"Yes," Black Rabbit said with certainty. "Whether it's Mr. Ren, Mr. Izayoi, Miss Asuka, or Miss Yō—your Gifts are all exceptionally powerful.
Forget seven-digit Outer Gate Communities. Even five-digit Middle-Level Communities would have no problem accepting you."
She lowered her voice slightly.
"That's why I said… if Mr. Ren wants to hold a Gift Game with the children of 'No Name,' they simply don't stand a chance."
There was a trace of pride in her tone.
After all, being able to invite such extraordinary talents to Little Garden in one stroke—anyone would feel a little smug.
But the moment she remembered what Izayoi had just said—
Her heart sank again.
If the children couldn't possibly win, then there was no way Ren would have a reason to stay.
"Ren isn't stupid," Izayoi replied casually. "If he proposed a Gift Game, he wouldn't design it without leaving some possibility of victory for 'No Name.'"
He shrugged.
"And besides—what does 'No Name' have to lose? Or rather… is there anything left to lose?"
The words were blunt.
Cruel, even.
But Black Rabbit and Jin couldn't refute them.
Right now, "No Name" was practically penniless.
Aside from Black Rabbit herself—a Moon Rabbit noble of Little Garden—they had nothing of value.
And although Black Rabbit's figure was undeniably eye-catching…
It was painfully obvious that Ren Kuroda showed far more interest in little girls than in a certain bunny noble.
After some friendly interaction—thanks largely to Ren's unfairly handsome face and easygoing personality—
He quickly blended into the children's circle.
With Black Rabbit and Jin's approval, the kids happily agreed to play a game with their "big brother."
The "No Name" headquarters had two large communal bathhouses.
However, at a seven-digit Outer Gate, even ordinary water was considered a precious resource.
Their territory was located far from any natural water source.
Communities in the Eastern District at this level had to travel all the way to the forest to fetch water.
As a result, ever since "No Name" fell from grace—
Those two massive bathhouses had never once been used.
The water they relied on daily was carried back bucket by bucket by the children themselves.
A parchment filled with text descended from the sky.
One copy landed in Ren's hands.
Another fell before Lily, who stood at the head of the children.
Black Rabbit and the others leaned in curiously to see what kind of Gift Game Ren had established.
Gift Game Title: Fill the Bathhouse
Participant 1: Ren KurodaParticipant 2: All minors of "No Name"
Rule 1: Any method may be used to fill the bath, provided the water is from a legitimate natural source. No assistance may be received from anyone other than the registered participants.
Rule 2: Both sides will fill one bath each simultaneously. The first to completely fill their bath wins.
Rule 3: If Participant 1 wins, the game ends. If Participant 2 wins, Participant 1 must join Participant 2's Community.
If neither side fully fills their bath within the time limit, victory will be determined by water level. The higher level wins.
Black Rabbit had just opened her mouth to offer Lily some advice—
When Izayoi covered it from behind.
"You idiot rabbit. Didn't you read the rules?"
"No one except the participants can provide help. Even giving advice is forbidden."
"Mmmph—!"
Black Rabbit struggled uselessly under his hand.
"It's okay, Lady Black Rabbit!" Lily declared, clutching the parchment with determination. "Lily will lead everyone to victory and make sure Lord Ren stays with us!"
As the oldest among the minors, fourteen-year-old Lily naturally took command.
The two bathhouses of "No Name" each held over a hundred cubic meters of water.
Filling one within a single day by carrying water from the forest was nearly impossible.
But the rules didn't require full completion—
As long as their water level surpassed Ren's, they would win.
Lily had heard from Black Rabbit and Lord Jin that Ren was a five-digit powerhouse.
But this wasn't combat.
This was labor.
If it came down to endurance and manpower—
They weren't necessarily at a disadvantage.
After all, unlike Ren, who was new to the area—
They fetched water from the lake every day.
They knew the shortest route.
They knew the terrain.
And while Ren stood alone—
They had one hundred and twenty children.
In Lily's eyes, their chances of victory were very high.
The game began.
The children scattered throughout the compound, gathering every container that could hold water—
Pots. Bowls. Buckets. Basins.
Then, under Lily's direction, they sprinted toward the forest path.
Ren watched their enthusiasm with a faint, wry smile.
They were still children after all.
The rules clearly stated they could use any method—
Yet their first instinct was to carry water manually.
"So," Izayoi called out lazily, "you're up against a bunch of kids. You're not going to exploit the rules and crush them unfairly, right? That'd be pretty pathetic."
Ren chuckled softly.
"I set those rules specifically for them. I have no intention of cutting corners."
He paused.
"And even if I used the most straightforward method… if they fail to notice how to truly use the rules, they still won't beat me."
There were countless ways for Ren to fill a bathhouse without outside assistance.
In fact—
Within his system storage space were several defective magical artifacts he had "acquired" from Wiz's magic shop.
A few of those could fill the bath in minutes.
But as Izayoi implied—
Winning that way against children would be shameless.
Once all the children had departed with their makeshift containers, Ren finally moved.
He searched the surrounding forest and selected several large trees of appropriate size.
With precise, masterful blade work—
He hollowed them out in minutes.
Two massive wooden barrels took shape.
Each had a diameter of one meter and stood two meters tall.
Ren casually lifted four of them.
Despite their enormous size—
He broke into a run as if carrying nothing at all.
Yes.
He was alone.
But in a single trip—
He could transport more water than Lily's entire team combined.