NOVPUBTalia frowned upon seeing the new question.
Although this question was indeed quite easy as the host had said.
But she really hated being left behind silently, left all alone without a word.
It was the same back in the Demon World, her father the King and mother, friends of the Great Demon Clan, even her sister disappeared all of a sudden.
At that time, it felt as if she had lost everything she owned overnight.
Previously, when she and Lanci went to lease the workshop at the Cardmaker’s Association by the Nanwantina Border, that guy Lanci ran off after creating a card explosion, leaving her upset.
Luckily, he quickly returned to the workshop.
On reflection, Lanci indeed put all his heart into his work.
And the female colleague who would have work-related matters with Lanci was probably Hyperion.
If he suddenly left because he received contact from Hyperion, Talia wouldn’t be surprised.
She understood the reason but the more she thought about it, the more unhappy she felt.
Just as she felt increasingly stifled inside, Lanci’s small blackboard already had an answer on it. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
[No]
Lanci was holding the small blackboard with both hands, and he seemed to feel Talia’s gaze; she was staring at his cheek.
"What’s wrong?"
Lanci asked with confusion.
"Nothing."
Talia’s voice was terse as she replied and turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
The eyelids of the Cat Boss outside the Shadow World twitched uncontrollably.
It knew Lanci well.
Lanci would commit to the task and go straight into dual-thread mode—that was Principal Lanci, daring because of his artistry.
All of the world’s regrets and decisions are often brought about by insufficient ability, whereas Lanci, greatly competent in his business, was confident in solving problems in the most extreme ways.
The camera close-up then shifted to Loren again.
He grabbed Juliana’s wrist and moved slightly to the left, but the camera also moved along with his face.
Loren looked up at the camera briefly.
He then shook his head with an almost imperceptible amplitude.
But the camera still focused on him.
It wasn’t until a moment later, as the voice of the host in the Shadow World’s drawing classroom sounded again, that the scene switched back to inside the Shadow World.
"Question twelve! You’re almost at the finish line. Very few couples manage to stay calm and continue at this stage!"
The golden bee host danced around the classroom and, like wiping an air wall in midair, brought forth the text of a new question—
[Question Twelve (Male): Do you feel happier being with your good male friend than being with the female beside you?]
"While this question doesn’t seem lethal, a truth can make the person beside you very angry, and it’s often these little things that hurt the most."
"Really?"
The players in the central courtyard who were watching commented.
"Think about it, if your girlfriend knew that you genuinely found it more joyful to be with your male friends, what do you suppose goes through her mind?"
"That does sound a bit terrifying..."
Talia, however, wasn’t surprised by the answer to this question.
She had heard from Hyperion about their Ichrite Academy student council member Frey, who was also Lanci’s best friend; during their student council tenure, Hyperion was usually in charge of the formalities, leaving Lanci and Frey to handle the rest, and the council had maintained a hundred percent approval rating to this day.
When Lanci was with Frey, there was never a pause in his laughter.
However.
Talia couldn’t believe it.
[No]
That’s what was written on Lanci’s small blackboard.
The answer was clear.
Lanci felt happier when he was with Talia than when he was with Frey.
Talia looked at Lanci.
She never imagined that being with her could bring Lanci so much joy.
But soon enough, she understood why this guy was happy.
"You..."
Talia stared at Lanci, seething with killing intent, as if flames of passion were rising from her body.
The hand holding the small blackboard started to shake, and Lanci’s tightly closed lips wavered, restless.
"..."
The Cat Boss outside the Shadow World didn’t know what to say anymore.
It shook its head, looked up, and saw the camera switch back to the real-world audience once again.
The camera was still fixated on Loren.
Loren was sweating profusely on his forehead.
This time he had already changed seats with Juliana twice.
And the camera found him once again.
To be honest.
Being with Florence was indeed more relaxed; without anything to worry about.
If possible, he wanted to talk to Florence every day, and even living together with Florence would be very happy.
But such matters, even the instructors have said are very normal!
In the graffiti classroom of the Shadow World.
"The two of you are about to clear the game without even realizing it! The thirteenth question!"
The golden little bee host said energetically as she looked at the question. She thought for a moment without revealing it,
"Mmm, before this question, I would like to ask if, in your future schedules, do you have any plans for intimate dates with others besides the person with you right now?"
asked the host.
Lanci and Talia both shook their heads.
The only plan they had confirmed so far was to go to the Poseen Kingdom together to supervise the Platinum Level Card Maker exam and to buy materials for making new cards.
But they had already guessed that this question was probably related to the new one.
Meanwhile, the camera shifted back to a section of the audience again.
"..."
Now without needing a close-up from the camera, all the surrounding audience would turn their gaze towards Loren.
In the center of the frame, the audience in front, behind, and to the sides all stared at Loren.
Loren’s head was about to rain.
"Loren, are you really that hot?"
Juliana looked up at the sky, worried that there might just be a cloud raining specifically over Loren’s head.
"I’m, I’m actually alright."
Loren fixed his gaze on the screen and said, hands motionless on his knees.
Juliana could only use her handkerchief again to wipe the cold sweat from Loren’s forehead.
Suddenly she realized in the camera frame that she had already leaned close to Loren. She coughed lightly, her cheeks slightly red as she straightened up and retracted her handkerchief.
"Alright, now please look at the question!"
The host’s voice sounded again, and the scene returned to the graffiti classroom. The golden little bee projected the newly received question onto the screen amid a burst of game sound effects, and the text appeared on the screen.
[The thirteenth question (male & female): What is the intimate date plan that you both look forward to the most in your future schedule?]
[Enjoy fine food together in the Poseen Kingdom]
[Take her to the Poseen Kingdom and treat her to fine food]
Because of the preliminary question, their answers appeared at lightning speed this time.
Their compatibility once again stunned the audience.
"Oh, may I ask, in your next date, will there be... a feeding session? It seems like both of you really want to do this with each other," asked the golden little bee host with a teasing smile.
"..."
They both found themselves unable to answer the question, turning their heads away from each other, and even feeling a bit like wanting to die.
"Hehe, I am looking forward to your trip together, and I sincerely hope you both enjoy it! But remember, when you do such things, don’t do it in front of a large audience!"
The golden little bee giggled behind her hand.
"We won’t do that!"
The two of them looked up indignantly, shouting in unison.
All of a sudden, the hubbub from beneath the live stage intensified.
"..."
They felt almost unable to clear their names.
Today, for the sake of their work, they had sacrificed too much.
"So, do you plan to take the one hundred and sixty-nine Golden Bee Coins and the Animal Forest Chocolate Gift Box and leave, or do you decide to challenge the last question?"
The golden little bee host looked at them with interest.
According to the rules, when asking the last question, the contestants’ opinions must be asked once.
"This last question is the most difficult yet the simplest one, and it’s the standard question for this season’s Love Obstacle Corridor College event! If you can give a positive answer, you will get our limited reward, the Celestial Wood Golden Bee Commemorative Bracelet!"
the golden little bee host added.
The fourteenth question as the standard question defaults to no challenge. It was actually displayed before the game started, but couples who had passed the previous thirteen questions had to choose whether to continue with the challenge or not.
[The fourteenth question (male & female): Up until now, do you feel happy being by each other’s side?]
Many couples get to this point and break up directly.
Even if they had been pretending to accept each other’s answers to the prior questions, their true feelings would be revealed in this step!
"After enduring thirteen rounds of tests, the fourteenth round is when the real damage gets tallied."
"If your girlfriend discovers your true feelings, that you’re no longer happy by her side, there’s basically no way to explain it to make things right."
"This is also why, since the opening of this special event in the central courtyard of Gold Bee Amusement Park, no couple has managed to win the top prize."
The spectators buzzing excitedly exchanged whispers.
"Do you dare to play?"
Talia didn’t look at Lanci. She said to him in a murmured self-talk,
"I’m going all in with you today."
Lanci felt he might also have been a bit too excited today and replied.
"Great! Then let’s unveil the answer!"
The golden little bee host spun around happily, like a magician unveiling a trick, and the classroom suddenly dimmed. When the lights came up again, two spotlights shone on them separately.
[Yes]
[Yes]
"Wow!!!"
In that instant, all the visitors in the central courtyard of the Gold Bee Amusement Park stood up from their seats, celebrating and cheering as if it were a festival holiday.
