“Alright! Now that everyone’s here, let’s begin tonight’s grand finale!”
Okada Daruma was always so hyped in front of the camera, a stark contrast to her off-stage persona.
Still, that’s just how hosts are, always trying to liven up the atmosphere.
“First, let me explain the rules for tonight’s Test of Courage. Please look over here. This is the map for our event~”
Behind Okada Daruma was a blackboard, on which a flat map of the rainforest was drawn. Three different starting routes, A, B, and C, were marked out, all converging at the mountain peak.
“So this Test of Courage is actually a race to see who gets to the summit first?”
Azure Cavalier asked, and Okada Daruma, hands on hips, nodded.
“That’s right~ But since you’re all Heroes, I have three extra rules for you.
First! Your Heroic powers are just too strong and would ruin the fun of the Test of Courage, so during the event, Heroic powers are strictly prohibited.
Everyone from Sigma is forbidden from using exoskeletons, and Clara is not allowed to transform into a Magical Girl—break the rule, and you’re disqualified~”
That was understandable. There’s no way the staff playing ghosts could handle Heroes. If they jumped out to scare someone only to get pummeled in return, that would hardly be worth it.
But even without transforming, the cyborgs and mutants are still physically capable of beating up any ordinary human ghost impersonator.
Okada Daruma continued, “Second! No running, flying, or using any vehicles during the climb. You must ‘walk’ to the summit. We don’t want anyone dashing straight for the finish line with their eyes closed. That defeats the purpose of the event.”
In other words, it’s all for the show~
“Finally! There are collectibles hidden along each of the three routes—three per path. All of them are placed in locations that are easy to spot if you just take a moment to look around.
But if you only focus on racing ahead or keep your eyes shut all the way, you won’t have a chance to get them. Only by collecting all the items and reaching the finish line will you be crowned the victor!”
Time-stalling rules, but reasonable enough.
Honestly, this feels more like a traditional variety show than a Test of Courage.
“There are only three routes, but five of us. Are we splitting into teams?”
Viridian Echo asked, glancing at the others.
“I’ll be the sixth member and join you all… Just kidding! Did you really think I’d say that?”
Okada Daruma held a megaphone in one hand and five long, unseen sticks in the other.
“There are five sticks, three colors. One stick is a unique color, and whoever draws it has to go up the mountain alone. So, everyone, be ready to accept your fate~!”
She handed the sticks to Clara first, reminding, “No need to show your stick right after drawing. For the sake of suspense, we’ll reveal everyone’s picks at the end~”
This girl sure loved talking about “suspense.”
Clara drew first, secretly peeking at what she got.
Green.
Tch. What lousy luck. Ominous, even.
It made her think of a certain annoying playboy.
After everyone finished drawing, it was time to reveal their picks. The last to draw, Crimson General, carelessly showed his stick.
The end of his stick was stained with red paint.
“Oh! Captain Red drew the red one—fate, isn’t it? But is there another red stick? Let’s see who else drew one!”
Then it was Viridian Echo’s turn. Clara swallowed nervously, hoping not to be paired with him.
“Oh! Another red!”
So, Crimson General and Viridian Echo became Team A.
Next up was Sista.
Pure White Storm opened his palm toward the camera: the end of his stick was black.
Not a good sign; that shade screamed “unique color.”
Clara wasn’t scared of going solo—she actually preferred moving alone. After all, she was an old man at heart, so what was there to fear from ghosts?
[Is that so?]
[Back when you worked for ‘Pioneer Corp’ under Fourth Calamity, didn’t you get so scared by President Chesia that you hid in the bathroom?]
That’s a different matter!!
Clara was a bit worried about Sista.
Having a one-year-old girl play a Test of Courage was just mean!
More importantly…
She didn’t want to team up with Azure Cavalier.
As the group’s strategist, he was the best tactician among the Sigma series.
…
If they were alone together, he might see through her.
As Clara pondered this, Azure Cavalier opened his palm.
A green stick lay in his hand.
This was bad.
Was she really going to be stuck with Azure Cavalier?
Wait—Sista had the black stick?
Clara suddenly thought of something, and, without a sound, stuffed her green stick into her mouth and held it there for a few seconds…
Okada Daruma walked over to her.
“Miss Clara, that’s not a toothpick. Please don’t use it to pick your teeth…”
Clara finally pulled the stick from her mouth.
The end, originally green, was now completely covered in a blob of black ink, looking identical to Sista’s stick.
“Huh?!”
This was clearly outside Okada Daruma’s expectations.
Though Clara and the others drew their sticks with their eyes shut, Okada Daruma had placed them in with her eyes wide open—she knew exactly how many sticks of each color there were.
Clara had obviously cheated.
“Well then, looks like we have our teams!”
But she didn’t press the issue, simply announcing:
“First, Crimson General and Viridian Echo make up Team A;
Then, Magical Girl Clara and Pure White Storm are Team B;
And, unfortunately for him, Azure Cavalier drew the unique stick and will be Team C, our lone wolf for tonight! But with his brains, I’m sure he’s still got a great shot at winning~
Now, everyone please head to your route’s starting point. Make sure to turn off your phones during the climb. Our filming drones will follow you, and if any emergencies come up, we’ll send help right away. No need to worry about safety.”
Still, going solo was dangerous. It made you an easy target for a stealthy Psycho lurking in the shadows.
Team B’s starting point was at the northeast corner of the resort, where the mountain path was steep and snaked upward like a winding serpent—more of a mountain trail than rainforest.
With a drone trailing them and a mic clipped to Clara’s swimsuit strap, their interaction couldn’t be as casual as usual.
Sista’s current identity was that of a beautiful young hero, so Clara couldn’t call her by name.
“Are you scared?” Clara asked.
The staff must have set up all sorts of spooky tricks along the mountain road.
“I’m not scared. I don’t really get what’s scary about this, anyway.”
Sista replied, holding out a hand to Clara.
“But if you’re afraid, Miss Clara, you can always hold my hand.”
“No, I’m not scared either!”
Clara refused, of course. Holding Sista’s hand wasn’t the issue, but doing it on camera was.
For Sista’s sake, and her own, Clara had always avoided any physical contact with the Sigma crew while on camera. If those rabid fans saw it, they’d be driven mad with jealousy, losing what little reason they had left.
For example, a certain invisible, psychotic lady.
If she really was lurking in this rainforest, planning to kill someone…
Her target would definitely be Clara, wouldn’t it?
What a cheater