Aside

Hello everyone! Now that we've reached the end of the first "mini-arc" of the story, I'm going to take a short break from updating with new episodes to work out a few things about the next few chunks of plot. I may break up the wait with a side-story, or maybe bad drawings of the cast so far.

In the meantime - after these first seven episodes, what do you think? Do you like what you're reading? Do you have questions that need answers (or vague evasions)? Is there anything in particular you want to see? Anything you're looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!

And if you are enjoying Jankenjutsu, spread the word! Pass a link along to your pals, chums, acquaintances, buddies, comrades, spouses, or nemeses.

Episode 7 - Lord of Emptiness

Empty.

Jihara Akatsuki stood calmly before Jin, but everything about him bespoke emptiness. There was no aggression in his stance, no strategy visible to Jin's Thousand-Devil Eye. There was no fire in his eyes, serenely half-closed. Even his skin was pale, his hair white as paper.

To Jin's sight, he was a walking void.

Jihara inclined his head a single degree. "Kotei-dono?" His voice was soft.

Jin shook himself out of his trance. "I'm ready, Jihara-san." That his supreme technique could be so thoroughly sealed - it was unthinkable! But he still had to find a way to win. He's been watching me all this time, planning his strategy. Jin raised his fist. But even though I can't see it, I should still be able to win this.

"Rock!"

After all, I've been preparing a "surprise" for just this sort of opponent!

"Paper!"

Jin smiled to himself. He couldn't have used this in the earlier matches, but it would be perfect against a duelist who had been observing him for this long.

"Scissors!"

As he prepared to throw, he shifted his back foot slightly - almost unnoticeably! - but he had taken care to make a similar adjustment in every match that day, just before throwing Paper. Not every time, but often enough - and only before Paper. If Jihara had been watching carefully, analyzing Jin's movements in preparation for this duel, he might have seen it - if he was as formidable as he seemed, able to negate the Thousand-Devil Eye so effortlessly, he must have seen it! So Jihara would throw Scissors, if he saw the tell Jin had been constructing over the past three matches - which meant Jin needed to throw-

"SHOOT!"

"I... impossible!" Jin's hand trembled, still showing Rock. Jihara's Paper, meanwhile, was as steady as stone. His throw had been swift and powerful, utterly confident.

Mizumigawa muttered to the others. "The tell was a fake... this Kotei Jin was planning that throw this whole time! And it would have worked, but..."

"But that sort of thing could never work on Jihara-san," finished Ryoichi. "He's a fascinating duelist. It's almost as though he can read his opponents' minds."

"It must be tormenting Kotei-san," mused Yukimura.

Jin felt panic rising inside him. Jihara had defeated his Thousand-Devil Eye! Seen right through his trap! There has to be something...

Then, a desperate plan occurred to him. It wasn't much, but it was something to grasp at, something that could maybe pull him out of this mire! I'll play a random throw. Everyone knows that humans can't produce true randomness, and trying to sustain a random sequence is tactical suicide. But if I find some way to generate a random throw right now, there's no way he could predict it - or force my choice! If I can pull it off, I'll have a two-thirds chance of getting at least some extra time to try to fight back. He cast about for something he could use. The only things in the room were... Yes! I'll use those!

The two keys to his salvation were right there in the room - the clock on the scoreboard, and the other duelists watching him. First, I'll pick an ordering of the throws. Scissors, Rock, Paper, that should do. Next, I'll wait until Ryoichi-san blinks. For a tense few seconds, Jin waited. It seemed endless! Jihara was still, watching Jin with calm interest. Then... it happened! He blinked! Yes! Now I'll note the number of seconds past the full minute displayed on the clock - thirty-five seconds. Now, if zero seconds means Scissors, one means Rock, and two means Paper, as I decided before, then I just have to determine the value of thirty-five modulo three, that is, the remainder of thirty-five divided by three. That's simple, it's two - meaning I'll throw Paper! There's no way he could predict that whole sequence - I have a chance!

Jin raised his fist grimly.

"Rock!"

All I can do now...

"Paper!"

is put my whole heart...

"Scissors!"

behind this throw!

"SHOOT!"

Jihara's hand flicked out at the very last instant.

Scissors.

Jin stumbled backwards as though he'd been struck, almost tripped at the edge of his platform, staggered, but managed to keep his balance. He couldn't believe it - he'd been beaten so thoroughly! Every technique demolished! Every throw predicted! He stared blankly ahead, trying to figure out how it had happened.

Jihara lowered his hand, turned halfway towards the bench, then stopped.

"Kotei-dono." Jin's eyes jerked toward him. "Right now you're thinking - 'How did he outwit me?' - am I right?"

Jin said nothing.

"Do not worry. I didn't outwit you, Kotei-dono. I didn't have to outwit you in order to win." He still didn't turn to face Jin. "My talent is 'perception'. I don't have keen insight into my opponent's mind as you do, nor into their heart as Ryoichi-dono does. But I can see their throw as they make it, react in the moment to counter them. Until then, I have no strategy. My mind is empty of preconceptions. I do not consider what to throw until I have seen what my opponent has thrown. That is my technique - 'Lord of Emptiness'."

He walked the rest of the way back to the bench, then sat.

"Guh," Jin commented incisively.

~

The Bosatsu Four had been conferring for no more than a few minutes, but to Jin it had felt interminable. He sat at the edge of the dueling platform, waiting, going over the day's duels in his head. What had he missed? Where were the clues that would turn losses into victories? And how could anyone beat someone like Jihara? With that "Lord of Emptiness" technique - he didn't even seem human.

The door opened. Jin, startled, looked up.

Ryoichi strode into the room, flanked by the other three duelists, the very picture of an emperor surveying his courtiers. "Kotei Jin." His voice had grown deeper and more resonant for the occasion, somehow. "You have impressed us. There is a long road ahead of this dueling team, one that will test the limits of all our abilities. If you are willing to undergo the grueling training, to fight duelists more powerful than you have ever faced - then we offer you a place on our team."

Except what Jin heard in his heart wasn't "a place on our team", but instead "a chance for revenge". A chance to find some answers.

"Well, Kotei-kun? Do you accept?"

"... I do."

Ryoichi's serious expression broke into a warm smile. "Spectacular! Then as of today you will have full use of our facilities, as well as a room in the duelists' dormitory like us four. I'll send a few first-year students to help you move your things, we won't start training until tomorrow." He held out his hand to Jin. "Welcome to the team."

~

Later that evening, Ryoichi ambled down the hall towards Jin's room. "Kotei-kun! Come on, the team's going to get dinner to welcome you."

There was no response. "Kotei-kun?" Ryoichi knocked on the door. Still nothing. He tested the doorknob, found it unlocked. He opened the door, looked around briefly. Jin wasn't there. Through the window, he could see the main building of the compound. Ryoichi frowned.

He was right. When, a few minutes later, he opened the door to the central command room, he found Jin standing there with his back to the door, staring silently at the banks of monitors. On some, there was displayed a seemingly-endless litany:

Kyoru Arashi

Dueling Records
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 3-0
Win 2-0 (forfeit)

Win 3-1

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 1-0 (forfeit)

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 3-0

Win 1-0 (forfeit)

Win 0-0 (forfeit)

Win 2-0 (forfeit)

On other screens, there were still frames from recorded duels. Duelists lay on the ground, weeping. One retched in a corner. One clutched her wrist, her face twisted in pain. Another wiped blood from his mouth.

In each of these duels, Venomous Kyoru stood opposite his victim, his face fixed in indifferent contempt.

"I... I knew he'd have gotten stronger since the Junior Grand National..." Jin's eyes were wide with horror, his voice shaking, "but this is beyond anything I've ever seen." 

Ryoichi wrapped his arms around Jin's neck in a protective embrace. "It's okay, Kotei-kun. He's strong, but you're going to beat him. Together, we can win this championship. I promise."

Jin took a deep, shuddering breath. "Thank you, Ryoichi-san."

"Let's go. The five of us are going to get some dinner."

After a moment, Jin nodded, and they turned and left the room.

On one monitor, unnoticed, there was a picture of Kyoru Arashi with his dueling team. Behind him, with a smug smile on her face, was a girl with silver hair that covered one of her eyes.

Episode 6 - Thunderbolt

Kotei Jin stood facing Mizumigawa Shin. He had won his first match, and lost his second - though he was prouder of that one. He still had two opponents left to face - Mizumigawa, and Jihara.

"So, Mizumigawa-san, are you going to ask me about my reasons for fighting as well?"

Her face grew unusually serious at that. "Kotei-kun, let me tell you something." She spread her fingers and made a sweeping motion. "The world doesn't care what you want. It doesn't obey the just, or the deserving. It obeys the strong." She pushed her dark sunglasses up by the arm with the edge of her hand. "So don't tell me about your values - show me your strength!"

Jin narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth in an aggressive grin. "Fine by me."

Mizumigawa laughed, then spread her arms out. They traced a slow circle in the air - then, with a clap like thunder, her hands came together, her fingers interlaced, her forefingers steepled.

"RIN!" She shouted. "Seal of the thunderbolt!"

"Is this an esoteric technique?" Jin's eyes were steel.

"Hah! I don't need an esoteric technique to defeat the likes of you! I'm going to beat you with sheer power!" She pointed at him. "Kotei Jin! I am Mizumigawa Shin, the crushing force of the Bosatsu Four, and I will grind you to dust!" She pulled her hand back into a fist.

Jin smirked. "I can already see your first throw."

Jin's mind was burning. She was completely unfazed by his boast. She must have seen through it - figured out it was an attempt to manipulate her throw - and decided there was no threat. Clearly, she had already selected her throw, and was going to completely ignore his taunts.

Then, Jin's eyes went wide. No! She hasn't just selected this throw - she's selected all her throws for the match! No matter what I say, she plans to stick to her strategy. Well, we'll see about that. He raised his fist.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors!"

If Jin was right, he could figure out from this first throw what her strategy was, then beat her by turning her own force against her.

"SHOOT!"

As her fist descended, there wasn't even the slightest shift in her hand. She was throwing Rock! Jin had just enough time to react to this-

But at the very last instant - Jin didn't even see the movement - her Rock unfurled into Scissors, cutting his Paper.

"Do you see, Kotei Jin? Your Thousand-Devil Eye is no match for my overwhelming force!"

Jin was stunned. Her speed and precise control were incredible, her movements would be impossible to read mid-throw. But her raw aggression made her wide-scale strategy easy for his Thousand-Devil Eye to perceive - it was obvious she planned to throw only Scissors for the whole match!

But, thought Jin, I'm down by a point already. I'd better play this next round safe, confirm what I've seen - and then go for the kill in the following round!

Their fists pumped in tandem once again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

A tie - Scissors against Scissors. I was right! She's going to follow this strategy for the whole match - so if I play this carefully, I can let her own "overwhelming force" destroy her!

Mizumigawa looked impatient. "You're too slow. Come on! Throw again!"

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Jin's Rock crushed her Scissors. Hah! She's falling for it! Just one more throw and I've won!

But something made him stop. She was hiding it well, but he could see she looked nervous. Damn! I've been too obvious. She can see that I've figured out her strategy. She might break the pattern-

"What did I say?! Don't just stand there, throw again!"

Jin frowned, but raised his fist.

"Rock!"

She was definitely feeling the pressure - but was it enough to make her switch to Paper to counter him?

"Paper!"

Jin saw a single bead of sweat on her brow. She's going to break.

"Scissors!"

I have to throw Scissors to counter her counter!

"SHOOT!"

There was something on her face that made Jin realize his mistake in mid-throw. She had planned this whole thing! She had deliberately pre-committed to this aggressive strategy, predicting that he'd be able to figure it out, that he'd be able to make her break the pattern, and that he'd know the exact throw she'd break on, allowing him to switch to counter. So she wasn't faking it - she really was breaking to throw a counter - but she planned to throw the wrong counter! If she broke her run of Scissors to throw Rock, but he expected her to counter his own Rock with Paper, he'd throw Scissors - and she'd use the insight of his Thousand-Devil Eye against him, making him dig his own grave!

So at the very last instant, he switched his throw to Paper - even though she had thrown nothing but Scissors the entire match, this was the only way to win!

As their hands descended, they shouted a warrior's cry together.

In the silence afterward, they both held their throws - Jin's Paper, and Mizumigawa's Rock. They were breathing heavily from the exertion.

"... That was pretty cunning, Mizumigawa-san."

"Tch. You're lucky I went easy on you." She dropped her hand, grinning. "But you're not bad yourself, Kotei-kun."

She turned, and walked back to the bench. "You're up, Jihara-kun."

Jin turned to study the last member of the Bosatsu Four. He had been silent this whole time, his eyes almost closed, his expression impassive. He stood slowly, walked to the platform opposite Jin without any hurry.

Jin felt confident. The thrill of battle was coursing through his veins. This feeling - Ryoichi had seen a flicker of it on the tennis courts, but dueling strong opponents had fanned it into a devouring flame!

He turned the full force of his Thousand-Devil Eye on Jihara Akatsuki - then froze.

What he saw almost made him choke.

Nothing.

An absolute void.

It didn't seem like Jihara was blocking Jin's technique - instead, his stance was entirely empty.

Jihara spoke softly.

"Kotei-dono. Shall we begin?"

Episode 5 - Scorn

Yukimura waited for Jin to raise his hand.

He was down by one point, in a match to two. But the situation was worse - he couldn't read her at all, couldn't trust his insight, couldn't trust that his insight would be untrustworthy. She was going to defeat him on this next throw, going to prove he was too weak to join the team, too weak to avenge his brother.

"Kotei Jin." Her voice was like ice-cold razors. "Raise your hand, or walk away and stop wasting our time."

Weakly, he did. His voice came out as barely a mumble:

"Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot."

It took him a moment to understand what he was looking at.

"A... tie?" They had both thrown Scissors. Had he been wrong? Was Yukimura not as strong as she seemed?

"Again." Her voice's tone hadn't changed.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors. Shoot."

Another tie - a pair of Papers.

Jin shook his head. What's going on?! He looked up at Yukimura, studied her carefully. There's got to be something I can use-

Then, his blood went cold.

"It looks like you understand now." Her eyes were hidden by the light reflecting off her glasses. "We're not tying because we're evenly matched. I'm choosing your throws for you."

"But-"

"Why don't I just finish you?" She gripped one lens of her glasses again between forefinger and thumb - almost, Jin suddenly thought, as though she was pretending to crush him. "I'm not letting you off that easily. For you to come here and play at this level - it's an insult to Bosatsu's entire dueling team. You only have two ways out of this duel now - beat me, or give up. That, or just wait for the hammer to fall." She raised her fist. "Again."

The throws landed like weights on Jin's back.

Scissors.

Paper.

Rock.

With each tie, it became harder for him to raise his head, more of an effort to make his throw.

~

Thousand-Devil Kotei stood before a sea of spectators. His hand sliced through the air, his Scissors effortlessly dispatching his opponent's Paper.

Victory. Three points to zero.

Kotei turned as his opponent wept. Over his shoulder, he shouted - "Maybe if you had another hundred years to train." Then, he strode out of the arena as the crowd erupted in cheers. Only one more duel remained to determine the Junior Grand National Champion.

Just inside the antechamber, a staff member ran to him, handed him a phone.

As he listened, his confident smile faltered. After he understood what they were saying, only a few words made it past the roar of blood in his ears. Fell - terrible accident - gone - sorry - sorry. And Kotei Jin had been here, dueling, when it happened.

He felt his fighting spirit shatter.

~

Paper. Rock. Paper.

Yukimura was shouting now. "Kotei Jin! Why are you here?"

He could barely speak. "For... for my brother."

Rock.

"Your guilt has been holding you back all this time. But if you want to avenge him, you have to release it!"

Scissors.

"These feelings - you have to turn them into a will to fight!"

Paper.

Then, something snapped.

"UUUUAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Jin's voice was ragged. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was his breathing.

Then, suddenly, his arm whipped out to the side. His hand formed a symbol that wasn't one of the three throws: his index and middle finger extended and held together, the others curled down under his thumb - the 'Blade'. The significance of the Blade is that only two fingers need move to form any of the three throws - making it a sign of great power.

"It worked," whispered Ryoichi.

"You want to see my strength?!" Jin's arm swung forward, and his fingers touched the center of his forehead - his 'third eye'. "This... is the Thousand-Devil Eye."

Mizumigawa leaned forward hungrily. "Finally we get to see it!"

Ryoichi watched intently. "The Thousand-Devil Eye... it really is an incredible technique. It's the culmination of Kotei-san's finely-honed insight, a mode of thought that allows him to process sensory data with incredible precision and discover his opponent's strategy... almost as though he can read their mind."

Jihara said nothing, stayed perfectly still.

Jin felt his strength flowing back into him. Now, he could clearly recognize the subtle posture shifts that Yukimura had used to guide his throws - it had been easy after she had destabilized him in the first throw. It was a formidable strategy - she'd taken advantage of his emotional state and his finely-honed instincts, leading him to decide throws without knowing what cues he was reading. But now that he could see it, it had been rendered useless! The only thing unusual was that there had been no shift since he used his Thousand-Devil Eye - she was going to use the same strategy. A test, to see if he had really regained his insight? Jin grinned. If so, he'd be happy to oblige her.

They raised their fists again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Yukimura looked at their throws impassively. "Scissors cuts Paper. Well done." She cocked her head to the side. "So you weren't bluffing just now."

"Hah! Of course not!"

"I had to check. One more point left."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! -"

Jin analyzed her new stance in a flash. She had shifted, but it was clearly just an attempt to disguise the same strategy. Of course, at this point she expected him to see through it. She must have been hoping that he would see this and decide she must have altered her signs so as to mislead him. But she was too relaxed into her stance - she was in reality still using the same strategy, betting that Jin wouldn't expect her to really be using a method that had just been broken -

"SHOOT!"

Yukimura's Scissors cut Jin's Paper.

"What?!"

"Sorry, Kotei-san, that was a mean trick."

"But how did you hide your strategy?"

"Oh, I didn't. I was using that same strategy throughout. The reason you couldn't read my choice was because I selected my final throw before our match by rolling a die. It was by chance that it beat yours." She shrugged. "In any case, it doesn't matter. You've reawakened - if you used your Thousand-Devil Eye from the start, this could have turned out much differently. Perhaps next time ." She sniffed. "Well done, Kotei-san. But you'd better train hard so that doesn't work again." She turned to walk back to the bench.

"... Thank you, Yukimura-san."

She paused. "Don't act like you're finished. You still have two matches left." But still, there was the tiniest hint of a smile on her face as she returned to the bench.

Mizumigawa leapt up and dashed to the platform Yukimura had vacated, spinning to face Jin. His eyes were like lasers.

"Kono reiatsu," she muttered to herself, grinning.

She pointed at him. "Kotei-kun, don't think that just because you have the Thousand-Devil Eye you'll be able to beat me. It's going to take much more than that."

There was a faint buzzing, as a fly passed her head. Then, a sharp snap - as she struck it out of the air with the back of her hand, almost too fast to be seen.

"Are you ready?!"

~

Yukimura lowered her eyelids and muttered, "I can't believe Mizu-kun actually released a fly in here just so she could swat it like that."

Ryoichi snickered. "I don't know, I thought it was pretty cool."

Episode 4 - Trial by Fire

It was the following day, and Jin was once again walking through the dueling compound's courtyard. The dueling team had sent Kotei Jin home to rest the day before, but now he was resolute. They had said that before he could get a place on the team, he would have to duel each of the Bosatsu Four. They hadn't said how many of them he would have to beat - just that he would be judged on his performance. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant. All he knew was that he needed to make it onto the team, so that he could face 'Venomous Kyoru' and avenge his brother.

He entered the team's offices and made his way towards the central room where they had spoken. He turned the corner and paused. There was someone there.

It was a tall girl who Jin didn't recognize. Her silvery-gray hair was mostly short, except for a long lock that covered the right side of her face. Her uniform was unfamiliar - she certainly wasn't from Bosatsu Academy.

She was leaving the central room. She paused when she reached Jin. "Kotei-san." Her voice was smooth and cloying. "I understand you're being tested today." She placed her hand on Jin's shoulder. "Best of luck."

"... Thanks," said Jin, unsure.

The girl laughed lightly, then continued down the hall. Jin watched her leave, the hair standing up on the back of his neck. There was something unsettling about her... Jin shook off the feeling, then turned and walked into the central room.

The monitors were off, and the papers lying about had been tidied up a bit. No one was there. Jin looked around in mild confusion, then, tentatively, tested the door at the back of the room.

His eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright lights. The Bosatsu Four were facing him, sitting on a raised bench at the far wall. Between Jin and the Four lay a pair of slightly elevated platforms, and above them on the wall was an electronic scoreboard with a timer - this was their private dueling arena.

"Welcome, Kotei Jin," intoned Captain Ryoichi Kei, standing and raising his arms. "Today you will face each of the top four duelists at Bosatsu Academy. Your success or failure will determine whether there is a place for you on this team. Are you ready?"

A confident grin crossed Jin's face. "Of course. Who's up first?"

Ryoichi smiled. "I am."

~

They stood facing each other on the dueling platforms.

"Kotei-kun, something for you to keep in mind - victory is not the most important thing in this test. Dueling someone is the only way to know their true character. That is the purpose of the test. Show us your character."

Jin raised his fist, grinning. "Enough talk. Let's duel!"

Ryoichi nodded. "Very well. Best two of three. Engarde!"

"Rock!" Jin watched carefully.

"Paper!" He saw it. The twitch of Ryoichi's fingers. He was displaying the same tell as Mizumigawa. Jin almost shouted at him - he wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice!

"Scissors!" Unless... he must be expecting Jin to see this and recognize it as a trick. If Jin fell for it, he'd throw Rock. If he saw through the trick, he'd throw Scissors. Which meant Ryoichi was going to throw Rock or Paper...

"SHOOT!"

"Hah! Looks like I'm better than you thought?" Ryoichi's Scissors had beaten Jin's Paper. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Jin couldn't believe it. It wasn't a trick. He really does have a tell that obvious. It took effort to make it look like he was disappointed.

"Ready, Kotei-kun?"

Jin frowned. "You are good. I hope I can figure you out."

"Rock!" Jin watched intently for the tell.

"Paper!" There it was again. All four fingers this time - Paper. Jin would throw Scissors and wipe him out.

"Scissors!" But Jin couldn't silence a nagging doubt - was Ryoichi manipulating him? He'd play it safe, throw Paper. If he was right, they'd tie, and his suspicions would be confirmed.

"SHOOT!"

A tie. Jin smiled to himself.

"Damn. Looks like you're still winning."

Ryoichi smiled proudly, raised his fist in silence.

"Rock!" Jin was behind, but he knew all he needed to win.

"Paper!" It was a shame, really. He hadn't expected it to be this easy.

"Scissors!" ... Nothing yet. That meant he was going to throw Rock... right?

"SHOOT!"

"Sorry, Ryoichi-san. Paper covers rock. We're tied now."

"Ah, looks like I'm going to have to be more careful." Ryoichi tilted his head, watching Jin closely. He raised his fist once more.

"Rock!" One more throw. This was where Jin had to prove himself.

"Paper!" All four fingers. Paper again.

"Scissors!" Unless Ryoichi was pretending still... but he looked confident. Jin was sure!

"SHOOT!"

Jin smiled. Scissors cut Paper.

Ryoichi was taken aback. "... Your vicory, Kotei-kun." He turned and walked back to the sidelines.

This, thought Jin, is going to be easier than I expected. Still, something bothered him about that duel. Forget it. Deal with the others. "Well, who's next?"

Yukimura Hisoka stood silently, walked out opposite Jin. Her expression was severe, unreadable.

She eyed Jin. "... Pathetic."

Jin raised his eyebrows. "That's what I thought. I expected the captain of the team to put up a-"

Her voice was flat. "I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about you."

"What?!"

"You're right, the captain of the Bosatsu Academy dueling team is much better than that. He threw the duel."

Jin glanced at Ryoichi, watching with amusement from the sidelines. "Why?"

"It's a test. We told you that. You saw his weakness, but you didn't push. You didn't see how he was manipulating you - he could have won at any moment."

Jin's head was spinning. "But... but I won! In the end, I won!"

Yukimura glared. "You won a single round. But you learned nothing. The duel didn't make you any stronger. When you duel, you have to push your opponent to be as strong as possible - so you can crush the next opponent. And the next." Her glasses flashed with reflected light. "If you want to join the Bosatsu Four, you're going to have to do better than that. If you want to beat Captain Ryoichi next time, you're going to have to do much better."

Jin shook his head. "All right! I'll show you what I can do." He raised his fist.

Yukimura adjusted her glasses, gripping the top and bottom of one lens with her forefinger and thumb. She raised her fist in turn.

"Rock!" Jin was sweating. Was he in over his head?

"Paper!" No. I can't think like that. I have no choice but to beat them and fight my way to Kyoru. But Yukimura was blank and unreadable. She was giving no clues.

"Scissors!" There had to be something... she seemed like the type to prefer Paper, cold and analytical. But she was smart, she would expect him to see that... he'd throw Rock, hopefully that would be safe, give him something more to work with.

Right before making his throw, he had a sudden thought. No! She's figured me out... I have to assume she knows what I'm going to throw - I'll switch to Scissors to counter Paper!

"SHOOT!"

NO! She'd thrown Rock, beating his Scissors.

"Pathetic. I expected better from you, Kotei Jin." She pointed at him. "I'm going to make this absolutely clear. If you're going to beat me, you're going to have to use 'that'."

Jin recoiled, looked away. "I... I haven't used 'that' since...." He couldn't finish.

"If you can't do it, then you're useless. You'd better leave right now."

For a long moment, she watched Jin, who couldn't seem to raise his head to meet her gaze.

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine."

Then, she raised her fist.

Episode 3 - Ghosts of the Past

The Bosatsu Academy dueling team's high-walled compound sat a little higher on the mountain than the academy itself. Kotei Jin had been standing outside the giant wooden doors for quite a few minutes, now.

I just have to go in, meet the team, then take my leave. This should be painless. Jin sighed.They're going to ask me to join them, but... I can't. Not after-

He shook his head. Let's just get this over with. He pulled the door open.

Just inside the walls lay the courtyard, where several students were sparring, drilling their throws, coaching each other, or lying in the shade of the trees. Jin recognized a few of them, but these weren't the top-tier duelists, the "Bosatsu Four". They had to be inside.

Ahead was the outdoor dueling arena, mostly used for tournament matches. Beyond it were two buildings - the team's offices and, further down the path, the duelists' dormitory. Jin walked past the practicing duelists, past the arena, and up the stairs at the main entrance of the offices. He made his way down the hallway and into the central room.

It had a high ceiling, banks of monitors lined the walls, desks and cabinets overflowed with documents and keyboards. The Bosatsu Four were waiting.

Ryoichi Kei, fourth year. The captain of the team. He was standing at a table in the middle of the room.

Mizumigawa Shin, a second year like Jin. The one he'd lost to the day before. She was - Jin blinked - sitting upside down on a nearby chair, looking up at the ceiling, her legs dangling over the chair's back.

The two others Jin knew only through their position on the team - everyone in the academy knew about the top four duelists.

Yukimura Hisoka was a third year girl with straight, dark brown hair that fell to shoulder length, framing her face with perfect right angles. She wore a pair of glasses with oval-shaped lenses, and a bored expression seemed fixed on her face. She stood at the table, reading something with the captain.

Jihara Akatsuki was the last of them, a third year boy who towered over his classmates. His hair was white, and swept back in a series of layered blades. His eyes, as usual, were half-closed in a serene expression. He was leaning against a side wall, his head bowed.

They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion when Jin entered.

"Ah, Kotei-kun." Ryoichi gestured for Jin to come further into the room. "Glad you could drop by."

Jin looked at the gathered duelists. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only here because I made a deal. As soon as I've made good on that, I'm out of here."

Jihara looked up. "Ryoichi-dono... you haven't told him yet?" His voice was soft.

Jin's head snapped towards Jihara, then back to Ryoichi. "What are you talking about? What are you guys up to?!"

Ryoichi sighed, nodded to Yukimura. She tapped something into a keyboard, and one of the bigger monitors lit up.

Jin blanched. "... What does he have to do with this?"

The screen showed a boy slightly older than Jin. He wore a tailored suit and an expression to match - crisp, cold, utterly professional. His hair was buzzed short and formed a sharp widow's peak, his eyes hidden behind mirrored shades.

Yukimura spoke. "Kyoru Arashi. Commonly known as 'Venomous Kyoru'. A duelist of unmatched skill. He swept a series of junior tournaments, culminating with-"

"The Junior Grand National. I know." Jin's voice was cold. "What's your point?"

Mizumigawa turned herself right-side up, and Jihara watched Jin intently. Ryoichi approached the screen, stood facing it with his hands clasped behind his back. "We've been researching you, Kotei-kun. When we studied the Junior Grand National, one question stood out." He raised one hand in the air. "Why would a promising duelist like yourself drop out of the tournament just before the final round?" He dropped his hand again. "But we didn't stop looking until we found the answer. Your brother-"

"How dare you mention him!" Jin shouted. He was shaking. "Yes! I dropped out of the tournament because of the accident! Why do you-"

Ryoichi turned, his eyes burning. "There was no accident."

No one spoke for a long moment.

"What do you mean..." Jin finally managed.

Ryoichi spoke, almost a whisper. "Kyoru Arashi had your brother killed so that you would drop out of the tournament."

Jin fell to his knees. "... You're not certain. How could you know that?"

Yukimura stepped forward. "We received a confession from his second-in-command. Written instructions from Kyoru himself. Nothing explicit, obviously, but we're certain."

Ryoichi's expression softened. "Kotei-kun, I'm sorry..."

Jin spoke without looking up. "If I join your team, I'll get to face him, is that what you're saying?"

Ryoichi smiled grimly. "That's the idea."

"... I'll do it."

Episode 2 - Coercion

Ryoichi Kei, captain of the school's dueling team, stood at the entrance to the neglected old tennis courts, resting his folded paper fan on his shoulder. He looked over Jin appraisingly.

"You handled yourself well. You made it sound like a simple thing, but reading your opponents like that requires a keen eye." He glanced around, admiring the cherry blossoms. "Have you ever considered trying out for the dueling team?"

Jin shrugged, looked away. "I'm no duelist. I only know a few parlor tricks."

"Kotei Jin. 'Thousand-Devil' Kotei. Champion of no less than seven Junior tournaments. And in the Junior Grand National..." He looked back at Jin. "... runner-up."

Jin's expression hardened. "Those days are behind me." He shouldered his bag. "Get out of my way."

"When you duel, you can't hide your true heart. It shines through in every throw." Ryoichi swung his fan off his shoulder, slicing through the air, and pointed it straight at Jin. "I saw your eyes when you fought those two. You came alive. It's obvious that you yearn to duel again." He paused, pushed his hair out of his eyes with his free hand. "What is holding you back?"

Jin pushed the tip of the fan aside. "That's my business." He walked past Ryoichi, his face a mask.

"I'll make a deal with you," said Ryoichi without turning.

Jin paused. "Why would I bargain with you?"

Ryoichi smiled. "I'm sure you know that with a few words to the right people, I could let the whole school know you've spurned my offer. They would pester you endlessly, wanting to know why, wondering what could be so terrible that you'd turn down a position among the elite of Bosatsu. You wouldn't have a moment's peace... and at that point, there wouldn't be anything I could do about it."

Jin turned on him. "You wouldn't...!"

"Of course, that wouldn't be very polite of me, would it? That's why I want to make a deal."

"... What sort of deal?"

"Now you're listening to reason." Ryoichi raised one hand in the air. "Mizumigawa-kun?"

Behind Jin, outside the courts, there was a rustling sound. Then, a girl dropped out of the trees.

She landed expertly in a crouch, stood, whipped her hand to her face in a lightning-fast motion, lightly adjusted her sunglasses with the edge of her hand.

She had short, spiked hair and dark sunglasses, she wore pants with her uniform, unlike most girls at the school - though Jin could see why, if she planned to jump out of trees with any frequency - and she exuded supreme confidence. Mizumigawa Shin, one of the stars of the dueling team.

She grinned, sizing Jin up. "Here's the 'deal'. You play a single throw against me. If you win, we leave you alone. If you lose..."

"Then all you need to do is come visit the team during tomorrow's meeting, and introduce yourself to the other members," finished Ryoichi, turning to face them. "Very reasonable, don't you think?"

Jin eyed Mizumigawa warily. "If I win, you'll leave me alone for good?"

"I promise," replied Ryoichi.

A breeze blew through the area, and no one spoke for a long moment.

"Tch, fine. If it'll get you off my back." Jin walked back onto the tennis court, then turned to face his opponent.

Mizumigawa wandered over towards the court, then sprang into a one-handed handstand, before tumbling into position. "Thanks for being a good sport!" She winked and stuck out her tongue.

Jin just held up his fist.

"Fine, fine..." She held up hers in kind. "I'm ready when you are."

"Rock!" Their fists went down for the first time. Jin studied his opponent carefully - her stance, the trajectory of her arm, the expression on her face.

"Paper!" They went down a second time. Jin expected she would base her throw on how he had played the last two matches. He had opened with Paper each time. Would she expect him to use Paper again? Or was she thinking that he wouldn't dare begin three matches in a row with the same throw, locking him into Rock or Scissors?

"Scissors!" The third "priming" fist-pump. She looked confident. She was a professional, she wasn't going to betray her strategy easily. He ran through the possibilities. If she expected he would use Paper, she'd throw Scissors. If she expected Rock or Scissors, she'd throw Rock. It looked like Rock would be a safe throw for him, at worst resulting in a tie, because Paper was too risky a throw for her. But if she predicted he would perform that analysis, she'd definitely throw Paper, and his strategy would be ruined.

Then he saw it.

As she was raising her hand for her throw, her index and middle fingers twitched slightly. A tell, one he almost missed, but its message was clear - she was going to throw Scissors! She had noticed his pattern of starting with Paper, expected him to notice it as well, and thought he would think she wouldn't expect him to use it a third time. Of course, this meant that she thought he would throw Paper again, so she would throw Scissors and defeat him. It was a clever plan, but her eagerness had given her away. Jin would throw Rock, and ruin her plan completely!

"SHOOT!"

Jin stared blankly at her outstretched hand.

Paper.

He fell to his knees.

"You were right, Ryoichi-kun." Mizumigawa tilted her head, peered at Jin. "He fell for the fake tell."

It had been a trap! She had deliberately led him to think she would throw Scissors, and he had played right into her hands.

Ryoichi and Mizumigawa walked off the court while Jin was still replaying his failure in his head.

Ryoichi waved. "We'll see you tomorrow after classes... Kotei-kun."

Episode 1 - Chance

It was springtime at prestigious Bosatsu Academy. Some snow still lingered higher up on the mountain, but at the school cherry blossoms drifted lightly through the air. Looking down on the valley, the serene surface of the lake, anyone would think the world a peaceful place.

Here, in the shade of the wooded path behind the school, Kotei Jin strolled back towards the dormitory from class. He was taking the long way - after all, it was a beautiful day and classes were over, he had plenty of time.

To be honest, Jin doesn't look like much at first glance. Dark blue school uniform, average height, straight black hair that had just grown long enough to start getting in his eyes again. But he has an open, honest face and eyes that gleam with shrewd intellect.

Suddenly, a shout sounded from the run-down tennis courts further down the path. Jin's head snapped towards the sound, then he broke into a run. Around the corner, an unpleasant scene was playing out.

"She's holding out on us," the skinnier of the two scruffy upperclassman said casually to his counterpart. The girl's eyes darted about, looking for a way past the two thugs.

"I swear, I don't have any more money!"

"We don't believe you," said the skinny one. The other, a broad, square-chinned brute, shoved the girl. She hit the chain-link back fence of the court, dropped her bag, spilled books over the clay.

"What's going on here?" queried Jin as he rolled into view. The two upperclassmen spun to face him.

"Keep walking," advised the skinny one - who Jin had already mentally labeled "Ratface".

"Yeah," added the brick helpfully (Jin thought he looked more like a pitbull).

Jin ambled towards them. "Shame on you, harassing a young lady like that." There was a deliberate playfulness in his voice, but his face was fixed in a deadly-serious stare.

"What's it to you?" asked Ratface.

"Yeah, what're you gonna do about it?" added Pitbull, sliding between Jin and Ratface. His hand darted out with surprising speed and grabbed Jin's collar. He lifted Jin up slightly so they were eye-to eye. He grinned scornfully. "You gonna hit me?"

"No." Jin's voice was quiet.

"That's what I thought." Pitbull dropped him unceremoniously. "Now get out of here." He started to turn away.

"No."

Pitbull stopped. "What was that?!" He spun around to see Jin pointing his index and middle fingers right in Pitbull's face, separated in the universal symbol of a challenge -"scissors."

Pitbull recoiled.

"I challenge you to a duel," said Jin.

"A duel... like...?"

"Yep." Jin nodded.

"What about me?" asked Ratface.

"I'll duel you once I've beaten him." Jin was smiling confidently now.

"You little punk!" growled Pitbull.

Ratface grinned. "Sure, we'll duel you." He nodded at Pitbull. "Show him what you're made of."

Jin tossed his bag to the side, and he and Pitbull faced each other a short distance apart.

"Ready?" he asked. "We'll do best-two-of-three."

"You're dead," Pitbull said flatly. Jin shrugged.

They each raised a fist. Together, pumping their arms, they said:

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

"Tch," said Pitbull. Jin's Paper had beaten his Rock.

"Ah, that's okay, you've got another chance!"

Pitbull just snarled at that and raised his fist again.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Jin threw Scissors, and Pitbull threw Paper. Jin's victory again.

"You got lucky, you little..."

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Jin looked serious again. "I knew exactly what you would throw. My victory was guaranteed."

"How the hell could you know what I would throw?!"

"Simple. You would definitely open with Rock. Amateurs like you always start with Rock." Pitbull growled. "Then, you were angry. Looking for a strong sign, you reflexively used the one that beat your last throw - Paper. So I just threw Scissors, and you walked right into my trap."

Pitbull lunged at Jin, but stopped short. Ratface had grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Out of my way, you piece of trash," sneered Ratface, and shoved him aside. Pitbull sprawled on the court. "You were too easy to read. How pathetic."

"You shouldn't be so hard on him," said Jin. "After all - you're even easier to read."

"What?!"

"I can tell you right now - you're going to throw Scissors."

Ratface frowned. "Just get ready."

Jin raised his fist.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Ratface's mouth hung open. He had thrown Rock... and Jin had thrown Paper.

"You said I was going to throw Scissors! Why would you throw Paper?!"

"I said you would throw Scissors... so I knew that was the one sign you wouldn't dare throw. You would have to use Rock or Paper. Which means if I threw Paper, the worst that could happen would be a tie."

"You think you're so smart? That's just one point, and now that you've explained it, that trick isn't going to work again."

"Really? Is that what you think?" Jin cocked his head back. "Then listen up - you're going to throw Scissors."

Ratface started to sweat. "WHAT?! Do you really think that would work twice in a row?!"

"... Are you ready?"

"Fine! I'll wipe that look off your face!"

They raised their fists.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"

Ratface recoiled, tripped over his feet, and fell to the ground. "Im- impossible!"

Jin looked down scornfully, his hand still showing Rock. "Not at all. Of course you would use Scissors. Your desire to prove me wrong - by doing what I predicted when I said you wouldn't - was stronger than your caution. Because of that, it was obvious that you would use Scissors." He swept his hand out to encompass both of them. "Now get out of here."

The two defeated duelists scrambled to their feet and bolted.

Jin watched them go, then turned again. He handed the girl one of her books. She stared at him, stunned. Suddenly, she seemed to realize she was staring, then turned away, blushing.

"Thank you, Kotei-san," she mumbled, gathering up the rest of her things, then ran away without bothering to put her books in the bag.

Jin took a moment to catch his breath.

He bent down to pick up his bag. When he looked up again, there was someone standing at the entrance to the courts.

He was tall, strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing, blond hair - Ryoichi Kei. Jin almost didn't recognize him without throngs of admirers striving to earn his notice. Easily the most popular, admired, and envied boy in the school.

He was also the captain of Bosatsu Academy's dueling team.

Ryoichi tapped a long, folded paper fan on his shoulder.

"That was quite impressive... Kotei Jin."