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Last Embryo Volume 1 Chapter 5 Part 2

Translator: DarkHeartedAlchemist

Editor: Weasalopes

「Gift Games?」

「That’s right, boys and girls, you heard that correctly! By now all three of you should be aware that you are not exactly like the rest of the humans around you. Those strange and mysterious powers that set you apart from the rest of them? Those are the Gifts bestowed upon only the selected few by various Gods, lesser deities, demons, spirits and even stars themselves! Gifts Games are, to put it simply, competitions in which Gift wielders clash with each other using their unique powers! And in order for them to lead an exciting and fulfilling lives without the fear of being persecuted for how different they are, the perfect stage – The World of Little Garden – was created!」

*Usaaa!* *Usaaa!* Kuro Usagi’s ears happily jumped up and down as she continued her explanation. But before she could continue, Homura and Suzuka interrupted her after exchanging surprised glances.

「Wait a second, okay? So you’re telling us that in order to be summoned here, you have to possess a special power, one of those… Gifts, correct?」

「YES!」

「And that is an absolute rule? There are no exceptions?」

「YES YES YES! For example, you should already have a good idea of what your Gift is, Miss Suzuka.」

「Well, yeah, I guess I have, but…」

Homura and Suzuka exchanged another set of worried glances. Both of them were perfectly aware that they are different from others in a way, so that was nothing surprising to them. But what worried them now was the fact that Kudou Ayato has been summoned in here together with them. If what Kuro Usagi said was indeed true, then it would have to mean that she also possess some kind of Gift, otherwise her being here with them would simply make no sense.

「Uhm, Aya? I don’t want to sound rude, but… were you perhaps… hiding something from us this entire time?」

「Let’s leave that talk for later, Suzuka. Miss Kuro Usagi, please continue. My guess is that there should be some additional conditions we have to fulfill if we wanted to participate in those Gift Games, right?」

「YES, of course! Before participating in a Gift Game, it is absolutely necessary for every contestant to belong to one of the numerous organizations known as Communities scattered all across Little Garden.」

「Uh-huh, yup-yup. And what happens when you win this Gift Games?」

「The winners of the Gift Games are awarded the prizes from the game’s 『Host』. As to what the actual prizes are, it can be anything: money, lands, rights of ownership, servants… and even the Gifts belonging to the ones who lost the Gift Game. If you take the Gifts from others and make them your own, it will be possible for you to challenge the Gift Games of even higher levels, where the risk will be greater, but so will be the potential rewards. Of course, if you take part in a Gift Game where your Gifts will be at stake and you lose that game, your own Gifts will be taken from you, so please take that under advisement when considering who to challenge, ufufufu.」

She finished her speech with a provocative snicker.

At this point, Suzuka’s eyes literally changed into shining stars.

「Fufufu, there’s no need to worry about that stuff I tell you. I’ll have you know that even though he might not look like it, my Bro Saigo Homura here is unbelievably strong when it comes to all kinds of games!」

「Fufu, well in that case I’ll be looking forward to his performance. After all, those skilled in Gift Games are the elites of Little Garden, so when you challenge them, please remember to first and foremost enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content.」

「We will get to it when we will feel like it. Next question: who are ones hosting the games and bestowing Gifts upon the winners? Just don’t tell me that these 『Hosts』 are the actual, bona fide Gods.」

「Well YES, of course they are! This is Little Garden after all, home to all sorts of Gods and deities! To be completely honest with you, this lovely Kuro Usagi you see before you is also a descendant of such deities, 『The Moon Rabbits』 from Buddhist folklore to be more precise!」

Kuro Usagi puffed out her chest and ears and exclaimed proudly, while Suzuka and Homura looked at her like they were about to drop their jaws onto the floor.

「Oi, Bro, 『The Moon Rabbits』, she says. Does she mean the same ones as those from the Konjaku Monogatari? (TL Note: A collection of Japanese tales written throughout the Heian period, totaling 31 volumes)」

「Yeah. If memory serves me correctly one of the tales contained within it was about a rabbit that sacrificed itself by jumping into the fire so that an old man could eat it to avoid dying from starvation, and as a reward for its selflessness the God Taishakuten took it to the moon with him, which is why it is said that its surface sometimes looks like a rabbit.」

「Uwaaah! Isn’t it like, a super major legend then? So you want to tell me that Kuro Usagi here is actually that super famous rabbit?!」

「I am, but not to that degree. I am just its descendant. But enough about me, let’s get back to the topic at hand, shall we? The existences immortalized in legends of the outside world and the ones that left its mark on human history by accomplishing great things, those are the ones who are also permitted to receive an invitation to Little Garden, be awarded with Gifts and establish Communities of their very own.」

「Huh? Even the ones who contributed to human history in the past?」

「YES! In fact, there should be many people like that in Little Garden now.」

「I see.」

Homura nodded, satisfied with the answer he received.

「If those are one of the criteria, then I guess it wouldn’t be all that impossible for me to get summoned in here.」

「Oho? Quite confident in your achievements, are we?」

「More like half-confident, since those achievements aren’t technically just my own. But never mind that, please continue.」

「YES! With pleasure!」

Kuro Usagi nodded happily and shook her ears vigorously.

「Allow me to elaborate some more about the Gift Games themselves then. There are actually two kinds of them, each drastically different from the other. One of them are Games which are basically trials for the humans concocted by those Gods and deities who have way too much free time on their hands for their own good. Oftentimes there are no particular restrictions for participation, but since the 『Hosts』 are Gods themselves they are almost always brutally difficult, and the participants’ lives are often at stake in them. But in return for such difficulty and risk, the reward for overcoming their trials is sufficiently valuable as well. The exact reward varies from deity to deity, but most of the times it involves obtaining a new Gift, among other things.」

「Hmm, so based on what you said, the other kind of Gift Games should be the more “normal” ones?」

「Of course. Normal Gift Games are usually carried out after the entrance fee has been paid, usually in the form of participation chips. You can say that hosting them is a sort of business for the Communities, and acts as their main source of income.」

There was a glint in Suzuka’s and Homura’s eyes as they became increasingly more motivated with every word.

「You say it’s business for them, but they should also be leaning more towards entertainment, correct?」

「Now, I wonder about that? If you don’t understand the rules of the Game or wish to alter them in some way, then as long as there will be some merit in it for them, you can always try negotiating with the hosting side.」

「Hou? So you can officially tamper with the rules, but only by talking about it with the 『Hosts』?」

「My oh my, you really do have your wits about you, Mr. Homura! That’s right, what you just said is a part of a mechanic called 『Game Making』, which is simply a fancy name for the act of negotiation here, and believe it or not, being good at it is an essential skill to have if you don’t want to get screwed by the 『Hosts』 or to increase your Community’s performance in the Gift Games.」

「I see. Now I think I understand everything pretty clearly. In short, Gift Games can be summarized as a way for Communities to do businesses and trades with one another, right? Do they also involve bartering with this world’s currency as well?」

「YES! Trading and bartering is as common in Little Garden as Gift Games are!」

「 expected as much. If it wasn’t like that, then the implementation of this Spirit Train wouldn’t be practical at all, because the upkeep and regular maintenance couldn’t have been paid for with Gift Games alone. In that sense, the most practical move seems to be splitting the Community members between earning the money for all the necessary expenses by participating in Gift Games and trading equally.」

Homura was thinking about it with his hand on his chin. Seeing that, Kuro Usagi’s eyes widened in surprise.

「W-Wow… I don’t know how should I put this… but the two of you are nothing like Izayoi. I would even go as far as to say that you and him are the exact opposites.」

「Exact opposites from Big Bro Iza? What do you mean by that?」

「YES! When I heard that Izayoi’s family might be getting summoned to Little Garden I was preparing myself for the worst, but so far you’ve been on your best behavior, or perhaps I should say… that I am happy that you seem to the perfectly normal human beings.」

Kuro Usagi sighed with visible relief. On the contrary though, Homura’s and Suzuka’s expressions were quite complicated at that sudden… compliment?