When Huohuo woke up again, all she saw was a white ceiling.
She blinked, dazed, turning her head left and right—
"…W-where… am I…?"
This wasn't the Public Security Bureau anymore.
This looked like… a hospital?
She tried to sit up—
Only to realize one of her hands was cuffed.
The other end of the handcuff was locked to the bedframe.
"…!"
"You're awake?"
Zhu Yuan's voice came from the side, startling her.
Huohuo quickly turned her head.
On the nearby care bed, Zhu Yuan sat upright.
Thankfully—
The terrifying shadow creature she had seen earlier was gone.
Huohuo's heart calmed down a little.
"…H-how long has it been?"
"…One day."
Zhu Yuan sighed slightly.
She still couldn't understand how this little girl could faint for an entire day.
If the doctor hadn't confirmed her vitals were stable, she would've thought Huohuo had died from fright.
"…One day?!"
Huohuo suddenly jolted upright.
"Withdraw! I withdraw! Valerius—I withdraw!"
"…Withdraw?"
"Who is Valerius? Is that your accomplice?"
Zhu Yuan's eyes sharpened.
Finally—
Was she confessing?
And even naming an accomplice?
SHING—
A beam of light descended.
Huohuo vanished.
When she opened her eyes again—
She was back in the preparation space.
"Phew~~~!"
She clutched her chest, breathing heavily.
"I… I made it…"
Valerius couldn't help but laugh.
"…You're something else."
Surviving a full day by fainting repeatedly?
Only Huohuo could pull that off.
Among everyone—
Only Sushang looked like she was about to collapse mentally.
"Not fair! This isn't fair!"
She was fuming.
Why was it that when she fainted, Ganyu bit her—
but when Huohuo fainted, Zhu Yuan sent her to the hospital?!
The difference was outrageous!
Ignoring Sushang's breakdown, Valerius walked over to Jaina and took out the lottery machine.
"7 points. Time to draw your reward~"
Jaina accepted the coins, carefully examining the slot.
It looked just like an arcade machine—
just without the payout tray.
"Mr. Valerius, could you explain how the reward tiers scale?"
"…Scale?"
"Yes. There are so many tiers. There should be a clear progression, right? Otherwise we're just guessing every time."
Her question immediately gained support.
[Herta: Exactly. There should be a defined system.]
[Zhongli: Reasonable.]
[Jing Yuan: I've been wondering the same.]
[Raiden Ei: Why bother? Just draw the 10-point reward.]
[Kujou Sara: The Shogun is correct.]
[Yae Miko: Oh please. As if you've ever drawn one.]
[Raiden Ei: At least I've drawn something.]
[Yae Miko: You—! Fine, whatever.]
Back in the space—
Valerius rolled his eyes at Jaina.
"I'll just say this—the higher the tier, the higher the chance of getting something good. And also…"
He suddenly reached behind her—
and grabbed her tail.
"…Don't try to stick your tail into the coin slot. I'll count that as damaging equipment and revoke your reward."
"…!"
Caught red-handed.
Jaina had absolutely been planning to "hack" the machine with her tail.
"…Alright, alright."
"Just draw normally."
Valerius shook his head, amused.
It reminded him of childhood days in arcades—
skipping breakfast just to play, using wires and tricks to fish coins back out.
This mouse girl clearly had the same mindset.
"…Fine."
Jaina gave up.
She inserted all 7 coins and pulled the lever.
Clunk—
A sphere dropped out.
"…No effects?"
No glow. No flash. Nothing.
"…Did I just get garbage?"
Even Valerius looked surprised.
"…Huh. Why this one?"
"…Is it bad?"
"…Not exactly."
He scratched his head.
"This one is… complicated."
"It's a Noble Phantasm."
Inside the livestream:
[Kuki Shinobu: A Noble Phantasm?!]
[Arataki Itto: Like Blade's?!]
[Yoimiya: I'm jealous…]
Valerius explained again for the newer players.
Jaina leaned forward.
"…So what does mine do?"
Holding the sphere, Valerius finally said:
"Boudoir of Survival — one of Scheherazade's Noble Phantasms."
"It specializes in defense."
"It combines 'personal charm,' 'environmental charm,' and 'behavioral charm' into the optimal form—creating a domain where your probability of death is the lowest in the world."
"…Can you simplify that?"
Jaina frowned.
"That description is way too vague."
Valerius thought for a moment.
"…Alright. Imagine two armies fighting, and you're standing in the middle."
"If you activate this—"
"Even if both sides wipe each other out…"
"You might walk away completely unharmed."
"…That strong?!"
Jaina's eyes lit up.
"Of course, you can't intentionally get yourself killed," Valerius added. "And if it's something like a massive area attack—you won't be able to avoid that."
"…I see."
She nodded.
Not completely broken—but still incredibly powerful.
"…What about a gunfight between two sides?"
"If you just stand there?"
"…Not a single bullet will hit you."
"…Perfect."
Jaina smiled.
She was very satisfied.
With this ability—
Her future undercover operations just got a lot more interesting.
Stir up gang conflicts.
Trigger full-blown shootouts.
And stand right in the middle—
completely untouched.
"…Yeah."
"…This is going to be fun."
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