Round 18: Make Him Panic
With a whip of her hips and a flick of her glistening microphone, Mei-chan leaned over the edge of the commentator's desk, giving the audience a full view of her thighs as she grinned devilishly.
"Alright, pervs and princes, it's time for Round 18!" she purred. "And this one's gonna be wild. Your mission, dear contestants: Make Akashi-kun PANIC!"
Shin immediately straightened up. "Wait, what kind of round is this?!"
"Emotion test, darling," Mei-chan winked, twirling the mic. "Let's see what gets your calm and collected exterior to crack~"
Still seated on his lap, Ai blinked curiously, then smiled sweetly. "Onii-chan, does panicking mean you're scared or excited?"
"Both," Shin muttered, eyes darting toward the contestants.
"Let the panic… BEGIN!"
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Yuki's Turn
Yuki stepped forward. He didn't look nervous—he looked determined. But also… red as a tomato.
With shaking hands, he reached behind his back and pulled out a little square box wrapped in red ribbon. "Shin…"
Shin blinked, suddenly alert. "Yeah?"
"I… I was going to wait until your birthday or something… but—" Yuki thrust the box forward. "I made you a collar. A dog collar. With your name on it."
A pause.
"A collar?" Shin repeated, eyes wide.
Yuki nodded rapidly. "With a bell. You like dogs, right?! I—I was going to wear one too if I lost the next round, so we could match—! It's not weird or anything, right?!"
The crowd exploded with laughter and "KYAA~"s.
Shin's face flushed. "Y-Yuki, that's—?!"
"Oh, and—!" Yuki added, voice cracking, "It's adjustable. So I can tighten it if you—"
"STOP!" Shin slapped both hands over his face, ears burning crimson. "I'M PANICKING!!"
Mei-chan raised her mic like a sword. "POINT TO YUKI!! That collar idea had maximum impact!"
Yuki bounced as he got his revenge.
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Aiko's Turn
Aiko smirked as she stepped forward. "Time to mess with you, Taa-kun."
Shin lowered his hands slowly. "I don't like that look…"
Aiko stopped right in front of him, leaned down—and whispered something into his ear. Something very quiet. Something only Shin heard.
Whatever it was, his whole body tensed.
His hand gripped the armrest. "Haa-chan… y-you wouldn't—!"
Aiko pulled back with a teasing grin. "I would. And I have the photos."
Shin's pupils shrank. "You kept those?!"
The crowd leaned forward, breathless.
"Of course. Every childhood moment. Every bath time accident. Every cross-dressing dare. Labeled, dated, and backed up digitally."
Shin's soul visibly left his body.
"You've got backups?!" he gasped.
"I'm your childhood friend. I knew you'd try to delete them one day," she said sweetly, flipping her phone like a pro.
Shin covered his face again. "I CAN'T WIN!"
Mei-chan leaned forward, practically bouncing with delight. "DOUBLE PANIC! AIKO TAKES THE POINT!!"
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Bonus: Ai's Innocent Chaos
Still curled in Shin's lap, Ai looked up innocently and said, "Onii-chan… I told my class today that I want to marry you someday."
Shin nearly fell off the couch. "WHAT?!"
"They laughed at me," Ai pouted. "But I said, 'There's no law that says I can't!'"
Shin's hands trembled as he looked around in horror, cheeks flushed pink. "A-AI!! That's—?! That's not—?!"
"I also showed them our matching pajamas," she added proudly. "They were really jealous."
"MEI-CHAN, CALL OFF THE ROUND!!" Shin cried.
Mei-chan let out an evil laugh, raising both hands to the air. "HE'S PANICKING FROM ALL SIDES! THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"
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Final Score:
Yuki: 18.4 Point
Aiko: 19 Point
Ai: Infinite Chaos Points
---
Shin collapsed back on the couch, Ai snuggling into him like nothing happened while Mei-chan flipped the scoreboard with flair.
"Everyone wins," she declared. "Except Shin's dignity."
The crowd roared with approval.
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Sub-Round 19: Make Him Jealous
With her dazzling smile and still in her excessively revealing magical girl outfit, Mei-chan twirled onto center stage again, her movements causing half the male audience to nosebleed. Her microphone sparkled in the light as she leaned forward dramatically.
"After that deliciously chaotic round," she said, licking her lips slightly, "it's time for Sub-Round 18: Make Akashi-kun Jealous!"
She winked at Shin, who instinctively held Ai a little closer on his lap. "Let's see what it takes to turn that smug smirk into possessive rage~"
Ai, hearing this, immediately perked up and looked at Shin with her usual big, sparkling eyes. "Will you get jealous if someone else calls me cute, Onii-chan?"
"I already do," Shin replied flatly, kissing her cheek without hesitation, earning yet another cheer from the crowd and a fresh nosebleed from a third-row guy.
Yuki, now standing nervously, shot a jealous glance at the affection-filled lap that was very much occupied. "H-Here I go…"
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Yuki's Turn
Yuki turned toward the audience with flushed cheeks. Slowly, he raised one finger and called out, "Um… if anyone here thinks I'm cute… will you say so?"
An immediate eruption from the male and female audience alike:
"YOU'RE CUTE!"
"ADORABLE!"
"I'D MARRY YOU!"
"YUKI-KUN, NOTICE MEEE!"
Yuki's entire face turned scarlet as he clutched his cheeks and looked to Shin—who was visibly frowning.
"Wait, what did she just say?!" Shin muttered, pointing to a girl in the back holding a "Yuki is my prince!" banner.
Mei-chan cackled. "Ooooh~ I see a vein popping! Akashi-kun, are you jealous?"
"I'm not jealous," Shin said tightly, "I'm infuriated."
"Same thing!" Mei-chan sang. "1.6 POINTS TO YUKI!"
Yuki looked overjoyed, even as he continued to shyly cover himself from the praise.
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Aiko's Turn
Aiko cracked her knuckles, then confidently strutted up to the announcer's table. She reached out and grabbed one of the boys sitting in the front row—who practically fainted—and pulled him up on stage.
The crowd gasped.
She wrapped an arm around the stunned boy's shoulders and gave her best camera-ready smile. "This is my temporary boyfriend," she declared.
"WHAA?!" Shin sat up, eyes wide.
"He's sweet, gentle, and said he likes my cooking," Aiko continued, brushing imaginary lint off the poor boy's shirt. "Also, he thinks I'm the prettiest girl here today. Isn't that right?"
The guy nodded frantically, eyes clearly ready to die from happiness.
Shin stood up this time. "Haa-chan."
"Oh? Getting a little… jealous, Taa-kun?" Aiko teased, resting her head on the guy's shoulder.
Shin glared. "Step. Away. From her."
The guy bolted off stage like a mouse from a cat. Aiko giggled and held up two fingers in victory.
Mei-chan slapped the mic stand dramatically. "And that's a jealous boyfriend face if I've ever seen one! Point to Aiko!"
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Bonus: Ai's Passive Power
On Shin's lap, Ai tilted her head sweetly. "Onii-chan, today three senpai asked me to date them."
Shin's arms immediately wrapped tighter around her. "You're transferring schools."
"I didn't say yes," she said innocently.
"You're still transferring."
"Can I go to your school then?" she asked cutely, nuzzling his chest.
Mei-chan pointed at Shin, who was visibly burning with protective rage. "His jealousy is off the charts! But Ai-chan's not competing, so we'll just file that under 'Infinite Score as Always.'"
---
Final Score:
Yuki: 20 Point
Aiko: 20 Point
Ai: Too Powerful to Compete
The scoreboard glowed, the crowd went wild, and Shin massaged his temple while trying not to tackle anyone in sight.
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Bonus Round: Make Shin Protective
"Ohohoho~!" Mei-chan spun mid-air with a magical girl leap that caused her revealing costume to flash dangerously close to illegal, prompting more nosebleeds and applause from the front row. She landed with a cheeky wink and her chest practically bouncing out of her top.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, perverts and princes!" she cried out, voice echoing over the cheers, "It's time for our special round 1 before the finale: Make Akashi-kun Protective! Let's see who can trigger that knight-in-shining-armor switch~"
As if on cue, Ai snuggled more tightly into Shin's chest, her long black hair draping over his arms.
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Ai's Passive Buff: As Always
Ai blinked up at Shin with big, innocent eyes and tilted her head.
"Onii-chan… a senpai today said he wants to date me after middle school."
Shin immediately sat up. "Who. Is. He."
"I forgot his name… but he touched my hand," she said softly, as though it was a war wound.
Shin clenched his jaw, arms tightening around her protectively. "He dies today."
Mei-chan threw her mic in the air and caught it in a spin. "We haven't even started and he's already in assassin mode! Infinite protective point for Ai-chan as usual!"
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Yuki's Turn
Yuki stepped forward, still blushing from earlier rounds. He cleared his throat nervously.
"U-Um… earlier… someone from the audience handed me their phone number…"
That was technically true. Some girls had slipped him notes during the cosplay round, and one even blew him a kiss.
He glanced shyly at Shin. "She said… if I don't win this match, I can… go out with her instead…"
Before he could finish, Shin's eyes darkened, his hand subtly sliding Ai off his lap as he stood up, now focused entirely on Yuki.
"Who was it?" he said with a cold calm that was somehow scarier than shouting.
Yuki shrank back, eyes wide. "W-Why do you sound like you'll actually go fight someone?"
"I will," Shin said without hesitation. "You're mine."
The crowd gasped.
"H-Huh?" Yuki gasped, redding up.
"I- I said nothing." Shin replied, looking away.
Even Ai looked impressed. "Onii-chan's scary when he's protective…"
Mei-chan slammed a glittery sign: "POINT TO YUKI!"
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Aiko's Turn
Not one to back down, Aiko walked to the front stage dramatically, her ponytail swinging and her skirt just barely obeying gravity.
"Taa-kun," she said, voice sweet, "A guy earlier told me I looked sexy in my cosplay and asked if I had a boyfriend…"
Shin's eye twitched.
"I said no," she continued with a sly smirk. "Then he asked if I wanted to be his girlfriend…"
A moment of silence.
Shin stood again. "Haa-chan."
"Hmm?"
"Where is he?" Shin cracked his knuckles. "Point me in his direction."
Aiko giggled and waved toward the crowd. "Right there—blue hoodie, second row."
The boy in question immediately ducked behind his chair.
Mei-chan howled with laughter. "Protective boyfriends triggered! Point to Haa-chan!"
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Final Score:
Yuki: 21 Point
Aiko: 21 Point
Ai: Infinite as always
Shin: Officially ready to fistfight 90% of the audience
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As the scoreboard blinked updated totals, Shin resumed holding Ai on his lap, arms tightly around her as he muttered something about "no boys allowed within a 10-meter radius."
Mei-chan turned to the camera crew. "Akashi-kun's Protective Mode: Engaged! Let's see how long until he actually throws someone off the stage!"
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END OF CHAPTER : 22 : ROUND : 18-19+BONUS ROUND : 1 : MAKE SIN JEALOUS/PROTECTIVE! : PART : 12
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