That Time I Got Reincarnated as an Underground Labyrinth Manager

Chishiya continued speaking without the slightest blush or flutter of guilt.

"Let us all congratulate this brave adventurer!"

He deliberately raised his voice.

The point was to make it absolutely clear to all the adventurers nearby:

This wasn't some cheap publicity stunt or staged giveaway.

If you played the game, you won real prizes. No gimmicks.

As he spoke, Chishiya folded up the dress, wrapped it neatly, and handed it to the girl right there in front of everyone.

Sure enough—

A buzz rippled through the crowd.

"Holy crap! That really was a magic item worth 40 million Eris?!"

"Chishiya is a legend!!!"

"Damn it, now I want in too!"

"I'm so jealous right now!"

"Don't be discouraged. Even if you lose, you get a 20% discount coupon. If you win again, there's a 1 million Eris bonus! You're making money either way!"

Chishiya nodded, pleased with the response.

The hype train had officially left the station.

Today's sales were absolutely going to break records.

But then…

The cloaked girl on stage did something no one expected.

"I don't want the dress."

Iris gently pushed the bag back toward Chishiya.

Then pointed straight at him.

"Can I play a round with you?"

"Huh?!!!"

The entire square exploded.

"Is this for real?!"

"She just turned down a 40 million Eris item!"

"Oh my god, this girl is terrifying!"

"To be honest, I thought maybe this whole event was rigged, but now… yeah, I take that back."

Chishiya froze for a moment.

Play against me? What's this kid thinking?

He didn't know the first thing about chess.

Great Sage, you good at chess?

[...]

No answer.

But he could feel it.

A faint, competitive fire coming from his system.

Well, that was promising.

Chishiya smirked. "Very well. The customer is always right. Let's play."

—

Over on the left side of the stage…

Darkness was still enthusiastically arm wrestling someone.

Today was amazing~

All these men looking at her with such hunger in their eyes...

Mmm~

Darkness bit her lip, cheeks flushed pink.

It had been the right decision to hide her identity.

If anyone she knew saw her like this, it'd be mortifying…

She shivered just thinking about it.

The memory of Chishiya catching her in that forest came rushing back…

She really didn't want another soul-crushingly humiliating memory like that.

"Hrrrgh!!!"

The adventurer across from her ramped up his strength.

Darkness responded enthusiastically, shifting her arm into a fixed angle close to the table.

And just held it there.

"…What's with this woman?!"

"Are her muscles made of steel?!"

The man was drenched in sweat, teeth clenched.

Darkness's breathing was getting a bit… intense.

"Ahh… Chishiya, look how strong he is! I'm gonna lose~!!!"

"See? Look at this~!"

She turned her head, beaming.

Only to meet the wide-eyed gaze of…

Claire.

"Pffft—!!!"

Darkness instantly lost.

?????????

This world is way too small sometimes.

Darkness snapped back to reality and her face turned crimson.

"Eh…"

She instinctively clenched her fists in embarrassment.

Forgetting completely that she was still mid-match.

CRACK!

"AAAAAHHHHHHH—!!!"

Another poor soul screamed in agony on the strength-testing side…

Not that she noticed.

Darkness was red from her ears to her collarbone.

Claire?! When did she get here?!

"Did… did she hear all that I just said?!"

"Oh no… oh gods no…"

She clutched her head.

Then she saw the girl standing next to Claire…

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat…

That had to be—

Darkness swallowed hard.

It was obvious.

There was only one girl the Royal Knight Commander would personally escort.

Then the girl turned.

Pure, innocent eyes locked with hers.

And in that moment, Darkness's soul left her body.

Yep.

That's Her Highness Iris.

There are few things in life more mortifying than this.

Darkness wanted to dig a hole, crawl in, and never come out.

"Ghhk…"

Her eyes welled with tears.

"Just kill me. Please. End it now…"

"Why?! Why is it always me who ends up in these horrible situations?!"

—

Across the way,

Claire slowly turned her head, watching Lalatina's mental breakdown with a blank stare.

Yeah.

There was no more doubt.

That was definitely La Latina…

What the heck was she supposed to do with this?

Even Claire's ears had turned red.

She'd never dealt with something like this before.

Let's just… pretend we don't know each other.

She turned to Iris, seizing the moment.

"Miss, shall we continue the game?"

Iris blinked, snapping out of her daze.

She looked away from Darkness.

Right. Claire said that wasn't La Latina.

Yeah, that made sense. The real Lalatina would never say something so… bizarre.

Iris quietly reset the chessboard.

Although…

This was a good excuse to get close to a Hero Candidate…

Iris looked up at Chishiya with a bright smile.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

—

Back at the other table…

Darkness had completely lost her mental footing.

She kept sneaking glances toward Her Highness.

She couldn't concentrate on anything else.

She knew full well that Chishiya wasn't someone to take lightly.

And she didn't know what he might try to pull next.

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well."

Darkness finally stood up, no longer able to sit still.

She looked at Shion beside her.

"Miss Shion, please take over for me. I need to step away."

Shion nodded.

Darkness hurried into the store.

Then returned shortly after with a teapot and a tray.

She walked over to Chishiya and Iris's table.

"Please… allow me."

She carefully placed the teacups down.

And then…

She started winking at Chishiya. Like, a lot.

Clearly trying to signal something.

Chishiya glanced up. "What, are your eyes itchy?"

Darkness: "???"

I'm gonna kill him.

Then I'm gonna kill myself.

"..."

She forced herself to keep smiling.

"Ha… haha… Chishiya-san, always joking."

"Come here for a moment. I need to talk to you."

She reached out to pull him away.

Chishiya slapped her hand aside.

"Hold on. We're at a critical point. Don't interrupt."

"Checkmate."

He looked at Iris with a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, dear guest. I win."

"…Huh?"

Iris froze mid-move, chess piece still in hand.

She had lost?

I actually… lost…?

Darkness pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing in despair.

The worst possible outcome had occurred.

Chishiya had beaten Her Highness Iris.

This was going to get very complicated.

(To be continued.)

***

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