As the puppet butler gently rang the bell, the sound of footsteps echoed in the darkness. Moments later, a line of maids emerged, each carrying a silver tray in her hands.
The maids were dressed in traditional English servant attire, their long skirts brushing the floor as they walked. From the side, their forms resembled a range of mountains with varying heights and distances, creating an almost surreal visual effect.
Unfortunately, their faces were hidden from view.
Amamiya glanced up, his gaze briefly falling on the maids' faces before he sighed softly.
Without exception, each maid's face was nothing more than hollow black sockets and bare white bone—like something out of a ghostly nun horror movie. The unsettling contrast heightened the sense of dread, shattering any whimsical notions one might have had about elegant maids.
Even for someone like Amamiya, who had encountered many sinister spirits before, the eerie presence of these skeletal maids made it difficult to look at them for too long.
Shifting his gaze, Amamiya turned his attention to the werewolf girl seated beside him.
Compared to the chilling maids, Miss Werewolf actually appeared quite charming.
"What are you staring at, human?" the werewolf girl demanded, her green eyes narrowing with suspicion as she glared at Amamiya.
"It's nothing," Amamiya replied smoothly. "I just realized that the more I look at Miss Werewolf, the cuter she seems to get."
The werewolf girl's tone sharpened. "Flattery won't help you. I'm still going to eat you!"
Amamiya remained silent.
The dining service followed the traditional medieval European custom of separate courses. The maids silently moved behind the group, placing plates in front of each player before retreating once again into the shadows.
"Dear guests, you may begin your meal," Puppet Billy announced politely.
No one dared to move, their eyes instead fixating on Amamiya.
Given the earlier events—and Amamiya's ability to control the ferocious werewolf girl—it was clear he was the one to follow. The other players waited for him to act first.
[The food under your plate will restore your energy.]
Amamiya glanced up at the mural of 'The Last Supper' painted on the ceiling before calmly lifting the silver lid off his plate. With the prior warning, he knew there was no immediate danger beneath the cover, as it wasn't a trap for a "first-move death."
As the lid was removed, a cluster of deep blue fruits came into view.
"Hey, are those... blueberries?" Chika leaned over the table, peering curiously at Amamiya's plate. She immediately recognized the small, round fruits.
Indeed, the plate was filled with blueberries—one of the most common berries found in supermarkets. However, what stood out was the layer of frost still clinging to them, as if they'd just been plucked from a snow-covered bush.
Encouraged by Amamiya's lead, the others hesitantly lifted the lids of their own plates.
"A fish?" one player muttered in confusion.
"I've got pine nuts," another chimed in.
"Ugh… why do I have 'earthworms'?!" someone else exclaimed.
"What? Is this a 'skinned frog' on my plate?!" cried a girl, her voice shaking with shock.
The group quickly realized that the food in front of them was far from what they had expected.
The "fish" looked like a common salmon, but it was raw, with a gruesome detail: something had bitten into its belly, leaving only the fish's head and tail intact, while the middle portion had been completely devoured.
The pine nuts were standard white-barked pine nuts, unpeeled and scattered across the plate.
As for the skinned frog… the unfortunate player who received that dish, the passerby girl, was on the verge of tears. The frog's nerve reflexes were still causing its legs to twitch on the plate.
Beside Amamiya, the silly werewolf girl had turned to stone once again, her whole body stiffening as if frozen in place.
Meanwhile, in front of Kaguya was a small handful of green grass, with several fat, wriggling white grubs crawling among the leaves.
Compared to the others, Chika's meal seemed relatively normal. Her plate contained nothing more than a few shriveled, frozen fruits—hardly ideal, but far better than some of the nightmarish dishes around her.
"Eh, hey, hey?!" Chika gasped, leaning back in shock. "Kaguya-chan, why are there horrible bugs on your plate?"
Kaguya bit her lower lip in silence.
'Why indeed?'
She couldn't help but wonder herself.
'Why does one person get blueberries, another some kind of mystery fruit, and only I get insects?'
It was beyond unfair!
'So unfair!'
The root of human suffering, after all, is not mediocrity—it's comparison, especially when others are served sweet fruit and she's stuck with bugs. The resentment from Miss Kaguya was practically radiating.
"That's Oxalis," Amamiya remarked, glancing at the leaves on her plate and coughing lightly. "It's edible. Has a sour taste."
"And as for those bugs…" His gaze shifted to the wriggling white insects. "If I'm not mistaken, those are longhorn beetle larvae. They actually contain six times the protein of beef."
"How do you even know that?" Chika gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief. "Have you... eaten them before?"
Amamiya intertwined his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips. "In many places, eating insects is pretty common. But no, I haven't eaten any. I just saw it in a documentary."
Suddenly, a cry rang out, snapping Amamiya's attention to another player.
"Eating these foods increases your remaining time!"
The player, one of the bystanders, had a plate of pine nuts in front of him. After forcing them down with a grimace, his eyes widened, and he shouted in excitement.
Earlier, after reuniting, Chika had revealed the truth about the game's countdown system.
Once everyone knew they were on a 'death countdown,' the atmosphere turned tense, like having the Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads.
Now, hearing that eating the food could extend the timer, the other players quickly began digging in, no matter how unappetizing their meals were. Survival trumped taste.
"Kaguya-chan…" Chika murmured, hesitating.
Kaguya glanced over, her expression resolute. Her eyes alone communicated her thoughts.
Left with no choice, Chika shifted topics. "By the way, Kaguya-chan, why do you have a strange collar around your neck? I don't remember you having it earlier."
"When we were separated on the third floor, we ran into some trouble..." Amamiya briefly explained the origin of the pet collar. At a subtle nod from Kaguya, he omitted certain sensitive details.
"Can I see the key?" Chika asked, her curiosity piqued.
Amamiya retrieved the key and handed it over. "Here. But don't press anything by accident."
Kaguya's eyes flashed with concern. "Be careful," she warned.
The next moment, there was a soft 'click'.
The silver key split apart, revealing a hidden mechanical key inside.
Both Amamiya and Kaguya turned their attention to the key in surprise.
"It looks just like a car's electronic key," Chika said quickly, trying to explain herself. "Once, my dad took us on a road trip, and the electronic key ran out of battery. He told me there's always a mechanical key hidden inside. I didn't break it, did I?"
"No," Kaguya responded with approval. "Well done."
"Meow?"