leticia was stronger than him.
[Scene Change]
Haru and Izayoi watched Kuro Usagi and Asuka arguing. Izayoi went to put an end to it, or perhaps add more fuel to the fire.
"Stop shouting in the middle of the night; it's annoying," Izayoi said.
Directed by Izayoi, the heads of the two girls collided.
The sudden collision made the girls see stars.
"I understand your argument. But first, if I may express my opinion… Kuro Usagi, you're wrong," Izayoi said.
"Wha… why?!" Kuro Usagi cried, covering her face to protest.
Izayoi looked at her coldly and scolded, "The first reason is the letter. The next… When Leticia entered Nameless territory, was she already prepared for what would happen, and did her eyes then plead for salvation?"
"That's… That's not right! Saying you shouldn't help because the other didn't ask is called sophistry!" Kuro Usagi retorted.
"True, but we must also consider the situation. Isn't it because Leticia hid that she lost her Gift to keep you from becoming her substitute?"
"Ooh…" Kuro Usagi seemed to recall this and could say nothing now.
"And you, lady, you speak too rudely; you should be much gentler when expressing your opinion," Izayoi said to Asuka.
"For example: 'I really care about you, Kuro Usagi! Please stay with me!' or something like that," he added.
"That's not why I stopped her!" Asuka said.
However, that must be at least a quarter of the truth.
Seeing Asuka blush up to her ears, Kuro Usagi also tilted her head, feeling terrible.
"Excuse me… I'm sorry. Though your feelings please Kuro Usagi… no… Kuro Usagi would like that…"
"Why are you saying this at such a critical moment? You should always look at things as optimistically as you do now, stupid Usagi!" Asuka shouted, grabbing Kuro Usagi's rabbit ears and pulling them hard, making her scream in an unusual way.
After calming down from the pointless argument that Haru didn't get involved in because it was a drag, they decided that no matter what future awaited them tomorrow, they still needed to discuss everything with Jin and Yo, and the quartet decided to return to the Nameless headquarters.
[Scene Change]
Five days later.
Five-digit region of Little Garden, Outer Gate No. 26745, 88th Thousand Eyes territory.
Outer Gate No. 26745 was controlled by the Floor Master, Shiroyasha, who lived one level higher.
Within her sphere of influence was Perseus's territory, which also operated under the Thousand Eyes banner. However, now the flags hanging around Perseus's white palace bore only the image of Medusa's head. There were no flags with a red background and the image of the Two Goddesses anywhere. This was because Shiroyasha revealed the conflict between Perseus and Kuro Usagi to others, learning about the dishonest incident. Thus, Perseus was ordered to remove all Thousand Eyes flags.
[Scene Change]
Haru stayed hidden, listening to Lai ramble alone about Kuro Usagi in bed. Haru really wanted to beat him up.
*That bastard, it's obvious I'll be the one making Kuro Usagi moan in bed. Well, Izayoi can handle him as planned, but I'll take care of the rest for pissing me off,* Haru thought.
After Kuro Usagi delivered the message and left, Lai began to laugh.
"I guess it's time to return to the Community after killing boredom in those Games?" Haru said.
"I want a more dramatic entrance," Izayoi replied, smiling with eyes devoid of joy.
"It's been three days?!" Haru said.
"Yeah."
"At least I managed to kill some boredom."
"Kill boredom, I know, Haru. Since we got here, you've been participating in a ton of Games," Izayoi said.
"Come on, I was just collecting some interesting items," Haru replied, smiling calmly.
"You call ripping out Medusa's eye just an interesting item?" Izayoi said, surprised.
"Doesn't matter, let's go. I can't stand that idiot anymore."
"Okay."
When they left the Community, they had been competing in some Gift Games to kill boredom. Haru was seeking some items.
[Scene Change: Flashback]
A few days earlier.
Haru was watching the rain. Artificial rain began on certain dates. Only during this rainy period did Little Garden's curtain change with light manipulation, and optical illusions of rain clouds appeared on it. In other words, even if rain clouds didn't exist, the illusion of clouds in the sky was created before the rain began. Honestly, it was a high-level technique that made no sense. If water was needed, they could simply open the curtain when it rained outside or just abandon the clouds and take a normal shower. Allowing such an amazing and wonderful technique to be used entirely in such a small area due to someone's personal interest could match Little Garden's style.
Forget it. Little Garden is largely driven by the idea of entertainment and relaxation. Figuring out these things would be a waste of time, right?
The storm is a necessary factor to add art to the unique features of the season. Since ancient times, Deities and Demigods always hid in clouds while sending natural disasters. The presence of rain clouds must be very significant to them. If accompanied by severe storms with lightning and thunder, people would assume it's the result of the divine power of dragons. Hence the respect for dragons. However, if it were mushroom rain, people would probably think some wizard was conducting rituals in a remote region. Saying that eight million gods live in Little Garden's cities means nothing. For some gods and deities who created Little Garden's world, there are legends and myths that filled the world to the brim, and even more gods have their stories gathered.
"At least Jin did the right thing by locking up Kuro Usagi after what happened at Thousand Eyes," Haru said to himself, watching the rain fall.
Three days ago, after reviewing the Thousand Eyes incident, Jin and Yo acted as expected: they were against trading Kuro Usagi. Jin explained the Community leader's perspective, while Yo condemned it from the perspective of a new friend.
There was no malicious intent, but in such a difficult situation, everyone was too excited to think clearly.
But as soon as Asuka stepped in, the situation quickly spiraled out of control, and to calm everyone down, Jin asked Kuro Usagi to think about it, locking her in the room.
While Izayoi and Haru, the only inflexible ones, just watched the saga become more boring than Little Garden's Games and left. After that, no one saw them, and everyone assumed they were probably already bored with Nameless.
[Scene Change]
Before Kuro Usagi delivered the message to Perseus.
Haru and Izayoi arrived. Seeing the closed door, Izayoi kicked it open with a loud noise. Kuro Usagi shouted in surprise, "Iza… Izayoi-san! Haru-san! Where have you been all this time… No! Before that, could you not break the door when entering?!"
"Well, because the door was closed," Izayoi said.
"Oh, I see! So what's the door handle doing in Kuro Usagi's hand?! FOOL!" Kuro Usagi put all her strength into the throw. Izayoi smiled, using a large package to catch the handle thrown at him.
"What's in the package?" Yo looked at what was in Izayoi's hands.
"Trophies from Games. Want to take a look?" Izayoi opened the package for Kasukabe Yo to see.
Yo's expression changed instantly. Instead of her usual calm state, she looked at the contents with wide eyes of surprise.
"This… how did you get this?" Yo asked.
"Didn't I say these are trophies?" Izayoi replied.
"…What is it?" Asuka asked.
Kudo Asuka turned and rushed to the package to peek. Though initially puzzled, after seeing the contents, a laugh escaped her lips.
"Pfft!" Asuka covered her mouth, suppressing the urge to laugh, and turned to Izayoi, "You were… running around collecting these things alone all this time?"
"Don't compare me to that maniac," Izayoi said, pointing at Haru behind him.
"Fufu, of course. But, Izayoi-san… Haru is different, in many ways."
Asuka looked fierce, grabbing Izayoi's ear and expressing displeasure at being compared to Haru.
"Since you had such an interesting plan… let me know in the future, got it?" Asuka said.
She called him San. Though Haru was surprised by this, he'd be even more shocked if he knew Asuka was claiming him as hers.
"Well, I guess I'm sorry about that. I'll definitely let you know next time, lady," Izayoi said.
They exchanged playful smiles. These were the smiles of two troublemakers who had found a new toy.
Finally, Izayoi placed the package in front of Kuro Usagi.
"Kuro Usagi, we've brought a ticket that can completely change the current situation. You no longer need to go to Thousand Eyes, but otherwise, I'll leave the choice to you."
He tossed the package into Kuro Usagi's lap, but she didn't even check its contents, staring at Izayoi in disbelief, who seemed pleased with himself.
"Really… in such a short time?" Kuro Usagi asked.
"Nn. But compared to the Games themselves, the main issue was the race against time. Luckily, we managed to get it done in time, but Haru's speed is no joke; I had trouble keeping up with the speed of sound," Izayoi said.
Izayoi shrugged and answered frivolously. However, the battles couldn't have been as simple and relaxed as he described. But with his raw power and Haru's abilities, it was too easy.
"Thank you. With this, Kuro Usagi can hold her head high to challenge Perseus to battle," Kuro Usagi said.
"There's nothing to thank me for; in the end, the fun starts later. And we didn't do it for anyone," Izayoi said, smiling.
However, there was no need to remind the others; they undoubtedly thought Izayoi and Haru fought for the Community. That alone was enough to touch Kuro Usagi.
But they barely knew Izayoi was bored, and Haru just wanted some items.
Kuro Usagi hugged the package tightly. You couldn't even see its contents. Kuro Usagi already knew what was inside.
Wiping away her tears quickly, Kuro Usagi stood up joyfully, all signs of hesitation gone from her eyes.
She looked at the trio's faces and said loudly, "Let's declare war on Perseus. Let's fight to bring back our comrade, Miss Leticia!"