The Cosplay Arm-Wrestling Challenge

“Oh, no, no, no! It’s falling!” I couldn’t help but panic, watching the precarious block tower sway before me.I pleaded.Don’t fall! Please, don’t fall!“Crash, crash, crash—”I… I was utterly exasperated, on the verge of tears.Are you kidding me?! Show me some mercy! I’ve already lost six rounds!Just let me win once, please?!“You lost again, Xiaobai~”Leidi… what’s with that joyful smile? And that triumphant lilt in your voice, flaunting your victory? There’s no negotiating, and I won’t! Next time, I swear, I’ll inflict +9999 mental damage upon you with my triple-digit bust!“Perhaps we should intensify your stability training…” Brother Mingdao said from his perch on the step ladder opposite, his voice reaching me across the ruins of blocks. My expression of discontent instantly morphed into a gloomy frown.No… not more. I’ll die of exhaustion…“Ugh—” I sighed softly, a weary sound, then quietly climbed down from the step ladder. Alone, I began tidying the scattered blocks, preparing to restart the stacking game—a super Jenga challenge, two hundred layers high, requiring the step ladder and four players.“Should we perhaps stop playing?” Ruka sister interjected, sounding a little tired herself. “I think that’s enough training for Leidi-chan today. Let’s go shopping. It’s important to balance work and rest.”Please agree, everyone. Having lost six rounds and now facing increased training, my will to fight had completely vanished.“Hmm—alright, we have been playing for quite a while. It’s good to relax our eyes and minds,” Brother Mingdao mused, then descended from the step ladder to help me gather the blocks.Hooray! This game, which could only be described as a mental hell, was finally over.Excluding breakfast and lunch, we had indeed been playing this time-consuming, energy-draining, eye-straining, brain-taxing super Jenga. It was already half past one in the afternoon.“Where should we go shopping today?”“It seems there’s some kind of competition at the department store. Should we go check it out?”“The department store, you say? Hmm—let’s go.”As they chatted, Leidi and Ruka sister also joined in tidying the blocks.The department store, then. Was it the one with an entire floor dedicated to snack shops last time? It seemed like a suitable choice for a shopping trip that included men—Brother Mingdao and myself.****“Oh, look at that man up ahead! He must be incredibly rich, with all those beauties trailing after him.”“I’m so envious! He must be the son of some major corporate CEO.”“Even though his face is flushed and he seems shy, he’s so handsome!”“He’s so tall, yet he’s a ‘herbivore man’? Pfft, haha!”Walking towards the department store, we constantly overheard such comments from the men and women around us. Honestly… we were the center of attention again… though, to be precise, Brother Mingdao was the main focal point.Three women and one man… and three beautiful women at that. It would have been difficult for Brother Mingdao not to attract attention.Though, in reality, it should have been three men and one woman.’Ugh—’Brother Mingdao’s face grew progressively redder, and he slightly lowered his head, his eyes clearly fixed on the ground.I hadn’t realized Brother Mingdao was so shy. It made me want to tease him.Although Brother Mingdao had only brought four changes of clothes, with Ruka sister’s and Leidi’s guidance, even a simple mix-and-match created a very stylish look. His trekking T-shirt, in particular, made him stand out like a crane among chickens in the crowd. What a pity, though, that this crane’s face was now as red as a Peking duck.As for us, Leidi and I were wearing matching floral sundresses this time—hers was off-white, mine light blue. Of course, we also had hats. Ruka sister was dressed just as she had been during our last shopping trip, presumably because she was quite fond of that outfit.’Uh-huh—’Hmm… why had Brother Mingdao completely lowered his head now? Was he defeated by the stares? If this was all it took, he seemed even weaker than I was!“Number Two, lift your head~” With a mischievous glint, Ruka sister linked her right arm through Brother Mingdao’s, leaning against him—close enough for her chest to make contact!“Hmm—!!!” The effect was instantaneous! Brother Mingdao swiftly lifted his head, standing rooted to the spot, his face so red it looked like it might start steaming! It was hilarious how he was trying so hard not to shout.“Pfft~ haha!” repeated many times.While the men around us cast complex glances at Brother Mingdao, the women mostly covered their mouths and chuckled. Heh heh, wait? I seemed to be laughing too.“Pffft, haha~~ What a cute guy,” Ruka sister couldn’t help but burst into laughter herself.It seemed Brother Mingdao’s heart rate would likely remain above 135 BPM for the rest of this walk, haha.****“A cosplay arm-wrestling competition…”Standing at the base of the department store, I gazed at the bizarre poster plastered outside the building. It featured a muscular uncle in a bunny girl costume arm-wrestling a rugged woman (or perhaps an auntie?) in medieval armor. Leidi, looking a bit speechless, relayed the Japanese text to me, who still couldn’t understand it.Cosplay, huh… This poster, rife with bizarre elements, certainly conveyed that directly enough. What an eyesore…And, apparently, arm wrestling was a competitive sport now.“The grand prize is 500,000 Japanese yen in cash, the runner-up prize is ten ‘Beethoven’ dessert vouchers, and the third-place prize is a set of multi-specifications sports dumbbells?” Ruka sister added, sounding a little surprised. “Note: if the final match is a mixed-gender bout and the female contestant wins, an additional 500,000 yen will be awarded!”Ten ‘Beethoven’ dessert vouchers were the second prize, second only to half a million yen?! Our class seemed to have struck gold.Still, I felt I could understand… the value of those dessert vouchers.Yesterday, after Ruka sister’s explanation, delivered with almost clown-like theatrics, we had shared and eaten that skull-shaped chocolate. Naturally, it wasn’t poisoned.And truly, its taste was incredibly delicious, provided, of course, one could overlook its rather off-putting, realistic appearance.The skull was entirely made of white chocolate. From the marks, it didn’t seem to have been made with a mold; a knife was likely used. The cracked lines between the bones weren’t simply drawn with dark chocolate; they were a rich, intense blackberry jam. I could tell it wasn’t the kind sold on supermarket shelves; it was definitely handmade! As for the most terrifying, bloody red, that was a subtly tart mulberry jam, also handmade!Breaking off a small piece and tasting it, what was this salty flavor?! Almonds! The irregular white chocolate was filled! How incredible! How did they manage that?!The gentle sweetness of the white chocolate, complemented by the seemingly incidental saltiness of the almonds, was already exquisite. But when combined with the black or red jams, it transformed into an entirely different flavor profile. My own mastery of taste paled in comparison!Though our fields were different, if possible, I truly wanted to have a good conversation with the pastry chef who created this chocolate. Ignoring its appearance, this skull chocolate was a perfect masterpiece!“Should we participate too?” Brother Mingdao, still a little flushed, darted out from behind us. Was he eyeing those dessert vouchers? Yesterday, besides Leidi, he and I were the fiercest competitors.Competing for what? The chocolate, of course! Brother Mingdao was surprisingly a sweet tooth!“Sure, I have no objections.” This was echoed three times, as we all raised our hands in agreement.“All of us?!” Brother Mingdao exclaimed, looking astonished.Everyone had their eyes on those dessert vouchers. Was this going to turn into an internal conflict?“Be merciful, alright…? It seems none of you can control yourselves very well…” Brother Mingdao cautioned Leidi and me carefully.His concern wasn’t unfounded. Leaving me aside, Leidi had only one experience activating ‘Reverse Shackle’ during our last training session. She might even be more dangerous than I was when wearing the ‘Shackle’.“It’s fine, as long as one of us four gets second place. It doesn’t matter if Xiaobai and I lose.” Oh? So you knew that, huh…?Hmm?!Hey! Why are you assuming we’ll definitely lose (on purpose)?!“Alright then, let’s go to the arena and change into our cosplay outfits,” Ruka sister said, smiling as she walked into the venue first.“Eh?!” came the twin exclamations from Brother Mingdao and me, suddenly stunned.“Don’t tell me you forgot this is a *cosplay* arm-wrestling competition, *cosplay*!”Leidi laughed, then forcefully dragged Brother Mingdao and me, who had just remembered, inside.Hey, hey… Is it too late to back out now?!