Commencement

"Another beautiful day."

Waking up in the morning, Leona walked out of her cabin and stretched with a series of satisfying pops. Inside her cabin, the thick, sweet scent of the Succubi hung in the air. It was good for lowering her guard and dozing off while doting on the Succubi, but today she felt like waking up refreshed.

As if declaring this a place where they could live in peace, the Succubi were fully enjoying their life of little work and adequate food. They'd been quite on guard just a few days ago, but now they were completely won over.

… This is boring, thought Leona.

"Maybe I'll use [Short Teleportation] and go play in the village… hm?"

There was a blatantly suspicious red button.

… She was about to press it, but memories of last time's eggplant flashed through her mind. But the option of not pressing it didn't exist.

She hesitated for just a moment, but a pair of Succubi happened to pass by. It was Suira and Michiru.

"Suira, Michiru. Perfect timing. One of you, press this button."

"Huh? What is this button, Leona-sama?"

"Okay! Like this?"

While Suira tilted her head in confusion, Michiru pressed the button without a moment's hesitation.

A hole opened in the ground, and not just Michiru who pressed the button, but Leona and Suira nearby fell in too.

"Hyaaah! What is this!?"

"Kyaaah!? Leona-samaaaa!"

"Oh my, that covered a wider range than I expected."

The pitfall, which was shaped like a slide, had a mat laid out a short distance down.

The three of them landed with a soft bounce on a large white mat in a dimly lit room.

"Uuu, wh-what is this. What's going on?"

"A pitfall… maybe? Leona-sama, what is this?"

"Yes, a trap!"

Leona looked happy.

"Ladies and gentleme… oops, ladies only! Anyway, welcome, ladies, to today's new floor!"

A voice that sounded like it went through a loudspeaker with some distortion. Uuma's voice.

At the same time, lights flicked on across the floor. It was a small room. Other than the hole they'd fallen through, the mat beneath them, and a banner hanging above the door in front of them that read "Starting Point" in this world's language, it was an ordinary room with nothing special about it.

Uuma, who had greeted the three, had a yellow bow tie attached to his chest and was holding a microphone. A sparkly sequined bow tie, the kind a goofy party host would wear, was glittering.

"Golem-san! What is this, is this a trap!?"

"Fu fu fu, calm down, Michiru. Actually, I made a new floor and wanted you to do a trial run… There was a notice near that button saying that pressing it means you agree to this, right?"

"There wasn't!"

"Is that so? Then if you want to go back, go up those stairs and turn right."

When Uuma pointed, a hole opened in the wall with a clunk, and stairs appeared.

"… So, Michiru is going back, but what about the other two?"

"Oh, I'll do it. It looks interesting."

"Leona-sama!? … I-I'll accompany you…!"

"U-um, if Onee-sama is doing it, then I…"

"Oh, Michiru is doing it too? Party of three, coming right up! Please, proceed to the next room."

Uuma opened the "Starting Point" door and bowed respectfully while gesturing for them to enter. The three just let slide that a Golem was acting so human-like, as it was the usual thing by now.

They were already used to Golems talking in the first place.

The first room was suddenly a slope. It was at quite a steep angle, and water was flowing down it. At the top of the slope was a door leading to the next room.

Having somehow circled around, Uuma was already standing in front of that door.

"Now then, the first challenge… The Slope! Will the challengers be able to reach the door at the top of the slope!?"

"Couldn't you have done something about the naming sense?"

"Ooh, good question, Leona-san… If you have any good ideas, we're taking suggestions!"

"I'll think about it. So what kind of challenge is this?"

Uuma gave a small nod at Leona's question.

"Indeed. As you can see, this slope is very slippery. I'm sorry for examinees, but it is EXTREMELY! SLIPPERY!"

"I see, so it's a harsh challenge for examinees…"

"Um, Leona-sama, Golem-san. What do 'examinees' have to do with any of this?"

"And the bottom of this slope is a pitfall! If you fall, it's game over. There's a penalty game!"

"Kuu! Not only do you slip, but you fall too! That's really harsh! Sorry, examinees!"

"Excuse me!? What do examinees have to do with this trap!?"

Leona and Uuma kept getting more and more excited while ignoring Suira. Michiru was tilting her head, also not understanding.

"Well, you just have to not slip and fall. Got it? Now then, challengers, for the sake of examinees around the world, including other worlds, break through this challenge without slipping or falling!"

Saying that, Uuma disappeared beyond the door.

"… Um, Leona-sama. What exactly is this?"

"Fufu, I'm getting excited for the first time in a while! Oh my, this water is viscous! Now then, you two, be careful and calm as you climb the slope! Hey Michiru, you're the lightest, so you go first?"

"Yes, Leona-sama! Come on, Onee-sama."

"Y-yeah…"

Being careful not to slip, the three began climbing the slope.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

"So, Kehma. What is this?"

Once the three started climbing the slope, Rokuko asked me a question.

"What, you mean? It's exactly what you see, a slope. Oh, I didn't use Tentacle Slime mucus this time though."

"Yeah, I get that part. But I was wondering why you'd set up such a meaningless trap in such a meaningless spot."

Indeed, while I was using the pretext of testing a new floor, the current pitfall had nothing dangerous in it; in fact, there was a mat laid out.

Moreover, the traps after this… traps? They're not meant for adventurers in the first place. For example, there's a challenge like "guess what's inside the box just by touch." Adventurers would ignore the instructions and just look into the hole, or rather, they wouldn't even bother with the box and head straight for the door.

"Well, to put it simply… including the mic performance, it's all about creating the right atmosphere."

"Atmosphere?"

"The challenges I made will probably keep Leona enjoying herself while following the rules I set up. However, that only holds true as long as she's having fun. In other words, these are just groundwork for making the final trap work… Also, there's the setup for Setsuna along the way."

"So basically, it's hospitality to get her to walk into the trap in a good mood?"

"Yes, that's exactly right. That hits the nail on the head."

And so, this is a treasure trove of "cliches," Leona's weakness… the recreation of a variety show.

Suira and Michiru are with her too, but Succubi tagging along was within expectations. I'll switch the route to attractions that accommodate multiple people while I have time, and then sit back and watch.

"Well then, let's enjoy watching Leona and the others clear their way right into our hands."

"Enjoy, hm?"

When Rokuko looked at the monitor, Leona was smiling as she caught Suira, who was about to slip and fall.