TDU Chapter 277
Chapter 277 Mouse’s Game
"Don–Don’t be so ridiculous!" Mister Black Goat was startled. "Your mask smells horrible; can you please not disgust me?"
"I don't care." Mister Snake shook his head. "If you don't help her, I'll disgust you to death."
Mister Tiger didn’t seem to want their help. He simply stood up, grabbed my hand, and said, "Little Mouse, you don't need those two idiots to help you. Laozi will personally come up with a game for you!"
He dragged me over to a nearby desk, sat me down, then picked up a pen and paper, deep in thought.
A few minutes passed, and he hadn't written a single word.
"Shit..." He slowly inhaled, then said, "Sandbag Toss and Hopscotch won't work... I wonder if (Chinese) Hacky Sack* will...?"
(TLN: Hacky Sack is the anglicized term; Jianzi / 毽子 is the traditional game)
"Don’t be ridiculous!" Mister Snake waved his hand dismissively. "Are you trying to personally send this girl to her death?"
"You–!" Mister Tiger angrily shook his head. "How am I sending her to her death?"
"Stop just thinking about what your daughter likes to play. You need to see what {Mouse} is suited for!" Mister Snake shook his head, then looked at Mister Black Goat. "Mortal Goat, help them out already."
"With that damn tiger’s attitude, who’d want to help him?"
"Then I'll be hugging you~!" Mister Snake said.
"You..." Mister Black Goat looked like he had been hugged by Mister Snake before. He was clearly scared of that threat.
Mister Black Goat walked over to Mister Tiger's side and snatched the pen and paper from his hands. "Truly all roar and no bite—you came up with {Hacky Sack}? Why not suggest playing with Cat's Cradle?"
"Cradle my ass..." Mister Tiger's temper was really short, and he was about to explode.
"Mister... um... it's not nice to curse..." I tugged at him.
"Ah...?" Mister Tiger paused for a moment, then stared at me with his eyes darting all over the place. "I—I didn't curse, this... this is just a greeting..."
I blinked. He clearly sounded like he was cursing just now... how did that turn into a greeting?
Mister Tiger stared at me for a while, then his tone softened. "Alright, alright... it's my fault, I won't say it again."
Mister Black Goat paid him no mind, took a seat at the table, looked at me, and said, "Child, come here. I have several questions for you."
"Ah...?" I slowly walked up to him, nervously glancing at him.
"Where did you put on your mask?" Mister Black Goat's voice was calm, without any hint of emotion.
"I think it was in a warehouse..."
"A warehouse?" Mister Black Goat picked up a pen and began sketching a large room on the paper with swift strokes. "Like this kind of warehouse?"
Mister Black Goat was good at drawing, but it seemed a bit different from the warehouse I remembered.
"Mister, the space didn't seem that big... it was a very small warehouse."
He nodded and took out a second sheet of paper, sketching a smaller room.
"Is this what it looked like?" he muttered to himself as he added a few shelves. "Were there many things in the warehouse?"
"I don't think there were many..." I replied in a quiet voice, "There were just a few shelves by the wall."
"Were there things on the shelves?"
"I... I think there were some boxes, but I don't know what was inside."
Mister Black Goat quickly drew two people in the warehouse, thought for a moment, then started writing something beside the drawing: "Tentative title: Game of Trust."
"I have an idea," Mister Black Goat said. "Child, come here. I'll tell you the rules."
"Oh..." I walked over to Mister Black Goat and glanced at the small room and figures he had drawn.
"The game requires two people to participate. The admission will be two {Dào} per person," Mister Black Goat said as he wrote. "The two people stand inside and ask each other about their secrets. Especially the secrets they'd rather not bring up..."
"And then?" Mister Tiger asked.
"We can lie in the rules. The winning conditions for the two people are different: one has to tell the truth, while the other has to lie."
"Oh?" Mister Tiger stroked his chin. "Playing dirty, huh?"
"No, it's merely a goat’s characteristic," Mister Black Goat shook his head. "While the two people tear each other's masks apart, they also expose the ugliest side of human nature."
Mister Tiger nodded. "You're indeed clever, punk."
"Flattery will get you nowhere. I’m simply sharper than you."
"Oh..." Mister Tiger nodded, but soon felt something was off. "But this game you designed has nothing to do with {Mouse}...this is clearly a Goat-Category game?!"
"You're being unreasonable," Mister Black Goat sighed. "The game takes place in the warehouse, how is that not {Mouse}-Category?"
"Bullsh..." Mister Tiger seemed like he wanted to say something, but after glancing at me, he changed his words. "You're talking nonsense!"
Mister Tiger grabbed the pen and paper and said, "Besides, this game is way too hard. Let me change it for you!"
He scratched out all of Mister Black Goat's rules and wrote down a new set.
"Four people participate, two per team. The team that grabs the vase in the center of the warehouse wins. All means are allowed, and the weapons will be provided by the umpire..."
Mister Snake couldn't sit still anymore. "Oh, stop it! You have the nerve to criticize others? Fighting in the warehouse and you call that {Mouse}-related?"
"What of it?" Mister Tiger retorted. "Does that mean {Mouse} doesn't have to fight for territory?"
"Fight for territory, my foot!" Mister Snake snatched the paper back. "You guys are just leading the kids astray. This matter still has to be handled by me."
He picked up the pen and crossed out Mister Tiger's rules. "Listen to me, okay? Once the participant enters the warehouse, lock the door with five locks. Each of the five keys corresponds to a question. If you answer correctly, you get the key. They are..."
The three misters went back and forth, each of them taking turns, making sure their ideas were heard. The entire night passed without sleep.
They filled sheet after sheet with rules, and several times, it seemed like they were about to start fighting.
It wasn’t until dawn that they handed me a jumbled-up manuscript, and the game written on it was so confusing that I couldn’t even understand it.
At that moment, the door opened, and White Goat gege walked in.
He always seems to stand apart from others. His clothes were extremely clean, and the fur on his face was very white, but there was always a sense of aloofness around him.
On the other hand, although the three misters were dirty no matter how you looked at them, they were all kind-hearted.
"Mouse, have you figured out a game?" White Goat gege asked as he sat down in a chair, his tone without fluctuation. "It’s already been an entire night."
"Ah... I..." I turned my head to look at the three misters. They all gave me subtle nods and gestures, so I mustered the courage to speak. "I think so..."
"Let’s hear it."
"My game... needs four people to participate, two per team. They have to fight to grab the vase. Once they get it, they can escape, but the door is locked. There are five locks on the door, each corresponding to a question. They have to answer correctly to get out... and when they do, the two people need to ask each other about their secrets—"
"Ridiculous," White Goat gege interrupted.
TL Note:
