"Help me get this collar off."
Kaguya tilted her head slightly, lifting her hair to reveal her slender, snow-white neck.
"Leave it to me."
Chika took on the task with enthusiasm, her fingers deftly aiming for the keyhole. With a soft click, the collar unlatched easily, without a hitch.
"Ahh..." Kaguya let out a breath of relief.
So much for the loyal boyfriend's master plan!
As Confucius once said: 'Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.'
Since she herself wouldn't want to wear a collar, it made no sense to force Amamiya to wear one either. No normal person would enjoy being someone else's pet!
"It was surprisingly easy."
Amamiya murmured to himself, his gaze shifting to the puppet, Billy.
Turns out the car key's design wasn't just for show—it was a silent reminder. Sometimes, the simplest, most obvious solution is right in front of you.
Meanwhile, the players had already started eating.
The worst dish left on the table was Kaguya sorrel and protein, while the second worst was a skinned frog.
One of the other male players, besides Amamiya, took on the frog. His face twisted into a grimace as he bit into one of its hind legs, chewing twice before tilting his head back and swallowing it whole.
In moments like these, it's clear: under the threat of death, humans are capable of anything.
Amamiya glanced at Kaguya, who stood with her hands clasped over her chest, unmoved and resolute in her refusal to eat. A sudden thought came to her, and she turned to Billy.
"Mr. Butler, can we share food with others?"
"Of course," Billy replied, his tone neither humble nor arrogant. "It's up to the guests to decide whether they wish to eat or pass it on."
"No problem at all!" Chika's eyes lit up as she quickly pushed her plate toward Kaguya. "Kaguya-chan, let's take turns eating…"
But as she looked at the large beetle larvae on her plate, Chika quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. "Actually, I'll just give you half."
Even the self-proclaimed foodie couldn't stomach raw, wriggling worms.
Amamiya calmly reached for a blueberry and popped it into his mouth.
The surface was covered in frost, and with a crisp crunch, the frozen berry broke apart. Cold, flavorless, but edible.
As he ate, Amamiya checked his task panel.
After swallowing the berry, he saw the countdown timer increase, but only by a few minutes. Even if he ate the entire plate of blueberries, it would only buy him an additional hour.
"Here," Amamiya said, pushing the plate of blueberries toward the silly girl, before picking up the sorrel and protein dish.
Seeing the girl's conflicted expression, Amamiya shrugged. "My countdown still has plenty of time left. Whether I eat these blueberries or not won't matter for me, but you need to extend your own time. Even if you don't finish, there should be enough."
Kaguya pressed her lips together but, seeing the clarity in Amamiya's eyes—no hint of hesitation or reluctance—she finally nodded. "Understood."
"Foolish human," the werewolf girl sneered. Though Amamiya still held her wrist, she wasn't short on words. "You understand the value of food, yet you give it away. Human emotions are beyond my comprehension."
"Complex emotions are one of the hallmarks of higher beings," Amamiya replied calmly.
"In my view, it's sheer stupidity," the werewolf retorted with a snort. "To be alive is everything. If you die, you have nothing."
Amamiya reached out and gently patted Miss Werewolf's head, surprised at how silky and smooth her hair felt—it was almost luxurious to the touch. "So, you're just a werewolf after all."
"How dare you touch my head!" Miss Werewolf snapped, her eyes blazing with anger. "I'll eat you for that!"
"Sorry, but I'll have to decline." Amamiya pointed at the plate in front of him. "The sorrel-wrapped protein looks pretty good. Care to try it?"
"Werewolves don't eat weeds and bugs!"
"…"
"Kaguya-chan, let's take turns." Chika passed over her dried fruits, grabbed a blueberry, and quickly frowned. "…It's not tasty at all. It's nothing like blueberry jam."
Of course, it's not!
Blueberry jam has so many additives that it hardly tastes like actual blueberries anymore.
Kaguya ate a blueberry with a composed expression. "…I've never had blueberries before, so I don't know what they're supposed to taste like."
"What? Kaguya-chan has never had blueberries?" Chika exclaimed.
"No."
"I've never had them either," added Rikka, sitting next to Chika. She tilted her head, her ahoge swaying slightly as she watched them both.
Kaguya offered her a blueberry. "Try one."
"Thank you, Kaguya-chan." Rikka took it cautiously, as though facing a formidable challenge, her expression serious. "It looks much nicer than a tomato."
Once Chika realized that neither the maid nor the puppet butler would restrict their movements, she couldn't sit still. She got up and started trading food with the others.
"Hiyori-chan, want to swap?"
The girl named Hiyori looked stunned, surprised by the offer, and thanked her gratefully. "Thank you, Chika-chan."
The food on Hiyori's plate consisted of some unfamiliar tree bark, and she didn't need much thought to guess how bad it probably tasted.
"Yukino-chan, let's trade too."
Chika, in her usual bright and lively manner, spread her enthusiasm around the table.
Thanks to her efforts, the tense atmosphere lifted, and the players began exchanging their food, finding a little joy amidst their grim circumstances.
'Mother Chika truly lives up to her name.'
The dinner ended quickly, and apart from the truly inedible dishes, most players managed to extend their countdowns by a small amount.
"It's so hot." One player raised his hand and wiped his forehead. "I ate something and now I'm sweating."
"It's strange. It was freezing before, and now it's suddenly hot."
"Yeah, it does feel off."
"…"
"So… now that we've finished eating… what happens next?" A girl asked nervously.
Chika looked down at the puppet Billy. "Butler, do you have any other activities planned?"
"Sorry, it was just a dinner party," Billy replied, his voice layered with meaning. "You're now free to do as you wish."
"Oh, that's it?" One of the players sounded surprised.
They had expected some big finale, perhaps to move on to the next stage after dinner, but nothing happened.
"In fact," Amamiya said, glancing at the frost creeping along the restaurant floor, "things are only just beginning." He turned to Kaguya and, with a sudden thought, asked, "How can we prove that the world we're in is real?"