Not a detective

Page 161

Dongyun Sueyue pulled a chair out of a nearby classroom and sat down by the corridor. She still looked very weak, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

Even if she were to go now, she probably wouldn't be able to perform to her full potential, and it wouldn't matter if she were exposed.

We need to hurry… Asakawa Riku immediately realized, and then asked:

"Senior, I apologize for being so forward, but is there a game that saves you time in this level? I don't mind if it's a bit more difficult, I don't want to take up too much of your time."

"No need to call me senior. I am Takeshita Tomoya, the vice president of the student council. Just call me by my surname."

The bespectacled senior said this, then stroked his chin thoughtfully:

"Hmm... I do have a short game in mind, but are you sure you want to switch to that one? I must warn you, that game isn't very beginner-friendly."

"It's okay, that one is fine."

Asakawa Riku immediately said.

His thinking was actually very simple: it would be best to win, but it wouldn't matter if he lost, since he wasn't good at this kind of intellectual game anyway. He might as well just take the detective back to get her medicine.

While the outcome of a class competition is important, it's ultimately just a matter of choosing a booth, so there's no need to overthink it.

We've gotten this far thanks to Dongyun Moyue, and we can't just abandon her now that things have come to this point; that would be like kicking someone after they've served their purpose.

I glanced at Shinonome Sueki; he had already closed his eyes to rest. After settling him in, Takeshita-senpai began explaining the rules:

"This game is very simple. It's the same 'one, two, three, freeze!' game that everyone played when they were kids, or the squid game. A robot plays music and counts down. The other contestants run forward. When the music stops and the robot turns around, the runners must also stop, or they will be shot. They have to keep going and stopping until they reach the finish line to win."

"I know."

Asakawa Riku nodded. This was a well-known and widely used childhood game.

Takeshita paused for a moment, looked at Asakawa Riku and said, "Asakawa-kun, I've heard about some of your achievements. You're an athlete, right? I can't beat you in terms of physical fitness. If you stop the moment I turn around, or vice versa, the speed at which you turn around will be too fast for me to stop in time. I can't win at all. This isn't a test of intelligence."

Asakawa Riku thought so too. Sure enough, the rules weren't that simple. If it were just an ordinary wooden figure, he would have many ways to win.

"Therefore, we need to add the rule of 'numbers' to it."

"number?"

I have a headache...

Senior Takeshita seemed to notice his expression and smiled: "Don't worry too much. The rules aren't very complicated. Let's call the two participants 'Statues' and 'Assassins.' The goal of the Statues is to turn around and find the moving Assassins, and the goal of the Assassins is to reach the finish line and touch the Statues' bodies. When the Statues turn around and when the Assassins stop is the key to the mental game. I won't interfere with this free decision, but you must write down the numbers beforehand."

"Oh...!" Asakawa Riku understood what he meant: "So the numbers represent the time the wooden figure was inspected and the time the assassin stopped?"

"To be precise, it's the [time it takes for the wooden figure to turn around] and the [number of steps the assassin takes forward]."

Senior Takeshita explained, "In the usual 'Statues' game, there's a strategy of 'intentionally changing speed while chanting commands, suddenly speeding up.' To avoid this, and to reduce the impact on reaction time and walking speed, we quantify everything into numbers. In each round, the assassin has to write down how many steps to take in advance, and must move according to the numbers on the paper. Even if they are seen, they cannot stop. They take one step per second, at the same rhythm, one step per meter, and each tile under their feet is exactly one meter."

Upon hearing this, Asakawa Riku looked at the floor tiles and stretched out his leg to measure. Sure enough, it was about a meter long. He had been studying here for a year and hadn't noticed this detail before.

"So the wooden figure is the same?"

"That's right. The wooden figure's movements are also constrained by numbers. The numbers written on the paper are seconds. For example, if you write '10', you must turn around in ten seconds and cannot do so in advance."

Senior Takeshita nodded: "Actually, you should understand by now. It's changed from a simple reaction game to a game of guessing the size of numbers. If the number on the wooden figure is less than the number on the assassin's figure, it means it has successfully detected the assassin. Conversely, if the number on the assassin's figure is less than the number on the wooden figure, it means it has successfully stopped before the wooden figure turns around. Whoever has the smaller number is safe. The wooden figure wins if it sees the moving assassin, and the assassin wins if it touches the wooden figure."

"This is my game, assassinating wooden dummies."

Zashiki-warashi no Autumn: Chapter Thirty-Three - Assassinating the Wooden Man

When Asakawa Riku heard this, he suddenly felt that the game sounded familiar, just like the "drop the handkerchief" game that Kato Class President played.

One person would turn their back to check while the other person moved stealthily to avoid being noticed.

However, unlike the other game, this "assassinate the wooden man" is more like a simple numbers game, with less room for improvisation and on-the-spot reactions. Everything is predetermined by numbers, and the wooden man cannot turn around even if he hears footsteps behind him. Conversely, the assassin cannot stop at any time and must complete the game according to the rules.

He realized that this rule might have been specially modified for him by this senior student, Takeshita, and was somewhat targeted at him.

In this way, Asakawa Riku can no longer instantly appear behind the opponent, or turn around the moment there is the slightest movement behind him; most of his abilities are sealed.

He was indeed not good at mental games like those involving Shinonome Suetsuki, and couldn't come up with any competitive strategies in the short term.

Just as Asakawa Riku was pondering whether to start the match right away, a voice came from behind him:

"...I have another question. You mentioned two scenarios where the numbers are compared, but what if the wooden figure and the assassin's numbers happen to be the same?"

It was a question raised by Shinonome Suetsuki.

She still had her eyes closed, and I thought she was asleep. I was quite moved to see that she had listened to the rules despite her headache.

"Theoretically, it's difficult for the same number to appear in this game, but you're right, just in case, let's explain the rules clearly."

Takeshita seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then thought for a while and replied, "The numbers written down by the two are exactly the same, which means that when the wooden figure turned around, the assassin just stopped... In that case, let's say the assassin successfully 'passed', since he did stop, which makes more sense from a realistic perspective."

"The second question is, the wooden dummy only needs to be checked successfully once to win, while the assassin needs to reach the finish line and touch the wooden dummy to win. The odds of winning are not equal, right?"

Shinonome Suetsuki didn't stop, continuing to ask questions with her eyes closed:

"In fact, all the wooden figure needs to do is keep displaying extremely low numbers and constantly turn around to ensure that the assassin can't get close, right?"

"You're right, so the rules also include a [turn] setting."

Senior Takeshita stretched out his arms, showing the corridor on the fifth floor of the school building: "This floor is where we play our game. From where you are standing to the stairwell, it's exactly fifty meters. The game is divided into five rounds. The assassins just need to touch the wooden figure within five rounds, which is a question of how to allocate the 50 steps. The wooden figure's numbers shouted out in the five rounds cannot be less than 60. In other words, the wooden figure's number requirement is stricter than the assassin's. It can't shout too low and must be allocated within 60 seconds."

So that's what balance patches are all about?

Asakawa Riku frowned slightly upon hearing this. Wasn't it supposed to be a quick game? It turned out to be five rounds.

He remembered that the previous trials were also a drawn-out process, taking up both time and energy, and dragging on for a long time.

He was somewhat worried about Shinonome Suetsuki's condition, wondering if she could hold on until that moment.

"One last question... cough cough."

Sure enough, she started coughing violently halfway through her sentence, her beautiful face turned even paler, and she weakly raised her hand.

"Are you alright?" Asakawa Riku walked over and opened the window next to her to let in some fresh air. "Would you like me to get you a glass of water or something?"

"If it's inconvenient, I'm ready to take on the challenge anytime. There are still a few days until the cultural festival, and I'll be here tomorrow as well."

"It was very gentlemanly of me to say that," said Takeshita-senpai.

Mo Yue shook her head: "No need, it'll be over soon. One last question: how do we decide the identities of the [Statue] and the [Assassin]? Rock-paper-scissors?"

Just as Takeshita was about to answer the question, Asakawa Riku interrupted him:

"Can I be the assassin?"

"What are you doing?"

Mo Yue grabbed his sleeve, glaring at him with wide eyes, clearly very dissatisfied with his answer: "Have you lost your mind, assistant? Can't you see that this rule, which seems fair, is actually very disadvantageous to assassins? Even with a ten-step advantage, you'll be eliminated as soon as you're checked once in the game. The margin for error is simply not on the same level!"

She's right, the two identities in this game are indeed unfair.

Even if the assassin has "50" numbers and the wooden figure only has "60" numbers, the psychological pressure and margin for error are worlds apart.

The wooden figure wins if it can turn around even once, while the assassin must be extremely careful and cannot make the slightest mistake.

Being spoken to so directly, even Takeshita, the senior who set the rules, was a little embarrassed. He adjusted his glasses and hesitated before saying:

"Um... how about we decide by drawing lots? I'm fine with either, no problem."

"No, senior, you can stay there like a wooden statue. I'll be the assassin. Don't worry, I made this decision knowing all of this."

Asakawa Riku smiled and shook his head.

He actually chose the weaker side? Why?

"Since you've said that, I don't want to bully the younger generation."

Senior Takeshita didn't say much and made a decision immediately, which shows that he also knows how great the advantage of being a wooden person is.

He immediately took out a piece of white paper and a pen from his pocket, handed one to Asakawa Riku, and turned around to write down his own numbers.

"These are the numbers from the first round. You write them down too. We'll let this young lady be the referee. Even if you're on the same team, I'm sure she'll make a fair judgment, right?"

"If you don't believe me, check again after the round ends. Don't talk like a sissy."

Dongyun Sueyue was already irritable due to a headache, and given her personality, she wouldn't tolerate his sarcastic remarks, so she directly retorted.

"What...! What are you saying?!"

Takeshita-senpai was caught off guard by this sudden attack, and his face flushed red as he frantically approached.

He was about to bring up his identities as "the vice president of the student council" and "a senior in high school," but then he realized that the other party was not from the school at all, so it seemed pointless.

"Senior, let's settle this in the game. Hasn't the match already started?"

At this moment, Asakawa Riku calmly stepped in front of Suetsuki, smiling.

It wasn't that he was afraid of conflict, but he didn't want to resort to violence to solve problems on the eve of the game... He finally had a chance to show off his intelligence.

"Fine, you'd better not regret this... I won't hold back..."

So, Senior Takeshita could only swallow his anger, grit his teeth, and mutter as he walked to the other end of the corridor.

He probably didn't notice that the moment they made contact, Asakawa Riku had already taken the white paper and pen from his hand, the movement so fast it was almost imperceptible.

Asakawa Riku gave Suezuki his senior's copy without peeking, and began writing down his own numbers.

At the same time, Mo Yue suddenly asked a question in a low voice:

"...Why do this?"

Even though the assassins are at a disadvantage, why not use the rock-paper-scissors spy to gain an early advantage? Asakawa Riku knew that she had just been hinting at this to him.

Asakawa Riku patiently replied, "Because only when I am the assassin can I end the game quickly."

In this game, the assassin is the one who has the initiative. If that senior were to be the assassin, who knows how many rounds he would have to drag it out before reaching the finish line?

"You're not trying to lose the game quickly, are you?"

Mo Yue frowned: "I already told you, I'm fine, I don't need to eat—"

Asakawa Riku pressed his hand to her lips, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"Now that we're on the battlefield, whether it's hand-to-hand combat or not, there's no reason to move towards defeat. I will win. You should rest quietly for a bit; you don't need to wait too long."

He finished writing the number, folded it up, handed it to her, and then turned to look down the corridor.

Senior Takeshita had reached the end and was standing there with his back to him.

Fifty meters isn't a long distance, but the empty corridor felt like it was riddled with landmines and deadly traps.

—There was another reason that Asakawa Riku didn't say, because the other party would hear it.

Thanks to the detective for buying him time, and that flash of inspiration just now, he had come up with a "sure-win method," a method that could win instantly.

Next, all you need to do is move forward.

"Why did you choose to be an assassin, senior? You should be able to hear me standing there. I'll answer now."

"Because from the very beginning, I've always preferred to be on the side of [murder]."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Thirty-Four - One-Hit Kill

...Is this guy suffering from chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

Takeshita Tomoya listened to those words and turned his back.

His expression changed from humble and polite to indifferent and disdainful in an instant.

Yes, Takeshita had indeed heard of Asakawa Riku's name, but not only from rumors at school; he had heard it so many times during his time in the student council that he was sick of it.

Those few acquaintances are one thing, but the president keeps bringing him up every day...

Thinking of this, and of the blushing expression on the president's face when he mentioned him, Takeshita felt a surge of shame and anger.

He must be taught a lesson!

That's why Takeshita is here today. His goal is to prevent Asakawa Riku from getting through and meeting the president who is guarding the top rooftop.

The thought of them meeting here disgusted him.

I thought the first three levels would be enough to stop Asakawa Riku, but I didn't expect him to get through. It seems that those acquaintances were indeed unreliable and probably let Asakawa Riku pass the test.

Or perhaps it was the help from the foreign player next to him?

When Takeshita saw the woman that Asakawa Riku was with, besides admiring her beauty, he also sensed a strange danger.

Like a flawless model, you feel beautiful, but you can't understand the meaning of her words, and she exudes an incomprehensible aura from all sides.

Like a monster in human skin, it's impossible to predict what she will do next.