"I wonder what Amamiya-kun and Yukino-chan are talking about," Chika murmured, her curiosity piqued as she glanced at the two standing in the corner. "Aren't you curious."
Kaguya crossed her arms, her voice cold and composed. "I'm not curious."
"I don't believe you," Chika said, tilting her head as she observed. "If you weren't curious, Kaguya-chan, why are you staring at them without blinking?"
Kaguya: "..."
Meanwhile, in the corner.
"To sum it up, that's the situation," Amamiya whispered. "We'll each verify one direction."
Yukino listened thoughtfully, nodding slightly. "Understood."
After exchanging a few more hushed words, the two quickly parted ways, each selecting a book from the nearby shelf.
"Amamiya-kun, what book did you pick?" Chika's eyes widened as she tried to peek.
"That's a secret," Amamiya replied, hiding the book behind his back.
"I can help keep the secret!" Chika eagerly raised her hand.
Amamiya's expression turned serious. "Sorry, I refuse."
"That's so unfair," Chika pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "Amamiya-kun doesn't trust me."
Before the conversation could continue, Yukino approached, also holding a book in her hand. "I've chosen."
Amamiya nodded. "Let's move."
The group left the library and descended to the first-floor lobby. By the time they arrived, the entire hall was veiled in a layer of light blue frost. The castle seemed to be sinking into a world of extreme cold.
Amamiya walked up to the fireplace. Though the books they had previously burned were long gone, a faint flame still flickered in the hearth.
With a calm expression, Amamiya extended the book in his hand toward the fire.
"Wait a second," the passerby girl from earlier hesitated. "Aren't the monsters in this castle tied to the books we've burned? Now that it's not cold anymore, there's no need to burn another, right?"
Amamiya responded simply, "We've already burned so many—what's one more?"
Passerby girl: "..."
After thinking for a moment, she realized she had no argument against it.
Once Amamiya had tossed his book into the flames, Yukino followed suit, throwing hers in as well.
The fire quickly consumed both books.
"Oh!" Chika suddenly remembered, "What about Mei and the others?"
There were ten players in total. Izumi had been eliminated, but three others were unaccounted for.
"The three guests entered other guests' rooms by mistake," Puppet Billy explained, his tone low and knowing. "They haven't come out yet."
"Amamiya-kun," Chika turned toward him.
Amamiya set down Puppet Billy and stated calmly, "Mr. Butler, kindly take us to apologize. I'm sure the disturbed guests will forgive us."
And if not… there were other ways to handle it.
It had become clear that Puppet Billy was neutral, meaning their "Don" strategy could still be used if needed.
"Please follow me, guests," Billy replied, adjusting his suit. He carefully took out a handkerchief, wiping his palms and jacket, before leading the group down a hallway. They soon arrived at a door. "Several guests are inside."
Amamiya opened the door, revealing three players huddled in the corner, trembling. Across from them stood a werewolf—its body covered in thick fur, yet curiously, it was wearing a pair of stretch gym shorts.
The moment the three players spotted Amamiya, relief flashed in their eyes.
Oddly enough, the werewolf reacted similarly.
It turned its head, green light gleaming in its eyes, and bared its sharp teeth with a wide grin. "More food, I see."
Without flinching, Amamiya calmly responded, "Mr. Werewolf, have you seen my cousin?"
The werewolf was visibly startled. "W-What cousin are you talking about?"
Amamiya responded calmly, "She's a little girl, about seven or eight years old. A few days ago, her grandmother fell ill, so my cousin brought food and ventured into the forest to visit her. But along the way, she disappeared, and we've had no word from her since…"
The werewolf's eyes widened in realization. "You're talking about Little Red Riding Hood!" he shouted indignantly. "Don't play dumb with me!"
Amamiya, unfazed, nodded. "Good. So you do know where my cousin is." He then pointed at the werewolf and declared, "Mr. Werewolf, you are under arrest."
The werewolf blinked in surprise, then scoffed. "Human, do you have any idea what you're saying?"
Towering at nearly two meters, the werewolf straightened up, his menacing form casting a long shadow. "I've decided—I'll eat you first!"
Without a trace of fear, Amamiya took a step to the side, revealing the pink-haired Chika, who stood confidently behind him.
"I call you Don, the outlaw. Do you dare to agree?" Chika boldly pointed at the werewolf.
Caught off guard, the werewolf suddenly found himself struggling to control his own mouth. "I... I am Don!" he stammered, much to his own confusion.
Taking advantage of the moment, Amamiya stepped forward and placed a hand on the werewolf. "Don, you're under arrest."
As soon as Amamiya touched him, the massive werewolf froze in place, as if someone had pressed a pause button. Only his eyes continued to move in bewilderment.
"Human," the werewolf growled, "what have you done to me!?"
Ignoring the question, Amamiya continued nonchalantly, "My cousin, Little Red Riding Hood, went missing in the forest..."
Meanwhile, Chika waved energetically toward the three unfortunate players huddled in the corner. "Quick! Get out while you can!"
The three dazed players finally snapped out of their shock and scrambled out of the room, crawling on hands and knees if necessary.
As they left, Amamiya cast a glance at the werewolf's peculiar gym shorts and pondered aloud, "The Hulk has shorts, and so do you... Are they from the same manufacturer?"
The werewolf snarled, "Human, don't touch my shorts!" But suddenly, his voice shifted to a higher, feminine tone. "I'll tear you apart!"
Wait—what was that?
Amamiya paused, thoroughly confused. 'You're not supposed to be a big sister!' But, on second thought, why not? Movies and TV are full of male werewolves; isn't it a bit sexist to assume there can't be female werewolves too?
Still, the werewolf's thick fur made it impossible to tell the difference at a glance.
Curious, Amamiya asked, "Do you usually eat your food raw?"
"Don't look down on monsters!" the werewolf replied indignantly. "Can't you see I'm working on my cooking skills? Of course cooked food tastes better!"
Amamiya: "..."
As the three players safely made their exit, Chika called out, "Amamiya-kun, it's safe to come out now!"
Amamiya gave a slight nod and released his grip on the werewolf. Immediately, the werewolf's face twisted into a snarl, ready to attack again.
Pop!
Amamiya casually clapped his hands, and the werewolf stopped in place once more, her movements frozen, though her voice remained fierce. "Human, I'm going to eat you!"
Kaguya frowned slightly, her expression thoughtful. "Should I just seal it?" she whispered, preparing to summon her bow and arrow, ready to transform into her witch form and put an end to the werewolf's menace.
Amamiya, however, shook his head. "No need. She seems rather... enthusiastic. We might as well bring her along. Who knows? We might need a food taster later."
And with that, Amamiya led the werewolf girl out of the room, gathering the rest of the group before following Puppet Billy to the dining area.
The restaurant was dimly lit, the ceiling adorned with a mural of Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'. A long dining table stretched before them, with ten chairs neatly arranged along one side.
With one player already eliminated, there were just enough seats for the remaining nine.
Amamiya and the werewolf girl took their places at the head of the table, with Kaguya and Chika following behind, the rest of the group filing in after them.
"Apologies for keeping you waiting," Puppet Billy announced, placing his right hand over his chest and bowing slightly. "Now then, let's begin dinner."