We progressed through the Advanced Mode of the Trick House without a hitch. If it followed the same pattern as the Normal Mode, the next room would likely be the final one. However, the real question was what kind of trial awaited us there.
The physical contact had certainly increased throughout the Advanced Mode. Still, I felt like it hadn't quite reached the intensity of my time with Shiro-san. Up until now, there hadn't been any prompts directly telling us to kiss.
There had been indirect instructions, like the Pocky Game, but they hadn't ventured beyond that level.
Even the Normal Mode had required a kiss for the final trial, so I had expected something even more extreme for this version, but it hadn't felt that way so far.
That said, the trials here were definitely more provocative than those in the Normal Mode. If that was the case, what would the finale be like? If it was meant to be more extreme than a kiss, the options were limited—and setting something like that as an attraction in a couple-oriented amusement park seemed like it would be crossing a line.
Would it just be a kiss, the same as the Normal Mode? If so, it would feel like a bit of a letdown for something labeled "Advanced."
Wondering how it would turn out, I reached the final room to find a familiar-looking Random Box waiting for us. The task written on it was...
"The two of you must consume the contents together. Splitting, dividing, or crushing the item with your teeth is strictly prohibited. You must remain joined until it is finished."
What was this? What kind of challenge was that? Based on the wording, it sounded like the Pocky Game again, but I doubted they would repeat the same gimmick at the very end.
"Hmm? Is it another Pocky Game?"
"No, that wouldn't make much sense, would it? Though if it's food, I suppose it might be similar..."
Kuro tilted her head, clearly thinking the same thing I was. We decided to just see for ourselves and opened the Random Box.
Inside was a single, beautifully wrapped piece of candy.
"...It's candy."
"...Yeah, it's candy."
It was just a piece of hard candy. The instructions emphasized twice that we had to eat it together and that breaking or crushing it was forbidden. Wait... did that mean exactly what I thought it did? We had to lick the entire thing until it melted while kissing?
They really saved the most scandalous thing for the very end. Even if the candy wasn't that big, it would easily take several minutes to dissolve completely.
"Hey, Kaito-kun... This is 'that,' isn't it? It's telling us to finish it while we're doing... that."
"Y-Yeah, I'm sure that's it."
"Shaltier really comes up with the wildest things..."
Even Kuro seemed flustered by this direct, unabashed provocation. Honestly, I couldn't believe Alice had written a task like this. There was no way she could handle this herself, could she?
"...But, it is a trial."
"Y-Yeah, you're right."
Watching Kuro’s cheeks flush with embarrassment made me feel a surge of nervous tension as I looked at the candy. If anything, this felt far more awkward than a simple kiss.
However, as Kuro said, it was a task; we wouldn't reach the goal unless we cleared it. We locked eyes, nodded to each other, and sat down on a bench provided nearby.
Since finishing the candy would take a while, it was a relief we didn't have to stand; crouching down to match Kuro’s height for that long would have been physically exhausting.
After a brief silence, we naturally leaned toward one another. We shared a kiss, each taking half of the candy into our mouths.
"Mmm... chu... lick..."
Simply holding the candy in the center and licking it from both sides was incredibly inefficient. Just as the challenge likely intended, we soon began to extend our tongues, intertwining them in a deep kiss as we rolled the candy between us.
The sweetness of the candy, the sensation of our warm, soft tongues, and the sheer intimacy of being pressed so tightly together made my head spin.
"Nn... haaa..."
Because I was so focused on maneuvering the candy and licking it efficiently, I ended up being far more conscious of the movement of our tongues than I would during a normal kiss. Every sensation from Kuro’s tongue felt vivid and sharp.
And since our faces were literally pressed against each other, I could clearly hear her shallow, heated breaths.
We shared a kiss so passionate I felt like I might faint while we worked on the candy. Since the rules forbade us from biting it, the sweet stubbornly refused to disappear. We ended up locked in a deep, heavy embrace for a very long time. By the time it finally melted, both our faces were bright red—which was only natural, all things considered.
I’ll say it again... there is absolutely no way Alice could ever do this herself.
Serious-senpai (Sugar Statue): "..."
Machina: "Maybe I should have shaved her more evenly? She’s starting to look a bit lopsided... Well, whatever. I can fix her later. Time for sukiyaki!"
Serious-senpai (Sugar Statue): "...(Does this God have no sense of hesitation? No emotions at all?)"