When Ren Kuroda and the others declared that they would participate in the Gift Game, Shiroyasha's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
She lightly clapped her hands twice.
In an instant, everyone present felt a ripple pass through space itself.
The corridor inside the Thousand Eyes branch vanished.
When their vision steadied, what greeted them was a sight that shattered their understanding of reality.
The polished shop interior was gone.
In its place stretched a vast prairie, golden wheat swaying in endless waves beneath a radiant sky. White hills rose along the distant horizon. Beyond them lay a shimmering lake and a dark green forest.
The plain seemed to go on forever.
There were no walls.
No ceiling.
Only boundless land beneath their feet.
And then—
They saw it.
Hanging low in the distant sky was a colossal celestial body, aligned horizontally with the earth below.
A white sun.
It was so enormous that it dwarfed the entire horizon, as if they were standing not on a planet—but suspended somewhere in the void of space itself.
Whether this space was real or an illusion hardly mattered.
The fact that Shiroyasha could conjure something of this magnitude with a casual gesture was enough to leave everyone stunned.
Hands on her hips, she looked at the speechless group and spoke again.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly."
Her voice carried across the open plain.
"I am the Demon Lord of White Night—the Star Spirit of the Sun and White Night, leader of Thousand Eyes, and the strongest Floor Master of the Lower Levels."
Her golden eyes gleamed.
"Shiroyasha. Are you certain you wish to participate in my Gift Game?"
The aura radiating from her now was completely different from the lazy, mischievous loli who had been molesting Black Rabbit moments ago.
It was overwhelming.
Terrifying.
The air itself seemed to thicken, pressing down on their lungs. Breathing became difficult.
She was barely over a meter tall.
Yet standing before her felt like standing before the sun itself.
A Star Spirit was the ruling spirit of a celestial body at planetary scale or greater. The highest race among beings such as fairies, demons, and spirits—existences that served as the very source of Gifts.
And Shiroyasha was the Star Spirit of the Sun and White Night.
In the strictest sense—
She was the Sun.
"I have prepared two levels of difficulty," she continued lightly. "An easy mode and a hard mode."
Her fan snapped open with a soft flick.
"Given your strength, I would recommend the easy mode. However, I will respect your decision."
She tilted her head.
"So? What will it be?"
Her background was simply too immense.
For a split second, even the usually fearless problem children hesitated under the weight of her presence.
She represented the Sun.
And they?
They were merely humans.
Even the Earth they once lived on would be reduced to dust before the real sun's fury.
"I'll take the hard mode."
The voice came from Ren.
While Asuka and Yō were still frozen by the pressure, Ren stepped forward calmly and made his choice.
There had been no misunderstanding the moment Shiroyasha released her true aura.
Even if he pushed his power to the limit dozens of times over, he would not be her match.
But this wasn't a duel.
It was a Gift Game she was hosting.
And that meant there were rules.
Ren believed that if the challenge wasn't a direct battle against her, then he had a chance.
More importantly—
He wanted to see it for himself.
Just how powerful was the Star Spirit of White Night?
How far was he from the true high-tier existences of Little Garden?
"Then we'll take hard mode too—"
"Don't."
Ren's voice cut across Asuka's words sharply.
"Just because I chose hard mode doesn't mean you need to force yourselves."
He looked at them seriously.
"Knowing your limits is a strength. This isn't a competition between us."
Shiroyasha was a top-tier Star Spirit.
Her hard mode Gift Game would not be something easily cleared.
As far as Ren knew, Asuka's Gift was similar to a form of command-based speech—a kind of limited verbal authority. It could barely restrain him, let alone someone like Shiroyasha.
Yō's Gift had so far manifested as flight. But since she had been chosen alongside Izayoi and Asuka, Ren doubted it was that simple.
Even so—
Neither girl possessed Izayoi's combat instincts or experience.
And they were still unfamiliar with the true mechanics of Gift Games.
Hard mode, in Ren's opinion, was too dangerous for them.
As for himself—
With his half-yokai constitution and regenerative ability, his survival rate was significantly higher than that of an ordinary human.
If the hard mode involved lethal risk, he had better odds of walking away alive.
Asuka opened her mouth to argue—
But Shiroyasha spoke first.
"He's right," she said lightly. "The hard mode carries mortal danger."
Her golden gaze fixed on Ren.
"You are stronger than those two girls. I can tell from your movements and your aura."
Her smile thinned slightly.
"But even so… are you certain?"
"If you participate in the hard mode of my Gift Game… you may die."
It wasn't a threat.
It was a fact.
Ren met her eyes.
"It's fine."
He gave a faint smile.
"Sometimes what you see isn't the whole truth."
His gaze sharpened.
"Isn't that right?"
For a brief moment, Shiroyasha's expression faltered.
Then she laughed softly, delighted.
"It seems I underestimated you."
"You're more interesting than I thought."
After some persuasion from both Ren and Black Rabbit, Asuka and Yō finally agreed to participate in the easy mode Gift Game.
Ren and Izayoi, on the other hand, chose hard mode.
Izayoi's reasoning was simple.
"If you're taking hard mode, and I take easy mode, that's embarrassing," he said with a grin.
"And if Asuka and Yō clear easy mode first, I'll be stuck watching from behind. That's boring."
He cracked his knuckles.
"So I'll go see what this so-called hard mode looks like."
Shiroyasha laughed.
"You brats are awfully confident."
She clapped her hands lightly.
"Even the easy mode is a Gift Game hosted by me, Shiroyasha. Ordinary communities wouldn't clear it so easily."
Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
"And you are No Name."
A sharp cry pierced the air.
It was neither bird nor beast.
From the distant mountains, a massive winged creature took flight.
As it drew closer, its form became clear.
It was nearly five meters long.
It had the body of a lion.
The wings of a vulture.
The head of an eagle.
"You're kidding!" Yō gasped. "That's a griffin!"
"Those only exist in fairy tales!"
"Are fantasy species actually real here?"
They had heard Black Rabbit speak of gods, spirits, and mythical races.
But seeing a griffin—an actual legendary creature—standing before them was something else entirely.
Compared to the imposing griffin, Shiroyasha's petite humanoid form had seemed almost understated.
Ren, however, remained relatively calm.
To Yō and the others, the griffin was a creature from storybooks.
To Ren—
He was a half-yokai.
He had seen stranger things.
Compared to some of the monsters he had encountered, a griffin was impressive—but not shocking.
With a casual gesture from Shiroyasha, the griffin descended and bowed deeply before her.
"This griffin," she declared, "will serve as the trial for your Gift Game."
She produced a card bearing the twin goddess emblem of Thousand Eyes.
A glowing parchment descended from the sky—the formal contract that only appeared when a Gift Game was hosted using official authority.
With a flick of her fingers, words began to inscribe themselves upon it.
Gift Game Name: The Griffin's ReinsParticipants: Yō Kasukabe, Asuka KudōVictory Conditions:– Successfully mount the griffin and ride it to the distant lakeside.– Earn the griffin's acknowledgment in at least one of the following aspects: Strength, Wisdom, or Courage.
Defeat Conditions:– Voluntary surrender, or failure to meet the above victory conditions.
Oath:In accordance with the above rules, this Gift Game shall be conducted under the honor, banner, and authority of the host.
Seal: Thousand Eyes
This was the so-called easy mode.
The participants needed to win the griffin's acknowledgment in strength, wisdom, or courage.
But griffins were proud fantasy species.
Earning their recognition was no simple task.
Yō stepped forward, eyes shining.
"Asuka… can I take this one first?"