175 All for the Sake of the Photos!
Even though he had made a promise to Yumeko, Hikigaya Hachiman's doubts had not disappeared.
He deliberately had Rokujou Eneru and Shimizu switch roles, and the other party readily agreed.
This indicated that cheating wasn't something that only she could perform.
"Could it be that there was a very simple code that I just didn't see through?"
Hikigaya Hachiman looked again at the remote-controlled camera in his hand, staring at the nine-grid panel on it.
"Please have the photographers choose the starting position of their team's subject being photographed." Before Hachiman could think further, the committee member managing the gamble had already announced the official start of the game.
He had only 30 seconds to choose the starting position.
"To avoid being caught by the opponent, I need to move to as many positions as possible."
"That means, whether an odd or even number is rolled, the total number of moveable positions should cover the entire nine-grid."
"In that case, the choices become limited."
Hikigaya looked at the grid and quickly confirmed the optimal starting points.
[1 2 3]
[4 5 6]
[7 8 9]
"2, 4, 6, 8 — If I pick from these four points, then whether an odd or even number is rolled, I'll have a wide range of movement options."
"But—"
Hikigaya's gaze sharpened as he slightly parted the crook of his thumb holding up his chin.
"Could this be Rokujou Eneru's cheat?"
If that's the case, then it doesn't even count as cheating. This is the purest psychological trap — using people's habitual thinking to create the most effective countermeasure. If the assumption was that Hachiman would choose 2, 4, 6, or 8 from the beginning, and since the dice roll result would be publicly announced...
Parity.
Odd + Odd = Even
Even + Even = Even
Even + Odd = Odd
That means, if the starting point is an even number, then the current position can be absolutely locked into either even or odd. This would greatly increase the probability of guessing the location.
"If you roughly determine which number Yumeko is on, and perfectly avoid the numbers she isn't on..."
"That's some exquisite mathematical calculation..."
"In that case, if I set the starting point on an odd number, Rokujou Eneru's calculations will be completely ineffective, and the probability of Yumeko being guessed drops to one in nine."
With that in mind, Hikigaya Hachiman calmly selected number 1 as the starting point and transmitted the choice to Yumeko via the sensor in his hand.
"So, under this logic, would Rokujou Eneru choose an odd or even starting point?"
"Judging from her previous rounds, and since she's the subject being photographed herself, she'll tend toward a conservative approach. Let's assume she picks an even number!"
Hikigaya Hachiman, always adept at reading people, quickly made this judgment based on Rokujou Eneru's behavior patterns. There was no guaranteed win in this gamble, but purely from a probability perspective, his chance of winning had increased significantly.
He coldly glanced at Shimizu nearby. Since the strategy was complete, let Rokujou Eneru taste the consequences of her own trap.
"Sorry, Yumeko. I'll have to trouble you a bit."
Since he intended to make Rokujou Eneru pay the price, Yumeko would also have to strip down alongside her.
But Hachiman believed that Yumeko would understand him. After all, in the end, he needed to exchange Rokujou Eneru's photos to get back the photos of Naeko and Aiura Kokoro. No girl would like having blackmail material of herself in someone else's hands, and as their master, Hikigaya Hachiman had the duty to take responsibility.
What Hachiman didn't know was that inside the screen, Yumeko had already begun to enjoy herself.
"Both photographers are ready!"
"Now, let the game begin!"
"Let us see the first round of dice rolls!"
[Hikigaya-sama rolls: 1 point]
[Shimizu-sama rolls: 3 points]
"Both subjects being photographed, please begin your movements!"
Hikigaya Hachiman thought briefly — assuming Rokujou Eneru started at an even number, a move of three would place her at one of 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9.
"A 1 in 5 chance — I likely won't catch her in the first round."
"Just pick a number to rule out." Hachiman chose number 3.
"Both photographers have made their choices. Now, hidden shooting begins—"
Click—
A crisp shutter sound came from behind the screen, and soon the captured photo was transmitted to the hands of both photographers.
The screen was empty.
"Then, will both subjects proceed to remove one article of clothing for Round 2." The referee's voice once again echoed in everyone's ears.
Rokujou Eneru's excitement also steadily grew as she heard this.
"I'm a girl too, and I hate being shot with holy-light censored photos. If Hikigaya gets my photo and does weird things while looking at it, I'd be really troubled."
"But—"
Rokujou Eneru removed her mask and took off her Hyakkaou Academy uniform, now wearing only panties and a bra, standing with one hand on her hip, her face flushed uncontrollably.
"Yumeko is probably doing the same thing right now~"
"A woman's body, in any era, is the ultimate subject to photograph."
"To me, Yumeko's body is second only to Saotome's!"
"Voluptuous, noble, a perfect mix of seductiveness and purity... As a photographer, I must capture the bodies of Yumeko and Saotome."
"I have a feeling this is the key to breaking my artistic barriers. If I can get photos of both of them, I might never lack mental nourishment until graduation."
"As long as I hide under the covers every night looking at their photos, I'll be euphoric~"
As she said this, Rokujou Eneru raised her index finger and gently pressed it against her temple, trying to suppress her increasingly rampant desire.
"Don't rush, don't rush, my brain. Soon you'll see the finest female body."
[Undressing complete. Both teams, please proceed to the second round of dice rolls.]
[Hikigaya-sama: 2 points]
[Shimizu-sama: 1 point]
[Both subjects being photographed, please begin your movements.]
Hikigaya thought for a moment — at the end of the first round, Rokujou Eneru's position would have been one of 1, 5, 7, or 9. A move of one space would now put her on 2, 4, 6, or 8.
This round had a 1 in 4 chance.
Psychologically speaking, people tend to choose safe numbers.
And they also subconsciously avoid the very center of the grid.
"So, last round Rokujou Eneru's position was 7."
"This round, she could only move to 4 or 8."
"Heh, I've completely seen through you."
Hikigaya Hachiman let out a long sigh.