Let's play Jenga then.

Yeah!

　When I finished the tower and said it, Elinora sister also changed her mind and replied in her usual cheerful voice.

''Well, I'll go first.

Okay.

　The rules are very simple, but it's good to have an experienced person set an example. The order was naturally decided by Brother Silvio, me, and Sister Elinora.

　Brother Silvio was the first to pull out the middle block at the bottom. Then, without danger, he stacked them on top of each other.

'I guess I'm next,'

　Being the second, I decided to target the block on the far right, right in the middle. I gently stuck my finger out and pushed, and the block came loose with a two-pack.

　I carefully pulled it out and slowly placed it next to the block that Silvio's brother had stacked on top of me.

'Repeat the process like this,'

Okay!

　Sister Elinora reached out her right hand as soon as she replied.

　Sister Elinora didn't even have to wonder which block to pull out and quickly pushed her thin fingers in.

　The block in the middle is pushed out with great force.

　This causes the block to pop out and fall to the floor, making a clinking sound.

　Even at the beginning, it's a drastic way to pull it out. If it was in the wrong place, it might have collapsed at once.

　For some reason, it made me cringe as I watched.

　The Erinora sister happily piled the pushed-out blocks to the top of the pile, despite us.

''This should be easy!

　That's what I think at first, but once the balance starts to tilt, it instantly becomes difficult to play this game.

　My brother Silvio and I dared to remain silent without paying attention to it.

　Then Silvio pulled out Jenga and piled it up to the top. I, too, dangerously pulled out the safe blocks and piled them up.

　Elinora's sister is a bit bold, but she relies on her intuition, which is her strength, and she doesn't break down.

　As the three of us quietly piled up Jenga like that, the balance at the bottom gradually became less and less stable.

''It's starting to get quite unstable.

　Looking at Jenga with a gaping hole here and there, Sister Elinora muttered.

　The balance has been thrown off much earlier than planned.

　The reason for this is because Elinora sister, who is drinking and looking at the tower, pulled it out without thinking.

　From my brother Silvio and I's point of view, it's a wonder why it's still standing.

　Despite the appearance of its upward buildup, Jenga was already on the verge of collapse.

　But the real joy of Jenga is here, I guess you could say.

　How far can we build up this tower on the verge of collapse? That's where each of us can show our skills.

I'll be the next one.

　With the tower about to collapse, Brother Silvio looks a little nervous in front of him.

　Brother Silvio looks at the tower from every angle, trying to find a block to get out of it.

　Sensing the seriousness of Brother Silvio's mood, Erinora and I, who were sitting near him, step back a step with restraint.

　Brother Silvio carefully observes the tower as me and Elinora sister look on.

　The fact that his fingers are occasionally moving as if he were lost is probably a sign of his distress.

　The place we're aiming at is where we first stacked the blocks. That's how big the tower is stacked now.

　It's impossible to get at the bottom, because it's impossible to get at the bottom. We'll have to aim for the top one.

　Brother Silvio's fingers slowly approach the middle block.

　Brother Silvio slowly pushes out the middle block with the fingers of his right hand while slowly pulling the pushed out part with the fingers of his left hand.

''........something is making me tense even as I'm watching.

That's part of what makes Jenga so special.

　As we tensed up, Brother Silvio slowly pushed the block out of the way.

　At that moment, the unbalanced tower trembled slightly.

''Ah!''

　A faint voice leaked out of sister Elinora's mouth.

　As everyone watched with bated breath, the tower that had been shaking came to rest in place without collapsing.

''Whew, you managed to not fall down.

There's still some work to be done on the pile.

It was.

　It's too early to be relieved. Yes, a Jenga is only a Jenga if it is properly built up. Don't seem to be happy to pull it out.

　The lax air returns to the taut air.

　In the midst of this, Brother Silvio slowly lifts the block upwards. The way he moves is so careful, it's as if he's offering an offering to a god.

　While Elinora and her sister and I watch, Silvio piles up the blocks with a click.

　Then he slowly moved away so as not to cause any noise or air impact.

　The tower didn't collapse and stood up beautifully.

''Whew, Al is next.''

　Brother Silvio, released from the tension, urges me with a refreshing smile.

　d*mn, I had a habit of doing it with a face like I was about to die just now, but as soon as my turn was over, I put on a cool face.

　Brother Silvio hates the cool look on his face, while I approach Jenga.

　Now, where should I pull it out?

　The lower part has been eaten up by Elinora's sister and is no longer an empty shell. Playing with it would be suicide.

　The middle section is an important pillar that supports the unbalanced lower section. It's hard to imagine that it would be possible to pull it off, too.

　So what we should be aiming for is the upper part of the tower, which we had built up in the past.

　I observed the tower from each side.

　Then I aimed at the rightmost block in the upper part of the tower.

　First of all, I'm going to check it out with my finger.

　........Oh no, it doesn't move. This is definitely not a good idea if you pull it out!　It's got a lot of weight on it!

　I slid my fingers to the next block, managing to keep my trembling fingers in place.

　I poked it lightly there, and this time the tower wobbled a lot.

''Hee!''

　I hastily close my mouth as I almost let out a scream.

　I wondered what would happen if I screamed in a scene like this, on the verge of collapse. It would collapse, of course.

　I breathed shallowly and prayed in my heart that I wouldn't collapse.

　Then my prayers were answered, and the tower stood still.

　I almost let out a sigh of relief, but even that could cause the tower to fall.

　I gulped it down and looked for a safe block.

Isn't that too much to ask?

Maybe.

　I can hear sister Elinora and brother Silvio's voices from behind me.

　That being said, I want to turn to the next one no matter what. However, there is no longer any block that can be pulled out.

　I can no longer see anything but a future where it will collapse no matter where I touch it.

　To begin with, it's a miracle that it didn't collapse at the time of Brother Silvio just now.

　What to do, Alfried. Isn't there any situation that can get us through this place?

　If we observe, there must be a hole........a hole?

　Come to think of it, not all Jenga are made in the same size. Although the difference is only a few grams or a few millimeters, there is a difference in the blocks as well.

　If there are three blocks in a row and only the middle block is a few millimeters lower than the others, there will be a small gap.

　If there is a part in such a state, the center of gravity is on both sides of the block, so it should be easy to pull it out.

　When I remembered this knowledge, I searched for the gap desperately.

　There it is!　There's a spot right in the middle where it's low!

　But that's the dead zone, the middle section.

　Even though it's just unstable, is it really a good idea to touch such a place?　But there is no other place to get out.

　If that's the case, I'll just have to bet on the gap here.

　I pushed out the middle of the gap with my finger slowly.

　Then the block in the middle is pushed out about a third of the way. I pull it out from the other side with the other finger.

　Then, surprisingly, I was able to pull it out easily.

　I almost squeal with delight at that, but Jenga is only Jenga when it's piled up. We can't let our guard down until the time we pile them up.

　I gently take the removed block to the top of the pile.

　But it's no fun to finish this.

　Next, it's Elinora's turn to take the baton. If I just pass the baton to the next one, she might naturally destroy herself. I'll play a little trick to increase the odds of that.

　I deliberately disrupt the blocks and stack them up, calculating the balance of the tower.

　It felt like the tower was even more unsteady, even if it was just unbalanced and tilted.

'Hey, what are you doing?　Just give me a normal ride!

　This angered sister Elinora, who was next in line.

　I looked at the enraged Elinora sister and giggled.

Okay, now let's get to Sister Elinora.

　I urged him to move on.