Silence.
The grand hall fell deathly quiet in an instant. The faint sound of heavy breathing could occasionally be heard as the alliance that had just been formed collapsed without resistance.
Raiden Ei swept her gaze across the room, suspicion written plainly in her eyes. No matter who she looked at, none of them seemed trustworthy anymore.
Furina quietly dragged her chair back a little, increasing the distance between herself and everyone else.
"Sigh…"
Jing Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose, already feeling a headache coming on. He hadn't expected there to be an actual killer hidden among them.
If they ended up trusting the wrong person, who knew what kind of chaos the killer could unleash?
"Mr. Valerius," Jing Yuan said, composed as ever, "please explain the detailed rules first."
"Alright."
Suppressing a chuckle, Valerius picked up a card and began reading.
"Rules of 'Night Falls, Please Close Your Eyes' are as follows:
During the daytime, all players may move freely, but must not leave the castle grounds. When night falls, each person must choose a room and remain inside it—leaving is forbidden.
Each player will draw an identity card and gain the corresponding ability. Other players may not interfere.
If a murder occurs, a vote may be initiated during the day to eliminate a suspected player—or the group may choose not to vote.
Each player starts with 10 points. These points may be used to purchase information from me. After winning, remaining points may be used to draw rewards.
Any player may independently accuse someone of being the killer.
If the accusation is correct, that player wins alone, gaining 1 point for every surviving player.
If the accusation is incorrect, the accuser is immediately eliminated."
"These are all the rules."
Valerius placed several cards face-down on the table before him.
"Alright—draw your identity cards."
No one hesitated. Each person reached out and drew a card.
"Now," Valerius said, "please reveal your identities."
As everyone flipped their cards over, Valerius inspected them one by one. When his eyes landed on Raiden Ei's card, his expression froze for just a moment.
"Well now…" he muttered. "This is getting interesting."
He cast a pitying glance at the others.
Brace yourselves, he thought. You're about to experience the full might of Raiden Ei's cooking.
Jing Yuan — Doctor
Jade — Maid
Herta — Young Lady
Raiden Ei — Chef
Furina — Gardener
Xiao — Bodyguard
Seeing the confusion on everyone's faces, Valerius began explaining each role's ability.
[Doctor]
If a murder occurs, the Doctor may be the first to examine the body. Any information obtained may be kept private or made public.
All eyes immediately turned toward Jing Yuan.
That ability was powerful—exclusive access to first-hand information.
"Jing Yuan," Herta said pointedly. "You know what that means."
In other words—don't you dare hoard clues.
"Don't worry," Jing Yuan replied with a calm smile. "I understand."
For now, cooperation was essential. He had no intention of hiding information.
[Maid]
During the daytime, the Maid must clean rooms.
Jade blinked, momentarily stunned.
Why did the Doctor get to examine corpses while she had to clean rooms?
But after a brief moment of thought, her expression brightened.
Cleaning rooms meant entering other people's rooms.
Which meant information—lots of it.
[Young Lady]
Once per day, the Young Lady may order another player to perform any task. The target may not refuse.
Herta's eyes lit up instantly.
A joker card.
She leaned back with a smug smile.
I'm the Young Lady—the true owner of this house. You're all just my servants.
[Chef]
The Chef is responsible for preparing meals for everyone each day and may use anything in the kitchen.
"Hiss—!"
The room collectively recoiled.
Everyone stared at Raiden Ei in horror.
Kitchen.
Knives.
This couldn't be more suspicious.
"Uh…" Raiden Ei said awkwardly, turning to Valerius. "Is it possible for me not to be the chef?"
Valerius shook his head.
"What you draw is what you get. No changes."
Absolutely not, he thought. I've been waiting for this. If you don't cook, where else am I supposed to get my entertainment?
[Gardener]
At any time, the Gardener may leave the castle and enter the outside gardens.
"Nice!"
Furina was instantly thrilled.
If I can't beat the killer, she thought, I'll just hide in the garden. Surely they won't chase me outside to kill me, right?
[Bodyguard]
When night falls, the Bodyguard may freely enter and exit rooms, but only within the castle.
After a murder occurs, the Bodyguard may lead investigations into other players' work areas—up to three times.
"What the—!"
"That's insane!"
"Isn't that basically a killer role?!"
All eyes snapped toward Xiao.
Being able to move freely at night was downright terrifying.
Feeling the weight of their suspicious gazes, Xiao's mouth twitched.
The game hasn't even started yet, he thought. Isn't this judgment a little premature?
"Alright."
Valerius clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to him.
"You all understand your roles now."
"You may choose your rooms. On the second floor, rooms 1, 2, and 3 from left to right.
On the third floor, rooms 4, 5, and 6.
The bedroom on the left side of the first floor is mine—you may not choose it."
With that, everyone stood up and headed upstairs.
Nightfall meant danger. Choosing a suitable room was no trivial matter.
Livestream Chat
[Yanfei]: So… who do you think the killer is this time?
[Cyno]: Hard to say. Based on abilities alone, the Chef and the Bodyguard are most suspicious—one has knives, the other can move at night.
[Shikanoin Heizou]: Not necessarily. The Doctor reaches the crime scene first. If he killed someone and tampered with evidence, it'd be terrifying.
[Fu Xuan]: True. But the Maid is suspicious too. If traps were set during daytime cleaning, no one would know.
[Himeko]: When you put it that way… anyone here could be the killer.
[Yae Miko]: Relax. The killer won't even need to act—our Ei will handle the eliminations herself.
[Gepard]: That strong?!
[Kujou Sara]: Naturally. Her Excellency the Shogun will surely prevail.
[Yae Miko]: Uh… that's not what I meant.
[Seele]: Then what did you mean?
[Yae Miko]: Just wait and see. Eliminations won't require a killer at all.
The moment Raiden Ei drew the Chef role, Yae Miko had already begun mourning the others.
After all, no one else could substitute for the chef.
If this game dragged on for several days…
They'd either be poisoned—
Or starve to death.
Go ahead, she thought. Choose your rooms