Lin Yi lost!
This outcome was beyond Sonoko's expectation, causing her smile to gradually fade.
"You lost, drink!"
Toshihide Wakamatsu shouted triumphantly!
Then he raised both hands and cheered towards Sonoko and Ran, "I won! Yay~~~ Miss Ran's chocolate is mine!"
"Who said it was a one-round decider?"
Lin Yi snorted, "It's best of five!"
Seeing Lin Yi's unwillingness to accept defeat, Toshihide Wakamatsu chuckled and nodded, "Best of five it is! But first, chug that bottle of beer!"
"It's just drinking!"
Lin Yi had just grabbed the bottle of beer and was about to drink it when Sonoko stopped him.
Though a bit embarrassed, Sonoko bravely said, "Lin Yi... you're not twenty yet, are you? You can't drink alcohol if you're under twenty."
Seeing Sonoko so openly defending Lin Yi, the others present raised their eyebrows.
Bystander A, Katsuhiko Minagawa, said, "Miss Sonoko, playing the game like this isn't fun... Since the rules have been set, they should be followed."
Bystander B, Mr. Naoto, also nodded, "Exactly! And if you can't drink, you should have said so from the beginning!"
Facing the accusations from the crowd, Lin Yi gently pushed Sonoko aside. He said, "They're right, if you lose, you should accept the punishment... otherwise, it's no fun. Don't worry, it's just one bottle of alcohol; it won't defeat me."
After Lin Yi finished speaking, he tilted his head back and began chugging the beer.
After finishing it in one go, Lin Yi tilted the beer bottle over his head, indicating it was empty.
"Again!"
Lin Yi, still unconvinced, placed his arm back on the table.
"Let's just stop..." Sonoko couldn't help but advise. She felt Lin Yi was acting out of spite, knowing he couldn't win but still insisting.
She somewhat regretted what she had said earlier.
If she hadn't said that whoever won would get the chocolate, Lin Yi wouldn't be trying so hard, would he?
"I'll win... don't worry." Lin Yi gave Sonoko a firm look.
However, Sonoko mistook his firm gaze for a look of feigned strength, which made her a little unhappy. She felt she shouldn't have made that offer.
"You won't win!"
Toshihide Wakamatsu laughed loudly and placed his thick arm on the table.
Katsuhiko Minagawa came over again to adjust their hand positions, and after saying "start," he immediately let go.
At first, Toshihide Wakamatsu, relying on his strength, directly pushed Lin Yi's wrist down by a third.
Lin Yi gritted his teeth, barely managing to stop his hand from falling further.
"It's useless... no matter how much you try to be strong, it's useless... if you can't do it, you can't do it."
Toshihide Wakamatsu shook his head and said with powerful conviction, "Sweat and effort will not betray a person!"
After speaking, Toshihide Wakamatsu once again used all his strength to press Lin Yi's hand down.
However, this time it didn't hit the table with a "bang" as quickly as last time; instead, it was pressed down little by little.
Lin Yi lost again!
"One more round!"
Lin Yi shook his right arm, then grabbed another bottle of beer and, without a word, began chugging it down.
Sonoko couldn't bear to watch. She was like a child who had done something wrong, deeply regretting her actions.
Ran, seeing her distress, stepped forward to comfort her.
"Not bad, not bad."
Watching the beer in Lin Yi's hand quickly empty, Toshihide Wakamatsu nodded and said with a hint of admiration, "I'm starting to like your straightforward way of drinking."
"Bang."
Placing the empty bottle on the table, Lin Yi placed his arm on the table for the third time and said, "Come on!"
"Still not giving up? Your courage is commendable."
Toshihide Wakamatsu placed his arm on the table and said triumphantly, "But... not all persistence pays off! This last round, let me swiftly end this match!"
Katsuhiko Minagawa adjusted their positions again, and after ensuring everything was correct, he said, "Start!"
As the horn of battle sounded, Toshihide Wakamatsu, just like in the previous two rounds, easily pushed Lin Yi's arm down by a third.
"You are a respectable opponent... but far from my match! I've already won this game!"
Toshihide Wakamatsu roared, then poured all his strength into his entire right arm, pressing down hard!
Lin Yi's arm was pushed down by half, then by two-thirds.
It was about to touch the table!
At this point, Sonoko couldn't bear to watch anymore and turned to hug Ran tightly.
"I already know who the killer is!"
Listening to Shinichi say this with such confidence, Lin Yi knew he had guessed correctly.
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Thank you for following the story this far.
If you want to read the later chapters in advance, I've uploaded more chapters to Patreon.
You can find them here: [patreon.com/Greyhounds]