The crowd murmured incredulously. What was she saying? Hairo Asahi was losing, two to zero. Her team had lost the first two matches of the round. If she lost even one more throw this match, Kohitsuji Academy would be out of the tournament.
And she had just offered to allow her opponent to forfeit.
Obviously, Jihara was just going to defeat her with his Lord of Emptiness technique. She hadn't been able to counter it, and it allowed him to beat her on every throw.
But then...
Why was he hesitating?
Jihara finally spoke. "I was hoping you hadn't noticed."
Ryoichi's eyes widened.
Hairo kept her gaze focused on her opponent. "I'm sorry, Jihara-san. But you've lost this match. I can tell you've injured your wrist recently. It's mostly healed, and against anyone else you'd be fine. Unfortunately, I'm studying to become a doctor. I know exactly what to throw to force you to re-injure yourself. That'll prevent you from countering me, and I'll win the match. So, I would like you to forfeit."
Jihara hesitated.
"If you keep dueling, you're asking me to decide between injuring you and losing. Don't force me to make that kind of decision. You've fought well, but you have to leave this to your teammates now." Her eyes darted to the Bosatsu and Kohitsuji duelists watching from the sidelines, then back to Jihara. "Please."
Jihara met her gaze. "Your perception is most impressive, Hairo-dono. As you say, I am certain that if our duel continues as before, you will defeat me. However, I am afraid I can not oblige you."
Hairo gritted her teeth, as Ryoichi stood to cry out - but Jihara interrupted them both by raising his hand to continues the duel.
His left hand.
Hairo grinned. "That's good. Thank you, Jihara-san - now I can finish this duel without any reservations!"
Ryoichi returned to his seat, but he didn't relax. Jihara would be dueling with his uninjured hand, but...
"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"
- their hands flickered through a rapid series of throws -
"Scissors cuts Paper! Point to Hairo!"
... but Jihara was nowhere near as swift with his off-hand.
"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOOT!"
Again, they cycled through Rock, Paper, and Scissors swiftly, doubling back and skipping ahead, trying to outmaneuver each other in a split moment -
"Rock crushes Scissors! Point to Hairo!"
- and again, Hairo managed to stay one step ahead.
"Rock!"
Jihara steeled himself -
"Paper!"
- focusing his senses -
"Scissors!"
- calling on all his training -
"SHOOT!"
- pouring everything into his throw!
There was a momentary silence.
"Rock crushes Scissors! Match, Hairo! Three points to two!"
The Kohitsuji duelists erupted in an immense cheer. Hairo ran towards her teammates, cheering along with them. She ran straight into Captain Hidaka's arms.
"You did it, Hairo-chan!"
"Well, we're back in the game. It's up to you guys now! Just let me sit down for a bit."
At the Bosatsu bench, Ryoichi put his hand on Jin's shoulder. "Our position is no longer unassailable. In Rock Paper Scissors, whoever has the momentum controls the match. You're going to have to face a tough opponent now - are you ready?"
Jin nodded. Tetsu Karan was an unusual foe, but Jin had studied him thoroughly. Still, it would be difficult to tell what strategy he could use until he could use the Thousand-Devil Eye on Tetsu directly.
Jihara returned to the bench, stopping before Ryoichi. "I apologize, Ryoichi-dono."
Ryoichi shook his head. "You fought valiantly, Ji-san! Now, I order you to rest until you're fully healed. We can leave this to Kotei-kun."
Jihara smiled. "Of course."
Back at the Kohitsuji bench, Tetsu yawned, stretched, and casually got to his feet.
~
Jin waited at the dueling platform. Tetsu was approaching his own platform at a languid pace, seemingly unconcerned by the vast crowd watching on. In fact, he looked sleepy and distracted, as though his mind were somewhere else.
Of course, Jin had seen recordings of Tetsu's previous duels. He was quick, but not exceptionally so. He rarely, if ever, employed esoteric techniques. He didn't seem to use any sort of traps or complex strategies.
But he just kept winning.
"Hey, Kotei-kun. That was pretty cool, huh?" Tetsu gestured with a nod of his head towards Hairo. "I know you guys are strong, but don't underestimate us. My teammates won't give up, ever!" He pushed his hair out of his eyes with a guileless smile, though it almost immediately fell back into place.
I don't buy it, thought Jin. This whole act - you're not just coasting by on luck. You've got some kind of strange technique. And I'm going to crack it!
"I don't plan to underestimate you, Tetsu-san. But Bosatsu isn't going to stop here. We have to keep going, all the way to the final round." Jin pointed two fingers at Tetsu, forming the 'Blade'. "It's said that a devil can see through any illusion, discover any hidden weakness or transgression." He brought his fingers to his forehead. "My technique, the Thousand-Devil Eye, is going to reveal your secret."
Tetsu shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't have a neat technique like you, Kotei-kun. I'm really a simple guy. In the dueling arena, I have to rely on one thing only." He winked and tapped the side of his head. "Intuition."
Jin raised his hand to start the duel. We'll see about that.
