Future Diary Survival Game-Chapter 40 : Shift Change – 1

Chapter 40: Shift Change – 1
‘Hey, Diary Book.’
[Yes.]
‘I want to know what that bastard Ian just realized. He seems to have something up his sleeve—search it for me.’
[That’s not possible.]
……?
Rebellious phase? Puberty?
[Didn’t you just think something disrespectful?]
‘What do you mean it’s not possible? I should still have plenty of points left.’
[Inside the Future Diary, that Ian fellow wasn’t on the same team as you, Mason.]
‘Ah-ha!’
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
Originally, we were all supposed to scatter and complete our quests separately.
I had requested a shuffle in exchange for my memories, and Edgar, inspired by that, offered something of his own to send Ian to our team.
That’s how that guy ended up standing before us.
[Once this quest ends and the Future Diary updates, information about Ian might be recorded somewhere. However…….]
‘You mean, during this quest, I can’t use the Future Diary for help.’
[Correct. But don’t worry. I have infinite faith in your limitless potential, Mason.]
‘That’s a soulless cheer.’
[Well, I literally don’t have a soul.]
That was when—
Whiing.
Suddenly, our bodies were pulled and sent flying somewhere.
When I came to my senses, Magireta’s figure came into view.
“You’ve all worked hard. Hungry? Sleepy? Need to take a dump? Go ahead and take care of all those needs you’ve been holding back.”
“……”
“It’s shift change time. From now on, Ian’s team will have six hours to find a place to hide, so relax and rest until then.”
“Ugh.”
Aina was the first to flop down onto the floor.
Berseum cracked his back, then lay down comfortably beside her.
Soon, the other participants followed suit, lying down and staring at the ceiling.
Only Armelia kept her composure and sat quietly beside me.
“You’ve worked hard, Mason.”
“You as well, Your Highness.”
“This game is certainly our victory. Not a single one of us was found.”
“Yes. Well, in an ordinary game of hide-and-seek, I suppose we’d all have been caught by now.”
Tap tap.
This time, Berseum tapped my shoulder and asked,
“There’s something I’ve been curious about.”
“Please, go on.”
“They said that every quest’s first-place winner receives a prize. Like the orb your team has, or Edgar’s Kanesella.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you think is the prize for this game?”
At those words, I glanced toward Magireta.
Magireta smirked mischievously and spoke,
“I think it’s better if you fix that habit of relying on others, kiddo.”
“Ah, yes.”
“That half-hearted answer again? What’s this, your rebellious phase? Are you going through puberty?”
Huh. Déjà vu?
“Obviously, I can’t tell you. If you’re curious, then work hard and win first place.”
“Then at least tell me this—what’s the condition for winning first place?”
“Hm?”
“For example, in the Third Quest, the person with the highest cumulative score over the three weeks of exams was first place, right? I’m asking what the winning condition is for this quest.”
“Hm…… I’ll tell you that too once you win.”
Huh?
That was strange.
I wasn’t asking for the prize itself, just the condition for winning.
And she couldn’t even tell me that?
A hunch brushed through my mind, and I quickly skimmed the rules on the bulletin board.
My eyes caught on one particular line.
2. To form a new team during a quest, the consent of all twenty participants is required.
Something itched at the back of my head.
Familiar, yet unclear.
Like I was just one step away from grasping it.
After thinking for a moment, I spoke to Magireta.
“Nuna. About rule number two here.”
“Yeah?”
“If I wanted to form a new team, what exactly would I have to do? It says consent is required, but how does that work?”
“Like this.”
Tap.
Suddenly, a small transparent panel appeared before me—
a simplified version of the large board above us, a “mini bulletin board.”
On it was a palm-sized handprint, just the right size for mine.
“Anyone who agrees to redistribute teams places their hand there. Once you make a formal request, this will be shown to all twenty participants—both the seekers and the hiders.”
“So placing your hand there means you agree?”
“Exactly. Want to try it now?”
“No, just forget I asked.”
Magireta clicked her tongue in disappointment and dismissed the panel with the handprint.
I think I understood now.
The winning condition for this game.
And how it could be achieved.
I’d think about that later.
For now, what mattered more was figuring out what method Ian had realized.
I flopped down on the floor.
At some point, Aina and Berseum had already fallen asleep.
Then, Armelia carefully lay down—not right next to me, but close enough.
From that position, she turned her head to look at me and spoke.
“Mason. What do you think Ian will do?”
Uh… she’s a bit too close.
“I’m not sure yet. Why do you ask?”
“At the last moment, he had an expression as if something had dawned on him.”
“I noticed it too. You’ve got a sharp eye, Your Highness.”
“I always make sure to observe people’s expressions closely. It’s the only way to survive in that cold Imperial Palace.”
I was reminded that her life in the Imperial Palace had been harsh and lonely.
Rather than comment on that, I decided to lighten the mood.
“Then what do you think I’m thinking right now?”
It was a casual question, but unexpectedly, Armelia stared straight into my face.
Her clear, pure eyes made my face heat up involuntarily.
Before I knew it, I found myself thinking she was beautiful.
“You’re thinking……”
“……”
“……Ahem! I—I don’t know. You must be tired, you should get some sleep.”
The Princess abruptly turned her body away.
Wait—did she actually read my mind?
Six hours passed in a flash.
Just as Magireta had said, we slept, ate, and relieved ourselves without issue.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t figured out Ian’s plan.
“Well then, I’ll send you off now. Go find those well-hidden folks and seize victory.”
With a cheer that touched no one’s heart, we were transported.
When I opened my eyes, we were once again in that familiar Audience Chamber.
Everyone looked around, scanning the area.
“Where could they be hiding?”
“They probably copied Mason’s previous plan. I’m sure of it.”
“But that worked thanks to that old man’s magic—or whatever that amazing ability was. Without that, I doubt they could pull off the same trick.”
“Should we split up and search?”
They discussed it among themselves, then subtly glanced my way.
I scratched my head and said.
“Yes. We had plenty of time, so let’s split up and look….”
“No. That wasn’t necessary.”
“Aina?”
“Damn. To use such a brazen trick.”
Aina’s face had hardened.
I tilted my head, then turned my gaze to where she was looking.
There still stood the stopped Emperor.
And the throne.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Could it be?”
“Yes. No doubt about it. He was hiding behind that throne.”
“That made no sense. That counts as hiding?”
“There were people hiding behind curtains, too, after all.”
Armelia Kerr Dneroum flushed and cut in.
“That was practice, so it was done comfortably. We only needed to see whether the invisibility magic could be detected.”
“Fine, we’ll call it that.”
“Anyway, behind the throne? We had eighteen hours to find them — what could they possibly accomplish hiding there?”
……
“How could Aina or you notice something like that in this street to begin with?”
Aina shrugged.
“I wasn’t as monstrous as Ian, but I could roughly tell by breathing or presence. Moreover, those guys weren’t really trying to hide.”
……
“They were panting like crazy — except for Ian, that one.”
Berseum stroked his mustache with a solemn expression.
“I think I get it. They took a hint from the method we used earlier.”
Right.
I exhaled heavily.
A little while ago we had used the rule that required touching the ‘body’ to count as finding someone.
They had done the same.
The only difference was that they were far more brazen than we were.
Step, step.
We approached the throne slowly.
And when we had come close enough.
Precisely one step short of the stairs……
“Out of mercy I’ll say this once. Don’t come any closer than that.”
Ian’s voice came from behind the throne.
I rummaged through my pocket and found a gold coin.
Then I flicked it and tossed it beyond the stairs.
Then…….
–Saaahhh!
With an ear-splitting tearing sound.
Clack.
The gold coin split in two!
“Eek!”
“W-what was that just now?”
“Did it really break? A gold coin? From that distance?”
“How could that happen…….”
This was truly strange.
I was at a loss for words.
“This is ridiculous. This wasn’t hide-and-seek anymore.”
……
“The throne was huge, but it would be hard for ten people to all cram together and hide. I can plainly see that one fellow’s sleeve sticking out.”
“Hmph.”
“Can you really call that hiding? It was only barely concealing an outline — just enough to stop anyone from touching the body. This was practically a show of force.”
Of course, Ian paid no heed to my clear, rational critique.
“What you did couldn’t exactly be called hide-and-seek either.”
“Why? At least we had the decency to shove our bodies inside armor.”
“If you put it that way, we showed the decency of hiding behind the throne. Actually, originally I could have simply shoved the Emperor aside and sat on the throne to welcome you lot.”
……
“But I refrained because behaving that way might provoke Magireta’s annoyance.”
That was a boast, a proper boast.
He sounded far too pleased with himself for someone who was hiding and only letting his voice out.
Berseum said in a low voice.
“I heard the Trosse family’s secret technique. If someone came within a certain distance, it would cut whoever was there regardless of their posture.”
“The old man knows a lot.”
“But I didn’t expect that certain distance to be this far. That was clearly farther than the reach of a sword — how on earth was that possible?”
“Let’s say we were both surprised. I was similarly taken aback when you unleashed your magic earlier.”
This time Armelia spoke up.
“Don’t boast, Ian.”
“Heh heh. What do you mean?”
“I know of your family’s secret technique. But I’ve heard it consumes an enormous amount of spirit power to use. There’s no way you could maintain that defensive posture for eighteen hours straight.”
“That information is a bit outdated. Specifically, by about ten years.”
……
“Granted, I haven’t been active on the front lines in the last ten years, so I’m not surprised. But don’t mistake me for my past strength. Or rather, perhaps I should ask you to mistake me for it.”
Ian’s voice was endlessly relaxed.
“I could maintain it for not just eighteen hours, but one hundred and eighty. Do you understand what that means, Your Highness the Princess?”
“What does it mean?”
“Rule Eight.”
If both teams had the same number of found opponents, the game would repeat until a victor emerged.
“Last time, none of the Princess’s team were found. And this time, none of you will be able to touch our bodies either.”
……
“In other words, the game repeats. If we take the searching side next time, the Princess will again hide somewhere — in that armor or wherever — and cast defensive magic.”
……
“The only difference from before is that I already know that fact.”
Though unseen, I would stake my entire fortune that he was grinning.
“After the shift change, I will start hitting the defensive magic from the beginning. After about eighteen hours or so, some solution will present itself, won’t it?”
“Guh.”
“Even if I can’t break it, that’s fine. If not next time, then the following time; if that doesn’t work, then the time after that… I have both the willingness and the ability to keep attacking until the magic breaks.”
……
“How long will that old gardener be able to hold out? He looked spry for his age, but surely not more enduring than I am.”
Berseum’s face clouded.
I sensed something in that expression and grabbed the Diary Book.
And I spoke inside my head.
[Brother. How much longer will you be able to maintain defensive magic?]