"In Disboard, the Sixteen Races are forbidden from waging war due to the Ten Covenants. However, 'war' within games is allowed, as long as no one gets hurt... well, even if someone does get hurt, it's under very special circumstances. With that in mind, I've been thinking: if we use 'games' as an excuse to carry out non-harmful invasions, could such a thing be possible? Also, Mihama-chan, don't eat that. It's for playing."
While asking Plum, who was resting on the couch, Haruya also reminded Mihama, who was holding a game console.
Mihama, who was in the pool, nodded obediently and threw it on the ground… 'Well, she's very well-behaved.'
"Papa! I'm hungry."
"Wait, I'll figure out something for lunch. Eating Werebeast cuisine every day can get a bit boring."
Haruya stood up from his seat, and Plum, who was nearby, responded to Haruya's earlier question.
"That kind of situation is impossible, Haru-kun. First of all, according to the Ten Covenants, the challenger must accept the 'reasonable' game proposed by the challenged party, and both sides must agree on the wager. If the challenged party proposes an unbalanced game, the challenger definitely won't agree, right? Besides, even if the challenger hopes to trigger a 'war' within the game through their actions, the challenged party would never allow such a thing."
Additionally… Plum smiled and said, "Take the Dhampir and Werebeasts for example. If the Werebeasts tried something like that, we Dhampir would definitely use the game's rules and the Ten Covenants to restrict them. No race is foolish enough to be tricked by the other side's game rules."
At this point, Plum retracted his statement, probably thinking of the Siren Queen who nearly caused the extinction of two races…
Since Haruya was planning to make lunch, Plum followed him into the kitchen.
Although they could have asked the Werebeast maid to bring lunch, the three of them had already grown tired of those meals after three days.
Seeing Haruya and Plum enter the kitchen, Mihama, who was in the pool, didn't stay idle, "Papa! Papa! I want to come too."
"There's no pool here, and you can't stay on land for too long, right?"
"Uuu…!! Papa!"
Haruya looked at the kitchen utensils and had no solution for Mihama's request.
"Leave it to me, Haru-kun. I'm full of magic right now." Plum offered.
"Why? Where did you get your 'food'?"
"I just licked your sweat a few times while you were asleep."
"No wonder I had a nightmare last night about being licked all over by a bunch of cats! You perverted Dhampir!"
"Don't say such things in front of a child, Haru-kun. Isn't it great that I have plenty of magic?"
Raising his right hand, Plum approached Mihama and placed his hand in the pool, "Cool and refreshing~ The Sirens' summer is wonderful, and it's not cold in winter either."
"Focus." Haruya, holding a kitchen knife, directed Plum, who nodded and scooped up some water with his right hand.
"Although most of our magic is charm-based, we can still do this!" As he spoke, the water around Mihama began to float, following Plum's voice.
It slowly rose, eventually hovering about two meters above the ground. Mihama swam inside the giant floating water ball.
"Haha! This is so fun!"
Mihama tried spinning in circles, and the bubbles created by her movements rose to the surface before popping.
Clearly, there was some danger... she might fall out of the water.
"Mihama-chan, don't go outside the water ball, okay?"
"Okay, Papa." Mihama nodded obediently.
Moving the water ball into the kitchen, Mihama followed along.
Haruya sighed. For lunch, he'd make something simple, nothing too greasy.
Opening the fridge, he found it wasn't well-stocked... just some meat, green vegetables, and a few fruits, "Let's start with a fruit salad. Plum, can you make some ice?"
"Haru-kun, I'm not some kind of magician who can create anything out of thin air."
"Useless."
"Hey, hey, hey?! That hurts!"
Ignoring Plum's 'hurt' feelings, Haruya found some ice in the bottom of the fridge.
First, he needed to wash the fruit.
"Papa, I'll do it!"
"Can you? Won't the dirty water stain the water ball?"
"I can do this." Taking the apple from Haruya, Mihama dove into the water ball to wash it, then moved the dirty water outside the ball.
It seemed she couldn't control large amounts of seawater, but small amounts were manageable.
With Mihama handling the fruit washing, Plum slicing, and Haruya preparing the main dishes, the three of them worked together.
Soon, as the fruit salad was finished, the aroma of vegetable stew with meat filled the air.
Bringing it to the living room, Haruya moved the table next to the pool so Mihama could reach out and grab food (though Haruya usually fed her).
"Alright, let's get ready to enjoy today's lunch."
Just as Haruya was about to say that, someone jumped in through the window.
"Excuse me, desu!"
It was Izuna, her clothes a bit messy, looking like she was in a hurry.
"What's going on, Izuna?"
"I just got a message from the Priestess, desu. It was a shock, desu." {T/N: I'm torn between referring to Miko as Shrine Maiden or Priestess...}
"Ahh…" Mihama, holding a fork, assumed a defensive stance.
Izuna calmed down and greeted everyone, "Good afternoon, desu."
Then, she pulled out a scroll, seemingly containing the message she wanted to deliver, "This is a notice from the Priestess, sent from Kannagari. Three days from now, when the game begins, the Priestess will personally come to participate, desu."
"So, Izuna-chan, what's the game you've proposed?"
"We've already told Sora and Shiro. Now it's your turn. The game is, Virtual Divine Beast Chess, desu."
"Virtual Divine Beast Chess? Is it something like Chinese chess or international chess?" Asked Haruya.
"International chess, desu…" Izuna didn't fully understand Haruya's question, but it didn't matter.
'So, it's Virtual Divine Beast International Chess, huh?' Haruya stroked his chin.
"Sounds interesting..."