The following night, Airi and the others arrived at the tower once again.
Then they saw...
"It really turned into a castle..."
"It really did..."
Looking at the incredible sight before them, everyone exchanged glances. Their reaction was understandable, because what stood before them now was no longer the fog-shrouded passage from the previous night, but a structure designed exactly like the castle backdrop from the Late Night TV program.
"So Amagi Yukiko filmed here yesterday? Was that a livestream?"
Airi compared the scene before her with the footage in her memory and easily found the spot where Amagi Yukiko had stood—though it was empty now.
"But when we were here yesterday, it was still completely covered in fog?"
Gakuhou Yukari asked in confusion, while Kirijo Mitsuru frowned.
"Could it be that Amagi Yukiko only came here after Shadow Time ended yesterday? But how did she get here? And why would she film something so strange...?"
As a refined young lady, Kirijo Mitsuru seemed unable to find the right words to describe such a lowbrow late-night variety show.
"Maybe she was forced to?"
"But she looked like she was enjoying herself?"
"Either way, we'll know once we go inside."
Airi cut off the discussion.
"Yukari, Kotone, come with me. Miss Mitsuru, please stay outside with Sanada and stand guard. Contact me immediately if anything happens."
"Understood."
The inside of the castle was not much different from a real castle. The difference was that the Shadow Monsters here were far stronger than the small fry outside. Even the attacks of Sitonai, whom Airi had summoned, dealt noticeably less damage to them. The minor monsters in this castle all seemed capable of resisting ice-element attacks to a certain degree, making things somewhat difficult for Airi and Gakuhou Yukari.
However, Kotone revealed an