Chapter 41 - Horikita 2 - Omnincience?

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"I had no intention of deceiving anyone. It's just that none of you could understand… My true self." ~Tite Kubo (Sosuke Aizen from Bleach)

"Well then, now that you are both seated, let's proceed with the exam. Yagami may make his first move," the administrator said loudly.

But Yagami didn't move a finger. He simply stared at the digital game board.

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[x], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

Horikita was similarly just staring, but at no particular object or person. She seemed dazed. Five minutes went by in complete silence, not just between Horikita and Yagami but in the student lounge, where students were now afraid to miss a crucial moment of the game.

Finally, at the five-minute mark, Yagami made a move.

"Yagami has eaten the square on row 2, column 4," the administrator continued, and the change in the game board was quickly presented.

[o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[x], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

Seeing this, Horikita's eyes quickly flicked to the monitor in front of her, and they quickly livened up with what one could only describe as determination.

But before she could completely analyze the game board, Yagami stood up from his seat, attracting the attention of both Horikita and the administrator. Previously, the administrator had told Horikita to sit down due to her behavior and the fact she was trying to get the game started. So right now, stopping Yagami from standing was unnecessary, so she remained quiet.

"This… is boring," Yagami muttered loud enough for the cameras as well as Horikita to hear.

"You haven't won yet. You speak with this overbearing confidence as if your victory is assured, but you can't know that. This scenario has been randomly prepared by the school. It is impossible to predict or assure victory. Don't come here portraying yourself as all-knowing," Horikita said coldly, gaining confidence and preparing to make a move on the game board.

"Is that so? I think you're confused about something, Horikita… Well, whatever. From my perspective, everything I've done has fallen perfectly into place, and now I'm stuck here just watching everything come to its completion," Yagami said as he began to look out towards the ocean through one of the windows in the room.

His words caused Horikita to waver slightly as she pulled her hand away to think longer about her move before speaking. "You did this, didn't you? I should've had the first move in this game, but you did something to prevent that, right?"

"Perceptive. Yes, you're right, Horikita, but I'm curious. Do you even understand the 'true importance' of the first move in this exam?" Yagami asked, still turned away from the game.

Horikita stayed silent, not responding to Yagami's words.

"You probably have a basic understanding. I expected that much, but you don't fully get it. After all this time, you still haven't figured it out. It's quite disappointing," Yagami added.

Horikita responded, "As long as it's a fair game, a gamble, I can definitely beat you. I know that—"

"But that's the thing, Horikita. To begin with, this exam was never fair. You simply assumed it was. When has this school let luck be a key deciding factor from what you've witnessed so far?" Yagami replied, receiving silence once more.

"The theme of this exam was 'intellect.' That's one factor you ignored or deemed irrelevant when you challenged me. You were never challenging me to an equal game of chance or a gamble. You were challenging me to a game of intellect. Many games of intellect are solvable to an extent. Think chess. It will be possible someday to create a chess robot that never loses because it's a game that can be solved. You have pieced this much together or at least are starting to, but this is part of the reason behind the importance of obtaining the first move in this exam."

***flashback***

Sakagami, his voice filled with curiosity, spoke to me, "Yagami, it's rare for you to call me, especially this late and in secret like this. Shouldn't you be resting? It's only been a couple of hours since your game with Katsuragi, and now you have an upcoming game with Horikita."

I chuckled softly, "Hahaha, I apologize for the inconvenience, Sakagami-sensei. I understand you were probably just trying to get some sleep, but this meeting was necessary. There are a few things I need to clarify before tomorrow's game."

I could sense Sakagami leaning back, intrigued by the direction of this conversation. "I see. So, what can I help you with?"

I paused, letting a small smile play on my lips. "I have a couple of questions regarding the upcoming game against Horikita," I said.

"Ask away," Sakagami responded, obviously curious, "I will answer to the best of my abilities."

"Thank you." I nodded, "My first question is, is there any method to learn the game to be played in advance?"

Sakagami paused, considering the weight of the question. "Hmm, that's a good question. It's difficult to answer, but to put it simply, there are no legitimate ways to learn the game you will be playing. The school takes great care to keep that secret until the time of the competition. Of course, nothing is impossible, but I think you understand the point."

Perfect. This confirmed that the school was maintaining complete control over the game's terms—exactly what I needed to confirm. "Of course," I replied, "Then my next question is: Can I manipulate the game chosen using points?"

I watched closely as Sakagami's expression shifted, "No, such an action would invalidate the point and integrity of this exam. As explained in the broadcast, if students can't agree on game terms, the terms will be decided for you. It's as simple as that."

Just as I suspected, the school has meticulously crafted this exam to ensure that the theme of intellect remains relevant. But I wasn't looking to break the rules, "Just as I guessed. The school has carefully structured this exam to ensure that the challenge remains pure. But let me confirm one more thing: These 'game terms' are decided by the school; there must be some criteria for deciding them, correct?"

I saw the recognition flash in Sakagami's eyes. He was beginning to grasp the depth of my inquiry. "What makes you say that?" he asked, now genuinely interested.

I leaned forward, my voice steady and confident, "The theme of this test is 'intellect.' If a valid gamble, according to the school, could be something as simple as a coin flip—a true 50/50 chance—then there would be no intellect involved in this exam. That makes me believe the school has a certain set of criteria when they are the ones selecting the game terms."

Sakagami took his time to process my words. His response was slow, deliberate. "Well, I can't say much, but I'd say your reasoning does sound valid to me personally."

A deeper smile crept onto my face. "I see. So, even if we assume I am correct, I cannot interfere with the game selected by the school?"

"Yes, that's a generally accurate statement," Sakagami replied, his gaze fixed on me, now fully aware that I was on the verge of something significant.

"Interesting. Now, I'm curious—how is something like who goes first decided? Usually, such a thing is decided by the students themselves. But since the school is deciding terms in this case, I wonder how such a thing would be decided."

Sakagami pondered the question before answering, and I could see the gears turning in his mind. "Well, normally, playing order would be decided at the time of the game. The school's job is just to define game terms, as I mentioned earlier and as it was explained days ago."

And there it was—the subtle yet crucial distinction I had been searching for. My expression shifted slightly, "I see. So, the playing order isn't part of the game terms?"

Sakagami shook his head. "No, game terms are exactly what they sound like. A game like chess, for example, doesn't have rules for something like who will go first. Things like playing order are decided at the actual time of the game, usually given randomly or decided by students if they can come to an agreement in a timely manner during the commencement of the game."

"I see. In that case, can I purchase the right to the first move in a game whose terms are being decided by the school? Given everything you've just explained to me, such a thing should be possible."

Sakagami's smile widened as well, now fully aware of the genius in my deduction. "Yes, while costly, it is definitely possible."

"How much?" I asked.

"500,000 private points," Sakagami responded almost instantly.

Without hesitation, I took out my phone, and Sakagami did the same, placing his device in front of me. I transferred the private points, knowing full well what this seemingly arbitrary number would do.

Sakagami's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the extra points. "What a strange number. What's the meaning of this?"

I met his gaze with a knowing smile, already imagining Horikita's reaction. "Isn't it obvious? Horikita may and probably will come to learn about this—if not through her own deductions, then through someone else. She'll learn that 500,000 private points is the price for securing the first move. But she won't stop there. She'll assume, rightly, that I've learned of this same fact. To outmaneuver me, she will question her teacher to see if there is a way to outsmart me, and thereafter, she will learn that she can simply offer more points than me without me ever learning of it and offer over the 500,000 point cost. What she won't realize is that I've already accounted for this and paid even more points than her."

I paused, letting the weight of my words sink in before continuing. "By the time Horikita realizes what's happened, she'll already be playing the game by my rules."

Sakagami nodded slowly, clearly impressed. "Thank you for this, Sakagami-sensei," I said, turning to make my exit.

Before I left, Sakagami called out to me once more, "Wait, Yagami."

***

"I'm not an idiot. I know, I understand the slight advantage the first move allows, but… how did you know Class D would be able to purchase it? It costs 500,000 private points, after all. You should know Class D's financials are horrible, especially after the points used to save Sudo in the deliberation with the student council and Sato during the midterms. There are also the repercussions we faced from the numerous expulsions in our class. So how did the thought that I and Class D would try to purchase the right to play first in our game even cross your mind?" Horikita asked.

"You're so naive. Do you really think that's the big takeaway from this, Horikita? No, you don't know, Horikita, you're absolutely oblivious. You truly believe I've gained an advantage over you only because of some luck? The first move of this exam, its 'true importance,' doesn't lie in the slight advantage it gives; it lies in an entirely different reason. I'll explain to you soon and answer your other questions soon, but let me ask you first: did you truly think you could beat me in this game of ours?"

Horikita took a moment to think. "I stand by what I said. A game like this is your weakness, one where there is little time and ability to prepare. And yes, I believe the slight advantage you've gained here can be partially attributed to your own luck, although I'll admit I'm partially at fault for not seeing through you."

"Is that really what you believe then? Well, let me ask you, Horikita, why exactly do you think you can beat me in this perfect, essentially double-blinded scenario where neither of us has time or ability to think or prepare?"

"Huh? Isn't it obvious? No one is unbeatable. Once you take away all factors that can give you an advantage, the game you play will turn into a true and fair one-on-one," Horikita explained.

"How mean of you. To me, it just sounds like you want to see me lose. You don't care if your own victory is by chance," Yagami said, chuckling.

"If you get yourself cornered into a situation like that where there is no crawling out, it is due to strategizing and your own incapabilities, not just luck or chance," Horikita snapped back. "I noticed yesterday that this was the proper way to go about things, to go about defeating you. It can be traced back all the way to our midterms, your first and currently only defeat," Horikita continued.

"My first defeat, huh."

Horikita nodded. "It wasn't against any opposing class but against your own classmate, Kakeru Ryuen. He outsmarted you, went behind your back, and caused the expulsion of five members of Class D. The reason you 'lost' to Ryuen that day was because he didn't allow you the time or ability to prepare or act against him. Once his actions were taken, it was already too late."

Horikita continued, "In all other instances where you achieved a victory, for example, your game with Katsuragi or the island exam, even if I still don't fully understand how you achieved your victory, your plans have always been part of a big convoluted plot. You always adapted to whatever changes took place. Not only that, you admitted in your own game against Katsuragi that if Katsuragi hadn't let you take control of the game, chances are you would have lost. Although you knew he wouldn't do this given his defensive nature, it's undeniable you understand your own weakness. You need a large amount of control as you had in the island exam, where you essentially represented an entire class, or in the later half of your game against Katsuragi, where you had control of all possible outcomes of the game no matter what decision Katsuragi would make. Your actions show your weakness and your very words do as well."

Horikita continued speaking, gaining confidence. "I didn't make the same mistake as Katsuragi. You told him that he neither knew his own limits nor did he question yours, so I made sure to do those two things. I may not have been able to successfully buy the right to the first move of our game, but I am sure I've definitely played you properly. I just didn't account more for how you could control things outside our game, but I undoubtedly limited the extent of your control. While you do have a slight advantage in this game, that's all it is—a slight advantage. But the cost of that advantage is you being in the position you are now. A position where you've been defeated before; you are uncomfortable with this, aren't you? Operating without control."

"Horikita has eaten the square on row 1, column 3," the administrator stated.

[o], [o]

[o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[x], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

Walking over to the board, Yagami quickly scanned his table before tapping on a square.

"Yagami has eaten the square on row 3, column 6," the administrator once again said loudly for everyone watching to hear.

[o], [o]

[o], [o], [o]

[o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

[x], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o], [o]

"Clap, Clap, Clap"

The sound of Yagami's hands clapping quickly filled the game room, easily attracting Horikita's eyes.

"You've almost pieced it all together, Horikita. It's funny how confident you are. Maybe you really think your intellect is on par with mine and you have a chance in this game, but you've made two grave errors in your analysis of me and in preparing for this game in general," Yagami said, pausing to let Horikita's eyes focus on him.

"First, if you truly believe you can beat me in this game of ours, especially without the first-move advantage, you've made the same mistake as Katsuragi. You haven't understood your limits. Although one could let this slide, after all, you at least attempted to gain the advantage over me even if you say you don't believe it is necessary," he said, pausing once more.

"Your greater mistake is that you trusted me. You've followed the tracks I've laid out for you like the good little dog you are, never questioning that every move you made was exactly what I wanted. Don't you understand, Horikita? We are in this room right now not because you are some kind of genius that figured me out, but because that's how I wanted it to be. Earlier, you said I'm not all-knowing. Let me tell you something—you would have been better off assuming I was."

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I'd love to hear whatever you guys have to say regarding the plot and how things are going, I hope you all enjoyed.

Also, about chess, I still am not 100% sure if I'll do a match in the future. I feel like I'd be able to explain things well without it getting boring or complicated, just highlighting key points, and I realized Im an idiot and don't have to get a working board on webnovel I can just use images, (although I prefer the board if I can get it to work) I'll give an example below and even a gif.

(Example) Let me know if you guys are would still be interested in the future.