Chapter 194: Losing the Competition, but Winning at Life?
After a grueling mental struggle that lasted exactly two and a half seconds, Bronya Zaychik surrendered. She stepped right into the trap Rovel had carefully laid out for her.
"Only this once," the petite girl muttered, her gray eyes locking onto his with absolute gravity. "And you are not allowed to let Seele know about this."
Even after officially signing their names on the event registration form, Bronya continued to stare him down, laying out ground rules to preemptively block any future blackmail attempts. Although her signature deadpan expression made it difficult for normal people to read her mood, Rovel could clearly sense the heavy, unyielding seriousness radiating from her small frame.
"What's in it for me?" Rovel casually crossed his arms, leaning back against the registration booth. Bargaining was a fundamental necessity. If he didn't squeeze a little extra out of this arrangement, wouldn't he be getting the short end of the stick?
"...Bronya will help you with one task, free of charge, in the future," she offered, her glare sharpening into twin daggers.
"Deal." Rovel flashed a crisp OK sign, a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips. Bronya was an absolute genius in the fields of high-level hacking and mechanical manufacturing—two highly specialized areas he hadn't yet mastered. Securing a blank-check promise from the Silver Wolf of the Urals was a spectacularly good trade.
The couples' event operated on a strict points system spread across three distinct rounds. The pair sitting at the top of the leaderboard by the end would be crowned champions, walking away with the grand prize: a [White Day Limited Edition Homu Pair].
The coveted prize set consisted of a classic yellow Homu dressed in a sharp tuxedo, paired with a blushing Homu-mei adorned in an elegant, frilly wedding dress.
"Welcome to the first round, titled—Falling in Love with You!" the enthusiastic host announced over the booming PA system. "We have ten questions in total. The time has come to test the ladies' level of understanding regarding their men!"
Bronya stared down at the digital tablet handed to her, a faint throb already building at her temples.
The initial few questions were relatively harmless, focusing on Rovel's basic preferences, favorite foods, and minor daily habits. Relying on her sharp memory and keen observation skills, Bronya managed to input the correct answers without much hesitation.
But then, the screen refreshed to display the next prompt:
[What does the other party like you to call them the most?]
This brought Bronya's fingers to a dead halt. If Raiden Mei were sitting in this chair, she could probably answer it flawlessly. But Bronya? She didn't use any special, affectionate nicknames for him.
Glancing at the ticking countdown timer at the top of the screen, she rapidly calculated the most logical, socially acceptable option. Her finger tapped the glass.
Answer: [Brother].
A loud buzzer echoed through the venue as the timer hit zero. The massive screen above the stage displayed the couples' synchronized answers. Bronya shifted her gaze to see what Rovel had written on his tablet, and her breath hitched. A vein practically bulged on her forehead.
What kind of decent, functioning member of society actually enjoys being called [Zako]?!
Rovel, meanwhile, stared back at Bronya's screen with an expression of deep betrayal. Why the hell are you shocked? his eyes seemed to scream.
Helpless against the sheer absurdity of the situation, the duo received a glaring red 'X' and lost a point.
The next question flashed on the screen:
[What is the most heart-fluttering thing the other party has ever done for you?]
For the emotionless Russian girl, this was another brutal hurdle. When had they ever shared a genuinely touching, romantic moment? Her mind sifted through their chaotic history before finally settling on a practical memory.
Answer: [Giving me the precious Christmas Limited Edition Homu].
She nodded to herself. Nothing could possibly go wrong this time. It was, objectively, their most significant and positive interaction to date.
However, the moment the results were revealed and Bronya saw Rovel's answer, her small hands curled into tight fists. She wanted nothing more than to summon Project Bunny 19C and blast him into the stratosphere. Is this guy doing this on purpose?!
Rovel's Answer: [During the 'Dare' part of Truth or Dare, I didn't force her to laugh foolishly, thus protecting her cool character persona.]
Isn't that just basic human decency?!
Rovel kept his arms crossed, nodding sagely at his own tablet. He clearly saw absolutely nothing wrong with his flawless logic.
Another loud buzzer. Another point lost.
The final question of the round appeared:
[What does the other party think is your biggest flaw?]
Bronya activated her 180 IQ, her mind whirring like a supercomputer as she tried to predict Rovel's chaotic thought process. He probably wouldn't write anything normal. He wouldn't mention her lack of emotional expression, nor would he bring up the permanent damage to her legs. Those were genuine, painful scars from her past, and despite his eccentricities, Rovel wasn't cruel.
By process of elimination, only one logical answer remained.
Bronya typed it in with absolute certainty. This time, their answers would perfectly align.
"Regrettably, the answers for couple number three do not match once again!" the host's overly cheerful voice echoed, causing Bronya to instantly petrify in her seat.
"Rovel..." she growled, her voice dropping an octave as she glared at him with murderous intent. She slowly turned her head to look at the main screen, desperate to see exactly how he had ruined it this time.
Bronya's answer was displayed first: [Flat Chest].
A second later, Rovel's answer materialized right beside it: [ ].
The audience blinked in unison. A wave of confused murmurs rippled through the crowd. Why was his side completely blank?
"I think she is perfect and flawless," Rovel stated calmly into his microphone, his voice smooth and entirely unbothered. "So, leaving it blank is my only answer."
"Ohhhhhh~!"
A massive, synchronized cheer erupted from the crowd. The romantic tension in the venue skyrocketed.
In stark contrast, the other competing couples—who had actually matched their answers correctly—suddenly felt entirely defeated. Staring at Rovel's smooth delivery, their own correct answers felt cheap and unromantic.
"Is this what they call 'Losing the competition, but winning at life'?" a guy in the front row muttered, shaking his head in awe.
"That's the perfect answer! Master, please teach me your ways!" another yelled from the back.
Envious, starry-eyed gazes locked onto the stage, while the corner of Bronya's lip twitched violently.
Perfect my foot! We aren't even a real couple, why are you acting so sickeningly affectionate?!
She didn't care about romance! She just wanted the points! The points for the Homu!
Bronya's eyes lost all remaining light, transforming into hollow, dead-fish eyes as she stared fixedly at Rovel's smug profile.
"Aw, that girl is so lucky," a woman in the audience whispered loudly to her boyfriend. "Look at how intensely she's staring at him. That answer must have really touched her heart, right?"
"..." Bronya remained completely silent, her soul slowly leaving her body.
The first round finally concluded. Out of ten questions, worth one point each, Rovel and Bronya had lost a staggering five points, dropping them straight into the lower-middle tier of the scoreboard.
Worse yet, thanks to Rovel's incredibly smooth final answer, they had inadvertently become the absolute center of attention for the entire mall. Both of these outcomes were exactly what Bronya had wanted to avoid.
Fortunately, the competition wasn't over. There was still room for a comeback. The maximum score for the second round was a generous fifteen points.
"Welcome to the second round—Loving You!" the host announced, pacing across the stage. "Once the timer begins, the gentleman must pick up his lady. For every minute you hold her without dropping her, you earn one point!"
The host paused dramatically, raising a finger. "Of course, there is a catch! You must maintain unbroken eye contact. If you look away from each other for even a second, your round ends immediately. Let's see just how long your love can endure!"
Rovel stepped up behind Bronya. The stark size difference between the tall, athletic young man and the petite, doll-like Russian girl drew a few more coos from the audience.
"Do not mess this up again," Bronya whispered, her tone laced with a chilling warning.
Their disastrous first round was entirely his fault. But this second round was practically tailor-made for them. Bronya was incredibly light, and Rovel's physical fitness was monstrously high thanks to his system synchronization. Forget holding her for fifteen minutes; he could probably hold her for an hour without breaking a sweat.
"Begin!"
At the host's signal, Rovel smoothly swept Bronya off her feet, lifting her into a secure, effortless bridal carry. The two immediately locked eyes.
However, the other contestants quickly realized that the true difficulty of this round wasn't the physical strain—it was the psychological pressure of the eye contact.
For ordinary men, holding a person in a bridal carry burned through stamina rapidly. Once their arms began to ache and their breathing grew heavy, the loud cheering and chaotic noise from the crowd easily broke their concentration. Within the first three minutes, several couples had already dropped out, their eyes darting away out of sheer exhaustion or distraction.
But over on Rovel and Bronya's side...
Bronya loosely wrapped her small arms around Rovel's neck to provide a bit of balance. Her expression was completely flat, her signature dead-fish eyes locked onto his face with the unblinking intensity of a sniper.
During their last game of Truth or Dare, she had successfully maintained eye contact with him using this exact same method.
But Bronya had severely miscalculated one crucial detail: that dare had only lasted for ten measly seconds.
This time, she had to stare into his eyes for a full fifteen minutes.
As the clock ticked past the five-minute mark, maintaining her hollow, unfocused gaze became increasingly difficult. The ambient noise of the mall began to fade away. Forced to look at nothing but him, Bronya's eyes slowly regained their focus, and she found herself subconsciously studying the sharp contours of Rovel's face.
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