Chapter 171

And Steph knew—the feeling of their skin hidden beneath that same thin sheet of fabric. Despite their mere daylong romance—a forced romance, at that—the passion she’d felt had been seared into her memories. Ba-dum… Ah… Who should I get together with…? If I pick one person, then I need to stifle my feelings for the others. I can’t— “What are you thinking?! This space is influencing your feelings—not to mention this whole Oh, whoever will I pick? attitude!! Get ahold of yourself, Stephanie Dola!! Argh!! Romancing so many different people just makes you a trashy woman who’ll throw herself at anyone!!” BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG! Shiro watched pityingly as Steph slammed her head into the stone walkway. “…Brother…we should, probably…let Steph get some…rest…,” she whispered. “Sorry, but no can do. Steph is one of the most important members we’ll need for this love game. She’s also the most normal of us all right now, depending on how you look at it. She’ll be fine—besides, it’s all for comic relief.” Steph was just her usual old self when she slammed her head on the ground, Sora asserted. That showed the heightened level of trust he placed in her. Oddly enough, the rest of the group agreed with him. As the festivities continued, Jibril shot the sky a look. “…And? When will we receive an explanation as to why you remodeled the garden after the Star Festival?” she asked, then added in a huff, “Not to mention these outfits.” She didn’t need to wait for an answer: This was the setting for today’s game. The fact that Foeniculum went to these lengths meant that this one wouldn’t be as easy as the previous three. Emir-Eins joined Jibril in cautiously squinting at the sky, when— “Bwa-ha-ha—HA-HA-HAAA!! Check it out!! They used to call me a bottom-of-the-barrel streamer, but look at ’em now! They’re all waiting for the show to start, like a buncha simpletons!! No more shit-talking my channel, ’cause soon enough, I’m gonna be a superstar streamer!! You ignorant plebes are gonna be prostrating yourselves as you worship me through your screen!! Get on your knees, bitches! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-haaa!! GYAAA-HA-HAAA!!” —Foeniculum finally made her appearance: rolling around, laughing in front of a screen. …She appeared exuberant over the rate her daily viewership was increasing. Sora glanced at the screen, where he noticed what appeared to be a comment section, and called out to her: “Uh… I don’t speak Fairy, so I’m not sure what they’re saying, but—” “Whazzat?! You got somethin’ so important to say that it’s worth interrupting my yay-me time?!” “It’s just the comments; they’re coming in so fast—you sure they can’t hear you right now?” “Hey, guuuuuuys! It’s everyone’s favorite super-shitty streamer, Foeniculum heeere! Gosh, Sora, you can’t go calling our precious viewers simpletons; that’s a big no-no!! Save the word ‘ignorant’ for the queen of ignorance—moi!! Oh no, viewers! Your boots look so dirty—I better lick them clean!! Lick, lick, lick, lick— Gahhh!! The stream’s totally buried in hate!! It’s going up in flames!!” She pivoted to pandering to her viewers practically at the speed of light. “Whoa, what the—?! Where’s all this backlash coming from?! We haven’t even started yet!! Somebody get a fire extinguisher!! I know—we’re starting this puppy five minutes early today!! That’ll calm ’em down!!” The group shared the same thought: Turn off your mic already… Jibril’s question—along with Steph, who continued to bash her skull against the pavement—went unheeded, and the eighth stream kicked off in disarray…… “Heeey! It’s Channel Foeniculum comin’ atcha with our next stream!! Today is episode eight of A Space That Only Couples Can Leave!! And it’s brought to you live by yours truly—” The group was used to Foeniculum’s fake emcee voice by this point. She acted as peppy as possible to try shifting the tone of the chat, but it was no use. “Hold up; did you guys bring those from the waiting room chat log?! I’m gonna block whoever’s posting those screenshots!! What the—?! Are those clips of me?! I only said that, like, two minutes ago!! How’d you get that video edited so quickly?! Y’all have way too much free time on your hands!!!” Foeniculum shrieked at the screen as it was inundated with angry commenters. But this was the obvious outcome. No matter where you are or who you’re dealing with, the more you try sweeping your mistakes under the rug, the angrier the internet mob will get. “Um, uhhh… A-anyway!! I may be the shittiest streamer on the Linkernet, b-but I’ve got an awesome show for you today!! We’re changing things up a bit this time!!” There is one way to quell the fury of the masses, however: bring them something even more sensational. And that was: “Feast your eyes!! Today’s game will take place at—ta-daaa!! That’s right, the Star Festival!! Not only that, but the gamer duo Blank will be helping with the stream!!” “…’Sup…” “Greetings, my Fairy audience!! Allow me to introduce myself!! I’m the executive producer for today’s game—the elder brother half of Blank: Sora, virgin, age eighteen!! I love seeing the dumbass looks on people’s faces after I pull one over on ’em—that happens to be my hobby and my greatest talent!! I’m forever single, ready to forever mingle. ” “Yaaay!! Now that’s what I call an introduction! Let’s give ’em a round of applause!!” “Whaaat?!” The intro went exactly as Foeniculum intended. Not only her viewers’ jaws, but the collective jaws of Steph, Jibril, and Emir-Eins dropped. Yessss, that’s it—that’s the kind of faces I like to see, Sora thought, soaking it all up. No point in hiding it any longer. What sort of game were they to play with a stage of this scale…? Sora and Shiro had the answer to Jibril’s original question the entire time. It was a scheme the two had proposed to Foeniculum that morning!! “The siblings paid for today’s stage using everyone’s tips—that’s a total of one hundred and thirty-four million points!! Let’s give ’em an even bigger round of applause for their big hearts and big wallets!!” “Wh-whaaaat?! What is she saying—? AGHHH!! All our points are gone!!” Foeniculum’s commentary sent a panicked Steph scrambling to check the group’s tablet. She started shrieking once more. Again, no point in hiding this, either. The Star Festival, their outfits, the crowd, the booths—anything and everything. None of it was Foeniculum’s doing. It was created the same way Steph had built a well and a kitchen for the group. Sora used their tips to buy all this! Their savings were literally down to zero… They didn’t even have enough for dinner that night, but regardless— “Now, I bet y’all are asking yourselves the same question: What could they possibly have in mind to put all this together? Well, I’ve got your answer!! Get ready for the details of today’s games!!” The chat was all ears at Foeniculum’s different surprise announcements. And they weren’t alone, as Steph and the others waited in silence for the Fairy’s explanation. Then, following a tantalizing ten-second-long drumroll… “I present to you, the first-ever…Two-Hour No-Loving Summer Festival!!” A succession of particularly large fireworks went off as she made her declaration. Everyone—save for Sora, Shiro, and Foeniculum—wondered what this meant, though the Fairy moved right along, theatrically continuing her explanation against lively festival music. “The rules are simple!! Our five contestants will spend two hours at the Star Festival—that’s it!!” It should be mentioned that every firework that accented Foeniculum’s commentary cost a whopping ten thousand points. Sora, meanwhile, was dying to see the face Steph was going to make once she went over the receipts. “However!! The contestants aren’t allowed to fall in love with anyone during this two-hour period!!” As Foeniculum spoke, Sora and the others found watch-like devices materializing on each of their right arms. “All five of them will be wearing spark sensors on their wrists! A single spark of love is all it takes for the needle to go past the line, and then they’re out! They’ll immediately be subjected to a penalty!!” She went on to describe the penalty game the contestants would face. “What kind of penalty, you ask? They’ll be forfeiting control of their bodies to me for ninety seconds!! Oh, I obviously won’t be able to harm them in any way—don’t hafta worry about that, thanks to the Covenants and all. ” Basically, if they felt even the faintest romantic spark, Foeniculum would take control of their bodies, and— “And!! If any of our contestants manages to go two hours without feeling a spark for another player, they win! There can be more than one winner, and they’ll all get rewards! Also—whoever felt the most sparks and the second-most sparks will receive our usual prize: They’ll be coupled up for a day!! Them’s the rules!!” With that, Foeniculum finished her explanation, but— ? Is that it? —Sora could tell through the screen that the viewers were left scratching their heads. So contestants would be penalized for any sparks of love by having their bodies controlled by Foeniculum for ninety seconds. Okay, being unable to move your own body is quite a punishment in itself—who knows what she’d have them do. Still—you couldn’t help but wonder if that was all there was to this game. At least, the viewers must have felt that way. “…………” Steph, Jibril, and Emir-Eins, on the other hand, didn’t share that sentiment. Sora and Shiro had devised this game—the group knew there was more to it. Jibril and Emir-Eins smiled, undeterred. They believed in their master. Steph, meanwhile, glowered at Sora and Shiro. She knew full well that they were absolutely up to no good. Sora saw their expressions and, grinning ear to ear, answered their gazes silently: Thanks, guys. Thanks for believing in me. That’s right: There’s way more to this than meets the eye. “Anyhoo!! We’ll get started in five minutes! I’ll be taking comments until then! …Hey!! What’s with you guys?! We get it already; you heard what I said in the waiting room, so let’s move past that— Yes, yes, of course I’ll get on the floor and grovel for you.” Out of the corner of her eye, Steph caught Foeniculum on her hands and knees begging for mercy, then shot Sora a reproachful look. “…I believe you have some explaining to do?” “Hmm? Oh yeah… About Werebeast yukatas—they’re the same as in my world. You know how I said they don’t wear underwear with them? That’s a lie. They’ve always worn underwear with yukatas. Still do, even today.” “Whaaaat?! W-wait, I’m going to go get changed— No, that’s not what I’m talking about!!” Steph squeezed her thighs together and blushed, then shook her head furiously. “I’m asking why you’re teaming up with Foeniculum to host the stream!!” “What’s there to ask? Foeniculum’s on our side—so we need to work together.” And by that, he meant: “We gotta reach five billion points. All I did was provide her with the system to do just that.” Yes—Foeniculum was playing this game with them, not against them. To win the game, they both needed five billion points—that basically changed everything. At first, Sora thought the objective of their game was to have the contestants fall in love with each other, that the whole point was romance…something completely foreign to him. He had no idea how he would ever agree to such terms. Therefore, as embarrassing as it was, Sora deduced that this game was some sort of punishment for losing a different game, and then he sank into despair— However… If love wasn’t their objective, but rather a means to an end—that turned everything on its head. In other words, if the objective was to accrue a massive amount of souls in the form of tips, then they needed a method to earn tips from their viewers, the Fairies—and that method was…love! It was the only explanation as to why Sora would even agree to a game like this in the first place—the reason being—!! “I know jack shit about love and romance!! This is me we’re talking about here, the supreme king of all virgins— However!! If our goal is to rake in the dough—perhaps by means of a little cunning and trickery—well, I’m kinda a specialist in that department!!” Sora laid out his logic for Steph, who appeared to agree. “…I see now,” she replied with a nod. “I guess there’s not much to be said about you spending one million three hundred and forty thousand points without asking any of us. These are just your usual shenanigans. The only thing I have to say is that if we’re allowed to throw our money away, then I’d like to buy a bath as soon as we get back to our rooms.” “Damn straight. Love to be surrounded by people who understand me. ” “But you’ve left out the most important detail, Sora.” “Oh? Was there something else I forgot to explain?” “I’m talking about the entire point of this game!! She said it was the No-Loving Summer Festival!! What does that even mean?!” For once, Steph appeared to actually notice that Sora had glossed over this crucial aspect. “Elkia—nay, most of the races—is on the brink of extinction!! Now’s not the time for silly games!! How are we supposed to feel sparks of love in this situation anyway?!” Says the girl who was bashing her head against the pavement over her own love life… Shiro, Jibril, and Emir-Eins cringed at Steph. “You don’t have to,” Sora replied apathetically. “Foeniculum’s gonna reward us if we manage not to feel any sparks—then we’ll get five free questions. You know how much info I can get outta her with that many, right? So all we gotta do is make it through the next two hours.” “Oh… H-huh? I—I guess you’re right…” …Two hours without feeling any sparks. A nigh impossible feat for Steph in her current state, although she didn’t seem to realize it in the moment. Jibril and Emir-Eins, however, did pick up on this, which was why they knew: Sora had zero intention of seeing nobody feel a spark… Thus: “Listen, there’s nothing to worry about. We’ll earn our money back in no time.” Steph was the only one who failed to follow his logic. That’s when: “Allll righty, then! Time to get this show on the road, people!!” And just like that, five minutes had passed. Foeniculum announced the start of the game, and the group was simultaneously capsulized within bubbles before they all disappeared with a single poof. “Oh… Come to think of it, she never said anything about us starting at the same spot…” As soon as Foeniculum declared the game had begun, Steph was teleported somewhere else in the vicinity. After managing to get her wits about her rather quickly, Steph slowly walked down the busy road, lost in thought. …Sora made it sound so simple—are we really just going to spend two hours here…? This was a game designed by Sora and Shiro—Steph knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. Steph did everything she could to keep her mind off the festival and any thoughts that would make her feel a spark of love. The Star Festival, one of Disboard’s grandest events, was in full swing. The spectacle was more than enough to thrill Steph, but the smells alone were achingly enticing. The festival route was lined with booths dishing out the best eats the Eastern Union had to offer… Though it was all fabricated by Sora and Shiro using Fairy soul tips, the food was without a doubt the real thing, and it was just waiting for her to eat it. Steph did everything in her power to resist the exceedingly tempting aroma. She had no idea what would set off the spark sensor strapped to her wrist!! For all she knew, showing signs of excitement or even licking her lips at the delicious smells could be considered out of bounds! It’s always this way with those two… This is pretty much torture…! she thought. No! This is for my country! I’ll withstand anything they throw at me, even actual torture!! Yes—Elkia, and all of Immanity, was on the line. Steph couldn’t possibly feel an inkling of passion in such circumstances! She just needed to mindlessly stroll around for two hours. This is for Elkia—it’s the only way I can help my country now!! Steph committed to her plan with an iron will, however— “…Puff~~! ” “Eek?!” —out of nowhere, she felt a light puff of air hit her ear. Her iron will shattered into a million pieces. “H-hey—what was that for, Jibril?!” Steph spun around to lash out at Jibril. However, the Flügel seemed more confused than apologetic. “Oh…? I can tell your heart rate increased, but it seems like it wasn’t enough to set off your sensor. It seems the definition of love in this game is strictly emotional. In that case… Hmm, how shall I go about setting off sparks for you…? This may prove difficult.” Jibril smiled as she shared her intent to make Steph fall in love. “Do you realize what you’re saying?! Shouldn’t we try to make it through this game without feeling any sparks?! We’ll be able to ask five more questions if we—”