A Show of Skill: An Unconventional Test of the Vibration Harmony System
Sunlight broke through the clouds.
Zhou Yu stood downstairs at the girls' dormitory building, carrying breakfast.
Dania staggered out of the stairwell, her black wristband standing out conspicuously.
Zhou Yu stuffed the soy milk into her hand.
"How are you doing? Are you getting used to it?"
Dania raised her wrist and moved her fingers; the wristband seemed heavy on her slender arm.
Dania:(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
"It's not heavy, just right, and it's a couple's style."
She lowered her head and took a big gulp of soy milk, her cheeks flushed from the steam.
Zhou Yu didn't point out the 100-kilogram weight, but reached out to help her straighten her bangs.
"Yes, they're matching couple items."
"Let's go, we won't get a good spot if we're late."
Dania bit the straw and mumbled indistinctly.
"After the physical test today, you have to take me to a seafood buffet, and we can't forget the lobster."
Zhou Yu pinched her puffed-up cheeks.
"As long as you pass, I'll peel the abalone for you."
Dania nodded vigorously, her ahoge (cowlick) swaying in the morning breeze.
The central training ground was bustling with activity.
On the podium, Moning with his arms crossed.
The thick lenses of his glasses on his nose framed a corner of the playground.
Zhou Yu, wearing Logistics Department vest and handing snacks to his girlfriend, was particularly jarring.
Moning:(ㅍ_ㅍ)
She turned to look at the recorder beside her.
"Set all the surveillance cameras in the Logistics Department area to the highest resolution."
The recorder tapped on the keyboard, and the screen flickered a few times.
"Director, the signal over there is physically blocked; it's only showing that the Logistics Department is performing routine equipment maintenance."
Moning gripped the data terminal tightly in his hand, pressing his fingertips against the edge of the screen.
"Go check his repair request form; I need to see the original."
The recorder looked troubled.
"The application form is in the principal's office. Principal Lupa approved it personally; we have no right to access it."
Moning's chest heaved as he slammed the terminal onto the table.
She had a feeling that today's physical test would not be smooth sailing.
The starting gun fired.
Aimis weaved between the railings and the low wall.
Her muscle memory for stage positioning and wire stunts allowed her to move with ease on the track.
Exclamations erupted from the sidelines.
"Look, Aimis so fast!"
"The way he climbed over the low wall was just like something out of a movie."
A sweet smile played on Aimis's lips as she pondered which cafeteria to have for lunch.
Just as she was about to clear the last obstacle, she stepped on a banana peel.
He lost his balance and fell straight to the ground.
Her meticulously maintained face was only ten centimeters away from the synthetic track.
He's disfigured.
The agent will kill her.
Aimis closed her eyes and let out a babyish scream.
Aimis:Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
"Ah!"
The mournful cry was extremely piercing, carrying a peculiar audio frequency.
At the finish line of the race, the voice-activated starting pistol system flashed red indicator lights wildly.
[Error command identification.]
[Timer system, paused.]
The system froze for exactly one second.
Aimis took the opportunity to brace herself on the ground, rolled awkwardly to dissipate the force, and scrambled across the finish line.
The referee looked at the stopwatch, which was hovering around the passing mark, and then at the disheveled Aimis, and fell into self-doubt.
"Result: Valid."
Aimis walked to the sidelines, patting her chest, her legs feeling weak.
Linnai leaned over and handed her a bottle of water.
"Was that a dolphin's voice you just used? It almost knocked my device offline."
Aimis rolled her eyes at her, brushed the dust off her skirt, unscrewed the bottle cap, and took a big gulp.
"This is an idol's signature move, used to save their life in crucial moments. What do you know?"
On the podium, Moning reviewed the replay three times and checked the timing system logs.
[Cause: Unknown audio interference caused a short circuit in the system logic.]
She adjusted her glasses and attributed the problem to equipment malfunction.
The women's 5,000-meter endurance race begins.
Linnai stood on the starting line, patting her chest to assure everyone.
"Don't worry, I've specifically studied the tortoise-breath running technique to ensure a constant speed to the end."
As soon as the gunshot rang out, she fell to the back of the line.
When she reached the 3,000-meter mark, her tongue was sticking out really long.
Sigelica was jumping up and down in frustration on the sidelines.
"Linnai, speed up! The cafeteria's sweet and sour pork is sold out!"
Linnai waved her hand, panting heavily.
"Don't mention food, I'm about to collapse, can you finish the run for me?"
Seeing that she was about to be ringed, Linnai closed her eyes in despair.
A rich aroma drifted into my nostrils on the breeze.
The aroma of oils grilled over charcoal combined with a secret sauce.
It's a "pissing beef ball".
This is a deluxe version specially supplied by the Logistics Department, with double the cheese and black pepper.
Linnai opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the scent.
Not far from the finish line, Zhou Yu set up a barbecue grill, wearing a vest and flipping sizzling, oily meatballs.
There's a sign standing next to it.
[Logistics Department's mobile kitchen, the scene of the annual culinary skills assessment.]
Linnai's eyes reddened.
His sprinting instinct, honed from years of competing with three hundred strong men for food, was awakened.
Linnai:(✧✧)
"My dumpling!"
She sprinted with all her might, dodging the runners in front of her, and dashed wildly along the inside of the track.
"Who is that person? Is he on drugs?"
Wasn't she always last place?
"Even the fastest sprinters in the 100 meters aren't as fast as her!"
The PE students on the sidelines were dumbfounded.
Linnai overtook more than a dozen people and was the first to cross the finish line, heading straight for the barbecue grill.
Moning zoomed in on the surveillance footage tenfold from the podium.
As Linnai crossed the finish line, Zhou Yu pulled out a document and showed it to the camera.
[Application for conducting emergency cooking skills tests for logistics support personnel].
The document bears Principal Lupa's signature and the official seal.
Moning gripped the data terminal, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Legitimate.
Compliance.
She couldn't utter a single word.
Linnai and Aimis, holding their passing report cards, approached Zhou Yu and extended their hands.
"Brother Yu, what about the promised reward?"
"My meatballs, I want ten skewers!"
Zhou Yu picked up a meatball with a bamboo skewer, blew on it, and ate it in front of the two of them.
Zhou Yu:(≖‿≖)
What reward?
He wiped his mouth slowly and deliberately.
"The ingredients for this culinary test are budgeted by the Logistics Department and, according to regulations, are test samples and will not be provided to external parties."
"If you want to eat, first go to the administration building to fill out an inter-departmental material requisition form, get Director Moning's signature, and then bring it to me for approval."
Their smiles froze on the screen.
Going to get Director Moning's signature is just asking for trouble.
Sigelica's endurance running results are out.
Full marks.
She walked over, panting, and sighed when she saw Linnai's tearful expression.
Zhou Yu handed her the garbage bag and broom.
"Xixi, full marks, great job!"
"As a reward, you're in charge of cleaning the cooking area for this culinary test."
Zhou Yu pointed to the deep hole Linnai had stepped into on the ground and the plastic particles that Aimis had rubbed off.
According to Article 3 of the supplementary provisions of the "Regulations on the Management of Large-Scale Event Venues of the Flamebearers' Academy," the post-event environmental maintenance shall be supervised and implemented by the participant with the best performance in that event.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sunspeakers reserve personnel."
Sigelica looked at the broom in her hand, then at Zhou Yu's face, which was full of instructions to follow the rules.
Sigelica: (╯°□°)╯ ┻━┻
She wanted to stick the broom into the barbecue grill.
"Zhou Yu, you did this on purpose, didn't you? Linnai clearly stepped into this pit!"
Zhou Yu opened the handbook of regulations in her hand and pointed to one line.
"The regulations stipulate that the person with the best performance is responsible for supervising the implementation. It doesn't mean you're the only one sweeping; you can supervise the two of them sweeping."
Sigelica froze, then turned to look at Linnai and Aimis.
The two immediately clutched their stomachs.
"Ouch, I ran too fast, my stomach hurts."
"My voice is hoarse, I need to rest."
Sigelica gritted her teeth and shoved the broom into Linnai's arms.
"You two, go get the winnowing basket! If you miss even one meatball, I'll dock your snacks for a month!"
Zhou Yu ignored their playful banter and looked past the crowd, landing on Dania.
The girl ate her energy bar in small bites, sitting obediently in the waiting area, her eyes full of smiles.
Her turn was next for the project.
Strength test.
Zhou Yu's eyes were calm as he rubbed the edge of the terminal with his thumb.
The real year-end exams are only just beginning.