"The board is set. As usual, columns are labeled A to J, and rows are numbered 1 to 10. Each player's starting position is determined by their previous game performance. Please choose your starting positions one by one."
I scanned the board, analyzing the placements.
"I see… Yakou is already at a disadvantage. Choosing third or fourth is ideal, first is fine, but last is the worst you're forced to pick based on everyone else's choices."
I glanced at the current setup:
Purple Dot - B3
Blue Dot - I3
Yellow Dot - B7
Pink Dot - I7
Red Dot - E5
White Dot - E8
Black Dot - G1
Orange Dot - C5
Brown Dot - D1
"Now, I wonder where Yakou will place his dot… There are a few spots I'd probably pick H9, I5, and C10 seem like solid choices."
"Now, player Yakou, please choose a starting point for your dot," the referee announced.
"I would like to place my dot at D3," Yakou replied without hesitation.
"Very well. Now then, let the game begin. As usual, turns will proceed in the same order as the dot placements."
"Are you kidding me, Yakou?! That's right in the middle of everything! Oh my… you're a genius! Hahaha!" I thought to myself. "But anyway, I should focus on something else..."
Walking over to the referee, I asked, "Referee, could you tell me how many coins I'm worth?"
"Sorry, but I can't give you an estimate at the moment. Once the opening ceremony begins, I will be able to," he replied.
"What a shame… Anyway, mind if I stand next to you?"
"Sure thing, no problem."
Looking around the small table, I took in the scenery. The mountains in the distance were covered in snow at their peaks, cherry blossom trees surrounded us, and the sky above was a perfect shade of blue. "I guess no one really pays attention to the world around them… We're all so caught up in these games. I never even realized how beautiful it is. It's a shame it's not real."
The referee let out a small laugh. "Haha, not real, you say? No, no. This is real! This is Divan's Utopia creation."
"Divan, huh? So that's the name of the deity?" I thought to myself.
"Referee, what's your number?"
"Number? I am referee number 239."
"I see… It's a shame I don't know what you look like. I would love to see you."
The referee chuckled softly before falling completely silent, standing as still as a tree.
I let out a deep sigh before closing my eyes. "Yakou, good luck. I'm going to take a nap."
"Don't worry…" Yakou replied calmly.
The table was silent. Nika still hadn't made her move.
The silence was soon broken by an impatient player. "Hey, are you going to do something or not?"
Nika scowled but kept her thoughts to herself. Why would he choose that spot? That Yakou bastard... Whatever, I'll just go with this.
"Yes, yes. Here, I moved my dot to B2."
"Now I'll move mine to H3." The blue dot player said, giving a sharp look towards Nika.
As the other players took their turns, their strategies slowly unfolded.
The greatest tactic in war is suffocation, trapping your opponent, surrounding them from all sides, and cutting off every escape route. Force them into a desperate fight where their only option is to struggle… and let that struggle be their downfall.
The situation on the board was as followed:
Yellow dot - C8
Pink dot - H6
Red dot - F5
White dot - F7
Black dot - F1
Orange dot - B4
It was clear the brown dot was the first target.
"Did Yakou anticipate this? Is that why he placed his dot there? Or is there something more?" I wondered.
The brown dot player, Minowa, twitched his lips, realizing his impending defeat. But then
"Hey, you."
A voice from behind.
A tap on his shoulder.
Minowa turned to see Yakou standing there.
"I'm Yakou. What's your name?"
"Huh? My name…? It's Minowa."
"Minowa, walk your dot toward mine. I won't take it."
"Heh?? How could I believe you?"
"You can't. But there's not much of a choice... The others will definitely capture you. You've lost. But I am here to restore your hope. Your role in this battle isn't over yet. So, Minowa... please, walk your dot next to mine."
Silence.
Minowa hesitated, then, under the gaze of everyone at the table, he moved his dot to D2.
A player scoffed, "You always lose, Minowa. What a shame. At least die to one of us, not him!"
Without hesitation, Yakou moved not to capture Minowa but to E3.
"You're fucking crazy," Nika said. "You'll get captured 100% next round! What a fool! Hahaha."
"I guess I am... for now. But I am a warrior. And every battle has sacrifices, even if the sacrifice is yourself. That is my will."
"You talk a bunch of nonsense," the Red dot player interrupted. "Sacrifices? If you get captured, you lose. It's that simple! Hahahaha."
"That's not up to me to decide," Yakou replied, glancing at Minowa.
The whole table fell silent, all eyes on Yakou.
Minowa, sweating, took a small breath. "...Thank you, Yakou-san."
The Pink dot player rolled her eyes. "Y'all lovers or something? Anyway, get the game going, Nika!"
Nika chuckled. "Sorry, it was just so charming. Hahaha. Well, I'll move my dot to A2."
"Referee, do you notice what's going on? That Nika girl had a way to win. I'm not exactly sure how, but her starting position was carefully chosen. Yakou's placement didn't disrupt her strategy what did was his decision not to capture Minowa.
That single move trapped Nika, leaving her with only two real choices: A2 or B2. If she had gone to A1, Orange would have moved to B3, sealing her defeat. The best move for Orange now is to keep the opposition and go to A4 on his turn any other move, and Nika has a chance to survive.
Right now, her situation is unpredictable. You can make assumptions, but there are too many unknowns. Will Minowa capture Yakou? Will Yakou capture Minowa? What will the others do? You could try to calculate far ahead, but it's useless Nika walked right into Yakou's trap the moment she made the seemingly logical choice to move to B2 at the start.
That's the difference between them. Yakou understands war. He's willing to take risks, even with the stakes stacked ten times higher against him. The others see this as a golden opportunity, but Yakou?
He had already won this battle before it even began."
"Player Ken, that is great reasoning and thinking. I'll be straight with you Nika is completely lost, but… you didn't account for one thing."
"Mhm? And what is that?"
"Yakou can make allies. I'll tell you now, he's quite the charismatic leader. But don't forget Nika already has allies of her own."
"It's your turn now, Meruki," Nika said.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm moving my dot to H2."
"This game pisses me off!" the player controlling the black dot snapped in frustration.
"I see, Referee. So that's Nika's strategy dividing the board. I'm guessing her allies are the red dot, blue dot, and orange dot. They're completely occupying the center, and from what it looks like, they're slowly suffocating everyone on the bottom side of the board including Yakou.
But I wonder… do you think that's enough?"
"You're speaking like you've known Yakou for a long time. Didn't you just meet a couple of hours ago?"
"You know way too much," I said with a smirk. "But yeah. Besides, I don't need time to know someone. Yakou is different from anyone else I've ever met. When I was on the run, I saw many kinds of people, but none like him.
Yakou is from the 13th century. The rest of these people? I'd bet they're from the 21st or 20th century. And that's the difference.
I don't know much about his past, but I do know one thing he'll do anything to become a true warrior. And that's not just about winning this game. It's about becoming a great general. Because to him, this isn't about gambling 100,000 coins.
It's about his pride. His everything.
That drive, that relentless pursuit to prove himself, it's what sets him apart from the rest. While they're thinking about coins and survival, he's thinking about legacy, power, and what it means to stand at the top. In his eyes, this game is just another step on a path that's been set long before he ever joined. And for him, there's no turning back.
"Hahahaha! You make some great points. What a nice debate we're having."
"Seems boring to be a referee if you're entertained by something like this… so why don't we make it interesting? Let's gamble, you and me. On the winner of this game."
The referee's eyes widened in shock before he quickly shook his head. "Sadly, I'm unable to. If you'd like to keep talking, that is fine."
With a disappointed sigh, I muttered, "Oh man… what a shame. You all are so disappointing."
Putting down my cane, I lay on the soft grass, taking a deep sigh. The cool breeze brushed past me, the scent of the earth mingling with the sweet aroma of the cherry blossoms nearby. The weight of the world felt a little lighter in this moment of stillness, my mind momentarily free from the nearby game..
"What's up with this world?" I thought as I looked up at the sky. The clouds were beautiful. The sun was bright.
"Have I seen this before?"