The robot continued moving down the corridor. After advancing a bit further, it stopped in front of a door on the left wall. This time, the sign on the door read Study Room. When the robot stood before the door, it opened on its own just like before. We slowly entered. The interior resembled an ordinary study room. There were a few modern desks. Various books and papers lay on the desks. The room was empty. The surroundings seemed to be set up exactly as the label suggested, for studying. The robot said this was the study room. I learned from the robot that students could use this room to study by getting permission from the authorities. Since there was nothing else worth seeing in this room, the robot slowly turned around and flew out of the room. I followed the robot. We were back in the corridor. When we exited the room, the door closed quietly on its own.
When we stepped back into the corridor, the robot directed its small body toward the room at the very end of the corridor. This was the last room of this corridor. The corridor wasn't very long, there were only a few rooms. To enter the final room, the robot continued straight down the corridor. I followed it. After a short while, it stopped in front of another door. This time, the sign on the door read Simulation Room. The name had caught my attention. This door was of higher quality. The door opened on its own. The robot moved inside. I followed the robot and entered.
The room's interior was ordinary compared to its door. There was a single high-quality desk in the center. Across from it were two black chairs. The chairs faced each other. There were a set of cables next to the chairs. I noticed there were adhesive mechanisms at the ends of the cables. They looked as if they were meant to be attached to our bodies. On top of the desk, there were two magical circular spheres about the size of my head. When I looked from a distance, the outer shell didn't seem very hard. The spheres had piqued my interest. I kept looking at them.
Shortly after, the robot began to speak. It said this was the simulation room, used for duels or special exams. It said that such technology was developed to simulate games that were impossible to recreate otherwise. I could understand that it was an advanced virtual reality headset. The robot continued speaking. It stated that it was generally used for duels, and that permission from the authorities was required to use it. I learned that both players sat in the chairs, cables were attached to their body parts, and then when we put the sphere on our heads, we would find ourselves inside an arranged game area. The robot also mentioned that it reflected pain, smell, and similar sensations in the same way. It added that only when death occurred did you return to reality. I could understand that this was an important room. There were probably a few more of these, or even hundreds. This technology could be used to play special games. I was sure it wasn't exclusive to this room. I could understand that this specific one was only used for special one-on-one matches.
I had gathered enough information. There was nothing else in the room. This room had caught my attention. Since there was nothing left to explain, the robot left the room. I followed behind it. The door closed on its own. We headed toward the academy's main hall. This was where the corridors converged. We had passed through here when moving to the other corridor. There was a staircase in the center. The staircase was high quality. The hall was spacious. There was a small cafeteria in the corner. We had toured the first two corridors. There was one more area behind the staircase. The robot moved toward that direction. I continued following the robot. There was a set of double wooden doors. When the robot stood before the doors, they opened on their own once again. When the doors opened, I saw that this was a magnificent library. This place also caught my interest. The interior was well-lit. The area was circular in shape. It was a huge, two-story, high-quality library. There were some tables around. I could see some people. Some were reading books. Others seemed to be quietly studying something with their friends at a table. I hadn't seen many people around for a while. Seeing some people here made me feel good. The library really looked nice, so I found it normal that people gathered here. The robot turned its face to me and said that I could figure out what this place was. It said there was no need for it to show me any more places for now, that I could tour the rest on my own, that I needed to take responsibility, and it quickly left my side. I figured its task was probably over, so I didn't really care about its disappearance. I turned my face back to this beautiful library. The surroundings really pleased me. I hadn't seen such a nice, high-quality library in a long time.
I moved inside. I tried to take silent steps. When I reached the center of the library, a few people gave me a brief glance, but they continued with their work. After looking around for a while, I examined the books. There seemed to be nice books. This place was full of knowledge. There was a small cafeteria at the back of the library. It looked like you could get ready-made food and drinks from here. It was quite small. Even the library had its own cafeteria. It was clear that the academy was a quality place. I continued investigating the corner areas. It was quieter here. Almost everyone was at the front. As I kept moving toward the corners, I saw a girl with pink hair sitting in front of me. Because she had tied her hair up, the back part of her hair had taken the shape of two round buns. She had a strange hairstyle. She was wearing glasses. She was reading a thick book. When I looked at her, she sensed my presence and looked at me with sharp eyes. When she suddenly looked at me, I briefly broke eye contact to avoid being disrespectful. I raised my hand slightly and apologized for the disturbance. Right after apologizing, I turned my body to the left. I was going to keep moving. Just as I was about to continue walking, the girl called out to me in a quiet but sharp tone. When she called out, I turned my face back toward where I had just been looking. I began looking at her.
"Hey, you're one of the new students, aren't you?"
"I am."
"So, do you like the library? It's one of the best places in the academy."
"Yes, I like it. It's one of the best libraries I've ever seen."
"What's your name?"
"My name is Rei. What's your name?"
"My name is Madoka. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"You know... everything here is about games. You must have heard about the duel system too. Want to have a small duel? You'll gain some experience that way."
"A small duel? How do we do it?"
I kept looking at Madoka. She was wearing the black and white student uniform provided by the academy. Her body was curvaceous. I didn't have this uniform yet, so it was obvious that I was new. With this deduction, either she was someone who spoke without thinking, or she might have been planning something. My intuition began to kick in. As I kept looking at Madoka, she brought a small wooden table from the corner. She placed five ordinary cards on the table. I was looking at the cards. One of the cards had a bomb visual on it. The others consisted of ordinary numbers. Looking at it, I could guess what kind of game she was going to propose.
"The game is extremely simple. In fact, since you're new, I'll put you in an advantageous position. That way, it'll be fair. After all, you just got here. So I'll give you these five cards. You'll turn around and shuffle the cards. My eyes will be closed. You'll place the cards face down on the table. I'll have two chances to pick a card. If I can't find the bomb card in my two picks, I lose. If I find the card, you lose. Understand?"
When I listened to the game, it was clear that I had the advantage. This made me suspect something. The cards could be rigged. I had no information about what kind of magic could be used. My only knowledge about magic was its existence. Madoka had shown a sweet facial expression while speaking. It was as if she was trying to put me at ease. This also increased my suspicions. Another possibility crossed my mind. I thought for a minute. Madoka noticed I was thinking and, to keep me calm, didn't say anything about me taking time to decide. She waited for me to speak.
Shortly after, I suddenly brought all my terrible, disgusting memories to mind and tried to think despairing thoughts. But I wasn't reflecting these thoughts on my face. I was just thinking about such things. I was trying to feel the anger I kept hidden inside, to think about it. Meanwhile, I was carefully watching Madoka with one eye.
When I focused on my despairing thoughts, I noticed that Madoka's expression changed momentarily. Because there was a possibility that she could understand what I was thinking, I was trying to think about the thing I intended only for split seconds. The reason for her expression changing momentarily couldn't be due to my body language. I hadn't reflected my thoughts onto my body language in any way. And I had only thought about the thing I intended for split seconds. She couldn't be reading my mind. This kind of magic couldn't be an ordinary spell, so I wouldn't encounter it in daily wanderings. Therefore, I decided that the person in front of me couldn't read my thoughts. I turned my thoughts back to normal. I tried not to feel angry. I tried to suppress the emotions I had just felt deep inside. I returned to my normal mood. This time, there was no change in Madoka's body language. Her earlier expression had been a micro expression of surprise. It was nearly impossible for her to understand what I was thinking and bluff accordingly. So I decided by thinking about what this information was. In order not to reflect the things I was planning, I wasn't thinking much. I was only thinking for seconds at a time. And then I would shift to unrelated thoughts.
"Alright. I'll play, but I'm in a very advantageous position. That's a bit suspicious. Let me check the cards."
"You think I'm cheating? How rude, haha! Fine, you can check anything you want."
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"Thanks."
First, I checked the cards in detail. There seemed to be nothing wrong with the cards. Then I checked the wooden table. I even checked the library walls. I also wanted to check Madoka's person, but she probably wouldn't allow it. I observed her body from a distance. She didn't seem to be carrying anything. When I looked at her body, she seemed to adopt a slightly timid body language. Since she might get uncomfortable, I didn't look any further. I turned my eyes back to the cards. Everyone here was competing according to the system. Terms like giving an advantage for no reason or being fair because I was new were naturally suspicious. But she had to be aware of that too. This meant that even if I got suspicious, she was thinking of something I couldn't figure out, so my suspicion wouldn't be a problem for her. I calculated these deductions in a few seconds, directed toward my goal. There seemed to be no visible trick. This started to increase my other suspicion even more. If what I was thinking was correct, it wouldn't count as cheating. That's why she could do this. She could lure new students into her trap. I now had some information about Madoka. Therefore, I decided to play the game again.
"Alright. There doesn't seem to be any trick. We can play the game. But how do we duel?"
"Very simple. We'll use our phones. I'll send you a game invite. Since the system sees us, I don't need to explain the game to it. It will be able to understand what we're playing on its own. Since I'm sending the invite, I'll have the game management authority. Let's play for ten thousand game money. It's not much money, I think. What do you say?"
"Ten thousand game money? Alright. Let's play. This amount might be a bit much in the first sphere, but my situation is good. I can play."
"Alright then. First, I'm sending the duel invite. Accept it."
"Okay. I'll accept."
Madoka sent me a duel invite. A notification came to my phone. I took my phone out of my pocket and looked at the notification. The duel invitation was displayed. I clicked the green option and accepted the invite. I still didn't know all the rules about dueling.
"Now I'm setting the ten thousand game money. Do you accept?"
I thought for a short while.
"Yes. I accept."
After my words, Madoka performed a series of operations on her phone. Then, a small flying robot suddenly appeared beside us. The robot stated that it would be the referee of the game. The procedures for the duel were complete. The name of the game wasn't specified, or the rules weren't announced by the system. I thought the reason for this was that the game was too simple.
"Alright. I'm turning around. You have five minutes. After five minutes, the robot will alert me. I'll turn back around."
"Understood."
I was gradually beginning to understand Madoka's goal. I had gained more information. As a final possibility, I considered whether the system robot could watch, but that could directly be cheating. Plus, the system couldn't side with one player in line. Therefore, I eliminated this possibility.
When I suspected that I was being led to act toward her goal, I had already randomly decided which card to pick within a few split seconds. Now, I pretended to be thinking about deciding on the fake card I would choose. I faked thinking to myself, which card should I pick, and went on for a while. A few minutes later, I pretended to have decided. I focused on the thought that I would place the bomb card in the first position. I made my decision. Then I called out to Madoka and announced that I was ready. Five face-down cards lay on the table. After I called out, Madoka turned around and started looking at the cards. Her face had a satisfied expression.
Madoka's Thoughts
Just as I expected. He couldn't figure out what I was hiding. Though normally, it's impossible to guess something like this. Even if he did, a new student couldn't understand the details. I sensed through his energy, sniffing it out, that he chose the first card. He doesn't know the rules of the stupid system. He thinks we're playing for ten thousand points, but I set the game to one million game money. Now I'm going to devour all his money. Hahaha!
After pretending to think for a short while, Madoka first picked the third card. When she flipped the card, it was an ordinary card. She politely stated that she had chosen wrong. She was wearing her mask. I could understand that the reason she made a mistake first was to reduce suspicion even in this situation. Then a wide, sharp smile spread across her face. Her eyes lit up. She thought she was deceiving me. She quickly pulled the first card.
"Sorry, but this should be the bomb card, right?"
After speaking in a loud voice, Madoka gestured with her arm and thrust the card toward me firmly. She was showing me the card. I looked at the card. The devilish smile on Madoka's face was certain. She was sure her plan had worked. To prove that she had won, she flipped her own card and looked at her hand. When she looked at her hand, her face suddenly collapsed. In her hand was not the bomb card, but an ordinary card. Madoka dropped the card from her hand in shock. The card drifted down and landed on the table.
"What... What? What's going on? Why isn't the first card the bomb card?"
The robot spoke.
"Winner, Rei! One million game money has been won!"
"No way! Fuck, how did this happen? What's going on?"
Madoka frantically flipped all the cards. She saw that the fifth card was actually the bomb card. Her eyes widened. Even though she had used both of her chances, she hadn't been able to find the bomb card. Madoka had lost the game. With tense eyes, she stared at the bomb card for a while, then cast a desperate glance at me.
"How were you able to figure it out..."
"How could this happen?"
"Are you stupid? In a situation like this, who would think you'd play a fair game? Of course everyone will suspect something. But the real question is this. If you're not a monkey, you're aware that people would be suspicious of this situation. Yet despite being aware of it, you don't care. So why?"
"What?"
"The answer is this. You don't care because you think it's something new students could never figure out, even if they get suspicious. After all, new students are only aware that magic exists. They don't have any more information. Thinking about something you don't know isn't easy, right?"
"What's going on... what are you saying... I'm starting to tense up..."
My face took on an expressionless tone. She had tried to deceive me, to make me lose. In fact, she was one of the factors that could distance me from my friends. If I lost, my friends could die. Even if she did it knowingly or unknowingly, this person would have caused it. She had tried to take away the things I valued. As I began speaking, I took on an emotionless facial expression, just like before.
"Because the situation was suspicious, I started suspecting the game. One of the reasons was that the game could be rigged. But another possibility was that it could be magic. After all, we were in the second sphere. So first, I thought you might be able to read or sense my thoughts. Therefore, in order for you not to understand what I was calculating, I thought only for split seconds. Another possibility was that you could be a dragon. From a dragon I spoke to before, I had heard that they can sense energies. Perhaps they could sense thoughts. I considered these possibilities. Then I decided that you couldn't read my thoughts directly. That kind of magic would be too powerful. It probably couldn't be a spell I would encounter at the level of daily wanderings. Therefore, I eliminated this possibility."
"How..."
"To test the situation, I focused on my despairing thoughts, but I tried not to reflect this onto my body language. As I expected, since you couldn't read thoughts, you were able to sense them to a certain level. When my thoughts suddenly intensified, you probably sensed a negative change in my energy. Since you didn't expect this, you couldn't control your expression. Thanks to this, I started to gather information. You could sense the things I was thinking or energies. But this couldn't be continuous because it would be exhausting. Therefore, my energy must have been changing based on the things I focused on. After accepting the game, I became sure there wasn't any trick. I was even suspicious of your sweet demeanor. During the rules, you asked me, 'Do you accept?' This question was suspicious. Probably, if it came out of my mouth, the system would accept it. Since you were the administrator, you could arrange things. If you had made the transactions on your phone without telling me you were the administrator, I would have been even more suspicious. That's why you told me this information beforehand. You waited for me to say I accepted. As I expected, when I accepted, the system didn't object to you adjusting the amount. After all, I had said I accepted. Thanks to this, even though you said ten thousand, you were able to set the bet to one million game money. And due to your experience, you were aware that I didn't receive a notification. That way, you thought I wouldn't know. You continued making transactions on your phone."
"Stop... please..."
"When the game started, you were turning your back. This means you didn't need to see with your eyes. Maybe you could smell it, or sense it. Smelling would be a stranger ability. Sensing is a more compatible concept in magic, so I decided you could sense it. You could sense the thoughts I focused on. I wasn't sure what the limit was. Maybe it was only a few times. It couldn't be unlimited. I didn't care about these possibilities. I just understood that you could sense the thoughts I focused on. To take precaution, I had decided in split seconds beforehand which position to place the bomb card. Now, without bringing that thought to mind, I had to pretend to decide which card to pick and think accordingly. I faked making a decision and pretended to be thinking. Then I briefly focused on the thought that I would place the bomb card in the first position. With your back turned, you sensed the thoughts I focused on. Therefore, you sensed the thought that I would place the bomb card in the first position. Then I announced that I had made my decision and tried not to think about anything. You, so sure you were going to win, along with your arrogance, chose the wrong card and lost the game."
Madoka was frozen in shock. The bright look from before was no longer in her eyes.
"Let's see if you're a dragon or not, anyway. After all, your hair looks suspicious."
I pulled on the two round-shaped parts of hair at the back of her head. But I couldn't see the small ears I had seen on dragons. She wasn't a dragon. It was proven that she possessed a spell that allowed her to intuitively understand the thoughts being focused on. Madoka continued standing there, frozen. Then she suddenly dropped to the ground and hunched over. She was feeling the roots of despair. It was clear she was thinking about how someone who was only aware of the existence of magic could figure this out with such incomplete information. She was in deep shock. Finally, she spoke in a faint voice. Her voice was full of despair.
"Just leave. Please. I'm sorry..."
"You were probably aiming to hunt new students with your trap. And there must be a few more students doing this, just like you. Still, I'm warning you. If you try to do this to new students again, you'll find me standing before you once more. Stop doing this kind of thing."
"Leave..."
After hearing her desperate voice for the last time, I turned my back with an emotionless, indifferent expression. Due to the noise, everyone had gathered at the back corner of the library. Everyone was seeing Madoka hunched over on the floor in despair. I moved to exit the library. It was clear that a game had been played. They could understand that I was the one who had done this to her. As I walked, everyone was looking at me and studying me. I didn't care about their stares. I quickly exited the library with a determined facial expression. I had won one million game money in my first game. I wanted to go to my room and rest.