"But if you are talking about cooking, do you have ingredients?"
"Um... well... there should be some."
Elysia touched her chin pensively for a moment.
"In the worst-case scenario, we can find some."
"Is this what they mean by 'things will work themselves out'?"
"What a great summary!"
With a bright smile on her face, Elysia took Tian Shi's arm and continued walking forward.
Tian Shi was starting to get used to Elysia leading him.
After all, after the simulation ended, Tian Shi had a general idea of what the amusement park was like.
Perhaps he isn't a brilliant sage, but he certainly isn't a fool.
Soon, following the main road of the amusement park, Tian Shi and Elysia discovered another small dark house.
"So, is this another built-in simulation?"
"Mmm..."
However, looking at the house in front of her, Elysia did not excitedly pull Tian Shi inside this time, but stood outside the door with a pensive expression.
"Tian, this room..."
"What's wrong?"
"Isn't it a bit ugly?"
"..."
"Does painting it pink fit the amusement park atmosphere better?"
"Purple is also quite nice," Tian Shi suggested naturally.
This problem appeared suddenly... I have to say, isn't that equally worthy of Elysia?
"Mmm…"
Elysia nodded seriously.
Tian Shi could foresee that, from now on, the small dark room in the amusement park might become a thing of the past.
"Very well! Tian, let's go in together!"
[Entered the built-in simulation: Truth or Dare]
"...?"
This time, the room was no longer completely dark, but decorated with romantic starlight.
Under the soft starlight, there was a table and two chairs.
"Is this the atmosphere of a candlelit dinner?"
"Please, sit down!"
Just as Tian Shi was feeling uncomfortable about the name he was supposed to use, Elysia had already pinned him against a chair, leaving him no room to struggle.
"Hmm... compared to Elysia, I really am a weakling."
Then, Elysia sat across from Tian Shi.
A game of truth or dare for two people...
[Victory condition for this simulation: Elysia's shyness level reaches 100%!]
[Failure condition for this simulation: Tian Shi's shyness level reaches 100%!]
[Special rules for this simulation: In the Truth or Dare segment, neither party can lie; in the Truth or Dare segment, neither party has unlimited resistance and neither party can make requests that are impossible to complete or require more than ten minutes to complete; defeat cannot be admitted in this simulation.]
[Reward for this simulation: Tomato]
Tian Shi watched as a measurement bar appeared on the table directly in front of him and Elysia.
[Elysia's shyness level: 30%]
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 20%]
"..."
"I am a grown man, a real man, and you use the word 'shyness' to describe me? And all for a simple tomato?!"
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 22%]
"..."
"Where is the shyness? This is clearly anger!"
"Umm... wait a minute...!"
Tian Shi seemed to have discovered something and immediately took two deep breaths.
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 15%]
"So this is how this game is played?"
This really does react to emotions in a timely manner...
"How could I lose with this setup?! How could I lose?!"
Tian Shi looked back at Elysia's shyness level...
Elysia's shyness level had now dropped to 20%.
"Truth or Dare..."
Tian Shi stared at Elysia.
"I never expected it to be played like this."
"Because I think it would be really interesting~~"
Elysia crossed her arms, a smile on her face that could be interpreted as an apology or satisfaction.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Tian? Do I have something on my face?"
Elysia smiled and returned Tian Shi's gaze.
"..."
"..."
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 34%]
[Elysia's shyness level: 35%]
After looking at each other affectionately for about half a minute, Tian Shi lowered his head and covered his face, while Elysia turned her head slightly, looking a bit guilty.
"Ahem, since Tian doesn't have any problem, then... shall we begin?"
"Let's... begin."
After adjusting their mentality, both experienced a 5% decrease in their shyness level.
"That's why my growth rate is faster than Elysia's!"
Tian Shi covered his face, speechless.
"My small advantage has now completely disappeared!"
"Let's play rock-paper-scissors... rock-paper-scissors!"
[Round 1]
Tian Shi: Rock
Elysia: Paper
"Hurray!"
Elysia made a victory gesture.
"Truth or dare"
"Dare"
"Tian, please say with feeling: 'Miss Elysia, I like you~'"
"Miss Elysia, I like you," Tian Shi said stiffly, squinting his eyes.
"Unqualified!"
Elysia made a cross with her hands.
"It has to be expressive and captivating! Expressive and captivating! Tian Shi's robotic voice will never be up to the task!"
"Ha... I've never learned anything about acting with emotions or anything like that," Tian Shi replied with a serious face.
"Tian, who tried to cheat in the first round, is not cute at all!"
Elysia puffed out her cheeks.
"Tian, please learn from me Miss Ellie... Miss Elysia! I like you...!"
"..."
"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to talk about it at all. There is no such thing as throwing a royal flush from the start!"
However, staying stuck here like this doesn't seem like a good idea.
Just as Elysia said, cheating in the first round was indeed a bit ugly...
"But how could she utter that sentence with so much emotion?"
"Ai, Ellie... um... Miss Elysia, I... ugh... I like you."
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 64%]
"Reaching this value in the first round is really bad!"
"Hmm~~ You're not up to it, dear Tian Shi."
Elysia rested her head on her hands and gave Tian Shi a pleasant smile.
"Although Tian has already done his best, he should be a bit more emotional and fluid. One more time, one more time."
"One more time?"
"No, that's not going to work. If things continue like this, I definitely won't be able to see the second round."
After all, systematically uttering those confession-style words to a beautiful girl like Elysia, who exudes a wonderful and sweet aura...
Tian Shi still had some self-awareness.
While rationally speaking, following the steps step by step and ending the game with a burst of shyness might not be a bad option, but...
Wouldn't that be equivalent to Elysia receiving gifts from him?
"Tian Shi, use your brain! What should I do in this situation?"
"..."
"Or, like reading a text out loud in elementary school, could we pretend Elysia is a pumpkin and perform the scene with great expression?"
"Or how about getting something for nothing?"
"Ufff... Ellie, give me your hand."
Tian Shi took a deep breath and extended his hands toward Elysia.
"Eh? Is Tian trying to cheer himself up?"
Elysia's smile became even brighter as she reached out and grabbed Tian Shi's hands.
"Hmm... Now that I think about it, this is the first time we've held hands... right?"
Suddenly, Elysia noticed something and couldn't help but scratch Tian Shi's palm with her pinky finger.
Before this, she had always been more intimately linked with Tian Shi's arm.
While linking arms generates greater intimacy, holding hands... is a bit unexpected.
"..."
"Don't bring up this kind of thing at a time like this!"
[Elysia's shyness level: 40%]
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 70%]
"Ellie, close your eyes."
"Eh? Close my eyes?"
Elysia finally showed a touch of surprise.
"This makes it impossible to look... Well, since Tian said so, I'll try... Ah, Tian, you're not allowed to kiss me in secret."
After saying that, Elysia closed her eyes, her face still retaining that gentle and lively smile.
"..."
"Now that you mention it, I realize the atmosphere is actually a type of... a type of atmosphere that makes you want to kiss..."
"What the hell?!"
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 75%]
[Elysia's shyness level: 55%]
"...?"
"Why did Elysia's stats suddenly increase by 15% this time...? Hey, are you waiting for a stolen kiss or something?"
Ufff.
Tian Shi tried to improve his mood.
"It's nothing... It's just a pink pumpkin... just a pink pumpkin... pink pumpkin, pink pumpkin, pink pumpkin..."
"How wonderful! It's a beauty dressed in pink!"
Tian Shi banged his head against the table.
"Eh? What's wrong?"
Elysia, of course, also heard the sound.
"No... it's nothing."
After launching a headbutt on the table, Tian Shi's shyness level immediately dropped to 60%.
"It's actually a useful way to stay alert, but it's a waste of time."
"Ellie, get ready, I'm about to start."
Tian Shi closed his eyes and gave a serious reminder.
Then, Tian Shi felt the thin fingers of her hand grabbing him with a slightly stronger force.
Just as he intended.
"Since things have come to this point, I might as well take a risk and self-destruct with you!"
The current setting, combined with the starlight inside, which creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a candlelit dinner, has already brought the atmosphere to its peak.
Even Elysia was a bit shaken at that moment.
"I... am ready."
"Are you sure?"
"Mm."
"Miss Elysia..."
A deep and melodious male voice resonated slowly.
"Perhaps... do I need to prepare a bit more?"
Tian Shi opened his eyes, grabbed the hand that was about to pull away without hesitation, and looked at Elysia, who had also opened her eyes, once again.
The twinkling light of the stars illuminated their faces.
Tian Shi stared at Elysia, who was the first to show signs of doubt, and continued, word for word:
"I..."
"..."
While Tian Shi spoke, Elysia subconsciously held her breath.
"Like..."
"..."
Tian Shi's thin hands began to tremble slightly.
Tian Shi squeezed them tightly, and as if in response, Elysia's hands grabbed Tian Shi's.
"You."
"I..."
"Okay, I passed."
Tian Shi interrupted Elysia, who was about to say something, and took a deep breath.
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 97%]
[Elysia's shyness level: 95%]
The self-destruction attempt failed.
Both stopped just before the explosion.
The next moment, both withdrew their hands simultaneously.
"You passed."
Elysia turned her head and coughed slightly, somewhat embarrassed.
"I got completely caught up in that atmosphere just now..."
"Truly worthy of being Tian..."
"I will never do anything like self-destructing again, even if you kill me."
Tian Shi was also a bit out of breath.
"When I opened my eyes I realized I had really let myself be swept away by that atmosphere."
After all, a lonely man and a beautiful woman, romantic starlight, a dim atmosphere, a sincere confession, and maybe even mutual affection...
With all the benefits at maximum, the only thing missing is an engagement ring or something...
The moment their gazes met, both were completely absorbed in the atmosphere.
Tian Shi thought to himself that if he hadn't managed to interrupt Elysia with his last glimpse of rationality, the two of them might have self-destructed.
"Wait, is that really rational?"
"It could also be due to shyness or something similar."
After all, a double self-destruction might not be a bad thing; of course, interrupting Elysia might not be a bad thing either, since if she hadn't been interrupted, the situation could have gotten out of control.
"But then again, how did things get to this point between Elysia and me in only half a day?"
"Hmm, I guess I'm an ordinary person after all."
After thinking about it for a moment, Tian Shi attributed the cause to himself.
Neither mentions continuing; both are adjusting their mentality without prior agreement.
After all, one is 97% and the other 95%, you could say they explode at the slightest contact.
The two avoided each other's gaze for about five or six minutes before Tian Shi tapped the table.
"Shall we continue?"
[Tian Shi's shyness level: 51%]
[Elysia's shyness level: 63%]
"When it comes to adjusting mentality, Tian is better at it... or rather, has more experience?"
"Tian really wants to win..."
Elysia took a deep breath and put back on her signature smile, although now that smile might seem a bit guilty.
"Then let's continue."
[Round two begins]
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Tian Shi: Scissors
Elysia: Rock
"Hmm~ I won again"
Elysia looked Tian Shi up and down, like a big bad wolf looking at a little white rabbit.
"..."
Suddenly, Tian Shi realized something: why he had to play rock-paper-scissors with Elysia.
A beautiful, smiling, pink-haired archer girl... besides having rank A luck, she might even have rank EX luck.
"Can I win a game like rock-paper-scissors, where luck is worth 9 and skill 1, against someone like that?"
Also, given the opponent's sharp eyesight, she might be able to foresee your choice the instant you throw a punch.
"..."
Tian Shi fell into deep thought.
Elysia, standing in front of him, also thought:
"Hmm... let's make a simple request this time~ Truth or Dare—What color is your underwear?"
"..."
"This is indecent!"
"But then again..."
"What color is my underwear again?"
Tian Shi fell back into deep thought.
"Ghosts don't need to worry about their underwear!"
"Eh... could it be empty?"
Elysia looked surprised.
"Let's see."
Tian Shi looked down and then up without expression.
"Blue mesh."
"A surprisingly ordinary taste..."
...
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