One fine day. Cloudless sky, perfect temperature—neither too hot nor too cold. Ideal for lounging. Yet inside Schale's office—
"DON'T DO IT, SHIROKO-CHAAAAAN!!!!"
"N-ngh…! Hoshino-senpai… it's… tight…!"
"Makoto!? Hang in there, Makoto!!!"
"The budget—Ibuki—fading away… gah"
"MAKOTOoooooo!!!!"
"Nagi-chan!! Hey, Nagi-chan!? Let's pause—it's just a game!!"
"Nagisa-sama is fine!! Totally fine!!"
"Urk—so strong—"
"Lord… I offer this body—"
"DON'T OFFER IT!!!!"
"Let go, Tsurugi-saaaaan!!!!"
"WAAAAH!? This game is trash!!"
"For once, I agree…!"
"Calm down, you two… Oh, more money."
"STOP ROLLING THE DICE!!!!"
"I-Izuna! Believe me—I would never—"
"…I-it's okay…! I know Wakamo-neesama wouldn't… r-right…!?"
"Then why back away!?"
"Because it's scary!!"
"Honest! But it hurts—please stay close! No more distance!!"
"…" (nervous grin, inching away)
"IZUNAAAA!!!!"
"Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas… VaVaVaVaVaVaVaVaVaVa—"
"Leader!! Leader, snap out of it!!"
"No way—I won't let anyone have my little sisters!!"
"Leader!?"
Chaos. Amid the shrieking pandemonium, Mash alone stays calm—cream puff in mouth—rolling the dice again.
(—How did it come to this?)
The culprit: a single board game spread before them.
"High-Performance Game of Life?"
"Yes!! Finally complete… The board game Regro-san taught me from the magic world—finished this morning!!"
"…How many all-nighters?"
"Five (proud). Got a bed or sofa to spare?"
"Here." pat
"Ah, thanks—guh…" thud
"…Tornado of a girl."
Shiraishi Utaha—bursting in unannounced, rattling off explanations, then crashing on the sofa. Mash drapes a towel over her and picks up the game.
"Same as the one at Grandpa's… but he never let me play. 'Wait till you're a bit… older.' Wonder why…"
Mash clears café furniture for space, unfolding the game on the floor. A sugoroku at first glance—but with over 300 squares along a massive route. The sheer size—occupying a corner of the café—daunts him. Playing alone? Too lonely.
"…Too big for one… depressing."
"Leave that to us."
"Floor again."
Izuna and Wakamo emerge from the floor, phasing through ceiling and walls. Mash is used to it—no tsukkomi.
"Any game that leaves you lonely is unacceptable… This Wakamo shall be your playmate."
"Sweet—let's go."
(Ufufu… Izuna's here, but no worry… Duty students always present—rare chance for just us… Meaning: lovey-dovey home date—)
"Lord, Wakamo-neesama! Contacted other academies—they're dropping work to rush here!"
"More players—the more, the merrier."
"—Yes… of course… (Damn… If not Izuna, I'd be mad…!)"
Thus: massive Game of Life with a crowd. Mash's heart swells with excitement for his first big-group board game, awaiting the arrivals…
"Oh—prizes too."
This decision… would birth tragedy.
Students gather from every academy, circling the floor game. Mash proposes a classic: team battle.
Split into two teams—promote bonding, teamwork, cooperation to the goal… He leaves team assignment to them.
"Now… Guardians Team vs Friends Team—Kivotos Game of Life Showdown begins!"
"Uhe… First place is mine, Shiroko-chan."
"Nn. Dream on."
"Finally, Sorazaki Hina… time for an upset!"
"Just a game, Makoto—but I won't lose."
"Ahahaha, Nagi-chan… think you can beat us?"
"Even Trinity's elite—no mercy."
"U-um—let's do our best!"
"…Fine. Come at me… Tsurugi-san."
(Wanted to be on Sensei's team…)
"Lost in real fights… but this Alice wins in games!!"
"Hah—big talk. Don't cry later."
"2v1, though~"
"Shut it!!"
"Wanted the princesses too… but shopping—can't be helped."
"So this is… board game."
Teams heavily skewed. Guardians Team¹: Takanotsume Hoshino, Hanuma Makoto, Kirifuji Nagisa, Misono Neru, Jomae Saori², Kensaki Tsurugi—plus Mash as filler.
Friends Team*³: Sunaookami Shiroko, Sorasaki Hina, Shirazu Azusa, Ajitani Hifumi, Sonoda Mika, Nina, Ichinose Asuna, Tendou Alice, Kuda Izuna, Kosaka Wakamo.
Friends outnumber—advantage in bodies. Guardians dominate in strategy—effectively balanced.
The split? Mash's "protectors" vs Mash's "die-hards".
"Rules from the manual… standard sugoroku. Events pop up, everyone starts with 500,000."
"Game ends when someone goals. Most money wins."
"Simpler than expected… Thought Utaha's would be insane."
"Winning team gets Schale-exclusive giant cream puff—handmade by me."
"So Sensei~ (—I'll die for it.)"
Goal: play and win Mash's cream puff. They're dead serious. Mash's intent—bonding new Schale (ex-Arius)—half-ignored.
"Starting with… your beloved wife, this Wakamo."
"Not wife."
"Here goes—eiya!"
Not standard dice—D100 from TRPGs. "300 squares but max 100 move?"—questionable, but ignored. Wakamo rolls boldly. Deformed student pieces on squares—Mash's lacks halo.
"Prepared pieces for everyone involved… idle?"
"Never underestimate Engineer imagination and labor."
As all marvel at the tech, dice stops at 25. Wakamo moves— Standard sugoroku… until now.
"Hm? Text appears on landing… 'Over-doting on little sister Izuna, love spirals—confines her in Schale… 3 turns skip.' —Huh?"
"Eh?"
"Wakamo-chan's piece is chained—what's this!?"
Suddenly: "Wakamo confines Izuna" displays—piece bound, 3-turn skip. Confusion reigns—then Utaha bolts upright.
"Explanation!!"
"!?"
"This isn't mere sugoroku—Game of Life… With 'possible future hints' setting!!"
"Whaaat!?"
"Landing triggers potential future events… Beware… Nap time—zzz"
Utaha collapses again. Eyes shift to square—then Wakamo, frantically shaking head.
"Wakamo-chan's love is pure… but heavy~"
"Nn… kinda get it."
"Outrageous!! Even if true, I'd never—"
"Izuna? Why distance?"
"N-nothing!?"
"Liar!"
"…Did we… touch a cursed game?"
Regro banned Mash for the danger of "possible futures." Not certain, but could-be—heart-attack inducing.
In short: a shadow game.
*1: Centered on 3rd-years (Mash's "seniors") *2: Former Arius as "guardian" role *3: Centered on peers/juniors (Mash's "friends")
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