Laios: "Are you trying to say that this Mr. Vanwyck has a very high status within the Family?"

"Yes, he's very likely one of the Higher-ups of the Oak Family. But thinking about it, it's not surprising. How could Sunday have escaped from the Family's prison alone? Without other Higher-ups working from the inside, it would be difficult even for Ms. Jade alone, wouldn't it?"

——

"...I see, my apologies," the person from the Hound Family explained. "Returning to the topic of the park, in short, some 'absolutely inviolable matters' have appeared nearby."

Vanwyck felt even more curious: "What happens if they are violated?"

"It's quite incredible; they get corrected. It's hard to describe in words. Would you like to go see for yourself?"

"Sure. Then please watch the entrance, and the two of us will head in to take a look."

The Hound pulled a thin notebook from his breast pocket and handed it to Vanwyck: "Please take this notebook; I hope it can be of help to you."

After leaving those two, Sunday reminded him indifferently: "You didn't need to say that phrase; it makes us look very suspicious."

"Which one?"

"Mr. Weekday."

"Hmph, just stating facts. I've always felt that name suits you better." Vanwyck looked at the empty park in front of him. "So, why come here? Were you the director here?"

"You could describe it that way." Sunday didn't object. "I was a child then, studying under Mr. Gopherwood to become the Oak Family's 【Harmonious Chime】. During an ordinary walk, he took a sudden whim and granted me the right to govern this place. Within the boundaries he set, my every word would carry the weight of law."

"Thinking back now, that was perhaps the first time I practiced 【Order】."

Vanwyck grew more curious: "You rose through the ranks later, so I guess you didn't do a bad job?"

Sunday shook his head calmly: "On the contrary, it was a complete mess. Fortunately, the tourists only treated it as a carnival; no one cared."

"Was it meant to be a test for you?"

"Perhaps Mr. Gopherwood was showing me his life experience in a low-cost way: there is no perfect paradigm for rules. If the maintainer cannot maintain self-reflection, once-noble decisions will become increasingly base. Just like here and now, the distorted echoes of 【Order】... only add to the chaos."

"Let's see what's written in the notebook..." Vanwyck opened the notebook, and there were six rules listed clearly.

— No food except hamburgers is edible, especially ice cream.

— Non-Cast members, please do not step onto the stage.

— Do not be rude to birds.

— Throwing trash into trash cans is prohibited.

— When experiencing amusement facilities, please do not use SoulGlad bottle caps sold by the Dreamjolt Troupe.

— Do not walk upside down near flower beds.

——

Gintama.

"Huh? Do not walk upside down near flower beds?" Gintoki looked confused. "Who would specifically go to a flower bed to walk upside down? Is there any point? More importantly, this is actually a Rule-based Urban Legend?"

"And this... trash cans are forbidden from having trash thrown in. Hey, hey... if the trash can knew, wouldn't it cry? Its only reason for existence has been stripped away!"

He had only learned about similar works in Shonen Jump before and had never actually seen a Rule-based Urban Legend in person. If the rule "throw trash in the trash can" was corrected, wouldn't the trash thrown in fly back out?

"Order has been disrupted. This is just the fall of the 'Embryo of Philosophy'. I dare not imagine what would have happened if 【Order】 hadn't been swallowed by 【Harmony】 back then, but instead defeated and killed by other Aeons."

"Mm... there would probably be a rule riot across the whole universe, aru!" Kagura poked her head out from behind Sadaharu.

"Rule riot? What does that mean?"

Kagura touched her face: "For example, strawberry Milk must be sweet and sour; it can't be melon or pineapple flavored. That's the factory's flavor rule. But if an Aeon falls, then Gin-san, every strawberry Milk you drink in the future might taste like any other Milk, except strawberry!"

"Wait...?! What kind of living hell is that?"

"Or maybe the wallets of everyone in Odd Jobs Agency will always have no money. If there's more than a thousand yen, it will be considered a rule violation, and all the money will turn into Pickled Kelp."

"Hey, hey! If it's over a thousand yen, you'd just secretly take it to buy Pickled Kelp, wouldn't you? What kind of rule change is that with such strong personal bias?" Shinpachi couldn't help but retort. "And when has our wallet ever had more than a thousand yen? Kagura, you don't think Odd Jobs Agency being poor is some kind of Rule-based Urban Legend, do you?!"

——

"Do not walk upside down near flower beds." Vanwyck came to the edge of a flower bed and carefully examined the flower beds that looked no different from usual. "Setting aside how the Hounds discovered this fact, I feel the consequence would at most be being flipped back upright. Why don't you try? I want to see you upside down."

Sunday remained expressionless: "I decline."

The two arrived at the ice cream truck. Vanwyck glanced at the booklet in his hand: "'No food except hamburgers is edible, especially ice cream'... This couldn't be a rule you set, could it?"

Sunday shook his head: "I have no prejudice against desserts. The law I established back then was simply for people not to scramble for them and to take them in Order."

"What happens if it's violated?"

"As that Hound said, it will be corrected."

Vanwyck put his hands on his hips defiantly: "I'm going to try it."

"Wait...!"

Before Sunday could finish, in the blink of an eye, the ice cream in front of them had entered Vanwyck's stomach.

Vanwyck looked down at his stomach and wondered: "Didn't nothing happen?"

Sunday was also very surprised: "...It shouldn't be like this."

"What did I tell you? It's not your turn to act; the Family can solve the problem itself. Next one, let's go check the stage."

The rule for the stage was "Non-Cast members, please do not step onto the stage." This rule seemed normal and was easy to verify. Neither Sunday nor Vanwyck were Cast members. As soon as they stepped onto the stage, they were automatically teleported off the stage by an inconceivable force.

"...Huh?"