"Ahhh, I’m so bored...! I’m honestly, truly bored to death...!!"
Inside the deep darkness, a man’s voice echoed, sounding utterly weary.
Usually, the space was bathed in pitch black, but things were a little different now. At a glance, the man was clearly at a loose end, confined within a prison cell constructed of a substance resembling white marble.
Lost, the man trapped in that cell, let out a mutter once more, for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I’m bored, I’m so bored...! Ah, I think I might actually die...!!"
"Don’t you think your voice is a bit loud for talking to yourself? You’re being way too dramatic."
"It can’t be helped, right? Usually, I’m the only one here. I have to talk to myself a little loudly just to stave off this relentless boredom."
Responding as such, Lost pushed himself up from where he lay. His eyes met those of Drop, who was watching him with a dubious expression. He raised a hand toward her, his friend.
"In that regard, I’m grateful to you. You come to check on me periodically like this and give me someone to talk to. If I were left alone in such a desolate place for this long, I would have lost my mind ages ago."
"Heh! You’d better be grateful for the kindness of Drop-chan, who treasures her friends!"
Drop puffed out her chest with pride at Lost’s pure, sincere compliment. Lost watched her with a wry smile before posing a follow-up question.
"So, has anything interesting happened in the outside world? I’d love it if you could tell me..."
"Ah, no way! You know the rules—I can’t tell you that kind of stuff. You know that, right?"
"Well, I suppose so... but don't you think you could be a little flexible for a friend’s sake?"
"Nope! This situation is the result of you breaking the rules, so take some time to reflect!"
"...Stingy. Narrow-minded. Devil."
"Aren't you quick to change your tune? I mean, were those compliments from earlier just flattery to sweet-talk Drop-chan into giving you information?"
If one only heard the conversation, the exchange between the two seemed fairly comical, but the reality was that it was a grim situation.
As for why Lost was currently being held captive... as Drop had said, it was a Penalty for breaking the rules.
A while ago, during the criminal plan executed by Abyss—one of the Masterminds—on Wind Island, Lost had participated as a partial collaborator but interfered with the plan at the very last moment. He had taken it upon himself to deal with one of the Hero Candidates who attacked Yugo, assisting the boy in reaching Abyss.
This had violated one of the internal rules of the Masterminds: 'Do not interfere with the plans of other Masterminds unless there are special circumstances.'
Consequently, as punishment for that Rule Violation, Lost had been ordered to undergo a period of School Probation inside this cell.
"Well, look on the bright side. It’s good that it ended with just this. Normally, it wouldn't have been surprising if the punishment was much heavier."
Lost had also committed the Rule Violation of laying hands on and defeating the Reincarnators, and he had partially leaked information about the Masterminds to Yugo. Considering all that, Drop was right—an even heavier Penalty would have been expected.
However, the fierce battle between Abyss and Yugo on Wind Island and the dramatic Climax that followed had been highly evaluated. That alone had resulted in the sentence being mitigated to mere probation. If Lost hadn't supported Yugo, they wouldn't have witnessed that battle or its thrilling conclusion. That fact had undoubtedly worked in his favor as an act of leniency.
Still, a Penalty was a Penalty. The punishment had to be served. Being cut off from all information regarding the outside world while locked in this cell was part of that price.
"Aaah! I’m sure My Hero is doing something amazing right now! As his fan, it’s truly painful to not even know about his exploits, let alone see them!"
"Ahahahaha! Well, then this Penalty is perfectly effective! I thought it was a light sentence, but it’s really working on you!"
Just as Lost predicted, Yugo was currently embroiled in battles with members of the Clay Branch House, strange guests from Yamato, and the New Species of Magic Armor Beasts encountered in the recent Zoo Incident, creating drama even now.
Lost was agonized by the fact that he could neither see nor hear about those battles, but a third party’s voice suddenly echoed from the darkness.
"In that case, shall I tell you a little? About the exploits of the Hero-kun you love so much..."
The sound of footsteps rang out—sharp, rhythmic taps. However, it wasn't just one person. Several people were approaching.
Lost turned toward the sound along with Drop. Upon seeing the Trio emerge from the darkness, he let out a small sigh before speaking.
"Well, well... I’m glad you came to play, Dogma. And you brought your friends, too. It’s nice to see you’re all so close."