Chapter 162: My Turn—Trap Card
"Is it Bronya's turn? Bronya chooses Truth." There was not a single trace of hesitation in her stoic gaze. Her slender fingers reached out, confidently flipping over the top card from the deck.
[What is the most peculiar weapon you have ever used?]
"The most peculiar weapon?" She tilted her head slightly, her twin-drills swaying with the motion. "Does Project Bunny 19C count?"
As the words left her lips, the massive, imposing metallic construct materialized directly behind her in a flash of blue data streams. Project Bunny 19C was a quantum-level weapon, capable of phasing into reality at her side whenever she willed it. If one were judging purely on the basis of sheer peculiarity and technological impossibility, very few things in this world could ever hope to rival the floating mecha.
The rest of the girls nodded in agreement, finding the answer perfectly logical. Just as the round was about to be settled, Rovel suddenly shot his hand into the air.
"I object!"
Six pairs of eyes instantly snapped toward him. Kiana blinked in confusion. Was Bronya lying? But why would anyone bother lying about a trivial question like that? It was just a weapon. How bizarre could an arsenal really get?
"Among the vast array of weapons Bronya has wielded in her life, there should be something vastly more peculiar than a giant robot, right?" Rovel leaned forward, a knowing glint in his eye as he gently reminded her.
"Negative." Bronya shook her head, her expression remaining entirely flat. "If Rovel can name this supposed weapon, Bronya is fully willing to accept the punishment."
"Stockings! You once used a pair of stockings as a lethal weapon!" Rovel pointed a finger at her, ruthlessly exposing the darkest, most unorthodox combat tactic she had ever employed.
Bronya stiffened. Her gray eyes widened by a fraction of a millimeter. A flood of suppressed memories instantly crashed into the forefront of her mind. Back during her days as the Silver Wolf of the Urals, when she was desperately fighting through hell to save Seele, she had genuinely stripped off her stockings and used them as a garrote wire to silently strangle several heavily armed mercenaries to death in the snowy darkness.
"Wait, did Rovel actually hit the mark?" Himeko leaned over the table, catching the rare shift in the petite girl's normally emotionless demeanor.
"Using stockings to fight..." Kiana scratched the back of her head, her face scrunching up in sheer bewilderment. "Is that something a normal human brain can even come up with?"
"...Fine. Bronya had genuinely almost forgotten about that incident." She averted her gaze, staring down at the polished wooden table. "What Rovel said is entirely true. Bronya will accept the consequences. At worst, Bronya will simply flip over a Dare card."
Ever the strict adherent to the rules of engagement, she reached out and drew a card from the Dare pile.
[Hug a table leg and giggle foolishly for ten seconds.]
A heavy silence fell over the room. It was the exact same humiliating penalty that Kiana had suffered at the very beginning of the night. The statistical probability of drawing the exact same card from a shuffled deck was incredibly low, but it certainly was not zero. Bronya had just hit the jackpot.
Bronya stared at the text.
"I cannot laugh." She turned her head away, absolutely refusing to meet the expectant gazes of the older girls. Her brain's emotional module had sustained severe damage in the past. For her, even managing a faint, microscopic upward curve of her lips required immense conscious effort. Forcing her to giggle like an idiot was a physical impossibility. The current Bronya simply lacked the neurological pathways to contort her facial muscles into such an exaggerated expression.
"It is fine, just hugging the leg is enough." Rovel waved a hand, generously relaxing the harsh conditions of the penalty.
Bronya gave a curt nod. Without another word, she slid off her chair, dropped to the floor, and wrapped her arms tightly around the thick wooden table leg. Clinging to the wood with her signature dead-fish stare, she radiated a strangely unique, deadpan aura of comedy.
"Oh my god, I feel like Bronya is a little gray koala bear!" Kiana slapped the table, making absolutely no effort to hide her booming laughter.
"Now that you mention it, she really does look exactly like one." Himeko pinched the bridge of her nose. A frantic brawl was currently taking place inside her head between her adult conscience and her overwhelming urge to burst into hysterical laughter.
Those ten seconds dragged on like an eternity for the former assassin. She had absolutely no desire to ever experience being observed like a zoo animal a second time.
"Next round!" Bronya declared, pulling herself back into her seat. A competitive fire had finally ignited behind her dull eyes.
Out of the seven people gathered in the living room, five were now completely fired up. Even though the clock on the wall indicated it was well past two in the morning, the group was only playing with increasing, manic enthusiasm.
"Eh, is it me again?" Mei looked down at the Joker card resting in her palm. Her violet eyes wavered nervously between the Truth and Dare decks.
Recalling the sheer humiliation Kiana and Bronya had just endured with the table leg, a visible shudder ran down Mei's spine. She absolutely refused to show such an embarrassing, undignified side of herself in front of Rovel. If she did, she would never find the courage to look him in the eye ever again.
"I will choose Truth." Mei let out a long, shaky sigh.
She reached out, drew a card from the Truth pile, and flipped it over onto the table.
[What is the most daring piece of clothing you have ever tried on?]
Mei froze. Her entire body turned to solid stone.
"Oho? It seems our usually gentle, virtuous, and perfectly proper Mei also has a hidden side unknown to the rest of the world." Himeko stroked her chin, a deeply interested, predatory smirk spreading across her lips.
"Ro... Rovel..." Mei's cheeks instantly flared with a brilliant, burning crimson. Her beautiful violet eyes welled up with unshed tears as she shot a pitiful, pleading look directly at the young man sitting across from her.
In truth, quietly confessing her fashion secrets to the other girls wouldn't be a big deal at all. But Rovel was sitting right there, listening to every word. If she actually said it out loud, would he think she was a loose, improper girl?
"...It is okay, Mei. No matter what you wear, I can accept it." Rovel met her teary gaze, his voice incredibly solemn and supportive.
"Really?" Mei sniffled, delicately wiping the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
"Do you still not trust me after all we have been through?" Rovel straightened his back, projecting an aura of absolute reliability.
"Fine..." Mei clutched the fabric of her skirt, her knuckles turning white. Her voice trembled violently as she forced the shameful words past her lips. "The most daring clothing I have ever worn is... a thong..."
"So... so bold!" Kiana gasped, utterly shell-shocked by her idol's scandalous revelation.
"Sister Mei really is full of surprises." Bronya blinked, genuinely taken aback by the mental image.
"Hiss... a style even I wouldn't dare to casually try out." Himeko sucked in a breath of cold air. A distinct hint of genuine admiration flashed in her eyes as she looked at the blushing high schooler.
Fu Hua and Theresa remained entirely silent, though their expressions were equally stunned. Hearing the barrage of comments from her friends, Mei's face burned so hot she practically wanted to bury her head straight into the floorboards.
"...Please be absolutely sure to wear it for me in the future!" Rovel suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Mei by the shoulders and staring deeply into her eyes with burning seriousness.
"What on earth are you saying, you pervert?! There are children present!"
Theresa finally found the perfect excuse to strike. With a furious shout, she directly summoned the Oath of Judah. Heavy golden chains erupted from the massive cross, wrapping tightly around Rovel's waist and violently hoisting him into the air. The chains spun him around like a ceiling fan on maximum speed, blurring his vision as he was whipped through the air dozens of times.
When the dizzying torment finally ended and Rovel was unceremoniously dropped back onto the floor, his complexion had turned a sickly shade of green. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted straight for the bathroom, violently emptying his stomach into the toilet.
Watching his miserable, retching state from the living room, absolutely no one felt a shred of sympathy for him—except for the hopelessly devoted Mei.
"I am really not feeling well. How about we call it a day?" Rovel groaned, slumping weakly back into his chair and wiping his mouth with a tissue.
The deck of cards seemed to be following some cursed, karmic pattern tonight. If they continued playing, Rovel was ninety—no, a full one hundred percent certain that he would be the next victim to draw the Joker.
"No way, you have to keep playing!" Even the usually dense Kiana noticed the shift in momentum. She slammed her hand down onto Rovel's shoulder, physically pinning him to his seat to prevent his escape.
"At least finish this current round." The cold, mechanical hum of Project Bunny 19C suddenly echoed directly behind Rovel's head, its massive cannon aiming at his spine.
"The last round," Theresa threatened, casually resting her hand against the golden metallic surface of Judah.
"..." Rovel swallowed a dry lump in his throat.
His hand trembled violently as he reached out toward the center of the table. Inside his mind, he was frantically chanting a desperate prayer to any higher power that would listen.
'Mobius bless me, Elysia bless me, Mother Aponia bless me...'
Rovel grabbed the top card and flipped it over. The anxious heart pounding in his throat instantly flatlined.
It was, without a shadow of a doubt, the Joker.
"Alright, pick your poison." Himeko and Fu Hua considerately fanned out the Truth and Dare piles across the table, offering him a clear choice.
"I choose... Dare!" Rovel gritted his teeth, reaching out and slapping his hand down onto the Dare deck.
The entire room leaned in closer. Six girls held their breath, their eyes glued to the piece of cardboard that would decide his ultimate fate.
[Trap Card: Anyone who reads the content of this card must maintain unbroken eye contact with the cardholder for 10 seconds. If eyes are averted for even a fraction of a second, the timer completely restarts.]
"How can a card like this even exist in the deck!!!" six voices shrieked in perfect, horrified unison.
Rovel leaned back in his chair, a wide, victorious grin spreading across his face as he stared down his captive audience.
'Thank you, Mobius!! Thank you, Elysia!! Thank you, Mother Aponia!'
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