"Sure."
Hinode began to raise his hand, positioning it just below his chest. I observed his every move, noting the slight trembling in his fingers and the tension in his wrist.
The slight tremble in his hand was nothing out of the ordinary - any human would experience it after holding their hands up in the air for a while. It's just basic physiology - our muscles can't stay perfectly still for too long without a little shake here and there.
Quickly, I mirrored his actions, raising my own hand in response.
Rock, paper, or scissors.
It may seem like a simple game of chance, but there is a small amount level of strategy involved. It's not just about luck; it's about reading your opponent and predicting their moves - or you can say, psychology.
"Three rounds."
"Okay."
The intricacies of human psychology manifest in various aspects of life, including in games. Whether it's a rhythm game or a game of strategy, every human being has a pattern that dictates their behavior. For beginners, whether it's a rhythm game or another type of game, their reliance on their senses such as sight and sound is paramount to their success.
But for experts, it's all about muscle memory - their brains have ingrained patterns that dictate their movements, allowing them to play with almost effortless precision.
Simply, it's all about patterns stored in the brain. And this applies to everything - they say practice makes perfect, because the more you do something, the more your brain and muscles remember it.
And so,
We both formed a fist as we raised our hand together, and began the little game in order to play the small game.
Without a word, Hinode clenched his fist, and I followed suit, quickly bringing it down. I didn't bother strategizing or attempting to win the game since it shouldn't be needed - I didn't put much thought or effort into it, simply lowering my hand as soon as his did.
Paper
and
Rock.
Hinode's hand was closed in a fist, while mine was open.
"A win for me," Hinode remarked.
Hinode maintained his stoic expression, not revealing any emotions or thoughts that could give away his moves. His eyes darted to my hand, then back to my face, trying to read any signs of my next move.
It was interesting how hard he was focussing on this game. He definitely knew that there was something off about me, but to go as far as challenge me like this, it seemed weird. I assume that this was related to my sister in some way.
I made a show of adjusting my posture, shifting slightly in my seat to give the impression that I was a little bit nervous.
He raised his fist once again, and I copied the motion.
Paper
and
Scissors.
Another loss for me.
Hinode's posture relaxed a little, and he raised his fist for the third time before bringing it down.
Paper.
and
Rock.
"A tie."
"Hm, one more it is then."
I responded with a curt nod, my eyes fixed on his hands as they hovered in the air.
I raised my fist, mirroring his actions. His left hand was rested casually on the table, a subtle indication that he was comfortable and confident in his decision.
We locked eyes, he glared at me before focusing back on my hand. Our hands were now raised around our heads, I waited for Hinode to make the first move, but he didn't seem to want to.
"..."
Based on our previous rounds, I could take a few guesses as to what he might choose next. I ran a quick mental calculation, taking into account the most commonly used moves in rock-paper-scissors and the typical patterns humans fall into when playing games.
Hinode had used rock and scissors before, so it was unlikely he would choose the same move again. That left paper as the most probable choice.
However, I couldn't discount the possibility of him switching it up and going for rock again - the most probable move based on his previous choices, the common patterns that most people tend to use.
Human behavior is often influenced by habits and preferences. When playing games, people tend to fall into patterns and habits that may influence their decisions. In the case of rock-paper-scissors, many individuals are likely to repeat their first move or choose the option they selected most frequently in the previous round.
This is a natural inclination that can be observed in most people, even if they are not consciously aware of it.
My own hand remained steady in the air as I waited for Hinode to make his move. He seemed to be taking his time, appeared to be considering his options again carefully.
As we held our fists in the air, I waited for Hinode to make the first move. He seemed hesitant, as if trying to anticipate my next move.
It didn't matter, regardless of what I did, it was down to luck for the most part. It didn't matter that much to me whether I lost or won anyways. I was planning on choosing my randomly.
"..."
—Scissors.
Finally, Hinode made his decision as I made them too. With a sudden movement, he lowered his fist to reveal
—Rock.
His hand was tight and clenched, while mine was relaxed and open, forming a peace sign with two fingers extended.
"Nice one," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, placing it on the table slowly.
He then grabbed a small notebook and ripped out four pages, placing them on the table before pushing the notebook away.
His expression remained stoic and unchanged, lacking of any hint of surprise, disappointment, or joy. It was as if the outcome of the game held no significance to him, and his only concern was carrying out the task at hand.
Hinode's pen moved swiftly on the paper as he scribbled something down.
"Let's see, you will become the code-breaker."
I nodded in agreement.
He wrote down the letters B-L-U-E on the ripped pages, forming the word 'blue', which is, in fact, a color.
It was obvious that he was constructing the code.
"You're so loose."
However, Hinode remained silent and didn't respond. He continued to write his code meticulously, one per one.
It was clear that he had finished when he placed his pen on the table and held each page with a firm grip.
"It doesn't matter if you see or not. At last, I'm going to shuffle it."
"I see."
With a flick of his wrist, he shuffled the pages, making sure that I couldn't guess what the code was.
He held the four ripped small notebook pages between his hands, placing them in a fan shape. then, he deftly rotated them clockwise and counterclockwise, interlacing his fingers with the edges of the pages before releasing them and letting them flutter back into a shuffled stack.
He then fixated his gaze on the tattered pages.
"..."
A full minute passed with only the sound of his rhythmic breathing breaking the silence.
His piercing gaze occasionally flicked over to me, as if seeking to read my thoughts and intentions.
At long last, he made his move, deftly plucking the page on the far right and laying it down on the table. And then, he took the page on the far left and placed it beside the first. Two pages remained in his hands, and he deftly placed the right one beside the first two and the left one as the last in the row.
All of them are faced down, leaving the words obscured from view.
"You can choose how many guess you want to have," he announced. "If you win, there will be some sort of present that I can guarantee you will enjoy."
His words gave me pause. What kind of present could he be talking about.
Despite my curiosity, I didn't want to waste any more time here. It had been a while since I'd been in this karaoke bar, so I made up my mind.
"One guess."
****
Follow current nov𝒆ls on freew(𝒆)bnov𝒆l.(c)om