The moment Valerius stepped inside, both pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"Gentlemen and ladies," he said with a smile, "care to make a trade?"
Again?!
Kafka's gaze instantly sharpened. Who knew what kind of trick this man was plotting now? Still, she asked calmly, if only out of courtesy.
"And what is it this time?"
"This is the final offer," Valerius replied. "If you forfeit now, you can leave with a consolation prize."
The corners of Kafka's lips curled upward in a faint, disdainful smile.
"No need."
Judging by the meals alone, they were already well past the halfway mark. There was no way she'd quit at a time like this.
If she forfeited now, wouldn't everything they'd endured so far be for nothing?
Himeko rose at that moment, smiling gently as she walked behind Valerius and observed the exchange between him and Kafka.
"Why do you want us to forfeit so badly?" she asked.
"We still have six points each, you know. Don't you want us to spend a little more?"
"It's just part of the game flow," Valerius replied casually. "I'm simply asking."
Kafka didn't comment, but Himeko slowly stepped closer, suddenly placing a hand on Valerius's shoulder.
"Our points should be pretty high, right?"
Her eyes locked onto every tiny movement he made.
Unfortunately for her, Valerius showed no reaction at all.
"Who knows," he said lightly. "If you're not interested, I'll ask the next group."
"I see. Goodbye, then."
Failing to extract any useful information, Himeko returned to her seat in the corner.
Only after Valerius left did Kafka speak again.
"Well? Did you notice anything?"
Himeko shook her head.
"Nothing. I couldn't read anything from his reactions."
Normally, when someone is suddenly questioned about something sensitive, they show at least a flicker of response. But Valerius hadn't reacted at all—almost as if the question hadn't been directed at him.
"Then… how do you think our chances look?"
"Hard to say," Himeko replied after a moment. "But I think we still have a shot."
They each still had six points. She refused to believe that every other team had spent nothing.
In her estimation, everyone must have bought the first food upgrade. After that, it all came down to luck.
[Silver Wolf]: "Good. As long as they didn't forfeit, it's fine."
[Trailblazer]: "Stable."
[Lisa]: "Why didn't they quit? Such a tempting consolation prize, too."
[Venti]: "Exactly. I'd have taken it."
[March 7th]: "No way. Himeko's definitely bringing back a big prize."
[Ningguang]: "If the first two teams are fighting to the end, will the third give up?"
[Thoma]: "They probably will. The head of the Kamisato Clan should be able to see the situation clearly."
[Kujou Sara]: "That's possible."
[Raiden Ei]: "A consolation prize… it doesn't sound very useful."
[Yae Miko]: "It's not bad this time—one Noble Phantasm and one consolation prize."
[Raiden Ei]: "…That's true."
Thinking it over, Ei finally realized something.
From that perspective, Inazuma hadn't actually lost out this time. At worst, they'd still brought back rewards.
Compare that to Mondstadt or Fontaine—ending up with nothing but toys.
Room No. 3
Same conditions. Same question.
"Do you want to forfeit?"
Kamisato Ayato and Lyney exchanged glances, both silently calculating.
Their points total was much lower than the others'. They'd already drawn four toys, of all things. Hearing about a consolation prize immediately made the offer sound more attractive.
"May I ask," Ayato said carefully, "what exactly is the consolation prize?"
"A gacha machine."
"…Huh?"
Ayato's brain stalled for a moment. Since when was a consolation prize something that good?
"And… how many points' worth?"
"One point."
Disappointment followed instantly.
So it was just a one-point item. He'd thought it might be something special.
After all, Furina's one-point reward was still fresh in his memory. What was the point of drawing that again?
"Let's forfeit," Lyney said suddenly. "At least we can bring something back."
With only three points each, he didn't see any realistic path to victory. Better to leave with a souvenir.
Even if one-point items were mostly trash, they sometimes had… unique effects.
Who knew? They might come in handy someday.
"…Alright," Ayato sighed, nodding. With their points so low, they really had no competitive edge.
"Very well," Valerius said. "You may draw your rewards."
Even if it was just a one-point item, ceremony mattered. Valerius brought out the gacha machine anyway.
"Fine," Ayato said with a wry smile, stepping forward and pulling the lever.
"At least I can say I've used one of these."
Pfft.
Valerius snickered quietly. That's some impressive self-comfort.
A bottle dropped out—cheap packaging, aggressively green.
"…Lei Bi?"
Ayato picked it up. A plastic bottle, clearly some kind of beverage.
"This one's not bad," Valerius explained earnestly.
"It's a famous brand. Refreshing for summer. Sprite—uh, I mean Lei Bi."
"…And the effect?" Ayato asked flatly. He already knew this was another counterfeit product, but he wanted to hear it.
"Once you drink it, you'll feel an intense cooling sensation in your stomach," Valerius said.
"It may also be accompanied by severe abdominal cramps."
Ayato: "..."
So it's just an unhygienic drink?!
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