Not a detective

Page 156

He avoided Shinonome Suezuki, making sure she couldn't see it, before turning over Principal Komiya's note—

Principal Komiya's handwriting is very standard and elegant, like it's been printed. There's not a single flaw in it, and the strokes of the Chinese characters are also very sharp, indicating that he must have practiced calligraphy.

A simple line of text, yet it made Asakawa Riku frown instantly; he was stunned…

I see... or rather, it can actually be done this way.

This was indeed beyond his expectations. He had thought that the so-called "winner-lose relationship of self-created gestures" was something simple, but it turned out that there was something more than he had anticipated.

"Asakawa-san."

At this moment, Principal Komiya spoke up, saying, "You can't have that kind of expression. Although I know you will be fair as the referee and won't use hints or suggestions to reveal the effect of my gestures to Ms. Shinonome, your reaction can actually reveal something from the side. So please just remember that and don't have any other special reactions."

Asakawa Riku looked up and, as expected, saw Shinonome Suetsuki observing his face and expression with great interest.

...You don't need to see the note directly; you can observe it through indirect reactions, just like observing whether a hand of cards is good or bad.

"I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."

So he immediately put away the note and put on a poker face.

Although he stands with Suezuki and hopes she can win, since he has taken on the role of referee, he should remain impartial here.

...But, to be honest, if what's written on the note is true, then Principal Komiya has already obtained a very powerful weapon.

In fact, she may have already won half the battle.

The rest depends on what preparations the detective has made.

"Since I'm more familiar with this game, for the sake of fairness, Miss Shinonome, you can think about it some more before you decide."

"unnecessary."

However, Shinonome Suetsuki said casually, picking up the white paper and pen on the table and saying to Asakawa Riku, "Riku, can you write this for me? I'll tell you secretly."

"Don't treat me like a servant. It's not working hours now, and you're not my boss."

Although Asakawa Riku complained like this, it was just a matter of writing a few words, so he tolerated her spoiled princess temper.

He picked up his pen and pointed it at the paper: "You say it."

Mo Yue leaned closer. Her natural body fragrance, untouched by perfume, was intoxicating. Her soft, gentle voice seemed to make one forget her terrible personality.

She whispered a few words in Asakawa Riku's ear, then immediately shut her mouth:

"...That's it, understand?"

"Wait, are you sure?!"

Although he had prepared himself mentally, he was still taken aback for a moment.

Asakawa Riku couldn't control his emotions. He also found it hard to believe, but that "gesture effect"... something was wrong, it was just too wrong!

"Excuse me, I have to ask a question beforehand."

Shinonome Suetsuki didn't react at all, so Asakawa Riku could only turn his head and look at Principal Komiya on the other side. She hadn't been eavesdropping, so she naturally didn't know what Suetsuki had said.

"Ok?"

Principal Komiya looked up, puzzled: "About what?"

"Regarding the gestures," Asakawa Riku sighed. He had studied them carefully many times, but still couldn't remain completely silent. "I'd like to know, to what extent are the effects of the gestures limited?"

"Hey Hey hey."

At this moment, Shinonome Suetsuki also expressed her dissatisfaction: "Assistant, you're going to expose my effectiveness by doing this. Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Just to be fair, both sides have revealed some information."

Asakawa Riku shook his head: "Besides, if I don't ask about the effect beforehand, I'm afraid it will be unclear when the game ends, and I won't be able to make a judgment."

He turned to Principal Komiya:

"Please answer this question. I will determine whether this effect is acceptable based on your answer. Otherwise, I will ask her to say another one."

...Is it really such a complicated gesture?

Or is there some effect that leaves even the referees scratching their heads and at a loss?

Principal Komiya immediately sensed a heavy atmosphere, an atmosphere she never felt from anyone when playing this "rock-paper-scissors" game.

Although we have gleaned some information from this taste, we must be cautious in our response and guard against any potential traps.

Language traps... rule traps... action traps... and all sorts of special cases must be taken into account.

She paused to think for a moment, then gave a serious answer:

"As previously explained in the rules. First, the effect must be limited to the win-loss relationship. You must win against a certain gesture and lose to a certain gesture. There cannot be any other special effects, such as 'this gesture can be performed slowly'. Second, the self-made gesture cannot be too strong. For example, 'winning against the other three gestures' is not allowed. It must have a weakness."

Principal Komiya paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and quickly added:

"Thirdly, the effect cannot involve [action details], such as 'this gesture must be made with the left hand' or 'the angle of the fingers must be kept at a certain angle'. It is not allowed. A self-made gesture is just a special action, and it should have a loose judgment standard like rock-paper-scissors. It can be made with both hands, and as long as the shape is similar, it is considered valid."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Twenty-Four: A Draw

After Principal Komiya finished speaking, Asakawa Riku closed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds.

Then he opened his eyes and said, "All three criteria you mentioned are met, so I think this gesture is acceptable, and in principle, it does not violate fairness."

"Great--!"

Shinonome Suetsuki raises her hands in a gesture of cheering.

Asakawa Riku found the right angle, quickly wrote down the effect of her gesture on a piece of paper, and then put it in his pocket along with another piece of paper.

...This is bad.

However, Principal Xiao Gong's expression immediately turned serious. She had thought that these three rules would be enough to shut down the other party's cleverness, but now it seemed that perhaps they were not among them.

What exactly is hidden...? We can't tell from that note yet; perhaps we can only guess at it during the game.

"Since Asakawa-san has said so..."

She cleared her throat and said:

"Well then, before the game begins, let me first introduce my hand gestures. I'll just explain the movements to make sure we can all do them; the effects will remain a secret."

After saying that, Principal Komiya took out his right hand, extended his index finger and thumb, and pointed forward: "You should all be able to understand this, it's a [gun]."

"oh oh!"

Mo Yue was very interested and went closer to take a look, and even tried to compare them herself.

It's really simple. It's a gesture similar to a "gun," where you tighten the rest of your fingers and only extend your index finger and thumb. It's not difficult to do.

She played with it for a few moments, making childish "bang bang bang" sound effects, before saying:

"Well then, let me introduce mine too, it's like this—"

She also extended her right hand, but with her thumb and little finger tucked in, only revealing the three middle fingers: index, middle, and ring fingers.

"What is this? Is it the number three?"

Principal Komiya was puzzled for a moment, then followed suit and made the gesture. Indeed, it looked like the gesture for the number 3, and seemed to have no other meaning.

"Because this gesture is easier to do~" Mo Yue smiled: "That's right, that's it!"

...Isn't it a particularly complicated gesture?

Principal Komiya looked at her three fingers and frowned, thinking that she had just added a new rule specifically to prevent this kind of trickery.

In the past, some members who tried to challenge her used "particularly complicated gestures" to try to win. Some people's fingers are really flexible and can bend to very strange angles. If you can't copy the other person's gestures, then you've already lost halfway. So, Principal Komiya thought that Shinonome Suetsuki was also doing this.

The gesture for the number three was unexpectedly simple; so the trap really is in its effect...?

"Now that both sides have learned how to use all the gestures, our game can begin."

Asakawa Riku carefully put both slips of paper in his pocket and began his refereeing duties:

"Before that, I'd like to confirm one thing: when shouting the rock-paper-scissors chant, do we need to add two new hand gestures? For example, to make it 'rock, paper, scissors, gun, three'?"

"No need, no need, that would be too complicated, like a tongue twister."

Principal Komiya waved his hand: "Besides, it's easy to mispronounce it, isn't it? Just say 'rock, paper, scissors' as usual, but be careful not to say it too slowly, that's considered cheating."

"I will not cheat."

Shinonome Suetsuki rubbed his hands together, intently moving his fingers as if he were sharpening a weapon.

To show respect for her opponent, Principal Komiya also stood up from her chair, walked to the table, and confronted her formally.

The air was thick with tension, ready to explode at any moment.

"Round One, Begin."

...

【first round】

...

Asakawa Riku watched the two locked in a fierce confrontation and couldn't help but wonder what he would do in the first round if he didn't know how effective their self-made gestures would be.

...It will probably revolve around "self-made gestures".

Now that new rules have been introduced, it's impossible for them to remain indifferent and continue playing rock-paper-scissors as before. They will definitely use their own hand gestures to gain an advantage.

That's what they say, but how exactly should they do it? Shinonome Suetsuki's subsequent actions almost made Asakawa Riku's jaw drop.

They shook their fists and shouted slogans like normal players:

"Scissors."

"Stone……?"

However, after only the second shout, Principal Komiya's voice trailed off into the sky.

She stared at Dongyun Sueyue's actions in disbelief, and asked to confirm, "You... went out first?"

"Yes."

Mo Yue said smugly, shaking her right hand as she made a gesture. She had already put her hand out before she could even call out the second time: "The rules don't prohibit going first, do they?"

Asakawa Riku paused for a moment. He recalled the rules that had just been mentioned, which seemed to emphasize "slow play is not allowed" but did not say "first play is not allowed".

That's obvious. After all, going slow has an advantage in terms of the rules. By confirming the opponent's gesture before making a move, you can guarantee a 100% win rate, which is obviously cheating. But going first is different. Going first is equivalent to exposing your weakness to your opponent, telling them in advance what gesture you're going to make. This is tantamount to self-destruction, so why would the rules specifically prohibit it?

Theoretically, that's how it is. Even if Principal Komiya saw that Suetsuki had come out first, there was no need to point it out; he could have just attacked and defeated him directly.

The problem is... this isn't a regular game of rock-paper-scissors, and the hand gestures that guy made were really troublesome...

She made a gun gesture.

In the first round, Shinonome Suetsuki went first with the [Spear]! She stole her opponent's custom gesture and used it!

"This does not violate the rules."

Asakawa Riku shook his head: "Please continue the game."

"........."

Principal Xiao Gong fell silent. She deliberately dragged out the time, wanting to prolong her thinking, and hesitated to utter the last word, "cloth."

Now she's the only one shouting the game's slogan. If she doesn't shout "paper," she won't have to act so quickly, but the time she can buy is limited, otherwise it would be too awkward.

Since Shinonome Suetsuki's "first move" was already dancing on the edge of the rules, Asakawa Riku didn't say much about the principal's unnatural delaying behavior.

After a pause of two or three seconds, Principal Komiya finally uttered his last words:

"cloth!"

She flicked her hand, index finger pointing forward, thumb raised, resembling the shape of a gun.

It turned out that... two guns collided!

"Same gestures, tie."

Asakawa Riku made the ruling.

Principal Komiya narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, "That's really impressive... He deliberately showed me my self-made gesture first, and made sure I could see it. It's probably to make me react subconsciously. If I use [a certain gesture] to defeat [the gun], you'll immediately know where [the gun]'s weakness is. He's forcing me to expose myself..."

"The principal is amazing too, he was able to react in such a short time..."

Shinonome Suetsuki shook her hand, her smile vanished, and she became serious.

Principal Komiya reacted quickly, immediately striking to a draw, preventing Suetsuki from gathering any information. Although their first exchange was a test, it was dangerous enough.