Chapter 670: Chapter 47: Team Building Trip_3
The members of The Azure Longsword boarded the bus from Palermo to Cefalu, directly claiming the last five seats in the back, as well as the four seats in the second-to-last row on both sides. This was just enough for all nine team members to spread out.
Aske originally wanted a window seat in the back, but this made the only remaining seat next to him in hot demand.
After a round of relentless bickering, everyone unanimously decided to sit him in the middle seat in the last row. That way, no one was too far from him and it would be fair for all.
So what exactly are you all so concerned about? Aske couldn’t understand—does sitting closer or further from me really make a dime’s worth of difference to our relationship?
Nora and Medea, the two Mind Mage girls, unceremoniously took the seats next to him on both sides, trapping him in the middle. This forced him to maintain a mental shield throughout the journey, just to avoid having his memories peeled away while traveling.
But it seems these two have already had a look, no?
Peggy and Miel couldn’t snatch the adjacent seats and had to sit in the fourth row near the central aisle, where with just a turn of the head they could see the “second-closest” position to the Squad Leader.
As for Eleanor, Sigrdrifa, Thira, and Mia, they naturally sat in the four window seats—whether they minded or not was unknown, but outwardly they seemed indifferent.
The bus drove along the coastal road, with the brilliant midday sunshine splashing down recklessly. Many passengers opened their windows to let the outside sea breeze blow in.
On the left was the boundless seascape, and on the right were Sicily’s golden fields and the pale brick-and-stone buildings of the Mediterranean style.
The girls gazed out of the window at the scenery, making Aske even more frustrated: so why didn’t you all just fight for the window seats to begin with?
“I’ve just realized that the sea around Fire Island is different from the real ocean,” Nora said, twirling a strand of hair around her ear and smiling.
“How is it different?” Aske took the opportunity to continue the conversation.
“The winds on Fire Island are not strong, so the waters are almost always calm, like water sitting in a basin,” Nora explained. “But look outside, the real sea is full of waves and undulations.”
“Indeed,” Eleanor agreed.
“That’s why we’re taking the bus instead of staying on Fire Island,” said Nora with a smile. “After all, the scenery along the way is part of the travel experience.”
“That makes sense,” Aske nodded. Medea’s gaze suddenly shifted and she said,
“Since we’re free anyway, why don’t we play a game?”
Debating with a female intellectual is a battle you can’t win. You’ll be pulled into a mysterious unknown domain and beaten with a stream of impressive theories steeped in sentiment. Medea wisely chose to shift the battleground!
“What game?” Just as expected, Aske’s attention shifted too.
“Truth or Dare,” Medea said.
Truth or Dare—Domestically, it has a simpler and more understandable name: “Truth or Adventure”. Before Nora could say anything, Mia, who was sitting in the front row, climbed up and turned around, shouting,
“Sounds fun, let’s play!”
“Mia!” Miel hurried to pull her back down, “You will disturb the passengers in the front!”
“It’s okay.” Medea snapped her fingers and the passengers in the front, who had turned their heads in curiosity, now turned back, as if they had heard nothing.
“I’ve selectively blocked out our noise for them,” Medea explained. “Even if you yell in front of them, they won’t react at all.”
“Is that alright?” Nora asked, concerned.
“It’s just for the sounds we make.” Medea pulled out nine bamboo sticks from her bag (obviously pre-prepared), then held the bottom ends in her palm, making sure the sticks were evenly aligned in height, and said with a smile,
“Nine sticks, one longer, one shorter. The person who draws the long stick can ask a question or demand an action, and the person with the short stick must answer truthfully or follow through with the request.”
“Sounds interesting,” Eleanor said, intrigued.
“Come on, let’s draw,” Medea said with a smile, passing the sticks around for everyone to draw.
Miel, in silence, activated her ability to observe the future, picked a stick from Medea’s hand, and, sure enough, it was the long stick.
“Who got the short stick?” Medea asked.
“It’s me…” Thira responded, speechless.
“Then, Miel, it’s your decision,” Medea said with a smile.
“Then, answer the question,” Miel said, “Who is the person you like the most?”
“My uncle, His Majesty Basel,” Thira responded without hesitation.
“Wait!” Miel quickly corrected, “The ‘like’ I’m talking about doesn’t include admiration or respect based on kinship, it’s limited to romantic love between a man and a woman.”
“Romantic love?” The word made Thira pause for quite a while before she hesitatedly said, “I haven’t met anyone who makes my heart flutter… but if I have to say who I have a good impression of, it’d be the Squad Leader.”
“Ah!” The girls all exclaimed in unison. If it wasn’t for Medea preemptively blocking the attention of other passengers, the whole car would probably have turned to look.
“Then what about the Squad Leader appeals to you?” Miel asked, her expression showing no surprise, merely a follow-up question.
“That was the second question,” Thira calmly pointed out.
“Alright, let’s move on to the next round~” Medea collected the bamboo sticks back from everyone with a beaming smile, then cast a stealthy glance at Miel and said, “And, to prevent potential cheating, I will now distribute the sticks randomly myself, no more choosing allowed~”
She mixed the sticks in her palm again and then distributed them randomly to everyone.
“Eh, it’s me this time.” Aske indicated he had the long stick.
“So who has the short stick?” Medea asked and then realized that the girls were all staring at her.
More precisely, they were staring at the short stick in her hand.
“It’s me,” Medea realized, ran her hand through her hair to flaunt a charming and enchanting smile, “Then Squad Leader, please feel free to interrogate or command me~”
“Answer the question,” Aske said unavoidably, “Is there any way you could become a bit more reserved, a bit more conservative, a bit more dignified? At least like a normal human girl?”
The girls couldn’t help but prick up their ears at this, wondering if such a method really existed in the world.
“Of course,” Medea stated seriously.
Seeing everyone staring at her intently, Medea placed her hand on her chest and solemnly said:
“As long as Aske and I step into the hall of marriage, I will devoutly convert to God, no more wrongdoing. I will be honest and trustworthy, humble and courteous, support my husband and teach my children, fulfill my duties, and strive to become a moral exemplar recognized by the world…”
“Scram!” Aske interrupted her irritably.
Thanks to Medea’s diversion, the mood on the scene heated up. In the third round, Nora and Eleanor got the long and short sticks, respectively.
“So, please answer the question, Ellie,” Nora posed with due seriousness after pondering for a moment, “In your life, who’s your most important friend?”
“Of course, it’s you, Nora,” Eleanor replied with barely a trace of relief, smiling as she spoke.
“Hey! Isn’t this cheating?” Mia immediately complained in dissatisfaction.
“Strictly speaking, it’s not against the rules.” Thira countered from the side, “What specific command to give is up to the person with the long stick, no one else has the right to interfere.”
Mia then geared up, swearing to get the long stick in the next round. Miel sighed beside her, quietly using her ability.
Medea distributed the sticks to everyone once more (only this time, as she shuffled the sticks in her palm, Miel silently replaced them with sticks arranged in a specific order from a parallel universe), and then…
“I got the long stick!” Mia, as if she had pulled the Sword in the Stone, stood up on her seat, her blood boiling as she raised the long stick in her hand for everyone to see.
“Wow, you’re so awesome!” Miel clapped and cheered nearby.
“I command!” Before the owner of the short stick could be confirmed, Mia hurriedly shouted, “The person with the short stick, reveal… no, give the Squad Leader a kiss!”
Miel was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. Wait, isn’t the future supposed to unfold differently, with Mia being supposed to ask an embarrassing question?
She cast an incredulous look at Mia, who wore a determined face with no hesitation whatsoever. Turning her gaze again, Miel saw Medea looking at her with a grin.
Black Swan… a sudden impulse… Manipulation Law… Miel immediately understood it all.
“Who has the short stick?” she asked listlessly.
“The one with the short stick is me…”
A faint voice spoke up, and everyone then saw that Eleanor at the window raised the short stick again. The golden-haired knight covered her blushing face as if overwhelmed, her cheeks red as if she were a cooked shrimp.