demon vs human

'we'll call the partners of the middle-aged guy j1 and j2, and for zero z1 and z2. even if they change partners, it'll still be the same, for example: zero's side = z1 or z2, same even if j1 was on his side before.'

the tension was palpable as the first round began. j1 and j2 were picking cards for josh while zero observed closely, his eyes scanning every small movement. just as he was focused on the game, a random girl suddenly appeared beside him.

"hi, my name is rin," she said cheerfully.

zero glanced at her, unimpressed. "so?"

rin's cheerful smile faded slightly. "{what does he mean by so💢?}" she thought. "you must be a pro at gambling," she tried again, trying to maintain her composure.

"how do you know?" zero replied, making a clueless face that made rin even more annoyed.

"uh… because you're gambling with the boss," she said, trying to ignore the irritation bubbling inside her.

zero's eyes narrowed slightly. "{if he's the boss, then...}" he smirked confidently. "i'll definitely win."

rin forced a smile. "good luck." she muttered under her breath, "{weirdo.}"

josh, noticing zero's conversation, smirked. "it's your partner's turn to pick a card for you."

"sure," zero replied, then added, "can we tell our partners to choose a card, or do they do it themselves?"

"haha, no, you can't," josh laughed mockingly. "because it won't be fun. kids' games should have hard rules, you know." z1 and z2 picked a card, and josh continued, "we both have two cards now. we pick one ourselves."

zero picked a random card, feeling the weight of josh's gaze on him. "{he can cheat with his partners, but the last pick is all luck. i won't use any methods in the first round.}"

rin raised her hand. "when i say go, both of you show your cards. go!"

both zero and josh revealed their cards.

zero's card: paper.

josh's card: scissors.

"the first win goes to josh," rin announced.

zero stayed calm. "{if i remember the rules right, two out of three wins equals the winner of one round, and we'll play three rounds. meaning if i lose this time too, it won't change anything.}"

second game

as the second game approached, zero's expression remained unchanged, but inside, something clicked. "{hm, what's this? oh. haha.}" he shook slightly, catching josh's attention.

"{haha, he's shaking.}" josh smirked, feeling overconfident.

rin: "go!"

zero's card: paper.

josh's card: scissors.

"the second game also goes to josh. he won round one," rin declared, her tone neutral but with a hint of concern. "if josh wins two more rounds, he becomes the winner, and for the challenger, he has to win three rounds. {it's not looking good for him.}"

zero, however, only smiled.

"{why does he keep smiling when he's losing?}" josh thought, feeling a flicker of unease. "{well, who cares?}"

as josh reveled in his small victories, zero's mind was racing. while outwardly calm, his thoughts were a whirlwind of strategy. he calculated every possible outcome, every move josh could make. his thoughts flicked through 183 scenarios, narrowing down the most likely to happen.

"{i've seen enough.}" zero thought, his smile widening. "{i've thought of 93 possibilities in under four minutes. i counted them, but then i spent four more minutes just because i was bored and didn't bother counting the rest. and i found the easiest way. i don't have to do much here.}"

he glanced around the room, noticing the other players, the silent resentment they held for josh. "{everyone here definitely hates this guy. in short, if he invites you to play, you're forced to lose because he cheats. it's painfully obvious, and yet no one does anything. my thinking speed is above average. i have no clue why i'm so different from others. my mind and body tell me that i have no emotions, even though i know i do. why is that?}."

zero shifted slightly, his focus returning to the game. "{let's focus on the game.}"