Faced with Valerius's question, Furina finally relaxed.
She'd won.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Raiden Ei, who was still staring blankly ahead. Furina lifted her chin, lips curling smugly.
"I am the God of Justice, you know. I've seen this level of reasoning in court more times than I can count. How hard could it be?"
Utterly pleased with herself.
She had nine points.
Now that Raiden Ei and Xiao were both alive, she'd gain two more.
Eleven points.
Just thinking about it made her heart flutter.
"—I asked for your reasoning."
Valerius's face darkened.
"I didn't ask you to show off."
"…Ahem."
Furina cleared her throat, adjusted herself into a more comfortable sitting posture, and finally began in earnest—though the pride in her voice never quite disappeared.
"Didn't any of you notice that one role was missing?"
Raiden Ei and Xiao both shook their heads in unison.
Missing… a role?
"We all had identities assigned in this mansion," Furina continued.
"So tell me—why couldn't Valerius, who's been with us the entire time, also be one of them?"
She began counting on her fingers.
"We had the young lady of the household—Herta.
The doctor—Jing Yuan.
The maid—Jade.
The chef—Raiden Ei.
The bodyguard—Xiao.
And me—the gardener."
She paused, then smiled brightly.
"But the most important role of all was missing."
"The butler."
Silence fell.
Xiao's eyes widened.
So that was it.
At last, everything snapped into place. Even he had to admit—it was impressive.
"So then," Xiao asked sincerely, "when did you start suspecting Mr. Valerius?"
"From the very beginning."
"…You're exaggerating."
Xiao rubbed his temple.
If he remembered correctly, she'd been this close to voting him out earlier. If Herta hadn't jumped in first, Furina would've been the one in trouble.
"Hmph."
Raiden Ei crossed her arms, clearly dissatisfied.
"So you figured it out and didn't tell us? Eating alone, huh."
Furina shot her a glare.
"Weren't you the one who initiated the vote first?"
The nerve.
If Raiden Ei hadn't rushed things, Furina had fully intended to carry everyone to a shared victory.
"Enough."
Valerius nodded with satisfaction.
"At least you're smarter than you usually look."
That stung a little—but Furina decided to take it as praise.
Valerius stood up and casually pulled out a strange-looking machine.
"Well then—congratulations on your victory. You have 11 points. Would you like to draw your reward?"
"Of course."
The machine was odd.
Bright red casing.
A side-mounted lever.
And a square output slot at the bottom.
Valerius handed Furina eleven coin-like tokens.
"You already know the rules. The number of coins you insert determines the tier of the reward."
Furina nodded, staring at the coins in her palm.
One point was the lowest tier.
Ten points, the highest.
She hesitated briefly.
I'll test the waters.
If the one-point reward was acceptable, she'd draw them one by one.
If it was terrible… she'd go all in.
She dropped a single coin into the machine and pulled the lever.
Clack—clack—clack.
With a mechanical rattle, a large cardboard box tumbled out.
"…This is… milk?"
Her mood immediately soured.
She'd expected the one-point reward to be mediocre—but this?
Valerius coughed lightly, clearly holding back laughter.
"A well-known brand. Walnut and peanut milk."
"A big brand?"
Furina picked it up and stared at the bold letters printed on the box.
Six Nuclear Bombs
"…What kind of brand name is that? And what's a nuclear bomb?"
Livestream Chat
[Welt]: Nuclear bomb?! You drink that?
[Trailblazer]: Will you mutate if you drink it?
[Fu Xuan]: The packaging looks crude. Possibly an unregulated product.
[Navia]: One point gives you a counterfeit product?!
[Wriothesley]: That doesn't look impressive at all.
Valerius leaned back casually.
"Don't underestimate it."
"Oh?" Furina narrowed her eyes. "What does it do?"
"Drink it, and you instantly become an idiot."
"…For a limited time."
"…You—"
Speechless.
That wasn't milk.
That was poison.
With visible disgust, Furina shoved the box aside.
"Absolutely not."
Seeing that, Raiden Ei glanced at the box… then at Furina.
"Uh… you don't want it?"
"No."
"Then give it to me."
"…Why?"
Raiden Ei answered without hesitation.
"I'll take it back for Yae Miko to try."
Far away, at the Grand Narukami Shrine—
Yae Miko felt a sudden chill run down her spine.
Livestream Chat
[Yae Miko]: Ganyu dear, I've been thinking lately—mind if I come stay with you for a bit?
[Ganyu]: Hehe. If Lady Guuji wishes to visit, you're always welcome.
Ganyu smiled gently.
So you're afraid too, huh.