Not a detective

Page 172

However, Asakawa Riku's firm words became the final anchor, causing her to suddenly raise her head in confusion:

"Moyue, don't I still owe you a favor? I was the one who dragged you to play the game. Now I'll pay you back."

"No matter what, I will go. It's not just to save Xingyu, but also to save you. I have to choose between the two of you, and I will not give up either of you."

"Zashiki-warashi, I am ready. Let the final trial begin."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter 52 Guessing the Coin

"very good."

The Zashiki-warashi smiled contentedly, clapping enthusiastically: "Then, let me explain the rules~"

"and many more--"

Suddenly, Shinonome Suetsuki interrupted her.

The detective wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her expression instantly vanishing, replaced by her usual calm and indifferent demeanor.

She gritted her teeth and said, "Since you've set the stakes, we'll set the rules of the game."

Zashiki-warashi paused for a moment, a fleeting expression of displeasure crossing her face, before staring at Hannya:

"Your...spell...failed?"

"what happened……"

Prajna was also surprised for a moment. She had clearly interfered with that woman's mind. Even if she didn't collapse immediately, she should have had an abnormal reaction.

How could she be so calm? She even insisted on giving her opinion on the game... She's just an ordinary human, not an Onmyoji, how could this be?

Mo Yue seemed to have overheard their secret conversation and took out the medicine bottle:

"It seems you guys were indeed up to something... Too bad, the detective won't be defeated so easily."

She just took two pills.

The effect of the amnesia drug is to quickly erase a portion of the memories in a person's brain, thereby helping Shinonome Suetsuki free up space, much like cleaning up junk files on a hard drive.

After training, Mo Yue can even specifically eliminate some unimportant memories, such as... [the lingering feeling of jealousy].

Yes, emotions are also part of memory. As long as you forget them in the last month of the month, it's as if they never bothered you, and you can still maintain a good state.

Using medication to resist psychological attacks is a technique that perhaps only she could have come up with.

"If I had known, I shouldn't have given that thing to you."

Prajna gritted her teeth. At that time, she had not yet been able to search for specific content in Hoshimi Koyu's mind. It seemed that this guy had hidden his important memories very deeply.

Only Sueki herself knew that although the medication played a significant role, if it weren't for Asakawa Riku's words that strengthened her resolve, she might not have even had the chance to take the medication.

She quickly seized the opportunity and continued:

"I'll set the rules, okay?"

"...As long as it conforms to the principle of fairness, then there is no problem."

The Zashiki-warashi remained silent for a moment before replying.

Anyway, she's a gaming goddess; she can easily handle any game, no matter what kind.

“Very good.” Mo Yue took out a pill from the medicine bottle and placed it flat in her palm: “Then let’s use the fairest game. We’ll use a coin toss to decide the winner. It’s simple and quick.”

She gently tossed the pill up, instantly flipped her hand over, and then patted the falling pill inside:

"Flip a coin and guess whether it will land on heads or tails. If you guess right, you win; if you guess wrong, you lose. It's that simple, one round and the winner is decided."

"……this."

Even the Zashiki-warashi was stunned by Suetsuki's unconventional approach.

She hadn't expected this woman to suggest such a simple game.

If the rules were more complex, Zashiki-warashi would have been prepared to refute them with "unfair" conditions, but this game was flawless.

It's simple and pure, even more direct than rock-paper-scissors, with only a 50% probability from the start, without any complicated redundancy.

The Zashiki-warashi couldn't even refute it.

As a monster bound by rules, she cannot deceive people cunningly like other monsters; she must be responsible for her words and cannot change them arbitrarily.

“No problem…but I’ll flip the coin. Shinonome Suetsuki, you’re on Asakawa Riku’s side, so you can’t interfere with or disrupt the game’s progress, or it will be considered cheating.”

Judging from the tone of the Zashiki-warashi, those who cheat in the game will likely face severe punishment.

But Mo Yue showed no fear, and coldly met the attack head-on:

“You can toss the coin, but as the referee, you must be fair. You cannot tamper with the coin in any way, nor can you lie about the result (heads or tails) just because Asakawa Riku can’t see it.”

"Of course, I'm a fair referee."

The Zashiki-warashi conjured a golden coin from its hand. It was larger than a regular coin, about the size of a fist, and gleamed with gold.

In her large hands, however, it seemed to fit perfectly:

"This is the front."

The front features a flower with the inscription: "It is a blessing."

"This is the opposite."

The reverse side features a ghost mask: "It's a [curse]."

Gods of blessing and curse, yokai of fairness and games—this is the power of Zashiki-warashi. In this game, one side will surely find happiness, while the other will suffer misfortune.

"Also, the person who flips the coin must be Asakawa Riku. If he guesses correctly, we win; if he guesses incorrectly, we lose. There is no Hannya round."

"This is his game! What right do you have to interrupt!"

The repeated instructions from Shinonome Suetsuki aroused Hannya's dissatisfaction, and he said angrily.

Zashiki-warashi shook his head: "They are opponents of the two players. In that case, both sides must guess the coin, and the winner will be determined by whether their guess is correct or not."

"Don't think I'll fall for something so simple."

Suezuki sneered: "You monsters must have special, independent communication channels, the kind of communication we can't hear. Who knows if you're colluding? That's not fair. Only Asakawa Riku, without being able to see at all, made a guess based entirely on luck, eliminating the possibility of observing the coin's fall with dynamic vision. That's a completely fair competition."

"...I have no reason to refute this."

This time, Zashiki-warashi was persuaded and, after a moment of silence, had no choice but to agree to her condition.

As long as you grasp the definition of "fairness," you can control the lifeline of Zashiki-warashi; that's what the game is all about.

"Well done."

From Asakawa Riku's perspective, although he was just watching Shinonome Suetsuki perform a one-woman show, he knew that she had done the best she could and eliminated all risks and hidden dangers.

If she hadn't racked her brains, it would be unimaginable how many traps and hidden dangers lay behind this.

He knew that Suetsuki had specifically designed the "coin toss" game rules for his benefit. Otherwise, if Zashiki-warashi had created a replica version like "air poker," Asakawa Riku would have no chance against Hannya, who possessed Hoshino's intellect. Just thinking about their high-speed card counting was enough to give him a headache.

Even in games that aren't that difficult, like "homemade rock-paper-scissors" or "landmine-jumping stairs," which involve psychological games, you might not necessarily win.

Even when playing mahjong, Asakawa Riku could lose... He wasn't good at mental games to begin with, so at such a crucial moment, there was no need to maintain that useless pride and face.

You'll have a higher win rate if you turn the game into a pure contest of luck!

"Then come on."

On the school rooftop at night, with the final announcement of the start, the Zashiki-warashi tossed two coins high into the air—

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter 53 Nirvana

"front."

Without any hesitation, Asakawa Riku immediately spoke.

Despite facing a life-or-death situation, he remained calm and composed. Perhaps this is the mindset of a martial artist, which brought him to a realm beyond the mundane.

There's no reason for this choice; it's a perfectly equal probability, so choosing either option makes no difference.

He simply prefers flowers that symbolize "blessings," nothing more.

"it is a pity……"

However, the Zashiki-warashi's unsettling smile soon foreshadowed the worst possible outcome. She slowly released her chubby hand, revealing what lay there—

"On the other hand, the curse, you lost, Asakawa Riku."

"……What!"

Asakawa Riku's eyes widened instantly, but before he could react, the balance of the game had already tipped in Hannya's favor.

"The winner will gain the absolute power to kill Asakawa Riku."

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!"

Prajna laughed maniacally, her mouth splitting to her ears, looking extremely terrified. Her sharp claws pierced through her skin and stretched out.

There was no physical attack, but rather a chant: "Control the liquids...control the blood, burst open, all the blood vessels!"

Asakawa Riku's expression instantly twisted.

Not just his face, but every inch of his skin, down to his feet, was filled with something bulging out, like a balloon that had been suddenly inflated.

Something was writhing beneath the skin, looking utterly horrifying—it was blood, constantly churning blood…

As a half-demon of mixed blood, including the "Red Ray" and the daughter of the ocean, Xingyu possesses the ability to control liquids, and naturally, she can also control the blood in the human body.

Normally, her power shouldn't be enough to manipulate the blood in Asakawa Riku's body, since Asakawa Riku's control over his blood vessels, skin, and body is already beyond that of ordinary people.

However, the power of the "rules of the game" and the power of "stakes payment" elevated Prajna's abilities to their extreme, exceeding the limits of reason.

Therefore, Prajna's ability to control water at this time has reached the level of a god, just like Chizuko-senpai who killed many people back then.

The power of rules must be upheld.

Bang……!

Before Asakawa Riku could utter a sound, he exploded, splattering blood everywhere like a blooming red flower.

But upon closer inspection, his physical strength and skin were indeed extraordinary; he hadn't been torn apart by the blood and remained standing intact.

His body, limbs, and even head were intact, except that blood gushed out from his various orifices and gradually drained away.

Without blood, a person cannot function properly; the heart cannot beat, and oxygen cannot be supplied—this is death.

The body of Asakawa Riku, though dead, still stood there, upright like a javelin, stained red with blood, making him look even more terrifying. Anyone unaware of the situation would not dare to approach him.

"Indeed... he's a fearsome guy. If not, I really don't know how I could have killed him."

The Zashiki-warashi slowly floated over and approached: "I wanted to play with you a little longer. If you have to blame someone, blame your partner for choosing such a short game, or blame your bad luck."

Did a martial arts master perish just because he guessed the wrong coin?

It's truly regrettable.

She showed no pity, but instead wore a pure and playful smile.

The purpose of the Zashiki-warashi is to reclaim Asakawa Riku's soul. With this interesting soul, they can play around for a long time.

And this empty, bloodless body can be left to that pervert Prajna; it's useless now.

But just as she was about to announce the end of the game, Shinonome Suetsuki slowly walked over:

"—It's not over yet."

"what?"

Zashiki-warashi was puzzled. Asakawa Riku had clearly guessed the wrong coin and was already dead, so how could he say the game wasn't over yet?

No... This woman, she clearly watched him die, why didn't she break down, cry, become hysterical, or go crazy?

Before she could react, Mo Yue gently reached around from behind and, ignoring the bloodstains all over his body, embraced the still-standing boy.

At the same time, the throat that shouldn't have made a sound, and the mouth that should have been completely silent, opened slightly.

This resulted in a purely precise duet:

"[[Nirvana One]]"

In that instant, blinding golden light tore through the already dark night sky, transforming the soft stars and moon into dazzling sunlight, as if day and night had reversed and the sun had risen.

The golden light was born from the embrace of Asakawa Riku and Shinonome Suzuki, accompanied by a huge energy fluctuation that distorted spacetime and concepts, and heated everything up.