"The fireplace is over there."
"Hurry up and get a fire going."
"I'm freezing. I can feel my teeth chattering."
"..."
A group of players hurried to the fireplace, shivering as they set down the books they were carrying. Then they looked at one another.
"We can start a fire now."
"Hurry up and light it. I'm freezing."
"Why hasn't anyone started a fire yet?"
"..."
The air fell silent all of a sudden. No one said a word.
After several awkward seconds, Fujiwara Chika couldn't help asking, "...Um, does nobody have anything to start a fire with?"
Amamiya Natsuki was the first to speak. "I don't."
Shinomiya Kaguya said, "Neither do I."
"Me, me, me." Takanashi Rikka raised her hand. When everyone turned to look at her, she said timidly, "I don't have anything either."
Yukinoshita Yukino said, "Sorry."
"..."
It didn't take long for everyone to realize there was a very serious problem.
They had no way to start a fire.
Lighters, matches, and things like that couldn't be brought from the real world into the game. They seemed insignificant in everyday life, but when you actually needed one, you were out of luck without it.
Amamiya Natsuki suddenly remembered a saying: Life was unpredictable, and the large intestine...
No, that was wrong. Let's try again.
Life's ups and downs really could be that dramatic.
"There's still a long time left on the countdown. Are we going to freeze to death here?"
A female player sounded a little desperate.
"Don't lose heart," Fujiwara Chika said encouragingly. "We could try... rubbing two sticks together?"
Give me a break! Starting a fire that way sounded easy, but it was incredibly difficult. An ordinary person wouldn't get a fire going; they'd just end up with blisters all over their hands!
"That's