# 695
Chapter 696: Comparing Sizes and Arm Wrestling
Inside the Japanese-style inn.
Lin Qiye, Amemiya Haruki, Hoshimi Shota, and the fox maiden sat around a square table, steam curling upward from the cups before them, the aroma of tea filling the air.
"You enter the ruins the day after tomorrow, so including today, we have three chances for prophecy..." Hoshimi Shota nodded thoughtfully after hearing Amemiya Haruki's plan.
"More precisely, six chances." Amemiya added.
Hoshimi Shota froze.
"Where do six come from?"
"Besides you, Qishi can also draw the Lady Wu. Both of you have three prophecy chances each, which adds up to six."
"Ah?" Hoshimi Shota looked at Lin Qiye in surprise. "Isn't the Magatsu Blade your main weapon? Why... do you have royal blood? Are you the son of Yuzuri Kurotetsu?"
"...I do have royal blood, but I have no relation to Yuzuri Kurotetsu." Lin Qiye's mouth twitched slightly.
"No wonder you insisted I bring Lady Wu here personally. That would indeed double the number of prophecies..." Hoshimi Shota glanced at the fox maiden beside him and sighed.
"But to obtain the prophecy, you first have to win her at a game. Otherwise, there will be punishment..."
He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly freezing in place.
He seemed to have thought of something. Looking at the fox maiden, then turning his gaze to Lin Qiye, his eyes gradually widened.
"What's wrong?" Lin Qiye asked, puzzled. "Amemiya already told me that I can only get the prophecy by beating Lady Wu. Otherwise, I have to accept whatever punishment she proposes... Don't worry, I'm mentally prepared. I can handle any punishment."
"T-This isn't about being mentally prepared!"
For some reason, Hoshimi Shota's cheeks flushed red, and he grew agitated. "If, if you lose..."
"Hmm?"
"If you lose, then you have to... um..." Hoshimi Shota gesticulated wildly for half a day but couldn't squeeze out a single word. Finally, he slammed his forehead on the table in frustration, seemingly angry.
Beside him, the fox maiden watched his display with a barely perceptible smirk. Her golden eyes narrowed, as if amused.
"So, having Qishi draw Lady Wu for prophecy... Shota, do you have any objections?" Amemiya Haruki was also bewildered.
"I, I..." Hoshimi Shota stammered for ages, stealing a glance at the fox maiden. When he saw her expression of watching a good show, his body trembled. "I... I don't!"
He abruptly turned his head away, avoiding the fox maiden's gaze, and said nothing more.
Lin Qiye and Amemiya Haruki exchanged glances.
"Shota, you start today's game first. When you're done, we'll switch to Qishi." Amemiya Haruki said.
Hoshimi Shota fell silent for a moment. He stood up from the floor, took a deep breath, and a resolute look appeared in his eyes. "Bring it on!"
The fox maiden sat on the prayer mat, gazing at Hoshimi Shota with a smile, and slowly spoke:
"Then, my blade master, Hoshimi Shota, are you ready to begin today's game?"
"I'm ready!"
"Today's game is... comparing sizes."
As if by magic, the fox maiden produced six dice from beneath her robes, placing three in front of each person. She then drained both cups of tea on the table and inverted them over the dice.
"After opening, whoever has the highest sum of dice wins."
"Alright!"
Hoshimi Shota gripped the inverted teacup and shook it violently, his gaze fixed intently on the fox maiden's teacup, his expression full of determination.
The dice clattered inside the teacup. As the shaking intensified on both sides, they finally stopped simultaneously. Silence fell over the room.
"Open!" Hoshimi Shota said with certainty.
Beside him, Lin Qiye helplessly closed his eyes and sighed...
The fox maiden opened her cup. The three dice added up to fifteen. But when Hoshimi Shota opened his, the total was only nine.
"Oh dear, Shota lost." The fox maiden smiled meaningfully.
Hoshimi Shota's expression immediately fell.
He sat there dejectedly, staring at the dice before him, utterly despondent.
"Then, Shota, your punishment will be settled later~" The fox maiden said with a smile.
Hoshimi Shota gritted his teeth and stood up. He handed the vermillion long blade to Lin Qiye and spoke with the utmost seriousness and earnestness:
"Win! You must win!! Please!!"
Seeing how serious Hoshimi Shota was, Lin Qiye was stunned for a moment before nodding. "Alright... I'll win."
Lin Qiye grasped the hilt of Lady Wu and drew it once more, a soft chime ringing out.
The fox maiden turned her head, those golden eyes fixed on Lin Qiye, and spoke slowly:
"Then, Lin Qiye, are you ready to begin today's game?"
Hearing this, Lin Qiye's pupils contracted slightly.
How did she know his name?
When Amemiya Haruki introduced him at first, he had only called him Asaba Qishi. Lin Qiye—this name—Lady Wu shouldn't know at all...
Could it be related to her prophetic abilities?
Lin Qiye shelved this thought for now and said seriously, "I'm ready. Is it still comparing sizes?"
"No, if we compare sizes, you'll cheat." The fox maiden shook her head. "This time, we arm wrestle."
Lin Qiye's eyes narrowed slightly.
As expected, Lady Wu could see through him to some extent. She must have known he could use spiritual power to perceive the dice, so she changed the game to a pure test of strength.
"Any rules?"
"None. No matter what means you use, whoever's wrist touches the surface first loses."
"...Alright."
After a moment's hesitation, Lin Qiye agreed.
The two sat facing each other across the low table, placing their hands upon it and clasping palms. Their eyes locked onto each other, and between them, an inexplicable tension began to spread through the air.
Amemiya Haruki silently stood up from beside Lin Qiye, retreating all the way to the doorway, maintaining a distance of several dozen meters from both of them. Seeing this, Hoshimi Shota also stepped back several paces, nervously swallowing hard.
"Three, two, one!"
The moment the fox maiden finished speaking, Lin Qiye's pupils constricted, and he erupted with full force!
BOOM--!!
A thunderous roar! The low table bearing their arms was instantly shattered into fragments. Yet the two sat firmly on the prayer mat, their palms suspended in mid-air, still gripping each other, their power continuing to climb!
Immediately after, the entire house began to shake violently!
Centered on the two of them, cracks spread across the tatami in every direction. Splinters of wood shattered and scattered. An invisible hurricane roared forth from between their palms, causing all the furnishings in the room to shake violently!
Hoshimi Shota stared in shock, mouth agape.