Not a detective

Page 149

Although I couldn't see his face, I had a feeling that Kasahara must have been dumbfounded and it took him a long time to recover.

Kasahara, as the first challenge in the "Marineford War," was greeted by countless representatives from various classes. It was probably the first time I had ever seen someone jump down so decisively.

Moreover, without the slightest mistake or pause, he reached his position before he even had a chance to call a stop.

"...Asakawa-kun, you really are no ordinary person."

"Didn't I see through it?"

"This is the result of teamwork."

Downstairs, Shinonome Suetsuki was chattering away, while Asakawa Riku maintained his smile.

In fact, the biggest contributor was Shinonome Suetsuki, who actually foresaw this crisis in advance and requested a change of personnel, with Asakawa Riku taking charge of the jump.

However, Riku Asakawa's execution was also indispensable. If it were someone else, they would never have been able to do something so extraordinary. Their collaboration was effective.

He asked, "But... I also want to know, what if someone else is really stubborn and wants to jump?"

Asakawa Riku wasn't sure if some hot-blooded guys were really capable of going all out for the honor of their class.

Kasahara smiled wryly, "If that's the case, there's nothing I can do. I'll remind him that he can hold onto the handrail next to him and jump down; it would be much safer. After all, this isn't some kind of murder game..."

"I see."

Asakawa Riku glanced at the handrail beside him; not far away, this was also a path to pass through the gate.

Perhaps it was because I thought the challenge would involve standing right in the middle of the stairs that I subconsciously ignored it.

"No wonder this game isn't 100% elimination; there's still a 10% success rate."

It seems that Kasahara, despite having a lot of ulterior motives, is still quite gentle when it comes to important things.

He laughed and said, "Now your biggest trap has been broken. There shouldn't be any more traps, right?"

Kasahara nodded: "You could say that, as long as you don't step on a landmine next time, it's still my victory. Now, Asakawa, please put your leg down, you've been hit by a landmine and need to switch forms. And then, Touka, in the second round, you can say which floor you're going to this time. It must be between the 7th and 12th floors, and you can't stop."

...

【second round】

...

Kasahara is right; now is not the time to let our guard down.

It could even be said that this round was the key to determining the outcome.

The third round is actually irrelevant; they've already used their only chance to recover from a mistake. Therefore, there are only two possibilities for the second round.

First, if you don't step on any landmines and successfully switch feet, you can reach the finish line in the third round.

Second, stepping on a landmine wastes a turn. If the challenger runs out of turns, they fail.

So, it's either win or lose, and that's decided in this round.

Asakawa Riku suddenly felt an invisible pressure, as if he could hear the sound effect "ZawaZawaZawa" in his ears.

Which floor should I choose?

There are 6 floors to choose from, from floors 7 to 12. He is currently on the 6th floor, which is in the middle of the staircase. Landmines could be buried both above and below.

It's possible that the remaining mines are right in front of us, since Kasahara just said to aim at the rear half of the area; or it's possible that there aren't any mines in front of us at all. There are too many possibilities.

You can't choose a multiple of 3, but floor 9 has already been ruled out. He's currently on floor 6, so floor 12 is the final destination.

Anything is possible... Once you start thinking like that, it feels like the ground is full of dangerous thorns, and there's nowhere to put your foot down.

It's terrifying how this psychological game works. Asakawa Riku definitely prefers straightforward fighting; it makes predicting others' moves much easier.

In this situation, most people would inevitably waver and put their feet down, but Asakawa Riku was able to remain stable. His body was under his own independent control and was unaffected.

Besides, he could completely entrust his trust to Higashion Suetsuki behind him, letting her make the final decision.

The essence of psychological games is an endless nesting of guesses. No one knows which layer the other will think of. So, it's better to trust her amazing intuition and luck!

Asakawa Riku, with his back to the unknown world, said:

"I'm ready, come on."

Come on, Miss Detective, you can't possibly step on two landmines in a row... That's an incredibly low probability of 4.5%! You can't be that unlucky!

"...12th floor."

　After a few seconds of silence, Shinonome Suetsuki spoke.

"Huh?" Asakawa Riku was all ready to go up, but then paused for a moment: "Isn't the 12th floor the final destination? Is the final destination also within our consideration?"

“Lu, listen carefully. The rules have been explained several times that you can choose from floors 1 to 12, so floor 12 is definitely within the range.”

This time, it was Moyue who started complaining, and she didn't hold back at all.

We're clearly comrades on the same side, doesn't this guy have any sense of camaraderie?

"Yes."

Kasahara agreed, saying, "The 12th floor is indeed a selectable foothold. The destination should be the [corner platform]. So, please go up there, Asakawa-kun."

Now that he had set his goal, Asakawa Riku didn't linger any longer and started walking upstairs. Since he was now on two legs, climbing the stairs was much easier.

As he walked, Kasahara said:

"【Floor 12】is indeed a very clever choice. Most people have this blind spot, thinking that the end point cannot be used as a change point. It's already quite smart to think of this floor. Even if they could think of it, they would be hesitant to choose it because of the constraint of 【multiples of 3】. But to firmly choose it in order not to eliminate me from the options also requires extraordinary courage..."

His words, as Asakawa Riku's voice rose, gradually revealed a hint of a smile—

"I kept emphasizing that floors 1-12 could be chosen, which was of course part of psychological suggestion, thinking that by exploiting the loopholes in the organizer's language, I could feel smug. Yes, this game is neither a physical game nor an intellectual game, because this game is aimed at smart people. I can't help those who are just relying on luck, but all the challengers chosen to be class representatives are actually smart people, including the outside help that Asakawa invited. They must be very good. I just realized that."

"Intelligent people all have common characteristics, such as not having a very good sense of balance... and also being prone to overthinking."

As Asakawa Riku stepped onto the last floor, he had just finished saying his last few words.

Then, Kasahara smiled and clapped his hands:

"Landmine exploded, 12th floor. Sorry, I won, you two."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Eleven - One Step Higher

"I lost."

Asakawa Riku smiled wryly. The other party's words were so reasonable and well-founded, which showed that Kasahara's strategy and calculations had indeed won by one-tenth. It was truly a brilliant plan.

Since that's the case, he stopped complaining and just gave a bitter smile.

"Serves you right for getting so many lucky hands! You managed to step on a landmine with such low odds, I'm speechless..."

But just as he turned back halfway and was about to go downstairs...

The calm voice of Shinonome Suetsuki came again:

"Wait. Don't put your legs down, just like this—hop down on one foot."

"Ok?"

Asakawa Riku was stunned; he didn't know why he had to continue the game.

Kasahara seemed a little confused as well, and hesitated for a moment: "You don't want to admit defeat? That's fine, but I have to say beforehand, otherwise it's pointless, okay?"

He's right. We've already analyzed it before. If a challenger steps on two landmines in a row, they've essentially lost.

Even if you enter the third round, you can't go to the finish line because you still need at least one more "foot-switching round". You don't have enough rounds left, so it's a dead end.

"Since you said it's possible."

But for some reason, Asakawa Riku suddenly had a premonition: "Then I'll continue."

This feeling... is very familiar.

Although he didn't understand the principle, he felt like he had seen it somewhere before... right, on the mahjong table!

Whenever Shinonome Suetsuki plays a card he can't understand, and there's that incredible luck with the cards, he feels the impact very clearly.

Asakawa Riku had experienced it firsthand, so he decided to believe it this once.

As always, it was stable, jumping three floors in a row, from the 12th floor to the 9th floor, and then stopped.

"...Alright, now that the landmine has exploded, please revert to your [two-legged state], and we'll move on to round three."

Kasahara seemed to be still hesitating, but since the game continued, he could only continue to do his job as the host and speak in an orderly manner.

Just then, Shinonome Suetsuki interrupted him:

"Wait, isn't the second round over yet?"

"...What? The landmine has already exploded and the descent penalty has been completed. What's the next step?"

Kasahara's words suddenly turned into a panicked outburst at the end: "No, no... what you're aiming at is..."

"Yes, Lu."

She stared blankly at the top: "What bad luck, another landmine exploded. 9th floor, bang."

At that moment, Asakawa Riku and Kasahara simultaneously widened their eyes and exclaimed in disbelief!

Yes... there are landmines on the 12th floor, that's true, but I just confirmed there are also on the 9th floor!

Naturally, descending from the 12th floor will result in being blown up twice in one round!

And this chain of explosions will become the challenger's weapon—

Kasahara argued first:

"No...no way! There's never been a rule that landmines can explode in a chain reaction! There's no such rule!"

"If the rules don't explicitly prohibit it, shouldn't it be considered permissible?" Dongyun Sueyue retorted calmly, without the slightest fluctuation in her voice. "You personally explained the rules: 'If the challenger happens to be on the [minefield step], they will be forced to descend three steps and must switch forms.' Lu, now switch forms to show him..."

"One leg".

As she spoke, Asakawa Riku had already returned to the 6th floor and lifted his left foot back up.

In that instant, he understood what Shinonome Suetsuki meant.

"I……"

Kasahara was dumbfounded. He wanted to say something, but he stammered for a moment.

He himself was setting a trap by exploiting the rules. What could the other party do if they found a loophole in the rules?

This solution is ingenious... It's unbelievable that it can be done like this: descending from the 12th floor to the 9th floor, the explosion will turn it into two legs, then descending from the 9th floor to the 6th floor, the explosion will turn it into one leg...

This is not okay!

This is not okay!

"When a landmine explodes, you should put your feet back down, even if you're hit by multiple explosions... No one can stand on one leg after being hit by a landmine!"

Kasahara's final struggle seemed so pale and powerless.

"You said 'switch form,' not 'revert to legs.' My memory is absolutely accurate; don't try to fool me."

Shinonome Suetsuki pointed at Asakawa Riku above: "And... he can do it too. He's a physical monster, he won't die even if he gets blown up, he's really abnormal."

Asakawa Riku said helplessly:

“You did a really good job, but don’t think that gives you the opportunity to say bad things about me.”

Then he leaned back slightly on the stairs, performing an extremely dangerous balancing act, and looked at Kasahara with a smile: "So... please announce the start of [Round Three]?"

...

[Round 3]

...

"Lu, let's head straight to the finish line."

"You win."

The moment the command was given, Kasahara sighed and lowered his head bitterly: "It's my complete defeat."

Yes, actually, the outcome was already decided at the end of the second round.

Shinonome Suetsuki used a [Chain Explosion] mine to make Asakawa Riku descend six floors in succession, and complete two form changes, from one leg to two legs, and then from two legs back to one leg...

And being on one leg is actually equivalent to a "condition for passing the level"!

Asakawa Riku walked up to the 12th floor and saw the smug Shinonome Suetsuki, and Kasahara sighing and rubbing his forehead: