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Nanana’s Buried Treasure Volume 7 Chapter 5.2

The yellow diamond piece on the board moves forward.

The hall lights up in brilliant red as two pieces landed on the same space which intensified the mood even more.

「Since teams have landed on the same space, we will host the 《forced acquisition game》. The teams participating in this 《forced acquisition game》 will be the Sakura Team and the Cat Ears Team. Representatives of each team, please step forward.」

Responding to the call of the bank keeper Misao-san, Yukihime-neesan from the Sakura Team and Nishi-san from the Cat Ears Team came forward.

「Please proceed to the Robbery Room,」 she directed.

The remaining two teams also began moving to the room corresponding to their space number. Tensai-san rom the Great Detective Team goes as usual, while Tetsu-kun was chosen for our Lady Team.

「You’re not going yourself this time?」

I asked this of Lady Ageha, who had delegated this task to Tetsu-kun with the directive, 「I’m leaving it to you this time.」

「Of course. Because I can watch the 《forced acquisition game》. I can’t afford to go off and play.」

Sitting elegantly with her legs crossed, Lady Ageha sipped tea prepared by the gorokuma that was nearby.

「By the way Servant A, has anyone used a Nanana collection since the first 《forced acquisition game》?」

「Why are you asking me?」

「Why do you think I let you do whatever you wanted for?」

Right, I never thought of it this way.

「As far as I’ve seen, nobody has used one yet. …I mean, from what I’ve observed it didn’t even seem like anyone needed to.」

Indeed. Just as Lady Ageha who was watching from the monitors said, the tasks issued in the numbered rooms aren’t that difficult. Interesting tasks such as ‘one-shot dendama challenge’ or ‘similar kanji quiz’ did pop up, but they were also easily cleared. So far, M is the only participant amongst all teams who has failed a task.

「Well, considering the risk of disqualification if you get caught, you wouldn’t use it unless it’s a critical moment.」

「Right, like maybe during the 《forced acquisition game》.」

While conversing with Lady Ageha, I glanced at the monitor showing the robbery room.

In the center of the room, controlled by the banker Yuiga-san, stood the two adversaries Yamato Nadeshiko and Cat Ears-chan staring each other down.

Banker Yuiga-san began shuffling cards marked 2, 3, 4 and took a stack of 2s to start.

「It’s time to determine how we’ll compete this time. Drawing cards will be Cat Ears-chan from the Cat Ears Team, which holds more coins.」

From the stack of about ten cards, Nishi-san drew one that read…

「The contest will be 《Jenga》 this time.」

Umm, well, it’s…

「Anything really does go, doesn’t it?」

「Indeed.」

I agreed with Lady Ageha unintentionally.

Even the two facing each other in the monitor showed indescribable expressions.

Banker Yuiga-san pointed to the fifth table we used in turn one, then took Jenga from the corner of the room and skillfully built up the Jenga tower.

Within moments a tower of eighteen layers, each made with three blocks, was complete.

「The rules are to take turns pulling out blocks and stacking them on top. Whoever causes the tower to collapse loses. As for the wagering coins, it’s a bit special this time. Each successful removal and stacking will be counted, and the coins will change hands based on the number of successful turns multiplied by the base wager. For instance, if the base wager is one coin and after ten successful turns, the eleventh attempt causes the tower to fall, it is one coin multiplied by ten. So it would be ten coins exchanged. Note that the base coin amount is capped at one coin per round counted, which in this case would be two coins.」

So, the number of rounds indeed affects the rate of coins wagered.

Yuiga-san pulled an hourglass from his pocket.

「Then we have one minute for negotiation time…」

「There’s no need for that. We’ll wager two coins, please.」

Yukihime-neesan, who as the representative of the team with fewer coins had the final say on the wager, stated firmly.

With that, there wasn’t any room for negotiation.

In the end, the base rate for this Jenga contest was set at two coins.

And so Yukihime-neesan and Nishi-san began playing Jenga.

And so what I thought while watching…

「They’re just playing Jenga normally.」

「They really are just playing Jenga normally.」

Just a plain game of Jenga. But it turned out to be quite a high-level match. A match between Yukihime-neesan (who has skillful hands) and Nishi-san (who carefully pulls and stacks the pieces).

It was truly suspenseful to watch.

But no, that’s not the point.

「I kind of thought there’d be someone using a Nanana collection.」

「But actually it’d be tough to find the right moment to use it, wouldn’t it? Depending on the 《forced acquisition game》, it might not even be usable.」

「Are you talking about timing, as in when to use it?」

「Yeah, there’s the matter of your own Nanana collection’s compatibility with the game.」

While having this conversation, I remembered what Lady Ageha’s Nanana collection was, as she had shown it to me earlier in the green room.

Sitting across the table from me, Ageha placed the item on her open left palm and showed it to me.

It was a small egg, about the size of a quail’s egg. The difference was its color. It was silver.

「This is my Nanana collection, 《humpty dumpty》.」

「Huh, that’s an interesting name. Is that what this little egg is officially called?」

「No, this is the name Nanana Ryugajou gave to it.」

Hearing this, I was truly taken aback.

What!? Nanana named it with such a clever name!? Despite her being exceptionally formidable she was supposed to have a hopeless sense of naming, yet she came up with such a sophisticated name!!

Lady Ageha gently closed her left hand which held the silver egg and for some reason grasped a ballpoint pen that was on the table with her opposite right hand in a reverse grip.

「? What are you doing?」

「Like this.」

Crush.

And with that, Ageha brought the pen down onto her left wrist with force.

「!」

The pen stabbed right into the spot, seemingly empty space above her left wrist.

It wasn’t that Ageha intentionally stopped her hand mid-swing. It stopped because it hit something. Indeed, the detached pen was still sticking in that spot in mid-air.

A few seconds later, because of gravity the pen fell down with a clatter.

「Crushing this small egg creates an invisible wall. That’s the power of 《humpty dumpty》.」

「Crushing a small egg… Ah, so the ‘crush’ sound earlier was the sound of the egg being crushed in your closed left hand. …But isn’t that little silver egg too fragile? And if crushing it activates the effect, isn’t it a one-time-use deal?」

Hearing my questions, Lady Ageha opened her left palm and seemed amusingly pleased to reveal the egg intact once more.

「At first glance, it seems metallic, but it’s as fragile as a regular egg. Right after being crushed it begins to automatically restore itself.」

An egg that can mend itself despite being broken… truly befitting of a Nanana collection.

「So, is the duration of that barrier-like effect until the egg restores itself?」

「Exactly.」

「But the barrier doesn’t seem too sturdy, does it?」

Since a ballpoint pen could stab into it, it wasn’t much of a barrier.

「The strength of the barrier can be skillfully controlled with how you handle the small egg. …And so, that’s my Nanana collection, 《humpty dumpty》.」

Indeed, it’s an interesting ability that makes one think.

The name given by Nanana to this collection, which comes back together even when broken, feels meaningfully. Humpty dumpty, an term typically used to signify something irrevocably damaged. I can’t help but wonder, did Nanana playfully give it a fancy name but ended up meaning entirely the opposite? Such thoughts make one overanalyze.

Well, in any case, another thought occurred to me.

「This seems quite usable.」

The second stage rule states, 「Disqualification occurs if a person unaware of the Nanana collection comes to know of it.」

The trigger for activation being the crushing of the small egg, and the produced barrier being invisible and imperceptible at a glance.

With this, the 《humpty dumpty》 could prove to be quite advantageous if used cleverly.

「…That’s what I thought.」

「Who would’ve guessed the second stage would become such a mini-game tournament?」

Invisible barriers and various mini-games. Somehow, they feel oddly mismatched.

「In that case, Servant A’s 《Yugutoth’s One Eye》 seems more likely to be usable.」

The blue gemstone that can detect lies, that’s my Nanana collection, 《Yugutoth’s One Eye》.

「But the problem is having to hold it up in front of you when you use it.」

Imagine in the midst of a game suddenly pulling out a blue gemstone from your pocket and holding it up before your eyes while questioning your opponent.

At that point, it would be blatantly suspicious and quite obviously a Nanana collection.