The loss in the competition was without suspense.
With average rankings in the first two rounds and coming in last in the final round, their total score landed them in the bottom three, the reverse kind.
There were a total of 10 groups, with the top three being the winners and the bottom three obviously losing without a doubt.
"It is very unfortunate that due to a little accident, our little sister duo was unable to achieve victory," the host approached again, "May I ask, what are your thoughts on this result?"
Since Lingyin had answered in previous interviews, this time she directly placed the microphone in front of Bai Ningning.
They were all curious about how this cosplaying Rem, who was excessively beautiful but always had a stoic expression, would respond.
"Thoughts?"
Bai Ningning was slightly taken aback, tugged at the corner of her mouth: "We lost, so what thoughts can there be?"
Was there any point in discussing strategy? Forget it, the strategy was too flawed; she couldn't lift Lingyin, and Lingyin couldn't lift her, so how could they compete?
"Well, you bravely admit defeat," the host continued to ask her, "Is there anything you would like to say?"
"Nothing to say," Bai Ningning crossed her arms, her expression indifferent, "We lost the competition, saying anything would just sound like an excuse."
"Well, our little sister is quite interesting," the host laughed, "Now, we move on to the part everyone is looking forward to: the awarding of prizes and the penalty segment!"
What, a penalty segment?
Bai Ningning was taken aback, only to see the host already on stage awarding prizes to the top three. Meanwhile, the losing groups, including her, were waiting for their punishment.
Lingyin walked up to her: "I'm sorry, Bai Ningning, we couldn't win."
"It's fine, we were just here to have fun," Bai Ningning casually replied, "Winning or losing doesn't matter; it's all about participation."
Actually, it was quite fun.
Lingyin cautiously probed, "But we lost, and there's a penalty. How about... we quietly run away while they aren't paying attention?"
"What's the point of running? You have to accept the consequences."
Besides, in this day and age, where could they run to? They were too recognizable.
"But what if... I mean, if," Lingyin couldn't help but lower her voice, "If the penalty is too extreme, would you do it?"
"Don't worry, it won't be too extreme," Bai Ningning instead comforted her, "Whatever it is, we'll do it together."
The reason she said this was that she saw the other losing groups nearby, who were clearly waiting for their punishment but were still laughing and joking, showing no signs of tension. Thinking about it, the penalty should be light.
At most, it would just be a couple of slaps on the palm.
"Congratulations to these three groups for receiving our rewards. Next is the part everyone is looking forward to: the penalty segment."
The host looked over at Bai Ningning: "Please have the losers come to the center."
Wow, are they going to publicly execute them?
Bai Ningning saw the cameras and flashing lights around her and silently sighed.
Let them do it, losing a competition is like this; those who lose should face the consequences.
The two stood in the middle of the competition area, with other groups not far away. Seeing them still laughing and joking, Bai Ningning relaxed a bit.
She saw the staff unpacking a bag of Pocky and handing each of the losing groups one stick, with Lingyin also receiving one.
Looking at the chocolate stick in Lingyin's hand, Bai Ningning was a bit confused: "Is this the punishment?"
Isn't this a reward? They lost and are still being treated to snacks.
"Then...
"Now, let's invite the failed participants to accept their punishment here."
As the host's voice fell, the others around began to move. Those couples bit down on one end of the chocolate stick and started munching away.
Bai Ningning was shocked.
"Oh no, this punishment is indeed excessive," Lingyin said with a look of astonishment, "Bai Ningning, what should we do?"
"It's okay, don't panic," Bai Ningning calmly analyzed, "We've come this far."
Now that they were standing here, under the gaze of everyone, with someone recording the video, could they really run away?
This punishment game, although it seemed a bit excessive, was not entirely unacceptable. It was just about eating a Pocky together; as long as they were careful and didn't end up kissing, it would be fine, right?
"Come on," Bai Ningning signaled, "Let's work together to get through this round."
"Okay, okay."
Lingyin bit down on one end of the chocolate stick, holding it horizontally. Bai Ningning gently leaned in and bit down on the other end.
She could feel Lingyin's mouth trembling slightly, not sure if it was from nervousness or something else.
"Oh, we can see that the two little sisters have officially started the punishment game!" The host, enjoying the spectacle, began to commentate at the edge of the camera, "They are clearly just friends, yet they are facing such a crisis. Will they be able to get through this safely? Or will this punishment lead to something else?"
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Bai Ningning was getting closer, seemingly very serious, eating a bit faster than Lingyin, her focus entirely on the chocolate stick.
On the other hand, Lingyin was struggling; ever since she bit into the Pocky, her small white teeth were trembling non-stop. If Bai Ningning hadn't been holding on tightly, the chocolate stick might have fallen long ago.
But regardless, the two were gradually getting closer.
Crunch, crunch, thump, thump, whew.
The sounds of eating Pocky, heartbeats, and breathing became clearer as they closed the distance.
Soon, they were about to reach the moment of contact, and even the host and the onlookers widened their eyes in anticipation.
Three, two, one... two, one... one?
Three seconds passed, and nothing happened. Five seconds passed, still nothing. Ten seconds passed, and it was still the same, as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Lingyin wanted to just go for it, to ignore everything and take a bite. But when she tried to move forward, she found something large blocking her way.
From her vantage point, the host finally understood the problem:
"Oh my gosh, at the moment of contact, the two sisters are blocked by their own...!"
Lingyin was already a girl with a hot figure, and among her peers, her development was quite impressive. Bai Ningning needed no further mention, standing out among the crowd, with no rivals in sight.
The two faced each other, eating the Pocky stick together. To maintain their eating posture, they couldn't misalign, and what needed to align would naturally do so in advance.
Blocked!
Lingyin, surprised, let go, and the remaining small piece of Pocky was promptly eaten by Bai Ningning, thus passing the punishment game.
"Oh my gosh, what did we just witness? This special group, known for unexpected events in games, even had surprises in the punishment game," the host exclaimed, "But I must say... it was truly spectacular."