Sliding aside the Route Map in the Rest Room revealed a challenge that clearly led to a Hidden Route.
"Kai-chan, what’s this?"
"I think it’s a Hidden Route that isn't shown on the map."
"Ah, Shaltan would definitely love something like this~"
I certainly had the impression that Alice enjoyed adding little bonuses or hidden elements like this. To be honest, these kinds of secrets were exciting; I was a fan of them myself. Moreover, since this route required one to be cloaked in magic while noticing a tiny arrow on the Route Map, I suspected it was quite difficult to discover.
There were likely several other similar hidden paths, and this was probably just one of them.
In any case, the challenge came first. Along with the message "Extinguish all Light," several circular lights appeared on the screen in a fairly orderly arrangement.
Was I supposed to turn these off? I tried touching the screen while cloaked in magic. The spot I touched and the light to its right went out, while the circle to the left—which had been off to begin with—lit up.
"...Ah, I see. It’s one of those puzzles where the spot you touch and the ones adjacent to it toggle on and off. You have to switch them back and forth until they're all extinguished."
I remembered a similar mechanic appearing in a game I’d played long ago. It was actually quite tricky, and personally, it was a type of puzzle I was rather bad at. There were a lot of lights on the screen this time, so I had a feeling this was going to be a struggle.
"Heh... Hey, Kai-chan. Can I give it a try?"
"Yes, of course."
"Thanks~ Let’s see, the one I press and the neighbors toggle, right? Then, to turn them all off... I do this, then that, turn this one on once... and then like this?"
"That was fast!?"
I’d stepped aside for Fate-san when she asked to try, but after hearing the rules and studying the screen for a mere moment, she tapped away without the slightest hesitation. She extinguished every single light in the blink of an eye.
I really felt the difference in our base Specs; it was a firm reminder that Fate-san was, indeed, incredibly intelligent.
"It’s simple, but it’s a well-designed puzzle~. Does that count as a clear?"
"Yes, I assume something will... Oh?"
Just as I expected something to happen, the wall where the Route Map had been split open to the left and right with a low tremor, revealing a set of stairs leading down into the basement.
"This looks like the Hidden Route... By the way, are you all okay with taking this path?"
"I’m down~"
『I have no problem with it either.』
"Likewise, I have no objection."
I’d spoken as if we were already going, so I double-checked with the others just in case. All three were perfectly fine with proceeding, so we headed down the stairs.
The stairs were wide and the incline was gentle, perhaps out of consideration for larger guests. We followed them down until we arrived in a spacious room. Mirrors mounted on pedestals with Magic Crystals were placed throughout the area. It seemed we were meant to use them. Near the entrance stood a sign explaining the room's objective.
[Guide the Light to the innermost depths.]
Looking around, I saw a Lighting Magic Tool embedded in the wall at the edge of the room, emitting a straight beam of light.
『The Light we must guide must be that Lighting Magic Tool. Since it is fixed to the wall, I assume we aren't meant to move the tool itself... but rather reflect the beam with the mirrors until it reaches the back?』
"I think so. The pedestals probably can't be moved, so we likely just change their orientation."
"Yes, they are fixed in place, just as Kaito-sama said. However, it appears that touching the Magic Crystals rotates the mirrors forty-five degrees clockwise."
As I answered Lilliwood-san’s question, Cornelia-san provided additional information after investigating the pedestals. It seemed we just had to adjust the angles to reflect the light until it hit the door at the very back.
Though it required some thought, the puzzle wasn't overly difficult. By consulting with the others and adjusting the mirrors, we soon managed to reflect the beam to its destination, triggering the back door to open.
"I wonder how many rooms are in this Hidden Route?"
"Hmm, normally there would be five rooms like the other paths, right? There’s no reason to make this one longer or shorter... Oh, but if the Rest Room counted as the first room, there might only be three left."
I answered Cornelia-san’s question while mulling it over. It was possible the route was shorter if it was just meant for obtaining a special item before returning to the main path, but I suspected the room count was standard. Since we’d already solved a puzzle in the Rest Room, counting that as the first room meant there might be four more underground before we reached the end.
Thinking along those lines, I stepped into the next room. In the center stood a luxurious pedestal, and on top of it sat... a Rubik's Cube.
[Solve all six sides as quickly as possible. *Time measurement begins once the cube is picked up. The slower the time, the higher the difficulty of the next room's challenge. 5 minutes results in maximum difficulty.]
I see, six sides in five minutes... For a beginner, even five minutes would be a challenge, so this Hidden Route was clearly intended to be high-difficulty.
...Well, no problem. I’ll wrap this up in under thirty seconds.
Serious-senpai: "As usual, the protagonist is giving off a Strong-character Vibe in weird places..."