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Great! I didn't expect this idiot to be so easily... "Then let's hurt each other!" Just as Cyclone thought everything was going according to plan, Greed blurted out, leaving Cyclone speechless in an instant. Glancing at Greed, whose eyes were shining with anticipation like a child eagerly awaiting an unknown game, Cyclone could only curse under their breath. "Damn it!" Cyclone's only response was that hurting each other, in terms of fighting ability, wouldn't be mutual but rather Cyclone being the one hurt. But the real question was, why hurt each other? "Greed, my young friend... there are many interesting games in this world, you know~" "Mhm!" Greed nodded earnestly. But the next second, they started dancing and said, "But battle! Killing! That's the most fun~ Haha~ Hahaha~" Damn it! This person is hard to deal with!! A drop of cold sweat rolled down as it became clear that Greed's desired game inevitably involved killing. "...What's fun about killing?" Cyclone asked softly. "Hm?" "This kind of game... it's quite monotonous~ Let's play something else..." Greed played innocent, fluttering their wings. "My game is not boring at all!" "Alright, alright..." "Hehe~" Facing Greed, who was dancing again, Cyclone knew perfectly well that they were only temporarily spared from death. As long as Greed still had expectations for them, once those expectations were lost, Greed would strike without hesitation. What should they do? There was no choice; Cyclone had to use that move. "Alright!" "Oh!!" Going along with Greed, Cyclone jumped onto the stones again. "I didn't expect Greed to see through my trick. Indeed! Killing is the most fun, the most thrilling game!!" "Yeah!!" Nodding eagerly, Cyclone slowly led Greed into the trap, step by step, in line with Greed's desires. "Since Greed is so clever and can't be tempted, then let's play that one!" "That one!?" "Exactly! That one!!" "Oh!!" Shaking with excitement, from Cyclone's actions, it was clear that Greed was already anticipating. "Chant with me!! Abracadabra! Not abracadabra, not not abra-abracadabra!!" "Abracadabra! Not abracadabra, not not abra-abracadabra!!" After finishing the strange and meaningless act, Cyclone walked up to Greed and continued speaking. "Do you know what you just chanted?" "I don't know~" "Ha~ That was a pledge to the God of Games!! Next, we are going to play a long-lost game, one that is simple yet a bit complex, singular yet full of variations, incredibly exciting and fun! A game loved even by gods! Hide-and-seek!" "Wow~ What's that!!" "Ha! This game sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult once you start playing~" "Mhm!!"
"Listen, in simple terms... it's a game of ghost versus human. The ghost catches the human, and if caught, the ghost wins. If not caught, the human wins!"
"Does that mean if we find the person, we can kill them?"
"Oh, oh, the greedy little child is quite clever! That's right!! How about it, exciting, isn't it?"
"Yeah!!!"
Greedy nodded affirmatively, seeming to have fallen for it.
"Great! Then let me, Grandpa Cyclone, take the lead for a while and teach you. I'll be the ghost."
"No."
Damn it! Are you really an idiot or just pretending?!
"I want to be the ghost!! Being the ghost sounds powerful!"
"...Well, it seems the greedy little child is very confident, huh?"
"Yeah!!!"
"Alright! You can be the ghost, but Grandpa Cyclone won't show any mercy!"
"Alright!!!"
***