The moment my feet touched solid ground again, I knew—just knew—we were not free yet. The town square, still glowing with an aggressively pink hue, had a suspiciously large crowd gathered in the centre. And standing on a makeshift stage was the same overly dramatic NPC from earlier, looking way too excited for whatever fresh horror he was about to unleash upon us.


    [New Challenge: The Dance of Destiny!]


    A fanfare of trumpets blared, followed by an explosion of heart-shaped confetti that rained down on us like we had just won the world’s worst lottery. I braced myself for impact.


    “Welcome, lovebirds!” the NPC bellowed, gesturing grandly at the assembled crowd. “Tonight, you shall prove your compatibility through the most sacred of romantic traditions… a dance-off!”


    Luna visibly recoiled. “Oh, hell no.”


    I couldn’t even muster a response. My brain had short-circuited at the sheer absurdity of what was happening.


    Before either of us could protest, the cobblestones beneath our feet shimmered. I looked down just in time to see a circular glowing pattern form beneath me—oh no. No, no, no—


    A flash of light engulfed us, and suddenly, we weren’t in the town square anymore.


    We were on a massive, glittering dance floor floating in the sky.


    Why does this game hate me?


    The backdrop was straight out of a fever dream—a cosmic pink void with floating rose petals, glowing chandeliers, and an inexplicable giant disco ball spinning overhead. A massive audience of NPCs and actual players (some clearly trapped in this nightmare like us, others watching for entertainment) cheered wildly from the stands.


    In the middle of it all, standing on the stage like a smug overlord of rhythm, was him—The Dance Instructor NPC.


    Dressed in a deep purple tuxedo with a sequined cape, he struck a dramatic pose, tossing his slicked-back hair. “Prepare yourselves, young lovers! Only those with true rhythmic harmony can conquer the Dance of Destiny!”


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    Luna turned to me, her expression unreadable. “We have to dance. In front of everyone.”


    I sighed. “I hate this event so much.”


    [New Objective: Score 50 Affection Points Through Synchronized Dancing!]


    The moment the notification popped up, a glowing tutorial window appeared in front of us, displaying an animated chibi version of myself awkwardly stepping to the side, then forward, then spinning.


    Luna watched it with narrowed eyes. “Oh no. It’s a rhythm minigame.”


    “Of course it is.”


    Before we could strategize (by which I mean panic), the dance floor lit up beneath us. A countdown timer appeared.


    [3…]


    [2…]


    [1…]


    The music hit.


    And it was the most offensively upbeat, aggressively romantic waltz I had ever heard in my life.


    The first set of glowing dance prompts appeared beneath our feet. Left step. Right step. Spin. Simple enough, right?


    Wrong.


    Luna took one look at the steps and went rogue. Instead of a graceful twirl, she executed what could only be described as a combat roll.


    [Affection Score: -2]


    The audience gasped. The Dance Instructor NPC clutched his heart in horror.


    I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. The sight of her tumbling across the floor while dramatic violin music played was too much.


    She glared at me. “You think this is funny?”


    “Yes.”


    “Good. Then catch up.”


    What happened next was nothing short of anarchy.


    Instead of following the precise choreography, we—how do I put this?—improvised. Luna, having lost all respect for the event, started throwing in dodge-rolls, fake combat stances, and, at one point, a very aggressive fist pump. Not to be outdone, I attempted a backflip (bad idea) and ended up flailing mid-air before landing like a sack of potatoes.


    [Affection Score: ???]


    The audience didn’t know how to react. The NPCs gawked. The Dance instructor fainted.


    Somewhere in the distance, an actual player watching yelled, “WHAT AM I EVEN LOOKING AT?!”


    The music ended with a final dramatic flourish. We struck our final pose—Luna casually leaning on my shoulder like this had been our plan all along, me gasping for air like I’d just survived a boss battle.


    Silence.


    Then the entire stadium erupted into wild applause.


    [New Record Set: Most Chaotic Dance in Festival History!]


    [Affection Score: +25]


    I blinked. “Wait. We… won?”


    Luna smirked, brushing off her dress. “Apparently, disaster is our love language.”


    The voice of the now emotionally scarred Dance Instructor quivered as he announced, “C-Congratulations, lovers! You… have passed the Dance of Destiny?”


    More pink confetti rained down on us. The game teleported us back to the town square before we could process what had just happened.


    Luna looked at me, tilting her head. “I have to admit… that was almost fun.”


    I groaned, rubbing my face. “Please never say that again.”


    She grinned. “Oh no. I absolutely will.”