『YOU vs. KIRUMA SOUICHI — Surpassing the Leader』

From the very start, you & Souichi engaged in a duel of pure intellect, and the first clash happened before the game even began. You both decided the initial D position—the advantageous seat—through Rock–Paper–Scissors. Souichi won instantly, with the same effortless minimalism he applies to everything, meaning he would begin with the advantage & dictate the early flow.

At 8:12 AM, the first round begins. Immediately, both of you shift into mind-reading combat—silent observation, microexpression analysis, psychological feelers. Souichi studies you deeply, concluding that because you resemble a gambler-type personality, you’re likely to take a risk early rather than play conservatively. His logic is cold, clinical.

This leads Souichi to correctly predict that you will attempt a check in the first round—a dangerous move that, if incorrect, results in a near-death experience.

You attempt it. You fail.

You’re forced to take the near-death drug.

As Yakou prepares to administer the drug, Souichi strikes—not physically, but psychologically. He attacks your mental foundation with precision.

Souichi:

“Are you sure the drug is real?”

You freeze.

He plants subtle, corrosive doubt—just enough to destabilize you internally.

Souichi:

“Yakou might’ve been deceived, you know… Or perhaps something was swapped.”

This was a brilliant application of the placebo effect—except in reverse. Instead of making you believe there was a cure, Souichi made you fear that you might not survive at all, even though the drug was real. Even Yakou himself stumbles, confused, questioning the legitimacy of his own drug. This psychological attack weakened your resolve that makes the experience of near-death even more distressing

Then Souichi glances at Yakou again—revealing, chillingly, that causing Yakou’s doubt was always part of his strategy. He never tampered with the drug. He simply manipulated perception.

And the fear that follows makes your near-death experience infinitely worse.

When you return from the brink—shaking, disoriented—you take the D position for the second round, while Souichi moves to C.

It is 8:17 AM.

Just seconds into Round 2, you step forward abruptly to disrupt Souichi’s mental timing. His eyes immediately catch anomalies: you removed your jacket before the drug… but now your necktie is missing. Meanwhile, you hold an object in your hand that resembles a handkerchief.

Souichi pieces it together instantly:

The object in your hand isn’t the handkerchief. It’s your necktie.

Which means you already dropped the real handkerchief.

This created a double-layered deception: 1. First Layer — Convince Souichi the handkerchief hasn’t been dropped 2. Second Layer — Exploit hesitation, buying time for poison accumulation

Souichi realizes you being an extreme strategist would only attempt such misdirection if you had already taken an extreme risk—meaning the handkerchief was likely dropped already.

But even with perfect deduction, even Souichi hesitates briefly. When he finally checks, he loses 24 seconds—giving you a small but crucial edge.

Souichi immediately turns the situation back against you (you can’t outplay the playa).

Your vision is foggy. You’re unaware of your own nosebleed. Your pulse is irregular and breathing unstable from the first near-death. Souichi sees these physiological deteriorations with terrifying clarity.

Souichi:

“If you fail another check, your body won’t withstand a second near-death.” “Your mental coherence is slipping. Your hesitation will kill you.”

His voice is calm—too calm—as he applies surgical psychological pressure, aiming to disrupt your ability to read him next round. Every word is a scalpel.

Then, with a final, chilling flourish, Souichi crushes your resolve completely:

Souichi:

“When your heart stops again… tell them this message.” ‘We are at peace now.’”

Checkmate loading…