The next morning came, though in this sealed room with no windows, I couldn’t really tell if it was actually morning or not! But the countdown to the next challenge was ticking closer by the minute.
”Good morning..,” I stretched out on the cold, hard floor and felt the second day of the ‘Partner Game’ begin.
Ever since I got dragged into this game, I haven’t slept in a proper bed. Today, for sure… I want to sleep in a real bed.
”Mmm..,” Shikijo-san turned over in her sleep, letting out a soft, breathy sound. She seemed to still be deep asleep. Maybe because she was wearing just her uniform shirt and skirt, I could see a glimpse of her purple, sexy underwear-what a sight.
I wonder if she wears expensive panties because she’s a lady. They’re very, you know, sexy and suit her. My sister Manami only wore simpler ones. This was the first time I’d seen a girl my age’s underwear in person-other than Manami’s, that is.
”Phew..,” Staring any longer would be a bad idea-she might wake up and get the wrong idea. There was no choice, so as much as I’d hate to stop, I should quit peeking.
I headed to the shower room to wash away my dirty thoughts and morning sweat. I stripped off my clothes and stepped inside. The bathroom was all glass with nothing to hide behind, but since she was asleep, it was fine for now.
”I didn’t shower yesterday either, and honestly, I haven’t had a proper bath since that first White Room,” I’d used ‘Abyss’ to make water and wash off dungeon grime now and then, but I never got fully clean. I mean, if I stayed still, Goblins would show up, so it can’t be helped.
The bathroom was needlessly big but bare-bones-just a large tub and one showerhead. There was no shampoo, no soap, and no stool to sit on, which was certainly no way to relax.
”Seriously, the God who made this game is so cheap,” I pulled out a garden chair I’d gotten from a Goblin drop, plus shampoo and a wash bucket from my ‘Inventory.’ Of course, there was no bath stool, so I used a similar plastic chair instead. I turned the faucet, and cold water shot out with force.
”Cold!” I quickly turned the knob back. Looking closer, there was only one knob-no temperature control at all.
(Hey, only having cold water is a defect! This is like a cheap hotel!) God should really get a gas contract already; honestly, how cheap can you be? Little details like this affect user reviews, you know. In my book, this game was already getting a low rating because it just keeps forcing inconvenience on you.
”No choice. I’ll just make hot water myself. Holy Demon Sword Manifestation, First Holy Demon Sword……’Abyss’” A one-handed sword with a blue glowing gem appeared in my hand. “……’Water Creation’ ‘Liquid Manipulation’ ‘Liquid Transmutation’”
I made a water ball of just the right size above my head with ‘Water Creation,’ then changed its temperature to a comfortable warmth with ‘Liquid Transmutation.’ I stuck my hand into the water ball to check the temperature.
”Oh, this feels pretty good,” I grabbed the shampoo and lathered up my hair. I moved the warmed water ball to the center above my head, wrapping my head in it, and then I used ‘Liquid Manipulation’ to control the flow and create a current. “So this is a fully automatic hair washer…!”
I might have come up with a genius invention here. The swirling water washed away the dirt from my hair in no time. Then I wrapped my whole body in a warm water film and rinsed everything off at once. It felt like being put through an automatic car wash-really pleasant.
”Oh, this is so easy. I can wash my body while standing in water. Talk about killing two birds with one stone,” My buddy down there was also swaying happily in the water. Come to think of it, maybe it’s because I leveled up? I feel like it’s gotten a little bigger-maybe one size, no, two sizes bigger. Maybe my buddy is still growing too.
”How much more are you gonna grow, huh?”
(As far as we can go, brother. You and me together.)
”Oh, buddy. Someday we’ll take over the world together.”
I was having this ridiculous conversation with my groin buddy when I felt a sharp gaze from behind. I turned around to find that Shikijo-san had woken up at some point and was staring at me with a cold, complicated expression I couldn’t quite read.
”…Oh my, Shikijo-san is so naughty!” When I joked, she let out a deep, heavy sigh and silently walked toward the entrance.
After I got dressed and left the bathroom, Shikijo-san, looking a bit calmer, spoke to me quietly.
”Regarding yesterday… You actually overheard everything, did you not?” She looked down awkwardly, confirming it was obvious I’d overheard her ‘secret’ yesterday.
”Yeah, well… yes. I heard every word.”
”…I knew as much. Do you think less of me now? It is true that I was kidnapped. However, the portions concerning being in heat or being lustful-those are complete falsehoods. I merely wish for you to believe that.”
”I believe you. We’ve only spent one day together, but I know you’re not that kind of person,” I answered, looking straight into her eyes.
”…Thank you,” Her expression softened a little, and she reached out her slender right hand. “Let us start anew. It is a pleasure to meet you properly, Kageyama-kun.”
”Yeah. Nice to meet you too,” I gently squeezed her delicate palm. Maybe because she does kendo, her hand had some calluses.
”So, um..,” Shikijo-san fidgeted with her fingers as she spoke. “I should like to take a bath as well. However, that facility… it is made entirely of glass, is it not? Would you be so kind as to cover your eyes for me?”
”Yeah, of course I’ll turn around. But the shower here only has cold water. So I’ll fill the tub with hot water using my holy sword-just wait a minute. You can use the shampoo I left there too.”
”You are assisting me with everything. I am truly most appreciative.”
We both moved to the bathroom, and going in together like this made me a little nervous, as if we were in a mixed bath. I took out ‘Abyss’ again.
”That sword is distinct from the large one I observed yesterday.”
”Oh, right. I haven’t fully explained yet. I mentioned it a little yesterday, but this is a holy demon sword summoned by ‘Wielder of the Ten Holy Demon Swords.’”
”That ‘Wielder of the Ten Holy Demon Swords’ is the unique skill you acquired from the previous game, is it not?”
I gave a small nod and confirmed her question. “Yeah. With the skill, I can summon ten holy demon swords, each with a special ability. But my proficiency isn’t high enough yet, so I can only call five right now.”
I materialized all the holy demon swords I had right there: the blue holy sword ‘Abyss’, the red holy sword ‘Inferno’, the pitch-black holy sword ‘Void (Divider)’, the huge rock-like holy sword ‘Titan’, and the thin purple holy sword ‘Curse’.
”Splendid… it is quite like actual magic,” Maybe because she practices kendo, she stared at the swords with great interest.
I activated ‘Abyss”s ability and filled the tub with warm water in an instant. Shikijo-san touched the water happily, her eyes sparkling; maybe she likes fantasy stuff like this.
”It truly is remarkable. Kageyama-kun, you cleared the previous game entirely on your own. I find that most admirable,” She praised me with a bit of excitement.
”Hehe, you think so? I was just desperate to survive,” Being looked at with such sincere admiration from a pretty girl made me feel both embarrassed and happy that my effort was recognized-it felt like being praised for beating a tough game.
”…Well, we may converse further later. However, at present, I wish to take a bath, so would you mind stepping outside, Kageyama-kun?”
”Got it, okay.”
”Honestly, the correct response is ‘yes,’ Kageyama-kun.”
Hearing her voice, gently scolding me like a child, I blindfolded myself with a cloth and moved to the farthest entrance as promised. After that, I had a fierce battle with the devil inside me, trying not to peek at her bath.
After her bath, we sat next to each other on the bed again. We used the same shampoo, but she smelled sweet and nice. She wasn’t wearing any makeup after her bath, but she was still as cute as ever. Her hair was wrapped in a towel with her wet black hair catching the light, giving her that alluring post-bath vibe.
”Thank you, Kageyama-kun. I feel so thoroughly refreshed now. Were it any other gentleman, I likely should not feel this comfortable.”
”No problem. All I can provide is food and basic hygiene. Just tell me if you need anything. Oh, I do have a hairdryer, but there’s no outlet here, so I can’t use it.”
”Hehe, no, you have done more than enough already. Thank you. However… here we are, forced into a life-threatening game, yet we are getting along so splendidly. Is that quite all right…?”
”Hey, why not? There’s a saying, right? ‘At home, we’re one; outside, we’re separate.’”
”That is true. I believe I shall endeavor to be more adaptable like you, Kageyama-kun.”
”Yeah. The trick to surviving is not overthinking things!”
”That… I feel as though that is somewhat different… but very well, no matter,” Shikijo-san paused for a moment, then changed the subject. “So, Kageyama-kun. There remains so much I wish to inquire of you. Will you inform me?”
”Ask me anything. I’ll answer whatever I know.”
After that, I answered her questions: about the first game ‘Dungeon,’ about the first White Room, about unique skills and monsters, even about my school and my family. And for some reason, she even asked what type of person I liked. I thought, “Aren’t we getting off track here?” but I tried my best to answer properly.
By the way, my type is someone with long hair, big boobs, and a kind personality. Shikijo-san fits that perfectly, but our status-family background and all-is just too different, so I feel a little intimidated. But when I think about the type I like, she mumbled “Yeah” and stared at her own chest. Wait, does this mean a flag has already been raised? My heart was pounding because of how Shikijo was acting, which made me think that. Just being able to spend time with a cute girl like this is enough to make any high school boy’s head spin.
”My thanks for answering all my inquiries. I have learned a great deal.”
”Glad to hear it!”
”However, one matter has been weighing on my mind. After you clear this game, Kageyama-kun, you intend to proceed to another one, do you not?”
”Yeah, after I clear this one, there’s eight left. I’m looking forward to seeing what games are waiting.”
”Are you quite serious? This is a life-or-death ordeal, so how can you possibly remain so positive regarding it?”
It’s not that I’m trying to be positive; it’s just that my mom raised me to always face things head-on with a good attitude, maybe because of how my parents raised me. Also, I’m the type who doesn’t really think things through before acting, so because of that, I’d do stuff without thinking and my sister would get mad at me a lot. And honestly? Most of it is just that I want to enjoy the games God made.
”Ugh, it is that extraordinarily carefree disposition of yours, is it not? In any case, what I am attempting to inquire is: what becomes of individuals like us who joined mid-way once we clear this game?”
”Can’t we just go home? Back to our original world?”
”I certainly hope so. Yet I am concerned about what transpires should that not be the case. From what you have related to me, I believe I still have further games remaining.”
”Can I ask why you think that?”
”There are two principal reasons. First, I did not pass through the ‘first White Room’ as you did. In your account, the default number of games was ‘three,’ was it not?”
”Yeah. Minimum is three games and maximum is ten.”
”Thus I suspect we must clear at least three games. And here is the primary reason. Would you kindly inspect the details when I display my status screen?”
”Sure, no problem.”
I checked what was written in her notebook.
[Player Name: Shikijo Yuna]
[Player No: 007]
[Games Played: 1/9]
What was copied into the notebook was different from how my status screen looked. I have things like Game Title and Difficulty Setting on mine, but her screen only showed the number of games.
”Hey, this means you also have to play nine games, right Shikijo?”
”Presumably. I actually observed this yesterday, though at the time I assumed it pertained to this partner game. However, that is not so. Based upon what you stated, this is merely one of ten games…”
The room fell quiet with a heavy silence.
”I think it sucks that you have to be forced into this when you don’t even want to play, unlike me. But since it’s written that way, it looks like you’ve still got games ahead of you, just like me.”
”Sigh… This is truly affording me a headache. Why was I dragged into this…”
”I don’t know either.”
”Indeed, there is little point in inquiring of you.”
”But hey, if things get dangerous, I’ll protect you. We’re the first teammates we made, after all!”
When I said that, some of the tension left Shikijo’s face, and she gave me a gentle smile; man, she’s really cute. I thought she’d be all prideful since she’s an ojou-sama type, but she’s got a soft side too!
Just as we were having this nice moment, an unpleasant mechanical sound cut through the room as today’s “task” updated, and both of us stared at the monitor screen.
[Current: Day 2]
[Remaining Pairs: 9]
[Today’s “Task” – (Climax)]
[Within one hour, you must reach “climax” through your partner’s hands, mouth, or physical contact.]
[*Self-stimulation does not count.]
[・Kageyama Manato: 0/1]
[・Shikijo Yuna: 0/1]
[Time remaining to complete “Task”: (0:59)]
”You’ve got to be kidding…”
”I possessed a suspicion… that a crude ‘task’ of this nature was forthcoming.”
Shikijo seemed less surprised than I was; maybe she got over her hangups after the first “task”? Either way, it completely ruined the nice mood we had, but honestly? Inside, I was kind of excited. I mean, I get to do something lewd with a gorgeous girl like this? Any guy would get pumped about that!
Trivia:
- Kageyama’s casual use of ‘Abyss’ to create hot water shows how he’s adapted his combat skills for daily survival, blurring the line between utility and power.
- Shikijo’s calloused hands from kendo reveal a disciplined, active side beneath her refined lady exterior—contrasting with her vulnerable secret.
- The running joke about Kageyama’s “buddy” growing with level-ups adds dark comedy to the life-or-death setting, hinting at the game’s bizarre rules affecting even non-combat aspects.
- Kageyama’s mother taught him to be positive, which explains why he treats a death game like an amusement park attraction.
- Shikijo is putting on a brave face about the “task,” but her earlier politeness and refined speech show she’s deeply unsettled.
- The game system forces players into sexual situations regardless of their consent or personal boundaries.