Legend of Academy has various mini-games.
The card game I’m about to play is one of those mini-games.
“Wow… I didn’t know there was a game like this.”
“You knew about this game? As expected, Murmur, you’re amazing!”
“I played it with Pearl before… but I can’t remember any of the rules.”
Luckily, Nicasia’s maid, Riola, brought the game I asked for exactly as I requested.
I was a bit flustered when she brought a box with slightly softer and cuter drawings than I remembered, but since the rules were the same, it didn’t matter.
“Today, Nicasia, me, Citrine, Esme… the four of us will play this game.”
“Can you explain the rules, Murmur?”
“Yeah, it’s simple. This is a game where four friends work together to make desserts.”
I reached for a pile of about 50 cards and pulled one out to show.
The back of the card had a very cute dessert shop, and the front had a strawberry drawn on it. Above the strawberry was the number 3.
“See? The strawberry and the number above it.”
“The strawberry looks super cute and delicious.”
“This number is the score. Each round, we can play one card from our hand… like this, face down.”
“Ah, I remember now! Murmur! After everyone plays a card face down, we shuffle them, count to three, and flip them over to add up the numbers on the cards.”
Esme said with a smile.
“That’s right. Just like Esme said. If four cards are played… a dessert with strawberries, cream, bread, and grapes is completed.”
“Huhu, it’s fun imagining what kind of dessert it will be. It’s easier than I thought, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s not the end of the rules. Since it’s a game, we need to determine a winner and a loser.”
I showed a card with a very evil-looking mushroom drawn on it.
“Unfortunately, in this game, there are ingredients that can’t be used in desserts and will lower your score.”
“Ugh… I don’t even want to imagine a cake with mushrooms in it.”
“Is there a reason for these cards?”
“Yeah, we have to play one card each round. And when the game ends, we calculate our personal scores by subtracting the minus points from the dessert’s total score.”
“Ah, so the person with the highest score wins, right?”
That’s right.
In this soft and cute game called “Let’s Become the Best Dessert Shop!”, to win, you need to know when to play the minus cards in your hand.
“Yeah, that’s right. And lastly… hmm… this might be a bit tricky.”
“I played this game when I was younger. It can’t be that hard, right?”
Esme chuckled. I doubt Pearl explained this rule back then.
“Do you see this oddly shaped card here? We’ll each get one.”
“It says ‘Patissier’? Huhu, there’s a super cute kid drawn on it.”
“The card I got has a witch with a strange nose.”
“That’s right. The Patissier plays the game as I explained. The witch is a bit different. The witch wins if they’re not voted as the ‘witch’ when we tally the scores at the end.”
Nicasia naturally started fidgeting with my hand while pondering.
She’s really sneaky with the skinship.
“So each round, we play cards to make desserts… and at the end, the person with the highest score wins, but to really win, you have to guess who the witch is, right?”
“Yeah, but there might not be a witch. That’s an important fact to remember.”
“Oh my, there might not be a witch?”
“Yeah, when we start the game, there’s always one card left after shuffling.”
I skillfully shuffled the cards and dealt one to each person.
Luckily, I was the Patissier.
“Everyone understand?”
“Yes, it’s easier and simpler than I thought.”
“Huhu, so it’s a game where I just throw out the weird ingredients in my hand!”
“…Is it a game about making pretty desserts?”
Esme, if you play like that, you’ll be suspected as the witch.
“Then… shall we start?”
I took cards from the pile and dealt five to each person.
“At the end of each round, you’ll get another card, so think carefully.”
I placed the cute grape card in my hand. It’s a 2-point card.
“Alright. I’ll play this card.”
After everyone placed a card, I shuffled the four cards and flipped them over to show everyone.
Please let a cute dessert be completed.
“Grapes, cream… bugs, rotten apple.”
“Ugh… this can’t possibly be a dessert.”
“But surprisingly… the rotten apple drawing is kinda cute.”
The first round’s dessert was a miserable failure. The bug card is a whopping ‘minus 5 points,’ so there’s no need to calculate.
“I’ll deal the cards again.”
“Let’s try to make a cute dessert this time. Otherwise, we’ll all end up with minus points.”
“There might be someone who shamelessly plays all the minus cards.”
At Citrine’s remark, Nicasia gave a subtle smile.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme suddenly started humming a tune.
Ah, I didn’t tell them about that song because I didn’t want to sing it.
“Esme. What song is that?”
“When I played this game with Pearl, we sang this song after everyone played their cards… before revealing them.”
“Should we sing it too?”
I, I don’t want to…
“For now, this round…”
Citrine brightly smiled and grabbed my left arm, shaking it gently.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme ended up singing the song.
I had no choice but to lip-sync along.
“This dessert is… strawberry, banana, kiwi… and mushroom.”
“Another weird ingredient is in it.”
“But there are quite a few fruits, so it might not be bad.”
“Is it possible to not have any weird ingredients?”
The second dessert looks decent. Strawberry is 5 points, banana is 4 points, kiwi is 3 points… and the mushroom is minus 2 points. So it’s a 10-point dessert.
“I’ll play the strawberry this time.”
Nicasia smiled and placed a card face down.
“Huh? Is it okay to say that? Murmur?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
It’s begun. Nicasia seems eager to catch the witch quickly.
“Alright. Then I’ll play the cutest-looking card.”
“That’s a very vague statement, Citrine.”
“Huhu, it’s important to always hide your hand!”
Citrine gave a sly smile and glanced at the instruction manual.
Don’t tell me… she’s ‘counting’?
Like the total number of strawberries or bananas in the game?
“This time, it looks like we’ll make a delicious dessert!”
Is Esme the only one purely enjoying this game in a soft and cute way?
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme even sang the song again with a bright smile. This time, Nicasia and Citrine joined in, so I had no choice but to sing along.
“This dessert is… strawberry, cream… rotten apple, mud cookie.”
“The mud cookie is a 0-point card, right?”
“Citrine… you played the rotten apple, right?”
Nicasia said with a laugh, but Citrine shook her head.
“I played the cream this time.”
“But you said the rotten apple was cute earlier.”
“But the cream is cute too, right? Look. It looks like the spirits Murmur summons.”
“Uh… yeah. It is cute.”
Nicasia made an awkward expression and coughed while covering her mouth with her fist.
“Anyway… I’ll play the banana this time.”
Nicasia spoke again and placed a card down.
Since this is the last round, the other girls’ eyes looked strangely serious.
“I’ll play the kiwi! I’ll play the kiwi!”
Esme started humming again as soon as everyone placed their cards.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
“This dessert is… banana, banana, banana… and mushroom.”
“Wow, if we actually made this, it might be hard to tell the difference.”
“… … Are you talking about bananas and mushrooms?”
Citrine looked at Esme with disbelief.
Well, in terms of being white, I guess they’re kinda similar.
“Alright… the last round is over. Now we’ll vote on who the witch is. If you think there’s no witch, you can abstain.”
“How is the voting result decided? Is it just whoever gets the most votes?”
At Nicasia’s question, I nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll vote for Citrine as the witch.”
“…I feel some blatant hostility.”
“No, it’s a logical judgment.”
“Oh, then can you explain?”
Esme’s eyes sparkled.
“Earlier, when you said you’d play a cute card, the rotten apple came out, right?”
“I already said it was the cream.”
“And, Esme also said what card she would play, but Citrine was vague, right?”
“Murmur didn’t say anything at all, so you’re making assumptions?”
Nicasia coughed.
“Murmur is cute…”
“Haaa…?! Murmur is cute and cool!”
“J-just kidding. Murmur was busy running the game.”
“Hmm… respected Princess Nicasia, I am not the witch.”
Citrine made a cute snort and smiled.
“I’ll abstain.”
“Quite… clever, Citrine.”
Citrine clung to my arm and winked.
“It’s as you thought.”
“Huh? You have a thought? About abstaining?”
“If I vote for someone as the witch, what will happen? I’ll likely get revenge and end up with two votes.”
She’s so coldly logical about this.
“Murmur will also abstain.”
“Hmm, then I’ll vote for Citrine as Nicasia said!”
In the end, Citrine was voted as the witch, just as Nicasia wanted.
“Hmm, hmm hmm! Alright. So what happens now?”
“Citrine will flip her role card first.”
Citrine, still clinging to my arm, flipped her card.
“Huh…?”
Nicasia was shocked to see that Citrine’s card was ‘Patissier.’
“I told the truth from the beginning, didn’t I?”
“Then who… who is the witch?”
Nicasia, startled, flipped her own card. Naturally, Nicasia was the Patissier. So was I.
“Huh? It seems like everyone is the Patissier?”
Even Esme flipped her card, but there was no witch.
“There was… no witch…?”
Nicasia looked incredulous.
“That can’t be, right? We kept getting minus cards throughout the game.”
“To win in the final score calculation, you need to get rid of as many minus cards as possible.”
“Ah, so the person with the highest score wins, right?”
That’s right.
In this soft and cute game called “Let’s Become the Best Dessert Shop!”, to win, you need to know when to play the minus cards in your hand.
“Yeah, that’s right. And lastly… hmm… this might be a bit tricky.”
“I played this game when I was younger. It can’t be that hard, right?”
Esme chuckled. I doubt Pearl explained this rule back then.
“Do you see this oddly shaped card here? We’ll each get one.”
“It says ‘Patissier’? Huhu, there’s a super cute kid drawn on it.”
“The card I got has a witch with a strange nose.”
“That’s right. The Patissier plays the game as I explained. The witch is a bit different. The witch wins if they’re not voted as the ‘witch’ when we tally the scores at the end.”
Nicasia naturally started fidgeting with my hand while pondering.
She’s really sneaky with the skinship.
“So each round, we play cards to make desserts… and at the end, the person with the highest score wins, but to really win, you have to guess who the witch is, right?”
“Yeah, but there might not be a witch. That’s an important fact to remember.”
“Oh my, there might not be a witch?”
“Yeah, when we start the game, there’s always one card left after shuffling.”
I skillfully shuffled the cards and dealt one to each person.
Luckily, I was the Patissier.
“Everyone understand?”
“Yes, it’s easier and simpler than I thought.”
“Huhu, so it’s a game where I just throw out the weird ingredients in my hand!”
“…Is it a game about making pretty desserts?”
Esme, if you play like that, you’ll be suspected as the witch.
“Then… shall we start?”
I took cards from the pile and dealt five to each person.
“At the end of each round, you’ll get another card, so think carefully.”
I placed the cute grape card in my hand. It’s a 2-point card.
“Alright. I’ll play this card.”
After everyone placed a card, I shuffled the four cards and flipped them over to show everyone.
Please let a cute dessert be completed.
“Grapes, cream… bugs, rotten apple.”
“Ugh… this can’t possibly be a dessert.”
“But surprisingly… the rotten apple drawing is kinda cute.”
The first round’s dessert was a miserable failure. The bug card is a whopping ‘minus 5 points,’ so there’s no need to calculate.
“I’ll deal the cards again.”
“Let’s try to make a cute dessert this time. Otherwise, we’ll all end up with minus points.”
“There might be someone who shamelessly plays all the minus cards.”
At Citrine’s remark, Nicasia gave a subtle smile.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme suddenly started humming a tune.
Ah, I didn’t tell them about that song because I didn’t want to sing it.
“Esme. What song is that?”
“When I played this game with Pearl, we sang this song after everyone played their cards… before revealing them.”
“Should we sing it too?”
I, I don’t want to…
“For now, this round…”
Citrine brightly smiled and grabbed my left arm, shaking it gently.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme ended up singing the song.
I had no choice but to lip-sync along.
“This dessert is… strawberry, banana, kiwi… and mushroom.”
“Another weird ingredient is in it.”
“But there are quite a few fruits, so it might not be bad.”
“Is it possible to not have any weird ingredients?”
The second dessert looks decent. Strawberry is 5 points, banana is 4 points, kiwi is 3 points… and the mushroom is minus 2 points. So it’s a 10-point dessert.
“I’ll play the strawberry this time.”
Nicasia smiled and placed a card face down.
“Huh? Is it okay to say that? Murmur?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
It’s begun. Nicasia seems eager to catch the witch quickly.
“Alright. Then I’ll play the cutest-looking card.”
“That’s a very vague statement, Citrine.”
“Huhu, it’s important to always hide your hand!”
Citrine gave a sly smile and glanced at the instruction manual.
Don’t tell me… she’s ‘counting’?
Like the total number of strawberries or bananas in the game?
“This time, it looks like we’ll make a delicious dessert!”
Is Esme the only one purely enjoying this game in a soft and cute way?
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
Esme even sang the song again with a bright smile. This time, Nicasia and Citrine joined in, so I had no choice but to sing along.
“This dessert is… strawberry, cream… rotten apple, mud cookie.”
“The mud cookie is a 0-point card, right?”
“Citrine… you played the rotten apple, right?”
Nicasia said with a laugh, but Citrine shook her head.
“I played the cream this time.”
“But you said the rotten apple was cute earlier.”
“But the cream is cute too, right? Look. It looks like the spirits Murmur summons.”
“Uh… yeah. It is cute.”
Nicasia made an awkward expression and coughed while covering her mouth with her fist.
“Anyway… I’ll play the banana this time.”
Nicasia spoke again and placed a card down.
Since this is the last round, the other girls’ eyes looked strangely serious.
“I’ll play the kiwi! I’ll play the kiwi!”
Esme started humming again as soon as everyone placed their cards.
“Let’s all work together to make a cute dessert~♬”
“This dessert is… banana, banana, banana… and mushroom.”
“Wow, if we actually made this, it might be hard to tell the difference.”
“… … Are you talking about bananas and mushrooms?”
Citrine looked at Esme with disbelief.
Well, in terms of being white, I guess they’re kinda similar.
“Alright… the last round is over. Now we’ll vote on who the witch is. If you think there’s no witch, you can abstain.”
“How is the voting result decided? Is it just whoever gets the most votes?”
At Nicasia’s question, I nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll vote for Citrine as the witch.”
“…I feel some blatant hostility.”
“No, it’s a logical judgment.”
“Oh, then can you explain?”
Esme’s eyes sparkled.
“Earlier, when you said you’d play a cute card, the rotten apple came out, right?”
“I already said it was the cream.”
“And, Esme also said what card she would play, but Citrine was vague, right?”
“Murmur didn’t say anything at all, so you’re making assumptions?”
Nicasia coughed.
“Murmur is cute…”
“Haaa…?! Murmur is cute and cool!”
“J-just kidding. Murmur was busy running the game.”
“Hmm… respected Princess Nicasia, I am not the witch.”
Citrine made a cute snort and smiled.
“I’ll abstain.”
“Quite… clever, Citrine.”
Citrine clung to my arm and winked.
“It’s as you thought.”
“Huh? You have a thought? About abstaining?”
“If I vote for someone as the witch, what will happen? I’ll likely get revenge and end up with two votes.”
She’s so coldly logical about this.
“Murmur will also abstain.”
“Hmm, then I’ll vote for Citrine as Nicasia said!”
In the end, Citrine was voted as the witch, just as Nicasia wanted.
“Hmm, hmm hmm! Alright. So what happens now?”
“Citrine will flip her role card first.”
Citrine, still clinging to my arm, flipped her card.
“Huh…?”
Nicasia was shocked to see that Citrine’s card was ‘Patissier.’
“I told the truth from the beginning, didn’t I?”
“Then who… who is the witch?”
Nicasia, startled, flipped her own card. Naturally, Nicas
