51 Jinjiang Exclusive
◎Prisoner's Dilemma◎
53
For the next two weeks, Kawakami Wakana received links from that mysterious email address almost every day.
Monday brought a death report and conflicting testimonies from three suspects. She could only read them repeatedly, scrutinizing the contradictions in each person's testimony.
Tuesday was a numbers maze. Kawakami Wakana's computer desk was covered with scratch paper filled with calculations. Edogawa Ranpo, who happened to be passing by, glanced at the computer and suggested, "Try thinking in reverse."
Wednesday turned into a poker game against a virtual opponent. Ruoyi put in a lot of effort and finally won the game, only to find a line of small print on her opponent's "Joker" card: "Armed Detective Agency".
At first, Ruoyi would stare at the computer screen with great difficulty, even asking Edogawa Ranpo for help. But after half a month, she was already able to hold an iced Americano in her left hand and a red bean bun she bought on the way in her right, eating while analyzing the bizarre murder scene diagrams sent by the other party.
The cat paw sticky note on my workstation had changed from "Please read, Ranpo-san" to blank.
The only thing that hasn't changed is that every email contains the same sentence—
If the link is not clicked within 24 hours, one of the Armed Detective Agency's most closely guarded secrets will be revealed.
Every time Ruoyi stared at that sentence, her heart would tremble, and she would subconsciously look out the window, and then abruptly shut down her computer when she first saw the white hat.
Then it was discovered that it was the rope that Dazai Osamu used to prove gravity.
"..."
Ruoyi also sent emails several times, inquiring about the sender's identity, purpose, and the secrets of the Armed Detective Agency. However, without exception, she received no reply.
The sender was just mechanically sending her emails.
She even began to worry whether it was appropriate to continue playing this "reasoning game" with the other party, and whether Edogawa Ranpo's suggestion to "try answering the other party's questions first" was accurate.
Is it possible that Ranpo-san doesn't want her to know the other party's so-called "secret of the Armed Detective Agency"...?
etc--
Ruoyi was startled by her own thoughts.
Wakana, who was lying on the tatami mat preparing to send the cat photos she had recently collected to President Fukuzawa, who also loves cats, was startled. She jumped up and went out to knock on Dazai Osamu's door.
Tonight, Dazai Osamu, unusually, didn't disappear without a trace and opened the door with a smile.
"Oh, Wakana-chan, you've come at the worst possible time."
Kawakami Wakana immediately noticed the rope on the ceiling.
"..."
But now is not the time to dwell on that. Ignoring the rope, she looked around, closed the door, and then said to Dazai Osamu, "I know what that mysterious person's purpose is."
"—He might be trying to sow discord."
Dazai Osamu neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply let her continue.
“Every time they send an email, they remind me that if I ignore it, they will reveal the detective agency’s secrets.” Ruoyi swallowed, her voice a mix of nervousness and excitement. “And, as expected, Ranpo-san could tell that there were no computer viruses or hacking software in the emails; they were just ordinary mystery games.”
"Then, the other party should be able to deduce that Ranpo-san would suggest that I play with him as requested first."
"Hmm." Dazai Osamu nodded to indicate that he understood.
Kawakami Wakana continued, "Over time, I'll automatically start to suspect—what secrets does the detective agency have that I can't know? Is Ranpo-san asking me to do what the other party asks because he's afraid that secret will be exposed?"
"In other words, he wants to lead me step by step into a crisis of trust in you."
This behavior is very similar to that of someone she knows well.
But if it's Fedia, why deliberately conceal her identity? Wouldn't it be easier to achieve the goal by simply telling her, "This is an email from Fyodor"?
Ruoyi still doesn't understand this point.
“Wakai-chan,” Dazai Osamu exclaimed, his mouth agape in admiration, “you’ve already figured these things out. You’re definitely much smarter than before.”
"However, sometimes, no matter what kind of mind the other party has, people may have more than one purpose in doing things."
As he spoke, he glanced at the clock above his head: "It's been so long. I think that person should be showing their true colors by now."
"Buzzing—"
Almost as soon as Dazai Osamu finished speaking, Kawakami Wakana's phone vibrated. The phone indicated a new email had been received; the sender was still the mysterious person who resembled Feda.
only--
The "limited time" that had always been 24 hours suddenly became 48 hours.
Ruoyi immediately met Dazai Osamu's gaze.
Noticing that the other person was signaling with their eyes that she should click on the link in the email, Kawakami Wakana slowly opened her email.
But her fingers paused for a moment—
The interface was very simple this time, without any of the fancy stuff from before; it was just like the interface of a survey questionnaire I did in college. The options were only simple "red" and "blue," but the content made Ruoyi's pupils involuntarily dilate.
[You and several others have been captured by an assassin. Your captors force you to choose between red and blue. If someone chooses red, that person survives. If everyone chooses blue, everyone survives. If everyone chooses red, the assassin decides what to do with half of you.]
What should you do if you are unable to communicate with others?
"..."
Dazai Osamu was also looking at the screen interface.
A multi-person prisoner's dilemma... or so it seems.
Sure enough, everything before was just a prelude to this, right?
I'm afraid that many similar problems will arise in the future.
“Wakana-chan,” he grasped Kawakami Wakana’s hand, “Anyway, they’re asking you to reply within 48 hours, so don’t rush. Think carefully about what that guy’s purpose is before you reply.”
"Mm." Ruoyi nodded.
She also had a feeling, just like the question Fedia asked last time about "not having money for medical treatment," that no matter what answer she chose, once she made a choice easily, it was as if the other party had found a weakness that could be manipulated.
After thanking Dazai Osamu, Kawakami Wakana left with some inexplicable feelings. But Dazai Osamu did not continue his "great undertaking of hanging himself from a tree in the southeast," but instead put on his overcoat and went out.
"It's December, and it's so cold." Dazai Osamu bought a cup of hot juice and a bag of apples at a nearby convenience store, rubbing his hands together as he stepped out of the store.
"You agree, don't you, Dostoevsky?"
"..."
Fyodor, who was standing in the shadows, was probably prepared for Dazai Osamu to notice that he was following him. He simply pulled up the brim of his hat and stepped out from behind the telephone pole in the shadows.
Dazai Osamu swallowed the apple in his mouth and tossed one to Fyodor: "It's not as sweet as the ones from my hometown of Aomori Prefecture, but it's still edible."
"—After all, in Aomori Prefecture, every telephone pole smells like apples, especially in winter, it's like licking a lollipop."
Fyodor: "..."
Does Dazai-kun think that such a clumsy joke can fool someone living in an extremely cold region?
But Dazai Osamu's expression turned serious the next second.
"Of course, I wouldn't admit that I noticed you were following me just to make this joke and then offer you an apple."
"—Let's be frank, all the emails Ruoyi-chan received these past few days were sent by you, right?"
“You’re just colleagues, please call her Kawakami-san,” Fyodor coldly interrupted him.
Dazai Osamu: Oh, is this considered jealousy?
However, he didn't want to waste words with the "demon" right now, and just continued to play with the apple in his hand with a grin: "At first, it was to train her logical thinking ability, and now it's to train her game theory ability with prisoner's dilemma-style problems. Instead of training her into an evenly matched opponent through this girlfriend training game, you might as well just play a game of chess with me directly."
“I’m tired of your options,” Fyodor shrugged. “What I’m more interested in now is her answer.”
“She has the right not to answer,” Dazai Osamu said. “What you call the ‘secret of the Armed Detective Agency’ is nothing more than my past. But even if you reveal that I am a former Mafai executive whose criminal record has been erased, it will only affect me.”
"Oh?" Fyodor asked, blinking.
"What if she has to answer?"
"After all, I know that Akutagawa-kun, whom you brought into the Mafia, has almost finished recuperating at Dr. Blackjack's clinic and is ready for the final surgery, right? If she insists on not answering, I might interfere with the surgery."
…………
The next day, the Armed Detective Agency.
Kawakami Wakai has yet to come up with a suitable response to the "color selection question" raised by someone suspected to be Fei Jia.
She knew very well that if she chose red, she might be labeled as "self-centered" and "self-serving" who "only cares about his own survival," while if she chose blue, she would be seen as "too trusting of others" and "altruistic" who "disregards the risks he might face."
Neither of them would be good for her.
So much so that when she arrived at the detective agency early in the morning, with nothing else to do, she sat in front of the computer, staring at the two options on that website.
This time, there is no "third option".
Is it red or blue...?
Kawakami Wakana's fingers paused on the keyboard, and she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It was like when Fyodor asked her on her birthday, "Should I kill someone or let my family die?"
It is indeed a very familiar pattern.
But if the person who emailed her during this period really was Feda—
Whether it's the trolley problem, the previous medicine-buying issue, or this time, they all involve ethical issues.
Was he so determined to know her moral values?
"Wakai-san... are you in a bad mood?" The little angel, Atsushi Nakajima, had somehow entered the office with the milk coffee he bought at the convenience store that morning. He placed one of the cups in front of Wakai's desk and asked with concern.
Can--
Kawakami Wakana clearly noticed that Nakajima Atsushi was in worse condition. Izumi Kyoka, standing behind her, also looked worried.
Dunjun's... the dark circles under his eyes are almost as pronounced as Fei Jia's!
"Thank you." Ruoyi picked up the milk coffee, carefully inserted the straw, and sipped her drink. "Are you worried about that Akutagawa-kun from the Mafia?"
"..." Atsushi Nakajima's movements froze for a moment.
“It’s too obvious.” Kawakami Wakana jokingly flicked his forehead. “Didn’t Pinocchio-chan say that Akutagawa would be having surgery today when we went for his last ‘follow-up’?”
"If you're so worried, why don't you just sneak out for a bit?"
Another voice sounded from behind.
There stood Dazai Osamu, munching on an apple, grinning as he blocked the sunlight from the window.
"And I think that if I go, Akutagawa might be able to get through the surgery much stronger."
[Author's Note]
Ask a question!
If it were you...
Red or blue?
Small Theater
Fyodor: Red or blue, which would you choose?
Kawakami Wakai: I chose to mix purple together.
"...?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
