Double Deception and Victory

As the music stopped, the room fell silent once more.

Star Color removed the blindfold and met Kiryuuin's confident smile.

Star Color merely tilted his head, unconcerned, then spoke.

"The first cup on the right. Open it."

Asahina Nazuna opened it, as if Star Color had a special pair of eyes that could see everything.

Even Asahina Nazuna had no idea what Star Color had done.

"I've figured out how you cheated, you sly junior."

"First, there was a discordant note in the music that played. The Bluetooth Speaker might not have been connected to Asahina Nazuna's phone at all, but to someone else's. You have another accomplice, don't you?"

"An accomplice even the judge, Asahina, doesn't know about."

Kiryuuin looked down at Star Color, sitting with her legs crossed. She was so confident, as if she had everything under control. Their auras overlapped, and Star Color couldn't help thinking of the 'long-dead Hanako' in his class.

(Sakayanagi Arisu: You jerk! I'm not dead!)

"No, not at all."

"That sounds just like some criminal's feeble excuse in an anime. There may be a Micro Camera in this room. The discordant notes in the music playing from the speaker are actually a code. If we follow that reasoning, you used a code made from musical notes to cheat—and even communicate."

A strained smile appeared on Star Color's face.

The murderous intent in Kiryuuin's gaze grew more obvious. She leaned closer, wearing a smile that promised death.

"No more speakers next round! If you can still guess correctly, this lady will do whatever you ask. But if you get it wrong, not even little Asahina will be able to save you."

Fuka Kiryuin clenched one hand into a fist and opened the other, pressing her knuckles until they cracked ominously.

"Senior... are you a violent person?"

Star Color swallowed. In his mind, he furiously cursed Miyabi Nagumo, warmly wishing health and happiness upon his parents—and even his future children.

Though the woman had a nasty personality, there were still ways to [tame] her. She more or less fit the bill, though she couldn't compare to those two from his days as a [Gambling Officer]...

If those two showed up, they'd probably turn these brats into a Two-Dimensional Foil and send them off to a beautiful Another Dimension.

"Do you think this lady is a violent person?"

Kiryuuin's deathly smile moved even closer.

Star Color immediately shut his catlike mouth, broke out in a cold sweat, and shook his head.

Then his vision plunged into darkness—

Kiryuuin was like the Grim Reaper with a hand around Star Color's throat. He trembled beneath her terrifying presence.

Star Color was like a helpless lamb backed into a corner, eyed hungrily by a leopard craving fresh meat.

No sound... He couldn't hear... His luck was terrible.

Kiryuuin sat back down.

"Click~ click~ click~."

Star Color's lips trembled... making clicking sounds.

"Are you scared? Or are you trying to send a signal? If anyone else dares to barge into this game, I'll break both your legs and theirs."

Kiryuuin toyed with the beads as she watched Star Color. She began shuffling the cups, changing their order and positions before lining them up diagonally. Then, confident of her victory, she said,

"Go ahead and guess, junior. This is your last chance."

Star Color's lips trembled. But when he heard Kiryuuin's words, a strange smile tugged at his lips.

From the very beginning, the one whose luck was [terrible] was you, Fuka Kiryuin.

"Senior Kiryuuin..."

"You never put a bead in any of the cups."

Star Color didn't remove his [Blindfold]. No one could see what emotions lay in his eyes.

Fuka Kiryuin even thought she was hallucinating. It was as if Star Color's body were covered in eyes—a nameless, eerie, incomprehensible Monster.

"How is that possible?!"

Even Asahina Nazuna covered her mouth, staring in shock at Star Color, who had just turned the game around.

How had he done it? What was Star Color's trick?

[Earlier—Piano Club]

"Star Color, why are you recording these piano pieces?"

Asahina Nazuna sat beside the piano, using her phone to record the pieces they needed.

Star Color's slender fingers rested on the keys.

"To win."

"All Senior Asahina has to do is play these pieces and then do nothing else. I don't need you to help me cheat. But please don't reveal that the music was recorded specifically for this. The more someone thinks, the more likely they are to fall for the trick I've set up."

Star Color turned to look at Asahina Nazuna.

His violet eyes were strange and alluring, a color that swallowed everything, impossible to look away from.

"Even if my opponent uses violence, Senior Asahina, all you need to do is watch."

Because Star Color would only step up to the [gambling table] once he had confirmed that the [conditions for victory] were met.

"Senior Asahina takes care of the melody. I'll take care of the miracle."

Though he had been nothing more than a frail lamb, now he seemed to have become a Monster. Unspoken fangs pressed against Fuka Kiryuin's throat.

It was a distortion that had crossed over to the [other shore] and lingered in the [living world]. Why had this [anomaly] appeared in a person so androgynous that it was impossible to imagine him as a man!?

Faced with that bottomless malice and wickedness, even Miyabi Nagumo could only be considered [gentle] by comparison. Star Color's build and appearance were both the sort Fuka Kiryuin found repulsive.

Yet something unfathomably [strange] dwelled within him—

"How... did you do it?"

"Gah! It's tied so tight! I can't undo it by myself!"

Star Color put both hands behind his back, frantically fumbling with the knot, but couldn't get it undone. The Monster's image came crashing down.

"Let me help."

Asahina Nazuna stood behind Star Color and gently untied the knot.

"I can finally see the light."

Star Color let out a long breath.

Fuka Kiryuin grabbed Star Color by the collar.

"How did you do it?!"

"If you join the board game club and become the [host] for our gambling games, I'll tell you."

Star Color's petite body was lifted into the air. His face flushed as his feet dangled—

Even in this situation, Star Color simply made his offer.

"You think school life is boring, don't you, senior?"

"You think everyone's an idiot, then live in your own little world, looking down on them—"

Star Color pulled a piece of soft candy from his pocket and tore the wrapper open with his teeth.

"What if I could give you a different kind of thrill?"

"The thrill of [gambling]."

"All you have to do is protect me, watch me, and let me keep winning."

Violet light reflected Fuka Kiryuin's dazed face—the face of a loser.

A chaotic lifeform lurked in Star Color's pupils, its reflected light devouring people's colors.

Hearing those words made Kiryuuin's mind explode. She hadn't expected such an incredible [turn of events].

It was a fact that she had lost to this androgynous-looking guy, and the terms he proposed were pretty [reasonable].

Fuka Kiryuin laughed heartily and set Star Color down.

"Hahahaha! You little brat, you really are interesting. First, tell me how you managed to cheat right under my nose."

"Echolocation."

Star Color sat back down on the sofa and chewed on the gummy candy.

"Echolocation?"

The two senior students looked puzzled. What the heck was [echolocation]?

"In 1959, a scientist named Theodor Heller conducted a series of tests and found that blind people could detect changes in the echoes of their footsteps when they were three or four meters from an obstacle, allowing them to determine its location. Even before then, some blind people had figured out on their own that they could locate obstacles by making sounds, such as tapping a cane or snapping their fingers, and analyzing the echoes."

"Researchers from Western Spain discovered a range of sound waves that humans could use, then developed a teaching method similar to bats' sonar. It could teach blind people to learn about their surroundings by making specific sounds and listening for the echoes."

"It was a groundbreaking experiment that helped blind people visualize their surroundings through sound waves."

"By tapping the roof of the mouth with the tongue and making clicks and pops that imitate bats, you can create a sonar image of the surroundings in your mind."

(Star Color's little science note: In fact, the human brain can do this too. People can use echolocation. Most people rely on their vision, while echolocation is mostly used by blind people. You can search online for Daniel Kish's [echolocation] tutorials. Dolphins and bats can both use similar sounds to echolocate—)

"With systematic training, you can accurately hear sound echoes even in noisy places. Trained blind people are extremely sensitive to echoes. It can even help them ride bicycles, walk through busy streets, play basketball, and even rock climb."

"There's really a method like that...?"

Fuka Kiryuin's eyes widened, her beautiful gaze filled with unparalleled shock. She suddenly remembered Star Color's trembling lips and the clicking sounds he made in the third round. He had been using echolocation!

"So the music in the original rules was just a distraction. You little brat used it as a trap to cover up the sounds you were making!"

What seemed like sound interference that disadvantaged the [defender] was actually Star Color's trick. It was meant to keep his opponent from noticing the [echolocation]—

The supposed musical code was a trick Star Color had used to lure Fuka Kiryuin into a thinking trap. After all, someone was bound to know this strange little skill. Star Color hadn't expected... that in the end, this would be a game of beating beginners.

"So from the start, I deliberately chose to be the [defender]. Compared to the [attacker], where victory depends on unstable factors like personal skill and luck, why not rely on my own abilities to win easily?"

For Star Color, the [defender] had the worst odds. But as long as he was the one at the gambling table, it gave him the best chance of winning.

Conversely, the [attacker], who had the better odds, might end up losing terribly in Star Color's hands.

A Cheat Gambler's job was to cheat, doing whatever it took—even risking their life.

After finishing, Star Color tore open another piece of soft candy.