Not a detective

Page 151

Asakawa Riku reluctantly steered the conversation back on track. Since it wasn't a physical game, it couldn't be as simple as musical chairs; otherwise, he could guarantee a 100% win rate.

Furthermore, Kato Mio's image as a literary girl doesn't seem to suggest she's good at this kind of competitive game; it's probably some kind of intellectual game.

...Actually, he still cared a lot about what he just said, "The pass rate is 0%".

Is this game really that difficult?

Logically speaking, those who could pass Kasahara's "landmine-jumping stairs" game should be challengers with both wisdom and courage and super strong abilities. How come they all failed here?

Before anyone could even reach the third level, Kato had already defeated them all? It's hard to believe, and it makes one even more curious about what kind of game this is.

"Now, let me explain the rules."

Squad Leader Kato cleared his throat and suddenly pulled a small handkerchief from his pocket: "The name of this game is very simple, it's called 'Drop the Handkerchief'."

At the same time, Asakawa Riku and Shinonome Suetsuki both showed expressions of confusion and interest.

"Of course, there are limited numbers of people, so we can't have everyone form a circle. Therefore, there are only two participants in this game: one is the 'standing' person, and the other is the 'sitting' person. The sitting person needs to sit in this chair, and the standing person secretly drops a handkerchief. If the sitting person turns around to check and finds the handkerchief on the ground, then the sitting person wins."

Squad Leader Kato put the handkerchief on the ground, sat down in the chair, and then turned around.

This is the "inspection," and the discovery of the handkerchief on the ground signifies a victory for the person sitting down.

"However, if the person at the station hasn't dropped their handkerchief by the time they check the seat... Asakawa-san, please pick it up."

"Okay." Asakawa Riku picked up the handkerchief.

Squad Leader Kato turned around again:

"If, like this, the handkerchief on the ground is not found and is still being held in someone's hand, then it is considered a victory for the opposing side."

"Oh!"

Riku Asakawa understood. So, this game, like the previous one, was also a game similar to a psychological game.

The challenger, sitting in a chair with their back to the handkerchief, needs to guess when Class President Kato will drop the handkerchief. If they turn around too early and the handkerchief hasn't been dropped yet, they lose.

He still had a question: "What if you sit there and never turn around, and only check and confirm after a long time, or you never drop the handkerchief, wouldn't that create a stalemate?"

"Of course, to avoid this situation, we have time limits."

Squad Leader Kato pointed to the wall clock: "Each minute counts as one round. The standing team must drop their handkerchief within that minute, and the seated team must also turn around to check within that minute. If the standing team fails to drop their handkerchief within 60 seconds and is still holding it after the time limit, it's considered a win for the seated team, and their time score is accumulated. If the check is successful, their time score is accumulated, while the standing team's time score is calculated based on the time it took to drop the handkerchief. The final score difference between the two teams is the result of this round. However, I must state one thing: if the check fails when turning around, and the handkerchief is still in their hand—"

She smiled, a smile that sent chills down your spine and made you lower your voice:

"I'm sorry, you will be eliminated immediately."

Zashiki-warashi no Akatsuki: Chapter Fourteen: Every Second Counts

Successful checks accumulate points based on time, while failed checks result in immediate elimination...?

Therefore, this rule should discourage checking, because the risk of failure is simply too great.

Even if you need to turn back, you can only do so in the second half of the race, or even at the 59-second mark, to ensure safety.

"Is this psychological pressure?"

Asakawa Riku frowned. After playing the previous game, he had a general idea of ​​how to play this type of level.

From the very beginning of explaining the rules, the organizers will do everything they can to lay traps.

"Hmph." Class monitor Kato smiled without answering: "My game is very simple. These are the rules. If you have any questions, you can ask me before we start."

"I need to check the props."

Shinonome Suetsuki spoke quickly, extending her hand to Asakawa Riku, who then handed her the handkerchief.

In fact, Asakawa Riku couldn't find anything wrong with the handkerchief. It was made of pale yellow fabric, about ten square centimeters in size, and showed signs of fading from repeated washing.

It seems to be just an ordinary everyday brand, not expensive silk, and the feel is also quite ordinary. It shouldn't be a magic prop specially prepared for this game.

As expected, after examining the handkerchief, Suezuki didn't offer any comments. Instead, she began to look at the chair placed in the middle.

"Is it okay to change it?"

Then, they dragged it away and replaced it with a new chair from the corner.

"Of course, please feel free to do as you please. I wouldn't tamper with things in a place like this."

Squad Leader Kato politely stepped aside.

Mo Yue ignored her. After checking the chair, she started to stand on tiptoe to look at the wall clock and compare the length of "one minute" with her phone timer to see if it was accurate.

"1, 2, 3... 60."

With a click of the second hand, the timing was perfect.

Asakawa Riku was startled. Indeed, he had only thought that the handkerchief and chair might have been tampered with, but he hadn't considered that the clock might also be faulty.

If the length of one minute is wrong, it could be a fatal mistake in the course of the game.

It seems that calling the detective was indeed the right decision; her sharp mind and meticulous observation skills have shown her much more than he has.

While she continued inspecting the room's furnishings, Asakawa Riku didn't stop there and continued asking:

"So, we're the ones in charge of the 'sitting' side, the ones doing the inspections, while you, as the organizer, are the 'standing' side, the ones dropping the handkerchief behind the scenes?"

"No, this game is fair, so every round, the roles will be swapped."

Squad Leader Kato explained, "For example, the first time is the 'sitting' side, the second time is the 'standing' side, and the third time it returns to the 'sitting' side. This switching continues for six rounds, meaning that each side has to go through three standing and three sitting phases before it finally ends."

Asakawa Riku understood: "That's why we need to accumulate points... I get it."

I see. So, Kato will also participate in this game, personally taking on the adventure and playing the game, unlike in the first level where Kasahara was just an organizer and referee.

Sitting: Either persevere to the end and then turn back to ensure you are not eliminated, or take the risk of a quick check to try and earn points.

The platform's strategy is either to hold onto the handkerchief tightly to lure the opponent back and eliminate them, or to take the risk of quickly dropping it to gain points.

This is the psychological game in this level.

"It's checked."

Meanwhile, Motsuki also completed his work: "No problems were found."

“Okay.” Class monitor Kato nodded. “You’re representing us in the competition, right? Then for the first round, let’s decide by rock-paper-scissors who goes first [sitting] and who goes first [standing]?”

The two looked at each other and then shouted, "Rock, paper, scissors!"

The moon that rises in the eastern part of the sky is shaped like scissors.

Kato Mio, on the other hand, wrote "cloth".

Mo Yue said, "I choose the [sitting side]."

Then she simply sat down in that chair, with her back to us.

Squad Leader Kato was clearly not satisfied, and sighed, saying:

"Sigh, looks like I'm still not good at rock-paper-scissors... Oh well, shall we start like this?"

She took back her handkerchief and stood directly behind the chair.

Of course, she didn't forget Asakawa Riku, who was still standing to the side:

"Asakawa-kun, since you are also on the side of the [Challengers], I should ask you to leave the room for a while for this two-player game. If you want to stay in the room to watch, please do not give any signals or hints to Miss Dongfeng, such as whether the handkerchief has been put down or something... In short, do not make a sound."

Squad Leader Kato waved:

"And you also need to stand here, but not stay within her line of sight, otherwise she might be able to tell what's going on from her expression, right?"

Of course, to be fair, Asakawa Riku did as instructed; he and Class President Kato stood behind the chairs together, so that there was no way to prompt the [sitting direction].

"Don't worry, I will remain absolutely silent."

“That’s great, Miss Dongfeng. Please look at the second hand on the clock. We will begin the first round the instant the next minute begins.”

"Okay."

Shinonome Suetsuki's tone remained flat, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

...

【first round】

...

The moment the second hand passed the "12" mark, Asakawa Riku's heart seemed to skip a beat.

He saw that Squad Leader Kato had actually thrown the handkerchief down!

Without even a second's hesitation... he just threw it away!

Asakawa Riku almost shouted out loud, but Class President Kato quickly turned around and stared at him warily, as if hinting at something.

Yes, as I just emphasized, he, as an observer, cannot make a sound. If he does, the other side might consider it cheating and immediately disqualify him.

...It was truly agonizing. Perhaps Squad Leader Kato had a ulterior motive in deliberately keeping him here. It would be hard for an ordinary person not to be surprised.

Asakawa Riku had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. Fortunately, he was skilled enough to completely control his body and throat, so eliminating sound and breath was not difficult for him.

But every minute and every second now is torture.

"..."

He remained silent, feeling sweat trickling down his forehead, watching the back of Dongyun Sueyue sitting in front of him. At this moment, he could only pray that she would turn around soon.

Now, if you can turn around, it's a safe "check," and not only that, you can also accumulate a lot of time points.

Conversely, if you just sit there and don't move, you're just wasting your time!

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Time passed slowly, and Asakawa Riku could only shout in his heart, "Turn back quickly!" However, the two of them didn't seem to have reached the point of perfect understanding.

Dongyun Sueyue remained seated in the chair, motionless. Normally she would lie down lazily, but she actually had such a standard sitting posture, looking like an elegant young lady.

...Could he be asleep?

Asakawa Riku couldn't even confirm whether the guy's eyes were still open, and he was feeling anxious and uneasy.

Shinonome Suetsuki finally turned around.

"Congratulations, the test was successful."

Kato Mio laughed and showed the handkerchief on the ground: "30 seconds used, 30 seconds remaining, challenger gets 30 points."

Zashiki-warashi no Aki: Chapter Fifteen - Even Earlier

"I see. You threw it down immediately, didn't you?"

Before Asakawa Riku could speak, Higashion Suetsuki blinked her beautiful eyes and immediately said.

Words that seem to perceive the past and foresee the future.

"Miss Dongfeng, which school do you attend? You're really smart."

Squad Leader Kato was also slightly surprised, picking up the handkerchief from the ground: "You saw through this tactic."

“It’s [psychological pressure], isn’t it?” Mo Yue stood up, stretched, and yawned. “This rule was wrong from the start. Why does a successful check only record points, while a failed check results in immediate elimination? Such a severe punishment would already discourage those who are already seated, let alone challengers who have finally made it this far…”

It turned out to be the case.

Asakawa Riku, who was watching from the side, now understood the purpose of this rule.

As mentioned earlier, about one-tenth of the challengers who have passed Kasahara's first trial have made it here.

They are all aware of the hardships they have endured to get to this point, and coupled with the hopes they bear for their class, this heavy expectation will turn into a despairing "sunk cost."

"If I get eliminated here, all my previous efforts will have been in vain!" Just thinking about this sentence would keep me firmly locked in that chair, afraid to turn my neck.

At this point, even if Kato Mio drops the handkerchief immediately, she can accumulate points to the maximum extent.

"Asakawa happened to be here watching, and he can testify that I dropped the handkerchief in the first second, so the organizers give me 60 points."

"Since the inspection was successful, the score difference between the two is 60-30=30 points. In the first round, I won by 30 points."

Squad Leader Kato smiled and said, "By the way, if I get the [Standing Side] in the first round, I always drop the handkerchief like this. Usually, everyone takes more than fifty seconds to turn around. I usually win by more than 50 points. To be only 30 points behind in the first round, Miss Dongfeng, you are already very good. This is not sarcasm, I mean it."

If the check fails, you will face failure!