Alice gave a brief explanation of the game, and since the controls were relatively simple, I figured most people would be able to play it after a bit of practice.
Of course, playing at a high level was another story entirely, but reaching a point where one could put up a decent fight seemed achievable for almost anyone. At least, that was the case for the humans.
I expected the servants from Lilia-san’s mansion to get the hang of it almost immediately, but the real question marks were the high-ranking demons and those of the peerage. I didn't possess the kind of superhuman reaction speed they did, so I had no way of knowing how much they would struggle to adapt to the artificial delay.
"As for the tournament rules, participation is entirely voluntary. We plan to hold several rounds, so it’s perfectly fine to watch the first one and join in later. If you want to enter, please touch the magic tool over there—the one I had Machina make. It will register you automatically, and once the deadline passes, you’ll be randomly assigned to a bracket. When your name appears on the monitor, please head to the designated station."
"Hey, can I ask something that’s probably on everyone’s mind? Shaltan, you and the Earth God seem incredibly close... Since when did that happen?"
"Well, we’ve known each other for a long time. You could call it a rotten—"
"Best friends!"
"Er, right. Like I said, we’ve been acquaint—"
"Best friends!!"
"...We’re best friends."
I was so used to seeing them together that it hadn't occurred to me until now, but from the perspective of someone like Fate-san, it was only natural to be baffled by Alice’s closeness with Machina-san.
Machina-san first started appearing here in her current form during the Sinfonia Kingdom Founding Anniversary Festival, but it wasn't until after the Hydra Kingdom Founding Anniversary Festival that she officially received Shiro-san’s permission to stay. While many guests knew that Eden-san and Machina-san were one and the same from the shipboard party, very few possessed the information that she was Alice’s best friend.
Furthermore, Machina-san was quite insistent on that specific label. She had repeatedly cut Alice off to correct her, refusing to let her get away with calling them "acquaintances" or "rotten ties."
With a look of utter exhaustion, Alice finally conceded that they were indeed best friends, which prompted an enlightened nod from Machina-san. I suspected that for the majority of the audience, the revelation only deepened the mystery—which was likely why Alice had tried to dodge the question in the first place.
"Anyway, we’ve gotten a bit off track, so let's get back to it. If you advance through the brackets and win the tournament, you’ll receive a small commemorative gift. On top of that, you’ll earn the right to challenge the Provisional Champion—Kaito-san!"
"Wait, what!?"
I wasn't expecting the previous karaoke contest's pattern to repeat. Granted, if I only had to play an exhibition match against the final winner, I could probably fit it in between receiving gifts from the other guests. I’d actually wanted to participate in the tournament myself, so this was a welcome development.
...Still, I wasn't particularly good at the game. While I certainly had an edge in experience over the beginners, anyone who could win an entire tournament would likely be quite skilled by the time they reached the end. I wondered if I could even put up a proper fight.
"Is Kai-chan really that strong?"
"No, not especially. That’s why we’ve implemented a special rule for Kaito-san’s match. The character he uses will be set to Boss Specs, meaning his stats and abilities will be significantly buffed. The commemorative gift is awarded as soon as you win the tournament anyway, so the fight against Kaito-san is just a bonus. It won't affect the prizes at all. It’s just a chance for everyone, Kaito-san included, to cut loose and have some fun together."
That made me feel a lot better. The original game definitely didn't have a feature to play as a stat-boosted boss character, but since the people running this show were who they were, such technicalities weren't an issue.
"By the way, I’ll be staying here to handle the live commentary and tease Kaito-san while he accepts his presents, but you’re free to join the tournament if you want, Fate-san."
"Oh? You’re not entering, Shaltan?"
"If I entered, I’d win. Besides, I’m the one who made the prizes..."
She was probably right. Alice was incredibly dextrous and knew everything there was to know about games. I had played against her several times, but I always got the feeling she was holding back just enough to keep the matches close. If she actually got serious, she’d likely crush everyone.
"And for the record, the prizes are Kaito-san's Birthday Commemorative Model Goods!"
That was definitely news to me. Birthday commemorative model goods? I really wanted to know the details on those. The fact that Shiro-san and Machina-san weren't reacting strongly meant they had either already seen them, or Alice had bribed them with copies beforehand to keep them from causing a scene.
Either way, I needed to know what those goods were...