"Gingerbread Witch, as a Strange Tale yourself, can't you sense if there are any Strange Tales nearby?"
Kisaragi Rin only chatted for a while, while Itsuki was still walking along the road.
Staring at the unchanging scenery ahead, Itsuki began to suspect that Kisaragi Rin had secretly set up some strange trial for her.
After all, she had been walking for half a day, and forget about the Queen she needed to find for the Mission, not even the shadow of a Strange Tale had appeared. Her initial caution and enthusiasm had been worn down by the lack of change in her situation.
"Yes, I can sense things."
The Gingerbread Witch replied softly, "My sensing relies mainly on my Transcendent Sense of Smell, and the pumpkin carriage we entered is saturated with the smell of Strange Tales, so I can only confirm that there are no Strange Tales right next to us."
"Just a short while ago, you were standing oppressively in front of the cage, ready to eat me. Why have you become so dull and foolish now?
Did Kisaragi Rin do something to you, or does appearance really affect intelligence?"
Itsuki found this quite strange.
This was just like a villain in a cartoon who, after rampaging everywhere and then being reformed, immediately became easy prey for anyone.
The Gingerbread Witch didn't reply, pretending to be deaf and mute, looking like a new employee Slacking Off on the job.
"...Do you have any other methods? We can't just keep walking like this."
Asking as a formality, Itsuki didn't expect the Gingerbread Witch to provide an answer and continued discussing the matter with her sisters in her head.
Miku: "I remember Father only entrusted Kisaragi to help us pass the Trial Mission. Why do we have to undergo a test here?"
Thinking of the feeling of killing that Bat-person, Miku felt a bit withdrawn. Given her personality, it was basically impossible for her to accept this sudden change in the world view in a short time.
Nino said assertively, "Because Kisaragi can't protect us every time. Since we already know about the Transcendent, we can't distance ourselves from it. Therefore, growing stronger while we have the protection of Father and Kisaragi is the right choice."
She had already accepted all of this and had the spirit to take on a great challenge.
"Besides, Miku, don't you like Warlords? If you don't have some strength, aren't you worried about being casually cut down if you get close?"
"...Don't mention that."
Miku felt a little ashamed and, after hesitating, decided not to refute her.
They would have to wait until this trial was over and ask Father before they could decide on future matters.
Given their current situation, the best outcome would be to find a way to completely separate: those who want to become Players should go to the Paradise to grasp power, and those who don't want to fight should live peacefully in the Main World's daily life.
Itsuki: "Stop talking about that. How should we complete this Mission now?"
Ichika: "This is too troublesome. How about we just shout Kisaragi's name out loud?
To prevent us from actually running into danger, he must be watching us, right?"
Nino: "That's too embarrassing."
Miku: "It is indeed embarrassing."
Yotsuba reminded them, "And Kisaragi might not necessarily be watching us. After all, he has many of those creatures called Strange Tales around him, and perhaps Kisaragi has gone off to attend to other matters."
Kisaragi Rin was indeed busy in Miss Red's Castle attic right now, since Spider Mother had also joined the service, pulling along the outwardly reluctant but honest Mrs. Yukino.
Spider Mother really liked being with companions.
Yukino Mifuyu's refusal was not strong, but the embarrassment would intensify the sensitivity of her ice-like skin and doll-like bones as a Snow Woman several times over.
Busujima Saeko has a generous personality and is a wife with the temperament of a Yamato Nadeshiko. However, she demands to be the first in every sense of the word, or she can't help but get jealous. Previously, Mrs. Yukino, due to her special Physique, couldn't resist sneaking ahead while Busujima Saeko was bathing. She was then chased to the back to do the work by Busujima Saeko's murderous gaze.
Thinking of the last time, Mrs. Yukino, with crimson cheeks, sat hugging Spider Mother on the side, quietly waiting.
This must be Miss Red's Room. Under the wedding dress-like canopy, the bed, made of some velvet material imbued with Spiritual Anomaly power, was large and soft.
Mrs. Yukino's hips sank slightly, outlining a curve that looked quite perfect.
"By the way, is it possible that the missing Nanase Haruko is in this world?"
Kisaragi Rin suddenly said.
"Haruko?"
Yukino Mifuyu was slightly stunned.
She was Nanase Haruko's Follower, and Nanase Haruko had entered the Paradise two years ago and hadn't reappeared since.
Although Kisaragi Rin had previously promised to help her find news of Nanase Haruko, Yukino Mifuyu didn't hold much hope for Nanase Haruko's survival.
Now that Kisaragi Rin suddenly mentioned it, and considering the various Strange Tales in this world, Yukino Mifuyu wasn't sure how she should respond mentally.
Hmm... the main thing was the person in front of her.
Yukino Mifuyu couldn't imagine how Nanase Haruko would criticize her sharply upon seeing her current situation.
"I don't know." Yukino Mifuyu shook off the thought.
There are so many worlds in the Paradise; how could Nanase Haruko be found so easily?
Just then, Busujima Saeko, who had been controlling her volume, suddenly lowered her voice. Spider Mother then pushed backward, pressing Yukino Mifuyu, who was still contemplating Nanase Haruko's matter, beneath her.
Unlike Mrs. Yukino's white hair and blue eyes, Spider Mother has white hair and green eyes, and maintains a slightly smaller, loli-like figure. Stacked together, they could unleash a charisma where one plus one is greater than two.
"Master~"
Spider Mother called out with a smile... "Let's confirm the known information.
One: To prevent us from encountering danger, Kisaragi Rin or someone else must be watching us from behind the scenes.
Two: The Gingerbread Witch and we cannot defeat the Strange Tales here, but after entering the pumpkin carriage for half a day, the Strange Tales haven't come to deal with us. From this, we can deduce one piece of information.
That is, the Strange Tales in the Pumpkin House already know that Kisaragi Rin is backing us, or perhaps the Strange Tales here have been subdued, just like the Gingerbread Witch.
In that case, our current situation is highly likely to be at Kisaragi Rin's instruction.
Doesn't the Gingerbread Witch have a Skill called Candy House Summon? We might as well just stay in the Candy House and wait for the trial to come to us."
After a thorough discussion, Nino presented the method she had devised.
If they are meant to undergo a trial, the person responsible for testing them cannot just watch them do nothing.
Itsuki's current problem was not knowing where the enemy was. Using the method of Slacking Off to force the opponent to act seemed like a viable solution.
She looked at the other three, who were all staring at her with confused expressions.
"...Isn't this just extracting information from the environment, which Kisaragi just taught us?
What's with those expressions, like 'Nino, how did you suddenly get so smart'?"
Nino complained.