Three days.
Just three short days—and yet, for the people inside the cottages, it felt no different from serving a prison sentence.
Every single meal had been nothing but plain steamed buns.
Their mouths were so bland they could practically taste dust.
In Cottage No.4, Gepard and Sunday had long since stopped bragging about their sisters. Now they leaned against the wall shoulder to shoulder like actual cellmates.
"Brother," Gepard said hoarsely, "can you still remember what other food tastes like?"
"…No," Sunday replied after a long pause. "All I know is that I deeply miss the Silvermane Guards' meals."
In truth, Belobog's food supply had never been abundant. Even the Silvermane Guards' rations were simple at best—filling, but bland.
Yet right now, Gepard felt that even those meals were nothing short of gourmet.
He'd already made up his mind.
Once he got back, he was going to tell every single soldier:
You people are living in paradise.
Inside Cottage No.3.
Lyney sat cross-legged on the floor, rhythmically tapping the ground with his finger.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"What are you doing?" Kamisato Ayato asked, puzzled. "You look like you're about to lose your mind."
"Counting time," Lyney replied dully. "It's almost time for the next meal."
There was nothing else to do. This was the only way he could pass the time.
Ayato's eyes suddenly lit up.
"…That means we'll see Valerius again soon."
In the livestream—
[Yae Miko]: Pfft—it's just Valerius. Is Ayato really that excited?
[Kamisato Ayaka]: B-Brother—!
[Thoma]: What's going on? Why is the young master actually looking forward to this?
[Arataki Itto]: Hahahaha! Like my cellmate used to say—stay locked up long enough, and even a pig starts looking handsome.
[Xiangling]: Cellmate?
[Hu Tao]: What kind of work does this guy do to have cellmates?
[Kujou Sara]: A terrorist who disrupts public order.
[Arataki Itto]: Hey! Say that clearly!
[Silver Wolf]: At this point, everyone's just looking forward to seeing Valerius.
[March 7th]: Why though? The buns don't even taste good.
[Welt]: At least there's someone to talk to.
[Ruan Mei]: At least there's someone to talk to.
[Herta]: At least there's someone to talk to.
[Raiden Ei]: How dramatic. It's only been three days.
Raiden Ei was clearly unimpressed.
I stayed alone for five hundred years, she thought. You call this suffering?
Inside the game space.
Valerius pushed the food cart up to Cottage No.1 and knocked.
The door flew open instantly.
Jean and Kuki Shinobu both looked at him like he was a long-lost savior.
"Mr. Valerius! You're here—come in, come in!"
Their enthusiasm caught him completely off guard.
"…Uh, maybe eat first?" he said, slightly bewildered.
They didn't even bother grabbing the food. Instead, they surrounded him immediately, questions flying from all sides.
"Mr. Valerius, what's it like outside right now?"
"Do you live in the other cottages?"
"Is your place comfortable? If you're bored, you can come stay with us—we'll keep you company!"
They were clearly at their limit.
After a moment, Valerius finally understood.
The timing's perfect.
He glanced at the two of them and smiled mysteriously.
"This time, besides delivering food… I'm also here to propose a trade."
"Trade?!"
Both women snapped to attention. They remembered his earlier warning—food delivery aside, trades would happen.
"Yes. I'm planning to install a game console in your cottage. Something you can play when you're bored."
Seeing their confused looks, Valerius briefly explained what a game console was.
"But," he continued calmly, "it'll cost one point per person."
"You can discuss it between yourselves."
"And remember—if the two of you can't agree, I won't sell it."
With that, he stepped aside, leaving them staring at each other in silence.
Truthfully, Shinobu wanted it.
She really did.
Enduring this many days with nothing to do was torture. Without some kind of distraction, she feared she'd lose her sanity.
"I think it's worth it," she said after a moment. "What about you?"
Jean hesitated, then lifted her head with a troubled expression.
"…I think so too."
Jean knew perfectly well this was Valerius's trap.
But Shinobu clearly wanted it. And if she refused, tension would form between them—and they still had a long time left to live together.
Causing friction now would only make things worse later.
So in the end, she nodded.
"Excellent," Valerius said, satisfied. "I'll finish delivering meals and come back to install it."
Two points safely secured.
With a cheerful expression, he pushed the cart onward toward Cottage No.2.
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