True Mind Games Mean Seizing the Initiative Amid Silent Fog!

"Hello, here are the extra-large couple's drinks you ordered. Please enjoy!"

The waiter's enthusiastic voice faded away.

A cold, aloof woman, three feet tall and broad-waisted, was set down on the little table.

She had barely squeezed into a noble, magnificent crystal gown. Her elaborate, luxurious, high-piled, fluffy hairstyle resembled that of aristocracy, studded with colorful jewels and various ornaments, with several enormous pearls and a black hairpiece running through it. Her plump figure radiated wealth beyond the reach of ordinary folk. Though broad and stout, she had been pampered since childhood and was frail as a twig, unlikely to meet a good end amid the blazing flames of a chaotic age. She was the princess of a fallen nation at the end of troubled times, Louis XVI, being escorted to the guillotine...

She wore splendid clothes, yet had no control over her fate. Waiting for her were four cold-faced judges who had coveted her for a long time, greedy for every jewel on her body, as well as that wicked layer of fat.

She was trapped by four pillar-like rods from the execution grounds, stripped of her freedom. Two of them even pierced directly through her body! What inhumanity! What brutality!

"I won't hold back!"

One of the judges coveting her spoke.

He had clearly lost his mind and began selecting one of the rods to suck on.

The woman realized that they were not ordinary execution pillars after all. Complex magical patterns were carved upon them. Those pillars operated wind magic, manipulating atmospheric pressure to continuously draw away her will and nutrients... She understood now. This was not an execution ground either, but a magic circle! Was this meant to scatter her soul to the winds?

"S-Suzumiya, what are you doing?"

"I'm considering which angle would make it more interesting to start eating from."

He examined it closely.

A transparent glass cup, covered in gaudy, rough patterns that bit into the hand.

A towering heap of filling cream and cheese, embedded with dessert chocolate and pearls, plus a colored liquid beneath that occasionally bubbled and whose flavor was still unknown... Hiss.

Though it was hard to tell the lengths of the four straws at a glance, judging by their positions, one seemed isolated far away while the other three were huddled tightly together. Damn it, was there bullying even among straws?

There seemed to be no room to work with at all... Bai Yu's expression gradually turned solemn. He concluded that this was a multiple-choice question decided purely by luck...

Even so, I have to choose first! What mature man would sit around and wait for death?

"I'll choose this side!" Bai Yu made his decision decisively. With a sound that seemed to determine victory or defeat, he pulled one of the three clustered straws toward himself.

Since he could not reveal the plan, he could not simply pull it out to inspect it.

Besides, failure was not guaranteed. Even with only a one-in-six chance of winning, I, Bai, will seize what is in my hand!

Think calmly.

Since the connecting straw would have a bend in the middle, much like a human joint.

Under normal circumstances, it could not remain pressed together all the way through. Thus, it was highly likely that it was currently stretched out. If so, then the isolated straw was undoubtedly one end of the connecting straw.

As long as he did not choose that straw and picked from the other three, this question changed from one out of four to one out of three. There was a two-thirds chance that, even if he could not win, he could at least protect himself. This was the most rational method and carried the least risk. There was no other option for now... Shiina should not have trouble thinking of this either. Let's see what she chooses.

His feelings became somewhat complicated. It felt as though he were tackling the final, toughest subjective question of the college entrance exam, but this was not a mind game. It was merely luck and probability...

"Then I... I'll choose this side."

A familiar voice sounded beside him, carrying a trace of hesitation and uncertainty. In his daze, he seemed to hear her swallow. She was being exceedingly cautious, having clearly thought it over deeply.

But that tone was a little lacking in confidence, Shiina.

The choices left to us are nothing more than... Bai Yu's gaze swept to the side.

That slender, delicate hand emerged from a slightly long sleeve and slowly reached toward the glass before them. The distance was actually very close, because theirs was the smallest table left after everyone else had picked, and the drink was more than substantial. Yet her movement seemed as though it had been placed in slow motion, like a traveler lost in the desert, each step staggeringly slow.

In the end, she failed to reach the correct oasis.

Shiina...

That gentle yet resolute hand, just like in the previous scene, ultimately reached for the isolated side.

What!

Are!

You!

Doing!?

Was that straw called Karuizawa?

No, perhaps she had chosen an entirely different path...

Bai Yu casually lowered the brim of his hat, thinking tactically as he cast a subtle glance her way.

Then, from the expression she revealed, he caught the message she wanted to convey. It clearly presented an answer different from his, along with the reasoning behind it—

The broad-waisted drink was brought over.

Shiina Hiyori first conducted a thorough and calm observation, made an initial judgment regarding the core of the question and what it tested, then filtered its difficulty, allocated her time, proceeded from simple to complex, and began with ease. In the end, she finally saw through the key point and handed in a perfect answer.

The girl's argument was that if the two types of straws were the same length, then if the double straw separated and pointed in two directions, it would definitely look shorter than ordinary straws.

But right now, the portions of every straw exposed to the air appeared almost identical in length. That meant the double straw had not separated, which meant it was hidden among the three clustered straws.

"Those hateful bullies, that hateful Ryuen, Ishizaki, and Albert! No matter what, I have to stand on Karuizawa's side!"

Hey, hey, that last line was your real reason, wasn't it?

She responded to his questioning with a smile and silence.

Through their exchange of glances, Bai Yu already understood her thoughts. He had analyzed the situation through distance and made his selections and eliminations, while Shiina had focused her judgment on length. Their points of emphasis differed, so their conclusions differed as well.

But her angle of approach was plainly not rigorous enough, so he had reason to suspect that she had another motive.

Because you have no idea how deeply each straw is submerged. This drink is not pure liquid, and there is no reliable benchmark for judgment. The length argument is nothing but empty talk!

Based on what he knew of Shiina, the girl was too clever to make such a mistake. Therefore, she had to be harboring ulterior motives.

But in consideration of her past contributions...

Suzumiya Shirako sighed. Being the leader really was not easy. As she grew a little depressed, the other two straws were moved out of the corner of her eye as well.

"Then I'll choose this one."

"Mm! Then the rest will be mine, just..."

Ichinose Honami raised her head, her expression startled as she looked at the two people harboring their own schemes. Innocently, she said, "Huh? Why haven't you two started drinking yet?"

Ryuen Kakeru sneezed in the arcade.