Chapter 73

Natsuki held back, fighting his impulses. Sure, the "ice queen" might forgive an accidental touch, but if he kept pushing his luck... well, he'd be in trouble.

"A few moments of fun aren't worth losing my freedom," he thought, grabbing the key from the table. Crouching by the iron cage, he started fiddling with the lock.

After a moment, he groaned. "Wrong key."

Natsuki's brow furrowed as he tried every single key. No luck.

"Any other keys around?" Kaguya asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Nope," Natsuki sighed, shaking his head.

Suddenly, the door burst open. In rolled a tiny butler puppet on a unicycle, decked out in a miniature suit.

"Esteemed guests, we're running short on time," the puppet announced, pulling out a handkerchief to meticulously wipe its gloved hands. With a little bow, it continued, "If you'd follow me to dinner, please."

Natsuki didn't bother hiding. The room was too small anyway – just the cage and a table. Besides, the puppet had clearly spotted them both.

"Hey, Mr. Butler," Natsuki said, keeping his cool, "my friend's still stuck in that cage. Mind letting her out first?"

The puppet adjusted its bowtie, its wooden eyes shifting towards Kaguya. "Apologies, but I can't offer any real assistance," it said in a low voice. "However, we could play a little game."

"Seriously? Another game?" Natsuki thought, but asked aloud, "What kind of game?"

The puppet reached into its jacket, somehow producing a massive glass bottle nearly as tall as itself.

"My dear guest," it began, "your childhood wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows, was it? Parents too busy for school events, always moving around, never making real friends..."

Natsuki's face remained blank as the puppet continued.

"When you were eight, you got sick – bad fever. Survived it all alone in your room. Since then, you've been convinced that real connections are just a myth. Family, friendship – all meaningless. Loneliness, that's the only truth in life."

The puppet glanced at Kaguya in her cage. "But lately, that belief's been shaken up, hasn't it? There's a girl who's got you feeling... different. Words like 'friendship' and 'partnership' are creeping back into your vocabulary." Its voice grew hoarse as it finished, "So... what'll it be?"

Natsuki snuck a glance at Kaguya, catching the hint of a smirk on her face.

"What's so funny?" he thought. "The girl I like could be anyone – maybe even your best friend!"

"The game's pretty simple," the tiny butler said, placing the glass bottle on the table. Inside, a small piece of wood floated in a clear liquid.

"Get the wooden block out without touching it," it explained, fussily wiping its hands again. "Do that, and I'll tell you how to open the cage."

Natsuki stared at the bottle, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Isn't this just that old crow and water puzzle? Kinda basic, don't you think?"

He remembered learning about it as a kid – how the crow drops stones in the bottle to raise the water level. Even elementary schoolers knew this one.

"Well then, by all means, begin," the butler said, spreading its tiny arms wide.

Natsuki glanced around the room. Besides the table, cage, and those useless keys, the place was spotless. Not even a speck of dust to work with.

"No stones," he muttered, then turned to the butler. "What if we used something other than water? Would that work to raise the level?"

"Indeed it would," the butler nodded.

"Other liquids..." Kaguya's eyes narrowed as she caught on to the butler's twisted game.

With nothing else in the room, to fill that bottle they'd have to...

Suddenly, Kaguya's eyes went wide with shock. She saw Natsuki looking down at his pants, clearly considering something outrageous.

"What are you thinking?!" Kaguya shouted, her usual poise slipping. "If we're talking bodily fluids, it'd be blood, not... that!"

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "The human body's got all sorts of liquids. It could work."

He remembered Chika once mentioning how that particular fluid could be drunk in emergencies. Filling a bottle seemed tame in comparison.

Natsuki's hand moved to his belt. "Always wondered if we could take clothes off in this game. Good time to find out, right?"

"Hey, human! What's wrong with you?" the butler puppet squeaked, waddling forward angrily. "Don't you dare touch my bottle!"

Natsuki looked down at it. "How about I mess you up instead?"

"...What?"

Before the puppet could process, Natsuki snatched it up.

"Useless human," it scoffed. "In this castle, I can... wait, why can't I move?"

A smirk crossed Natsuki's face. "Gotcha, Zhang San."

Earlier, Chika had renamed the butler "Zhang San" in the lobby. As long as they hadn't switched targets, the name change stuck.

"It's pointless, even if you catch me," the puppet said, regaining composure. "I'm just wood. No pain, no senses."

Natsuki nodded. "That's fine, Billy. I'm not planning to hurt you."

"Hold on," the puppet's eyes rolled in surprise. "How do you know that name?"

The clues clicked in Natsuki's mind:

The butler puppet hates being called "Billy"It's obsessed with staying cleanIt has a severe phobia of dirt

"Billy, you've been wearing those gloves this whole time," Natsuki mused. "Can't stand getting your hands dirty, huh?"

"Human, what are you planning?"

"Simple," Natsuki pulled out a permanent marker, testing it on the table. Perfect characters appeared. "This ink's nearly impossible to remove. Want to find out, Billy?"

"That won't work on me," Billy growled.

"Let's see about that."

Natsuki yanked off Billy's white gloves, revealing pale wooden hands.

As the marker inched closer, Billy's eyes spun frantically. Finally, he cracked:

"Alright, human! You win! Just get that pen away from me!"

Natsuki pocketed the marker with a smirk. "Too bad you're bald, Billy. A middle part would've suited you."

Carrying the puppet, he approached the cage. "So, where's the real key?"

"You don't need one," Billy muttered. "You could open it anytime."

"Care to elaborate?" Natsuki pressed.

"Sorry, that's all I can say. Rules are rules," Billy replied. "Just... look closely at the cage."

Kaguya frowned, examining her prison. The cold steel and locked door gave no clues.

Suddenly, Natsuki's eyes widened. "I think I've got it."

"Well?" Kaguya looked up, puzzled.

"It's embarrassingly simple," Natsuki said. He grabbed the cage and lifted. The whole thing came up easily, revealing it was just upside-down. "There you go. You're free."

Kaguya stared, dumbfounded. "..."

It was just a five-sided box flipped over. No key needed, just... lift it.

She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. How did she miss something so obvious?

Kaguya crawled out, biting her lip to keep quiet.

"Here, try these," Natsuki handed her the keys.

Along with the cage, Kaguya's hands were chained, and she wore a strange collar. All still locked.

She tried every key, then sighed. "Nothing. They don't work."

Natsuki turned to Billy. "Alright, how do we unlock the cuffs?"

"No key needed for those either," Billy said, rolling his eyes. "That keyring? Just for 'fun'."

Natsuki scowled. Leaving keys in plain sight, giving hope then snatching it away – that was just cruel.

Natsuki sighed. "So how do we unlock them?"

Billy the puppet gave a cryptic hint: "When the forest ends and you reach water, there's a mountain with a small, bright opening. Abandon the boat, enter the narrow passage. After a few steps, all becomes clear."

"Wait, isn't that from 'The Peach Blossom Spring'?" Kaguya chimed in, her extensive reading coming in handy.

Natsuki rolled his eyes. "Speak plainly, would you?"

"Fine," Billy huffed. "When humans can't get in or out because something's too tight or dry, what do you usually do?"

Natsuki pulled out the marker again. "You know how risky it is making dirty jokes right now?"

"A pure mind sees purity, a dirty mind sees filth. Clearly, you're the one with questionable thoughts," Billy retorted.

Kaguya frowned, completely lost. Her innocence was showing – she'd probably miss innuendos aimed at grade schoolers.

"Last chance to explain yourself clearly," Natsuki warned.

Billy sighed. "Alright, let's try this: Think about Newton's first law."

"First law... inertia, right?" Kaguya's eyes lit up. "Oh! You mean friction?"