Together with Dr. Vier, I opened Tre-san’s envelope. The message on our envelopes this time seemed to have the same message.
『Settle who’s paying the bill with a rock-paper-scissors!
※Open Envelope 6 after you leave the store.』
I see, so it would be settled with a rock-paper-scissors huh…… I can certainly feel the joy emanating from Dr. Vier. Indeed, if one were to ask who this match would be advantageous for, it would be Dr. Vier.
In the first place, for Dr. Vier, who had been outnumbered earlier, this was a reversal of fortune.[Rock-paper-scissors huh~~ Well then, let’s follow the instructions……]
[Please wait, Dr. Vier. If we just played rock-paper-scissors, wouldn’t I be at too much of a disadvantage? If it’s Dr. Vier, you could probably change your move after seeing my hand, right?]
[……Well, you’re right. There’s quite a difference in our capabilities after all.]
Yes, if we just continue like this, I’ll be at a disadvantage because I’m overwhelmingly inferior in terms of physical ability and kinetic vision, just as I had seen from that abnormal rock-paper-scissors competition back in the Six Kings Festival.
Even if we make a rule that we can’t change our hand in the middle of our swing, I wouldn’t even be able to judge whether she changed her hand or not.
I could ask Alice to be the referee…… but that doesn’t really make it advantageous for me.
[In that case, how about we do this using this method?]Saying this, I took out my memo pad and two pens from my magic box, and tearing off a sheet, I handed the sheet of paper and a pen to Dr. Vier.
[How about we play rock-paper-scissors, where we each write our hand on a piece of paper, before showing it to each other?]
[……Alright. That certainly would be fair. By the way, Miyama-kun, I’ll use paper.]
I guess this would be to be expected from Dr. Vier. Saying out loud that she’d use paper here right from the start is to counteract the luck correction from Shiro-san’s blessing.
It was a brilliant move to make on the spur of the moment, but it would be in vain this time.
[I understand what Dr. Vier is trying to do, but please don’t worry. “Shiro-san’s blessing doesn’t work when it comes to rock-paper-scissors”.]
[Eh? Is that so?]
[Yes, I had to play rock-paper-scissors with Aoi-chan and Hina-chan before, so I asked Shiro-san to adjust her blessing because it would be unfair. Thus, when it comes to rock-paper-scissors, the luck correction doesn’t work.]
[……Alright. Then, it would really be a fair game huh.]
There is no lie in what I just said. As a matter of fact, I had asked Shiro-san to adjust it for me that I would only have normal luck when it comes to rock-paper-scissors, so it’s not like I can always win if I just take out my hand.
Dr. Vier seemed to be convinced, so she turned her back to me and started writing her hand on the paper, and I turned my back to her as well.
After a little while, we both finished writing our hands and put our papers face down on the table.
[……Miyama-kun, you took quite a while. I suppose you’ve had trouble deciding your hand?]
[I was just thinking that this match would settle the game…… Well, let’s just leave it at that and finish this already.]
[Unnn. By the way, what if it’s a tie?]
[In that case, we’ll have to start over again.]
[Alright. Well then, by the count of three…… One, two…… three!]
When I flipped my paper in time with Dr. Vier’s voice, my hand was paper and Dr. Vier’s was rock…… In other words, it’s my win.
[I guess I won.]
[Guhh, I- I lost……]
In front of Dr. Vier, who hung her head with a look of regret, I picked up the bill with a triumphant expression on my face.
[……How vexing…… Unnn? Arehh? Doesn’t Miyama-kun’s paper look like it’s folded? Why did he go out of his way to flip his paper when he already folded it…… Aaaaahhhhh!?]
After muttering in a small voice, Dr. Vier looked as if she noticed something…… It seems like she noticed the trick I used.
[N- Now you’ve done it, Miyama-kun! You cheated!]
[Oh? I wonder what you’re talking about?]
[Don’t play dumb. The folds in this paper…… You wrote each hand on three pieces of paper and “chose them randomly through a lottery”! Even if Shallow Vernal-sama’s blessing doesn’t apply to rock-paper-scissors…… it still applies to lotteries, right!?]
[As expected of Dr. Vier…… It was just as you said. Ahh, I’ll say this now, but I didn’t break any rules. We never talked about not choosing our hands in that way, right?]
I grinned at Dr. Vier’s words. Yes, everything that had happened up to this point went just as I had planned.
[In the first place, the reason why I suggested this format is because if we played rock-paper-scissors normally, even if Dr. Vier was bound not to change your hand mid-way, it would still be a 50-50 match…… That’s why I suggested a match like this where I could make use of lottery, where things can be settled with my luck correction.]
[G- Gununu……]
[It’s not just that. The reason why I shared the information that my blessing doesn’t work in rock-paper-scissors was to draw your attention away from the means of drawing lots…… Do you understand? When you accepted this form of competition, your defeat ]
[Funuuuu…… Y- You bad boy~~]
Dr. Vier, realizing that she had been defeated by my strategy right from the start, had a very frustrated expression on her face.
[It was a great match. However, today is my win.]
[Kuuhhhh, f- frustrating. D- Don’t think I would let things end like this. I may have lost this time, but I’ll strike back twice-fold!]
[I’ll definitely turn the tables back at you at that time.]
The boldly smiling me and the frustrated Dr. Vier glared at each other…… and a few moments later, both of us burst into laughter.
[……Ahaha, what kind of idiocy are we saying now?]
[Fufu, seriously. It sure sounds strange, seriously competing about who should treat who.]
[Well, it’s kind of fun though.]
[Seriously…… Miyama-kun, thank you for the meal today.]
[Yes.]
Saying this before chuckling one more time, I finished settling the bill before we walked out of the store together. Somehow, I felt as if I was able to get closer to Dr. Vier through our silly fight.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [What’s strange is that these two aren’t competing over who treats the others when they lose, they’re both competing over who gets to treat the other when they win……]
? ? ? : [Well, I guess they were alike in some way.]
