From the moment she kidnapped Erii, she became a roadblock.

Guan Luo opened it.

I'm afraid you'll lose and won't want to play anymore.

The handwriting is a little shaky, as if the hand was weak while writing.

Guan Luo looked at the line of text for a while.

Then fold the note and put it in your pocket.

Write something new, then push it over.

I'll play with you even if I lose a hundred games.

Erii looked down at it for a while.

Then slowly fold the strip of paper and carefully tuck it, along with the cookie wrapper, into the wide cuff of your sleeve.

Erii looked up at Guan Luo, the light from the screen reflecting on her face, flickering.

There was a glint in those eyes, as if they were smiling, yet not quite.

Erii picked up the controller again, pointed to the character selection screen, and then pointed to Guan Luo.

Then, the slender white hand withdrew and gently touched the spot on her chest where bamboo and sparrows were drawn.

Guan Luo chose Long.

The screen changes, and the sound of ROUND 1 plays.

The room was quiet; no one spoke, nor was there any need to speak.

The rain outside the window is still falling, but it seems to have lessened a bit.

……

then……

Guan Luo lost the entire afternoon.

From the first inning to the ninety-ninth, Chun-Li's legs were like two white scythes, each leap reaping Guan Luo's last remaining hope.

The word "KO" appeared repeatedly on the screen, like a mocking loop.

The 99th inning has ended.

Chun-Li finished with a clean and crisp Hundred-Crack Kick, and Guan Luo's character fell backward.

Guan Luo did not press continue immediately.

Guan Luo placed the controller on his lap, staring intently at the screen showing the defeat, remaining motionless.

The ears are red.

The neck is red.

The knuckles of the hand that was gripping the joystick were slightly white from holding it for too long, and when it was released, a few fingers trembled slightly uncontrollably.

That was the body's reaction before reason after repeated setbacks.

Guan Luo took a deep breath.

Take another drag.

Something was pushing out of my chest cavity, like magma searching for cracks in the earth's surface.

So what if they're mixed race?

So what if you have strong willpower?

He didn't even have a single proper chance of winning this afternoon.

Not even once.

Every time he felt he was just one punch away from victory, Chun-Li would gracefully wipe out his last bit of health.

It was a precise crushing victory, with no chance of winning, like a sophisticated machine.

Erii's mental strength is far superior to mine, and she displays an almost invincible attitude in Street Fighter.

It's that feeling of powerlessness, of being completely seen through, like playing chess where every move he plans is intercepted by his opponent.

Guanluo has made great progress.

He could sense it himself.

From initially being flustered and clumsy, he later managed to fight Erii for three full rounds, and even occasionally pushed Chun-Li to the edge of the screen.

But that's not enough.

That's far from enough. No matter how fast we progress, we can't outpace the clock.

Guan Luo looked up at the clock on the wall.

8:03.

The rain outside the window stopped sometime ago, and the sky had completely darkened.

The light from the television screen was the only source of light in the room, and the blue-white light shone on his face, creating an unsettling silence.

The talent quest is still displayed on the panel.

Guan Luo slowly turned his head and looked at Erii.

Erii was facing him sideways, her legs curled up beneath her, her fingers tapping lightly on the controller, as if waiting for the next game.

The light from the screen flickered on her fair face, casting small shadows on her eyelashes.

She was unaware that she had already won ninety-nine games.

She was just very happy, her eyes were bright, and there was a slight, almost imperceptible smile on her lips.

Guan Luo's gaze changed.

It wasn't anger, nor was it frustration.

It's something more dangerous, something that appears in one's eyes when one begins to calculate possibilities outside the rules.

Erii noticed.

She turned her head and met Guan Luo's gaze.

Erii's fingers stopped, and the expression on her face slowly changed from confusion to a hint of tension.

Guan Luo would never see her that way.

Erii instinctively shrank back a little, her shoulders tensed, and her fingers tightened uneasily on the handle.

Something inside me was stirred by that gaze, like ripples suddenly appearing on a calm surface of water.

Guan Luo turned around.

Place the handle on the floor.

Then he fell to the side, lying flat on the floor, sprawled out in a starfish shape, staring at the ceiling, motionless.

Erii paused, then turned her head to look at Guan Luo.

Guan Luo lay there for a few seconds, then suddenly sat up, crossed his legs, and faced Erii.

She clasped her hands together, raised them above her head, and bowed to Erii.

The movements were very unorthodox, like someone drawing a fortune stick incorrectly in a temple.

Like a primary school student who has made a mistake and is waiting for the teacher's forgiveness.

Erii was stunned.

Guan Luo raised his head, and the expression on his face had changed.

The person with the dangerous look in their eyes had disappeared, replaced by an extremely pitiful face.

He lowered his eyebrows, pulled his lips down slightly, and widened his eyes, trying his best to look extremely wronged.

Then Guan Luo reached out and took a sticky note from the coffee table, and began to write.

My hands were shaking as I wrote this; I don't know if it was acting or a lingering effect of those hundred games.

Guan Luo held the note up with both hands, raising it to eye level.

Please, just let me win one game, just one.

Erii looked down at the note, then looked up at Guan Luo's face.

Guan Luo blinked at the opportune moment, trying to squeeze out a little bit of moisture.

Left with no other choice, Guan Luo had to resort to underhanded tactics in order to obtain the talent reward!

Erii's expression began to relax.

It's not wavering, it's conflicted.

The obvious inner turmoil was written in the trembling of every eyelash.

She looked down at the controller, then looked up at Guan Luo.

Look at the controller again, then look at Guan Luo.

Erii bit her lower lip.

Guan Luo understood that struggle; she didn't want to lose.

I don't want to be defeated on screen, even if it's by someone else.

That was one of the few things she was proud of that belonged to her alone.

In that predetermined fate, with which she had no choice, Chun-Li was the only thing she could control.

She threw every punch herself, and she won every round herself.

To have her defeated on screen is like dragging her off the only territory that truly belongs to her.

But the person in front of me...

Guan Luo didn't give her time to think it over.

Guan Luo quickly wrote another note on the sticky note, tore it off, and held it up side by side with the first one.

"I'll play with you every time you want, no matter how many times."

Two sticky notes were held side by side in front of Erii.

One was a pitiful plea, the other a solemn promise.

Erii stared at the two pieces of paper for a long time.

The handle spun halfway in her hand, then spun back.

She lowered her head, and stray hairs fell down to cover her eyes.

The light from the television screen flickered on her face, obscuring her expression.

After a while.

Erii snatched the two sticky notes from Guanluo's hand.

Fold one up and put it in your pocket.

Turn the other one over and write on the back.

After finishing writing, Erii did not show it to Guan Luo.

She slapped the sticky note on Guan Luo's knee, then quickly turned around to face the TV, her ear tips glowing red in the blue light of the screen.

Guan Luo looked down at the note.

Just once.