Chapter 58 – Explanation of the Rules
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『The fourth day has concluded』
Once again, we were in the white room, which had recently started to become familiar to us. The appearance of a message on the blackboard a little while after the dream began was the same as usual, too.
『We shall now explain the details of the Special Full-Dash Event』
『
As for the rules of the Special Full-Dash Event:
– Everyone is going to wake up at 5 a.m. on the fifth day. You will be granted ten minutes to prepare.
– After the preparation time ends, all participants will be teleported to random locations together with their party.
– A white sphere with a shape that allows every participant to identify it by sight will appear after the teleport.
– If someone acquires the white sphere until the end of the fifth day, they will be able to obtain the 「Right of Return」.
– In case no one acquires the light sphere until the end of the fifth day, the reward won’t be given to anyone.
』
There were only a few really new points here. But the information itself was important. We’d need to finish our preparations within ten minutes of waking up at 5 a.m. Moreover, it’d be better to store the house and everything away, seeing how we’ll be forcibly teleported to some place on the island.
Not giving a reward if no one obtains the sphere makes sense. But, if I were to mention something that bothers me…
“Umm, you mentioned something about a party?” Minori asked.
Yes. It was a new word on this island.
『
About the party function:
– The minimal number of people per party is one.
– A party needs a leader.
– An applicant wishing to join a party can become a member by getting the leader’s approval.
– A person wishing to leave a party can leave by getting the leader’s approval.
– The party functions currently available only include 「Being dropped at the same coordinates during teleports that might happen at events」 and 「Grasping the location of the other party members」.
』
I see. The mysterious blackboard is naturally aware that some people have formed groups. I guess it’s giving those people the option to move together as a group or split up.
“We’re going to form a party, right?”
“Yeah. Being able to teleport together and having the ability to grasp each other’s location is beneficial for us,” I immediately replied to Shouko.
Everyone’s faces were washed over by relief when they heard my words. Only Chiyu remained as expressionless as always.
『
Key points for when you desire to obtain the light sphere:
– The light sphere is a flying object the size of a soccer ball.
– It possesses a broad perspective and will move to escape any pursuers.
– The light sphere will always be in a location visible by at least one participant.
– If a participant takes an action that harms other people during the capture of the light sphere, they will immediately lose 100 points.
』
Minus points equal one penalty day per point. In case someone returns with no acquired points but 365 minus points, they will stay in a coma for one year after returning to Earth. I knew as much from the rules that had been explained to us beforehand.
“Since the participants will physically compete with each other, clashes and tactics will be unavoidable. So, how do you define a 『harmful action』?”
『
– The definition of 「actions that harm others」 is 「behavior that intentionally injures others」.
– As for 「making others give up on active participation in the main event through persuasion」, 「intentional obstruction that doesn’t lead to injury」, and 「injuries that weren’t intentional」, those won’t be penalized.
– However, we will be the ones to judge whether an action was intentional.
』
“That means you have the power to know our intentions, eh…?” Shion muttered.
Given that they gave her something like an 『ability to tell lies apart』, it’s not all that strange for the mysterious blackboard and the people behind it to have a similar ability, or a superior version of it. I wouldn’t be surprised even if they could read our minds with that ability.
Either way, it means the judgment whether it was done in bad faith will be made without giving the offender any chance for a trial or similar. The often-quoted 『I had no bad intentions』 won’t work if it doesn’t align with the truth. After all, they will immediately know if it’s a lie.
――But, knowing that obstructing others isn’t forbidden is a big boon.
Of course, it’ll be necessary to be cautious about other participants trying to obstruct us as well. However, no matter which methods the participants adopt, it’s been set that the light sphere won’t fly to a height we cannot reach, nor will it dive underwater. In short, it won’t take any measures to prevent capture. I guess it’d go against the blackboard’s objectives, if we lost all motivation after being forced into a competition we cannot win from the outset.
“I wonder whether the name of the one who captured the sphere will be announced to everyone else,” Chiyu inquired about something that interested me as well.
『We will not reveal the identity of the person who captured the light sphere from our side. But, given the nature of the event, it’s possible that other participants will witness the instant the sphere is captured』
Such a scenario certainly would be inevitable. I already appreciate the mysterious blackboard not announcing the information publicly. It’d be a pain if we earned the ire of all participants after having weathered through all the hardships and obtained the 『Right of Return』.
『Question: What do you need for your life from now on?』
――Again with this question?
『Rice-plants / Wheat』
――OH, it finally appeared…!
“I’m happy about this, but what’s with the timing?”
“I-Isn’t it nasty to make us choose between these two…?”
“It means we either get rice or bread? Why do we have to choose one of them!?”
“If it’s rice, we’ll get access to cooked rice, rice porridge, rice cakes, and rice crackers.”
“If it’s wheat, we can make things like bread, cake, baked sweets, things that use flour, noodles, deep-fried food, and so on.”
Shion, Shouko, Chiyu, Minori, and I reacted in various ways. But, no matter what we choose, we’ll likely be able to utilize it in multiple ways if I match Shion’s cooking skills with my Crafting Ability. It should be possible to make the things mentioned by Chiyu and Minori after some testing and doing.
“Let’s just go with what you want to eat the most. We will vote in our minds to avoid it turning into a fight. That should work for everyone.”
After struggling for a bit myself, I chose wheat. A part of me wants to eat white rice as soon as possible, but if you consider that we’re high school students, I feel like the broader range of usage methods for wheat will be helpful. Boys like bread, okonomiyaki, udon, pasta, yakisoba, and deep-fried foods like fried chicken, tonkatsu, or tempura. Meanwhile, girls like baked sweets like cookies, cakes, and pancakes. Wheat is used to make a wide range of foods that are well-liked by teenage men and women.
Well, I do like Japanese rice dishes, too. It’s a question of balance.
Probably because everyone had their own thoughts on this, this poll took the longest to conclude thus far. In the end――
『
Polling is closed because a majority has been reached.
「Wheat」 will be deployed in the environment, starting on the fifth day.
』
Wheat has won the voting, and the end of the poll means…
“Ah, right. What will happen to the participants after the event? It’ll make a huge difference whether we’ll be returned to our previous location or not.”
『The participants still alive at the end of the event will be swiftly teleported to the location where they have been before the deployment』
Opinions might vary on this, but this was good news for me. I won’t have to worry about getting chased since we’ll be forcibly teleported back to our previous location. Otherwise, I’d have been anxious, even with Mashiro there.
If anyone seems like they could become our friend, I can have Mashiro memorize their scent and go search for them later. Or, if we can get them to join the party during the event, we’ll be able to teleport back together as a party.
I tried to ask more about this part, but my field of vision was obstructed by whiteness.
『The fifth day is going to start』
An event, where someone could obtain the right to return to Japan, was about to begin.
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