Future Diary Survival Game-Chapter 60 : Weight Loss - 2

Chapter 60: Weight Loss - 2
When we went back down to the first floor, the mountain of bread was blocked off by the same glass wall we had seen on the first day.
Those who had once been buried in that mountain were now pushed to a corner of the first floor.
Magireta pointed toward Armelia and said,
“This person here is the supervisor. From today onward, she’ll be in charge of distributing the bread.”
“Uugh…”
The participants’ reactions were far from pleasant.
Their eyes were bloodshot, and drool mixed with bread crumbs dripped down their chins.
“Give it. Give it.”
“Uuuaaah…”
“I want to eat. I want to eat…”
“Graaah!”
They were no longer in a state one could call human.
They must have fallen into even deeper addiction during the treasure hunt-like period we had.
How long would it take for that addiction to fade away completely?
Sienne spoke to Armelia.
“Your Highness the Princess. How will you handle the distribution?”
“There’s nothing to ask.”
Step.
She took a confident step forward and declared,
“There will be no distribution of bread! Not until I decide it’s acceptable.”
That became the spark.
Even in their deranged state, they somehow understood those words.
“Uaaahhh!”
The participants rushed at us like mad beasts.
They looked like a pack of animals with nothing but claws and teeth for weapons.
Of course…
“Urgh?”
“Grr…”
“G-give it… give me the bread…”
They were blocked by the magic barrier Berseum had cast and couldn’t come any closer.
Step.
Berseum sat casually on the stair landing and said,
“Keep throwing your tantrums. The more you flail, the more weight you’ll lose.”
The day Armelia became the supervisor marked two weeks left until the game ended.
By that time, the forty-five participants had gained far too much weight.
So Armelia enforced a harsh diet policy.
For the first three days, she didn’t give bread to anyone.
The addicts, consumed by anger, tried to attack her—but with Sienne, Aina, and Berseum holding their ground, it was a meaningless attempt.
After three days passed, Armelia declared,
“Starting today, I will only give bread to those I designate.”
“On what basis?”
“To those who appear to have lost weight the fastest over the past three days. People whose body type naturally slims down more easily can have one piece of bread.”
“Appearances? They all look the same to me.”
“I remember their body shape every hour and every minute.”
I was at a loss for words.
Anyway, once Armelia started handing out bread to selected people, a problem immediately arose.
“Give it! Give me that bread!”
Those who didn’t receive bread lunged at those who did.
Left unchecked, they would be eliminated by Rule number seven: ‘Anyone who steals another’s bread through threat or violence will be disqualified.’
In the end, our group had no choice but to stay busy.
We had to stop those who, in their madness, tried to snatch another’s bread.
Once again, Sienne, Berseum, and Aina played a huge role.
Thud. Crunch.
“Uugh…”
“Please… I was wrong. Please, give me bread…”
“Sob… sob…”
The participants writhed on the floor.
Aina smiled lightly and said,
“Dieting isn’t only hard for the ones doing it. It’s tough for those watching, too.”
Don’t say that with such a bright smile.
Another week passed.
By then, even I could tell that the participants had visibly lost weight.
Armelia observed them carefully and nodded.
“One week left, right?”
“Yes.”
“If they keep this pace for the next week, they’ll drop below the weight they had when they first joined. Just a bit more effort should do it.”
“Your Highness has worked hard. You truly are the literal definition of a supervisor.”
“Ahem.”
She blushed slightly and cleared her throat.
I added casually,
“By the way, could you supervise me too?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“Of course, I mean the diet.”
Everyone tilted their heads.
Sienne asked,
“Aren’t you already on a diet? Our 0th-floor meals are half the usual portions.”
“I’m thinking of taking a more active approach.”
“There’s really no need… Unless you suddenly lose control and binge, just maintaining your current shape is enough for us to pass.”
“There’s a first-place reward, isn’t there?”
At that, Berseum let out an exclamation.
“Ah! I’d forgotten about that.”
“Yes. The condition for first place in this quest will naturally be ‘the one who loses the most weight.’ Not in absolute numbers, but based on the percentage of body weight lost from the start.”
“…”
“The other participants doing the quest elsewhere must have been given equally addictive food. Unless they found a hidden room like we did, many of our competitors are probably already gone.”
So I was planning a final spurt.
A strong—or rather, extreme—week-long diet to aim for maximum weight loss.
“Since Your Highness has outstanding supervisory talent, I was hoping you could help me too.”
“Hm. If that’s the case, I’ll join as well.”
“…Pardon?”
“Instead of you alone going for the first-place reward, wouldn’t our chances be higher if all five of us aimed for it together?”
Then Aina snickered and cut in,
“All five of us? I never said I’d join.”
“Perhaps you should take this opportunity to manage your body shape as well…”
“W-what are you talking about? I’m still growing, you know. You’re the one who should be worried about that, Your Highness.”
“I—I’ll have you know I’m at a perfectly normal weight.”
After that brief commotion, all five of us decided to aim for the first-place reward.
From then on, we joined the participants in their diet.
Around three days before the game ended, some participants began showing signs that their addiction had vanished.
We congratulated them and, as a reward, guided them to the 0th floor.
Those who had refused to eat the 0th-floor dishes when their addiction was still active now wept tears of joy as they ate.
“This tastes so much better than bread. I really must have been out of my mind all this time.”
“It’s all right. Everyone was the same.”
“I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this kindness.”
“Please, don’t say that.”
“So the rumors were true. You’re all saviors.”
There were rumors like that?
Time passed again.
The remaining participants began regaining the light of reason in their eyes.
And when everyone had completely broken free from addiction—
“Game over! You all worked really hard.”
The dreadful diet quest finally came to an end.
Magireta called all of us to the first-floor hall.
Physically and mentally wrecked, the participants sat slumped on the floor.
We were in better shape than them, but not by much.
After all, we had endured a week of hunger with every ounce of willpower we had.
Now, it was time to see the results.
Magireta said,
“You all look so much slimmer now.”
“I think ‘weakened’ might be a better word than ‘slim.’”
“Don’t talk back to your sister, little brother.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Anyway, let’s check the results. Here’s your current weight!”
Rustle.
Just like the first day, a massive sheet of paper fluttered down from above.
If I remembered correctly, my weight before the game started was 72 kilograms.
And now…
—Mason Gear: 62.5 kilograms.
Holy crap.
I’d lost nearly ten kilograms.
Wasn’t that close to first place?
‘Hm? Come to think of it…’
I tilted my head and asked,
“This time you’re not covering your eyes? Your Highness, Aina.”
“It’s fine. You can look if you want.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty confident now.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Then Sienne spoke cautiously.
“I’m sorry, but could someone check mine too?”
“I’ll tell you.”
Just like the first day, Aina leaned close to Sienne’s ear and whispered,
“…I see. Why? After all that effort?”
“Must be age weight.”
“…”
“S-sorry. Please put that murderous aura away.”
Armelia cut in.
“So the results weren’t quite as you hoped, Lady Sienne?”
“Yes.”
“…”
“Please, don’t smile like a victor.”
“Y-you can see that? How?”
Rustle.
At that moment, Magireta rolled up the paper and said,
“Surprisingly, all fifty participants have passed this game. I’m glad my game helped improve your health.”
“I think it hurt our health, actually.”
“I told you not to talk back to your sister.”
“Sorry. But who took first place this time?”
“Well, none of you, so stop looking at me with those sparkling eyes.”
What? None of us got first place?
I’d lost ten kilograms!
Among us, who had fought through that insane addiction, none of us took first? How…?
“How much weight did the winner lose?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Then who is it? How did they overcome the addiction?”
“Hey, I said I can’t tell you.”
Well, figures.
Naturally, one name popped into my head.
Looks like the others thought the same thing.
Berseum spoke first.
“Edgar Tyler. I suspect he’s the one who took first place.”
“I think so too, brother.”
“Could it be that his immortal body was immune to addiction symptoms?”
At that, Magireta interrupted.
“No, that’s not it. That would be way too unfair, don’t you think? I’m the embodiment of fairness.”
“The way you said that makes it sound like Edgar was the winner.”
“I didn’t say anything. You can interpret it however you like.”
So it was him.
Just how did that guy take first place?
Did he perhaps find the hidden room right away—and not take a single bite of bread?
…
Well, no use racking my brain over it.
For now, I could only be satisfied that we finished the quest safely.
“So, here’s a consolation prize for those who missed first place!”
Rustle.
Gold coins rained down from the air.
No need to scoop them up—Magireta would bag them for us before sending us back.
“Buy lots of delicious food with this, okay? You must’ve been starving.”
“…”
“But don’t go overboard and binge, or you’ll rebound right back to your original weight. That’s called the yo-yo effect.”
Yo-yo effect, huh?
“Well then, where should I send you all?”
The participants each called out their desired destinations.
We decided to return to the Deut Territory first.
Before parting, the participants shouted to us,
“Mason, and everyone—thank you so much!”
“We lost our minds and even attacked you, cursed at you… yet you still helped us to the end.”
“If you ever need anything, please tell us. We’ll help you no matter what.”
“I’ll make sure your names are known in the next quest!”
“Take care! I pray you all stay safe to the end!”
At the end of those shouts, the voice of the Diary Book echoed.
[You have safely cleared the Fifth Quest, ‘Diet’.]
[The records during the Fifth Quest, ‘Diet’, have been updated.]
[Some parts of the Future Diary have been revised due to these changes.]
[The Diary Book’s ‘Peeking’ feature has been upgraded.]
[Hidden Quest: Achieved Armelia’s survival. Reward: 100 points.]
[Hidden Quest: Achieved Aina’s survival. Reward: 100 points.]
[Hidden Quest: Achieved Berseum’s survival. Reward: 100 points.]
[Hidden Quest: Achieved Sienne’s survival. Reward: 100 points.]
[Rescued 45 ordinary participants. Reward: 45 points.]
[Current Points: 813]